I didn't need to worry about him then. I walked to the edge of the ship and looked down. There was something I needed to do before teleporting back.
"Scylla, return."
As I said that, a large wave washed over us, destroying the ice holding the ships in place. Then, a large shadow leaped from the sea, kicking the water up.
"What?!"
"That's…!!"
Both Gon and Marny exclaimed in surprise. They seemed to recognize Scylla's silhouette.
That shadow's body was suddenly shrunk into a 30-centimeter creature and fell onto my shoulders.
"Master… I… Am… Done…" She said.
"Good job. Now, let's turn you into a scroll again and leave."
"Yes…"
Scylla's body was covered in bright golden light and turned into a scroll. I put it in my inventory and turned to Cecil once again.
Gon and Marny still looked baffled. Their jaws were dropped, and their eyes were wide open. The former looked at me, and I only nodded with a soft smile, gesturing for him to keep this a secret too.
"Let's go home, Cecil," I said, patting the minotaur girl's shoulder.
Cecil sighed and nodded, "Alright. That was fun, but I need to ask Vivian about my dress. I hope I still have time to change the design if it's too stuffy for me."
"Hahaha, I hope she will let you do that."
"Maybe not." She sighed once again and looked at Gon, "Pops, see you again."
"Y-Yeah." Gon nodded his head firmly, fixing the pirate captain's position on his shoulder. "Come back soon."
After that, we teleported away from the ship and returned back to my mansion.
Once we arrived in the mansion's garden, I tapped Cecil's shoulder and pointed at Vivian, who was waving at us. She was having a morning tea alone, as Tris and Eli were in the Academies. The twin nuns had returned, and they tended the garden with Astro running around them.
Cecil looked at me in disbelief, "You're leaving again?"
"Yeah, I need to meet Queen Eve after this."
"Quite a busy man, boy. Have some time for us tonight. I believe that's what you want as well, no?"
I smiled at her and didn't refuse. The words for us must be referred to her, Vivian, Eli, and Tris. I also missed their touches, and I wouldn't refuse her invitation.
"I will make sure to return home tonight."
"That's great." Cecil smiled and slapped my back, "Then go ahead, Mr. Paladin. I will prepare your bath for tonight."
Hearing her, I chuckled and said my thanks. Then I left my mansion once more, this time going to the Royal Academy to meet Alesia and Emilia. I wanted to invite the latter to accompany me in greeting the guests, as she was definitely fit for the task.
I also missed Emilia. Alesia drove her to work and assisted her so much that she had no time to contact me since the annual tournament. I bet her sexual desire had accumulated and was about to burst. The last time we did it was at a private party, though I made sure to satisfy her that time.
Because I was about to enter the academy, I put on the blue blazer, the Royal Academy uniform, to act as a part. Thanks to my deal with the headmistress, I would be a student until I graduate.
However, I didn't need to attend class and had no reason to this time. I only visited because I wanted to take the promised [Teleportation Gems] from Alesia.
So I went to her office on the third floor and knocked on the door. Emilia was also inside the office, so this was just perfect.
"Headmistress, this is Arthur. I'd like to talk about the compensation at that time."
"Tsk. Enter."
I could hear Alesia click her tongue from inside. Did she think I would forget about it because I didn't ask her immediately? Too bad for her.
Pushing the door open, I entered the room and looked around. Many documents were piled on the long tables, and some were scattered around the floor.
Emilia picked a document sluggishly; dark rings were present around her eyes. She looked so tired that she could probably faint anytime.
I looked at her worriedly and asked, "Emilia, are you okay?"
"Hmm?" Emilia hummed in response and raised her head, smiling forcefully. "Hahaha… I need to be okay. There are still some documents to be finished. I think I will be able to rest in two days."
That was too much. I glared at Alesia in complaint, but her condition didn't seem to be any better. She also had eyebags, although not as bad as Emilia.
"What?" The headmistress asked me coldly. "You're here for your [Teleportation Gem] and the bonus, right? I put it on the bag enhanced by <Space Magic> on the table in front of teacher Emilia. Take it and leave. We still have a lot of work here. And most of it is thanks to someone."
Well, that was indeed a lot of work left. Was that someone me? The headmistress looked at me with a narrowed gaze as if blaming me.
'It's not like I don't realize what I did. That's not my fault but Queen Eve and the Hell's Cult.' I thought, chuckling dryly.
I probably shouldn't bother Emilia yet and let her finish her work first before rewarding her.
"Alright." I approached the table and took the small bag near the stack of documents. Then I leaned closer to Emilia and whispered, "Good luck, Emilia. I will stay with you an entire day after Queen Eve's coronation as a reward for your hard work."
"Alone?" She whispered back in a sultry voice. She sounded slightly excited.
"Yes. I will grant you what you want for an entire day, no matter how ridiculous that is."
Emilia gulped. My offer was too good. A part of it was because I felt responsible for rushing my goal and made everyone affected by it.
"I am looking forward to it, Arthur." She answered with a sweet voice.
"Cough!"
At that moment, the headmistress coughed loudly, and I could feel her piercing gaze on the back of my head.
"I'd appreciate some silence here, student Arthur. Please don't disturb us any longer. Also, sexual activity between a student and a teacher is prohibited in the academy area. I am sure that I warned you about it before."
"I am aware of it, headmistress." I backed away from Emilia and shrugged my shoulders. "Also, you don't need to tell me about that. I am about to leave for the Capital City after this to greet some guests."
"Hmm…" Alesia hummed, her pen stopped moving as she raised her head, "Please convey my greetings to the Elf Village's ambassador. I can only meet them tomorrow as I am still busy."
"I will." I nodded and smiled. "Well then, Emilia. See you soon."
"See you soon." Emilia nodded and returned to her work.
Alesia also continued. Only the scribble of a pen scratching the paper's surface could be heard in the room. Sometimes, the sound of a paper being turned followed suit. The atmosphere turned serious once again as they ignored my presence.
I silently exited the office and closed the door behind me. I scratched my head as I began to head down the stairs.
'Now I really should reward Emilia not just with my time but with other things too.'
While walking, I wondered what I could get for Emilia. Pen? Or something for her work?
That would be too ordinary. Should I just get her a dress like the other girls? Complete with accessories, of course.
'What does Emilia like? When I think about it again, I don't know much. She's too busy with her work.'
I really should know her better.
Once again, I scratched the back of my head as I entered a bathroom on the second floor. Then, I used [Earring of Communication] to contact Queen Eve as I put the bag I got from Alesia into my inventory. The Queen told me to contact her first before teleporting.
My first attempt to contact her was left unattended, probably because she was still busy. As proof, the Queen herself contacted me just right after, and I accepted it.
(My apologies, Sir Arthur. Haa… I-I was pretty busy earlier.)
Her breathing was somehow heavy, and there was this slightly sexy tone mixed in her voice.
At that moment, I remembered what Beatrice had told me. She influenced the Queen to the point she felt lonely and sometimes missed human warmth.
Combined with the heavy breathing that I heard, I arrived at a conclusion.
'Did the Queen just masturbate when I contacted her earlier?' My lips curled up into a grin as I held back my laugh. 'Just a little bit more, then. What a perfect time to make her fall.'
The Queen was unexpectedly frail… Or rather, maybe she masturbated because she was under a lot of stress? I could understand that.
I would make sure I was there to support her. So when she couldn't hold back anymore, the person she sought would be me.
"Please don't worry, Queen Eve. I am just contacting you to say that I am already free, so I thought to ask whether it's a good time to teleport in a few minutes?"
But for now, worrying about the coronation and the guests were the main priority.
(That would be perfect, Sir Arthur. Please feel free to arrive anytime. I shall greet you personally in the usual room.)
"Thank you, Queen Eve. See you soon."
