As the hot, humid wind began to blow.

The atmosphere at the Imperial Magic Academy had gradually turned festive.

That’s because the last week of the first semester was coming to an end, and the vacation was just around the corner.

"Finally, the first semester is over...!"

With the final class on Friday ending, Yuria stretched her tired body and let out a triumphant cheer.

Although the classes themselves were certainly interesting, the desire to learn more led her to take as many as possible. Before long, there was no time left in her schedule, except for weekends.

Even the evenings on weekdays and weekends were mostly spent working at Vermont Security, leaving little time to relax.

In fact, the free time she had left amounted to less than 10 hours a month.

While it was enjoyable at the time, now that she looked back, it had been a brutal schedule.

So, would she take fewer classes next semester?

'No, I want to make the most of my time...!'

That was definitely not the case.

She had gained so much from studying. Studying the theory of physical enhancement magic had helped her training even more than focusing solely on physical training.

By getting stronger, raising her stats, and building experience, she aimed to rise in status.

That way, she could steadily work toward becoming Aslan Vermont’s wife... huh?

'Ah... Is this really the right thing?'

Suddenly, the image of the "dark man" popped into her mind, and Yuria bit her lip.

She liked the dark man.

The only person she truly liked was the dark man.

Could it be okay to marry someone like Aslan Vermont?

It was a marriage without any feelings, and she planned to divorce as soon as it happened, but…

Would the dark man accept her, now that she had already been someone else's wife?

As she thought about it, her plan to become the Countess and stop Charlotte and Yuria’s marriage began to feel less and less appealing.

Did she really have to do it?

Was there another way?

Was she too focused on one thing and unable to think of other ideas?

Once she became the Countess, it would be impossible to undo it, but now, it was still reversible.

If she gave up completely, she wouldn’t have to marry Aslan.

Yuria clenched her fist.

She decided to find another way to get Charlotte and Yuria back.

"Hey, Yuria? There’s a letter for you at the dorm..."

"Oh, really? Hehe! Thanks!"

At that moment, a student handed Yuria an envelope.

Yuria immediately stood up and grabbed the letter eagerly.

The other students, watching her, squinted their eyes.

‘So, something’s going on with Count Vermont...’

As soon as she received the letter, a bright smile spread across Yuria’s face, and she beamed with joy.

The sender was obvious without even looking.

It must have been Count Vermont, who spent most of her limited free time with her during her short breaks.

Though at first, Yuria thought she was just talking business with Count Vermont, it was becoming increasingly clear that their meetings were more personal. The frequency of their meetings and the variety of places they met at suggested it wasn’t all about business discussions.

"Whoa! Our Yuria is seeing someone!"

"Hey! This guy’s coughing up blood again!"

"Hold it together, man! What are we going to do when Yuria sends out the wedding invitations?!"

"What?! WHAT?!"

Yuria meeting a man? The idol of the Imperial Magic Academy?

And, of all people, with Count Vermont, who was rumored to look at the students with lecherous eyes?

As soon as this thought crossed their minds, the students let out cries of disbelief.

"Are we just going to stand by and watch? Are we really going to let Yuria get taken by Count Vermont?!"

"So what can we do? He’s a man of such power, almost like a duke..."

"We don’t have to directly oppose Count Vermont to protect Yuria. I have a plan."

"What’s that?"

Wiping the blood from his lips, the student chuckled and, after waiting for a moment as the others gathered around, whispered in a small voice.

"Chosen by the gods. You know a saint can’t marry, right? So we make Yuria into a saint..."

"Shut up. Say something that makes sense."

"That kid’s already completely lost it. Let’s send him to a mental hospital."

"Not coughing up blood, but a brain hemorrhage, huh..."

I was foolish to take that seriously. The students quickly dispersed, laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

Could it really be impossible to protect the school idol from the Count, a man emitting a terrifying aura?

In the midst of my heavy, troubling thoughts, I couldn’t help but notice how beautiful the sunset looked.

"Hehe. A letter from the dark man...!"

Meanwhile, Yuria locked her dorm door and began humming happily as she opened the letter.

With a dull knife, she carefully sliced open the seal.

"Slowly... slowly... Ah!?"

But just then, she lost control of the knife, and the letter and seal were torn open.

She had wanted to keep everything intact.

Yuria quickly became upset, but at least the letter itself was unharmed.

Sniffling and wiping her tears, she opened the letter with a sense of excitement.

• I heard your vacation plans. But isn’t your schedule a bit too packed? I’m worried that you might be too busy and it will be tough on you...

 

Yuria read the letter with a bright smile, but as she reached the middle, her expression gradually stiffened.

"This fieldwork... you want me to skip it!?"

It was a completely unexpected instruction. Out of nowhere, she was being told to skip the Imperial Guard fieldwork? Until now, the dark man had never directly told her not to do something, so this was especially bewildering.

The dark man, who had always supported her no matter what she did...

Why?

She couldn’t find any reason for it in the letter. The only thing written was, "Don’t participate," with no explanation at all.

"You could at least tell me why..."

Yuria puffed up her cheeks.

She knew that, of course, there must be a reason for what the dark man said. She could guess that he left it out because it was difficult to explain.

But still.

She couldn’t help but feel upset that the dark man, who had always spoken to her warmly, was now being so sharp.

"This is so annoying."

When the dark man gave an order like this, how could she not follow it?

Of course, she would follow it...

But what bothered her was the fact that she had to obey without knowing why. She would have preferred if he at least said something like, "I can’t explain why right now, but I’ll tell you later. For now, I need you to follow my instructions."

"It feels like I’m being controlled..."

It had been six months since Yuria escaped from the orphanage, where she had been constantly watched and controlled every minute of every day. The dark man knew how much she hated her time there.

But now, he was trying to control her, and she felt a surge of resentment.

She couldn’t take it anymore. She decided to send a message of protest.

"To the dark man..."

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Yuria grabbed a pen. It was time to confront him.

"Hey, the dark man’s been sending a lot of letters recently, huh?"

"Yeah. Probably because it’s tax season or something."

"Aha...!"

Charlotte came running in, carrying a pile of envelopes, and spilled them all onto my desk.

I patted her head in thanks, and she leaned her head toward me, laughing happily.

What a thoughtful kid.

"Let’s see..."

As I flipped through the envelopes, I came across one from the Imperial Magic Academy. It seemed like they had been arriving almost daily lately.

It couldn’t be helped. Recently, Yuria and I had been in a sort of dispute...

"I guess I should’ve relented a bit."

No. No matter what, the Imperial Guard fieldwork was just not acceptable.

Some things just couldn’t be done, no matter the cost. Even though it hurt, there was no regret at all.

I steeled myself and opened the envelope, but this time, the letter wasn’t as full as usual. It was only three sentences.

• To the dark man.
• I understand. I’ll do as you say.
• I’ll follow your instructions without question.

 

As soon as I saw it, I let out a bitter laugh.

This girl... she must be really angry with me.

I sighed with a sense of bitterness when...

"Master, there’s a guest at the front gate."

"Ah, finally?"

"Yes. The one you called for..."

As Sylvia opened the door to deliver the news, I immediately put the letter in the drawer and stood up.

It was finally time.

Stepping outside with a swift but composed pace, I faced Yuria, who was holding her skirt slightly up, greeting me with a cold, angry gaze.

So why had Yuria come here?

It was simple.

"Yes. I heard from your sponsor. Welcome."