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“What’s the rush that guy’s in? What will he do if he gets into an accident like that?”

“That just means he really wants to meet his friend.”

Orcus muttered petulantly toward Noel, who had already disappeared far into the distance. He looked just like an older brother worrying about his younger sister’s safety.

Of course, if we were being realistic, we should be worried about the people Noel might collide with instead of her—after all, she had been reinforced with Aura and Divine Power, giving her durability beyond that of any standard vehicle.

But who cares about that? It’s only natural for a family member to prioritize their blood over practicalities.

As I stepped off Orcus’s path and walked toward where Elena was, I noticed a stark contrast from before, which had felt like a science fair. Now, there were food stalls and entertainment facilities that students would actually want to visit.

Surely it must have been due to the guides’ preferences.

This street turned out to be more fun than I had initially thought. I changed my internal rating from an (X) to an (O) and looked around.

At one stall, I spotted a machine making the sweets I had last tasted with Elena in Merohim. It made sense why her presence had felt near.

I bought a variety of candies listed on the stall’s menu, and whenever I spotted other enticing snacks around, I began to grab one each time.

Orcus, who knew I usually didn’t enjoy sweets, looked at me strangely as I started buying all these delectable treats, but then he approached me with an expression that suggested he understood.

“Are you planning to give all that to Elena? No matter how much she likes sweets, I doubt she can eat that much. You should have bought less.”

“It’s fine. This much is okay.”

Orcus wore a puzzled expression at my response.

He had never seen how much Elena could eat in sweets.

Of course, I didn’t plan on giving her everything I bought at once. Although I claimed it was fine, observing from the side was still enough to make me worry.

I had also bought a little extra, considering that my mother-in-law liked sweet things too.

“But do you eat sweets?”

“Well, I don’t really love them, but I like them just fine. Why? Are you going to give me one?”

Maybe it was because it was his first time seeing something like this. I picked a piece of candy from the bag, specifically the one that left a colorful stain on your mouth, and handed it to Orcus.

Later, I discovered that while it had the downside of staining the mouth with its coloring, it did indeed capture the flavor written on the candy, making it popular in the candy world.

I wondered if Orcus would understand such details. Judging by his expression, he definitely seemed oblivious.

He didn’t have a strong liking for sweets, and it would be quite odd if the crown prince, busy running the country, even knew such trivial details.

Orcus examined a few of the items in the bag before finally putting the apple-shaped lollipop I had offered into his mouth. If he found something he liked, he could always speak up, but seeming like he was just accepting whatever I handed him was a bit awkward too.

Looks like this guy has some unexpected consideration.

At first, he showed a confused face, but once he started chewing on the candy, he seemed to thoroughly enjoy it, leaving him tongue-tied amid savoring it.

Speaking of which, didn’t Noel dislike sweet things like Elena? I thought about giving her a few more candies to have for herself.

Orcus glanced at the clock tower and then crunched the candy he had been holding in his mouth. His face twisted into a grimace as though something sour was hidden inside.

“Ugh, what the hell! What did they put in here?… So, have you met Elteman Edelweiss yet?”

“No, it’s been nearly five days since I arrived in Ruden, and I haven’t even caught a glimpse of him. Apparently, my mother-in-law said he’s been so absorbed in his research that he hasn’t even been home since last week. I hear from him occasionally, but it’s very rare.”

“Is that so? Well, as a fellow magician, I can’t say that I completely understand, but still, it’s a bit too much for him not to show his face when his sister and her fiancé are around. Are you sure he’s not already hated or something?”

“Stop with the nonsense. What have I done to be hated already? He’s been gone from home for quite a while, so it can’t be my fault. From what my mother-in-law and Elena said, Elteman isn’t even capable of getting involved in matters like this in the first place.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t you know that opinions from relatives aren’t valid evidence?”

This guy who knows that tells his brother-in-law to investigate his sister’s fiancé.

As I looked at him incredulously, Orcus brushed it off with his customary sly smile and continued.

“Well, I do have my ears open. The word on Elteman while he was at the Magic Tower is that he spent most of his time in the research lab or only ever showed up in the library. It seems like he’s just a research fanatic with no interest beyond his field. If I can find out what reason he had for leaving Ruden earlier this year, it probably won’t be a significant issue.”

“Why on earth would a guy with so much money apply for research funds at a time like this? It’s annoying.”

Orcus spoke to me in a comforting tone, saying not to worry too much, but honestly, I wasn’t as concerned about Elteman as he thought.

I didn’t know where Elteman had gone or what his purpose for applying for research funds was, but I could firmly state that he wasn’t connected to the heretics. Just as Orcus said, he was simply a research fanatic. I just found it a bit uncomfortable that the name of someone connected to Elena came up in this discussion.

If it becomes necessary, I might have to barge into his research lab.

*

After joining up with Elena, we parted ways as previously agreed and headed back to our respective homes.

Noel, not wanting to leave Elena so soon after meeting her, still looked like she wanted to play, but there wasn’t much time left for the two of them.

Word had it that today’s outing had been granted permission just barely.

Since this outing was the first time they had left the imperial palace since returning from the south, it was only natural she wanted to stay outside a bit longer.

After all, until just a few months back, Ruden had been noisy with issues regarding the heretics. In such a situation, it felt precarious for royalty to stay out for too long.

If you wanted to meet the royal family, either I or Elena would have to go to the imperial palace; it was peculiar for them to step outside for an appointment of this nature.

As for me, well, Orcus told me to call him if he showed up, so I did, but really, this situation felt far from normal.

“Brother, can’t we contact the palace and tell them we’ll be spending the day at Edelweiss Villa? I mean, it’s pretty close to the imperial palace…”

“No way. No matter how close Edelweiss Villa is to the imperial palace, it’s still outside. Even if we do contact them, there’s no way Father would permit it. Plus, arriving without an appointment at such a late hour is against decorum. You wouldn’t want to be grounded before entering the Academy, would you, Noel?”

Noel did throw a slight tantrum, but once Orcus brought up the topic of grounding, she quickly yielded.

Anyway, after Noel and Orcus returned to the imperial palace, despite not facing any restrictions like them, Elena and I decided to head back to the mansion as we had dinner to think about.

I couldn’t leave Adelia alone again, especially as she had been feeling lonely since Elteman hadn’t been home.

She said she would return to Merohim after Elena and I got settled in at the academy. Wasting time now wouldn’t be wise when considering my future relationship with her. I needed to leave a good impression while we still had time together.

“Oh, I thought everyone had gone out, so I assumed we’d be eating out. But you all came back early.”

Just as I expected, Adelia seemed really happy to see us back before dinner.

However, upon seeing another figure sitting in the banquet hall, I realized that her joy wasn’t just about us being back in time for dinner.

Speak of the devil.

Elteman Edelweiss, who had seemed like he was never going to show up, had arrived first as a guest at the banquet hall.

 

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