Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 220

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Don’t speak if you’ve never walked in my shoes.”
How prickly of her.
Though Sunbird still harbored suspicions about Cecilia, he was no longer drowning in despair as he had been moments before. With newfound emotional breathing room, the man mentioned he should go comfort Sera before departing my side, though he hesitated briefly.
“If Sera truly becomes safe, then I’ll tell you everything.”
Oh, so now I can receive the returnee buff. Since I’m also living on borrowed time, it would be helpful to have someone with regression experience assist me.
I told him to come confess whenever he wished and glanced toward the chairman’s seat. As expected, Duke Zibenstein wore an expression of profound boredom, his lips pouting with obvious displeasure.
That man will cause trouble again at this rate. The Department Head Professor is worried, so he should stop acting out. Getting imprisoned is self-inflicted, but the Department Head Professor will have to endure tedium in the meantime. My friend just got out of prison and seems thrilled with his new life lately—it would be cruel to give and take away.
Ilyong, who detests work, had even agreed to accept the Dragon King’s position rather than be separated from Bruno. That’s how precious the bond is. I couldn’t simply stand idle watching my subordinate’s cherished friend walk toward a minefield.
“Wasn’t this a plan that required looking far ahead from the beginning?”
“True, but I never expected it to end this anticlimactically.”
Did one of the two factions want to be crushed? But even if crushed, the nobility would simply find another replacement figurehead and set them fighting again. That’s how Seian was sacrificed in the original story. From my perspective, raised in a bureaucratic state, the very creation of an institution to check the Emperor seemed like tremendous progress.
“The Oversight Bureau was created to check the Emperor. Once an institution to check the Oversight Bureau emerges, the nation will gradually transform.”
“That does sound promising.”
It’s more than just promising—this is the framework laid by Jeong Do-jeon, a legendary administrative genius and statesman our nation produced. Based on this foundation, we endured over five hundred years, surviving even when our rulers committed the most idiotic blunders.
Mutual checks are supreme. Once bureaucracy is established, the nation functions whether kings or nobility exist or not. Bruno might not welcome it, given his wariness of elitism and concentrated capital, but…
It’s rather ironic that he himself stands at the center of elite circles and massive wealth while cautioning against them.
“If you hate the Empire so much, why not just secede and live independently?”
“Ugh, it’s a majority vote in our house.”
There had been several opportunities until now, but since all seven houses had to unanimously approve, every attempt was rejected. I sympathized with his complaint about how inconvenient direct democracy could be, then reminded him once more not to cause unnecessary trouble and worry the Department Head Professor.
“If you get imprisoned again, Ilyong will cry. The new Emperor Cecilia won’t go easy on you, so behave yourself.”
“Ugh, what did I even do to deserve this!”
As Bruno and I left the conference hall, I looked around, confirmed no one was nearby, and spoke quietly.
“By process of elimination, only you remain.”
“Ugh, what are you talking about?”
“The person who killed the Emperor. And stop making that sound now that you’re old—I could have you killed.”
Sera isn’t the type to do such a thing, and there’s insufficient justification for Sunbird. The blade that assassinated the Emperor was found in Cecilia’s palace, so Cecilia isn’t the culprit either. It’s hard to claim Cecilia orchestrated the commotion deliberately when the new Emperor isn’t someone who lives purely for entertainment.
The information that Sunbird found Zibenstein, and the fact that Bruno benefits most when the two princesses clash—it all points to Bruno Siebenstein as the prime suspect.
But with no evidence and no one bold enough to attack the representative of the Empire’s most authoritative house, everyone keeps their mouths shut.
“It wasn’t me.”
“Whether it was or wasn’t doesn’t concern me, but if you ask the Department Head Professor, he’ll tell you everything.”
“Tch, why is my adopted daughter so perceptive about useless things?”
“I’m not your adopted daughter.”
It’s been a while since I said that. But it doesn’t feel particularly welcome. I emphasized to Bruno once more to live quietly and summoned my ice wings. When the middle-aged man asked where I was going, I answered that it was exam season so I was heading to study, and his expression became one of profound shock.
In this regard, we’re definitely alike. When I told the Department Head Professor before that I couldn’t visit the Mana Lab during exam season, he made that same expression.
On my way, I stopped at a cafe, bought coffee in bulk, and prepared for the exam. It had been a midterm exam with many incidents and insufficient preparation.
I took a truly shameful exam. I simply cannot understand what it means to live as an Academy student.
I submitted my macroeconomics exam—an elective I took simply by following Seian’s course registration—as the top scorer, then left the lecture hall and slumped onto a bench, my heart hollow.
For reference, Kanna came in second and bombed the exam just like me, while Reina came in third and apparently finished writing all her answers.
I despise Reina.

◇ ◆ ◇

After the midterm ended, I set a date with Seian as promised. He insisted it wasn’t a date, but I was equally determined to call it one, so a date it was.
Since we were going out anyway, I thought it would be nice to venture somewhere distant and get some fresh air, so I scouted locations. The Countess’s Daughter mentioned she’d be visiting her hometown for a while and invited me to come play if I was interested, so I accepted.
I rifled through the pamphlets she’d left behind and discovered the place wasn’t just farming—they ran a tourism business too. Since strawberries were in season, I marked down a few spots where they offered strawberry farm experience events.
“Hey! Over here!”
At the Fountain Plaza on the General Studies Campus, a strikingly handsome dark-furred ferret in a semi-formal suit stood waiting, looking impeccably put-together.
He’d clearly taken great care with his appearance—his shoes gleamed with polish, and he wore an elegant watch that complemented his outfit perfectly. The sapphire face of the watch matched beautifully with his subtle navy-blue clothing.
“Seian! You look absolutely stunning today!”
“What’s with that getup when you’re supposed to be going out with me!”
What was wrong with me?
As I scratched my head in confusion, he proceeded to criticize me from head to toe with sharp precision.
“Why are you still wearing those tacky twin braids! And glasses—you can’t even study in those! What are those shoes! You have money now! Most importantly!”
He reached to remove my academy jacket, clearly most offended by this detail.
“Why are you wearing your uniform on a date!”
“Academy Magic Department students are required to wear uniforms for off-campus outings during the semester. It’s school policy.”
“Damn mages!”
Casual clothes I could see anytime, but uniforms were limited-time only—wasn’t that better? As I made my case for the merits of the uniform, Seian called me a pervert and shouted loudly, then suddenly fell silent.
“Wait, so you’re saying… you prefer the uniform?”
“I can dress you in both, so why should I choose?”
Uniform Seian had his own charm, and casual Seian had his own appeal. I liked them both. I was going to dress him in whatever I wanted.
At my confident declaration, Seian bit his lip and narrowed his eyes.
“You’re a pervert…”
“Why does saying I like both lead to being called a pervert?”
“I don’t know, you’re just a pervert!”
Seian’s heart was as fickle as a reed today. After thoroughly insulting me as a pervert, he puffed up and asked where I intended to take him.
When I mentioned that the Countess’s Daughter had welcomed visitors, Seian—suddenly perceptive in this regard—took a step back.
“Hey, you’re not planning to do that whoosh thing again, are you?”
Spot on, my friend. I’ll transport you safely.
I scooped Seian up and activated my ice motor with a whoosh. His screams echoed the entire journey.

“Ugh, blegh.”
Upon arriving at Count Mecala’s territory, Seian Crowell bent over a tree stump and retched while I surveyed the surroundings. He seemed to have motion sickness, and when nothing came up, I joked that he must be pregnant—which earned me a thorough beating.
“Your Highness Seian! Lady Evan Mitchell! Welcome to Mecala!”
Before I’d even summoned my ice wings, a loud mechanical roar erupted, and Seian flinched as though seized by a sudden spasm.
The source of the vibration and noise wasn’t me, but the Countess’s Daughter. It seemed the Machine King had produced tractors in such abundance that they’d flooded the market—and this woman had procured one, now driving it toward us like royalty.
Beneath her straw hat, her face glowed with vitality in the sunlight. In the banquet hall, she’d always fidgeted nervously beside Seian, but now, standing in her element, she radiated extraordinary confidence.
“I’ve already notified all the neighboring farms! Please enjoy your time here!”
The woman who’d shouted her loyalty three times over wrenched the tractor’s wheel, producing another loud roar as she sped away. The city-bred Seian, apparently terrified by the endless horizon stretching before him, clutched at my sleeve and hunched his shoulders.
“Hey, hey. What exactly are you planning to do out here?”
“You can look forward to it. I’ll treat you to something extraordinary.”
When I’d harvested oysters for Gerth before, he’d been equally impressed. If I used my skills to pick strawberries, they’d be absolutely exquisite. I spoke with confidence as I headed toward the Strawberry Farm, but Seian took a single step before stopping entirely.
His expression looked terrible, and I soon noticed why—mud had splattered across the polished shoes he’d so carefully shined for today.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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