Roman's Offer
"Hmm..."
I lifted my shirt slightly and examined my stomach. There was a scar about the size of a knuckle, but that was all. My internal organs had fully regenerated, and I felt no pain whatsoever. The only issue was that my body had no strength left, making it difficult to even sit up. That was it.
"May 10th."
Looking at the calendar, it seemed I'd slept through an entire day. Come to think of it, what happened with my classes?
"Ah..."
I remembered that the Elemental Magic class, which had been canceled, was scheduled for today. This was maddening. The current time was... 2 PM. Class started at 6 PM, so there was still plenty of time. I could rest a bit longer before getting up.
While I was asleep, the feat of dismantling a large-scale fire spell had been credited to me. I'd planned to keep it hidden forever... According to what I'd heard, Alexia had sensed something off and analyzed the mana traces, proving that the large-scale spell had been dismantled just before it could be cast. And the one who pointed to me as the culprit was Iris. She probably didn't know for certain and had done it to make things difficult for me. That was the correct answer, after all.
Alexia had presented irrefutable evidence, so that was one thing, but Iris's claim had no basis whatsoever. Still, since no one would suspect the Saintess of lying, no one had questioned it... In the end, I'd become the hero who stopped the terrorist attack. I was truly screwed. Maybe I'd even end up on the Intelligence Bureau's assassination target list. Emilia could kill me in my sleep if she wanted to. Should I fire her right now? No. Then who would handle the cooking, laundry, and cleaning? It's not easy to find a slave who'd do such grueling work for just 100,000 won a month.
Knock knock—
Just as I was clutching my head in thought, I heard a knock on the hospital room door. I'd already dealt with the reporters' barrage of questions earlier. Who could it be this time? I let out a deep sigh and spoke.
"Come in."
"Pardon the intrusion."
The person who opened the door and entered was unexpected. A black suit, tall stature, and an appearance so handsome it was hard to believe he was middle-aged. It was Roman, exactly as I'd imagined him when I wrote the story, standing there.
"Marshal Roman..."
"Shh. I came without my guards, so let's not spread the word too much."
Roman removed his hat and smiled. He was someone who hadn't left his unit in years. With so many people inside and outside the Empire targeting his life, he never went anywhere without guards. What wind could have possibly blown him here?
"What brings you here?"
"I don't like beating around the bush, so I'll be direct. First, let me express my gratitude. For saving the lives of thousands of civilians, including myself."
"Yes..."
"So, with that said... have you ever considered enlisting in the military?"
"Pardon?"
"Ah, of course, after graduating from the Imperial Academy. After completing just eight weeks of training, I'll commission you as an officer right away. I'd like to keep you under my direct command and see your talents bloom. What do you think?"
It was an incredibly sweet offer. If I were an ordinary commoner, that is. It was a chance to instantly rise to the status of an elite among elites, but it wasn't worth considering. Being tied to the military would mean I couldn't freely cross borders. Whether meeting Ma-in or collecting opportunities, my actions would be restricted.
"I'm sorry. I'll have to decline your offer."
"So you have no interest in becoming a soldier."
Roman looked flustered, his disappointment plain on his face. It was quite a rare sight, since he wasn't the type to show his emotions outwardly.
"Still, I must repay you. A life debt must be settled. You can call on me whenever you need."
"...?"
"It's my adjutant's contact information."
Roman held out a business card to me.
"No matter what it is, just once. I'll lend you my power. Don't hesitate to call."
Roman never lied. When he said "no matter what," he truly meant any request. Even if I asked him to kill someone or kidnap them, he'd gladly comply—as long as it didn't directly oppose the Empire's interests. It was like receiving a wish ticket. A wish from the man with the most influence in the Empire after the Emperor. I'd better save this and use it wisely later.
"Thank you."
"By the way..."
Knock knock—
Just then, another knock interrupted Roman. His expression changed instantly as he whipped his head around. He was gripping a knife from his inner pocket. Was it an attack? Just as I thought that...
Creak—
"Halt."
"Ah..."
Erika appeared as the door opened. So it was her. Whew. I'd been worried there'd be a knife fight in the hospital room.
"The daughter of the Lichtenburg family. My apologies. You may lower your guard."
"Marshal Roman..."
"Oh. So you know me."
"Of course. By the way, do you know my father?"
"I did. He was an excellent man."
Roman put the knife away, and the atmosphere had already turned warm. Come to think of it, I'd set it up that Roman and Erika's father were friends. Erika still only knew that her father had died in battle, but Roman knew the truth—that the Count had been sent to his death by the Empire's cold calculations. Afterward, Roman, disillusioned with the Empire's military leadership, had become the vanguard of military reform.
"Ah. I was being quite tactless. My apologies. I'll take my leave so you young people can talk."
"What?"
Roman chuckled, pulled his hat down, and left the room just like that. Erika still looked completely bewildered. It was only natural—opportunities to meet a war hero like Roman weren't common.
"Why are you here?"
"Well..."
When I broke the silence to ask, Erika began fidgeting. I'd thought she disliked me. I couldn't even guess why she'd come.
"I, I wanted to thank you."
"For what?"
"Actually, my mother was at the Magic Day event too. She wanted to thank you for saving her, so I came to say that."
Lady Lichtenburg had been there? I tried to recall if I'd written that, but nothing came to mind. Still, even if Lady Lichtenburg had been among the crowd, it wouldn't break plausibility, so it wasn't particularly unnatural.
"Is that all?"
"Huh?"
"I'm asking if your thanks are only in words."
My mischievous side suddenly kicked in. Seeing the usually rude Erika flustered was already satisfying enough. I was about to confess it was a joke and back off when...
"N-no. I'll grant you one request... anything. Since you're my mother's lifesaver."
An unexpected answer came back. A wish ticket... or rather, a favor ticket. Unlike Roman, Erika would refuse unreasonable requests for various reasons. Just how far would she go to fulfill a request? My mischievous side grew stronger.
"Then how about inviting me to your house sometime?"
"Huh? My house?!"
She'd obviously refuse this kind of request. The Lichtenburg family was an ancient noble house that extremely despised commoners. Even if Erika was fine with it, Lady Lichtenburg would surely hate it, so she'd refuse. ...Or so I'd thought.
"Alright. Would dinner work?"
"...?"
The answer was acceptance. This was truly unexpected.
"Why are you looking at me like that! You asked for it!"
Erika's cheeks flushed as she shouted. Had we been close enough for her to grant such a request? I carefully reflected on my connection with Erika. The first time we met, she'd run away after hearing my name. We'd encountered each other once more in the library. After that... uh... uh... hmm... 'What kind of relationship do we even have?' There were no other points of contact with Erika. We'd barely spoken a few times. We were just classmates who knew each other's faces. But would someone normally grant a request to be invited to their house?
"The date will be this weekend... is that okay?"
"It's fine."
Whatever. This was an opportunity to get closer to Erika, the future Elste-class mage. Even if it wasn't that, I could enjoy a delicious dinner. I wasn't stupid enough to kick away good fortune that rolled my way.
"But can I ask you something?"
"You may ask."
"With Iris..."
"Never mind. I'll stop."
Erika hesitated, then abruptly turned her head away. What had she been about to ask? Without giving me a chance to ask back, Erika quickly left the room.
"What the heck."
Was Erika always like this? I didn't remember setting her up as timid. What could have gone wrong?
*
I ate the food provided by the hospital. One bowl wasn't enough, so I had about three. After that, my strength had recovered enough that I could walk without issue. With Iris's recovery magic, there was no need to worry about aftereffects. I figured I could be discharged like this.
"Y-you're being discharged already?"
"Yes. I have class today."
"That's not possible. You still need a thorough examination—"
"I'll get it at the Imperial Academy Hospital after class. That should be fine, right?"
"Uh, well... Yes..."
The Imperial Academy Hospital was undeniably the best on the continent. So the doctor couldn't very well say their facilities were superior and insist I get examined here. Leaving the flustered doctor behind, I left the hospital. With still-wobbly legs, I made my way back to the Imperial Academy. For some reason, the stares coming from all directions felt piercing. I hadn't received kind looks to begin with, but now the attention seemed even more concentrated. Just as I was thinking I might develop panic disorder, I headed straight for the mansion.
"You've already been discharged, Schluss Heinkel!"
"Urgh."
Along with a hearty voice, a spike flew into my back. Rubbing my tingling back, I turned around to see Sergei standing there, laughing heartily as expected.
"Could you stop hitting me out of nowhere..."
"Hahaha, sorry! I heard all about your exploits! You fought bare-handed against armed assailants!"
The dismantling of the area-of-effect magic spell should have been more famous. It seemed Sergei was more interested in the brawl with Hurtlocker. He really lived up to being a fighter. Back in the day, he'd defeated seventeen opponents without using a single drop of mana, after all.
"Once the facts are confirmed, the academy plans to award you a medal."
"A medal, you say."
"Why? Don't like it?"
Receiving a medal wouldn't hurt, but it wouldn't do much good either. Maybe it would help a tiny bit with career advancement? That might be enough.
"No, I'll accept it. But what kind of medal is it?"
"You'll find out when you receive it! Hahaha! Well done, well done!"
"Ow."
After getting smacked on the back a couple more times by Sergei, I was finally released. Now I really needed to head straight to the mansion. My body still wasn't fully recovered, and I didn't want to get caught up in any more troublesome matters.
"Welcome back! I was so worried, Master Heinkel!"
Emilia came running out to greet me the moment I opened the door, tears welling in her eyes. Wow. Her acting was so good it was almost convincing. Even though she was probably disappointed I hadn't died.
"I'm sorry I couldn't visit you. I had to guard the mansion..."
"I understand."
"Are you feeling alright? I heard you were stabbed with a knife, but is it okay for you to be discharged already..."
"No problem at all. But—"
Putting aside Emilia's method acting, what was that?
"What are those two?"
"What do you mean? I'm a bit hurt by that."
"I'll just borrow this space for a moment!"
On the living room sofa sat Iris and Trie, facing each other. When had my mansion become a rest stop where people dropped by whenever they were bored? A sigh escaped me involuntarily.