21. The Eccentricity of Letty (520)

With Letty’s irritable and domineering personality, once she made a decision, no external force could change it. So, during the following days, I simply gave up on the idea of persuading Letty not to attend the award ceremony. Amidst the jubilant atmosphere of the third-year students celebrating their successful graduation and eagerly anticipating the festivities of the award ceremony, I arrived at the day they had all been looking forward to, feeling somewhat out of place with my own concerns.

A few days later, today, in the cold season of December in the Rosian Empire, we welcomed a rare day of clear skies without heavy snowfall. The usual event at Rublyanka Academy—the “Award Ceremony,” where the Emperor of the Rosian Empire, Ivan Letty, would present awards to the top four students after the third-year final test results were announced—was set to take place in the academy’s largest auditorium!

At this moment, inside the academy auditorium.

Although I had already seen the dangerous content regarding Letty in the script I had, my previous anxiety and worry now seemed trivial.

“Hey! Khrushchev! We need more hands over here, come check!”

“Lord Rasputin, we’ve confiscated quite a few firearms and knives; where should we send them!?”

“Of course, send them outside! Are we supposed to leave them in the auditorium waiting for a bomb to take us all out, you idiot, Blet?!”

Letty’s earlier nonchalance about “danger” was no joke. While she might be carefree, as she had said, both inside and outside the school, strict checks had been put in place for today.

Even though the Rosian Empire is known for its fierce spirit, and students often carry weapons to class, they had to surrender them now, label them, and have them carted away in boxes. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for anything to be unfavorable to Letty; if there were any dangerous individuals, they would likely have been caught and dealt with by now.

Everything seemed like a figment of my imagination regarding my own script, as there was no way outsiders could be lurking here. How could Letty possibly be in danger? But…

“Hey, you two, come over and surrender your weapons!”

Sister Rasputin’s brusque shout snapped me back to reality. I was currently in line with Kfir to surrender our weapons, and only after this final check could the students enter the auditorium behind Sister Rasputin to attend the award ceremony.

“No knives, swords, or firearms allowed inside; you two…”

Sister Rasputin raised her middle finger at me, and after her attendant with the detector nodded, she waved us off impatiently.

“Alright, hurry up, don’t waste Lady Letty’s time. Ugh… why do these foreigners have to come and steal our Rosian Academy’s spots… You there at the back, stop! You’re not from the academy, are you!? Wolf Knights, take him away!”

“Wait, wait! I just wanted to see the excitement…”

“Excitement for your whole family, Blet! The academy doesn’t welcome outsiders today! Take him away!”

Just as Kfir and I passed through, the scene behind us suddenly became lively, with two burly Rosian men hauling away a poor soul who was clearly not affiliated with the academy. Looking back at the line, I noticed several others who were likely just there to join the fun, startled by the scene and hurriedly fleeing.

With the checks being so strict, outsiders couldn’t even catch a glimpse of Letty, let alone pose any threat. But why…

[Letty was attacked and killed during the award ceremony!]

Why did such a script still exist? Unless…

The situation left me no time to ponder further. After all, Kfir and I had just entered the auditorium as two “international students,” and having won third place, we were immediately met with eager gazes!

“Congratulations to both of you!”

Or blessings.

“Congratulations, congratulations…”

Or superficially blessing, but in reality, the script is extremely ruthless.

“…Tsk, they must be saying the academy is going easy on the international students!”

Some are simply indulging in the moment.

【Student A, jealous of Oujili De, stabbed him to death after the award ceremony!】

【Student B, out of jealousy…】

In an instant, my attention and my own BOSS identity brought a whole pile of death scripts. If it weren’t for Ke Fei’er by my side, I probably wouldn’t be able to walk out of the lecture hall alive, and naturally, I wouldn’t have the chance to look at the scripts and continue to explore where the danger surrounding Letty truly came from.

The next moment, as Ke Fei’er and I took our seats, Letty appeared on the podium in a white military uniform, exuding a cute yet commanding presence. As she drew a thunderous cheer from the entire hall, I realized: there was no time left for prior exclusions; I had to confront Letty’s dangerous script head-on!

“Ahem! Quiet! Although you all already know from the report cards, from now on, this Emperor will announce the top four graduates of the third year from Rublyanka Academy! And as previously agreed, regardless of their identities or statuses, they will come up to receive their rewards for their outstanding achievements at Rublyanka Academy! This Emperor keeps his word! Hooray!”

“Hooray!!”

The surrounding students erupted in a near-frenzied, deafening roar. In a situation that was no different from fanatics meeting their idol, would Letty really encounter any danger?

But the next moment, the script’s emergence immediately warned me, who was feeling a bit lax, that I couldn’t afford to relax even a little!

【An attack on Ivan Letty is beginning!】

【Oujili De has died in the attack!】

The script was closing in; I didn’t even have time to care about my own death script!

“Next, please have the top four students of the academy come up and stand ready. This Emperor has prepared rewards that match your achievements!”

There was no hesitation; from the moment I decided to participate in this “award ceremony,” which suddenly multiplied my death scripts, I was already prepared for adventure, to spare Letty from this exceptionally dangerous “death script.” Even if the final outcome turned out to be merely a “descriptive trap” in the script, leading to a false alarm that might cause Letty to have some opinions about my actions, I had no intention of just standing by in this seemingly “peaceful” scene.

“Now for the third and fourth places: the international student Ke Fei’er from the Rosia Empire and… Li De!”

Time no longer allowed me to wait.

I looked at Ke Fei’er beside me, then seized the last fleeting moment as the surrounding gazes converged, whispering softly.

“Sorry, don’t blame me for taking risks.”

“Not at all…”

“Then why do you look so unwilling? Letty can at least be considered a ‘companion.’”

“You know the reason!”

Ke Fei’er grabbed my hand, boldly asserting her “claim” amidst the cheers, pulling me onto the podium.

【Ke Fei’er is somewhat jealous of how Oujili De treats Letty.】

Phew… I knew it.

Lady Ke Fei’er, the big shot, my wife, this jealousy… Once today’s unknown danger passes, can’t I let you savor it slowly?

What’s most important right now is to protect Letty, and also to protect your “script.”

——

Happy 520 to everyone (not really)

Anyway, I spent my time typing and seeking monthly votes; I wonder how everyone else is doing.