Chapter 194

RMSBS – Episode 194 . The Beginning of a Plan (3)

It was evening . Street lights turned on and smoke was billowing out of the chimneys .

Dusk was falling and it was the time people would gradually head back home .

Desir was also hurrying his steps back to the academy dormitory . He wasn’t alone, however, someone was casually following him .

“… … ”

It wasn’t a stalker . For a stalker, the person was far too confident, brazen even, This individual clearly wanted their presence to be noticed .

The person who was walking behind Desir had a smaller build than him . Their face couldn’t be seen due to their hood .

‘How did I not notice them sooner?’

Desir was always on alert, monitoring his surroundings for anything suspicious . Though such a habit would make anyone else seem paranoid, Desir’s alertness was a result of necessity; anyone forced to live in the Shadow Labyrinth for ten years would be the same .

Even still, Desir had been caught with his pants down . Somehow, some way, someone was walking right next to him and he didn’t notice .

Furthermore, they were exuding an overwhelmingly potent aura . His instincts told him that this person was strong, even stronger than Hersaint-Blanc .

Nervous to his core, Desir held his composure and maintained his pace .

“Privately meeting a journalist in a rural area like this, aren’t you acting a bit too suspicious for someone praised as a hero?”

*Thump*

Desir stopped walking, not because the voice was that of a female, nor because his meeting with Aylus News was exposed .

He had recognised the voice . He had definitely heard it a lot in the Shadow Labyrinth, but he couldn’t quite place it…

‘The stature of a smaller female, Southern accent, someone from the Empire, and this intense aura… … ’

“No need to worry . I’m not interested in others’ private lives . ”

As if to dance, she did a full spin and blocked Desir’s path .

The hood uncovered and her face was shown . She was good looking and had distinct facial features .

Desir got undeniable confirmation that his guess was correct . But he couldn’t show that, not in front of her .

“Is there anything I can help you with? You seem to know a lot about me, but I can’t say the same about you . ”

“You’ll know soon enough . ”

She didn’t reveal who she was, but Desir already knew about her in detail . He recalled her identity as he kept his smirk to himself .

‘Swan Katerina, Queen Class Archer . ’

Swan was criticized for her rash behaviors, but she was amazing in the sense that she could cover up all of her shortcomings with her level of skill .

‘And one of the Royal Guards . ’

The direct bodyguards for the Hebrion Emperor, the Royal Guards .

Despite only having four members, they were regarded as the most elite force within the Hebrion Empire .

‘Why would a Royal Guard look for me?’

As though she could read Desir’s mind, the answer was quickly given .

“Hm… … I thought you’d be a potato since you were hiding your face and all . I guess I was wrong?”

“I doubt you came just to see my face, so what’s the deal here?”

Swan shrugged .

“Too bad . I did come all the way just to see your face . ”

Desir was lost for words .

It probably wasn’t a lie . She had a fairly impulsive personality .

Thanks to her personality, the captain of the Royal Guards often struggled to clean up after her . She was probably here to merely satisfy her curiosity .

“We’ll meet again soon . ”

*Whoosh*

Swan backed off with a smile, and soon blended in with the darkness of the night street .

* * *

Romantica was slouching on the couch in the party office .

And it wasn’t just to escape the suffocating heat, albeit that was a good reason .

Romantica had long grown bored of the book she was reading, and had been swinging it around her fingers . Desperate for a distraction, she voiced her thoughts, breaking the silence .

“The weather is already exhausting enough . The test is just adding fuel to the fire . ”

Realizing she wasn’t going to get the break she craved, she turned back towards her studies and began casting a spell . Suddenly, a stream of wind blew into the office .

The stream of wind maintained its strength without affecting the documents Desir was studying, nor the book Romantica was reading .

Achieving an impressive level of control and maintaining the strength of the spell wasn’t an easy task, but Romantica managed it all while resuming her book .

The sight brought a smile to his lips .

‘She really has improved . ’

Desir yawned as he skimmed the interior of the party office . There were only two of them in the office . The academy’s Promotion Battle had been postponed as a result of the war, but now that normal life had resumed everyone was out training in preparation .

Since the academy had been forced to close, the Promotion Battle was serving not only as their midterm exam, but also their final .

It was already a crucial exam to begin with, but the circumstances made the exam exceptionally important .

Desir’s mind drifted to the rest of the Starling Party’s members .

Despite all the pressure, the party members managed to maintain their confidence . .

It wasn’t overconfidence either; they had all undergone significant growth as a result of Desir’s training regimine . They were able to firmly hold their ground against both the Blue Moon Party and the Red Dragon Party .

After surviving Desir’s spartan training, there was nothing left in the world capable of scaring them .

Romantica suddenly let out a sigh .

“Hah, I wish I could go back to when I was a first year . ”

Her complaint was reasonable . Unlike the first years, second and third years didn’t have all their exams replaced by the Promotion Battle and had to take multiple written exams at the same time .

In the end, there was no way, other than diligently studying, to avoid failing . No exceptions, even for Single Rankers .

Nevertheless, the reason why Romantica was stuck studying in the party office was because the others had been diligently practicing all along and thus didn’t need any additional cramming .

“So, Pram’s practically living in the training area trying to reach Bishop Class, and Adjest is working on controlling the Center of Ice, huh?”

Desir put his pen down and yawned .

“I guess that’s it for today’s work . ”

Desir collapsed right into the couch that was opposite from the one Romantica was sitting on .

A cool breeze gently greeted his face .

Romantica broke the silence while maintaining focus on the book .

“Wanna go shopping together, if you got time?”

Desir gave it some thought and accepted her offer .

“Sure, why not . I have some equipment I’ve been meaning to pick up . ”

Just as Desir got up from the seat, his communication bracelet began to buzz . It was Professor Hersaint-Blanc calling .

[-Desir, are you busy right now?]

As Desir gave Romantica a glance, she let out a disappointed sigh and shrugged .

“No, I just got some free time . ”

[-Great . I have something urgent to tell you, so please come to my office . ]

*Beep*

The call was over .

“Sorry . Let’s go shopping sometime later . ”

Romantica shrugged .

“Oh well, it can’t be helped . ”

She acted as if she was fine, but her disappointment was apparent .

“We’ll definitely go next time . ”

“When? A year from now?”

Desir smiled at Romantica’s teasing . .

“This week . ”

“That’s a promise, right?”

Leaving a delighted Romantica behind, Desir headed to Professor Hersaint-Blanc’s office .

* * *

“You will meet the Emperor . ”

It was a rather matter-of-fact statement from Hersaint-Blanc, given that Desir had barely stepped through the door .

Hersaint-Blanc was a close advisor to the Emperor, even though one may not expect it . They had kept this relationship on the down-low while in public .

Ever since Desir had begun working for the Emperor, he had taken up the role of liaison between the two . .

“Unlike the private meeting last time during the masquerade ball, this time it’s an official summons . ”

Until now, conversation between the Emperor and Desir had been a national secret . It was crucial to the Emperor that their relationship be kept secret from the nobles who still pushed for the divide between commoner and noble .

But the circumstances had changed .

It was true that until now, it was better to keep Desir hidden . But thanks to Desir making an international name for himself, the Emperor had decided it would be best if they revealed that the Empire was working with Desir .

Desir, upon hearing this, quickly came to this conclusion .

“So he wants to take advantage of my reputation . ”

For anyone else, that could’ve been considered offensive, but Hersaint-Blanc had long learned to simply accept it .

“Probably, yes, since you’re an important figure in the country now . ”

Desir got lost in his thoughts .

‘At this rate, the public will believe I’m on the Emperor’s side . ’

If that happened, Desir would lose all sway with any nobles who held disdain for the Emperor .

But that was a sacrifice Desir was more than willing to make . Most of those nobles were also the ones who despised commoners, and many of them would consider Desir to be a threat . Chalking up changing their minds to be a lost cause, Desir had no reason to reject the Emperor’s offer .

Desir bowed and said .

“I’ll get ready as quickly as I can . ”

But a question came to his mind .

If the Emperor wanted to publicly establish their relationship, why would he choose a private meeting? If that was his goal, why wouldn’t he host a public event?

Suddenly, yesterday’s event came to Desir’s mind .

‘Swan Katerina…’

The Royal Guard was an organization that belonged to the royal family, not the Empire . They were the Emperor’s sword that swung for him alone .

Desir had a suspicion that his encounter with Swan might be related to this private meeting with the Emperor .

—-

Chapter brought to you by The Patrons .

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ED: Purplemen101

TLC: N/A

QC: Nhan