The sudden news halted all work. Postponed tasks could be dealt with later, but leaving a madman unchecked could lead to irreparable damage.

"He really said that?"

"Yes..."

"Are you sure you didn’t mishear him?"

"I wish I did."

I double-checked just in case, but my soon-to-be nephew-in-law kept repeating the same unwelcome answer.

I rubbed my temples unconsciously. It was more believable to think it was bound to happen instead of wondering how it happened.

He must be out of his mind.

It was a damned shame, but not entirely unexpected. He'd been through a lot since he turned 17. Objectively, it wasn’t that surprising that he'd lost it.

Didn't we discover his internal decay last vacation and manage to patch him up? I thought he'd regained his sanity then, but he was slowly losing it out of sight.

Why now of all times?

What a headache. It might be different if he were nearby, but he just had to break down while he was far away.

A malfunctioning magical device could be fixed by hitting it a few times. This was a temporary solution officially recommended by the Magic Tower.

So, if all else failed, roughing him up a bit might work. Magic and divine power couldn't cure insanity, but perhaps an exorcism infused with physical force might.

"Keep this quiet."

I made my decision after a brief deliberation.

Rumors would spread if the Minister of Finance suddenly called for the Executive Manager of the Prosecutors’ Office. Then, everyone would know he had gone mad.

But I couldn't go to the academy, either. I'd have to wait for him to return after the term ended.

"Are you sure that’s okay? There's more than ten days until the closing ceremony."

"What choice do we have? Maybe leaving him alone for a while is the best option."

My soon-to-be nephew-in-law nodded in agreement, but it was honestly wishful thinking.

Sure, he might recover if he was left alone. He had gone mad due to overwork and an unexpected confession, so he might regain his sanity in solitude if no one disturbed him.

The worst case was that he could deteriorate further over time. In that case, calling for him now might be the right call.

Should I leave it to fate?

I felt worried that leaving him alone would make things worse, but summoning him might push him over the edge.

Damned fool.

I sighed. A once-promising civil servant was now a wreck after just four years.

He used to say that it already felt like 40 years or even 400 years, but I never thought that he'd actually break down as if he'd lived that long.

"Leave now and don't tell anyone else about this."

"Yes, understood."

I sent my soon-to-be nephew-in-law away. Besides, there was no point in keeping him here when we had no solution.

I looked up at the ceiling as I watched him leave quickly.

If only someone could help.

Of course, I knew that it was too much to ask for. No one at the academy could truly fix that guy's madness. There might be people who could soothe him a bit, but that was it.

The duke’s daughter would probably handle him carefully, afraid she might worsen things. The Principal and Vice Principal might interact with him professionally, but there was no personal bond. And the students? They'd be lucky if they weren’t terrified of him.

Isn't there anyone suitable?

Someone who wouldn't be intimidated by the title of the Executive Manager, who had some personal connection with him, and one who could boldly give him honest advice if he started showing signs of insanity.

...No one comes to mind.

Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anyone who met all those criteria.

Let's give up on having him recover at the academy. At least he wasn’t the type to broadcast his madness everywhere.

***We had just finished the ultimate soccer underdog selection match. The results were in, and I was sitting in a corner of the arena, cooling off.

There was no need for this match in the first place. Among us, Lather was the least athletic. It was obvious to anyone, but he wouldn't admit it.

"You suck at soccer."

"Thanks for the compliment."

In the end, Lather, proudly showcasing his lack of skills, left a sarcastic praise to Rutis and went to retrieve the ball that had flown far away.

The rule was that whoever kicked the ball out of the arena had to fetch it. Because of this, Lather spent more than half the match away from the field, just like now.

"Do we need to keep going?"

"Let's push a little more."

I gave a short reply to Rutis, who was next to me.

Louise stuck unusually close to hyung today. She usually did, but today she was more insistent.

It was clear to anyone that she had something she wanted to say. So, I gave them some space. Besides, I was getting bored of card games and needed to find a new pastime.

I wasn't sure how long we should keep giving them space, but here we were.

"Is Lather still not back?"

While Rutis and I stared blankly into space, Ainter and Tannian, who had gone to fetch water, returned.

"Yeah. Seems like he kicked it pretty far."

"If only he put half of that strength of his into his accuracy."

Ainter casually made a sad remark with a smiling face. So this is what it meant to kill someone with a smile.

"Are we continuing?"

"That's the plan."

"Sounds good. It's been a while since I've worked up a sweat."

I turned to look at Tannian as Ainter handed over the water bottle with a light smile.

"I'm fine with it, too. We won't be able to do this once it starts snowing, so we should do it while we can."

With Tannian also on board, the decision was made. Now, we'd push forward by majority vote even if Lather wanted to quit this lousy game.

Although given Lather's personality, he wouldn't suggest quitting just because he was losing.

But he will have to admit he's the weakest.

There was a difference between stubbornly denying his weakness while playing and acknowledging his incompetence. Watching that change could be entertaining.

"And then he said, 'My two legs will forever follow the path the Lord guides.'"

"Oh."

Unfortunately for Lather, Tannian seemed to be thinking the same thing and used a holy spell.

The fatigue vanished instantly, and my body felt rejuvenated. It felt even better than before we started playing.

"A future saint using a holy spell on us? That's quite generous."

Rutis commented while flexing his fists, and Tannian responded with a gentle smile.

"That's what holy spells are for. I'm sure the Lord prefers it when it's used often."

It was a highly subjective judgment, but I let it slide. After all, a saint was considered the son of God according to doctrine. If the son said it was fine, then it was. Interfering in someone else's family matters wasn't right.

However, the game abruptly ended despite Tannian's thoughtful gesture.

This was because the ball Lather brought back was deflated for some reason.

"It got stuck in the founder's statue."

I wondered for a moment if Lather had intentionally punctured it.

***From that day on, we spent all our time outside playing various ball games—soccer, foot volleyball; anything involving a ball.

"It's getting pretty cold. Can't we just stay inside?"

Rutis showed reluctance towards the endless outdoor activities, but—

"Oh no. Are you shivering in this mild cold? You must have been slacking off in your training."

Lather, an ice magic user with a high tolerance for cold, taunted and reignited Rutis's determination.

Knights and mages really didn't get along well. They clashed at the slightest provocation.

They used to hold back.

They restrained themselves back when they were still trying to impress Louise, but they indulged in their rivalry now that they had nothing to lose. Well, at least they weren't resorting to fistfights—they were just having fun and arguing.

I watched as Lather performed a trick, heading the ball backwards instead of forwards, and decided to slip away.

“I need to use the restroom.”

No one paid any attention to me because Rutis had enveloped the ball in mana and started kicking it.

Crazy idiot.

He was wasting his abilities on such trivial things.

Feeling appalled by the misuse of their powers, I entered the building. It was a relief that the other knight students didn't see this. If they had, it would have only filled them with self-doubt.

"Ah, Erich."

I heard Louise's voice from behind just as I was about to head to the restroom.

What was this? The club room was upstairs, so we shouldn’t be running into each other here. Besides, Louise wouldn’t leave the room while hyung was there.

"Louise? What’s going on?"

"I need to talk to you. It’s great timing that you’re here."

Louise gave me a small smile, but her expression was oddly somber.

She quickly looked around and then approached me quietly. Her face was full of tension, which made me nervous too.

“Do you think you could talk to oppa for me?”

"...What?"

But I couldn't give a proper response to Louise's whispered request.

What kind of request was this?

***I headed to the club room where hyung would be alone because of something shocking Louise had said.

"Oppa... seems to be in a bit of pain. Just a little."

She tried to say it as gently as possible, but it essentially meant that hyung had lost his mind. For Louise, who saw him through rose-colored glasses, to say that meant that it was truly serious.

It seemed that Louise, Irina, and Lady Marghetta had tried to handle it up until now, but they unfortunately hadn’t had much success.

"But... why me?"

"Because... Wouldn’t oppa listen to a family member...?"

I honestly didn't think hyung would listen to me, but I couldn't just ignore Louise's desperate face.

Besides, I couldn’t just ignore it now that I knew that hyung had gone mad.

The family will be in an uproar.

It wasn’t just about my personal feelings; the family would be utterly devastated.

The news of hyung being imprisoned for five days had already caused chaos. What would happen if the heir to the title and territory went mad? Mother would surely faint. Even nanny might pass out.

As for the Patriarch... who knows? However, I was sure that even he would certainly be shaken if the family's prized son went insane.

Damn it.

Thinking about this suddenly made my shoulders feel heavy. This wasn't just a friend's request or hyung’s well-being at stake—it was the survival of the entire family.

But there was no room for hesitation. Who else would face him if I, his family, ran away and gave up?

I might run away halfway through if I opened it slowly, so I took a deep breath and quickly opened the club room’s door.

"Hyung."

"What, you're back already?"

"I'm just taking a break. Running around is tiring."

I took another deep breath. How should I start this conversation?

Should I probe him?

No, that was impossible. I wasn’t good at that kind of approach, and hyung was much more adept at it than I was.

Just wait for him to talk?

That was also not an option. Louise must have watched and waited until she grew tired before she considered asking for help.

Be direct with him?

...That might be the best. If things were really serious, then it’d be better to address it head-on rather than delay it.

"By the way, hyung. Louise seemed worried about you."

"Oh."

Hyung smiled awkwardly at my words.

Judging by his reaction, I was on the right track. It was indeed better to be direct than to beat around the bush.

"Did something happen?"

Hyung stroked his chin at my question. He seemed to be calculating whether he should tell me or not.

However, his hesitation was brief. After a few strokes of his chin, he nodded and began to speak with a serious expression, like a priest giving a sermon.

...And I realized why Louise had enlisted my help the longer he spoke.

"Hyung."

"Yeah?"

"Are you crazy?"

Surprisingly, hyung froze at my reaction.

What the hell? Why was he reacting like this?

Did he really expect a different response after saying all that?