81 – Midterm Exam
In my defense, I couldn’t remember to mention that I couldn’t talk to Erica on the phone.
Originally, I planned to disguise myself as Cardinal and contact Erica before going to bed.
However, contrary to my plan, even though Cardinal appeared, the henchmen of the Necromancer did not reveal themselves.
One could argue, “Then why didn’t you contact her when you finished disguising yourself and entered the room?”
But that was impossible because Professor Elysia was in my room, anticipating the arrival of the Necromancer’s henchmen.
-Ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring.
While making excuses in my head, the communication device continued to ring as if it had no intention of stopping.
I answered the call with a mix of fear and concern.
I was afraid that she wouldn’t contact me for four hours.
I was worried that she might have contacted me because something was wrong.
[………. Sir Clown?]
After a moment of silence following the call, Erica cautiously spoke.
“Yes, here I am!”
I cheerfully replied to let her know that I was fine.
[Phew, I’ll call you again right away, so make sure to answer, okay?!]
After hearing my voice, Erica let out a relieved sigh and then hung up with an angry tone.
“But why did she feel the need to call again?”
-Ring, ring, ring.
And true to Erica’s words, the call came immediately, and only then did I understand the reason she had mentioned for calling again.
Just now, when I was talking to Yerika, we could only hear each other’s voices, but now it was a video call where we could see each other’s faces.
“Did you really want to see my face that badly?”
[………………]
Even in jest, Yerika stared at me with a pained expression, saying nothing.
I, too, stared back at Yerika, who was piercing me with her gaze.
Her beautiful blonde hair and mysterious golden eyes—she didn’t need any special makeup. She was already beautiful.
Perhaps due to her smooth skin, her pained furrowed brow was more noticeable.
Or perhaps because of her fair skin, the faint dark circles underneath her eyes stood out.
[Could you please stand up for a moment?]
“Of course. It’s not particularly difficult.”
Yerika looked at me as I stood up, her gaze piercing even more than before.
[Phew… thankfully, you weren’t hurt.]
For some reason, Yerika seemed to relax and leaned her head against the chair.
“But why did you contact me at this hour?”
[You’re saying that now? Do you know how worried I was!]
Huh? It seems like I might have said something wrong.
“You usually don’t answer calls well past the usual time, so I tried contacting Lucas as well, but he wasn’t responding either!”
Yerika continued without pausing.
“I couldn’t sleep at all because of you, worrying endlessly, and you call for what? Are you messing with me?!”
It seems those dark circles were indeed because of me.
[Haa…… Haa…..]
Whether it was from speaking too many words too quickly or from exhaustion, Erika took in rough breaths.
By the way, the reason Lucas couldn’t be reached was because I sneakily tampered with Lucas’s communication device.
And because I kept conversing with the emperor through Lucas’s communication device, Erika was unaware that I was the one making the calls.
‘Huh? Does that mean everything is my fault?’
[I was so worried…. Hmph!]
Erika, as if revealing her displeasure, turned her head with a sound.
Well, if Erika, who used to call every day, suddenly doesn’t answer, I’d be worried too.
But really, “hmph”? This shouldn’t be the case, but it seemed too cute not to burst into laughter.
‘No. I have to endure.’
If I genuinely laughed here, Erika would probably get even more upset.
Thinking that I needed to lighten Erika’s mood, I recalled things she would like.
Things Erika likes…………
Come to think of it, Erika has been diligently searching for the criminal Cardinal, right?
I don’t know the reason for her search.
And today, Cardinal revealed their appearance.
More precisely, it was me disguised as Cardinal.
Still, wouldn’t this be a way to lift Erika’s spirits?
I told Erika that Cardinal appeared today.
[Right now, that’s not what’s important!!]
Yerika slammed the desk hard and said, “How forcefully she hit it was evident in the shaking screen.”
It seemed like she had placed the communication device on the desk.
[Sigh… If you think we won’t be able to talk like today in the future, please let me know in advance. I was really worried, you know.]
Yerika sighed once and spoke with a gentle smile.
In reality, there was no separate agreement to talk with Yerika every day. However, as we continued talking by chance, it naturally became a daily occurrence.
Of course, I had no intention of stopping the calls with Yerika.
“If there’s a chance we can’t contact each other in the future, I’ll let you know in advance. Should we end it now?”
I looked out into the darkness that enveloped everything.
It was dawn now, a time when Yerika and I usually had a good time.
[What? We didn’t talk much today. Can’t we talk a little more?]
Yerika looked at me with eyes like a puppy in the rain.
There probably wasn’t anyone who could refuse that gaze.
[Are you very tired?]
Yerika cautiously asked, perhaps worried that I might be tired.
Seeing that, my mouth involuntarily curved upwards.
“Not at all. So, what should we talk about? Should I tell you about the Cardinal?”
[Please talk about that tomorrow. The jester, who made me worry, can’t ask me questions today. I just have to answer the questions I ask.]
Watching Yerika acting like a child, I didn’t even think about lowering my smile.
“So, what question do you have? Oh, is this also a question, or should I not say it?”
[hehehe, I’ll make an exception for that one.]
Eureka raised both hands to her waist as if she had made up her mind and spoke.
“Do you have any separate plans for the break, Your Jestership?”
It was a more ordinary question than expected.
Speaking of the break, well, there was no reason to hide, so I told her the truth.
“I don’t particularly have anything planned.”
“Oh, I see.”
Eureka nodded as if she liked my answer.
“Are you sorry to me, Your Jestership?”
It was a somewhat abrupt question.
“Am I?”
I replied, feeling uneasy.
I’m sorry for causing worry by not contacting her for four hours.
“Then, can you help me just once during the break?”
“Of course, I can help, but do I have something to help with?”
Eureka is the princess of the Empire.
Whether it’s power, wealth, or influence, she could obtain anything if she desired.
“Of course. This is something only you, Your Jestership, can do.”
Eureka said with a mix of kindness and a hint of something ominous in her smile.
—
“Where is Viscount Ash?”
In the morning, the students from the special class gathered, and Sepia asked Professor Elysia.
“After investigating in the early morning, I found out that the drugs left behind by Cardinal were Ash’s.”
Professor Elysia casually blurted out, but the students were taken aback with their mouths wide open.
Well, even though I disguised myself as Cardinal and said that the drugs belonged to Ash, it was hard to believe the words of a thief.
“So what should we do now?”
Lucas was the one who asked Professor Elysia this time.
Lucas had told me earlier that he received a communication device from Professor Elysia.
“We don’t need to take on any more missions now that it’s no longer necessary. Let’s go back to the academy.”
“hehehe! Are we riding the wyverns again?”
Frederick trembled, perhaps recalling riding the wyverns yesterday.
“Of course. Is there a problem?”
“Oh, no. No problem at all.”
Bang!
“hehehe!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be kind enough to throw the wyvern saddle on your back again. hahahaha!”
Kuran said, hitting Frederick’s back with his palm.
The sound was very loud, but it seemed like Frederick had controlled his strength because he didn’t seem to be in pain.
Although Frederick screamed, it wasn’t because he was hurt, but because he was startled.
“Huhhhhh~”
I yawned as I watched the students chatting in the background.
Last night, or rather in the early morning, I had a conversation with Erika without realizing how time was passing.
From Noble mtl dot com
I didn’t spend the whole night awake, but it wasn’t a particularly long sleep either.
Even though I’m so tired now that I could fall asleep standing.
Nevertheless, I didn’t regret it.
Perhaps, even if I could go back in time, I would talk to Erika again.
“Feeling sleepy, sucker?”
Sephia, who appeared in front of me as if she heard me yawning, spoke.
“I can’t sleep well. By the way, how long do you plan to keep calling me a sucker?”
Since I gave Sephia a free ride the other day, she has been calling me a sucker persistently.
“What’s wrong with being a sucker? It suits you well.”
Spirits that had suddenly appeared floated above my head.
“Sucker, by the way, midterms are coming up soon. Are you confident?”
Just now, Sephia deliberately emphasized the word “sucker,” teasing me.
“By the way, midterms… After finishing the written and practical exams, I can finally create a club.”
This means that my Clown Alliance Club is about to make its appearance in the world.
The Clown Club is gonna be amazing