I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

082. Northbound (2)

Historia felt a twinge of conscience.

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Of course, how significant that twinge was is another story, but she wanted to be understood for the situation that forced her to escape, even with such a burden on her heart.

Her long-windedness was also for that reason.

“Isn’t it really too much?! Paperwork! Paperwork! More paperwork! I spend more than ten hours a day just looking at paperwork! Why do I have to approve every single event?! There are things they can handle on their own! They keep asking me how I feel about this budget discrepancy or that budget discrepancy dozens of times a day!”

“Hmm…”

“And it doesn’t end there! I don’t just stamp them; I have to give feedback on each report! No! They should figure it out themselves! I don’t know either! Now, just looking at letters makes me sick! Do you know? After looking at paperwork for ten hours a day for months, it feels like the letters are crawling on the paper! Now I even dream about approving documents in my sleep!”

Once Historia’s dam of complaints broke, it wouldn’t stop.

As she spoke, emotions welled up, and tears hung at the corners of her eyes.

Considering that in Yuren’s memory, Historia was the one who smiled and sacrificed herself until the moment of death, it could be said that the paperwork was that vicious.

Anyway, the narrator, Historia, felt a strange exhilaration in this series of complaints.

Only after living for twenty years did she understand why people whine to others.

“In conclusion! I need time to clear my head too! Ah, of course, I know it’s not a vacation! That’s why I have to go even more! Because it’s the empire’s crisis! Yes!”

Finally, self-justification.

In fact, just the fact that the saint, known as the top among the empire’s priests, joined them meant an indescribable strategic boost, so she wasn’t wrong.

The problem was that her mindset was one of ‘escape.’

Yuren listened silently until the end.

He just thought that she had a lot on her mind.

After all, a person who always says, ‘If you have a guilty conscience, you talk a lot,’ couldn’t give a plausible consolation.

Just nodding while stuffing her mouth with meat bread was humane enough.

It was unfortunate that there was one person in this space who couldn’t do that.

“Hmm, is paperwork difficult?”

Kallios, a superhuman who could finish several times more paperwork than Historia in an hour, couldn’t understand her properly.

He even lacked the empathy or tact to avoid stabbing her with his words.

Historia was dumbfounded, her mouth agape, and then she wilted.

“…Yes. I am incompetent.”

Although she had complained enthusiastically, Historia, who wasn’t mean enough to say, ‘Who are you to talk about my work like that?’ just became dejected.

Yuren clicked his tongue.

“The way you talk is just…”

“Are you talking to me?”

“Is that how it sounded to you?”

“Huh?”

“Eat this and shut your mouth. Sigh.”

Kallios, wondering if he was being insulted, accepted the cheeseburger without hesitation.

Only then did the inside of the carriage become quiet.

* * *

During the cold wave season, Heyron is the coldest place on the entire continent.

There’s a somewhat vulgar joke about it, saying that if you pee, the stream freezes mid-air.

I had heard that from a subordinate from the north before my regression.

At the time, I had responded to him like this:

―Do you have to exaggerate in such a dirty way?

―No! It’s true! One of my relatives had his thing frozen…

―Shut up, you brat.

―Ouch!

I had given him a flick on the forehead for trying to make an unpleasant description.

But now, thinking back, it was true.

“Ugh, hoo hoo…!”

Peto was crouched, clutching his groin and crying.

Beatrice, with a face full of contempt, was warming the area around Peto, while Historia couldn’t bear to look at him and was treating him.

…Yes, if you pee wrong, you could really die.

That guy’s words were true.

Given the situation, I had a thought.

‘Is it right to go to the north in this weather?’

Even the northerners don’t go outside during this season.

So, wouldn’t that prince also avoid the snowy mountains at this time?

…I thought about turning back, but there was someone here who made that impossible.

“Geez, the so-called Imperial Guard is really weak.”

The duke clicked his tongue as he looked at Peto, who was sobbing uncontrollably.

A gasp of astonishment escaped.

In this biting wind, while the rest of us were bundled up in multiple layers and protective artifacts, he stood there facing the wind with nothing but a shirt on. It made me wonder if he was even human.

“Are you alright, Your Excellency?”

“Hmm? Ah, once you get used to it, it’s bearable! If you want, I can train you too. Hunting in this season is quite special.”

I shook my head.

Well, considering that his swordsmanship was forged in flames that overcame the cold, it made sense that his body had developed a resistance to the cold beyond human levels.

But what’s the point of regretting it now?

It’s been a week since we set out, and we’ve already crossed the threshold of the north. Turning back now would be pointless.

“Let’s camp nearby for today. Looking at this situation, I don’t think we can move any further.”

“Yes, let’s do that. This is why city men are a problem.”

I couldn’t find a response to the Grand Duke’s remark.

* * *

Camping in the middle of a snowy field with a biting wind might seem absurd, but only ordinary people worry about such things.

With a bit of money, you can tear open a warming scroll on this continent, and with a well-trained mage, you can sleep in comfortable pajamas.

So, as long as we have Beatrice, camping is not a big problem.

“It’s quite convenient.”

The Crown Prince said, stretching his legs out in the carriage.

Currently, an area with a diameter of about 18 meters was being warmed by Beatrice’s magic.

The guards were setting up tents, and I was preparing dinner.

“Didn’t I tell you? There’s no one as useful as her.”

“You’re too kind.”

“I wasn’t talking to you. Adjust the barrier.”

“…Yes.”

She butted in without being called.

Beatrice went back to adjusting the magic.

I don’t like her personality or her actions, but it’s hard to leave her behind because of this convenience.

There’s a reason why she’s called the golden generation despite being a failure.

Even thinking about future tasks, it was the same.

‘When entering the snowy mountains, I should bring Beatrice and Historia.’

This northern expedition had a personal goal in addition to the Grand Duke and the Church of the Outer Realm.

‘I need to find out what that man from the first generation had planned.’

It was clear that the first generation Pharos had already foreseen and acted upon what was happening now.

Considering the sacred tree left to the family and the reinforcement of the tunnel, this was almost a given.

So, I listened to Girgoor about the information on the indigenous people of the snowy mountains and conducted additional investigations.

I even asked the Grand Duke directly.

Well, nothing is certain yet, so I can’t jump to conclusions, but based on what has been revealed so far, it seems that way.

‘It seems like he left something for the spirits.’

There was something there that I had to receive, whether it was an object or magic, I didn’t know.

I was thinking about that.

“Wow, it smells really good. What is this?”

Historia approached and asked with a relaxed face.

She looked really happy, smiling broadly.

Did she hate working that much?

“It’s just soup.”

“Soup?”

“Yes, it’s a dish where you throw meat attached to livestock bones and seasoning into water and boil it thoroughly. If you want, I can add some meat bread.”

“Oh! What’s it called?”

“It doesn’t really have a name.”

To be precise, I didn’t know because Hanna didn’t teach me.

She would occasionally receive the bones left after processing the meat distributed to the regular army and make this soup.

It was a particularly popular dish in winter because, as long as you could replenish the broth, you could eat warm soup until you felt full.

Some even worshipped Hanna, saying she replicated food.

Right over there, Liam and Rubin did that.

―The snacks never run out! Hanna has entered the realm of creation!

―Ah, eat and die…!

―Take it easy.

I glanced at the members struggling to pitch the tent.

At that time, since we never knew when a battle might occur, I didn’t let them eat comfortably, but on a day like today, it should be fine.

I also felt sorry for not being able to feed them well before the regression.

After a while, the soup was fully cooked.

By then, the tent was already completed.

“Let’s eat and rest. We have to get up early and go again.”

As soon as I said that, the group flocked over.

And as they took a bite of the meat, the reactions were quite good.

“Oh, oh…!”

“Ah! There’s meat bread in here too!”

“…Yuren, is there no alcohol over there?”

“……!”

Everyone ate happily.

Gathered together, they praised the food I made, and I felt quite proud.

Was this how Hanna felt?

‘Should I open a restaurant when I retire?’

Well, if I think about saving the empire and passing on the family, it’s a very distant future.

I suddenly imagined a happy future far away.

It was at that moment.

‘…Ah.’

I let out a hollow laugh.

Come to think of it, I never had.

‘I never imagined the future. Not me.’

In both my past and present lives, the most urgent thing was the present.

Figuring out how to survive tomorrow’s battle, or preventing some terrible event from happening.

After that was resolved… after finding comfort, what should I do?

It was a moment when my mind went blank with such thoughts.

The prince called me.

“Yuren.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Can I put a cheeseburger in as well? Seeing that you put in meat bread…”

“…Did this crazy b*stard get possessed by a demon?”

“?”

“Ah, sorry. I was just too surprised.”

How on earth does one come up with the idea of putting a cheeseburger in the soup?

Seeing his clear eyes, it was obvious he was serious.

I was chilled by this man’s madness.

“It doesn’t suit. Just eat it as it is.”

“Hmm…”

The prince couldn’t quite let go and kept glaring at the soup.

At that point, I felt uneasy and finished my meal.

Historia, who was quick-witted, and Beatrice, who had been watching my actions strangely, also finished their meals.

So, to sum it up, that was it.

“Hmm, it doesn’t taste that good.”

In the end, the prince dunked the cheeseburger into the soup.

And since it didn’t suit his taste, he handed it over to the guards.

“Oh.”

“…”

For the first time, I wondered.

‘Is it right for such a b*stard to become the emperor?’

And one more thing,

“Mm! The capital’s food culture is truly amazing!”

The duke even enjoyed the soup with the cheeseburger in it.

He seemed like a person who would eat anything, even if it was crap.

* * *

The journey continued without major incidents.

If there was anything that delayed us, it was the harsh northern cold that occasionally caused the carriage to break down.

And at some points, the spirit’s energy, frozen by the cold wave, damaged the magic, causing the cold to rush in.

Overcoming such incidents and stopping by villages for supplies took ten days.

“Phew, we’ve finally arrived. Welcome to Heiron!”

We arrived at the heart of the north, Heiron.