I Became the Narrow-Eyed Character in the Little Prince Game-Chapter 114: Kingdom (1)

The final exams, which had concluded with a dazzling spectacle, marked the end of the term.

The academy had officially entered its vacation period.

Of course, this so-called vacation didn’t bring any significant changes to daily life.

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The only difference was a slight relaxation of the restrictions on leaving the academy grounds.

Students still resided in their dormitories, shuttled between lecture halls for advanced or supplementary lessons during the day, and spent their free time self-studying in the library.

In essence, calling it a vacation was a mere formality; it felt more like completing 1.5 semesters instead.

The sole consolation was the absence of exams during the vacation period.

While the overall schedule was undeniably more relaxed compared to the semester, there was also a part of me that thought it was a bit much for the only vacation of the year.

Then again, it was understandable.

It was this intense environment that earned the academy its reputation as the continent's premier educational institution.

Once again, the name Galimar carried its weight.

“Well... I suppose it’s for the best.”

In any case.

Daily life remained largely unchanged.

Aside from the slightly increased freedom, not much had altered. Still, there are always those who make good use of even the smallest changes.

Especially someone like me.

The loosened restrictions on outings made it much easier for me to move around.

While my position as a senior professor already granted me certain privileges, borrowing authority from my supervising professor was unavoidable, which could sometimes make me feel self-conscious.

Perhaps my recent frequent absences had added to that discomfort.

Thus, the arrival of the vacation was a welcome relief.

“I had plenty of business to attend to at headquarters anyway.”

It was the point in the original story where things began to align.

The merchant was starting to reveal his dirty desires, and the cultists were showing signs of suspicious activity, meaning I couldn’t afford to let my guard down even slightly.

The headmaster’s prophecy seemed to have left an impression on me as well.

I had been visiting headquarters regularly, tightening the system to prepare for the impending threats.

“Master.”

It was just another day.

As usual, I had arrived at Astro headquarters and was handling tasks with the vice-leader.

Neria handed over prepared documents one by one.

“These are the materials on the mana stone contamination case you ordered an investigation into last time.”

“You mentioned there was new information, correct?”

“Yes, we found relevant details among the black magicians’ research materials stored at the outer branch.”

“It seems the effort paid off.”

“However, it will take some time. The texts are written in an ancient language, and we are encountering difficulties in translation. Despite having our most skilled linguists on the task, the materials have been exposed to sinister energies for an extended period. Direct contact risks mental erosion, so progress has been slow.”

“Hm.”

“Fortunately, since last week, we’ve been receiving assistance from the priests, which has sped things up. Since many of them were once part of Resite, they’ve shown remarkable proficiency in dealing with curses. Currently, we’re alternating between translation and purification to proceed steadily. We estimate it will take about fifteen more days to complete the work.”

“So, the priests we brought in have proven quite useful.”

“Your foresight, Master, is truly admirable.”

“Hmm... I wasn’t expecting this kind of return, but I’ll take it.”

“Shall I proceed with the next report?”

“Please do.”

The unending stream of tasks continued.

I moved my pen across the papers.

Incidentally, I hadn’t brought Irene along today.

She had requested to stay behind in the dormitory on her own accord.

The girl had recently taken an interest in household matters.

Not long ago, she had even asked me to teach her how to cook. Since then, she seemed to have become engrossed, practicing repeatedly.

Today, she had gone so far as to clear her schedule to prepare dinner for my return.

“It’s been a while... since someone else cooked for me.”

Usually, I prepared my own meals, so this felt like a refreshing change.

Perhaps it was something close to the feeling of a married couple waiting for each other.

A faint chuckle escaped at the silly thought.

I brushed aside such musings and focused on finishing the remaining work.

Time seemed to pass unusually quickly.

“That should be enough for today. I’ll provide updates on unresolved matters as they develop.”

“Well done.”

The dull workload was finally coming to an end.

I stretched my stiff body, standing up and glancing at the calendar on my desk.

The date pointed to November, the tail end of autumn.

Winter was drawing near.

Perhaps it was the sentimental atmosphere, but I found myself speaking lightly to the silver-haired girl beside me.

“It’s hard to believe... it’s already been three years since we met, Neria.”

A memory resurfaced, vivid like a photograph pressed in a corner of my mind.

The texture I felt with my fingertips brought back the image of that snow-swept season.

For someone, it had been the most painful, scar-filled winter.

“When I first met you, Neria... you reminded me of a wounded beast.”

The girl from back then had been starkly different.

Her heart was filled with nothing but hatred.

Perhaps it was because of the scars that covered half of her face.

Her eyes, devoid of any vitality, had been dead.

Her frail hands were on the verge of letting go of the world entirely.

That was when we met.

“So this is where you were.”

The hand I extended.

I remembered the warmth of embracing her blood-soaked body.

I couldn’t be sure how she had felt at that moment.

But for me, it had been one of the few good memories in this world.

I murmured with a trace of sentiment.

“Sometimes, I miss those days.”

“...”

“How are you these days? No more uncontrollable fits like before?”

“It’s all thanks to you, Master, for taking me in.”

“I don’t think I did much, to be honest.”

“If you hadn’t taken me in that cold winter, I wouldn’t have survived even a year.”

“Hmm.”

“You are the one who saved my life.”

“That’s embarrassing.”

“It is a precious truth to me.”

Her voice was stiff, almost formal, as if addressing someone she found uncomfortable.

Yet her blushing cheeks betrayed her emotions, leaving her at a loss for words.

It seemed she was still awkward with interpersonal interactions.

Having spent so much time together, I could tell the difference.

“Ahaha... there was a time when you used to speak informally to me, Neria.”

With a gentle motion, I brushed my hand over her silver hair.

The girl froze, her breath hitching.

As I repeated the soft, deliberate strokes, a scene from the past flashed before my eyes.

It was a time when both of us were steeped in the stench of blood.

I recalled it clearly.

“Please, one last request.”

“Kill me.”

“Don’t let me become a monster... Please, with your own hands, end my life.”

“If it’s you, I won’t regret it.”

A flower, pitifully broken.

It felt like only yesterday that I had embraced the girl as she sobbed uncontrollably.

How had time passed so quickly?

“If the symptoms return, you must let me know. I took measures back then, but we can’t be too careful.”

“I understand, Master.”

“For now, let’s call it a day and head back.”

“I’ll summon Rena for you.”

I rose quietly from my seat, and the girl followed to see me off.

We walked through the hallway in silence, though it was likely that both of us were revisiting similar memories.

The winter, once filled with tears and blood, had faded into something like a bittersweet recollection.

“...”

“...”

In the silence, snow fell.

***

Meanwhile, near the academy dormitory...

Irene was out shopping alone.

Judging by the time, it seemed she was preparing dinner.

Her fierce eyes scanned the groceries carefully, showing her growing attentiveness to meal preparation.

She even paused to deliberate.

“I can’t make anything too complicated... What would be good?”

Her hands hovered indecisively, picking up and setting down ingredients repeatedly.

She hadn’t realized how challenging it could be to cook for someone else.

Choosing an elaborate and impressive dish made her doubt her skills, while opting for something too simple felt oddly like conceding defeat.

The young fox was caught in serious contemplation.

“Ha... Maybe I shouldn’t have said I’d do this.”

She let out a faint sigh, a flicker of regret crossing her face.

Perhaps she had been too impulsive.

Despite barely knowing how to handle a knife properly, she had declared her intention to prepare dinner. All she could do now was curse her overconfidence from the day before.

Pouting, she placed a few vegetables into her shopping basket.

At the same time, she muttered quietly to herself.

“This really is hard.”

Irene had set herself a new goal.

She wanted to be like that person.

Someone who was occasionally irritating, perpetually ominous, but also kind in a way that was hard to ignore.

Her sudden interest in cooking stemmed from this same desire.

Affection or admiration.

The tangled emotions stirred a warmth within her.

She thought back to the warm stew she had once tasted.