The Duty Of An Academy Student Should Be To Study - Chapter 87
Episode 87
Jasper wanted to make Rose someone whom no one could disrespect.
No, he would. He would surround Rose with the barrier of power he had built, protecting her.
He wouldn’t let her be taken by the punks like last time. Those guys shouldn’t even touch a hair on Rose Bell.
He wanted to free her from the mound of debts so that she wouldn’t have to struggle alone. He had made up his mind to keep Rose’s father, the man who had caused her so much suffering, as far away from her as possible.
Coincidentally, information was obtained that George Bell was at Valloch Harbor, and Caleb was there. Somehow, their destinations overlapped, and he would see Caleb again in a few days.
It wasn’t a tremendous coincidence that George Bell and the Emperor who had ordered to monitor was in Valloch Harbor. It was an area where the most fugitives, criminals, and illegal residents gathered.
If anything, it was a good thing he could do both George’s and the Emperor’s jobs at the same time.
‘After that…’
At that moment, a soft and beautiful voice echoed in Jasper’s mind.
“Come back safely!”
It was what Rose Bell had shouted at the train station. He had replayed this scene several times in his mind, and each time, he was filled with a fresh sense of exhilaration.
Even now, his heart raced.
Jasper momentarily closed his eyes and began to reconstruct that moment in his mind.
Rose’s crimson hair seemed to flutter as if she had run hard to the train station. Strands of hair were more disheveled than usual. Compact facial features. A blushing cheek. Green eyes filled with strength. Lovely lips opened, and Rose Bell shouted.
Jasper opened his eyes again. He still couldn’t believe it.
Rose Bell came to see him. She ran to see him.
There were no expectations, but out of hope, he lingered near the boarding platform until just before the boarding time. After being disappointed and getting on the train, he finally saw a small forehead peeking through the crowd.
It was Rose Bell. In an instant, Jasper jumped out of the train again. The crew tried to stop him, but it was in vain.
When he reached Rose and grabbed her wrist, her expression was vivid. For some reason, it seemed like she was on the verge of tears.
She claimed to have no tears in her eyes, but as a Jasper, he has seen Rose cry many times.
Rose Bell was on the verge of tears.
Was she sad and reluctant to part with him? He also found himself succumbing to such proud and sweet speculations.
‘Maybe Rose feels the same about me…’
His anticipation swelled, but unfortunately, he had to be separated at such a moment.
Would Rose Bell still be the same when they met again in two months? It was just a momentary wavering, and if she managed to erase her feelings during the break…
Jasper sighed nervously, tossing his head in frustration.
“Ah….”
He wanted to see Rose Bell right away.
But the steamship began to move with a dull sound. His body was already on the water. There was no way he could reach Rose Bell no matter what.
Now, there was only one thing Jasper had to do—perfectly fulfill the mission the Emperor had given him.
Jasper revisited the conversation he had once had in confidence with the ruler of the Lepti Empire.
* * *
Jasper once again became the champion of the swordfighting competition, earning the opportunity to confront the emperor.
Last year, they exchanged polite but empty words for a few minutes and parted, but this year was different.
The emperor looked at Jasper, who had dared to offer his service in exchange for assistance, with a contemplative gaze.
The empire’s first female emperor, now well into her fifties, usually wore a cynical expression, but this time there was a rare glint of curiosity in her eyes.
The emperor spoke to the young and victorious warrior.
“Do you wish to strike a deal with me? Quite audacious, unlike the other men of House Conway. They usually sweet-talk me endlessly. I appreciate your candor.”
“Your Majesty, I have decided to live as a soldier, and if you permit, I will dedicate my life to being the sword of the royal family.”
“Hmm, not interested in politics? Well, I suppose that’s understandable. The Duke of Conway didn’t want to complicate succession issues, so he taught his second son only swordsmanship. You grew up as a boy who knows nothing but iron.”
The emperor was not one for gentle sentiments. She had become the first empress of the empire by stepping on the blood of her siblings. She was skilled at provoking or subduing others and enjoyed seeing people tremble beneath her.
Jasper listened calmly to the emperor’s words. Everything she said was true. However, Jasper had never once felt resentment towards the upbringing style of Duke Conway. He didn’t want to fight for the family’s wealth and power.
Why bother with such bothersome and headache-inducing matters? Jasper was perfectly content with a life wielding a sword.
The emperor looked Jasper up and down and then spoke.
“You’ve said you’ll do anything I ask. In return, is all you desire a marriage with the one you truly want?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“For a duke’s son, you’re quite simple and modest.”
No, Rose Bell is not simple. Jasper swallowed these words silently.
“What will happen if I refuse this request? You seem quite confident that I will be needed in the royal court.”
“I will prove my usefulness in any way going forward.”
Jasper believed that the emperor would find him useful. The emperor was famously known for not favoring one person. She abhorred the formation of factions and did not tolerate power concentrating outside the throne.
Duke Conway was naturally one of the emperor’s targets for checks and balances. They had a formal relationship, but it wasn’t particularly close.
Since her ascension, the emperor had consistently tried to empower the gentry class. The traditional nobility, which had previously monopolized power, naturally resisted, but they couldn’t entirely resist the wave of the new era that came with capital.
Ethan Conway, the heir to the Duke, was no different from the conservative nobility.
The emperor and Duke Conway had always maintained a tense relationship.
Placing the son of such a duke in a position of influence wasn’t a bad thing for the emperor either—it would provide additional leverage when trying to influence the Duke.
Jasper had never been interested in conservative or reformist sides. Even when Duke Conway was vehemently against the emperor’s reform policies, he had only heard with one ear and let it go with the other. He had no intention of meddling in politics.
However, the situation has changed now. When making a judgment about something, he naturally considered Rose Bell.
For Rose to live a little more comfortably, she had to become a noble by the emperor’s will to enact noble reforms.
‘It’ll be easier to keep Rose Bell by my side.’
From the moment he became a soldier, he would be dedicating himself to the empire. It was merely a commitment to devote a little more to the emperor personally.
Jasper believed this was the best option to keep Rose Bell safe.
The emperor squinted her eyes as if in thought, then chuckled and spoke.
“Alright. It wouldn’t hurt to try it out as a test.”
“I am willing to serve you willingly, Your Majesty.”
“If you succeed in this mission, I will give you the woman you desire.”
“What is the mission?”
“Quietly eliminate a person without anyone knowing.”
* * *
The West End cut through the sea, heading towards Valloch Harbor with determination.
On the morning of the second day in the steamship cabin, Jasper came out onto the deck and took a deep breath. The bracing smell of the sea filled his nostrils.
They would arrive at Valloch Harbor by tomorrow. Jasper had to find a man named Edwin there.
The information the emperor had given Jasper was limited. The target’s name was Edwin, and he was in his late twenties. He was a member of the secret Royal Shadows, living and operating like a shadow for the empire.
The members of the Shadows were not officially recognized as imperial bureaucrats. They lived secret lives, absent from any records.
How the emperor selected the members of the Shadows and maintained the force remained shrouded in mystery.
However, one of them had recently fled abroad. Jasper didn’t know why Edwin had escaped. Had he caused trouble within the Shadows? Perhaps he was seeking political asylum in the Republic.
The reason didn’t matter; what mattered was that this individual named Edwin had greatly irked the emperor.
A member of the Shadows had managed to escape secretly from the organization and cross the border. It was practically impossible.
How could an overseas escape have been possible?
“There’s an accomplice within the Shadows, a rat-like spy interfering.”
That’s what the Emperor guessed.
Edwin had to be tracked down and killed, but not knowing who the enemy within was, she couldn’t entrust this task to the Shadows. Tracking and dealing with this officially without discretion required cooperation with the Republic. But the Republic didn’t want an imperial military on their borders.
Not a member of the Shadows or a soldier.
A person who operated as an individual without any rank but possessed enough strength to assassinate a member of the Shadows. And someone with a clear motive to dedicate loyalty.
That person was Jasper Conway.
Jasper stared fixedly at the horizon.
Upon reaching Valloch, he had to immediately find Edwin. The emperor had instructed him not to kill Edwin outright but to discreetly monitor him during the summer. If anything seemed suspicious, report it in detail, and ultimately, conclude with an assassination.
That was the mission Jasper had been assigned.
He had told Rose that he was going for military training in a remote area, but the reality was quite different.
‘Rose Bell must remain unaware.’
He would keep this a secret forever, even if everything worked out and they ended up getting married.
Jasper hoped that Rose would never know about the harsh world. After all, she had already experienced several hardships in her life.
Now, it was time for her to live comfortably and warmly in a safe and pleasant world.
And if Rose knew that he’d been sent on a mission to kill people for her, he’d be dead. …. Jasper was sure. Rose Bell would never allow it.
‘She reacted so strongly to dealing with a few gang members in the inn.’
Jasper recalled Rose, who struggled to hold back with her limited strength. The image of the soft, gentle, and lovely Rose Bell came to his mind.
The more he thought about Rose, the more his stern expression softened and melted away.