Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 82

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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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“You’re clever, just as befits a Fox. In my assessment, you’ll succeed.”
“Really?”
“I heard you’ve even prepared Love and Peace media? As long as you don’t spend the whole time wailing about needing help, we should be fine.”
“…Seriously?”
The Department Head Professor nodded. I wasn’t sure why this man was also an authority on the Dragon King’s temperament, but since two authorities had already predicted success and the Machine King had given me a 49 percent success rate, I decided to trust them. At this point, I had no choice but to believe. Failure meant ruin. This was the only way.
“By the way, will you be alright?”
“With what?”
“A round trip to Brandenburg will take about a week.”
Was I definitely failing out? I’d already bombed the midterms, and even going over the weekend, eight days of absences were guaranteed. Eight absences meant exceeding three absences in every class, which meant I was destined for straight F’s.
I couldn’t fail out. Not the Homeless Settlement. I’d rather die than go there!
Blood stopped flowing to my fingertips and sweat trickled down my back—I felt like I wasn’t really living—when the Department Head Professor placed a hand on my shoulder and grinned wickedly.
“If you prevent even a temporary war, you become a national hero. The Academy Headmaster will recognize your attendance if he has any sense.”
Ah, so it’s like how you get attendance credit for reserve military training. When Eugene said he was going to war, the Academy Headmaster recognized his attendance too.
Then I absolutely had to succeed and return by any means necessary. I thanked the Department Head Professor for the practical advice, finished my volunteer work and construction site job, then headed to the Club Room when summoned by the Third Princess.
All preparations were complete. From now on, we were taking an unofficial break from classes.

◇ ◆ ◇

The Stage Team departed first, and we club members boarded the train’s exclusive mage car with our instruments. Apparently mages are unpredictable on trains, so they ride in a monitored car, and I was grateful beyond words that the Third Princess and Sunbird rode with us because they were anxious about leaving just Reina Letem and me alone. I certainly didn’t want to spend days on a train staring at that bastard’s face the whole way to the Northern Region.
“The Northern Region is so cold that it snows even in this season, I hear. I spoke with the Costume Team and had them prepare waterproof fur coats.”
Isn’t that just band attire? We’re exploring through snow this time, not rain?
Now that you mention cold, I remembered—when I was searching for materials to prevent the war, I once saw why Brandenburg didn’t abandon its territory and retreat. Apparently, beyond the frozen wasteland, there’s a volcanic region further up.
The Dragon King settling in the Volcanic Region… well, I can guess. Red Dragon means volcano. I couldn’t imagine anything else.
But Brandenburg’s purpose was relatively practical. With geothermal energy from the volcano, crops could grow, and they could achieve self-sufficiency without relying on imports from the south.
For the Imperial Court, it was a delicate position. They possessed the strongest military force in the Empire, yet imported food from the south, which included imperial relief supplies. If the war ended and crops grew in the Northern Region, Brandenburg’s power would become so enormous that nothing could be done about it.
In the original story, they manipulated the Northern Region using Eugene’s fiancée as a hostage for this very reason. The Nobility can only wield authority as far as the Imperial Court permits. If they possessed greater power and threatened the Imperial Court’s stronghold, the only option was to crush them quietly before they could even think of resisting.
On a different note, our Neftis has historically managed the water supply, so the Imperial Court must have pursued water projects with fierce determination. As a result, the power Neftis once held crumbled to the ground.
There’s a saying that even a ruined family can live off their legacy for three generations, and since we have that past glory, we can still exercise considerable wealth and political influence… but who knows what will happen in my generation. I might even lose the dukedom. Father’s courting mages and searching for children with magical talent awakening was a rational choice.
“Hmm…”
By that logic, leaving home and erasing the Neftis name is something I can’t justify to Father either. I’m the last lifeline for reviving the family. At least one of my siblings should have inherited something.
“Hey! Want to play Bluebird?”
Right. While I was contemplating something profound, these fools were discussing something trivial.
Reina poked me repeatedly to get my attention, then pulled out a gleaming Bluebird board game she’d brought from her house, claiming it was a special edition. It had magic stones inside—when you rolled the dice, the pieces moved automatically and buildings constructed themselves. It reminded me of Jumanji, and I felt inexplicably uneasy. I was already trapped in a book; I didn’t need to get pulled into some strange jungle again.
“Since I brought it, I go first!”
Fine, do whatever you want. You handle everything. I pushed a cart over to the attendant and bought lemonade and snacks, spreading them across the table. Seeing what I was doing, Princess Sera excitedly asked if this was the “act of buying various foods and eating different types together with friends” that she’d only heard about, and she eagerly copied me.
These people really don’t know a thing about common life. Later when they enter politics and try to perform riding the subway for their commute, they’ll get stuck at the ticket gate and collapse in tears.
“Yes! Neftis is mine!”
It’s not relevant right now, but I’m annoyed that Reina Letem bought land in Neftis and is building on it.
As I pondered what to do, I used guided ice crystallization minimally to weight the bottom of the dice, ensuring the result I wanted. After emptying my funds to step on Reina’s land, buying it back, and constructing buildings in quick succession, when I stepped on Neftis for the second time, a strange object appeared and a voice emanated from the board game.
– Landmark Construction! The Frozen Guardian Tree!
Ah, that’s the one I froze. It’s still frozen. Since I was the first to freeze it, perhaps Father kept it frozen as a memento.
“Hey, aren’t you cheating?”
“I did nothing.”
Instead of my inconspicuous technique, maybe you should be careful about that unnatural hot wind that blows every time you roll.
As I played innocent, Reina Letem insisted she was blameless and released heat. Then, throwing a tantrum, she hurled the dice, and another unnatural hot wind blasted forth, causing the turquoise dice to crack sharply in two.
“See? You’re the one cheating.”
“You froze it first! Did you think I wouldn’t notice?!”
“I know nothing of such matters. Cheater.”
“You bastard, get outside!”
Go outside and cool off alone on the train.
As I opened my mouth, Reina Letem grabbed my collar, and I grabbed her hair. We tore at each other’s heads while arguing about magic, our voices rising, until a railway official standing guard outside the cabin dragged us out and locked us in solitary confinement.
The official, explaining that this was the proper procedure for dealing with disruptive mages, kept us locked in solitary for the entire day. After leaving solitary, Reina Letem and I traveled peacefully to Brandenburg without quarreling.

Brandenburg was… white. Everything to the left was white, everything to the right was white. I’d only seen such scenery on television. That old commercial. The one about saving polar bears.
“From here on, we travel by dog sled!”
“Wow, a dog sled!”
Reina Letem is so energetic even in this cold—I envy her. I can endure it because I have cold resistance, but what about her? Does she have some heat generation skill?
We loaded the instruments firmly onto the sled and rode off. Before long, Bradenburg Castle came into view. But that’s not our destination today. We swept past the City Walls, heading north, and stopped at the Military Camp where war preparations were underway. We notified the person in charge that we would pass through as previously arranged, then departed swiftly.
They said if we waited a bit longer, we could meet Count of Bradenburg and Eugene Prince, but we weren’t in a position to exchange greetings with them anyway, so we said we’d just handle our business and go.
I was already troubled by attendance issues, and I didn’t want to be detained and extend my self-imposed absence by another day.
As we headed north, I felt the weather warming. Unlike before, when the cold was so intense my ears felt like they’d shatter, I removed my fur hat, and warmer air circulated around me. In the distance, I could see a stage similar to the one used at the festival.
Though the scale was smaller, the mana stone generator was far more massive, suggesting elaborate special effects were involved. This must all be thanks to Princess Sera crawling across every corner of the audience chamber floor.
“Your Highness! Everything is ready!”
Those people must be receiving hazard pay. They look like black dots from here, but they’re all Dragon Tribe Members. They certainly have guts.
“Good! Then let’s prepare ourselves!”
But none of them possess the audacity that Princess Sera has. Leading the band members toward the Dragon Tribe Members in front, she’ll have to sing from now on. An ordinary person would be so terrified they couldn’t even produce a stammering voice.
As I connected my guitar to the amplifier and produced a zinging sound, Sera and Reina Letem also checked their equipment, and a black dot in the distance came flying over with a whoosh.
Thinking it might attack, I gripped a bottle of salad oil in my pocket, ready to cast magic immediately. But as it drew closer, it looked like a dragon I recognized.
“Foolish human creatures.”
Those guys have such loud voices—they wouldn’t even need a microphone for a concert.
Looking at the Eastern Dragon trying to speak with such majesty and resonance, I asked Sera for the microphone, did an “aah” mic test, and addressed it.
“Hey.”
“…Hey? Surely you don’t address me thus?”
“Yeah, you. You’ve seen me before.”
“….”
The Eastern Dragon, despite being a dragon, had surprisingly flexible facial muscles. It lectured me extensively about how I was being disrespectful and how humans didn’t know their place. I shouldn’t have tried to be friendly by mentioning we’d met before. This is really annoying.
I wanted to ask how things had been going, but it seemed unwilling to converse. Let’s just practice. I handed the microphone back to Sera and grasped the guitar strings, when a rumbling sound came from behind the stage. Some Gruff Commander was approaching on a sled, leading siege weapons.
“Your Highness! Didn’t I tell you to wait at the Military Camp!”
Now I understood why no one had stopped the Third Princess from rushing toward the battlefield. She had simply ignored their pleas and charged ahead.
The Border Earl was likely leading his forces at a rapid pace, with Eugene following close behind, his face drained of all color.

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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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