9th Grade Civil Servant In Another World Chapter 117 - White Raven Order ― Erika 2 (2)

“Urrgh…”

My head felt like it was about to split open.

I could see a ceiling that wasn’t unfamiliar but wasn’t exactly familiar either. I blinked a few times and tried to piece together the situation.

“So yesterday I got a summons from the home country, took the train, unpacked my luggage, came over here to check if Erika was doing well… Gasp!”

I bolted upright and looked around. Morning sunlight was streaming through the window, and right next to me, Erika was fast asleep in her pajamas.

“Hey! Hey! Wake up!”

“Mmm, Lucas?”

Erika rubbed her eyes and looked up at me, then immediately shot me her usual cold stare.

“We didn’t do anything improper, right? Right? We just drank properly and slept, right?!”

Instantly, Erika’s gaze grew even colder.

“Nothing happened.”

My heart sank at her icy voice. I reached out to grab her shoulder and asked again and again.

“Really?! Really nothing happened? I didn’t say anything weird or anything like that, did I?”

“I said nothing happened!”

She swatted my hand away irritably, then seeing me fidgeting restlessly, let out a long sigh.

“We were drinking when you fell asleep, so I ended up dozing off at the table too. I woke up around dawn with a sore back, and you were sprawled on the floor, so I woke you up worried you’d catch a cold. You crawled into bed on your own. That’s all.”

“Phew, thank goodness.”

I seriously almost had a heart attack.

Of course, Erika is a very attractive friend, but…

‘That’s not the issue! This can’t become my world.’

As people age, old memories tend to fade hazily from their minds, but strangely, my memories of living in Korea are becoming clearer with time.

Could this be a sign that I’ll be able to return someday?

That’s what I thought. No, that’s what I believed.

That I could escape this savage, raw world and return to my original world—equally savage but at least somewhat hypocritical.

After seeing the ruins of Cortana’s palace and Hetzen with my own eyes, I have nightmares… So I have no choice but to believe it even more.

‘But if I stupidly started dating without thinking!’

What if, just like when I fell into this world, I get sucked into space-time in an instant and return to Earth?

Just imagining it fills me with mind-numbing terror.

I bit my lip hard and suddenly asked Erika.

“Erika, don’t you date? What about marriage?”

At that, Erika gave a faint smile. Somehow it looked sad.

“Who could I meet while harboring this kind of secret? Should I tell them I dream of revolution, or not? I don’t want to worry about it.”

“Yeah, right. I guess so.”

I nodded quietly and thought of my White Raven Order friends.

Daniel, Oscar, Richard, Georg.

As far as I knew, none of them had made lovers or thought about marriage. Even though by Schufaben standards, all except Georg were past marriageable age.

They all probably feel the same way.

What we’re doing now, the secrets we’re keeping—it’s already overwhelming enough without wanting to add more things to worry about.

‘Ah, but still, a singles club. That’s kind of sad.’

I hope we can kill Kruger quickly so everyone can find good partners.

‘For that to happen, I need to work hard again.’

I grinned and rolled out of bed. Erika watched me quietly and murmured.

“Hey, thanks.”

“For what?”

“For drinking with me yesterday.”

“Come on, how could I not share a drink in that situation? Sorry I passed out in the middle though. I should have bought some snacks. That would have kept me from getting so drunk. Anyway, I’m starving to death—let’s eat breakfast!”

“Sure, you’re cooking, right?”

“I’m the guest here?”

When I made an aggrieved expression, Erika snickered.

“I usually just eat something simple at the office café every morning.”

“Then let’s go there! I have to go to work anyway.”

“Today’s Saturday.”

“Ah.”

I smiled sheepishly.

Right, Schufaben had a five-day work week.

Five days a week, ten hours a day.

It was a law forcibly implemented by the revolutionary government, but Kruger was making good use of it too.

“Still, let’s go out for now. I need to show people that I’m back. We should also act like loving couple again.”

At my words, Erika’s expression became subtle.

“How long do we have to keep that up?”

“Until the effect wears off and it stops working. Come on, let’s go out.”

But just as we were heading toward the front door, someone pounded on it from outside—bang bang bang!

“Hey! Lucas!”

As soon as I opened the door, a red-haired man came charging in, fuming.

“Long time no see. What brings you here so early in the morning?”

I spread my arms wide expecting Oscar to embrace me, but instead he grabbed my neck and shook me violently.

“Gack!”

“Hey! If you’re back, you should say something! Your adjutant just dropped off Colin and left, do you know how shocked I was! What have you been doing here!”

“Gkk! What do you think, I was catching up with Erika. You should have come too!”

“You could have at least called!”

“Woof woof!”

Colin seemed to be on Oscar’s side too, just wagging his tail wildly and spinning around me in circles.

“Stop it.”

When my face was turning blue, Erika intervened.

“Hello, Lucas.”

Daniel, who had been watching the chaos from behind, stepped forward to greet me.

“Huff, gasp! You were here too?”

“I returned home briefly a few days ago.”

“What about the Great Desert?”

“He apparently finished the job perfectly already. The one you were scheming with him about.”

Oscar, who had been looking at me panting pathetically, spoke in a slightly softened voice.

“I wouldn’t say perfectly, but… Well, it seemed a bit risky to send in a letter. I was planning to inform Erika first and find a way to meet you directly.”

Daniel scratched his head with a modest expression. Seeing him act like that, it must have gone really well.

“Cough! Cough! Alright, tell me later—I’m about to die of hunger right now, so I need to go get something to eat.”

“No, you should tell us first. How did you get back so soon?”

Oscar blocked my way and asked.

“What happened with Cortana?”

***

A considerable amount of time had passed since I returned to Carlton’s palace carrying some strange ginseng-like root of an unknown plant.

About a month, counting from the day I succeeded in winning over King Edvart Piast.

“……”

Tap tap.

During one teatime, Ed suddenly tapped the table.

It was an implicitly established signal. A signal calling me to look this way because he had something to say.

He had gradually adapted to me, and now in front of me alone, he acted like a kid his age without any pretense.

I was glad about that. I was able to turn him to my side before his mentality completely broke down.

If he could open up like this, it would be good for both him and me.

“What is it, Ed?”

When I asked indifferently, he earnestly scribbled on paper.

「You said your company is looking for magic stones in the Great Desert, right?」

“That’s right. No luck so far though.”

「Can I invest? Or maybe buy it outright?」

I put down my teacup and stared blankly at the boy king at this out-of-the-blue comment.

“What money do you have to buy a company? Even though the stock price crashed, it’s not pocket change.”

Edvart glared at me indignantly.

「I have lots of money. I’m the king.」

“That’s not your money, it’s royal assets. Though it’s practically the same as your money. If you spend it without the consent of your relatives who weren’t sacrificed in the war and are still alive, the backlash will be serious.”

At that, Ed hung his head.

「Would it have been better if my cousin had become queen instead of me?」

“You’d ignore succession rights? Throw away legitimacy? Please consider the people’s feelings too, Your Majesty. Ah, no, it’s not really my concern anyway, right? Do whatever you want.”

I expected him to get angry at my joke, but he just looked deep in thought.

「They ran away. My relatives.」

When Ed picked up his quill again after I’d nearly finished my tea.

“What? What about the banquet?”

The day before, Edvart had invited his relatives to the partially restored palace.

When he asked if that was okay, I told him not to ask permission for every family matter.

「Only a few uncles came. The other relatives apparently slipped away as soon as the war started. It wasn’t official asylum, so no one knew. When I got angry asking why they couldn’t have told me beforehand, they said they couldn’t speak up because they were watching my mood. They said if they told me, I would be sad.

My aunt and cousin went to Rubellia. My cousin wanted to learn painting, so I guess that’s why.」

“I see. You must have been disappointed.”

So that’s why he’d been looking glum.

How sad though. The royal family’s exodus happened, but neither our side nor other countries made a fuss about it.

‘How much did they look down on the other royals besides the Cortana king to show this little interest?’

I clicked my tongue and patted Ed’s shoulder.

“They’re all living well. Aren’t you relieved that you have fewer blood relatives to be responsible for?”

“……”

Ed, who had been sulking, suddenly stood up and went into the study through the terrace door.

I looked at the neatly cleaned garden while picking up sugar cubes to eat.

The palace was being steadily restored, and Edvart and I had also moved our quarters from the spire to the main castle.

Edvart was sad that countless books had been reduced to ashes, but he moved books stored in the spire to create a new study.

Unlike before, his quite bold demeanor made Brigadier General Wagner express concern, but I stepped in to reassure him.

He’s a king—he should be able to do at least this much.

Anyway, Ed pulled a book from the bookshelf.

「This is a book I read yesterday.」

“‘Essays on Continental Magic and Magic Stone Distribution’? You read difficult books. Very bookwormish.”

Whether living in the spire or the main castle, Edvart spent all day holed up in the study reading books.

「The story diverged, but about the Great Desert earlier. According to this book, places with lots of magic stones also have many skilled mages. Then it mentioned the Great Desert, saying that elves are more familiar with magic than anyone and are a race that produces many mages…」

And so on and so forth.

The conclusion was that there must be many magic stones buried in the Great Desert.

Couldn’t we overcome this national crisis with that, he asked, his face flushed as he explained enthusiastically. I felt a bit sorry seeing him like that.

This kid is also trying really hard to do something.

But wrong is wrong.

“Even if our company finds a mine that big, we probably couldn’t make as much money as Cortana used to with just that.”

「Still, a little bit.」

“And if you invest in Redan Company, the people might riot.”

“?!”

“I’m joking. Anyway, let’s not touch the public sentiment we barely managed to calm down. And we have our plan, right? Let’s see how it goes after that and then decide.”

Edvart fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. I picked up another sugar cube to eat.

It was quite a while before Edvart moved again.

「I’m going to invest secretly.」

“Hm?”

Edvart’s eyes were shining with determination when he looked up.

「If I combine all the cash and movable assets I can dispose of with my authority, it comes to about 100 million pelts in Schufaben money. Compared to other country’s kings, it’s really not much, but still, let me invest this.」

“Are you sure? You won’t regret it?”

Edvart nodded quietly. I could feel the corners of my mouth curling up.

“I will serve you with all my heart, little shareholder.”

When I showed proper courtesy, Edvart’s cheeks flushed red.

「You’re making fun of me now, aren’t you? And I’m not little.」

Making fun? I’m serious though.

“Of course, we’ll have to do some accounting manipulation on our end—”

I was talking happily when a shadow dropped lightly from above the terrace.

“Can’t you stop doing that?”

“What’s it to you?”

“It’s annoying.”

Ed stared blankly at Philip Decker and me exchanging pointless banter, then quickly came to his senses.

He hurriedly gathered up the papers while I giggled and quietly asked Philip.

“The reply?”

“Delivered properly.”

“Good work.”

‘I will rescue His Majesty.’

Some captain had sent an anonymous secret letter. I introduced Philip so Edvart could send a reply.

Of course, I had to pay the errand fee.

‘Wait a little longer, something big will happen soon…’

The reply was something like that, but whether the captain will listen is another matter.

‘Well, what can you do if he doesn’t listen? The mine’s empty anyway.’

It would only help our plan.

“I saw on the way here that His Excellency the Supreme Leader seems to have sent someone. They should arrive soon.”

“Oh, right. I should get ready.”

I picked up the last sugar cube and stood up.

“Ed, don’t forget the plan. Time it right.”

“……”

Ed gestured as if to say he understood, so don’t worry.

Soon an official came and delivered Kruger’s orders, and a few days later I left Cortana.