Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 86

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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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Due to my obsessive nature, I couldn’t bring myself to grab my own snout directly. What a pitiful, unfortunate person I am.
It seems I won’t be able to meet Seian today. The Crown Princess issued the order banning his club activities and demanding academic focus, so it appears he accompanied the relevant parties to settle things with negotiation documents in hand.
I wish Seian would clarify his position soon. He shouldn’t spend his entire life following the Crown Princess’s wishes. Even considering the original work, Seian’s entry into the succession struggle was a declaration of intent not to align with Cecilia. If it’s something he’ll do eventually anyway, bringing it forward by a few years shouldn’t matter.
Oh, come to think of it, if Seian rebels against Cecilia early, isn’t that also the direction of the original plot development? If things go well, I might get a plot deviation point.
Running through happy thoughts, I did dining hall volunteer work and construction site labor, shared stories of recent events with Kanna whom I hadn’t seen in a while, ate lunch, ignored Reina, hugged White One, and slept in bed. Our clever and good White One had been eating well even without Reina and me around, had a lustrous appearance, and had already cleaned the bathroom without being asked.
I love our genius White One so much—the scales are so smooth and cool, and sleeping while holding him is wonderful, the best. Last night, for some reason, he squirmed and tried to escape from my embrace, but soon settled down. I think I heard Gerth’s voice too, but I must have been dreaming. I don’t remember clearly.

The next day, a summons went out to gather club members, and I went skipping toward the abandoned building, where I encountered Seian at the entrance.
This signified something significant. Seian, who had been avoiding me saying he wouldn’t participate in club activities, appeared at the club building. This meant yesterday’s negotiation had gone positively. Moreover, when this cute guy saw me, he frowned sharply, hesitated without even entering the building.
I became overconfident and decided to repay what I’d heard back then.
“How about it? I’m not so bad, am I?”
“Shut up! Die! Don’t follow me!”
“Our destination is the same. We have no choice but to go together.”
“Shut up! Die! Don’t follow me!”
Well, we were both heading to the club room anyway.
As Seian walked rapidly, I also hurried along after him. We climbed the stairs and crossed the corridor as if sounding an alarm, finally arriving at the club room.
“You came side by side so amicably.”
“Are we not on good terms?!”
“Well. According to the settings, that’s correct.”
“What are you even saying!”
The bickering with Princess Sera had returned. It was definitely different from before. I felt quite satisfied.
“These crazy, crazy bastards, doing crazy things.”
This is truly satisfying. Seian hurled curses at us, and no one failed to notice the laughter hidden within them.
“Don’t celebrate too early, Seian. Cecilia hasn’t given a definitive answer yet.”
“Who said I was happy! Who!”
“You did.”
“Ugh!”
Since I’ll see this sight plenty more in the future, I asked Sera what she meant by saying there was no definitive answer yet. She then explained yesterday’s events in detail and said she had summoned everyone to consider ways to push Cecilia’s back.
“The punishment Cecilia imposed on Seian is essentially nullified. His Majesty sided with me for my contributions.”
“Then isn’t it over?”
“No. An official document from Cecilia hasn’t arrived yet.”
Sera must want a guarantee that Cecilia won’t interfere until Seian graduates. Seian also seemed to have something weighing on his mind about this, his face darkening.
“That’s why! My Sunbird devised a method to shake Cecilia!”
“Your words are rather extreme, Your Highness.”
Sera, boasting that Sunbird wouldn’t lose to Hubert, showed us the content added to the settings.
“From now on, I’ll send this by telegraph to the Dragon King!”
Due to the expensive price, only four telegraph machines exist in the Academy, yet one finally enters the club room. And sending a telegraph to the Dragon King means installation at the Dragon’s Nest is already complete? Did the engineers who went there to install it really sell their lives for money?
“Wait, wait—what is this?! What’s this ‘Rejected Ice Heart’ nonsense?!”
Don’t do that, Seian. Even you have limits to your anger.
Anyway, the Heart that was given to Seian, a member of the Keyboard Club, was called the Heart of Emptiness—a nullification ability that modern protagonists tend to carry around these days.
Apparently, Seian, who was originally completely powerless, lost his memories in an accident and obtained this Heart in exchange, but here’s the thing: before losing his memories, the Heart of Emptiness and the Rejected Ice Heart had feelings for each other.
Though the Heart of Emptiness lost his memories, rumors say the Rejected Ice Heart steadily and righteously harbors affection for him, offering kindness without a word and silently watching over him.
Sera, you wretch—you’re itching to reveal my identity, aren’t you? Why don’t you just grab a megaphone and broadcast that I’m Mitchell Neftis all over town?
I glared at Sera with that sentiment burning in my eyes, but this woman either lacked perception or was pretending to, giving me a thumbs up with unwavering confidence and announcing the good news.
“The Dragon King says he’ll wait just thirty minutes!”
What’s that supposed to mean? What happens after thirty minutes?
I was anxious out of my mind, but Reina casually suggested eating snacks while we waited and tore into the treats she’d brought. Eugene, having apparently found enlightenment from the last incident, simply laughed and munched on pastries, while Sunbird said his throat was parched and headed to the pantry to brew tea.
Well, there’s no helping it then. I might as well drink tea and chew on some pastries too.
“I’m the only one here who’s still sane! The only one!”
That’s not true, Seian. Until just moments ago, I thought exactly the same thing. But as long as the Third Princess is in this room, abandon all hope of a normal turn of events.
I told Seian to calm down and tapped the seat beside me, when suddenly there came a sharp cracking sound from the sky.
It hadn’t been thirty minutes yet, so something was wrong. We all gathered by the window wondering what was happening, and the barrier protecting Crownpolis from the demon tribe shattered physically before a thunderous roar echoed from Dragon Lake.
Along with the sound of something massive crashing down came the familiar ding of a status window notification.

The scenario has changed slightly. Granting 10,000 experience points.

“Give Seian to Evan!”
The Dragon King, holding cheering pom-poms in both hands, descended upon the Academy three years earlier than in the original timeline. A ridiculously powerful red dragon roared with a deafening cry. People trembled in terror.
“Man, the military and the Imperial Mages are going to get absolutely shredded.”
While Reina analyzed the situation coldly, watching the sky where the barrier had fallen, the Dragon King flapped his wings again. If this continued, there was a chance the Imperial Court’s elite forces would appear and capture him—it was time to strike and retreat.
While people were too shocked to even think of calling the Capital Defense Force, the Dragon King suddenly appeared, threw a tantrum, and flew off into the distant sky.
“Sunbird! Give me the telegraph codes for the Three Major News Agencies!”
“I’m preparing them right now!”
And Sera didn’t miss the opportunity. She immediately connected the dragon that had just appeared to yesterday’s negotiations and sent the information to the news agencies.
The Third Princess’s great achievement: a three-year armistice with the Dragon King. In response, Crown Princess Cecilia had requested the suspension of certain negotiation terms, and when the Dragon King’s proposal wasn’t accepted, he suddenly invaded the Empire’s airspace, destroyed the barrier. Which is more important—checking her younger sister or the Empire’s safety? The Crown Princess must decide.
Sera rattled off words that could be combined into sentences like this, typing the telegraph as if possessed. She certainly had good stamina. After sending such a long message to three news agencies, my arms would be too sore to even lift, but Sera was still going strong.
“With this, the media is on our side!”
“Ooh.”
Eugene applauded without tension, like someone who had reached nirvana. What did the last war leave behind for the serial killer Eugene Brandenburg?
I felt some unease at Eugene’s relaxed demeanor, but Sera didn’t seem to care and made her intentions clear.
“If we’re lucky, the extra edition will come out within an hour. No matter how much Cecilia is, she can’t put the Empire’s safety and Seian’s leash on the same scale.”
That might be true, but I have no memory of trusting the media in either my past life or this one, so I doubt they’ll do more than the bare minimum. And as long as the telegraph machine is made of magic stone, there’s no way they don’t have tracking technology.
What if someone finds out this information came from the Academy? What if they discover it came from the Club Room, which is practically in ruins? What if they even learn that the club president is the Third Princess?
This could be seen as an excellent declaration of war in the struggle for the throne.
“….”
Ah. So that’s why Eugene was acting enlightened earlier and Reina was giggling while munching popcorn. But if the situation was going to blow up this much, wouldn’t Sunbird have stopped her? With that thought, I looked at Sunbird, only to find the man had already opened a bottle of medicine and was pouring dozens of pills that smelled strangely like herbal remedies into his mouth like he was taking some kind of stomach medicine, then swallowed them.
“There’s no point trying to stop her anyway.”
Yes, Sunbird, you’ve been through so much.
I offered him comfort, and kindhearted Eugene did the same. That brat Reina Letem just laughed cheerfully, saying it was such a good decision to enter the Academy. Seian Crowell and Sera, however, seemed utterly oblivious—as if cluelessness were some inherent trait of the Royal Family—and had no idea what was happening.

An hour later, exactly as the Third Princess had predicted, an extra edition hit the streets. Sera laughed heartily, saying Cecilia would be absolutely terrified. And half a day after that, a new extra edition emerged, just as I’d anticipated. It was a special report predicting that Third Princess Sera Crowell would formally enter the succession struggle.
The headline was deliberately sensational, as always: “Her Highness the Third Princess Directly Challenges Her Highness the Crown Princess!” It practically read as if the battle had already begun.
“No, no! That’s not it!”
Not it? You’re the one who dropped this bomb.
We’d stepped out during our break from the grueling labor at the Construction Site, unfolded the newspaper, and were eating roasted sweet potatoes. The technology these days is impressive—they’d even uncovered that the exposé originated from our Eastern district.

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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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