Prayers for Longevity

The time had come to pray for the Crown Prince’s long life. This made it Season 24 of the prayer series.

Please live long and sickly.

I pressed my hands together and prayed with sincere devotion. Please, live a long life while catching plenty of minor ailments. A serious illness would keep him from working, so just the little ones would do.

A bad back the moment he sat in a chair. A stuffy nose from colds every autumn. I wasn’t asking for much—just that much would be perfect.

“…Your Highness. Then when should I return to the Imperial Capital?”

—The sooner the better, wouldn’t you say? I’ll send someone today, so come at once.

Remembering that final conversation made me clench my neatly folded hands even tighter.

You bastard.

My vow never to set foot in the Imperial Capital again had been thoroughly demolished. Worse, it looked like I was going to be dragged there without even a moment to catch my breath.

—Of course, I have no intention of interfering with the Audit Department Chief’s work. I’ll send for you once your schedule is completely finished, so don’t worry.

The way he said something so obvious, as if he were generously doing me a favor. For a second, the proletarian punch I had sealed away after the Ryutis incident howled to be unleashed.

If I could just hit him once, I felt like I could survive two years without submitting a resignation letter. Should I pretend to be drunk and try it just once?

“Damn him.”

I let out a sigh heavy with lament and bowed my head. Right now I needed fervent prayer more than idle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fantasies.

Please, live long and sickly. And if lower-back pain or colds were too much to ask, at least let him stub his toe on the corner of a desk.

Still, this felt unfair. I had donated a decent amount to Enen, hadn’t I? Wasn’t one little prayer worth answering?

Damn “local gods only” bastard.

So foreign faith ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and foreign donations weren’t wanted, was that it? Being a god who had already claimed religious victory must mean he had nothing left to need.

I was going to have to find a god who actually cared about outsiders.

When club time arrived, my breath caught in my throat. The anxiety of knowing I would be hauled off to the capital the moment this period ended wrapped itself around my chest like a noose.

“Oppa, here.”

“Thanks…”

And the awkwardness of sharing a room with the person who had confessed to me didn’t help either.

Luise beamed as she held out a cookie. Accepting it so readily felt awkward, but refusing would be even stranger, so I ended up taking it with trembling fingers. Even a minor rejection could be interpreted as a rejection of her feelings.

“I put a special ingredient in this time!”

I took a bite of the cookie and glanced sideways at Luise, only for our eyes to meet. The bright way she spoke the moment our gazes locked didn’t look much different from before the confession.

“Did you?”

“Curious what it is?”

I wasn’t particularly curious, but those eyes sparkling with anticipation made it impossible to say no. That look that was dying to tell me what she had put in.

I gave a small nod to the question whose answer was already decided, and Luise carefully leaned in to whisper by my ear.

“My love.”

Good heavens.

I almost looked away on pure instinct. The fact that I managed to stay put after hearing those words was a miracle of endurance.

Hold it together.

My hands trembled for an entirely different reason than before. If I showed even the slightest sign of dislike, she might burst into tears right there.

Luise had taken a few steps back; her face was still trying to smile, but it had flushed red. She was embarrassed herself. If I recoiled now, she would crumble for sure.

It was a shame that the words she had forced past her shyness were those ones, but…

Because it’s her first romance.

A faint sense of pity even rose in me. Because of childhood trauma, Luise had received a great deal of love yet had never been the one giving it. As a result, she simply didn’t know how to express her affection.

So it wasn’t strange that she would use such old-fashioned endearments.

Or was it?

Come to think of it, this continent was roughly medieval-European in flavor. Did that mean what felt antique by my standards was actually the latest fashion by continental ones?

Maybe Luise had studied the most up-to-date dating methods in her own way. A kid who tried hard but got weird results…

“That’s a precious ingredient. I’ll enjoy it.”

After some thought, I quietly spoke. As an adult, it was only right to protect a cheerful student’s pure heart.

“I’ll make them for you anytime, Oppa.”

“Thanks.”

When my reaction proved acceptable, Luise smiled even more brightly, as if relieved. Her flushed face showed no sign of returning to normal, yet she acted as if nothing were amiss.

That’s even scarier.

I took another bite of the cookie in my hand.

Even though she had confessed, and even though the person who heard the confession still hadn’t given an answer, Luise remained purely radiant. She applied no pressure and gave no pointed looks.

It was as if the confession had simply let her throw away the reins that had been holding her back; now she was casually tossing affection around like this. In a way, that was even more lethal. It felt like I was taking continuous chip damage.

Do I have to keep this up for a while?

To break this strange situation, I needed to give a clear answer—acceptance or rejection, either one.

But a hasty reply would be rude to Luise. She had confessed with all her heart, so I ought to answer with all of mine as well.

I mustn’t reject her simply because I was flustered. Likewise, I mustn’t accept her just because I didn’t want things to get awkward. I had to find the answer I truly wanted—the one that was honest with myself—and speak it.

…The problem was that ever since the Demon Duke, my mental recovery had been so difficult that I still couldn’t find that answer.

“I’m not asking for an answer right away. It took me a long time to confess, so I don’t expect Oppa to be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠any faster.”

Thankfully, Luise said she would wait. Of course, those words alone weren’t enough to let me relax.

Wasn’t Margareta already more than enough when it came to making someone wait in agony?

“O-Oppa?”

I reached out and gently rested my hand on Luise’s head, then stroked it softly.

“Thank you.”

“Y-Yeheh…”

The Luise who would once have simply smiled now melted away in embarrassment.

Waiting, my foot.

I really did need to get my feelings in order as quickly as possible—for my own sake as much as for Luise’s.

But when exactly was I supposed to take my hand away? I had managed to put it there, yet ending it felt awkward.

“Who cast an ice spell in the clubroom?”

Just as the atmosphere was starting to turn awkward, a grumbling voice came from beside us.

I looked over and saw Erich aggressively chewing a piece of pie.

“My side is freezing. Don’t just throw magic around when other people are here.”

“It wasn’t me.”

Later shook his head and answered Erich.

At the members’ banter, Luise hurriedly stepped back and cleared her throat.

“F-Fall’s almost over, so it’s getting a little chilly, isn’t it?”

She spoke with an awkward smile.

Still, compared to earlier, some of the embarrassment seemed to have faded from her face.

Nice cut.

Thanks to Erich stepping in at just the right moment, the atmosphere that had been turning awkward loosened up.

It was sad, really. How could a kid with instincts that sharp be so hopeless when it came to his own romance?

I’m in no position to talk.

Guilt welled up from deep in my chest. No matter how much I talked about instincts or whatever, from a third-party perspective I was the ultimate bastard who had stolen my little brother’s first love. I hadn’t intended it, but that was the result, wasn’t it?

I had no right to talk about throwing proletarian punches at the Crown Prince. I was in a position where I should humbly take a “levirate-marriage punch” from Erich if he threw one.

And yet he still supported Luise’s feelings and showed no hostility toward me. Beyond “I’m sorry,” there was nothing I could say.

I should set aside a day soon.

I needed to have a serious talk with Erich—whether to apologize myself or to hear whatever resentment he might be hiding.

That was the least I owed the good little brother who was helping his first love’s romance.

“Winter’s almost here, so it’ll get even colder.”

“R-Right?”

…Or had I not been helping at all, and just making a mess of things?

The words my senior had spoken refused to leave my head.

—I liked the Chief first~ I met him before those girls even did~

I simply could not forget them. It felt as though someone had taken out my brain and carefully carved the letters into it.

At first I had tried not to care. No matter what Senior said to tease me, I was the one who met the Chief first. Before the young lady, before the Demon Duke. Except for Lady Hecate, no one could beat me.

And that confidence had collapsed in an instant.

I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.

Cold sweat ran down the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠line of my jaw. My eyes burned; if I let my guard down even a little, tears would spill.

In the Audit Department you never knew when something might happen, so it was routine to catch a few winks whenever there was free time.

The problem was that I had fallen asleep right after hearing those horrible words from Senior.

“Division Chief One. I’m your superior, and you’re my subordinate.”

“Marriage? Me? With you?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I only deal with you because you’re a subordinate. I’ve never once looked at you as a woman.”

It had only been a moment—ten minutes at most.

Yet in that brief span the Chief had appeared in my dream. If it had simply been a dream about him, it would have been a pleasant nap, but instead I had heard words that tore my chest open.

“N-No!”

So I had bolted upright in genuine terror. How fortunate that no one else had been nearby.

After that desperate awakening I soothed myself. It was a dream. Just a stupid dream. The Chief had never said anything like that.

I forced my trembling hands to calm. I still hadn’t shown the Chief my feelings, and I still hadn’t been rejected. Dreams mean the opposite, right? This was actually a good omen.

It’s going to… work out…

This was all Senior’s fault. Spouting weird things and making people’s heads complicated.

I sighed and turned my gaze to the side. Before I knew it, the communication crystal was glowing.

Of all times…

I was in no state for conversation, but I forced myself to reach out. Ignoring work-related contact was unacceptable. And it might even be the Chief.

The face that appeared when I took the crystal was Senior’s. Neither work nor the Chief.

Should I hang up?

My brows furrowed of their own accord. Right now I really hated Senior.

Yeah, hang up. Honestly, Senior had gone too far this time.

“I did not cry!”

Right before hanging up, I reacted to Senior’s provocation.

The way Senior said it—like “whatever, then”—made my teeth grind.

I really was going to hang up. A senior who treated juniors like this deserved to be ignored.

But at those words, the hand that had been about to cut the connection froze.

“Today…?”

I swallowed without meaning to. Today the Chief was coming to the capital?

“Huh…?”

My head went blank at the sudden turn of events.

And then the communication was cut off one-sidedly.

…

“D-Deputy Chief!”

The moment my mind returned, I bolted for the Deputy Chief’s office.

Early leave. I needed to leave early right this second!