[ To my dear friend, Damian.
Ah, I rember you telling not to use this expression. My apologies.
But if I erase it now, it would just dirty the paper needlessly, so Ill leave it as is. Its too botherso to find a new sheet.
As I ntioned in my last letter, even though the opening line is a bit cheesy, my hand just writes it automatically. Its beco a habit that isnt easy to break. Habits are indeed terrifying. If you find any overly sappy expressions here and there, I hope youll just skim over them.
That aside, its almost been a year since we started exchanging letters.
Writing for sothing other than work is quite a hassle, but it has been enjoyable. Father was right to encourage making friends. Thanks to you, it feels like Ive found an extra breath of fresh air in this stifling place.
Of course, its a bit heartbreaking every ti I rember that the recipient of my letters isnt a beautiful lady but a man like you. Still, it gave a good excuse to take a break.
As you know, my father tends to be a bit strict with his children, but in this regard, hes sowhat lenient.
Seeing that hes starting to relieve of my duties, it seems he plans to have focus on my studies from this year. Honestly, juggling studies and work, even if the academy is close to the royal palace, is quite unscrupulous.
But, lets cut the chit-chat here and move on to the topic we discussed last ti.
I agree with your opinion that there might still be rats lurking in the capital.
So of the ministers who have been bothering might be their minions. No joke, this is a conclusion Ive co to after so thought. Its just a suspicion, but still.
However, I never considered the academy in this aspect.
After all, what is Estelia Academy? Along with the Seven Towers, its known as a sanctuary of learning. The staff is ticulously selected and only the most vetted can enter. So I completely overlooked this.
But doing so house cleaning myself made realize sothing. They hide in places youd never think of. As old as the history of the royal family, even a place like the academy could have a few of them posing as professors. Thats how theyve managed to survive this long.
As the academys enrollnt period approaches, Ive been getting all sorts of requests for approval.
Naturally, the first thing that cos up with the new sester is funding. Ive sorted out those who have recently left the capital or whose reasons for going out are unclear.
It was a bit cumberso to include not just full-ti staff but also adjuncts and casual workers, but I decided to do it alone rather than share the task with Noel, feeling uneasy.
Ah, Im not bragging about this.
I Am the Fated Villain Chapter 2
Please enable JavaScript
Please enable JavaScript
The nas listed here are just those who raise suspicions. Well think about how to handle this after you arrive in Luden. Anyway, heres the list Ive compiled:
Knight Departnt, Professor of Tactics: Neilson Pailer (42)
Knight Departnt, Assistant Professor of Spear Technique: Jessica Hunt (26)
Knight Departnt, Professor of Knighthood: Leopold Uber (36)
.
.
.
Magic Departnt, Professor of Alchemy: Philippus Paracel (45)
Magic Departnt, Assistant Professor of Alchemy: Altman Edelweiss (24)
Thats about it for the faculty mbers.
You might find so nas odd, but lets overlook that.
Dont think its too many.
These nas Ive written down are those Ive ticulously picked out, so naturally, there are quite a few. Its not at all a reflection of any inadequacy on the part of the royal house.
Ive only listed those whose nas might be useful to rember. For now, just familiarize yourself with these nas.
Ill talk to you about the newly added casual workers and their detailed information in person.
Given the nature of this content, its not suitable for a letter, and to encrypt it like this, Id have to write it all by hand, which is a bit much even for . Since youll be coming to Luden for enrollnt, this is likely the last letter Ill write to you this year.
Next ti, lets talk in person, my friend.
But lets not just talk about work when we et.
Ive got a new board ga that we should play. Its quite a brain teaser. Im confident I could even beat Elena as a substitute in this ga.
The letter attached is, as always, written by Noel. I didnt think it necessary to encrypt it, so make sure not to discard it just because I didnt write it.
Honestly, the content is almost the sa as the last one, so you might not need to read it.
But no, do read it and write back. Otherwise, Ill be the one whos inconvenienced.
My fingers are starting to ache.
Theres still more I havent said, but lets save that for when we et. If soone is sent to the imperial castle, I will go with Noel. Anyway, Im looking forward to seeing you in Luden as soon as possible.
Your friend. ]
***
The passage of ti is indeed relative.
Sotis it seems to crawl by, and at other tis, it rushes past.
This is evident just by looking at the stack of letters in front of .
At first, there were only one or two, but now, enough to fill a drawer, greeting as if to question when all this ti passed. Considering weve been exchanging letters every two weeks or so, the amount of ti that has elapsed since then becos apparent.
I close the drawer and turn my head towards the window.
The mist on the glass and the snow falling beyond it present a different landscape than before.
Even though three seasons have passed, it doesnt feel like a long ti has gone by. In fact, it feels as if ti has sped up.
Soone once told that when people are happy, ti seems to pass more quickly. Its not that my ti with Father and Alphonse wasnt happy, but the addition of Elena to our lives seems to have accelerated the passage of ti.
Nothing particularly remarkable happened until the winter of the new year, as if all the misfortune had been cramd into the beginning of the year.
It was a repetition of ordinary days. No major incidents, just a continuous flow of tranquil and happy days. If I were to give an example of the most fitting tis in the life that lies ahead of , these would be it.
If one asks whether there has been any progress in my relationship with Elena, thats a different story, but then every day is special, so I wouldnt necessarily include that.
I flip through Noels letter and look at the unopened one.
The seal on the envelope, a wax stamp featuring a wolf standing beneath three stars, signifies the Edelweiss Ducal Family.
Naturally, one would think of Joachim, the head of the Edelweiss family, as the sender, but surprisingly, this letter isnt from him. Its unlikely that a letter from Joachim in the north would arrive with Orcuss letter from Luden, which is far away.
Ha... why do I feel so nervous about this?
Considering who from the Edelweiss family is currently in Luden, identifying the sender of this letter isnt difficult.
As ntioned in Orcus earlier letter, currently in Luden are Altman Edelweiss and his mother who, to , are my mother-in-law and brother-in-law.
Knowing Altman, he isnt likely to write letters, so this must surely be from my mother-in-law.
With only a month left until the academys entrance, Elena and I will soon be heading to Luden, so receiving a letter from family there makes sense.
However, I feel a peculiar sensation. Having had nurous conversations with Joachim and seeing him argue with my father, Ive grown sowhat accustod to him. But Ive never t my mother-in-law, and thinking of her as the sender of this unopened letter, I sense an odd pressure emanating from it.
In the original story, compared to Altman and Joachim, her presence was almost negligible, barely ntioned now and then. To , both were essentially strangers.
Since I had never even seen her at the engagent ceremony, I once wondered if she disliked . But realizing the engagent ceremonys insignificance in this world, I temporarily shelved that thought.
If she had disliked , she wouldnt have permitted the engagent in the first place, right?
Last year, Altman was busy preparing for his graduation from the Golden Tower, so she must have had her hands full assisting him. Thats probably why she was out of touch, not just with Elena, but even Joachim.
But now, with Altman appointed as an assistant professor at the academy, she must have so free ti. Hence, the letter.
Still, it is rather unconventional to only now receive a ssage from my mother-in-law. What makes it truly awkward is the lack of information about her. I have no idea what she thinks of .
Elena and Joachim ntioned that the other family mbers dont think poorly of , but is that sothing I can trust?
Ah, I cant open it.
Despite understanding this logically, the anxiety hadnt completely dissipated, so I couldnt bring myself to break the seal of the letter. Of course, Im curious about its contents, but this overpowering trepidation has stalled my hand.
It didnt seem this intense with Joachim.
Perhaps because her role in the original novel was so minimal, the concept of her being my mother-in-law seems to precede her being a character, unlike with Joachim.
Holding the unopened envelope along with the letter from Noel, I headed towards Elena.
Just to clarify, this is definitely not running away.
How could an outsider open a letter ant for family first? It would be utterly impolite for to read the letter before Elena. Undoubtedly, Elena would be delighted to receive a letter from her mother after such a long ti.
Though my na is written as the recipient on the envelope, who knows what the contents might reveal.
Oh, Damian, Mother says when we co to Luden, we can stay at the Edelweiss familys residence instead of the Kraus familys house. She must be feeling lonely with Brother being appointed and not coming ho as often... Shall we leave a bit earlier?
Soone once said, dont run from whats inevitable, but accept it.
That seems like the perfect advice for my current situation.
--- END OF CHAPTER ---
[TL: You can support the translation and read 5 premium chapters on Patreon: /WanderingSoultl
Join Our Discord for regular updates and have fun with other community mbers: /invite/SqWtJpPtm9]
Reviews
All reviews (0)