Chapter 252

The late winter of the end of January.

The weather around this time seemed to be bringing forth the last flickers of the frigid season that was gradually coming to an end, calling upon even harsher cold than before.

It had already been a week without a day off; snow had fallen every day in the city. It was quite rare to see the workers diligently engaged in snow removal outside.

‘This is going to be… no, it will definitely be very difficult.’

I understood well the pain of snow removal. The city might not have as much snow, but back when I was stationed in the basin at the front lines, the snow rose up to my waist, requiring constant removal to secure supply routes.

The industrial power of the Empire was remarkable. We were supplied with leather gloves lined with fur and thick military winter coats, yet even the thickest clothing was no match for the biting cold at such high altitudes. It was a tear-inducing situation.

I had seen a few soldiers go into a dazed state while insisting on finishing snow removal as quickly as possible, only for their fingers to turn blue from frostbite, requiring amputation before it was too late.

“Haah… it’s gotten colder…”

Unlike the workers outside, struggling with snow removal, Sofia Sub-priest, who was working with me in the professor’s office, trembled as she approached me. In her hand was a mug filled with warm cocoa.

Both of us enjoyed the warmth provided by the heater in the professor’s office, but even so, this level of cold was not trivial. Even with just a moment of movement, the warmed air near our bodies dissipated, making us feel the chill.

“Minus twenty-three degrees… Snow removal in this weather feels like torture.”

“In the Holy Empire, didn’t they have snowball fights?”

“W-well, it wasn’t as cold back then…”

If I were to go back to the Holy Empire during this season, it would likely be much colder than before. Even though the city has significant temperature differences between summer and winter, it wouldn’t compare to the high-altitude regions of the Holy Empire.

I fixed my gaze on the workers outside diligently removing snow. Seeing their red cheeks, I thought they might soon get a break.

“Perhaps we should bring them some warm drinks.”

“That’s a good idea!”

Sofia Sub-priest exclaimed excitedly. Her cheeks were already flushed red.

I gently placed my hand on her cheek, feeling the silky smoothness of her skin transfer through my palm.

“Eep!?”

Sofia Sub-priest let out a strange sound, but I brushed it off as I continued to stroke her cheek with my hand, taking a sip of the black tea. The bitter taste spread throughout my mouth.

“Um… um…”

The feeling of her soft, fluffy skin, free of blemishes, was quite addictive. Since returning from the Holy Empire, I found myself occasionally poking Sofia Sub-priest’s cheek whenever I thought of it.

This was behavior I would never have done before. Becoming close enough to joke around with each other was a significant change for me.

While I had never acted like this in the past, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because we had grown closer than before. Although we weren’t officially a couple yet, we both found it hard to look at each other with the same eyes as we did in the past.

The reason we managed to maintain this ambiguous relationship was quite simple. It was because Sofia Sub-priest had taken the attitude of “Please answer later!” first.

It was a somewhat complicated issue. I was close to being an amateur in matters like these.

Even though I had memories of Helena, Sofia Sub-priest and Helena were fundamentally different people. I had no intention of overlaying my feelings for Helena onto my relationship with Sofia Sub-priest. Since returning from the Holy Empire, I had not denied that I had changed significantly.

As I felt the soft sensation of Sofia Sub-priest’s cheek, I slowly pulled my hand away and placed my cup on the desk. I could hear the robust cheers of the workers outside as they continued snow removal.

‘…By the way.’

December had ended, and the New Year had passed. The world was still covered in snow, painted white, but this was likely the last gasp of winter.

In other words, spring was approaching. The time when I would need to resume my classes.

The Caldera Imperial Academy did not have a spring break. The day before winter break ended, aside from the third-year students who had already held their graduation ceremony, the remaining students would freely come to school to check the class distribution plans and new student club promotional notices posted on the academy bulletin board before heading home.

Classes resume the next day. In other words, they restart on the day of the entrance ceremony.

Aside from resuming classes, I would likely be quite busy for a while after winter break ended and spring began. We naturally had to pay attention to the incoming first-year students, and several new professors would also be joining.

Three of the academy’s senior professors would be stepping down after this year. It was a foregone conclusion that new professors would be coming in to fill those vacant positions. That wasn’t particularly problematic.

However, what really troubled me was…

‘This year’s second-year chief professor.’

Given the nature of the Caldera Imperial Academy, where the levels of responsibility increase sequentially with the year group, it would be proper for Professor Madison to take over the second-year chief professor position this year, as last year’s first-year students moved up.

However, the master of speed, Professor Alan, who had held the first-year chief professor position the previous year, had submitted his leave of absence as planned, and Professor Underwood, who had been acting as the chancellor, accepted this without any fuss.

Although I was unaware of the specific reasons, knowing even a little of the circumstances made me want to support Professor Madison, who was making a fresh start.

The problem was that, Professor Madison had likely communicated to Professor Underwood who he had in mind for his successor, yet the next second-year chief professor position was still vacant.

Given Professor Madison’s diligent personality, he wouldn’t neglect to identify a successor. If that were the case, then perhaps it was still under review.

While I couldn’t precisely ascertain the situation, I hoped it would be resolved soon. With the chief professor position empty, the responsibilities requiring the chief professor’s approval were temporarily being handled by the head of the academic affairs department.

The head of the academic affairs department was already a busy person. It was no surprise that things weren’t being handled quickly, leading to an inconvenient situation for us as well.

Still, it seemed apparent that the matter concerning the chief professor would soon be resolved…

‘The second problem.’

The second problem was the unexpected return of Chancellor Damian, who had taken a long business trip without notice.

Professor Underwood had resigned from his position as acting chancellor for that very reason. Upon returning from the Holy Empire, I was a bit surprised to hear that Chancellor Damian had suddenly returned.

However, for some reason, Chancellor Damian was not permitting visitors. This included people from outside the academy, whom he would usually meet, as well as professors from inside the academy, including myself.

Not knowing the exact reason wasn’t a big issue in itself. The real problem was that appointing a chief professor was the chancellor’s prerogative.

The delay in appointing the next second-year chief professor was likely due to this.

Since Professor Underwood took over the role of acting chancellor, it seemed evident he wasn’t reluctant to handle official business. Yet, I couldn’t comprehend Chancellor Damian’s intentions.

“…Well, he’ll probably sort it out on his own.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

The only two things I had to be concerned about right now were class distribution, which would take place right after winter break, and preparation for the academic assessment scheduled for the first semester of the second year.

If I thoroughly prepared for those two matters, there probably wouldn’t be any other major issues.

– Knock knock.

I turned my head toward the direction of the sound. Someone was knocking on the door of my professor’s office.

“Come in.”

As soon as I granted permission, a familiar face stepped through the door into the professor’s office. It was Charlotte, the head of the academic affairs department.

“Head of Academic Affairs?”

“Ah… Professor Antorelli.”

“What brings you here?”

Although it was just a casual question, Charlotte seemed to be somewhat restless for some reason, looking directly at me. I couldn’t help but be curious, and just as I was about to call her name again…

“Professor Antorelli. The chancellor is calling for you.”

“…Chancellor Damian?”

“Yes. And also, Sofia Sub-priest who is next to you.”

“Me?”

While I could understand them calling for me, what about Sofia Sub-priest? She and I exchanged blank stares for a moment before nodding in agreement.

“Well, we’ll find out when we go.”

“Right. Should we head to the chancellor’s office?”

“Yes. It seems we should go straight to the chancellor’s office.”

Looking at Charlotte, who nodded, I readily picked up the coat that was hanging on the coat rack.

‘This… is probably…’

It seems that the two issues I was pondering a moment ago might be resolved all at once.

* * * * *

The chancellor’s office had not changed much compared to before.

Chancellor Damian was still nurturing an unknown shrub in a large pot and was waiting for visitors while trimming the protruding branches with pruning shears. As always, the faint aroma of sweet coffee filled his chancellor’s office.

However, the expression that greeted me and Sofia Sub-priest was not as bright as it used to be. His face was marked with a weariness that looked twice as haggard as before.

“Ah, you’ve come.”

Setting down the pruning shears, Chancellor Damian smiled, still projecting a kindly demeanor, and took off his work gloves. He walked to his desk, putting the removed gloves into a drawer, and promptly poured us some tea.

“Professor Antorelli, you liked this black tea, didn’t you?”

At Chancellor Damian’s question, I could only slightly tilt my head in confusion. It seemed that he had previously just called me “Professor Antorelli,” but I didn’t know when he had started using respectful titles.

Maybe it was because I was now in my second year? Pondering this, I nodded back at Chancellor Damian.

“Yes, indeed. Thank you for remembering.”

“Not at all. It’s not a big deal… By the way, I wasn’t sure what Sofia Sub-priest would like, so… cocoa is alright, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes! I love cocoa!”

“Haha, don’t be too nervous. I just called you here to have a light chat.”

With Chancellor Damian’s friendly smile in front of me, I quietly sipped the black tea. The bitter aroma traveled down my throat, making me feel a bit more at ease.

Sofia Sub-priest, who wasn’t familiar with this place, still seemed a little tense, but as I discreetly caressed her hand under the table, she seemed to relax a bit.

Chancellor Damian just sat there for a while, staring blankly at one side. I unconsciously turned my head to where he was gazing.

There was a depiction of a golden lion holding a sword in its mouth and a quill pen and large cross in each of its front paws— the emblem of the Caldera Imperial Academy.

“…There are a few personal matters I’d like to ask, which is why I called you here.”

“Please, go ahead.”

I had roughly guessed the reason for his sudden summons after being away on a business trip for several months and returning. Like before, it seemed he wanted to request something.

Well, it could likely be just a request like before, asking us to welcome priests coming from the Holy Empire…

“Professor Antorelli. Would you be willing to take on the role of the second-year chief professor this year, as appointed by Professor Madison?”

“…Excuse me?”

…This was not what I had expected. Chancellor Damian’s request vastly exceeded my expectations.