“We’re here. This is the library.”
Following Seria diligently, we had arrived at our destination before we knew it.
A chilly breeze seeped through the cracks of the library again… Is this also part of the killing intent?
“It might be a bit cold. My mother is serious about keeping things cool. She always uses magic to adjust the temperature.”
Ah, just cold air then.
As Seria approached to open the library door, she suddenly turned to me as if remembering something.
“Oh, and… my mother doesn’t really like being called ‘mother’ in private. She prefers ‘mom’… so don’t find it too weird, okay?”
Seems like she’s embarrassed to be seen calling her mom in front of others.
Ah, that age. I get it.
Nodding with that thought, Seria turned back and began to open the library door.
As the door opened, the cold air inside rushed out, chilling my body.
And… beyond the open door, the figure of a woman appeared.
“You’re here?”
She looked really familiar.
Of course. Except for her hair and eye color, she looked exactly like Seria.
The Empress, with her sharp features, could be considered a preview of Seria’s adult version.
“Mom!”
“Welcome, Seria.”
Seria, who had run to her mother, was now tightly embraced in her arms.
Even if she acts mature, she’s still a kid after all.
As I watched them hugging, the Empress raised her head and our eyes met.
As soon as our eyes met, I bowed respectfully, just as I had done with the Emperor.
“I greet the Moon of the Empire.”
“Hmm, that’s enough. Rise. Not bad manners for a commoner.”
“You flatter me.”
“But… were you late because you got lost?”
As Seria had said, she seemed quite sensitive about punctuality.
Well, that was true in the game too.
All kinds of tasks received from the Empress, whether easy or difficult, large or small in scale, all had time limits…
Moreover, if you failed even one, you could never receive a task from the Empress again.
Knowing how strict she was about time, I had nothing to say.
No matter what excuse I made, the fact that I was late wouldn’t change, so I couldn’t respond. Seria nudged me, giving me a hint.
“Haha. I know. It must be because of him again.”
Fortunately, it seemed she would overlook the lateness this time.
“That’s true… but please don’t scold him too much.”
“Of course~ How much does mom love dad, after all?”
What the Emperor would hear in return was unknown… but as long as it wasn’t me, it was fine.
But Seria didn’t stop there and added more.
“Last time, after saying that, you scolded him as much as you loved him and didn’t come out of the room for hours.”
“Uh, um~ Did that happen? Mom doesn’t really remember…”
“It was just a while ago, how can you not remember?”
No way. Back then, right after lunch, she dragged me into the room and kept me there until it was almost dinner time…”
“Alright, let’s save that story for later, shall we?”
Even though she was talking quieter than before, making it hard to catch what she was saying, the Empress’s unusually flustered reaction made it clear that whatever Seria said was definitely not ordinary.
Seria… I don’t know what you said, but teasing your mom in front of an outsider is not okay…
The Empress, who had been whispering closely to Seria, quickly pushed her away and changed the subject.
“Right now, let’s talk about Rudion, the one you like.”
“W-well… I guess so…”
“Huh, didn’t expect that reaction.”
The Empress seemed genuinely shocked that Seria didn’t deny it, as if she thought Seria would vehemently refuse.
“Hmm… I guess there’s no helping it then…”
Please, I beg you, cancel whatever magic you’re about to cast. I don’t want the Royal Palace to be blown up because of me.
Fortunately, the magic the Empress was about to cast was stopped by Seria.
…I’m starting to get confused whether I’m in the Royal Palace or at a Seria fan club meeting, but upon closer thought, those two concepts aren’t mutually exclusive.
As I was starting to feel a bit detached from reality, the conversation finally returned to the main topic.
“Sorry for calling you here to see your face and then talking about other things.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“No need to be so stiff. Just think of me as… an Academy Professor.”
She probably meant that sincerely. She genuinely prefers a more relaxed atmosphere.
It’s not for nothing that she firmly told Seria not to address her formally in private.
Of course, not many people can comfortably interact with someone who holds the title of Empress and Archmage… but who am I? It’s too late for me to start worrying about such things now.
And if I had been concerned about that, I wouldn’t have become close with Seria in the first place.
“Alright, I’ll do that.”
“Oh my.”
When I immediately followed her suggestion, she seemed quite surprised that I accepted it so easily.
She didn’t forget to sneak a glance at Seria and make a comment.
“You’re definitely something else. Is that what you like? Huh? Is that your type, Seria?”
“Mom, please…”
“Alright, I’ll stop.”
The mother-daughter duo is seriously dedicated to teasing each other.
I never got to see the family dynamics of the Royal Palace in the game, but it’s heartwarming to see how harmonious they are.
“Honestly, I was really worried. I never thought this girl would get so hung up on a guy.”
After teasing Seria, the Empress turned her gaze back to me and continued.
“I didn’t send her to the Academy for this, and I was so anxious thinking she might be swayed by some bad guys… And all the while, Seria kept writing letters filled with nothing but your stories…”
“Mom!”
“Why are you embarrassed? If you’re going to be like that, then…”
“You shouldn’t have written it in the letter from the start.”
“Well… you’re not wrong…”
Ah, I see. Seria. You sent a letter filled with nothing but my stories, and your whole family read it.
So even if I hadn’t gotten dragged into this dorm break-in incident, I was destined to be summoned to the Royal Palace someday anyway?
When you think about it, maybe it’s a good thing I got dragged here so quickly.
Who knows what could’ve happened if the letters kept piling up.
And honestly, I can’t blame Seria for only writing about me.
She’s been hanging out with me nonstop since we started school, so she probably had nothing else to write about.
Kinda embarrassing, though. She only wrote about me?
What on earth did she write?
“From what I read about you, it didn’t seem like she liked you much, so I left it alone… but in the end, it turned out like this. Was the whole letter just a smokescreen?”
…What exactly did she write?
“Um, excuse me, I’m really sorry, but could you tell me what she wrote about me?”
“Sometimes ignorance is bliss.”
I asked out of curiosity, but I got no answer.
If she’s being that vague, I should probably just let it go.
After that, the Empress kept talking for a while.
Nothing too important. Just a bunch of stuff about how worried she was about Seria.
Like how the letters were coming more frequently, or how she thought Seria had really messed up when she blew up the Student Cafeteria ceiling…
After venting her worries for a while, the Empress seemed to run out of things to say and fell silent for a moment before changing the subject.
“We’re so worried because she keeps sending letters filled with nothing but your stories… We need to know how Seria is really doing.”
She said that while subtly giving me a look.
I think she was hinting for me to spill the beans about Seria’s life at the Academy.
Haha, you’ve come to the right person. I’m basically an expert on Seria’s Academy life.
Did she read my mind or something? Seria looked super nervous and tried to wrap things up quickly.
“Uh, Mom? It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, why don’t we go for a walk or something… KYAAH!”
But in an instant, a gust of wind lifted her into the air, rendering her helpless.
Seria flailed wildly, trying to break free, but it was a futile effort.
She could probably escape if she used her magic, but… that would just make a huge mess.
Eventually, Seria gave up and stopped struggling, turning her gaze to me while still floating in the air.
Her eyes were intense, and it was clear that if I said anything unnecessary, I’d get an earful later.
So I decided to just pretend I didn’t see her.
“…! ……!”
When I avoided her gaze, she started shouting something, but the magic holding her in the air blocked out her words.
Maybe because it was so amusing, the Empress burst out laughing.
“You two. I thought…”
“Seems like you’re getting along much better than before, huh?”
“Well, I guess so.”
“Haha. Yeah, maybe I didn’t need to worry from the start.”
…
Oh… I didn’t expect the person who said they’d kill me if I hurt Seria to say something like that.
Maybe I’ve earned some recognition?
…
The Empress glanced at me softly and opened her mouth.
…
“My judgment of people is pretty accurate, you know. Of course, I’ve only exchanged a few words with you, but I can tell what kind of intentions you have being here. So… what is it that you want?”
“…Not really anything.”
“Right. I thought you’d say that.”
…
Isn’t that what most people would say in a situation like this?
…
Whether I was thinking that or not, the Empress continued.
…
“You don’t seem to want anything from being here. Whether I’m the Empress or not, or even that this is the Royal Palace, none of it seems to matter to you. Am I right?”
“I guess so?”
…
After all, I ended up here almost by force.
…
“What I was most worried about was Seria being used for someone else’s goals. To be precise, I was worried that Seria, being used, would get hurt.”
…
But… The Empress raised the corner of her mouth slightly and continued.
…
“You don’t seem like the type to do that.”
“Well… Seria knows how to judge people. If I had bad intentions, she would’ve pushed me away.”
…
Though, even if I approached her with good intentions, Seria, being the true introvert she is, would’ve pushed me away… But no need to bring that up now.
…
Since I was being polite, the Empress nodded as if to say, “That makes sense,” and then started staring at my face again.
…
But… this time, her gaze felt a bit stickier.
…
“Still, one thing’s for sure.”
…
After staring at my face for a while, she suddenly said that, then looked at Seria floating in the air and smirked.
…
“She takes after her mom—liking handsome guys.”
“…!”
…
Seria’s face turned bright red. I can’t hear the sounds from inside, but can I hear this?
Why are you getting all shy now? You’re the one who hyped me up for being handsome.
…
The Empress chuckled at Seria and wrapped up the conversation.
…
“Our Seria. Take good care of her. Of course, the whole ‘I won’t let you live if you hurt her’ thing still stands. Be careful.”
“…Yes.”
…
Just when I thought it was ending on a warm note, it had to finish like this.
Well, from start to finish, it was all about Seria, so it’d be weirder if it didn’t end this way.
…
“Alright. Shall we continue where we left off? What does Seria usually do?”
…
Ah, now that I think about it, that conversation isn’t over yet.
…
“It might take a while, is that okay?”
“It’s about my daughter—the longer, the better.”
“…?! …!!!”
…
Just when it seemed like the conversation was winding down and Seria was starting to relax, she began to panic again. Unfortunately for Seria, she couldn’t touch the ground until the whole story was over.
