When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 155

Episode 155

It’s already been a few weeks since the whirlwind of the magic tournament ended. Now, the end-of-semester exams are just around the corner. 

It feels like only yesterday that they had just enrolled in the Royal Academy. Yet, from the orientation camp that followed immediately after, to the midterm exams, the magic tournament, and the daily grind of classes and club activities—each event piled on top of another, making the days of youth fly by in an instant. Truly, time flies like an arrow.

Incidentally, one night when Jez was casually chatting with Victor in the boys’ dorm lounge and mentioned the proverb “time flies like an arrow,” Victor muttered something unsettling:

“…Time passes quickly like an arrow? Hmm… I see, controlling the passage of time by tying it to the concept of an arrow. Interesting…”  

Jez had no idea what Victor meant by this. What was he getting at? Victor, proverbs are just metaphors or analogies, you know?

Anyway, time certainly moves quickly. Though Victor had been thoroughly scolded by Miriam after the magic tournament, he was spotted skipping to the lab and humming cheerfully just two days later. Apparently, the tournament had yielded some valuable data for him. On top of that, the government had started providing significant funding for Victor’s research, helping his work make further progress.

Around the same time, Miriam had secretly proposed the concept of a “Magic Jammer” to the Academy and government agencies through the Magic Tool Department. At this stage, it was merely a conceptual idea. But since there are locations in the natural world where magical fields are disturbed, she suggested using such phenomena as a reference to begin research and development on a Magic Jammer. It would be used as a countermeasure against abnormal entities.

Miriam’s approach, considering she was still a student, was rather skillful. Officially, her proposal was framed as a deterrent measure for emergencies. But internally, her true motivation was to ensure Victor remained grounded in human society, rather than becoming a threat or drifting away from it. It was more of a safeguard, meant not to annoy him. It was to remind everyone that, after all, Victor was still just human.

Victor Alchemis. If left unchecked, he might quickly diverge from the path of humanity. He possesses that much potential. Perhaps he could even surpass the founder of the Alchemis family without much effort. And in some cases, he might even transcend human existence and become a higher being. Even though it’s only mentioned in legend, there are saints in the Church said to have ascended to demigod status. If that were to happen to Victor, who knows what might follow? There might come a time when she could never see him again… and that was something she wanted to avoid.

Miriam Stonewell. A formidable woman whose love was difficult to recognize and whose actions were often unrewarded. Will the eccentric alchemist ever truly understand her?

・　・　・

“Summer vacation plans?”

“Yeah. I was just wondering what you’re going to do. Are you going back home?”

As the final exams approached, Jez was once again studying with Victor, Erin, Seraphina, Miriam, and the others. At one point, while Miriam was working on a past exam paper, Victor glanced over and casually pointed out, “That’s wrong,” while yawning. Annoyed that Victor spotted her mistake so quickly on a particularly difficult problem, Miriam repeatedly challenged him to intellectual duels, only to lose each time.

Watching their banter with a sigh, Jez was asked by Erin about his summer vacation plans. The Royal Academy’s summer break was a long two-month holiday. With that much time, it wouldn’t be impossible to travel to the northern central city of Foresval and back, but…

“Nah, it takes weeks just to get there. Even if I went back, I wouldn’t be able to stay long. So I plan to stay in the capital.”

On the surface, Erin responded with a nonchalant, “Oh, I see.” But under the table, she clenched her fist tightly. Seraphina, who could just catch a glimpse of this from her seat, watched their interaction with a knowing smile. She thought to herself, “My, my,” while quietly chuckling.

“And what about you, Seraphina?”

Jez, oblivious to any subtleties, asked her next. As she thought to herself, “This is just like him”, Seraphina responded, 

“I’ll stay in the capital too. Two months isn’t really enough time to make a round trip to the Divina Papal State, after all.”

Seraphina responded safely and neutrally. If not for time constraints, she would have preferred to be back in her home country during this period. Although, part of her felt that if she were to return now, she might never be able to come back again.

Unaware of Seraphina’s inner conflict, Jez, Erin, and the others were chatting like typical students. They were discussing their plans for the summer vacation. Apparently, Jez had received a letter from his stepfather, advising him to use his time to explore the capital, its surroundings, or even the western regions of the country if he had time to travel home. After all, once they graduated from the Royal Academy, no matter what profession they pursued, they would inevitably be sent to the northern, eastern, or southern fronts. On the other hand, traveling westward—toward the human kingdoms—would require deliberate effort, as there wouldn’t be many natural opportunities to go there.

As they discussed these plans, Erin’s face lit up with excitement as if a great idea had struck her.

“Actually, due to my father’s work, I have the chance to take a luxurious cruise down the Salal River, which flows along the border with the Kingdom of Garanhorn. If you’d like, Jez, why don’t you all come along?”

Summer was approaching.