Chapter 10: -all only for you (5)

10. It’s All For You (5)

“Headmistress, do you happen to know?”

“Know what? The scarecrow?”

“Ah, so you did know.”

The next morning.

As soon as I arrived at my office, Illia stood before me, unable to hide her flustered expression.

It seemed she couldn’t bring herself to come yesterday because I had left right after work.

“While I was overseeing the student council members for their meal, someone broke the scarecrow.

It wasn’t students from either of the two student councils.

Then who on earth…?”

“I know who broke it and how they broke it.

I happened to see it while taking a walk in the evening.

That person shattered in one go what the student council had struggled with for hours.”

“Who is it, exactly?”

“It’s a secret.

And I also gave the Inner Core to that person.

There’s no need for unnecessary suspicion since they truly broke it with their own power.”

As promised, I concealed Lassian’s identity.

I felt a bit sorry for Illia, who had to explain this to the student council, but I intended to keep my word.

“Notify the student council as such.

The item has fallen into the hands of the rightful party.

Surely, it’s common sense that the opportunities given to them aren’t limitless.”

“…Understood.

It seems the student councils are quite flustered, but I will relay that to them.”

Illia closed her eyes tightly, then bowed her head in greeting before leaving the office.

Given the student councils’ personalities, they wouldn’t back down easily.

They would surely argue or protest, and it was her job to fend them off.

“Hah.”

Having passed on the task, I looked down at my desk.

There were still course syllabi and material requests from various departments that hadn’t been fully revised and approved.

I had to review and process all those documents.

Illia returned, looking somewhat fatigued, just as the morning was drawing to a close.

“The student councils eventually accepted the result and returned to their respective places.

A few students persistently pressed me about the identity of the one who broke the scarecrow, but as you know, I also have no knowledge of it.”

“Well done.

Shall we go have a meal now?”

I subtly glanced at her, then removed my legs from the desk and wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth.

My workload, which I took on willingly, wasn’t small, but the remarkably intelligent brain I gained upon transmigrating into this body increased my processing speed severalfold, incomparable to my previous life.

Thanks to this, I had some free time and had comfortably dozed off, when she, having been troubled by the students, entered.

“I will guide you to the dining hall.”

Illia, who surely cursed me with her eyes, turned without a word.

I peeked at her back and silently followed her.

“I’ve already finished all the afternoon’s work.

The afternoon is free, so there aren’t any tasks I can pull forward, are there?”

“That’s correct.

It will take time for the things you reviewed today to be feedbacked.

So, it seems there will be no additional tasks for the Headmistress this afternoon.”

“Excellent.”

Free time.

Always pleasant, even if there’s nothing specific to do.

Thanks to this, my steps towards the dining hall were light.

It certainly wasn’t because my body was light.

“Do you know what’s for lunch today?”

“I was moving too hastily yesterday to confirm the exact menu.

But I know one thing for certain.

Today’s lunch dessert is strawberry pudding.”

“Ah.”

Illia smiled faintly and looked back at me.

At the same time, upon hearing her words, my eyes widened.

‘Damn it… how did I end up with this habit, no, this eating preference?’

In the process of transmigration, I became a new being.

A completely new existence, a mixture of the original Eve and Kim Jin-seok’s transmigrated identity.

Even with my gender changed, I didn’t care about such things now.

It was thanks to quickly and rationally accepting that it was all me anyway.

However, even amidst that, a few awkward things remained.

Like certain changed tastes, habits, or eating preferences.

Moreover, no matter how much I tried to resist or endure them, these things strongly governed my body and mind, like a .

“I already spoke to the head chef at the dining hall.

I told him to prepare an especially large portion of strawberry pudding for the Headmistress.”

Illia said, looking down at me.

There was a hint of amusement in her voice and eyes.

It was a completely different reaction from how she usually feared and found me difficult when I was serious.

“Tsk…”

But I couldn’t get angry just because I didn’t like that reaction.

It was my body’s fault, starting to drool like a trained dog at the mention of strawberry pudding.

I can confidently say that soft and sweet strawberry pudding is my favorite food right now; before transmigration, I didn’t even like sweet foods, let alone pudding, so this eating preference clearly belongs to the original Eve.

“C-come on, let’s go quickly.

What if others eat it…?”

“There’s plenty, so you don’t need to worry.”

I needlessly urged the seemingly relaxed Illia.

To eat the strawberry pudding as quickly as possible.

****

“Did Your Majesty enjoy your meal?

But what are you looking at now, if I may ask?”

“It’s a video transmitted from Ragpedia Academy, far from here, in the Eastern territories.”

“Hmm… it appears to be Marquis Avalanche.”

“It’s a relief to see she’s doing well.”

He chuckled and set down the crystal orb in his hand.

This very expensive crystal orb, the size of a fist and made entirely of 100% pure magic stone, could connect over distances incomparable to ordinary crystal orbs with only 1% magic stone content.

Using this object, which was almost a treasure, he received and viewed a picture of someone he had just observed, all while sitting in his seat.

A radiant silver-haired beauty emptying several plates of strawberry pudding piled high on the dining table.

“The rumors from that place are still noisy, Your Majesty.

Marquis Avalanche’s, or rather, Ragpedia Headmistress’s actions…”

“Though she looks like a child, and acts like one in front of strawberry pudding, she is by no means a mere greenhorn.

She is an existence who knows things even I do not.”

The old man sitting opposite him stroked his beard with disapproving eyes, but he shook his head as if unconcerned.

“Above all, she is my strongest blade.”

“Your Majesty.”

“She needs nothing else.

Unlike other ministers, unlike other lords, she is not two-faced or dark-hearted.

If you give her what she desires, she will repay you in kind.”

His green eyes sparkled.

Though he became Emperor at a young age, having just reached adulthood, with his outstanding abilities recognized and without much hindrance, he was not satisfied with that.

He still didn’t believe that the entirety of this vast empire was completely within his grasp.

“Steward, write a letter to Eve.

Tell her that though she must be busy with her Headmistress duties, I wish to see her here as soon as possible.”

“Your Majesty, surely not that place again?!”

“Don’t be so surprised.

I believe our future lies there.”

The old man was startled by his words, but his resolve remained unshaken.

This wasn’t the first time, after all.

The old man ultimately failed to persuade him and nodded, saying he understood.

“Another letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace.

Why, I wonder?”

And that letter was immediately delivered to Eve that afternoon via a long-range communication orb.

“It didn’t come through the official communication network, did it?”

Eve, who had been in a good mood after a satisfying lunch, frowned as she looked at the letter Illia handed her.

Long-range communication networks using expensive communication orbs were spread throughout the empire, but they were all for official purposes.

However, the letter sent to Eve now was conveyed through a private communication network.

Since there were only a few beings in this empire who could use long-range communication personally, Eve immediately recognized it as a letter from the Emperor.

“What does it say?”

“…It seems I’ll have to be away for a couple of days.”

“Pardon?”

And Eve, having read the letter, hardened her expression and murmured.

It was enough for Illia, unable to believe it, to ask again.

“It’s true.

It says to come as soon as possible, so it looks like I’ll have to go to the Imperial Palace tonight, if not sooner.”

“His Imperial Majesty’s summons… Understood.

I will take immediate action.”

Illia couldn’t bring herself to ask the reason or purpose.

She dared not question the Emperor’s summons.

‘What on earth is the Emperor trying to find in the Demon Realm?’

But Eve, the one concerned, knew both the Emperor’s purpose and what he intended to do.

This was because memories of having moved with the Emperor before her appointment as Headmistress here were in her mind.

But that was all.

The Emperor’s actions were not detailed in the original work.

In the first place, the current Emperor’s importance in the story was not very high, only being mentioned briefly through others’ words, and thus her intervention was possible.

‘Anyway, if this is my duty.’

Although annoyed, I couldn’t refuse.

The reason she could act as the sole ruler in heaven and earth within the academy was because the Emperor supported her, suppressing complaints and grievances.

Therefore, she also had to do something in return.

Ultimately, that evening, while others slept, Eve departed the academy by carriage and headed for the nearest airship platform.