Chapter 36: Watching Over Him.

Every day, Amelia slept in a guest room at the royal castle.

In the morning, she took breakfast with the four princes—and Crown Princess Sophia—before heading to the academy together with Sarju.

Such a life had begun.

Having visited the royal castle many times before, she was somewhat accustomed to it, which was fortunate.

The maids she had come to know took care to make her daily life comfortable.

Sophia, too, told her to rely on her for anything she needed.

However, her routine at the academy had also changed slightly.

Previously, she had spent mornings studying for the exam in the self-study room.

But now, to never leave Sarju’s side, she went straight to the library from the moment she arrived.

They were together from the moment they departed for school and returned to the castle in the same carriage.

It felt almost exactly as though she were being treated as his fiancée.

Though she felt it was far too presumptuous, she tried—at the very least—to suggest separate actions in the morning.

Yet she was told that acting separately would require assigning her a dedicated guard, and she hesitated once again.

“It really is dangerous, so wouldn’t it be better to stay obediently by Sarju-denka’s side?”

The one who said so was Marie.

Lease had colluded with the Empire, but no specific details had yet been extracted from him; it seemed they had obtained almost no useful information.

Though he was a rare earth magic user, Lease’s knowledge and talent were mediocre—he was likely nothing more than a disposable pawn.

The true target had probably been a water magic user: Amelia herself, with her abundant knowledge and outstanding ability.

( I can’t believe I have that much value, but…)

Still, some speculated that the real plan had been to use Amelia to lure Sarju out.

Hearing such theories made any reckless action impossible.

Kaido was among the elite of the knight order in swordsmanship and wielded fire magic as a magic swordsman.

He alone could protect both Sarju and Amelia.

That was precisely why he suffered so much being dragged around by the pair—but Amelia trusted him deeply and felt safe in his presence.

Lease had been formally expelled from the Royal Magic Academy and fitted with a mana-sealing bracelet.

His person remained in the custody of the knight order; release was unlikely for some time.

As his statement indicated, Seira had fled back to her family—the Viscount Caria house.

She too had been expelled and fitted with a mana-sealing bracelet.

However, since she had not colluded with the Empire, no further punishment would likely be imposed.

Even so, a noble unable to use magic would find ordinary marriage difficult.

She would either have to become a nun or live as a commoner.

Amelia felt a little pity for her, but those who possessed the immense power of magic must not abuse others with it.

Since she was still young enough to start her life over, Amelia hoped she would reform.

Currently, a thorough investigation was underway to determine how deeply Empire agents had infiltrated the kingdom.

Julius and the others were using reproduction magic to examine everything meticulously; it was expected that the intruders would be completely purged soon.

Security had been strengthened to prevent any future infiltration.

Still, complete prevention was probably impossible.

Periodic investigations would likely continue.

While the kingdom was in an uproar, the academy remained as peaceful as ever.

Amelia studied diligently and passed into Special Class A with the top score.

Marie, of course, joined her.

Only ten people had been selected for Special Class A.

Considering around fifty had taken the exam, it must have been extremely difficult.

From now on, they would commute to the newly established Magic Research Institute adjacent to the academy.

The institute housed as many books as the royal castle library and boasted excellent facilities.

It was home not only to the selected Special Class students but also to full-fledged researchers.

They were the true elite of magical research—rich in knowledge and experience, proven in ability.

Some were prideful and arrogant, but others loved teaching students and were caring mentors.

It was the ideal environment for studying magic.

On the first day, after self-introductions, everyone announced their research goals and exchanged knowledge and experiences.

When Amelia stated that her goal was developing a new water magic, the researchers looked skeptical.

Creating a new magic was so difficult that even veteran researchers might spend their entire lives without succeeding.

For a mere student—even the top of Special Class A—to declare such a thing struck some as reckless, and they laughed.

But once it became known that Sarju was her co-developer and she his assistant, everyone’s attitude changed instantly.

The researchers believed that if it was Sarju, it was possible.

Both the Special Class scholarship students and the full researchers were passionate—sometimes engaging in heated debates, sometimes cooperating closely—all pouring everything into magical research.

Naturally, many gathered around Sarju.

Anyone who wished to master magic would seek his guidance, hoping to learn something from his words.

Yet Amelia felt a little worried.

Sarju listened attentively to everyone and never lost his gentle demeanor.

He was exactly like he had been when they first met.

Back then, perhaps to avoid giving a cold impression due to his flawless appearance, he had always worn a mild smile.

As they grew closer, he began showing his true emotions openly in front of her.

The frighteningly serious face he wore when immersed in research.

The joyful expression when he achieved desired results.

The cold, stern look he directed at those he disliked.

Even the sleepy, narrowed-eyed look he had in the commuting carriage after pulling an all-nighter.

That was why she now felt he was forcing himself—and it made her anxious.

Moreover, after returning to the castle, the time he spent shut away in the library had noticeably increased.

He had always conducted research alone.

In the noisy, crowded institute, he might find it hard to concentrate.

Especially since so many wanted to speak with him.

Perhaps that was why he returned to the castle to do his own work.

Amelia assisted him until dinner time, but afterward she could not stay by his side.

When she had only commuted, it might have been different—but now that they lived together in the castle, remaining with him in the library late at night—even if only there—was inappropriate.

Yet since moving to the institute, Sarju had missed breakfast more than once or twice.

“Amelia, is something troubling you?”

While waiting for Sarju in front of the carriage to head to the academy, Julius called out to her.

This morning, too, Sarju had not appeared at breakfast.

He had apparently stayed in the library late again yesterday.

Julius would graduate from the academy in less than half a year and thus did not belong to the institute.

Because he could use reproduction magic, he had often traveled around searching for traces of the Empire.

But recently things had calmed, and he could frequently be found at the castle.

“…Actually, it’s about Sarju-sama.”

Amelia gathered her courage and confided in Julius.

“I see.”

After listening, Julius nodded deeply.

“I’ve been so busy lately that I haven’t paid enough attention to Sarju’s condition. Thank you for watching over him so well, Amelia.”

“N-no, I thought it might be presumptuous of me…”

“Not at all. I don’t have your level of knowledge, so I can’t help with the research itself—but I can prepare the environment. Leave the institute matters to me. You take care of Sarju.”

“…Yes.”

She could not say the responsibility felt too heavy here.

Amelia nodded earnestly.