Published: September 10, 2025
This is Satou. Whether it’s exams or a first date, the more you prepare, the more anxious you tend to become. Ever since I learned to let go of just a little of that tension, I’ve felt a bit more distant from those worries.
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“Good morning, I’ve come to pick you up.”
Ms. Zena greeted me with a slightly shadowed smile in the morning.
Lately, I feel like I haven’t had a proper conversation with her due to being so busy.
Once we settle after obtaining the Chanting Orb, I’ll invite Zena and Sera for a picnic near the Royal Capital. Our kids would be delighted as well.
Today, Zena’s team will escort Arisa and Mia to the Royal Castle.
I was actually invited too, but since the third day of the auction—when the Chanting Orb is up for bidding—is more important, I’m skipping it, citing illness.
In the entrance hall, Arisa struck a confident pose wearing a cute dress like some young lady.
After lightly praising her, I explained how to handle questions about yesterday’s incident.
“So, we just need to act like we don’t know the details, right?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.”
I nodded to confirm with Arisa.
“All set.”
Just then, Mia appeared in the entrance hall, all dressed up.
When our eyes met, she spun around on the spot.
I told her she looked cute, and she responded with a satisfied “Hm.”
“Well, I’m off. Is there anything you want me to tell His Highness?”
“Nothing in particular—just apologize for my absence.”
“Okay, got it. You do your best too!”
I nodded to Arisa’s encouragement, entrusted Arisa and Mia to Zena and the others, and saw them off.
“What’s everyone else’s schedule today?”
Back in the living room, I checked the plans for the others.
Since Arisa and Mia are out, there’s no expedition to the labyrinth today.
“I want to practice cooking what I learned yesterday, so I’ll be holed up in the kitchen,” Lulu declared with a determined look.
Apparently, she was even wielding a knife at the treehouse in the Forest of Boruenan last night.
“I want to go to school today.”
“Heim’s coming~”
“Yes, I have training with Lord Heim.”
I told the two who were excitedly swinging their wooden swords, “Don’t use the demon blade cannon because it’s dangerous.”
Recently, they’ve even started producing demon blades with just wooden swords, so I can’t let my guard down.
“I’ll accompany you to make sure you don’t mess up,” Liza said.
“If Liza says that, I feel safe. Count on you,” I replied.
“I’ll do my best with the little power I have.”
Though I suspect this might turn into a battle between Liza and Lord Heim, hopefully they’ll restrain themselves.
“We’ll go to school as usual.”
Crow and Shiro seem to like school, so maybe letting them attend the Royal Capital’s academy is a good idea.
In the future, it might also be nice to have them teach at a training school in the Labyrinth City.
“Crow, your pronouns.”
“We…”
Crow corrected his first-person pronoun after Shiro pointed it out.
Probably, one of the noble girls they became friendly with told him that a girl saying “boku” (a typically masculine “I”) sounded odd.
“What about Nana?”
“I want to observe classes. Master, may I have permission?”
—Class observation?
Does the Shiga Kingdom have such an event?
Since I wasn’t sure if the school had an acceptance system for that, I confirmed with the butler, who seemed knowledgeable.
“I am not familiar with the term ‘class observation,’ but I believe parental observation is permitted.”
“How do we request permission?”
“If you send a notification in advance, there should be no problem. If you’re heading there today, I’ll dispatch a maid with a letter as a notification.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
The servants are as thoughtful as ever.
The butler even wrote the letter on my behalf.
After seeing the kids off, I returned to my room to prepare my feigned illness, when a letter arrived from Sera of the Tenion Temple.
It’s probably about the prophecy she told me at the Royal Castle last night.