The Teacher of Budding Villains Suffers Today, Too - Chapter 104

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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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Episode 104
“A letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace, Miss Swan.”
A soldier approached Rachel, who had been studying a map intently. She turned at once, and in the soldier’s hands lay an envelope, gripped with visible tension.
“From the Imperial Palace?”
“Yes. Here it is.”
The two well-sealed letters bore wax seals pressed with an official insignia. Rachel recognized the sender at once.
‘I should have said a proper goodbye to Theo and Noah before I left.’
She had deliberately avoided taking leave of them. She had no wish to draw the children into such weighty matters of war, and she had no idea how she would respond if they tried to stop her.
‘Though I suppose it was only a matter of time before they found out…’
The children would eventually learn that she had gone to the front. Guessing where she was and what she was doing, they had sent these letters.
‘I’m almost afraid to read them.’
For the children, Lucas and she were the only “true” family they had. That was precisely why Rachel wanted to be their refuge—a strong, unshakable one, not the fragile shelter she was now.
After exhaling a long breath through her tangled thoughts, she finally found the courage to open the first letter. It was from Theo.
Teacher, hello.
Theo’s letter began with a light greeting and went on to describe daily life at the Imperial Palace.
He was studying hard, and he had even created something more impressive than the Game Board she had shown him before.
Rachel felt nothing but pride in him. It was difficult to hold back tears as she read.
Noah’s letter was much the same. He was behaving differently than before, doing well under the Nanny’s care. He had also started writing a new novel, and when he showed it to his older brother Theo, he received a very favorable response.
Rachel laughed through her tears. Hearing even this much of the children’s daily lives filled her with joy.
‘Thank goodness Theo and Noah are doing well.’
She had worried there might be problems, but the two children were living perfectly ordinary lives—far better than she had feared.
Rachel folded the letters carefully and placed them where she could see them.
“Miss Swan.”
Someone called to her from outside the tent.
“Yes, what is it?”
“There is someone who wishes to see you.”
Me…?
Still caught in the emotion of the letters, Rachel’s brow furrowed in confusion. The only person who would come to see her here was Lucas. Yet the soldier’s demeanor suggested this was not the Crown Prince.
“Show them in.”
Rachel opened her eyes wide, watching to see who would enter.
And what met her gaze was—
“…Henry?!”
None other than Henry Chesper himself.
“Henry! What brings you here?”
Rachel gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. Henry laughed brightly at her surprise and approached her side.
“Tirnes is waging such a great war—I couldn’t possibly be absent as a knight.”
He was a knight who had earned great distinction in the previous continental war as well. His absence would have been unthinkable. Yet Rachel had allowed herself to forget him.
‘I’m sorry, Henry.’
Feeling that pang of guilt, she grasped both his hands firmly.
“How have you been faring?”
“There’s been much to do, but I’m managing well enough.”
Rachel answered readily. At this, Henry let out a small sigh.
“The soldiers’ morale has dropped considerably.”
“Their morale has dropped?”
“We have Commoner Mages, but everyone knows we’re outnumbered in total Mage strength compared to Anareо. And the soldiers have come to understand that the duchies allied with Anareо are sending military forces as well.”
Rachel’s expression hardened without her noticing.
The soldiers’ suspicions were entirely correct. The number of Commoner Mages did not exceed fifty, which was incomparable to Anareо’s forces. It was better than nothing, certainly, but it was hardly an advantage.
“Moreover, after the Ancient Magical Beast attacked His Highness the Crown Prince, the fear has only grown worse. Many soldiers now believe that if we cannot defeat the Ancient Magical Beast, we may well lose the war.”
Rachel’s expression grew even more rigid.
“The matter of the Ancient Magical Beast will be resolved. Perhaps it already has been, by now.”
Rachel was certain that Duke Sinclair would have yielded to Lucas. He was not a man of strong conviction.
“But I can assure you, the morale under my command remains very high.”
Henry spoke with pride.
His words were true. Henry Chesper, who had defeated countless Mages with a single sword during the previous continental war, had become something of a legend. The soldiers under his command trusted him deeply. They believed that with him at their side, they would inevitably triumph in battle.
“Allow my unit to serve as your personal guard, if you would. Grant me permission to have my soldiers stand at your side.”
Henry spoke earnestly.
“I would find peace of mind with you nearby. But this is not a decision I can make alone. I must ask His Grace Lucas.”
Rachel had not been assigned a separate guard unit. She had been positioned at the Crown Prince’s side instead.
Yet knowing this, Henry made his request earnestly all the same. To let him be the one who protected Rachel.
“Why not come with me to see His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Henry had made the suggestion in passing. Rachel nodded slowly in agreement.
* * *
Lucas fell into deep thought. He couldn’t simply ignore Rachel’s insistence on going to the battlefield, so for now he’d ordered her to stay at his side.
Yet unease gnawed at him. If the enemy discovered Rachel’s presence, they would undoubtedly attack without hesitation.
‘What am I to do about this?’
It was in that moment, as Lucas furrowed his brow and sank further into contemplation, that—
“Crown Prince, Miss Rachel Swan and Lord Henry Chesper request an audience with you.”
A soldier’s voice came from outside the tent.
‘Henry Chesper?’
Lucas already knew Henry was on the battlefield. But he hadn’t known the man had found Rachel. What was the connection? Lucas strode toward the tent flap and opened it wide.
“Rachel.”
“Lucas.”
Rachel appeared beside Henry, offering a gentle smile. Henry carried himself with easy confidence.
“It has been far too long since we last met, Crown Prince.”
Henry bowed with deliberate courtesy.
“What brings you here, Lord Chesper?”
Lucas cut straight to the point.
“I have come to make a request of you, Crown Prince.”
Henry’s voice dropped low. Rachel’s gaze shifted from Henry to Lucas.
“In the coming battle, I ask that you allow the unit under my command to serve as the lady’s escort.”
Henry bowed deeply, pouring sincerity into his plea to Lucas.
Lucas regarded Henry in silence for a moment, lost in thought.
“Lord Chesper, I’m curious to know what lies in your heart regarding your wish to protect Rachel.”
Lucas had asked about Henry’s true feelings. Henry understood perfectly what the question meant.
Whether he still harbored romantic affection for Rachel, or whether he sought merely to uphold his duty to her.
‘Fortunate that I’ve made peace with my heart.’
To Henry, Rachel was not a lover—she was like a younger sister whom he was bound to protect.
“I wish to honor my duty to Swan House.”
And so Henry could answer without a trace of hesitation or deception.
“To honor Swan House,” Lucas repeated.
He let the words hang in the air.
“If that is the truth of your heart, I see no reason to refuse.”
Lucas understood the sincerity in Henry’s plea. The man had always been of noble character.
“I entrust Rachel’s protection to you, Lord Chesper.”
Lucas spoke each word with deliberate weight, then clasped Rachel’s hand firmly.
‘They suit each other well.’
With his own heart finally at ease, he could smile—a brief, satisfied smile—watching their joined hands.

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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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