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Chapter : 07
5. The Correlation Between Mistakes and Misunderstandings (2)
“What time do you think it is?! Because of you, no one can start the meeting!”
Lucien, who had completely forgotten about the meeting, lowered his eyes obediently.
“I’m sorry.”
“In my days, the day before the new semester started, we came to the academy at dawn and cleaned the classrooms! Not only that—we polished every student desk until it shone—”
Lucien put aside his thought of maintaining face as a senior colleague and quietly hid behind Chester.
The large shield was perfectly suited for hiding.
“Teacher Lucien? Where are you… huh.”
Radehols covered his mouth.
Lucien whispered to herself that she would gladly repay the favor of this man, who had already saved her twice today.
Chester made a strange expression.
Lucien gently grabbed his cloak, as if to hold him back, interpreting the confusion he couldn’t even sort out himself.
“If Your Grace came to Noctua… perhaps, if you’re looking for the Dean’s office, should I guide you toward the laurel fountain…?”
Please tell me I don’t need to escort him.
Radehols trembled. As Lucien hid behind him, he suddenly felt the ominous presence of the duke he hadn’t noticed before.
To Chester, it was overwhelmingly familiar to see the teacher sweating nervously and forcing a smile in front of him, rather than a woman pulling on his cloak from behind.
This is normal.
The presence of Lucien, who spoke to him without hesitation, reached out her hand, and even treated him like a shield, felt surreal.
“The Dean’s office is on the way back already.”
“Yes…”
Silence followed.
Radehols felt awkward, unable to either speak to the duke or pass by silently.
Chester had nothing more to say, but leaving would be difficult because Lucien was still following him.
And Lucien found this silence troublesome.
She peeked out from behind Chester.
“Teacher, the Dean asked Your Grace to give a special lecture on combat practice. I’ve been instructed to guide you.”
Taking the opportunity, Lucien finished her self-defense by invoking the duke and the dean, smiling proudly.
Looking at the bright-eyed, naive junior teacher, Radehols wore a troubled expression.
She really doesn’t know the state of the class she’s about to take, does she…?
He reflected on himself, getting angry just a while ago because the junior hadn’t even shown up at the meeting and was goofing around.
I need to control my temper.
Becoming a senior, he couldn’t exactly comfort the unfortunate junior, yet he got angry just because she was late for a meeting…
I’ll just treat her well. Yes, I must treat her well.
If Lucien Philonia quit, who would take over that class? He certainly didn’t want to.
“…Alright then, we’ll postpone the meeting by about an hour, so make sure you guide His Grace properly.”
He had heard the rumor that the Duke of Rosanacht had come to the capital, but never expected he’d come to Noctua to give a special lecture.
What on earth was the Dean thinking?
No, what was the duke himself thinking?
Young people these days are impossible to understand.
Radehols thought while observing the ‘young people’ before him.
One was too expressionless; the other was far too transparent.
The transparent one smiled brightly.
“Yes, Teacher. Thank you!”
There’s nothing to thank.
He showed a tiny bit of compassion for the fresh, naive sapling, who would soon have a face full of despair or anger.
“Um… take your time.”
No need to open the gates of hell too quickly.
Unaware of his thoughts, Lucien’s eyes sparkled.
Indeed, money and power rule the world!
Because the duke was here, Radehols even said something like that.
Lucien, recalling the authority of the man she had used as a shield, released the cloak she had been holding.
…It looks a little wrinkled.
“Um… Your Grace, may I be going now?”
“Please do.”
With a smile full of desperate goodwill, Radehols left.
The farther he went, the faster his steps became.
Chester noticed and asked curiously.
“I heard that in Noctua, even royalty or high nobility isn’t treated differently. Is that wrong?”
As soon as Radehols left, Lucien stepped out from behind him and placed her hands on her hips in disbelief.
“Good heavens, that’s just for fairness when teaching students! After work, we still have to deal with rank, how could we do that?”
If she didn’t have to worry about consequences, she could have shaken every culprit senseless. Of course, assuming they let her.
“Anyway, special lectures usually happen maybe once a semester… at most, once a month.”
While talking, they arrived at Chester Rosanacht’s research office, which was usually reserved for Academy professors.
Lucien offered to open the door, but he did it himself, glancing around without excitement.
“It’s similar to my office. Seems she visited once before for reference.”
Hearing that it resembled his office, Lucien pictured the Duke’s residence in her mind while looking around.
The room had light gray and low-saturation blue tones, with mostly dark furniture, but delicate curved decorations and soft carpets gave a calm and refined atmosphere rather than a cold one.
It was unexpected.
Chester’s personal quarters were all dark and almost devoid of decoration.
“The Dean is subtly stubborn about this. That’s why it seemed similar to the Duke’s residence. Though I’ve never seen it.”
“Would you like to see it?”
As always, his questions were unpredictable.
“There’s no need to act now.”
“……”
Chester silently turned his gaze to the decorative swords on the wall.
Seeing that he wouldn’t move, Lucien opened the most important document on the desk—the special lecture schedule—and couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
Th… this is the ‘special lecture’ timetable?!
Who in their right mind gives special lectures every week?!
“D-Duke… now may not be the best time to look at that sword.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Earlier, it was supposed to be a special lecture… why are there so many class hours? What was the class name again? ‘Opening Semester Practical Lecture with War Heroes’ or something?”
“‘Practical Combat Training – Advanced’.”
…Why is it so serious?
Lucien’s eyes trembled.
Of course, Noctua had evolved over time, and after the last war, the number of combat classes increased drastically.
Yet, this was still a school, not a knight order or magic tower. Lately, it even seemed like they were trying to train a military cadet corps…
Suppressing an inexplicable sense of dread, she focused on the task at hand.
Should I tell him to run away now?
Being the Dean’s top ‘servant,’ she could foresee the future he was about to face.
“Aren’t you going down to your duchy? At this pace, it’s impossible… ah, did you get portal approval?”
“……”
He hadn’t!
Even though emperors or grand dukes could use portals freely, others required complicated approval.
At Noctua, where many noble children stayed long hours, portal use without approval was rare; students commuting from afar often rode carriages.
The same applied to teachers, except for Academy staff—they simply didn’t leave work.
“I’ll be staying in the capital for a while, so I don’t need a portal. The Dean knows this.”
Two years ago, Chester appeared in the capital’s social scene for the first time at the princess’s birthday celebration. Within a year, he returned to the duchy and remained secluded.
People only saw him during year-end campaigns. Suddenly, he had come to the capital—whatever the reason, it seemed Dean Aten was determined to fully exploit the talents of the recruit he had just scouted.
“Even with your current duties, you must be busy… what conditions did Dean Aten propose for you to accept this offer?”
Lucien was purely curious. What kind of conditions could it have been? Surely something extraordinary.
Chester paused, seeming to consider.
Had there been a secret deal?
Lucien’s expectations were high, but the answer was shocking.
“…He agreed to help me resolve a personal problem.”
“Not resolve it, just… help? You believed that?”
Lucien was aghast. People could really be that naive! Even basic-level students wouldn’t believe that!
“…He didn’t ask what the problem was.”
He wasn’t interested.
