To cut a long story short, everything was resolved smoothly.
Even though we had prepared quite extensively in case things didn’t go as planned, it turned out that there was no need to resort to those measures.
It’s like when the squad leader tells his soldiers, “I don’t like the look of that mountain,” and the next day all the soldiers are on a train to hell.
As the Emperor sat there with a meaningful gaze upon the cadets, that single action brought an end to the entire situation.
Because, you see, the bastards who had been sneakily tormenting Reiz were sharp enough to catch onto the vibe. They promptly face-planted into the ground.
“Your Majesty, I swear I am innocent! I knew nothing about this incident!”
Meanwhile, amidst everyone else keeping silent, the principal was vigorously proclaiming his innocence.
And the Emperor? He just smiled as if amused by the principal’s antics.
“Ho ho, my good man. Does claiming ignorance solve everything? From what I recall, you were the one fully responsible for this place. You must have such a peaceful life.”
“No, that’s not it! I merely believe escalating matters isn’t wise, so I suggested resolving everything through dialogue—”
“Oh, how pleasant-sounding words indeed.”
The Emperor replied with a satisfied smile.
“When your student here was being harassed under your watchful eye, you didn’t bat an eyelid. Yet now your words sound so trustworthy?”
“…”
Thus, as the Emperor effortlessly quelled the principal’s last desperate attempt, I couldn’t help but click my tongue.
Standing beside me, Serika spoke up curiously.
“…Why does your face look so sour? Do you have some sort of grievance?”
“Grievance? What grievance?”
“Not sure. You’ve been looking like something’s bothering you. Did you want to handle this matter yourself?”
“No, that’s not it…”
Honestly speaking, I was feeling a bit disappointed. Normally, at times like these, there should’ve been at least one or two fools who’d bark at the Emperor despite having no idea what they’re doing—it would’ve made things more entertaining.
“Though, come to think of it, in a class-based society, anyone who dares to bark at the Emperor is probably insane.”
Had someone here openly defied the Emperor while claiming their innocence, I might’ve seriously suspected they were plotting with Ricardo to establish the Sixth Republic.
In any case, with the Emperor handling everything, the situation concluded swiftly.
After dismissing everyone, the Emperor approached Reiz, who stood there dazed, and gently patted her head.
“There, there. You’ve suffered much at such a young age. It’s my duty as ruler to care for the citizens of the Empire, yet I failed to do so for you. For that, I apologize.”
“Y-Your Majesty! No, it’s not like that! I… I…”
“Enough. You don’t need to say anything. I merely did what I ought to have done.”
Saying this, the Emperor glanced at Karlreya, who had been standing behind him like a secretary, and gave a wry smile.
“I see now why you, who were busy supervising Ragnar, decided to volunteer as my personal aide today. There was a reason, wasn’t there? I thought it seemed a little odd.”
“…I apologize. If I overstepped my bounds…”
“Nonsense. I’m always willing to fall for tricks like this. Besides, it’s somewhat refreshing. Now I have a legal excuse to kick some useless asses.”
With that, the Emperor suddenly turned his gaze toward me.
“And speaking of which, Ragnar, don’t you have something to say to me?”
“Huh?”
“Considering I took care of something that was originally your responsibility, shouldn’t there be some kind of reward?”
“…?”
Is this some kind of game quest?
You solve a problem, you get rewarded.
But surprisingly, the Emperor looked dead serious.
“If I helped, could you perhaps provide me with an early screening copy of ‘Life and Death’? Like how things were before… cough, that unfortunate incident between us.”
“…”
“To be honest, I simply can’t bear it anymore! I’m dying to know how Alfa will uncover Zodiac’s whereabouts and what Louis is thinking by deliberately exposing his location!”
As he spoke, the Emperor’s eyes gleamed with the unmistakable fervor of a hardcore anime addict.
“The Duke kept teasing me with spoilers, but only half-heartedly, leaving me even more frustrated! So please, if you wouldn’t mind. If you grant my request, the rewards will be generous—”
However, the Emperor’s plea was cut short.
“…Your Majesty, that’s enough. And didn’t we agree not to bring up the director’s pre-screenings in any way?”
That’s because Karlreya, standing behind the Emperor, was now glaring at him with a chilling expression.
“K-Karlreya! I was merely expressing my pure love for anime—”
“Save it. Now be quiet and follow me. Do you even know how many tasks Your Majesty still has to handle today?”
With that, Karlreya forcefully dragged the Emperor away, disappearing quietly somewhere.
“…”
“…”
And as we watched them leave, Serika and I exchanged slightly baffled glances. Then, Reiz, who had remained bowed and silent until now, approached me.
“Uh… Director….”
“Hmm?”
When I turned to look at her, Reiz appeared on the verge of tears.
“T-Thank you so much… I never expected you’d care this much about me….”
“Alright, stop making that face. I hate that sort of thing.”
But Reiz’s expression refused to lighten.
Eventually, I had no choice but to take her to a quiet, empty spot and use my trump card.
Which was none other than…
“Hem, actually, I wanted to discuss something related to the development of episode 7 of ‘Life and Death’ with you. Could we talk about it briefly?”
“‘Life and Death’ episode 7, you say? But why with me…?”
Indeed, as expected, the mention of ‘Life and Death’ immediately brightened Reiz’s mood. After all, she was a professional voice actress too, and when it came to discussing ‘Life and Death,’ she became incredibly focused.
So, slightly relieved by her reaction, I began.
“It’s because you’re Alfa’s voice actress. No matter how much I oversee the production of ‘Life and Death,’ your immersion in the role gives you a deeper understanding of the character. And episode 7 is especially crucial since it heavily involves Alfa’s thoughts.”
“…”
Upon hearing this, Reiz blinked twice before slowly nodding.
“…Understood. If I can assist the director in any way, I’ll gladly do so. So, what would you like to ask me?”
“You remember the content of episode 6 of ‘Life and Death,’ right?”
“Yes. The part where Alfa suspects Louis might be Zodiac and installs various artifacts for surveillance and eavesdropping in his home.”
Until now, ‘Life and Death’ had followed a storyline where Louis and Alfa struggled to uncover each other’s identities without any clues.
But starting from episode 6, both Louis and Alfa began to suspect each other’s identities and initiated a battle of wits.
“You know, Alfa currently suspects Louis might be Zodiac. Outwardly, she claims there’s less than a 1% chance Louis is Zodiac, but deep down, she’s almost certain he is.”
Thus, Alfa continues trying to find evidence implicating Louis by constantly monitoring and eavesdropping on his home.
“And Louis, knowing full well that Alfa is watching him, tries to deceive her by acting as normal as possible. Doing things typical for someone his age.”
“But…?”
“Alfa already considers Louis to be Zodiac, so no amount of ordinary behavior will convince her otherwise. In this situation, what could Louis possibly do to make Alfa finally stop surveilling him?”
That was precisely the issue causing me headaches regarding the plot of episode 7.
If Alfa were an ordinary person, seeing Louis act normally would likely clear her suspicions.
But Alfa was no ordinary person. She was an exceptionally skilled detective capable of pinpointing Zodiac’s identity from absolutely no clues.
If Louis managed to fool her with amateurish acting, the credibility of ‘Life and Death’ would crumble entirely.
Listening intently, Reiz pondered for a moment before blushing deeply and speaking up.
“Well… if I were Alfa, I’d probably stop suspecting Louis if I saw him reading something… inappropriate inside his room.”
“Inappropriate?”
“Yes. It’s very normal for guys his age to show interest in such things. Plus, since inappropriate material isn’t something people flaunt, hiding it would also seem natural. This would also explain why Louis has been staying cooped up in his room.”
“…Hmm.”
Reiz’s suggestion made me nod in agreement.
Reading erotica or watching porn.
It wasn’t a bad idea at all.
If we used the idea Reiz just proposed, even if Alfa continued to suspect Louis, she’d have no choice but to stop spying on him.
After all, regardless of circumstances, what Alfa was doing amounted to invading someone’s private life.
If Louis turned out to be innocent, it would be a major breach of privacy.
Still…
“Hmm, it’s not bad. Not bad at all, but… somehow, it feels lacking in impact.”
“Eh?”
“For teenagers going through puberty, checking out explicit content isn’t extraordinary. It’s as common as breathing air or drinking water. Would Alfa really buy it?”
For instance, imagine Louis reading a manga where dragons transform into carriages or casually dropping his pants despite knowing he’s being monitored—wouldn’t that be more convincing for Alfa to drop her suspicions?
I genuinely found myself considering these options.
