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“Yuri-kun, a letter has arrived from Alfred.” (Myaro)

“It came from him, huh?” (Yuri)

“Please, read it.” (Myaro)

From behind the ebony desk, Myaro handed me the already-opened letter. Though it was addressed to me, Myaro had the authority to open all documents, so there was no issue. I took the stack of parchment, sat down on the sofa for receiving guests, and began reading.

“Hmm…” (Yuri)

The contents were a proposal for a meeting.

“There hasn’t been any word of a major battle yet, but as Melissa mentioned, could they be in a dire situation due to Angelica teaming up with the Papal States?” (Myaro)

“I’m not sure. Judging from this, it doesn’t seem like they’re trying to assassinate us…” (Yuri)

In fact, the security arrangements favored us. If we accepted these terms, they wouldn’t have an opportunity to assassinate us. On the contrary, if we wanted to, we could do it to them.

“Surprisingly, Alfred seems to have some sense of diplomatic propriety. He probably realizes that we don’t gain anything by staining our hands with assassination and earning the reputation of cowards. If Angelica and the Papal States are truly working together, then, we can simply let the war kill him off. There’s no need for us to get involved.” (Myaro)

“Hmm… What is he aiming for, I wonder? Is he asking us to target Angelica’s territory instead of his own?” (Yuri)

“…I don’t know.” (Myaro)

Myaro furrowed his brows in deep thought. It was rare for her to be so puzzled without finding an answer.

“For now, it might be worth meeting with him. No matter what demands he makes, we’ll get a sense of his intentions from it. We lose nothing by meeting. If it’s outlandish, we can just refuse.” (Myaro)

“Should we do that…? Will you come too, Myaro?” (Yuri)

In these diplomatic matters, having Myaro by my side would be reassuring.

“Sorry, but I’m swamped right now… If I had about 20 more trustworthy subordinates who could speak Telor language, I’d have some time…” (Myaro)

Myaro’s eyes showed signs of exhaustion as she spoke. There was a mountain of documents piled up on his ebony desk.

“…Sorry, I’ve been working you too hard.” (Yuri)

I was fully aware that Myaro was overworked, but telling her to take a break casually felt irresponsible. Myaro was at the core of the administration, and no one else could take over her duties. If she took a break, it would create a gap in the work, and that was something we couldn’t afford. It was my decision to put her in such an irreplaceable position.

“No, it’s fine… I’m doing what I love, after all. It’s just… the success rate of the exam the other day was lower than expected, and I might be a little discouraged.” (Myaro)

She was probably referring to the qualification exam that we started to ensure the competency of administrative officials. Myaro had set the difficulty level with the belief that anyone could pass if they studied hard for about a year, but when the results came in, the pass rate was only 7%, and we could only recruit half the number of candidates we had anticipated.

“You’re feeling down, huh? How about we go do something to cheer you up?” (Yuri)

“Cheer me up…?” (Myaro)

I checked the time.

“It’s a bit early for dinner, but at this time, leaving work early shouldn’t be an issue. I was just planning to finish up some work, but I can push it to tomorrow.” (Yuri)

By this time, Myaro probably didn’t have any important meetings left. She’d most likely just spend the rest of the day working through the pile of documents on her desk.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m swamped with work right now…” (Myaro)

“…Normally, work hours should end in about two hours, right? Going home to rest is the norm. You’re so used to overtime every day that your sense of what’s normal has become distorted.” (Yuri)

“Well… but still…” (Myaro)

Myaro seemed reluctant.

“This is final. Come on, let’s go.” (Yuri)

Sometimes, it was better to drag her out by force.

“But… if both you and I leave, what if something urgent happens?” (Myaro)

“Then, we’ll bring a few of the Queen Swords as messengers. They can contact us if there’s an emergency. How’s that?” (Yuri)

“Well… if that’s the case…” (Myaro)

“Then it’s settled. Let’s go. First, we’ll stop by my room so I can change.” (Yuri)

I grabbed Myaro’s hand as he stood up, and we walked out together.

—

Wearing a casual men’s jacket over his regular clothes, along with a hat and a pair of fake glasses, Myaro surprisingly pulled off the disguise. We entered a casual restaurant, shared some pizza-like dish, and had a drink with our meal. The alcohol seemed to relax Myaro a bit. Afterward, we moved to a private room in a second restaurant.

It was 9 p.m.

“You know. I always feel sorry for the girls from the White Birch Dormitory.” (Myaro)

Myaro didn’t seem to blush from drinking, but her neck had gone limp, ands he was swaying slightly. He was completely tipsy.

“Yeah, I get it.” (Yuri)

“Yuri-kun thinks so too, right? They didn’t do anything wrong, just because of their family business… and now they’re jobless! Jobless! These girls were supposed to be part of the intellectual elite running the central administration of this country, and yet they’ve been pushed to the brink of having to sell their bodies! This isn’t right!! Don’t you think so!?” (Myaro)

“Absolutely.” (Yuri)

So, this is what happens when Myaro drinks after a hard day’s work. She’s hilarious.

“That’s why we set up the qualifications, right? Sure, maybe it was a bit tough, but hey, if you want to change your life, you’ve got to work hard! They had a whole year from the announcement! What were those girls doing!?” (Myaro)

Myaro was on the verge of tears as he lightly pounded his fist on the table.

“Yuri-kun thinks so too, right!?” (Myaro)

“Yeah, totally.” (Yuri)

“—And yet, more commoners passed the exam!! What is that!?” (Myaro)

The high level of energy from the civilians was a good thing, and I was welcoming it like, “Oh, even the commoners are working hard”. But from Myaro’s point of view, the incompetence of the former Witches seemed unbearably pathetic.

“It’s quite different from what we learned in the curriculum at the academy. It can’t be helped, right?” (Yuri)

The exam covered basic knowledge as an administrative officer, world history from the other side, knowledge of Kuran culture, and the Telor language. Other than the basic knowledge, none of it overlapped with what we learned at the academy. The fact that we had a chance to study Telor language diligently was a big advantage, but it was an elective, so not everyone took it.

To begin with, there were almost twice as many applicants from the general public.

“Of course! Ancient Shan language is useless for any job, so it’s strange to include it as a test subject!” (Myaro)

“Yeah, yeah.” (Yuri)

“But studying is studying, right? Witches pride themselves on being smart, don’t they? I’m not asking for a subject that requires talents like mathematics. It’s more like general education, right? Why can’t they do it? Why do you think that is?” (Myaro)

Oh no, she’s asking me.

“Maybe it was tough because it was the first time without exam preparation? They’re good at cramming, so next year should be a bit better.” (Yuri)

“… Yuri-kun, are you really drinking?” (Myaro)

Myaro seemed to doubt whether I was really drunk because I responded too calmly.

“I am drinking. I’m just the type that doesn’t show it when I’m drunk. You know that, right?” (Yuri)

If I were to get drunk, who would make decisions if an emergency call came in?

“Okay, if you say so… So, what were we talking about again?” (Myaro)

“We were talking about the administrative officer exam.” (Yuri)

“Oh, right. There’s just so much to think about… If we leave the dissatisfied ones alone, they could become rebels… Even the former knights are having a hard time, and I understand their complaints when I listen to them… But still, being able to read and write from attending school already puts them ahead of the commoners. So why can’t they be satisfied with an ordinary life?” (Myaro)

“… Well, that’s a tough one.” (Yuri)

When people lower their standard of living, a sense of misery tends to cling to them. On top of that, losing their position of ruling over others and being treated the same as those they ruled over yesterday, some people’s pride won’t allow it. Some might be able to use that sense of humiliation as motivation to succeed, but such cases aren’t that common.

“I’m getting so fed up with it. Everyone just complains… There are so many problems, and if I leave them to others, they only get worse… Will I spend the rest of my life working from morning till night, only to go home and sleep?” (Myaro)

“Are you not enjoying your work?” (Yuri)

The life of making decisions as the nation’s chancellor should have been the job Myaro had always wanted. Well, it’s not uncommon for people to realize it’s different from what they imagined once they actually try it, or to get fed up after doing it for years.

“I find it rewarding… but I feel lonely when I get home. The only person I can really open up to is Irene…” (Myaro)

Irene is a woman who serves as the steward for the Gudanvier family. She’s distantly related to Myaro and was raised to be her attendant since childhood.

“What should I do…” (Myaro)

Maybe it was the alcohol, but Myaro looked vulnerable, showing a side of herself that was unthinkable from the composed chancellor she was in the office.

“Are you feeling lonely? Then… why don’t you get a…” (Yuri)

Getting a dog wouldn’t be too harsh, right?

“A what?” (Myaro)

“Uh… I don’t know.” (Yuri)

I couldn’t think of a way to fill her loneliness. That’s why so many people struggle with it.

“Should I pat your head?” (Yuri)

What am I even saying?

“Please do.” (Myaro)

As she said that, Myaro stood up and came to this side of the table. She sat down on the long bench, big enough for three people, a little distance from me, but for some reason, she leaned towards me. Her small, clever head rested on my lap.

“Fumyuu…” (Myaro)

Even though Myaro was acting so strangely, she seemed to relax on my lap like she had come to a familiar massage parlor.

Alcohol is a powerful thing.

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you patting me?” (Myaro)

Even though she told me to pat her, I had imagined patting someone standing up, like I do with Shulika. I’ve never patted someone’s head while it’s on my lap.

“I’m doing it now.” (Yuri)

I patted Myaro’s fluffy head with my left hand. It wasn’t that difficult given the position.

“This feels good. Keep going.” (Myaro)

She asked for more. Apparently, this was just right. Since my right hand was feeling idle, I started to stroke her cheek. It felt familiar, like when I pet a cat.

“Fumyuuui…” (Myaro)

She made a mysterious sound.

Does it feel good…? If we were both sober, this wouldn’t be fun. We’d be too nervous. Alcohol really is something.

While I kept stroking her…

“…Mmm…” (Myaro)

Myaro started frowning as if she were uncomfortable.

Did I do something wrong? Did I touch a “don’t touch” zone?

While trying to figure out the right way to stroke her, Myaro sat up and moved her head off my lap.

“Was I bad at it?” (Yuri)

“No… It just made me feel miserable.” (Myaro)

Miserable?

“To be comforted like this by a man who belongs to another woman… it’s just too miserable.” (Myaro)

“…” (Yuri)

I had no words to respond.

“My buzz is gone. I’m leaving. I’ll have the royal knights escort me… Thank you for the meal.” (Myaro)

Without waiting for a reply, Myaro left the private room.

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