Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 346

Chapter 346: Not Alone (1)

I sat alone in the clubroom, staring blankly at the sky outside the window. With so many events happening one after another, my mind was so complicated that it felt like it was going to split. I feel like I could sleep for three days straight if I could.

— If a person sleeps that long, their body will rot.

And the voice directly plugging into my head was driving me even crazier.

It’s just a thought. I can’t even sleep that long.

— Oh? That’s good then.

I let out a small sigh at the calm female voice—the Eternal Blue Sky’s voice.

It wasn’t the first time the Eternal Blue Sky had whispered in my head. Didn’t this happen right after she moved her residence from my body to the budding World Tree? Of course, the conversation was cut off after a few days when her remnants disappeared from my body, and I thought that was the end of my connection with the Eternal Blue Sky.

Until I noticed my beloved weapon had strangely evolved.

I really didn’t ask for this.

I looked bitterly at the sword hanging at my waist. The sturdy, familiar sword I used to favor suddenly evolved into a divine object.

But thinking about it carefully, it was an understandable evolution. Even the lance that pierced Jesus’ side to confirm his death was treated as a holy relic, called the Spear of Longinus or whatever. But my sword didn’t just confirm death, it led to death. It was a crazy object that directly cut down an apostle and was soaked in his blood.

And I’d left it untouched and unpurified for three years. It was inevitable for it to evolve into a divine object related to the Eternal Blue Sky.

— Huh? Huh? What’s this? Was there something like this?

It was strange that even the god herself didn’t know about it. Was this similar to that Schrödinger thing or whatever where you wouldn’t know until you observed it?

— But are you really giving me the divine object? You’ll really give it to me when your business is done, right?

Didn’t I say I’d give it to you first? I don’t lie.

I gave a half-hearted reply to the Eternal Blue Sky, who once again repeated the same question she had asked countless times.

Giving away my beloved weapon was disappointing, but it made me uncomfortable keeping a sword imbued with Kagan’s blood. Besides, wouldn’t it speed up the World Tree’s promotion if I gave the divine object to the Eternal Blue Sky? It was more beneficial to hand it over than to keep it.

Instead, I attached the condition of giving it after my business was done. Even then, from the Eternal Blue’s perspective, she’d be lucky to receive what she thought were all but extinct sacred relics.

— Hehe, sorry. I’m just excited to see a divine object after so long.

The Eternal Blue Sky spoke in an excited voice after receiving confirmation about the divine object transfer again. Maybe because she was a god, her voice wasn’t annoying, but—

By the way, I have a question.

— Oh? What is it?

Why are you still talking to me? You’re at the World Tree, surrounded by elves and fairies. Shouldn’t you be chatting with them instead?

The Eternal Blue Sky suddenly went quiet at the question I’d been thinking over for a while.

But it really was strange, wasn’t it? She had a proper ‘home’ now, so why was she still sticking to me? At first, I thought she was obsessed with the relic, but she kept talking to me even after hearing confirmation that I’d give it to her.

— They’re tiring.

Pardon?

The answer was unexpected.

— I’m grateful for their reverence, but it’s too tiring. They check in on me and do pruning almost every hour that it’s overwhelming.

I slightly bowed my head at her words, which were filled with exhaustion.

— Especially the fairies, they chatter non-stop. I wonder how Constantina managed to take care of such children...

For a moment, the Eternal Blue Sky sounded less like a divine being and more like an exhausted aunt who had fled to escape her overly enthusiastic nieces and nephews.

***The academy’s atmosphere hadn’t been the same since the Emperor issued his summons.

Since Prince Ainter and the Principal, who was treated as an Executive Manager-level person, participated in the assembly order, news of it spread quickly throughout the academy. How could they not notice when the prince and principal urgently left during regular class hours?

The clincher, however, was the Emperor essentially wringing the noble families dry by demanding troops and war funds. With most of the students being nobles’ children, there was no way they wouldn’t hear about the war declaration. After all, their families had likely already begun preparations for war. To not notice that would have been stranger.

“Oppa, do you really have to go? You’re already busy with academy work. Can’t—can’t someone else go...?”

And the pastry club was no exception.

No, it was even worse. Ainter and the Mage Duchess both attended the assembly, and I was chosen as the military inspector. With such a lineup, this place was the most affected by this war declaration. Irina was the daughter of Count Flanbell, who was also summoned to the assembly. What a splendid lineup indeed.

That was why I’d been caught in an endless loop of tearful pleas since the assembly. It was Marghetta if I went to the President’s office, and it was Louise and Irina if I went to the clubroom.

At least the Mage Duchess understood that my participation was the Emperor’s decision, so she remained silent. But even then, she often looked at me with a sorrowful expression.

“I told you not to worry. I’m joining as an inspector. I’ll mostly be in the headquarters, so I’ll hardly have to fight.”

I repeated the same reassurances every time.

I heard those words every day and even several times a day, but I didn’t feel annoyed. How could I be annoyed by words said out of concern for me? If anything, I felt grateful and sorry.

“I’m not going as combat personnel. Many issues will come up with so many troops gathering, so my role is to check on those.”

Of course, it was a lie. The Emperor who sent me to war while giving me a title and territory wouldn’t expect me to play just a non-combat role. He might not want me to fight on the front lines, but he probably wanted me to be a joker to be deployed in emergencies. That was what I wanted, too.

But I couldn’t say that. They were already tearful and on the verge of breaking down from just knowing I was heading to a war zone. If I told them I might end up fighting on the front lines, it was obvious they’d either faint or break down crying.

A white lie.

There shouldn’t be secrets between lovers, but this was a good deed for my lovers’ mental health. In life, a little white lie was sometimes needed.

That was what I’d chosen to believe, anyway.

“But just going to the North is the problem...”

I gently stroked Louise’s head as she muttered in an almost tearful voice.

Louise and the others weren’t trying to stop me simply because war was dangerous. They were doing this because they knew what I went through in the last Great Northern War.

But how could I explain that the very reason they were trying to stop me was the same reason I needed to go? That truth was one I had to keep to myself.

“I’m really fine now, so don’t worry. If I didn’t want to go, do you think I’d agree so easily?”

It was a line that could’ve easily been misinterpreted as treason especially if spoken in front of a prince, but I needed to say at least this much to comfort Louise, Irina, and the Mage Duchess, who were listening quietly.

Besides, Ainter seemed to understand Louise’s feelings so he was staying silent, and I didn’t actually mean it as if I was really not going.

“And I received a title, too. I have one more thing to pass down to my children—“

“Oppa!”

Louise shrieked, and Irina’s eyes sharpened.

Damn, was that too much? I almost managed to calm them down, just to sabotage myself with a careless comment.

But... wasn’t having more titles to pass down a good thing?

***I only understood what my mistake was after hearing Erich’s point once club hours had ended.

“If you talk about passing things down in that situation, it makes it sound like you’re planning to die in the war.”

“Ah.”

I understood immediately. A death flag was indeed worth getting angry over.

“And just in case, don’t say things like ‘Let’s get married when the war is over,’ either. Louise and Irina have become super sensitive lately.”

I nodded silently at his sincere advice. I should cancel my plan to talk about marriage with Marghetta tomorrow or the day after. I’d probably end up sparring with the Iron-Blooded Duke if Valenti’s treasure broke down crying.

“And hyung.”

Just as I was about to thank Erich for giving precious advice to his brother despite messing up his own love life, Erich spoke again.

“I don’t want you going to war either, but if you absolutely have to... you should probably visit the territory first.”

I patted Erich’s shoulder at those words.

Right, I should definitely go. It was only proper to greet the Patriarch and Mother before leaving.

“I’ll definitely go before the war. Thanks for telling me.”

But Erich’s expression changed subtly at my response.

“Um, I think you should go as soon as possible.”

“Huh?”

What a strange answer. Wasn’t he just telling me to visit them before the war?

“...Mother collapsed.”

My hand patting his shoulder froze.

***I sighed several times while pacing in front of the bedroom.

This was unbecoming behavior for a noble and a territorial lord, but I just couldn’t stay still. What husband would be unmoved when his wife had collapsed?

It must have been a big shock.

Even during the last war, my wife fainted when she learned that I and Carl were participating together. Before the shock and nightmares from that time could fade away, news of another war came only three years after the last one. Of course she’d faint.

If only... if only I could pull Carl out. Then, she could have endured somehow even if she felt sad. My wife was prepared for me, an Imperial Count, to participate in the war. But what about our son, who was only just beginning to reclaim his happiness, heading to the battlefield again? That was a reality she could never escape from no matter how hard she tried.

As I sighed again, the bedroom door opened and the head maid came out.

“Head Maid, how is my wife?”

I immediately rushed over to ask about my wife’s condition, but the head maid shook her head with a dark expression.

“She woke up a while ago, but collapsed again after crying.”

“Ah...”

I couldn’t help but sigh. Collapsing from exhaustion after crying, and crying again while thinking about her husband and son going to war as soon as she woke up. Something might happen to my wife if this continued.

I even thought that maybe I should have hidden the news of the war, but doing that would be pointless. How could I hide a war that would decide the Empire’s fate? Besides, my wife would feel both sadness and betrayal if I hid it and she found out. Her condition would have been even worse than now.

“And the madam had been asking—begging, really—to see the Young Master. She’s been pleading for us to bring him here.”

I didn’t even want to think about how many tears were involved in that ‘begging’.