Chapter 70
A few days later.
The clash between Lydia and Carla (or rather, the play that looked like one) caused a huge stir within the academy.
In the dormitories, classrooms, and training grounds alike.
The Gallian cadets talked about what had happened.
“The princess and Lady Carla had a showdown?”
“Her Highness Lydia…? Surely she wouldn’t go that far just for the student council election….”
“Is the conflict between the kingdom and republic finally beginning in earnest?”
“Was the ‘severance of diplomatic ties’ between the kingdom and republic not enough?”
Murmur, murmur.
In the modern world, where cell phones could record ‘exactly what happened,’ perhaps not. But in a world where people heard about things only through word of mouth, the ‘incident’ itself had an impact.
There was room for imagination to come into play.
The cadets speculated about the clues they had been given (the contents of the letters, the confrontation, and the surrounding circumstances), coming up with all sorts of theories. Then they debated them, agreeing or disagreeing with one another.
-The princess had her subordinates send threatening letters to Lady Carla. It was clearly an attempt to intimidate her.
-That was only Lady Carla’s one-sided claim. Her Highness had done nothing wrong. Besides, she wouldn’t resort to such a crude trick.
-Either way, the conflict between the two of them is now beyond repair.
Amid all this, someone put forward a new theory.
“No! It’s all a conspiracy concocted behind the scenes! Their conflict is staged, a prearranged feud—and really, it’s a political pact meant to root out the faction that wants a genuine conflict!”
“Try saying something that makes sense, you conspiracy nut.”
And so on….
A tense atmosphere settled over the academy.
There had always been unspoken friction between the various factions, but now everyone was truly on their guard.
A garden somewhere on academy grounds.
Noble cadets from the kingdom and republic came face-to-face.
“Ha ha! Come to think of it, this semester, the dungeon….”
“Have you read this year’s conference paper? The mana research is incredible….”
…
…
They had been chatting away just moments ago, but fell silent at the same time.
Then they looked at each other, standing awkwardly on opposite sides. But unlike usual, neither side sneered at nor complained about the other.
They simply tried to figure out what the other side was after.
Their eyes darted back and forth,
reading the situation around them and the expressions on the other side.
‘Why are these Republic infidels suddenly here?’
‘Could these insane Gallians be about to challenge us all to a duel?’
‘No, they wouldn’t pick a fight while holding snacks….’
‘No, wait. That bottle of juice could be a dangerous weapon, but they were drinking from it.’
‘They’re just passing through.’
‘They’re just passing through.’
They decided there was no particular threat.
…
…
Neither side made another move.
They merely turned away from the direction they had been headed.
Both groups left the area.
…
…
They didn’t bother with the usual talk about how retreating was dishonorable. Like soldiers surveying a battlefield, they quietly tried to gauge the other side’s movements.
‘If we really start fighting….’
‘I don’t want to be the one who loses out.’
Unlike monsters,
fighting other people was nasty and underhanded.
The nobles’ instinct for self-preservation.
Rather than make a rash move and lose everything, they would do better to become quiet sentinels on the battlefield and prepare. The tension was so taut that it was enough to make them think that way.
As a result, even those who had always been friends regardless of their country or faction began to act cautiously.
A corner of the academy.
In a dark corridor, two men muttered to themselves with a wall between them. They were ‘friends’ who frequented the back alleys of the shopping district and enjoyed every kind of entertainment establishment.
The wall on the outer side.
A commoner cadet from the republic pretended to read a book as he spoke.
“This poetry collection is truly excellent. I like the line ‘Like wildflowers blooming at night.’ It’s almost as if it’s telling me there’s a new product at ‘Nighttime Companion,’ the fantasy slime shop in the alley behind Fourth Street.”
…
“Maybe it means they’re using higher-quality slime than the kind we used before, making the fantasy recreation and natural feel incomparably better. If I had enough money, I could spend a delightful night ‘all by myself.’”
…
“…Though I can’t go because I’m broke.”
The wall on the other side.
A noble cadet from the kingdom pretended to tie the knot on his sword scabbard as he spoke.
“Well, would you look at that. The knot on my scabbard’s come undone. I’d normally like to join you on your nocturnal adventure, but I suppose I’ll have to leave it at the academy.”
…
“But… that doesn’t mean I can just throw my scabbard away. Just as I can’t abandon my ‘friend’ just because he’s a commoner from the republic. I should pay in advance, so that fellow can use it too.”
…
“I’ve never seen anyone as good as him at making fantasy slimes beautiful.”
“!”
The commoner from the republic’s hand trembled faintly. At last, he closed the poetry collection without having turned a single page and quietly wiped away tears of emotion.
He murmured softly.
“Th-thank you… friend. Someday, I’ll make the most beautiful fantasy slime in the world. One so noble and angelic that every man will envy it….”
…
The noble from the kingdom picked up his sword and walked away.
“Hah, someone actually answers when I talk to myself.”
…
“If I’m going to get one, I’d prefer the ‘biggest’ kind.”
The commoner clutched his book and walked in the opposite direction.
“…Got it.”
They went their separate ways.
Waiting for the day when, together with a friend,
they could stroll through the streets at night….
In this way, the tensions within the academy ahead of the student council election affected countless people.
A confrontation between just two people
had ended up creating such a rift.
And.
One of the people responsible for creating this situation—
was exploring a dungeon.
*
A damp, dark forest path.
Lydia and Morgan walked side by side.
…
…
It was a space within a dungeon.
It looked as though a horde of goblins might cackle ominously and shoot the two women with darts tipped in anesthetic at any moment. But the two of them walked along in peace.
The monsters had already been dealt with.
Monsters, smashed to pieces and leaking every kind of bodily fluid, were strewn about like laundry hung out to dry. It looked like the work of a hunter with a taste for the grotesque, making jerky—but it was simply the aftermath of battle.
A girl’s hearty shout echoed faintly in the distance. She seemed to be enjoying testing out her new equipment.
-Hahaha! This is the charge attack of a Gallian knight—!
At the same time.
An explosion sounded far away.
It was like the sound of a large wooden house being smashed apart.
Ka-boom—!
Then another girl’s shout drifted faintly over. Her violence toward the monsters was on full display.
-In the name of the Sun God! Die, all of you—!
Thud!
Rumble—!
What came next
was a tremendous clap of thunder, like divine retribution.
It roared again and again, like a storm passing through.
-…ria! That’s too… much…!
Lastly.
A boy’s voice could be heard faintly.
The familiar light of the Holy Sword flashed in the distance. Perhaps they had already reached the end of the dungeon; its brilliance was barely visible.
KABOOM—!
The earth shook.
It was as if countless servants were shaking a carpet. Along with a wave of scorching heat, the wind lightly brushed Lydia and Morgan’s clothes as it passed.
Their skirts fluttered.
But they didn’t stop walking.
…
…
Lydia was satisfied.
‘They were pretty strong to begin with, but that equipment is incredible. We came here just to let them try it out, but are they already at the point where they can speedrun a mid-level dungeon by slaughtering everything in their way?’
Their overall stats were still low,
but they were making up for it with their equipment, so they had nothing to worry about.
The equipment Lydia had asked Julien to appraise.
She had given Aria and Mave the ‘Saint’s Vestments’ and the ‘Lion Shield.’ As one would expect of legendary equipment from the endgame, they radiated an aura that gave people a chill the moment they picked them up.
Aria and Mave had both been startled when they received them.
-This is…?!
-This is what I went to Saintroix hoping to obtain.
-Y-Your equipment…?
-Indeed. Would you care to try them out?
-But something this valuable…
They had hesitated at first, but soon got used to them.
Mave let out a hearty laugh and charged like an assault tank. The wind-aspected artifact effect built into the Lion Shield boosted her acceleration.
-Uwahahahaha—! This is a knight’s charge—!
Ka-boom—!
Everything she collided with shattered to pieces. Even monsters as large as bears toppled backward and died.
While Mave swept through the front line,
Aria used an almost unlimited supply of holy spells. The reserve divine power and amplification effect imbued in the Saint’s Vestments worked together, turning her into a walking temple.
-Monsters! Kneel before the wrath of the Sun God—!
Rumble!
Rumble—!
With fanaticism in her silver eyes, Aria seized lightning in both hands and swung it around. Every so often, she even snatched Arti’s Holy Sword and used it herself. She looked like an angel of divine punishment descending from the heavens.
The two girls’ rampage couldn’t be stopped.
As a result, Arti was the only one huffing and puffing as he chased after them.
And now, back to the present.
Lydia saw a dungeon completely drenched in blood.
‘…This is one of the more difficult mid-level dungeons.’
Everywhere in the forest, the only things to be seen were the already shattered corpses of monsters. It was hard to believe this carnage had been wrought by first-year students who hadn’t even been at the academy for a year.
…
…
Lydia shrugged.
“It looks like all that effort paid off. You suffered alongside me at the auction, after all.”
…
“…Morgan?”
“Hm?”
“Is something troubling you?”
…
Morgan shook her head. But the movement was clearly very slow. Her eyes were fixed on empty space as she thought about something over and over.
“…Nothing.”
…
‘She definitely seems to have something on her mind. Is she bothered by getting mixed up with Carla? Or is she thinking about the Black Temple and what lies ahead?’
Or maybe both.
…
…
But Lydia didn’t press her further.
She only shared a few thoughts of her own.
Lydia said,
“I have no intention of becoming student council president.”
…
“I have no intention of maintaining any particular connection with Lady Carla, either.”
…
“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
…
Morgan said,
“I didn’t say anything.”
“I was only muttering my honest feelings.”
…
“Just remember that.”
The path ahead was covered in the monsters’ blood. Looking at it, Lydia continued.
“The Black Temple, Lady Carla, the academy, and even my own affairs….”
…
“They’re all undoubtedly things that need to be dealt with. But if you don’t want to, you don’t have to.”
“How does that make sense? If it needs to be done, how can you just not do it?”
“It makes sense.”
Lydia smiled.
“Because I never intended to force you to do it in the first place.”
…
Morgan sighed.
“Phew….”
Somehow,
all the things she had been worrying about suddenly seemed foolish.
Of course she was going to do it.
And yet the thought that she didn’t have to made her feel relieved.
…
That was what made her an idiot.
Lydia chuckled at Morgan.
…
‘So Carla’s a heroine who isn’t on the main route… Her unexpected move made it clear. At least where this matter is concerned, it seems I won’t have to deal with the Black Temple.’
*
A dark place.
People in shabby robes whispered among themselves. In a place steeped in gloom, sinister conspiracies were naturally afoot.
“The letters were quite effective.”
“The tension between the kingdom’s and republic’s cadets has deepened.”
“The princess and Lady Carla seem unsettled, too.”
“Then, should we proceed with the plan?”
…
Among them,
the one in the farthest corner nodded.
“Everything is for the sake of the republic.”