Chapter 94: Luden (1)

 

[ To my dear friend, Damian.

 

Ah, I remember you telling me not to use this expression. My apologies.

 

But if I erase it now, it would just dirty the paper needlessly, so I’ll leave it as is. It’s too bothersome to find a new sheet.

 

As I mentioned in my last letter, even though the opening line is a bit cheesy, my hand just writes it automatically. It’s become a habit that isn’t easy to break. Habits are indeed terrifying. If you find any overly sappy expressions here and there, I hope you’ll just skim over them.

 

That aside, it’s almost been a year since we started exchanging letters.

 

Writing for something other than work is quite a hassle, but it has been enjoyable. Father was right to encourage making friends. Thanks to you, it feels like I’ve found an extra breath of fresh air in this stifling place.

 

Of course, it’s a bit heartbreaking every time I remember that the recipient of my letters isn’t a beautiful lady but a man like you. Still, it gave me a good excuse to take a break.

 

As you know, my father tends to be a bit strict with his children, but in this regard, he’s somewhat lenient.

 

Seeing that he’s starting to relieve me of my duties, it seems he plans to have me focus on my studies from this year. Honestly, juggling studies and work, even if the academy is close to the royal palace, is quite unscrupulous.

 

But, let’s cut the chit-chat here and move on to the topic we discussed last time.

 

I agree with your opinion that there might still be rats lurking in the capital.

 

Some of the ministers who have been bothering me might be their minions. No joke, this is a conclusion I’ve come to after some thought. It’s just a suspicion, but still.

 

However, I never considered the academy in this aspect.

 

After all, what is Estelia Academy? Along with the Seven Towers, it’s known as a sanctuary of learning. The staff is meticulously selected and only the most vetted can enter. So I completely overlooked this.

 

But doing some house cleaning myself made me realize something. They hide in places you’d never think of. As old as the history of the royal family, even a place like the academy could have a few of them posing as professors. That’s how they’ve managed to survive this long.

 

As the academy’s enrollment period approaches, I’ve been getting all sorts of requests for approval.

 

Naturally, the first thing that comes up with the new semester is funding. I’ve sorted out those who have recently left the capital or whose reasons for going out are unclear.

 

It was a bit cumbersome to include not just full-time staff but also adjuncts and casual workers, but I decided to do it alone rather than share the task with Noel, feeling uneasy.

 

Ah, I’m not bragging about this.

 

The names listed here are just those who raise suspicions. We’ll think about how to handle this after you arrive in Luden. Anyway, here’s the list I’ve compiled:

 

Knight Department, Professor of Tactics: Neilson Pailer (42)

 

Knight Department, Assistant Professor of Spear Technique: Jessica Hunt (26)

 

Knight Department, Professor of Knighthood: Leopold Uber (36)

.

.

.

Magic Department, Professor of Alchemy: Philippus Paracel (45)

 

Magic Department, Assistant Professor of Alchemy: Altman Edelweiss (24)

 

That’s about it for the faculty members.

 

You might find some names odd, but let’s overlook that.

 

Don’t think it’s too many.

 

These names I’ve written down are those I’ve meticulously picked out, so naturally, there are quite a few. It’s not at all a reflection of any inadequacy on the part of the royal house.

 

I’ve only listed those whose names might be useful to remember. For now, just familiarize yourself with these names.

 

I’ll talk to you about the newly added casual workers and their detailed information in person.

 

Given the nature of this content, it’s not suitable for a letter, and to encrypt it like this, I’d have to write it all by hand, which is a bit much even for me. Since you’ll be coming to Luden for enrollment, this is likely the last letter I’ll write to you this year.

 

Next time, let’s talk in person, my friend.

 

But let’s not just talk about work when we meet.

 

I’ve got a new board game that we should play. It’s quite a brain teaser. I’m confident I could even beat Elena as a substitute in this game.

 

The letter attached is, as always, written by Noel. I didn’t think it necessary to encrypt it, so make sure not to discard it just because I didn’t write it.

 

Honestly, the content is almost the same as the last one, so you might not need to read it.

 

But no, do read it and write back. Otherwise, I’ll be the one who’s inconvenienced.

 

My fingers are starting to ache.

 

There’s still more I haven’t said, but let’s save that for when we meet. If someone is sent to the imperial castle, I will go with Noel. Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing you in Luden as soon as possible.

 

Your friend. ]

 

***

 

The passage of time is indeed relative.

 

Sometimes it seems to crawl by, and at other times, it rushes past.

 

This is evident just by looking at the stack of letters in front of me.

 

At first, there were only one or two, but now, enough to fill a drawer, greeting me as if to question when all this time passed. Considering we’ve been exchanging letters every two weeks or so, the amount of time that has elapsed since then becomes apparent.

 

I close the drawer and turn my head towards the window.

 

The mist on the glass and the snow falling beyond it present a different landscape than before.

 

Even though three seasons have passed, it doesn’t feel like a long time has gone by. In fact, it feels as if time has sped up.

 

Someone once told me that when people are happy, time seems to pass more quickly. It’s not that my time with Father and Alphonse wasn’t happy, but the addition of Elena to our lives seems to have accelerated the passage of time.

 

Nothing particularly remarkable happened until the winter of the new year, as if all the misfortune had been crammed into the beginning of the year.

 

It was a repetition of ordinary days. No major incidents, just a continuous flow of tranquil and happy days. If I were to give an example of the most fitting times in the life that lies ahead of me, these would be it.

 

If one asks whether there has been any progress in my relationship with Elena, that’s a different story, but then every day is special, so I wouldn’t necessarily include that.

 

I flip through Noel’s letter and look at the unopened one.

 

The seal on the envelope, a wax stamp featuring a wolf standing beneath three stars, signifies the Edelweiss Ducal Family.

 

Naturally, one would think of Joachim, the head of the Edelweiss family, as the sender, but surprisingly, this letter isn’t from him. It’s unlikely that a letter from Joachim in the north would arrive with Orcus’s letter from Luden, which is far away.

 

“Ha... why do I feel so nervous about this?”

 

Considering who from the Edelweiss family is currently in Luden, identifying the sender of this letter isn’t difficult.

 

As mentioned in Orcus’ earlier letter, currently in Luden are Altman Edelweiss and his mother – who, to me, are my mother-in-law and brother-in-law.

 

Knowing Altman, he isn’t likely to write letters, so this must surely be from my mother-in-law.

 

With only a month left until the academy’s entrance, Elena and I will soon be heading to Luden, so receiving a letter from family there makes sense.

 

However, I feel a peculiar sensation. Having had numerous conversations with Joachim and seeing him argue with my father, I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to him. But I’ve never met my mother-in-law, and thinking of her as the sender of this unopened letter, I sense an odd pressure emanating from it.

 

In the original story, compared to Altman and Joachim, her presence was almost negligible, barely mentioned now and then. To me, both were essentially strangers.

 

Since I had never even seen her at the engagement ceremony, I once wondered if she disliked me. But realizing the engagement ceremony’s insignificance in this world, I temporarily shelved that thought.

 

If she had disliked me, she wouldn’t have permitted the engagement in the first place, right?

 

Last year, Altman was busy preparing for his graduation from the Golden Tower, so she must have had her hands full assisting him. That’s probably why she was out of touch, not just with Elena, but even Joachim.

 

But now, with Altman appointed as an assistant professor at the academy, she must have some free time. Hence, the letter.

 

Still, it is rather unconventional to only now receive a message from my mother-in-law. What makes it truly awkward is the lack of information about her. I have no idea what she thinks of me.

 

Elena and Joachim mentioned that the other family members don’t think poorly of me, but is that something I can trust?

 

“Ah, I can’t open it.”

 

Despite understanding this logically, the anxiety hadn’t completely dissipated, so I couldn’t bring myself to break the seal of the letter. Of course, I’m curious about its contents, but this overpowering trepidation has stalled my hand.

 

It didn’t seem this intense with Joachim.

 

Perhaps because her role in the original novel was so minimal, the concept of her being my mother-in-law seems to precede her being a character, unlike with Joachim.

 

Holding the unopened envelope along with the letter from Noel, I headed towards Elena.

 

Just to clarify, this is definitely not running away.

 

How could an outsider open a letter meant for family first? It would be utterly impolite for me to read the letter before Elena. Undoubtedly, Elena would be delighted to receive a letter from her mother after such a long time.

 

Though my name is written as the recipient on the envelope, who knows what the contents might reveal.

 

“Oh, Damian, Mother says when we come to Luden, we can stay at the Edelweiss family’s residence instead of the Kraus family’s house. She must be feeling lonely with Brother being appointed and not coming home as often... Shall we leave a bit earlier?”

 

Someone once said, don’t run from what’s inevitable, but accept it.

 

That seems like the perfect advice for my current situation.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

 

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