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Book 12: Chapter 10: The Price of Happiness

Sometimes Robert would barge into the classroom and suddenly read a poem (?) or invite her to play chess, but other than that, it was mostly peaceful.

The student council work was not busy yet, and her left hand was also getting better. She still had a weak grip and it hurt when she put some force on it, but she could open and close it lightly, much more naturally than before.

The only change that happened recently was that Albert joined the study sessions with Glenn after class.

Albert, who had been attending Minerva until a while ago, had some knowledge of magic. He hit it off with Glenn and they started studying magic together.

Albert was good at understanding magic formulas, but bad at manipulating magic with his senses. That\'s why he benefited from studying with Glenn, who was the opposite type.

Lately, Glenn was teaching Albert how to cast a flying spell, and Albert was teaching Glenn how to cast a tracking spell. After studying together like that, they would sometimes have tea at Albert\'s place.

Monica had been able to spend her days as Monica Norton without being exposed for these three weeks, and she was a little bit yes, just a little bit careless.

Even though none of the problems she faced had been solved.

It was the day of the student council meeting, but there was some time left until the third-year classes ended, so Monica decided to have tea with Lana, who invited her to a later time. It would have been nice to enjoy a tea party in the courtyard on a sunny day, but today it was snowing from the gray sky. So, they decided to have a tea party in the indoor tea salon.

It was a small tea party with only three participants: Lana, Claudia, and Monica. Lana prepared the tea cakes, and Monica prepared the coffee. The warm coffee with plenty of milk was what Lana had requested. It was honestly nice to have a friend like what she liked.

Lana took a sip of the coffee and sighed.

"I really like Monica\'s coffee. Monica, why don\'t you open a coffee shop? This coffee would definitely be popular in the royal capital."

"Ehehe, r-really"

Monica blushed and Claudia said quietly with a coffee cup in her hand.

"You should take good care of that pot. The rubber at the joint is a special rubber from overseas It\'s not easy to replace."

The coffee pot, which was her father\'s legacy, was divided into upper and lower parts, water was put in the lower pot, ground beans were set in the funnel, and the upper pot was set and heated. The rubber was used at the joint between the upper and lower parts.

The rubber, which was heat-resistant and durable, was an important part that maintained the airtightness of the pot. According to Claudia, it was not something that could be easily replaced even if it deteriorated.

But Lana argued against Claudia\'s words.

"Oh, I think you can get it in Southern Doll. Recently, the import volume of high-quality rubber has increased. There is a lot of demand because of the various mechanization that is going on."

"It\'s not cheap, is it?"

"Uh, w-well, that\'s true, but"

Lana sipped her coffee as if to cover up and continued, "Speaking of Southern Doll"

"The merchants there seem to be flowing to the empire. And the new emperor who likes new things, has lowered the taxes and given preferential treatment to the merchants."

"Because of the lower taxes, they are having trouble with our foreign affairs department, I hear."

"Yes, yes. And to compete with the empire, Southern Doll\'s side also wants to start a new business. My father seems to be planning to invest in it."

Monica didn\'t really get the point of the conversation, so she quietly sipped her coffee and Lana looked at Monica and said.

"Hey, Monica. Have you thought about what you\'re going to do after graduation?"

"Huh?"

Monica was surprised by the unexpected question.

Monica and the others were currently in their second year of the senior division. There was still more than a year left until graduation.

But even without that, Monica had never thought about what she would do after graduation.

Monica was at this academy to protect Felixin other words, her mission would end when Felix graduated this year, and Monica would return to the life of the Seven Sages as the Silent Witch.

Monica realized that again felt a chill in her heart, and smiled awkwardly.

"Um yeah, I haven\'t thought of anything yet."

"I\'m planning to help my father with his work after graduation. I\'m thinking of setting up a new trading company based in Southern Doll."

It was not an easy thing for a young woman to become a trading company president. But with Lana\'s family\'s wealth, it would depend on Lana\'s ability.

According to Lana, she wanted to deal with a new dye in Southern Doll and bring a new wind to the fashion industry. It was a plan that suited Lana, who loved trendy and fashionable things.

Monica nodded as she listened to Lana\'s business plan, and Lana cut off her words and looked at Monica.

"After you graduate, won\'t you help me with my work?"

"Eh?"

Monica exclaimed in surprise, and Lana twirled her hair around her finger and pursed her lips.

"You\'re good at numbers, right? That\'s why I want to entrust you with the accounting work. I-I\'m not saying that I\'m favoring you or giving you preferential treatment because you\'re my friend."

Lana spoke quickly, and Claudia said quietly.

"Surely, as a student council member of Serendia Academy and moreover, a member of the same generation where the second prince was the president that alone would guarantee trust from the noble trading partners."

Apparently, the influence of the Serendia Academy student council was greater than Monica had thought.

According to Claudia, there were many Serendia Academy student council members among the bureaucrats and ministers who worked at the palace.

Monica understood the reason why the student council members were admired, and Lana muttered softly.

"That\'s right. Being a student council member of Serendia Academy is a great advantage And besides, I feel more confident if I work with you, Monica"

Monica\'s heart jumped at those words.

Lana relied on Monica. She said she felt more confident if she worked with Monica. She needed her.

I\'m so happy.

But at the same time, a guilt that stabbed her chest welled up.

Monica would leave the academy in half a year. She wouldn\'t even have a graduation ceremony with Lana.

"Well, it\'s still more than a year away, so take your time and think about it. If you need the approval of the Kerbeck Count\'s family, I\'ll help you persuade them."

Lana seemed to think that the reason Monica was stiffening her face was because she was worried about the Kerbeck Count\'s family.

Monica smiled vaguely and nodded slightly.

Since she knew she couldn\'t accept Lana\'s offer.

It was time for the student council meeting, so Monica left Lana and Claudia behind and left the tea salon first. And then, she headed to the student council room with a somewhat fluffy feeling.

What occupied Monica\'s mind was Lana\'s proposal.

To start a trading company with Lana in Southern Doll Monica honestly thought that it sounded "fun".

Lana, who was sensitive to trends and surprisingly solid, would surely succeed in business. If she could support her from behind, she would surely have a fulfilling life. But Monica Norton was a person who didn\'t exist in the first place If Monica\'s identity was exposed, Lana would surely leave Monica. Helping Lana with her work was an impossible future. Still, Monica closed her eyes to the reality around her for a little while and indulged in fantasy.

That\'s why her vigilance to the surroundings became lax.

She would normally check for people\'s presence when turning a corner, but Monica neglected to do that this time. When she turned the corner, someone walking from the front stopped and stared at Monica, and shaped his lips into a crescent smile. Monica, who was indulging in fantasy, didn\'t notice that it was directed at her.

"What are you doing here, Everett?"

The Monica in the dream is not the Silent Witch Monica Everett, but Lana\'s friend Monica Norton. So even after hearing that brutish voice, Monica didn\'t immediately realize that it was directed at her.

She didn\'t realize that the man had called her Everett. She walked past him, and then a hand covered in rings dug into her shoulder.

"Hiiek!?"

By the time she realized it, Monica was grabbed by the shoulder from behind, and her chin was grabbed by the other hand, pulling her closer. The fingertips that caught Monica\'s chin squeezed Monica\'s cheeks from left and right.

"Why are you ignoring me after not seeing you for a long time? You\'re cold, aren\'t you? Have you forgotten about me? I\'m sad, you know, I never forgot about you."

Monica, who was grabbed by the chin from behind, couldn\'t turn around but even if she heard that voice, she didn\'t doubt who was behind her.

"S-Senior Dee"

The man who had once chased Monica around Minerva snorted happily and tilted her chin up to make her look at him. He had the same sharp eyes and the same burning red hair as in her memory.

He was the nephew of one of the Seven Sages, the Artillery MagicianHubert Dee. He looked down at Monica with a smirk on his face.

Monica trembled and looked around with only her eyes. Fortunately or unfortunately, there was no one around.

Monica gathered all the courage she had in her and squeezed out her voice.

"I, I\'m Monica Norton now. I have an important mission, and I\'m hiding my identity Please, please don\'t call me Everett."

Monica, who had been abused by her uncle in the past, and who had been chased by Hubert at Minerva, had her memories mixed up and was in a panic. Tears were already welling up in the corners of her eyes, and her throat was shaking miserably with a hiccup.

Still, the previous Monica would have screamed and run away from this place. Considering that, it was a big step to be able to ask him directly.

Hubert seemed to think about something and narrowed his eyes suddenly. His hand that was holding Monica\'s shoulder and chin didn\'t loosen.

"Hmm hmm hmm If my uncle knew that you were on a mission at Serendia Academy, he would have told me not to interfere with your mission If my uncle doesn\'t know, it means that only a few of the Seven Sages know, about a political issue Speaking of which, it\'s convenient that the second prince is here, huh? Hmm hmm, so, the mission is to protect or investigate the second prince?"

Hubert looked rough, but he was very smart. He understood ten from one, and his thinking speed was as fast as when Monica was at Minerva.

"Please, please don\'t tell anyone about me"

Monica pleaded with a sob, and Hubbard looked at her like a rabbit caught in a trap.

"Please? Sure, I\'ll listen to you."

Monica found a ray of hope in despair.

Ah, this senior, who didn\'t listen to me, has become a little softer over the years, she thought.

Without knowing that Hubbard was licking his lips above her head.

"But, there\'s a condition."

"Huh?"

"Right now, I belong to the "Magic Duel Research Club" at this academy. Do you get it? We do magic duels every day after class. You join there."

Monica\'s ears turned pale as Hubert whispered lowly.

"Let\'s do it every day until we graduate ma-gic-bat-tle."

"I, impossible, impossible, I can\'t use magic with my current status, and I also have the student council\'s duty."

Student councils are prohibited from joining clubs or research groups. So Monica, as a member of the student council, couldn\'t accept that condition.

But Hubert told her mercilessly.

"Then, quit the student council."

"N, no I don\'t want to."

Monica shook her head weakly, and Hubert\'s eyes sparkled.

"You said "no" instead of "impossible", right? That means you can continue your mission even if you quit the student council, right?"

"!!"

What Hubert said was right. It was true that being a student council member made it easier to protect Felix, but quitting the student council didn\'t mean that the mission would be impossible to continue.

Still, Monica didn\'t want to quit the student council. She had finally gotten used to the job and was starting to get relied on.

"Please, please, anything but that, please"

Monica pleaded with a sob, and Hubert hummed and suddenly lifted Monica over his shoulder.

Monica gasped and flailed her arms and legs.

"L, let me go let me go, please!"

"Then, let\'s go talk to the student council directly, shall we, Mo-ni-ka?"

It was then that Monica finally understood.

This senior\'s habit of not listening to anyone hasn\'t changed a bit since then.