Chapter 16
To be honest, I had my suspicions from the start.
The famous Imperial Academy. Just how many bigshots out there could pull strings to get someone placed in such an institution?
Clearly it had to be someone high up.
That much I already knew.
'But this is way too high up.'
I never imagined it would be the Empire's Emperor himself.
Looks like my plan to avoid getting involved with the imperial family had already failed months ago. That must be why the crystal ball warned me about the imperial family too.
The crystal ball wasn't warning me to avoid getting entangled with the imperial family - it was telling me I was already entangled and should run.
My head was spinning, but despite the incoming headache, the conversation flowed smoothly without interruption.
"Father? Have you met this person before?"
With white hair and golden eyes, the Empire's First Prince, who strongly inherited the Leonhardt imperial bloodline, asked the Emperor.
The white-haired old man smiled playfully.
After a moment's thought, he made a sudden declaration.
"This young man once saved my life."
Everyone's faces filled with shock at those words. No matter how you look at it, my stocks were rapidly rising - the worst possible sign. I needed to stop this.
But I couldn't stop it.
After all, I really had saved the Emperor.
"When a passing young man suddenly told me I seemed cursed, I dismissed him as a madman and refused to speak with him. But he persistently followed me."
My own life is most precious to me.
That's an undeniable fact. But that doesn't mean I don't value others' lives.
If you can save someone, you might as well save them.
Only a crazy person would ignore someone they could save with just a few words because it's bothersome.
That's why I followed that old man.
"There was a suspicious spell formula on me, similar to but fundamentally different from protection magic. He spoke so seriously that I decided to check it out myself."
The components of spell formulas. I have every rune character and their meanings in different arrangements memorized.
Despite having barely enough magical power to use them properly, I was born with an almost mocking ability to interpret and modify spell formulas.
"The difference was a single stroke. Among tens of thousands of rune characters, that was the only difference. The kingdom's great mages must have spent decades developing that assassination spell."
The 'single stroke' part is an exaggeration.
The third rune character was rotated about 30 degrees too far, and some characters were in the wrong order.
But knowing that pointing this out would only lead to more misunderstandings, I kept my mouth firmly shut.
"This young man instantly saw through and dismantled the assassination attempt they had prepared so carefully. I was shocked and offered him a massive reward, but he refused."
...I didn't refuse out of the goodness of my heart.
The old man was dressed like a beggar, but no one would put such an intricate curse on an ordinary beggar.
I figured he must be some wealthy noble and tried playing hard to get. It was a cunning ploy to extract an even better reward by impressing him.
"He said it was only natural for people to help each other, that he needed no reward. As he turned to leave, I had to stop him. So I desperately offered him a professor position..."
And that's how we met again now.
The Emperor finished his lengthy explanation with those words.
He seemed to be giving his children a lesson about never letting such talented individuals slip away.
"Enough lecturing for now. Ryan, I knew we would meet again, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. To think you'd accomplish so much in such a short time."
I wished he would leave me alone and just chat with his children.
But ignoring my wishes, the Emperor began listing my accomplishments. Not just the publicly known Lionne Academy incident, but also the non-public matters.
The elimination of the 72 Great Evils.
Even the killing of Charon, an executive of the Guides of the Apocalypse.
As each achievement is listed, the gazes of the ministers and other imperial family members change more and more.
Respect and awe. Greed to make me their own at any cost. All sorts of emotions and interests mix together, making my head spin with dizziness.
But there was no hesitation in my actions. My policy of acting as inoffensively as possible hadn't changed.
Desperate nodding.
Thank you. I am overwhelmed by your kindness. Using such obvious platitudes, time passes quickly.
"Choose any item you wish from the imperial treasury. I will permit its removal even if it's a national treasure."
"Y-Your Majesty! Even so, that's..."
"...How displeasing. Do I need your permission to reward this young man?"
Just fire me already, that's all I need.
Those words rose to my throat but remained unspoken.
The Emperor thinks of me as an exceptional talent that must not be let go. If I try to quit my Academy position, he'll surely arrange a place for me in the imperial court.
But that imperial court is destined for destruction. I had no intention of leaving one hell just to enter an even worse one.
"You may withdraw now."
After I kept acting inoffensively, the Emperor finally said those words. This should somehow wrap up the incident at the imperial court.
Let's worry about dealing with the aftermath of this later and focus on getting out of here quickly first.
With that thought, I rose from my seat, but...
"Please wait a moment, Father."
...I was forcibly made to sit back down. For some reason, the First Prince suddenly intervened to stop the Emperor from dismissing me.
"It wouldn't be right to simply let someone who has accomplished so much leave. We must surely hold a grand banquet."
Cold sweat ran down my back. Please refuse. Get angry and reject this nonsensical suggestion, calling it nonsense.
Though I prayed inwardly, the Emperor nodded without hesitation.
...I was starting to get a bad feeling about this.
*****
A hastily prepared banquet. My goal was to quietly eat in a corner and leave.
But imperial family members kept popping up wherever I went.
They even tried to befriend me, a mere commoner, taking the initiative to approach me.
The bizarre sight of imperial family members groveling before me.
Sylvia, who was waiting for me at the balcony I fled to, summed up this situation in a single sentence.
"Professor, you've been dragged into the succession dispute."
It seems I, who had been randomly getting entangled in the original plot, finally managed to create a development that wasn't even there.
"You must have already known that Father is slowly dying?"
I had no idea. But to get information, I nodded while playing dumb. There's no rule saying a professor can't learn from their students.
"Though we found the curse thanks to you, Professor. The treatment came too late. Even with divine providence, half a year at most."
I was sure I had treated it in time.
Was there some mistake? Something bothered me, but in this situation, I didn't think Sylvia would lie to me.
"He could die tomorrow and it wouldn't be strange, so the succession needs to be decided quickly. But Father keeps denying his own death, so chaos is inevitable."
Even the great Emperor of the Empire lost his mind, unable to accept his own death.
I will never die. Deceiving himself with such lies and saying the succession can be decided later. It would be stranger if things didn't fall apart.
"In this situation, when someone appears who has the Emperor's complete favor, you know what will happen, right?"
I nodded immediately.
Having experienced it firsthand, how could I not know?
Under the pretext of a banquet, they'll try to keep that person around and make them their ally. My existence would be a massive advantage in the succession fight.
"I'd like to ask for your support too, but considering your wellbeing, I should advise you to remain neutral."
Sylvia subtly promoted herself while saying she was someone who cared about me like this, but regardless of the girl's true intentions, those words were correct.
There's no guarantee the person I support will win. If I lose that gamble, the results would surely be horrific.
"They won't kill you for backing the wrong side. But they'll put you in a state that's practically death. Your career will be over and you'll end up farming in some rural village."
Stripped of all positions and titles, forced to return to the countryside to live quietly like a dead mouse - what a horrific end...
...Wait a minute.
Isn't that exactly the happy ending I've been hoping for?
I never had any desire for power in the first place, and farming rather suits me. It would definitely be happier than keeping my position at the Academy.
This was an opportunity.
A golden opportunity to get fired.
"But I know you're a noble person, Professor. To prevent someone suspicious like my eldest brother from becoming Emperor, surely you'll support me despite the risks..."
Leaving Sylvia to ramble on alone, I return to the banquet hall. The silver-haired, golden-eyed imperial clan members rush toward me like a zombie horde.
Some promised me immense wealth,
Some promised me unlimited power,
Some presented me with beautiful ideals.
But I chose none of them.
In a corner of the banquet hall. An innocent child who couldn't mingle with anyone, making a troubled face all alone.
Before the isolated girl who had no proper faction or following, I alone showed my respect.
"I swear eternal loyalty to you."
The Empire's Fifth Princess.
That girl would be my savior.