Chapter 194
It was evening . Street lights turned on and smoke was billowing out of the chimneys .
Dusk was falling and it was the time people would gradually head back home .
Desir was also hurrying his steps back to the academy dormitory . He wasn’t alone, however, someone was casually following him .
“… … ”
It wasn’t a stalker . For a stalker, the person was far too confident, brazen even, This individual clearly wanted their presence to be noticed .
The person who was walking behind Desir had a smaller build than him . Their face couldn’t be seen due to their hood .
‘How did I not notice them sooner?’
Desir was always on alert, monitoring his surroundings for anything suspicious . Though such a habit would make anyone else seem paranoid, Desir’s alertness was a result of necessity; anyone forced to live in the Shadow Labyrinth for ten years would be the same .
Even still, Desir had been caught with his pants down . Somehow, some way, someone was walking right next to him and he didn’t notice .
Furthermore, they were exuding an overwhelmingly potent aura . His instincts told him that this person was strong, even stronger than Hersaint-Blanc .
Nervous to his core, Desir held his composure and maintained his pace .
“Privately meeting a journalist in a rural area like this, aren’t you acting a bit too suspicious for someone praised as a hero?”
*Thump*
Desir stopped walking, not because the voice was that of a female, nor because his meeting with Aylus News was exposed .
He had recognised the voice . He had definitely heard it a lot in the Shadow Labyrinth, but he couldn’t quite place it…
‘The stature of a smaller female, Southern accent, someone from the Empire, and this intense aura… … ’
“No need to worry . I’m not interested in others’ private lives . ”
As if to dance, she did a full spin and blocked Desir’s path .
The hood uncovered and her face was shown . She was good looking and had distinct facial features .
Desir got undeniable confirmation that his guess was correct . But he couldn’t show that, not in front of her .
“Is there anything I can help you with? You seem to know a lot about me, but I can’t say the same about you . ”
“You’ll know soon enough . ”
She didn’t reveal who she was, but Desir already knew about her in detail . He recalled her identity as he kept his smirk to himself .
‘Swan Katerina, Queen Class Archer . ’
Swan was criticized for her rash behaviors, but she was amazing in the sense that she could cover up all of her shortcomings with her level of skill .
‘And one of the Royal Guards . ’
The direct bodyguards for the Hebrion Emperor, the Royal Guards .
Despite only having four members, they were regarded as the most elite force within the Hebrion Empire .
‘Why would a Royal Guard look for me?’
As though she could read Desir’s mind, the answer was quickly given .
“Hm… … I thought you’d be a potato since you were hiding your face and all . I guess I was wrong?”
“I doubt you came just to see my face, so what’s the deal here?”
Swan shrugged .
“Too bad . I did come all the way just to see your face . ”
Desir was lost for words .
It probably wasn’t a lie . She had a fairly impulsive personality .
Thanks to her personality, the captain of the Royal Guards often struggled to clean up after her . She was probably here to merely satisfy her curiosity .
“We’ll meet again soon . ”
*Whoosh*
Swan backed off with a smile, and soon blended in with the darkness of the night street .
* * *
Romantica was slouching on the couch in the party office .
And it wasn’t just to escape the suffocating heat, albeit that was a good reason .
Romantica had long grown bored of the book she was reading, and had been swinging it around her fingers . Desperate for a distraction, she voiced her thoughts, breaking the silence .
“The weather is already exhausting enough . The test is just adding fuel to the fire . ”
Realizing she wasn’t going to get the break she craved, she turned back towards her studies and began casting a spell . Suddenly, a stream of wind blew into the office .
The stream of wind maintained its strength without affecting the documents Desir was studying, nor the book Romantica was reading .
Achieving an impressive level of control and maintaining the strength of the spell wasn’t an easy task, but Romantica managed it all while resuming her book .
The sight brought a smile to his lips .
‘She really has improved . ’
Desir yawned as he skimmed the interior of the party office . There were only two of them in the office . The academy’s Promotion Battle had been postponed as a result of the war, but now that normal life had resumed everyone was out training in preparation .
Since the academy had been forced to close, the Promotion Battle was serving not only as their midterm exam, but also their final .
It was already a crucial exam to begin with, but the circumstances made the exam exceptionally important .
Desir’s mind drifted to the rest of the Starling Party’s members .
Despite all the pressure, the party members managed to maintain their confidence . .
It wasn’t overconfidence either; they had all undergone significant growth as a result of Desir’s training regimine . They were able to firmly hold their ground against both the Blue Moon Party and the Red Dragon Party .
After surviving Desir’s spartan training, there was nothing left in the world capable of scaring them .
Romantica suddenly let out a sigh .
“Hah, I wish I could go back to when I was a first year . ”
Her complaint was reasonable . Unlike the first years, second and third years didn’t have all their exams replaced by the Promotion Battle and had to take multiple written exams at the same time .
In the end, there was no way, other than diligently studying, to avoid failing . No exceptions, even for Single Rankers .
Nevertheless, the reason why Romantica was stuck studying in the party office was because the others had been diligently practicing all along and thus didn’t need any additional cramming .
“So, Pram’s practically living in the training area trying to reach Bishop Class, and Adjest is working on controlling the Center of Ice, huh?”
Desir put his pen down and yawned .
“I guess that’s it for today’s work . ”
Desir collapsed right into the couch that was opposite from the one Romantica was sitting on .
A cool breeze gently greeted his face .
Romantica broke the silence while maintaining focus on the book .
“Wanna go shopping together, if you got time?”
Desir gave it some thought and accepted her offer .
“Sure, why not . I have some equipment I’ve been meaning to pick up . ”
Just as Desir got up from the seat, his communication bracelet began to buzz . It was Professor Hersaint-Blanc calling .
[-Desir, are you busy right now?]
As Desir gave Romantica a glance, she let out a disappointed sigh and shrugged .
“No, I just got some free time . ”
[-Great . I have something urgent to tell you, so please come to my office . ]
*Beep*
The call was over .
“Sorry . Let’s go shopping sometime later . ”
Romantica shrugged .
“Oh well, it can’t be helped . ”
She acted as if she was fine, but her disappointment was apparent .
“We’ll definitely go next time . ”
“When? A year from now?”
Desir smiled at Romantica’s teasing . .
“This week . ”
“That’s a promise, right?”
Leaving a delighted Romantica behind, Desir headed to Professor Hersaint-Blanc’s office .
* * *
“You will meet the Emperor . ”
It was a rather matter-of-fact statement from Hersaint-Blanc, given that Desir had barely stepped through the door .
Hersaint-Blanc was a close advisor to the Emperor, even though one may not expect it . They had kept this relationship on the down-low while in public .
Ever since Desir had begun working for the Emperor, he had taken up the role of liaison between the two . .
“Unlike the private meeting last time during the masquerade ball, this time it’s an official summons . ”
Until now, conversation between the Emperor and Desir had been a national secret . It was crucial to the Emperor that their relationship be kept secret from the nobles who still pushed for the divide between commoner and noble .
But the circumstances had changed .
It was true that until now, it was better to keep Desir hidden . But thanks to Desir making an international name for himself, the Emperor had decided it would be best if they revealed that the Empire was working with Desir .
Desir, upon hearing this, quickly came to this conclusion .
“So he wants to take advantage of my reputation . ”
For anyone else, that could’ve been considered offensive, but Hersaint-Blanc had long learned to simply accept it .
“Probably, yes, since you’re an important figure in the country now . ”
Desir got lost in his thoughts .
‘At this rate, the public will believe I’m on the Emperor’s side . ’
If that happened, Desir would lose all sway with any nobles who held disdain for the Emperor .
But that was a sacrifice Desir was more than willing to make . Most of those nobles were also the ones who despised commoners, and many of them would consider Desir to be a threat . Chalking up changing their minds to be a lost cause, Desir had no reason to reject the Emperor’s offer .
Desir bowed and said .
“I’ll get ready as quickly as I can . ”
But a question came to his mind .
If the Emperor wanted to publicly establish their relationship, why would he choose a private meeting? If that was his goal, why wouldn’t he host a public event?
Suddenly, yesterday’s event came to Desir’s mind .
‘Swan Katerina…’
The Royal Guard was an organization that belonged to the royal family, not the Empire . They were the Emperor’s sword that swung for him alone .
Desir had a suspicion that his encounter with Swan might be related to this private meeting with the Emperor .
----
Chapter brought to you by The Patrons .
???: …
ED: Purplemen101
TLC: N/A
QC: Nhan
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