The medal ceremony was uneventful.
Quite a few people had gathered in the hall to watch, but none of them were as interested in Rudger as they should have been since most of the credit went to Passius.
It had been concluded that the Liberation Army's terrorist campaign was stopped largely due to the work of the Royal Guard and the other Master, Trina Ryanhowl. Or, more accurately, that's what the imperial family concluded and covered up the truth.
Of course, the truth could not be completely covered up.
In the case of the black storm on the ground, there were too many witnesses.
The demon Basara attacked the students as they sought refuge in the imperial palace, knocking them all out. Afterward, a huge storm raged, and Third Square was completely destroyed.
No matter how much they tried to block information, they couldn't cover up the truth.
The only good thing was that the students who were caught in the crossfire didn't remember what happened. The reason was that they had been traumatized.
'Of course, there are some who have intact memories.'
Like Flora Lumos, Rene and Aidan.
For starters, these three had intact memories.
Two of them hadn't been knocked out, and one had woken up quickly enough to be in the middle of the action but there was no need to worry.
Flora would keep his secret but he'll have to speak with Rene while Aidan was the only one left, but he decided not to bother with him since Madeline was his master.
Given Madeline's usual behavior, he wasn't sure what to expect but she was surprisingly good at following through.
'That's why she was in the Black Ops Alpha team.'
As Rudger mulled over the situation in his head, he felt a gaze on him.
He squinted in the direction of the gaze, and there, staring back at him, was a man, Second Prince Ivelon.
Of all the people being honored in the hall, he took a special interest in Rudger.
At first Rudger thought it was a coincidence, but one look into his eyes changed his mind.
Rumor had it that the second prince had a gentle heart and not much political skill. Instead, he excelled in artistic endeavors such as painting and music, and it was said that he even gave up his right to the throne because he loved them so much. But in reality, the second prince was not like that at all.
Rudger, who had met many people and seen countless events, was convinced.
'He has a monster in his heart.'
It is said that a kindred spirit recognizes another kindred spirit so it was clear that second prince Ivelon felt what Rudger felt.
There was a glint of interest in his eyes as he looked at Rudger but it was only a fleeting moment.
The medal ceremony, which seemed to last forever, was over.
After receiving the attention and applause he deserved, Passius gestured to the center of the room.
"Passius! Passius!"
"Trina! TRINA!"
The people cheered and threw flowers at the heroes of their country.
Rudger was inwardly relieved by the enthusiastic response. It was proof that their smoke screen was working.
Even as he thought this, Rudger could not take his eyes off the second prince.
* * *
After the ceremony, Rudger joined the other teachers.
"Mr. Rudger, are you feeling well?"
Many of the teachers were excited to see Rudger and Chris back.
Even though they had gone to the other side of the battle to help, it didn't change the fact that they had gone to a dangerous place.
Now that they'd come back alive and well, and even earned a medal, there was bound to be some attention.
To Selina's worried glance, Rudger nodded slightly, assuring her that everything was fine.
"There wasn't much danger because the others fought hard."
In reality, both Rudger and Chris had been in danger, but he didn't need to elaborate.
"I'm so glad you're okay, we were all so worried."
Merylda said playfully as she came up beside Selina.
"Of course, especially Selina, do you know how much she prayed for Mr. Rudger to come back safely?"
"Me, Miss Merylda!"
"What? Why? I was only telling him what really happened."
"Oh, no matter how you say it……."
Selina blushed and squinted at Rudger. She wasn't usually embarrassed to admit that she'd done something like that within earshot of Rudger.
"Thank you for your concern."
When Rudger said that, Selina's face brightened, a look that showed her emotions so blatantly.
Merylda gave a small giggle at the sight and Selina shot her an intense glare.
"Anyway, I'm glad you're back in one piece, Mr. Rudger, and I'm sure everyone else is too, except for that guy over there."
As she said this, Merylda's gaze shifted to Chris, who was surrounded by a group of aristocratic teachers.
"He doesn't have any injuries, does he?"
It's the kind of thing you wish you didn't have to say.
Merylda's hostility was not surprising, considering Chris's usual dismissive demeanor.
"Hmm. Well, I wouldn't say he's unscathed."
"Oh, really? I was just joking and I didn't think it was that serious. That's not bad, so where did he get hurt?"
"His heart."
"What?"
Merylda asked, wondering what the hell that meant, but Rudger didn't say much more than that.
"So when are the others going back to Theon?"
"That's something we don't know yet, but I'm sure the President will be able to give us a more detailed schedule."
Selina told Rudger that the Theon administration was currently swamped with the messy field trip.
"That's why we're here at the Imperial Palace, waiting for them to get back to us."
"I see, and besides, the students need to get some rest as well, so perhaps we should stay in the capital a little longer."
"Yeah. That's really thrown a wrench in my schedule for the rest of the school year, and I'm already worried about how much I'll have to cram in."
As she muttered that, Selina turned to Rudger and apologized.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what?"
"That there's nothing I can do to help."
Rudger didn't think it was necessary to apologize for that. But the look on Selina's face told him she meant it.
"You've put too much on your shoulders, Mr. Rudger. You've saved students and gone down into the tunnels where the terrorists were, even though you didn't have to."
"Ms. Selina."
"That's what bothered me. I was in the safety of the Imperial Palace, and there were students out there, struggling, and I couldn't help them."
Selina hated that. She felt that she had done a terrible job as a teacher in Theon.
More than that, she felt that as a human being, she had a responsibility to step in and help in this situation.
Of course, Selina was not to blame. She was the one who had prevented the people inside from going outside but that didn't matter to Selina.
"There was something I could have done, and I didn't do anything."
She lowered her head in a somber tone while Rudger stared at her for a moment before speaking.
"Ms. Selina, the events in the capital are certainly unfortunate. However, none of the students were actually seriously injured."
Miraculously, none of the Theon students were harmed in this incident thanks to their mentors, who did their best to protect them.
While some students were slightly injured in the chimera's attack, none were fatally injured.
Although many of the students fell victim to Basara's psychic waves, they were able to shake them off quickly and without any lingering effects. It was safe to say that there were no real casualties.
"But even if the students were safe, that doesn't mean there weren't any victims. Many of the capital's citizens were killed or injured, and many were left homeless, and are still struggling in relief barracks."
"I won't deny that."
"I also feel bad that I wasn't there to help them, because if I had been, I might have saved at least a few more lives."
"……."
Selina was right. If she, an accomplished elementalist, had stepped in, the damage would have been less than it was.
The death of a person is a heavy thing. But most people are numb to the deaths of others who are not related to them.
They may feel sad, but they can't express genuine sorrow and condolences since it's not their business.
But Selina was different. She mourns even the death of strangers.
Suddenly, Rudger remembered what Selina had been through in the past.
She had lost people she cared about, and her village had been burned.
Although that was all Esmeralda's fault and had nothing to do with Selina since she was nothing more than an artificial spirit that Esmeralda had created to remind her of her innocence, a false personality, in a way.
But were the emotions and feelings she was showing now really fake?
They weren't.
"Ms. Selina's reaction is understandable. But at the end of the day, this is what happened. You can grieve and feel sorry for yourself, but that's it. You don't have to dwell on it anymore."
Selina's eyes widened in surprise and she was about to ask why he was speaking so bluntly when Rudger continued.
"On the way to the capital, I saw the situation outside. The streets were broken and ruined, and workers were hard at work moving materials and clearing debris, and it's only been a day since that terrible thing happened."
"That's……."
"I'm not saying they're immune to the devastation – I'm sure they grieve, I'm sure they're angry, I'm sure they feel hopeless – but they were there, sweating it out, rebuilding. Do you know what that means?"
Selina hesitated before answering.
"I don't know."
"It means that in the end, they will get through it."
Selina's eyes narrowed and she timidly retorted with a trembling voice.
"But there might be some people who didn't."
"Yes, I'm sure there are, and those people will need help."
"Then……."
"But it's not up to us to guide those people. It's up to the grieving person's neighbors, friends, or family – people who can genuinely empathize with their grief."
"……."
"So we don't have to be sad, we just have to believe that they'll get through it."
At that moment, Selina realized why Rudger was telling her this.
He was telling her that he was worried that she was dwelling too much on her grief and wanted to reassure her that she shouldn't be so hard on herself.
His caring gesture meant the world to Selina.
"I'm not sure I answered your question, Selina."
"……No, it's more like an overflow, and from the sounds of it, I must have been going off on the wrong track."
Selina smirked at Rudger with that answer. It was a warm, springtime smile that seemed to make flowers bloom all around her.
"I feel like I'm always getting help from you, Mr. Rudger, thank you."
"……Not at all."
Rudger was momentarily speechless at Selina's smile but he quickly regained his composure and replied, "I don't think so," but there was no way Merylda, who had been secretly eavesdropping, could have missed it.
"Uh-oh."
Selina blushed as she regained her composure.
"Me, Ms. Merylda!"
"Huh? Why?"
"Well, what was that reaction?"
"What reaction?"
"That, that's……,!"
Just then, in the distance, Passius spotted Rudger and came running toward them.
"Ah, there you are, Mr. Rudger Chelici."
All eyes turned to the man who had been so instrumental in solving the attack but unperturbed by the stares, he turned to Rudger.
"The First Princess has asked to see you privately to recognize your work in resolving this situation."
Rudger nodded his understanding and turned to Selina and Merylda.
"I'll excuse myself for a moment, then."
"Oh, okay."
Rudger quickly followed behind Passius, who walked straight ahead and they arrived in an ornate drawing room.
"Welcome."
Eileen, who was waiting for them, turned to Rudger and said.
The pure white sunlight streaming in from the window illuminated her silver hair and Eileen was a shining jewel in her own right.
From her demure demeanor to her facial expressions, she exuded charisma and dominance.
"I was tired of waiting."
"Why don't we meet in the garden where I saw you that day?"
"It's the same yard where my mother and siblings moved and I don't need to draw attention to myself. I don't mind being seen, but you do, right?"
In short, she was saying that she was going to all this trouble for Rudger's sake.
"I'm overwhelmed with gratitude."
"Yes. Be more grateful. You owe me."
"I would be more grateful if you hadn't said that."
"But if I didn't say it, you were going to pretend you didn't know."
Rudger didn't bother to reply, instead he casually sat down in the empty seat across from Eileen.
Eileen's jeweled eyes sparkled, and she clasped her hands together and jammed them against her chin.
"Let's talk about what happened down there."