Chapter 107
The imperial family of the Belhart Empire depicted in <The Gutsy Mage of the Academy> was made up of nothing but abnormal people.
That Emperor bastard really botched raising his children.
Looking over the lot is enough to make me sigh.
The Second Prince is a drunkard and violent beyond belief.
The Third Prince is a thoroughly sinister mastermind.
The Fourth Prince is an extroverted brat, while the Fifth Prince is an introverted brat.
The princesses are no better than the princes—if anything, they're worse.
The First Princess is, in name and deed, the Empire's undisputed madwoman.
The Second Princess is a hikikomori holed up in her room, with no intention of ever coming out.
The Fourth Princess is a problem child so hopeless that even Crayon Shin-chan and Danbi would shake their heads.
On top of all that, the First Prince has his health problem.
I thought only Celestina, the Third Princess, occupied the role of the sole normal one... but come to think of it, she's got quite a few issues of her own, doesn't she?
Not content with waking me from my morning nap by mobilizing knights, she's the most vicious menace of all, rolling up her sleeves and personally tickling me.
Anyway.
Since I collapsed from overwork before I could see the ending of the original novel, I never found out who would succeed the current emperor.
But I don't need to see it to know.
Nine times out of ten, Celestina would have become the next emperor.
Not because she was one of the novel's main heroines and therefore obviously destined to inherit the throne or anything like that—there simply wasn't any other option.
The future of the Belhart Empire with any other royal taking the throne is impossible to imagine as anything but ruin.
But a new option has appeared in this empire.
A variable has emerged: the First Prince looks like he might live a little longer—no, quite a lot longer.
The future of an empire led by the First Prince is... honestly, I can't quite imagine it.
I know the other royals' personalities are utterly broken because I've seen them described countless times in print.
But this man never properly appeared even once in the story, so I can't get a read on him.
If the First Prince becomes emperor, well...
Judging only by the personality I've seen through Lunaris's eyes, I get the feeling he'd make a fairly decent ruler.
But his congenital inability to accept mana could drag the empire into even greater turmoil.
An emperor who can collapse from a mere burst of mana released from a distance? He'd be a perfect target for assassination, wouldn't he?
Personally, to be honest, I'm not exactly thrilled.
For one thing, a future in which the First Prince ascends the throne is completely unknown.
I can't predict what will happen.
Of course, not knowing the future is the normal state of affairs.
But as someone who knows, at least roughly, the “fate” of this world, it feels a little... off.
So far, I've been following the original plot(?) faithfully enough.
There may have been a few minor screwups, but the broad strokes haven't changed all that much.
For now—at least for now—it's still within the realm of things I can clean up.
But someone who was supposed to die surviving, and then becoming emperor, could be a truly irreversible problem.
This isn't the butterfly effect; it's more like the typhoon effect.
More importantly, getting involved with the imperial family in the first place was never part of my life plan.
Getting involved with Princess Celestina was something I could chalk up to fate.
But I really didn't want anything to do with the First Prince or the other royals.
But now that things have come to this,
it seems I can no longer just avoid them all.
*
“Come to think of it, at Elterion Academy...”
When I merely stared blankly at the hand held out in front of me without saying anything, Prince Kalian awkwardly withdrew it and smoothly changed the subject.
It was the very picture of a sly old fox, capable of disguising even the embarrassment of rejection as composure.
“I heard you've been getting along quite well with my younger sister, Seli.”
“...Seli?”
“Celestina.”
Oh, right. I was wondering who that was.
“I should tell you this in advance, in case you get the wrong idea.”
I drew a firm line with a sullen expression.
“I don't particularly support Princess Celestina, nor do I have any grand plan to make her emperor or anything like that.”
I have no desire to get involved with the imperial family in the first place.
None whatsoever. Never. Seriously.
“Haha, I know. Sir Albert already told me as much. At his request, you're living the academy life you never would have dreamed of, while keeping an eye on Seli.”
Hearing that, I suddenly became curious about something.
“Come to think of it, why did Vice Commander Albert send me to the academy? Did you hear anything about it?”
“Hmm? Nothing in particular.”
“Could he be part of the faction supporting Her Highness the Third Princess?”
“I'm not sure. I doubt it.”
Prince Kalian shook his head with a bitter smile.
“Albert isn't the sort of man who would be loyal to anyone. Even the fact that he bows to the Belhart imperial family is probably due to his own ambition.”
...True.
I nodded inwardly. I couldn't really imagine that sly snake of a vice commander being genuinely loyal to anyone.
“Miss Lunaris, he probably had another agenda for sending you to the academy as well. On the surface, he may have cited protecting a member of the imperial family, but...”
“I wonder if he didn't just dispatch me because he didn't want to pull anyone from an already understaffed force for any other purpose. He wanted to put a spare pair of hands to work for free.”
“Haha. That may be so.”
Prince Kalian let out a low chuckle.
“Anyway, the important thing is, Miss Lunaris—”
Leaning back against the headboard, the prince continued, gazing intently at me.
“You've taken quite a liking to Seli, haven't you?”
“...”
I gazed at the prince for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“Well, if it were up to me, I'd rather see Her Highness the Third Princess installed as the next emperor.”
“Oh?”
“I haven't met all of them myself, but judging from the rumors, none of them seem normal except Her Highness the Third Princess.”
If anyone else had heard me say that, they might have hauled me away on charges of insulting the imperial family.
But the person before me had his life in my hands, so I felt little hesitation about voicing my honest opinion.
Prince Kalian merely shrugged once in response.
“True, my younger siblings are all immature. Seli is at least even-tempered and capable.”
The prince had been smiling, but soon wiped the smile from his face and continued in a calm voice.
“But Seli isn't cut out to be emperor.”
“...?”
“She's too kind to become emperor.”
The prince's gaze turned cold.
“To lead this vast empire, one must sometimes be cruel, and be capable of cutting down even one's own siblings if necessary.”
He even said that Valerius, Cedric, and Isabella would actually be far better in that respect.
Prince Kalian delivered a ruthless assessment.
“Besides, doesn't Seli lack even a faction to serve as her base? No one expects that girl to...”
“Why do you say she doesn't have one?”
I replied in an indifferent voice.
“She has me.”
“...”
“If I gave her just a little push from the side, it doesn't seem entirely impossible.”
Kalian's eyes widened slightly at my outrageously arrogant statement.
The prince stared at me for a moment, then let out a hollow “Ha,” twisting the corners of his mouth.
“Isn't that different from what you just said?”
“It is. But for some reason, I had a feeling that was the answer you wanted to hear from me.”
“Haha... Yes. I didn't exactly sense much sincerity in your claim that you would help Seli.”
After a brief silence,
Prince Kalian opened his mouth again.
“Let me ask you once more. Could you use that power for my sake?”
“...”
“If one of my other siblings becomes emperor, Seli will certainly be purged. But if I become emperor, I give you my word: I can guarantee her life as a princess—and her life as your friend.”
Desperation mingled with the coaxing tone.
“The way you put that, it sounds a lot like you're holding the Third Princess hostage and threatening me.”
“More precisely, I'm appealing to your affection for Seli.”
I blinked blankly, then swallowed a sigh inwardly.
“Er—I think you're under some sort of misconception.”
Princess Celestina might be a little—or perhaps quite a lot—hurt if she heard me say this, but...
“The connection between the princess and me only lasts as long as I'm attending the academy.”
The reason I could be this shameless was that I had something to fall back on.
After all, Kyle Lowell would be enrolling at Elterion Academy next year.
The protagonist who would take my place, toil, fight, and save the world was about to step onto the stage.
He would certainly protect Princess Celestina in my place.
And then he would place the imperial crown upon the heroine's head.
This was the “fate” of this world, already set in stone.
I could quietly watch it all from my bed, then disappear and enjoy a lazy life once I was done with this episode.
That had been my goal ever since I entered the academy—or rather, ever since I became aware of my role in this world—and it had never wavered for even a moment.
Once I had thought this far, it became clear what stance I should take toward the other royals, including the First Prince.
If I can't avoid them, I simply need to draw a clear line.
Rather than let them drag me around, I only need to make them come looking for me.
The problem would be solved if I held the initiative.
“...Anyway, I can't accept Your Highness's proposal.”
I rose from my seat.
“I don't like serving under someone, and I hate political maneuvering even more.”
“Well... that's a shame.”
Prince Kalian's gaze sank slightly.
Surprisingly, he didn't seem disappointed.
Instead, a strangely tenacious, almost clinging gaze lingered on my face.
“I'll still extract your mana periodically. Of course, you'll have to come to Elterion Academy yourself, Your Highness.”
“...Hm?”
“Isn't it only right for the patient to come to the doctor bearing a generous payment for treatment?”
Prince Kalian's expression went blank.
Had he been rendered speechless by the nerve it took to order an imperial prince around?
“And since extracting your mana every time is a nuisance, I'll make you an artifact soon.”
“Oh? You can make those too?”
“Well, I'm sure I'll manage somehow. Oh, and I'll bill you separately for the artifact.”
“...You didn't seem particularly materialistic.”
“Even so, I have to collect what I'm owed. What am I, a pushover?”
“Hahaha...”
He burst out laughing, partly as though dumbfounded and partly as though amused.
“Understood. I'll keep that in mind.”
I didn't know what scheme might be lurking behind that laughter, but this would do for now.
“Then I'll be going. Get plenty of rest.”
I left the room at once, lest he try to stop me.
I went out into the hallway, did my best to shake off the people waiting outside who tried to stop me, and turned the corner.
“Haaaa...”
After confirming that no one was around, I let out a long sigh.
I'm tired. Really tired.
I wanted nothing more than to go lie down in bed right now.
“Since I'm already at the imperial palace, I might as well take care of the other matter too...”
For just a moment, Senior Miriel's desperate face flashed through my mind.
Then I thought that if I simply went back after coming all this way, the Second Prince might really storm into my room.
...It's a bit of a mean thought, but...
It might not be such a bad idea to use a sparring match meant to give this insane sword fanatic an epiphany as an excuse to put him into a coma, so he wouldn't dare come see me for quite some time.