CICN 91

Chapter 91

A signature?

Why on earth would Ibi need my signature? He wasn’t even a minister of state.

Startled, Clois set Ibi down. Ibi rummaged through his bag and pulled something out.

Clois immediately recognized it.

“A report card?”

“Yes. According to the rules of the Academy for Gifted Children, students are required to bring back their report card signed by a guardian or sponsor before returning from vacation.”

Indeed, such a rule existed.

As for Clois, his own grades had always been reported directly to the Emperor, so there was no need for him to fetch them.

But back in those days, his friends like Duke Caelan or Marquis Ragselv would sigh heavily whenever they received theirs.

“This time, I placed 3rd overall. I’m sure I’ll hear an earful.”

“Ugh, you’re so annoying. I placed 405th.”

Looking back, it seemed their children had inherited their personalities exactly.

Ibi showed him the signature space at the bottom of the report card.

“I thought about sending it to the orphanage director to get it signed, but… there’s always a chance it could get lost in the mail. And since guardians are also allowed, I wondered if His Majesty might… And also…”

Ibi hesitated, glancing nervously at the chamberlain.

It was obvious he had something he couldn’t say in front of him.

Sensing this, the chamberlain quickly excused himself before Clois could even signal, saying he would prepare tea and snacks.

As soon as he left, Ibi’s expression turned crestfallen.

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

Clois, shocked to see him so downcast for the first time, asked in concern.

Could it be his grades aren’t good?

After all, people had whispered that Ibi’s provincial school scores wouldn’t hold up here. That wasn’t entirely unfounded—many children who came up from remote territories ended up disheartened after scoring low at the Academy.

That’s why it was common for families to move to the capital ahead of time, or hire tutors to better prepare their children.

But Ibi hadn’t had any of those luxuries. Perhaps he’d received poor marks for the first time and was shocked.

While Clois was searching for words of comfort, Ibi spoke in a tiny, strained voice.

“I placed 2nd overall…”

“What? 2nd?”

Clois shot to his feet, unable to hold back his exclamation.

Second place? This was the same boy who’d been neglected in a rural school, lacking proper textbooks or even decent notebooks.

Even if the exam had only covered fundamentals for class placement in the second term, this was an astonishing result.

No wonder Seraphina looked so cheerful when she reported on the Academy.

Clois had been worrying about Ibi’s grades—not because he cared about the ranking itself, but because he feared Ibi might be discouraged if he scored low.

The boy was the youngest there and had come all alone from far away.

Other children, if their homes were distant, often had at least one parent relocate to the capital. That way they could meet during outings.

But Ibi had no one.

Worse, after enrollment he had endured prejudice as an orphanage child, wandering the Academy alone. Just when he’d finally made a friend, the whole matter with Izriella had blown up.

There was no way he could have studied properly. Even if he had, the shock should have ruined his concentration during exams.

That’s why Clois had subtly tried to get Seraphina to tell him something when she came by. If Ibi had scored poorly, he wanted to prepare a gift or some kind of encouragement.

But she insisted the rules forbade her from revealing results before the children themselves were notified, suggesting he ask Ibi directly.

In that case, the report would surely be sent to the orphanage director registered as his guardian.

When Clois worried aloud, Seraphina had remarked, “Wouldn’t it burden him if His Majesty showed such interest?”

That had struck Clois as a fair point. So he’d said nothing.

And now here Ibi was, handing him the card himself, asking for his signature.

Truth be told, Clois was far happier about that than about the rank itself.

But the problem was that Ibi himself seemed disheartened.

“Ibi. Placing 2nd overall is something anyone would admire and congratulate. Why are you so gloomy? Are you disappointed it wasn’t 1st place?”

At Clois’s concerned tone, Ibi cautiously answered.

“Foreign language… I missed one question.”

“…One question?”

His voice cracked in disbelief.

In fact, Clois had ordered Seraphina to bring him the foreign language exam after it was over.

He had been curious to see if the material he’d taught appeared on it, and also wanted to gauge its difficulty.

Looking over the paper, he found it was set at a moderate, foundational level. He even noticed some problems Ibi had struggled with before. Because of that, Clois hadn’t expected a high score at all.

Wasn’t this his very first time learning the language?

Even if it was the first semester, those weren’t easy questions.

And since foreign language was an elective, surely only students confident in their ability had enrolled.

For Ibi, a complete beginner, to do well among them should have been impossible.

And yet—he had only missed one.

As Clois stood there speechless with amazement, Ibi ducked his head even lower.

“I’m sorry. You taught me so much, and still…”

“What? Why are you apologizing?”

“Because the one I got wrong was something you taught me…”

Clois rubbed a hand down his face.

Good heavens. To think the boy would bow his head like a criminal for something like this.

“Ibi. This was your very first time learning this foreign language. To only miss one question on the Academy’s exam… that’s extraordinary.”

“But still… you were busy, and yet you took time to teach me…”

He must not have realized before, when Clois was still just Professor Sian, how busy he really was. Now that he knew him as Emperor and had visited the palace, he must have understood.

“That’s nothing for you to worry about. I taught you because I wanted to. No matter how busy I am, do you think I wouldn’t have time to teach one child?”

Clois’s gentle reassurance finally made Ibi lift his head a little.

“Anyway, for the child under my care to rank 2nd in the Academy… Hm, I should boast about this at Monday’s council meeting.”

“Boast? About me?”

“Yes. Perhaps you don’t know, but most of the ministers in the palace are sponsors of Academy students. At every meeting, they never stop bragging about them. Now I can finally join in myself.”

Maybe it was the thought of being something the Emperor would boast about—but the gloom vanished from Ibi’s face, replaced by a wide, delighted smile.

Just then, the chamberlain returned with tea and snacks.

“Wow…!”

Ibi gasped at the sight of the cart he wheeled in.

From the top shelf to the bottom, it was packed with an endless array of snacks and treats.

Through the transparent glass lids, all kinds of colorful confections could be seen. It looked as if they’d brought every sweet in the Empire.

“It’s snack time. You must have your snack.”

The chamberlain served a light, refreshing tea suited for children, and Ibi at once began nibbling sweets alongside it.

Meanwhile, Clois wasted no time bragging to the chamberlain.

“Ibi ranked 2nd overall in the Academy. And in the foreign language exam—his very first time learning it—he missed only one question. And mind you, he learned it from me.”

He emphasized those last words with pride.

“My word! He worked so hard all along, and what a rewarding result!”

The chamberlain marveled and looked at Ibi with admiration.

Flustered but unable to hide his happiness, Ibi smiled shyly.

Seeing Clois so pleased, and the chamberlain astonished, filled him with warmth.

He even felt his shoulders straighten with pride.

It reminded him of when the orphanage director had rejoiced after he’d passed into the higher school. Back then too, it had felt wonderful to see someone else happy for him.

Now, here in this place, there were people who celebrated with him again. And that made him truly happy.