Chapter 505: Farewell to Sharon (2)

"All right. Now tell me—what do you want?"

Nolan looked at her curiously. He was certain that Seira’s visit to his room was not just to tease him, but for a more important reason.

Seira was not surprised by his question. She adjusted her sitting position and explained, "I came for two things. First, Father ordered me to arrange the New Year decorations in the capital."

Nolan’s eyebrows rose slightly at her words.

"He ordered you to arrange the New Year decorations? What’s going on? Wouldn’t it be better to hire an outside party instead of asking you to do it?" he asked doubtfully.

New Year’s was an official celebration recorded in the imperial calendar.

Usually, the celebration was not only meant to mark the turn of the year but also to express gratitude to the gods for safely passing through another year.

Of course, no specific gods were named. After all, the empire did not prohibit its people from believing in any particular deity.

Nolan himself naturally believed in the gods. Otherwise, how could he have been reincarnated into this world?

Even so, he did not know which god to pray to, so he planned to choose one at random later.

"The problem is a bit complex." Seira’s expression darkened. "You should already know about the Demon Emperor’s attack on the border town, right? As a result of that incident, public trust in the imperial family has plummeted. Many people are still afraid and believe that the capital may be attacked someday. On top of that, the chaos caused by Cassian at the empire’s anniversary banquet has only deepened that distrust."

She sighed softly before continuing in a heavy voice. "So, Father wants me—and of course you—to go directly to the capital to repair the imperial family’s image. Later, you will go with me, understand?"

Her gaze turned playful as she raised and lowered her eyebrows.

Nolan frowned. He understood that the public was going through a crisis of confidence in the imperial family.

But why him?

"No, I don’t want to take on that task," Nolan refused without hesitation. "I just got back from the northern continent, okay? You should understand how tired I am after being there. Even after more than seven days of rest, I still feel exhausted."

Nolan rubbed his temples, wearing a sad and troubled expression.

His intention was to make Seira feel touched—perhaps even moved to tears—by seeing her beloved younger brother so worn out.

But would Seira fall for it? Of course not.

"Oh, I see. I understand." Seira smiled meaningfully as she folded her arms across her chest. "In that case, I’ll report it to Father. Don’t worry—I’m sure he’ll agree."

Nolan felt incredibly happy. Finally, he could be free from that damn task.

"Thank—" Before he could finish, Seira cut him off.

"But in exchange, you have to help Father with the imperial administrative work. Coincidentally, Father is planning a vacation with the queen and his concubines, so he’s looking for a replacement. You are the most suitable candidate."

Nolan’s face paled, and his heart began to pound.

"Wait a minute!" He hurriedly stopped her.

Seira, who was about to get off the bed, paused in surprise and looked at him innocently.

"What’s wrong?"

"Where are you going?" Nolan asked, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

"To report it to Father, obviously. What else do you think?"

"Ahem!" Nolan put on a flattering smile and moved closer to Seira, then began massaging her right arm. "What I said earlier was just nonsense. I accept the task. So don’t report it to Father, okay?"

Seira almost laughed, but she held it back. With a playful expression, she teased, "What’s going on? Didn’t you just say you didn’t want to accept the task?"

Nolan knew she was teasing him. Even so, he had no choice but to persuade her.

"I was just joking. You know how siblings joke around, right? It’s more or less like that."

Still, Seira didn’t accept it right away. She lowered her head, as if considering whether to forgive him.

"Alright, I understand. But... ugh..."

She rubbed both sides of her shoulders with a look of discomfort.

"I’ve been a little tired these past few days. If you massage me, I’m sure the soreness will go away."

At the same time, she glanced at Nolan meaningfully.

Nolan could only sigh in resignation. If he could go back a few seconds, he would definitely hit himself for playing around with this clever woman.

With a heavy body, he moved behind her and massaged both of her shoulders.

"Does it feel good?"

"Mm... it feels very good. Your massage never fails." Seira closed her eyes and nodded slightly.

While massaging her shoulders, Nolan asked, "So, what’s the second piece of news?"

Seira fell silent for a moment before answering, "It’s about Sharon’s departure. She’ll be leaving in a few hours, so go say goodbye to her."

Hearing this, Nolan was stunned. He furrowed his brow and asked hesitantly, "Sister Sharon is leaving? Why so soon? Doesn’t she still have two more weeks of vacation?"

Seira opened her eyes and slowly shook her head.

"I don’t know. But yesterday, she suddenly received a letter from the academy asking her to return immediately. The reason is still unclear, but she said it has something to do with the head of the academy."

"The head of the academy?" Nolan pondered.

The academy head was Sharon’s master. Since she had been suddenly summoned by her master, it had to be something important.

’Could it be related to Sylvia, who managed to reach the Beyond the World level?’

he guessed silently.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t impossible. Very few people had reached that realm—one could even say there were none left.

Even if there were, there would be only one or two on this continent.

Snapping out of his thoughts, he took a slow breath and replied, "I understand. In that case, I’ll see her later."

...

In front of the hall entrance, Sharon stood facing Nolan, Ragan, Isabella, and Eliza.

Since Sharon’s return to the academy was so sudden, only they were there to see her off.

"Well then, Father, Mother Isabella, Nolan, and Eliza, I’ll be leaving now," Sharon said softly.

Ragan smiled and stepped closer, then gently rubbed her head.

"Once again, thank you for accepting the mission I gave you, my dear. And I’m sorry for taking up your precious time to complete it."

Sharon shook her head lightly and reassured him, "It’s okay, Father. Like I said before, I really enjoyed the mission. It was very... fun."

At the same time, she glanced at Nolan meaningfully.

Nolan chuckled softly and stepped forward.

"Sister, be careful on your journey. If you want to come back, let me know first, okay? Don’t be like last time. I was so shocked I almost had a heart attack." Nolan put on a helpless expression.

"Pfft!" Sharon giggled. She affectionately caressed Nolan’s face and teased, "Don’t worry—I’ll come back like before, so you’ll keep getting surprised."

Nolan rolled his eyes, then laughed along with her.

After exchanging a few words with Isabella and Eliza, Sharon grasped a talisman in her hand and crushed it.

In an instant, she vanished from sight.