Alexion’s daily schedule was busy.

Not merely busy, but truly busy enough that he barely had time to breathe.

The reason, naturally, was because there was an absurd amount of work he had to do.

After all, Alexion was in charge of every administrative process currently happening in Palantia.

Of course, the truly important matters had to be handled by Alon, so most of those were simply being piled up, but that did not mean Alexion had any less work to do.

Even though Palantia had become a kingdom, it still had far too few retainers.

“......I am truly grateful that he trusts me, but I suppose it is about time I told him we should increase the number of retainers.”

Lately, he found himself thinking that often.

As Alexion continued his exhausting work and muttered out of habit, the secretary helping him beside him immediately responded.

“Should I perhaps submit such a proposal? His Majesty is here right now, after all.”

The voice rose, as though saying, “Yes, I was waiting for you to say that!”

But Alexion shook his head.

“No. I will tell him separately later.”

“Is that so......?”

“Yes.”

In truth, if he followed his heart, Alexion also wanted to ask Alon right away.

The work was not merely on the verge of bursting anymore; it had already begun piling up.

‘Especially after rumors recently spread that Divine Land is a blessed land, it became even worse.......’

Even so, there was only one reason he deliberately did not go find Alon.

Alexion knew.

That the Alon who had returned this time was “not Alon.”

He had already received a separate message from Alon beforehand.

The Alon who would come this time was said to be a substitute.

‘......It really is fascinating.’

The substitute for Alon he had seen yesterday.

In truth, when he first heard that a substitute would be sent, his worries had come first.

No matter how well disguised, a substitute would inevitably show some sign.

But the Alon he had seen yesterday?

In Alexion’s eyes, he had truly looked exactly like Alon on the outside.

So much so that Alexion wondered whether the claim that he was a substitute was a lie, and this was simply some attempt to tease him.

And what was even more surprising than that was the substitute’s behavior.

‘He was simply His Majesty himself.’

Even the substitute’s behavior was like the real Alon.

As though Alon himself had been copied exactly, his actions and gestures were truly perfect.

‘I heard he used an artifact made by the Blue Tower master—is it because of that? No...... even so, is it not impossible to make behavior and gestures similar through magic?’

Just as Alexion was sinking into thought—

Bang—!

“L-Lord Alexion!”

“What is it?”

“I think you need to come out! The knights have set up camp at His Majesty’s annex, saying they want to offer pilgrimage prayers there.”

“They still have not left?”

“Yes.......”

“Haa—”

At the secretary’s report, he sighed and rose from his seat.

While resolving that he would absolutely bring up the matter of retainers once Alon returned.

####

The next day at lunch.

In an empty classroom on the third floor with no one inside.

Alon’s group carried out their plan to become close with Leila without waiting any longer.

No, in truth, it was not even something that could be called a plan.

Even though some time had passed since the academy term began, Leila still went around alone, and thanks to that, it was not difficult to approach her in order to become friendly.

All they had to do was have someone go first and talk to her.

In truth, they had considered all going together and speaking to her, but that would obviously draw unnecessary attention.

The method Alon’s group came up with was simple.

Approach her as though they were male students interested in her.

‘Leila, second child of Baron Kitan’s family. Among the southern nobles, her family is fairly powerful because they run a large iron industry, but aside from that, there weren’t any major unusual points...... was that it?’

Judging by the information Evan had secretly passed him yesterday, she was not in a position that would make it especially difficult to get close.

Alon’s group watched Leila, who was sitting alone on a bench and staring out at the empty training grounds.

“Ahem—since I couldn’t try talking to her during class, I’ll go.”

While Evan strode toward Leila with great dignity, Alon strengthened his hearing with mana.

“.......”

“.......”

The rest of the group also strengthened their hearing with tense expressions.

“But—will Eran be able to do it well?”

Penia expressed concern while calling Evan by his cover identity.

Rine only made a subtle expression.

“Well, he should still have some experience in his own way.......”

“Did he not say he was confident?”

“Ah, he did. When you look at the nonsense he said during introductions last time, well....... Honestly, I don’t really know.”

Listening to the conversation between Rine, Deus, and Penia, Alon recalled what Evan had said yesterday.

‘That was nothing more than a mistake. Please forget it.’

A very confident statement.

Evan, who had no way of knowing what the group was thinking, walked toward Leila with imposing confidence—

“Hello, I’m Eran from the same class, and what are you doing he—”

“Please don’t talk to me.”

He was blocked before he could even finish one sentence.

For a moment, he froze.

But soon he cleared his throat with a cough and tried again—

“I just wanted to get a little friend—”

“If you talk to me any more here, I’ll call the professor.”

—and failed.

Leila glared openly at Evan.

At the look in her eyes, filled completely with irritation, Evan came back with awkward steps.

“I was quite something in my younger days, you know—”

“No, she’s the weird one!”

“Getting close to one young student is easy—”

“Urgh—!”

Evan vented his resentment at Penia, who was teasing him while using shielding magic.

While Rine looked at the scene with a pathetic gaze—

“Hmm...... this time, I will go.”

This time, Deus stepped forward.

“Are you confident?”

“Isn’t it simply a matter of talking to her?”

“......To be precise, we need to become friendly.”

“If I talk to her, won’t we become friendly?”

“?”

Alon tilted his head for a moment.

But that only lasted briefly. He soon realized the meaning and let out a quiet exclamation.

“......Wow, that’s kind of annoying.”

Evan muttered to himself with a dumbfounded expression.

But he could not refute Deus’s words.

‘Certainly...... if it’s Deus, it isn’t strange for him to be that confident.’

Deus was handsome.

In other words, in his life, becoming friendly with girls had probably been something that only required exchanging a few words.

As Alon and Evan felt a strange sense of defeat—

“I will be back.”

After saying that, Deus soon began approaching Leila.

Slide—step, step.

When he reached about halfway, he turned around and walked back up to the third-floor classroom where Alon was.

Rattle—

Deus opened the door and entered.

“What happened?”

At Alon’s question, Deus approached calmly and opened his mouth.

“She said I look like a gigolo.”

“......She said it that harshly?”

“Yes. She said she would call the professor if I spoke to her, so I returned.”

“.......”

“......Maybe I kind of like her.......”

Evan found himself favorably impressed by the fact that she had rejected Deus, while Penia and Rine looked at him with cooled, unimpressed expressions.

Alon thought.

‘......She certainly is difficult to get close to.’

At first, when he thought about it, he had assumed this would not be that difficult, but Alon realized his own thinking had been wrong.

‘Was it not that she was timid and could not make friends, but because of her personality?’

He had no idea why she avoided others coming near her that much.

But they still could not give up, so—

“......Do you want to try going?”

“Yes, me......?”

“Yeah.”

Alon turned his gaze to Penia and spoke.

“Uh.......”

Penia wore an unwilling expression.

“Why would you make her do something like that? She was originally a kid with such a rotten personality she had no friends anyway.”

When Evan jeered at that, Penia’s expression crumpled.

“......Do you seriously want to die?”

“It’s true, isn’t it?”

“......I’ll go and come back.”

Drawn in by Evan’s provocation, Penia left the classroom and moved to meet Leila.

Alon only briefly watched Evan chuckle as though he had succeeded.

When Alon looked outside, he could see Penia approaching Leila somewhat awkwardly.

And then.

“Huh?”

“Oh.......”

Strangely enough, unlike the group’s expectations, Penia began talking naturally with Leila.

Naturally talking—

“......Huh?”

“They seem a little close, don’t they?”

Naturally—

“......That’s a bit too close.”

“Uh, uh.......”

“.......”

Looking at Leila, who was sitting with her fingers interlaced with Penia’s and showing a faintly flushed blush, Alon came to a realization.

“.......”

Leila did not have a rotten personality.

Her preferences were simply unusual.

......And that was why no one was around her.

####

After Penia made an unexpected sacrifice and began becoming close with Leila, the next day’s class arrived.

“Lady Arsenna, I’m sorry, but would you please move to the seat behind us? It’s a prom.ise, after all?”

“.......”

Alon let out a small sigh as he looked at Penia, who wore an expression that said, I have won a great victory! and Rine, who for some reason was smiling, yet did not look like she was smiling at all.

Originally, he should not have been taking class together with these two.

Rine was not in Class C but Class F, and Penia was staying in Class B with Evan.

And yet, the reason the three of them were taking class together was the academy’s departmental class division system.

The departmental class division system.

From the name alone, it sounded as though there was something impressive to it, but in truth, it simply meant that students attended classes for their chosen department together, rather than in their fixed homeroom classes.

In other words, those who chose magic took magic class, and those who chose swordsmanship took swordsmanship class.

Because of that, Alon was currently attending class together with Penia and Rine, who had chosen magic class.

“Hmhm—”

He had no idea what she had done, but because of yesterday’s victory, Penia was naturally sitting beside Alon and cautiously linking arms with him.

Feeling that, Alon thought.

‘......It does seem like there’s more skinship.’

For a moment, he even thought it felt as though it was gradually becoming more blatant.

Then Alon recalled Evan’s words.

‘Come to think of it, he said the person coming into today’s magic class might also be someone connected to the Church of War....... I’m pretty sure he said Professor Stonia?’

Professor Stonia.

Alon recalled the information that Stonia was a fifth-tier mage who had been fairly well known in the Empire, and specifically in the Eastern Empire, which had now collapsed because of Divine blood.

‘......Born in the fallen Eastern Empire, huh.’

He was thinking that perhaps this person might truly be connected—

“Hup—”

“?”

When he suddenly felt Penia’s arm, which was wrapped around his own, tremble faintly.

As though she had seen something she should not have seen.

At that, Alon naturally checked on Penia and soon confirmed that she was staring at something with her mouth open.

“?” 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Likewise wearing a question on his face, Alon followed her gaze and looked forward.

“Hello, everyone? Starting today, I’ll be teaching you the basic theory of magic. My name is Snotia Matia.”

And soon, he saw her.

With black hair and black eyes.

“Now, then, before we begin the lesson in earnest—”

Yet with eyes that somehow seemed to hold a reddish light.

“—shall we change the seating first?”

Yutia, smiling.