Chapter 44: Merely a Guardian

"Hey, are you seriously not going to give me the time of day? After all, I waited for you outside the library for a full hour."

Iluvia walked right behind Roland, her lips puckered as she leaned forward to catch a glimpse of his expression.

However, Roland remained completely silent, actually speeding up his pace to immediately widen the distance between them.

"Hey!"

Seeing that Roland had no intention of stopping, Iluvia broke into a light jog to catch up.

Catching Iluvia closing in from the corner of his eye, Roland simply cast a blink spell to instantly surge forward, stopping ten paces ahead of her.

"Your Imperial Highness, please stop following me."

"I know you waited a long time for me in the cold wind, but given our few previous collaborations, they have only ever brought me unilateral trouble."

"Therefore, I decline the invitation you just offered."

Iluvia parted her lips, looking somewhat unconvinced, but Roland cut her off immediately. "Please don't swear or say things like 'I won't bring you any trouble'."

"Until the situation in the capital stabilizes, please allow me to decline any and all cooperation with you."

"Oh come on, you started running before I even finished my sentence. Now you won't even listen to an explanation—can't you at least wait until I've said everything I need to say?"

Iluvia puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms over her chest, causing her already formidable assets to heave slightly with her heavy breathing.

Roland spread his hands. "Whose fault is it that you ambushed me at the entrance?"

"I only tracked you down because I found out from Madam Flam you were here, didn't I?"

"You went to Madam Flam? Wait, you're that close with her?"

"Of course. My father was her student after all, how could I not know her? Even my magical enlightenment was guided by Madam Flam."

Iluvia continued, "Alright, let's talk about the serious stuff. We can discuss teaming up for the end-of-term evaluations later; there's plenty of time anyway."

"What I need to talk to you about is something else."

Iluvia looked around left and right, then produced a palm-sized magitech device and activated a soundproofing barrier.

"This device won't last long, so I'll keep it brief."

"Someone is planning to move against Madam Flam. Their target might not be her personally, but it will certainly implicate those close to her."

"You have already been included among those people."

"While the assassins this morning were aiming for me, you were also within their kill zone."

"To put it simply, even if they fail to kill me, killing you would still count as achieving their objective."

Just as she finished speaking, the duration of the barrier expired.

The device in Iluvia's hand began to emit a few sparks, apparently broken beyond repair.

Roland's mouth twitched. Looking at Iluvia, who was smiling like a blooming flower, he could only feel how difficult life was.

"When was I targeted?"

"Still investigating. But based on current findings, it's connected to the incident in Riscan."

Iluvia did not elaborate further, and Roland cooperated by not asking any more questions.

Soon, Iluvia changed the subject. "So, are you really not going to consider cooperating with me?"

"Consider it for your own sake."

"Even if you hide away inside the academy and never step outside, those people have a hundred different ways to do away with you, you know~~"

"Would you like me to list a few? Ways that can send you to your grave without implicating anyone else?"

Roland deployed a Mage Hand and flicked Iluvia sharply on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"See? Do I even have a choice, Your Highness?"

Iluvia covered her forehead and then smiled up at Roland. "Don't worry, I'll be able to give you the specific details tomorrow."

"We'll meet in Madam Flam's office then. I've already told her about this matter as well."

"I'll let you know the exact time tomorrow morning."

Roland was somewhat surprised. "You're planning to come back over here tomorrow morning?"

"You've already been hanging around here all afternoon. Aren't you going back to the imperial palace?"

An expression of affected astonishment appeared on Iluvia's face. "Oh my, the Royal Capital Magic Academy is a boarding school, you know. Day students are not permitted."

"Even the heir to the throne is no exception."

"So naturally, now that my admission procedures are complete, I have to live in the dorms."

"Besides..."

Iluvia suddenly leaned in close to Roland's ear. This was the first time she had ever been this close to him. "Actually, this afternoon after I finished my admission paperwork, I didn't leave right away."

"I was hiding behind you and that Miss Kalia the whole time, peeking."

"Doing the paperwork, eating together afterwards, and even walking her to her dorm after dinner—I saw all of it, you know~~~"

Iluvia's words sent a sudden chill running down Roland's spine.

What kind of stalker weirdo is she?!

So the reason he hadn't run into Iluvia in the admissions office wasn't because she had finished her paperwork while he was chatting with Kalia and left early.

It was because she had hidden inside and simply refused to leave?!

Come to think of it, could Iluvia's stealth skills really be so advanced that he hadn't noticed a single trace of movement the entire time?

"Are you two lovers, classmate Roland?"

Though she wore a smile and her tone was quite gentle, Roland could detect a subtle, distinct undertone beneath her words.

"Strictly speaking, I suppose I'm her temporary guardian."

"Eh?"

"Don't understand? Just think of me as her parent or a pet owner."

Roland promptly recounted his arrangement with Flam. Hearing the explanation, Iluvia nodded. "Is that so... I see. Is that how you view her?"

"Then in your eyes, what am I?"

The words slipped out of Iluvia's mouth instinctively, though she began to regret them the moment she finished speaking.

Because she very quickly heard Roland's reply.

"Trouble itself."

"..."

As expected, this guy would naturally say something like that.

"Such an entirely predictable answer, truly. Fine, fine, 'trouble' is heading back to the dorm to sleep now. I'll tell you about the rest tomorrow morning once I receive the message."

Iluvia turned on her heel and vanished into the night. It was only after confirming that Roland could no longer see her that she let out a long breath.

A genuine, unfeigned smile bloomed at the corners of her lips, and even her steps grew much lighter.

Though recent worries and troubles had practically filled her life.

Today had finally brought two things worth smiling about.

Though few in number, it was more than enough to serve as relaxation in such a high-pressure environment.

"Looks like I'll have a good dream tonight."

Iluvia soon reached the dormitory district.

Thanks to the academy's vast grounds and abundant financial resources, combined with the small number of new students each year, the school administration was fully capable of providing every single student with a two-story villa to use as their personal quarters.

Just as Iluvia prepared to check out her new residence, she spotted a familiar-ish stranger under the dim street lamp.

"That is... Roland's domestic pet, Miss Kalia?"

"What is she doing?"

Iluvia paused her hand on the doorknob and stood in place, looking at Kalia, whose state seemed somewhat off.

The girl had been standing blankly beneath the street lamp, staring down the intersection, completely motionless.

Iluvia looked in the direction of Kalia's gaze, but saw nothing at all.

At that moment, a tall figure wearing a high hat, a long black windbreaker, and a metallic half-mask materialized beside Iluvia.

"Your Highness, this witch lady has been standing like that for half an hour."

"Hasn't anyone tried asking her what's wrong?"

"Classes haven't officially started yet, so most of the students in the academy are still on break," the mysterious person continued. "A student just walked by and tried to strike up a conversation with her, but received no response at all, so they hurried away."

"Mm, I see."

"What is Your Highness planning to do?!"

Seeing Iluvia walk toward Kalia, the strangely dressed mystic grew flustered.

In a situation that obviously looked wrong, what if Her Imperial Highness suffered another assassination attempt?

It was one thing that the military hadn't dispatched the "Hatter" to protect the princess before, but if they were deployed and it still didn't work, that would be a massive crisis!

"Just checking up on a classmate's mental health."

"Rest assured, I am a witch myself, after all. Otherwise, I would have died long ago."

"I wouldn't have lived to grow up, nor survived the assassinations..."