Unaware of Euphy’s internal struggle, Chione continued casually connecting dots Euphy hadn’t even realized were on the table,
“That said... Since we’re having this discussion, Saint Calliope must be concerned about the treaty Damon is a part of. If the Temple executes my fiancé, Hyperborea will almost certainly declare war on us. If this nation is led to believe he tried to assassinate me, then the Empress’ faction will use this to declare war on them. These are your root concerns, am I correct?”
Moros nodded his affirmation, then added, “However… since both Saints now oppose his execution, the latter is our primary concern.”
“Calliope doesn’t want to kill him?” Euphy asked, her voice cracking with relief. “Couldn’t you have said that earlier?”
“I wanted to get your opinion first, so as not to… pressure you with Calliope’s stance.”
Euphy felt a muscle in her eye twitch.
Okay, so both Chione and Moros thought she might be okay with murdering a guy just because he’d attacked her?
How bloodthirsty did they think she was?
“Hey, for the record? I am not for killing people! With the death penalty or otherwise!” Euphy said, her voice firm as she forced eye contact with each of them in turn.
Oh no.
Why did they seem so surprised by that?
“Really? Any people?” Moros asked, tilting his head.
“Don’t you think that might get inconvenient?” Chione asked, tilting hers in the opposite direction.
“Why would I be okay with murdering people because it’s convenient!?”
“Is it that you don’t want to kill them personally?”
“The Temple has never expected Saints to… carry out executions,” Moros added, as though this should be comforting.
Euphy just stared at them in shock.
They weren’t kidding, were they?
They were genuinely confused by her ‘murder is bad’ stance?
“Wouldn’t it be alright if… someone else killed them for you?”
“Or what if they do, but don’t tell you they did? Would that make you feel better?” Chione asked brightly, like this was a great idea she’d just come up with.
“I just think that, given the historical context of Calamities, no killing whatsoever… would be an unreasonable expectation for your team.”
She put her face in her hands and took a deep breath.
For two people who disliked each other so much, why did it feel like they were currently sharing a single brain cell?
Looking back up, she said with all the calm she could muster, “No unnecessary killing, on my behalf or otherwise. Please.”
She saw them both pause and she could sense, like the ominous weight of a storm on the horizon, that one or both of them was about to ask, ‘How are we defining unnecessary—?’
So she held up a hand and said, “And I would love to walk you both through how I’d prefer to solve every possible trolley problem the gods might drop us into, but could we please focus on the task at hand?”
They both nodded, so Euphy clapped her palms together as she continued, “You mentioned war. With Hyperborea. Could you elaborate?”
“Well… if the Temple executes my fiancé, that will be the second Hyperborean prince we’ve lost,” Chione replied, raising her hand to hold up two fingers. “That will probably upset them.”
“No, look, them attacking us because we keep getting their children killed was not the part I’m struggling over! Why would we invade them for an unsuccessful fake attempted murder?”
Moros and Chione exchanged a meaningful look, and Euphy had to hold onto her chair to keep herself from grabbing anything that wasn’t nailed down and chucking it at them.
It wasn’t her fault, okay? She’d been studying nonstop for years, it hadn’t left her much time to keep up to date on current events! Furthermore, political science hadn’t been on Aegis’ entrance exam so of course she’d fucking skipped those books!
“Could you tell us what you know already?” Chione asked delicately.
“Um… I know Hyperborea didn’t want to rejoin, but they eventually agreed because of the treaty with you and that prick, and I know some jerks want to invade them anyway for, uh, reasons—”
Wait. If that was the case, why hadn’t Chione and Damon’s falling out been a bigger issue in the game? It wasn’t like the Empire would back off over a college break up.
Maybe the Goddess didn’t care about plot holes?
“But that’s stupid, why invade someone if you don’t have to?”
“The short answer would be resources and internal stagnation,” Moros chimed in, doing a great impression of a professor even though he wasn’t one. “As long as they join willingly… Cydonia will honor their existing titles and property rights to an extent. Should we conquer them instead, all of their wealth… is forfeit to the victors.”
Euphy frowned, thinking this over.
Wealth, what wealth? The Spine was beautiful, but desolate. Other than wooly animals and some rare plants and monsters, there wasn’t anything of value up there other than mana stones—
Ah. Right, that was it, wasn’t it?
She was used to living on a tight budget, so she was painfully aware of just how fast the price of mana stones had risen in response to the spread of affordable artificing products. They could only be mined in the mountains, which meant gods only knew how much money Hyperborea was currently sitting on.
“Okay, I get resources, but by stagnation… are you referring to the ward system?”
“Yes. For families who wish to gain control of more direct political power, conquest is a very attractive option,” Chione replied, pleased that Euphy was catching on.
“Oh.”
The ward system was great when it came to letting people live without much fear of being eaten, but its biggest flaw was how rigid it was. All the easily inhabited land in the country had been divided up into territories centuries ago, and each territory was connected to the ward system via a title. Since holding a title meant having a vote in parliament, the only way to create new additional votes was to make new territories.
Going abroad, stealing someone else’s country to create a new vassal state, and then asking the Emperor to give your family members territories and titles as a reward was a ploy that had been used to significantly empower some noble houses in the past.
In light of that, a foreign prince trying to kill their princess would probably sound like a great opportunity to a lot of people.
… Wow. She really hated politics.
She hated it so much.
Still, Moros already had a plan, didn’t he? As long as Chione wasn’t involved, nobody would care about Damon trying to kill a commoner.
Even if Euphy was the commoner nobody cared about in question, that was still way better than war, wasn’t it?
“Cleric, Euphrosyne said my brother knew who she was last night. Was he informed by the Temple?” Chione asked Moros.
“… No. I’m afraid not.”
“So you mean to say you’ve been infiltrated.”
“That is one possibility, but… there is also a chance this is due to a leak that happened years ago.”
“But you don’t know for sure.”
“We’re looking into it.”
“So you’re asking me to lie about my involvement for you, even knowing you have a gap in your security?”
“There will be no record of this request. Outside of you two, and myself… only the Saint and my direct superior are aware that this conversation is happening.”
“And Damon, who’s very reliable, as we saw last night,” Chione said with a cold laugh. Now that she was done gently educating Euphy, she went right back into tyrant mode towards Moros. “Cleric, I don’t think you grasp the gravity of the risk you want me to take. If this gets out, and my father learns I deceived him on behalf of Saint Calliope, do you think I’ll keep my status as Crown Princess? Might I remind you that the moment my brother is officially selected as heir, war with Hyperborea will be inevitable?”
Just like that, Euphy’s hope for an easy solution was shattered.
To say the Saint and the Emperor were not on good terms was putting it lightly.
Moros calmly replied, “If we had a better option, I would have suggested it… Our only alternative is to try and fight whatever anti-Hyperborean narrative the Empress inevitably crafts, and that isn’t a battle we’re likely to win.”
“Well, wait, but—Chione and I were there, we know the truth. Couldn’t we tell our side of the story?” Euphy suggested.
“And how… would you like to do that? As a commoner, or as a Saint?” Moros asked her, his light blue eyes placid. “How well do you think your anonymity will hold up under national scrutiny? As shameful as it is to admit, as of now your identity has leaked twice… Even if the Empress cannot reveal you without violating the Covenant, that won’t stop anyone without a title.”
“W-well, um—”
“And are you prepared to wage a public relations campaign amidst the Calamity and your schooling…? Do you expect to have the time?”
“Uh, no, but—”
“Furthermore, even if you are prepared to reveal yourself, and to handle the mass panic that will follow, do you think the news that… the Hyperborean Prince actually tried to kill our Young Saint, right before a Calamity started… will be received any better?”
Euphy closed her mouth.
Okay. Maybe her ideas were bad.
“There’s no need to involve Euphy, Cleric. You seem to think my own testimony holds no weight, but it’s not as though I’m without supporters,” Chione cut in.
Moros just slightly raised his eyebrows and quietly asked, “Do those people actually support you… or do they just oppose the Empress?”
It was a devastating attack. Chione stiffened at the question, her mouth hanging open for a moment, and the furious look she shot Moros next was bloodcurdling.
“Excuse me?”
“The treaty is basically your only accomplishment… thus, even if you were attacked, you have plenty of motivation to sweep things under the rug, which the Empress’ faction will be quick to point out.”
Euphy stared at Moros in horror.
What happened to the chill quiet guy from the game? Did Moros intend to brawl with the Princess right in front of her?
“Cleric Moros, come on,” Euphy pleaded, pointing meaningfully at the dangerous spirit he kept ruthlessly riling up. “We’re on the same side, remember?”
Chione’s mouth was twisted in a snarl, and Euphy got the impression that she had a lot to say to Moros, but she lost some steam once Euphy stood up for her. Looking between Euphy and Moros, she seemed to come to a decision and scooted her chair a little closer to Euphy’s like she was staking a claim.
Thrilled that Chione was not blowing up, Euphy gave her a thumbs up and tried to convey with her eyes, Yes! Chione, you’re doing so well! I too had to learn to manage my anger, I know it’s a journey, I support you!
She wasn’t sure Chione got the message, but judging by the smug expression on her face, she’d at least seen something she liked.
“Then I will focus on convincing my father,” Chione said, ”People can say what they like, but only he can choose to start a war.”
“And what if people say he’s refusing to do so out of fear? That he’s… so desperate for peace that he’s willing to sacrifice his own daughter?” Moros said, as if his only real purpose was to immediately undo everything Euphy did to calm Chione down.
“Watch what you say, Cleric!” Chione hissed, bristling once more with anger.
“Or what if your brother convinces him instead? If he believes… you’ve been threatened, do you think he’ll sit still?”
“Ha! If you think he cares for me like a parent, you’re mistaken. He supports me because I don’t mess around with things like this, and to keep the Empress in check, that’s it,” Chione insisted, crossing her arms over her chest and letting out a bitter laugh. “Even if my fiancé did kill me, it’s not as though he lacks spares.”
Unsurprisingly, awkward silence followed that depressing statement.
“Umm, maybe we should take a break for a little while to think things through…?” Euphy suggested.
“There’s nothing to think about, my answer is no,” Chione replied, turning her head away with a huff.
“Like it or not, hiding your involvement is the simplest and… most direct solution.”
“I said no!” Chione shouted. “This is about my family, I don’t care who you work for or how blessed you are, you don’t get to tell me how to handle them!”
Moros sat back with a sigh, and all three of them lapsed back into silence. Outside, lightning flashed while rain kept coming down in torrents, and for a while that and the ticking of an ugly clock were the only sounds in the room.
Gods damn it. She’d gotten into one fight, in which she hadn’t even really fought, and instead of facing academic probation she had to figure out how to prevent someone else from turning it into a war?
If every day was going to be like this, how the hell was she going to get through the year without flunking out?
“I recall the Emperor did not have a close relationship with his own father,” Moros began as a heavy gust of wind violently rattled the window panes behind him. “And yet… that didn't prevent him from falling for a similar trick before.”
Chione, who’d been lost in her own thoughts, asked in confusion, “Pardon, what did you say?”
In the brief pause that followed, Euphy had an intense premonition of dread. Even before she could say why she felt the need to stop Moros from replying, she was already saying, “Moros, hold on, why don’t we—”
“—I’m just wondering if the Princess is aware… of how many innocent people died so her father could avenge her grandfather’s death.”
Chione’s expression grew cold and her eyes glittered with dangerous light as she replied, “There’s no need to be vague, Cleric. Why not just name what it is you’re referring to?”
“No no no, please don’t do this—“”
“I am referring, of course, to the Invasion of Acidalia.”
“I had a feeling this was what you really wanted to get at,” Chione purred, her smile twisting with dark satisfaction. “I see I was correct.”
Euphy let out a ragged sigh and put her face in her hands.
This conversation, right here? This was why putting these two together was a terrible idea.
One of the Empire’s long standing problems was that at some point it had run out of neighbors it could realistically swallow.
Acidalia was the exception.
The small southern archipelago was not powerful in terms of wealth, population, or military might, but it didn’t need to be since it was under the protection of the Spirit King of the South.
Or at least it was, until that spirit was injured and forced into hibernation.
This was a great opportunity from the point of view of many Cydonians, because even if they’d signed a treaty agreeing not to touch them while their Spirit King was sleeping, who could say if the other countries would honor their agreements?
From that perspective, conquering Acidalia was basically doing it a favor.
However, this plan didn’t go smoothly.
The first issue was that Acidalia itself was unsurprisingly against the idea, and hotly resisted all diplomatic efforts to convince them to join the Empire.
The second was that, since it had been a friendly economic partner for centuries, a lot of people in the southernmost regions, including many noble houses, were related to Acidalians who had sailed north to trade and vice versa. They were both reluctant to attack their own extended families and uncomfortable being the most obvious target for retaliation.
The third was that the Temple was unequivocally against the matter. Saint Calliope herself ended up leading the anti-war coalition, and this combined with the rest resulted in such a complicated and tense political headache that then-Emperor Arcesius became reluctant to make a move.
In fact, the invasion might never have happened at all if he hadn’t been assassinated by a supposed Acidalian extremist. Because of this his successor, Emperor Xanthos, was swiftly convinced to attack in retaliation.
As a result, tens of thousands of lives were lost, the Saint and the Emperor nearly started a civil war with one another, and Acidalia was only kept as a state for a little over a decade before it revolted and regained its independence.
It was still a sensitive subject for a lot of people.
“Moros, this isn’t the same,” Euphy said, leaving the ‘because unlike her grandfather, Chione is alive’ bit unspoken. “And also, Chione and I weren’t even alive when that happened.”
“I’m aware, and I’m not… accusing either of you of responsibility for it. I am only pointing out that the same man in charge then… is in charge now.”
…
Ok, well, he had a point there.
After Emperor Arcesius’ assassination, a lot of people were vocal about just how fishy the circumstances were. That a man only known for gambling suddenly became an assassin talented and resourceful enough to kill one of the most closely guarded people alive, that he just so happened to have some Acidalian ancestry, that he conveniently died in prison before the Temple got a chance to interrogate him themselves…
Chione’s father had ignored it all and attacked Acidalia anyway.
Would the same man be willing to invade another country over the possibility that their son had tried to kill his daughter?
Ah… fuck.
“I see, so the Cleric is not implying that I am a murderer, but rather that my father is a murderer,” Chione said, her smile and her teeth much sharper than they’d been before. “And that due to my mistake, he worries my father may wantonly kill again?”
“H-hey, come on, he didn’t say that,” Euphy tried to interrupt, and was ignored.
“None of us choose our parents, Princess. However… this is the reality of what is at stake.”
“But your implication is that if I do not agree to lie on your behalf, this hypothetical slaughter will be on my conscience?”
“I wonder if you… will truly feel no guilt, if that does happen?” Moros asked right back, once again ice cold in the face of Chione’s rising fury.
“Please, I’m asking who you will personally blame, Cleric. Do speak freely, you have my permission,” Chione taunted, so tense as she leaned forward that Euphy could see the corded muscles in her neck, and even the subtle flicker of light under her skin as her mana began to circulate.
Euphy, every bone in her body locked up with panic, tried to wordlessly communicate to Moros with her eyes that as valid as his concerns were, it would be a really big problem for both of them if Chione got too upset.
He must know what could happen, right? He knew about the game, he’d seen the damage to the folly last night…
Ianthe’s office, which had looked so big and sturdy before, now felt fragile and cramped under the weight of burgeoning menace in the air.
Moros, his lenses flashing white as lightning struck outside, didn’t so much as flinch as he replied, “I would blame your father. In the end, your status aside, you… are still just a child.”
Euphy let out a shaky breath she’d been holding, almost moved to tears. Okay, that hadn’t been a polite way of putting it, but at least he hadn’t said something even worse—
“… Though, I’m not sure if the countless souls awaiting your family in hell will agree with me.”
Euphy felt her expression crack.
… She was going to cry.
“I wonder,” Chione said, her scarlet eyes burning bright as coals as an icy wind sprang to life within the room, “If the Cleric realizes who he is talking to, or if perhaps he’d prefer to carry on this conversation from within a cell?”
“Guys, please, can we not do this?” Euphy begged.
“Strange… and here I thought I had your permission to speak honestly,” Moros replied, his pale blue eyes glinting. “I suppose it was my mistake, for… foolishly believing the words of an imperial.”
“Tell me, do you always take your grudges out on children, or am I the exception?”
“Oh, no… I assure you, I spoke to your brother in much the same way,” Moros said, and for the first time he gave a very slight smile as he lifted his gloved hands to show he wasn’t readying any spells. “Go on, call your knights if you must…”
Staring at Moros, Euphy thought to herself, You’re supposed to be the gentle and reasonable mentor, so why do you keep making everything worse!?
Yet at the same time, she couldn’t blame Moros for his worry. What her country had done to Acidalia was, without question, a horrible crime, and a lot of people from Moros’ generation were still carrying those scars. No matter how calm he appeared, it was plain to see that he was genuinely afraid it would happen again, and…
Honestly, she was too. The idea that the fight she’d gotten into last night could result in the deaths of Goddess knew how many strangers felt as absurd as it was terrifying. Every time she tried to wrap her mind around the gravity of that she failed, and she wasn’t sure if that was due to lack of experience or if some part of her was trying to protect herself from the heaviness of that weight.
However, fighting with Chione wasn’t going to solve anything. While it was true that one day the Princess was going to have to grapple with the fact that her father had done something monstrous, it definitely wasn’t going to get resolved within the span of this conversation, especially considering how deeply messed up Chione’s family life already was.
Plus, as selfish as it felt to think it, right now Acidalia was currently in the pile of things Euphrosyne couldn’t change. She needed to survive this year, and she had no idea how she was going to do that when it felt like every move she made ended in disaster.
What was she doing here? What had convinced her to think she could do this? She was too small, too inexperienced, too under-qualified to be a Saint and yet she was and now people might die because of her incompetence.
She hadn’t even gone to her first class yet.
Oh, crap. She really was going to cry.
Euphy sniffled, and to her shame, both Chione and Moros paused their face-off to stare at her.
She’d always been so annoyed by heroines in stories who just cried at everything, but the truth was she felt so overwhelmed that her tears kicked down the door and escaped all on their own.
She hurriedly tried to use a spell to block her tear ducts, but couldn’t focus enough to cast it. Damn, should she just remove them permanently instead? No, then her eyes would get super dry all the time, she’d have to carry eye drops everywhere.
“Euphy, are you…?” Chione asked, her glowing eyes wide with worry. She immediately gave up on being threatening towards Moros and leaned closer to Euphy, her hands hovering in the air like she wasn’t sure what to do with them. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I really want to stop crying, but I’m too stressed,” Euphy mumbled, accepting a handkerchief Chione offered and using it to wipe her face, only for a fresh round of tears to immediately replace them. “Oh gods, it just keeps going.”
“It—it’s alright! It’s not your fault, don’t cry,” Chione begged as she tentatively patted Euphy’s back, her expression panicked. “It’s my fault, I said I’d support you but I’ve only been thinking about myself.”
The more occupied Chione became with figuring out how to calm down Euphy, the faster the mana-laden menace in the air cleared, and soon the atmosphere was back to normal.
Euphy observed this and thought, Oh, wow.
Apparently crying was super effective on the Princess? Maybe even more so than hand holding? A moment ago Chione looked like she was about to hulk out, but now her expression was so distressed, as though she herself had made some unforgivable mistake and was desperate to fix it, that it was making Euphy feel bad.
No wonder heroines were always crying. Sometimes it wasn’t an option not to and it unexpectedly solved problems.
Well, with Chione, at least. Moros was just sitting there impassively watching them in a way that felt a lot like how they'd wait out his coughing fits.
“It’s okay, I get that you don’t want to lie to your dad,” Euphy said with a sniffle, mentally adding, I don’t blame you, he sounds like a bloodthirsty madman.
“I know, but being a Saint must be very hard on you, and one of your heroes shouldn't be adding to that burden,” Chione said, gently stroking Euphy’s hair—
Hey, wait, if the Princess could pet her, did that mean the reverse was also fine?
Euphy felt like she’d just discovered something great, but tried to hide it so she could see if the head petting continued.
“Euphy, why don’t you tell me if you have any ideas, and you and I can discuss them together?”
Moros, who’d now been unofficially banned from the conversation, folded his hands in his lap and closed his eyes like he was going to take a nap.
“Well… Um…”
Euphy did not want to say ‘you guys were freaking me out so bad that I didn’t have time to come up with anything,’ so she just bit her lip and fell silent.
The scale wasn’t the same, but she’d had friends with difficult parents before. One weird thing she’d picked up was that, no matter how awful a parent was to their own child, they often cared a surprising amount about being seen as good by other children.
As new as she was to political scheming, her guess was that Laertes had reached out to her because the Empress was on shit terms with Calliope and wanted a better relationship with her successor. If that was true, then there was a chance the Emperor felt the same way, right?
“Chione, um… do you think your dad hates me? Because of Calliope?”
Chione’s red eyes widened and she shook her head, sending her white hair bouncing as she denied, “No, of course not! In fact, I’m sure he hopes you’ll give him a chance despite their, um… history.”
“Then… what if we lie to everyone except your parents?” Euphy suggested, hesitating because she worried her idea was stupid. “If I tell them what happened, and explain I asked you to change the story because I was worried it’d cause trouble with the Calamity, then… wouldn’t that upset them less, since they’d be ‘in’ on it?”
Chione was surprised by this suggestion, but she didn’t reject it. Instead she cautiously asked, “Are you saying you’d be willing to meet my parents?”
No. I’m not willing, and I don’t want to, I don’t want to so badly, Euphy thought, and the idea felt so repulsive that for a moment she felt like she might start crying again. However, she stuffed that feeling down and nodded instead.
“I mean, I have to eventually… at least this way they’ll feel like they’ve done me a favor, so they’ll have a reason to take care of things themselves if the truth leaks, right?”
“Yes, exactly! My father will get Hyperborea regardless, so I have no doubt he’ll prioritize winning you to his side! However…”
Now Chione gave Moros a look, noticed his eyes were closed, and cleared her throat.
He twitched and opened his eyes again, rejoining the conversation as though he’d never left. “The moment you make contact with them… you’ll officially be involved in imperial politics. It’s not something you’ll ever be able to back out of, and they won’t hesitate… to use you just because you’re young.”
… Hurray, Euphy thought, quietly dying inside. What fucking nightmare, haha, I hate it.
“To be honest, the Temple was hoping… to keep you away from the palace as long as possible. However, if this is what you want to do, then… you have my support.”
“Wait, really? You're sure?”
After watching him push back so much against Chione, Euphy had assumed he’d argue with her too.
“Well… I’d like to discuss it with Calliope before you go forward, but I’m really only here to offer advice. As the Young Saint… how the affairs of the heroes are handled is entirely up to you.”
“That’s, uh…”
… A surprising amount of leeway? Moros, are you sure you’re from the Temple?
Then again, what did she know? Apparently working her to death was fine but taking a swing at her deserved the death penalty, so it turned out that what she knew about the Temple could best be described as ‘fuck all.’
“Euphy, I’ll support you as well,” Chione added, smiling at her. “I’m sure I can sell my parents on the opportunity to make a positive first impression, and I’ll make sure they stay on their best behavior around you. Oh! And if my brother tries to give you trouble again, just come find me.”
“Yes, yes I will do that,” Euphy replied seriously, thinking to herself, He’s your stupid brother, so of course you should take care of him!
The faster she got all these damn princes off of her plate, the better.
Which reminded her—
“Hey, just checking… We’re all agreed on not killing Damon, right?”
“Not unless… it’s ‘necessary.’”
“It isn’t! And also, isn’t he technically one of your students!?”
“Yes, and?” Moros agreed, blinking at her.
Blinking back, Euphy thought, Moros, your character setting’s completely collapsed and I’ve only known you an hour.
At least real Chione was a lot like game Chione. Hopefully that would be true for the other characters as well, and Moros was just an aberration?
Since Euphy didn’t reply, Moros continued with a shrug, “Anyway, if we keep Prince Damon alive, then he can share your punishment.”
“… Excuse me, my what?”
“You’ve both agreed to the coverup, which means… Euphrosyne, you’re now officially responsible for the Princess’ retaliatory attack—”
“Hey, waitaminute!”
“Which reminds me, are you capable of a spell of that magnitude?”
“Uh… uh, I’m…”
Euphy wracked her brain, trying to come up with something. Holy and lunar magics were her specialty, and neither of those came with a lot of options for blasting a football field’s worth of garden. The only thing she could come up with was, “Well… there’s divine lightning?”
Divine lightning was not, in fact, lightning at all. It was more like a giant laser beam of holy judgment, which Euphy was intimately aware of because she’d been blasted with it from space when her big blessing arrived.
“Can you perform that spell?”
“Uh… n-no, but nobody has to know that…”
Actually, that fact was a serious source of shame for her.
It was possibly the coolest spell holy magic had, the Goddess had even used it on her, and yet she couldn’t cast it? The only person who might be more upset about that than her was Alke, who’d spent years trying and failing to teach it to her.
Then again, Alke’s teaching style revolved around gaslighting and insults, so maybe it wasn’t surprising that a spell relying on confidence and conviction wasn’t working for Euphrosyne.
“Close enough,” Moros agreed.
“No, back up, what was that about a punishment?” Chione demanded, stabbing her finger down on the desk in Euphy’s defense. “You’re not serious about that, are you?”
“Of course I am… if we don’t punish Euphrosyne, it will look suspicious in our records. That said, we’ll still frame the Prince as the aggressor… and punish him more harshly, to… oh, I don’t know, show that we don’t tolerate students abusing their status, or something,” Moros said, making a twirling motion with one finger. “There, I’ve spun it, so… let’s wrap things up, I’m tired.”
“No, I’m not willing to accept that!” Chione snapped. “Whatever the punishment is, I’ll handle it for her!”
Euphy looked up at Chione with big, shining eyes and thought, You… you really are my hero!
Offering to do the punishment for her, when they both already had so much on their plates? Incredible, A+ best friend material, Euphy would remember this until her dying breath.
“Well… I was only going to assign her service hours, but you can perform them together, if you like.”
Really? That didn’t seem so bad, especially if she had Chione doing them with her.
“Service hours doing what?” Chione asked, her tone still suspicious and hostile.
“President Ianthe’s cohort needs research assistants.”
Euphy blinked a few times and asked, “I’m sorry, fucking what?”