Chapter 74
Lydia let out a deep sigh.
“….”
‘This really never goes smoothly. If she’d simply been kidnapped, it’d be a side event, but if black magic were involved, it’d be a main event… and now both have happened out of nowhere.’
Even when she knew the original story and tried to act preemptively, something else had suddenly happened again. The one saving grace was that, as a reward for making it through the Hero’s Exam safely, she’d gained a reliable ally.
That ally was Priest Adrian.
Normally, people might have pushed back against the testimony of an unknown priest. But no one could bring themselves to contradict the leading authority on divine magic and theological research.
‘Is it a good thing that an NPC from another route is still around and helping create a virtuous cycle…?’
So the atmosphere at the scene was calmer than in the original.
Priest Adrian spoke solemnly. His old gray robe fluttered in the wind, lending weight to his authority.
“Until we understand exactly what happened, no one may enter or leave this area. Teaching assistants and professors from each department are to patrol the academy and report any unusual activity.”
“….”
Even so.
A Republic cadet, unable to contain his anger, raised his hand. He belonged to a group within Lady Carla’s faction. At his movement, the Magic Department students around him exchanged glances.
“Where is Instructor Zack? I want to join the search!”
“Me too…!”
“Me too!”
Adrian said firmly.
“Instructor Zack is already aware of the situation and searching the vicinity with the security staff. They know the academy’s layout best, so you would only get in their way if you joined them. Rather than add to the confusion, your best course is to stay somewhere you can protect yourselves.”
“….”
A logical rebuttal.
They hesitated for a moment.
Finally, the cadet who had first raised his hand spoke again.
“But this has already happened! We can’t trust them anymore.”
“That’s true. I understand how you feel.”
“Then…!”
“However.”
A single acknowledgment.
Then came another logical rebuttal.
“Even so, they are still responsible for the academy’s security, and they still know this place better than anyone. It’s precisely because Instructor Zack and his people were on the job that they were able to respond so quickly.”
“Th-that’s…”
“It would be foolish to open the gates just because a hole had been found somewhere in the castle wall. That’s exactly what an outside intruder would want. I understand that it may be difficult to trust Instructor Zack completely right now, but this is no time for us to split up and scatter. So please, exercise restraint.”
“….”
Authority and logic.
Blocked from both sides, the mood began to settle.
The Kingdom and Republic cadets eyed each other as if to say, ‘Could it be?’ But they stopped fanning the flames of conflict and began to back down.
“….”
“….”
“….”
The cadets returned to their respective groups and gradually dispersed. One by one, those who had gathered like clouds in front of the dormitory began to leave.
Arti asked Lydia,
“Lydia, what should we do?”
“….”
Lydia thought it over.
The truth was…
If the Dark Realm was involved,
it would be safer to join Ember Knight Order member Mirian and Zack and investigate separately. She could leave Arti and the others behind.
Or…
She could take Morgan, at least.
But…
‘Honestly, if things were normal, it’d be much safer for me to investigate alone. But it would be a problem if I took my eyes off Arti and the others again, only for our paths to cross unexpectedly.’
Hadn’t she failed to consider that in Saintroix and ended up revealing her rabbit form?
“….”
Besides, she couldn’t keep leaving Arti and the others behind like this. She decided it would be better to look after them herself and assess the situation together.
Lydia said,
“The shopping district is probably in an uproar, so we should gather at my dormitory first. Let’s discuss what to do about this there.”
“!”
Arti and the others replied,
“Understood.”
They gathered again at the dormitory, in Lydia’s private royal annex. There, the maid Mirian handed tea to Arti and the others.
“The teacups are hot.”
“Oh, thank you.”
Arti greeted Mirian warmly, glad to see her again. Then he sipped his tea and fell silent for a moment. The rest of the group, seated in the living room, fell silent too.
A chilly silence.
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Lydia was the first to speak.
“Actually.”
“!”
“After we met in the plaza that day, I spoke with Lady Carla alone.”
“What did you talk about?”
“She said she knew I wasn’t the culprit.”
“What?!”
Arti hurriedly said,
“Th-then why say something so harsh? Wouldn’t picking a fight with royalty from another country only hurt you?”
“….”
His reasoning was sound. But considering the special relationship between the Kingdom and the Republic, Lady Carla hadn’t necessarily made a reckless move.
Lydia said,
“The Republic and the Kingdom only maintain the appearance of an alliance out of long-standing tradition, while keeping their distance. They barely uphold the terms of their alliance, so it’s become a mere formality.”
“Was it really that bad?”
Arti tilted his head.
“But… wasn’t the Alchemy Guild founded by mages from the Republic? I thought they had branches all over the Kingdom…”
“They turn a blind eye to it, but technically, it’s illegal.”
“Why go that far…?”
At Arti’s question,
Aria, sitting beside him, glanced at him uneasily.
Lydia pretended not to notice and said,
“The Republic rejects the faith in the Sun God. They must believe that it’s merely the power of spirits arising from mana phenomena, not some all-encompassing truth, and so they refuse to worship it.”
“How could they…?”
“The Kingdom of Gallia was founded under the guarantee of the Theocracy of the Sun from the very beginning. So rejecting the Sun God is no different from rejecting the very ideals on which the Kingdom was founded.”
“….”
The rationale for preserving the throne.
That might have worked in the real Middle Ages, when the people had little education. But in the world of this eroge, where public education was nearly modern, it was just an exercise in pretending not to see the truth.
In fact, if you wanted to make an analogy for the Kingdom of Gallia’s position…
you could compare it to a communist dictatorship in the modern era.
Some of the people knew what lay beyond their borders, and the upper classes knew about other systems, too. But they still pretended not to see the truth in order to preserve their pretext…
And Lydia was royalty there.
‘A princess of a communist dictatorship… That analogy makes me feel extremely conflicted.’
“….”
Lydia pushed the thought aside.
It was just background information for now.
“Well, that’s only the official justification. If so many people truly believed it, would the Alchemy Guild be able to operate out in the open?”
“Good grief… That’s complicated.”
“It can’t be helped in a country that has to maintain royal authority. Even if the story has become meaningless, the moment they openly acknowledge it, their authority will be shaken.”
Lydia hurriedly changed the subject.
“Anyway. To get back to Lady Carla…”
“!”
She took a sip of tea and continued.
“She knew I hadn’t left the note outside her door. She’d already realized that I wasn’t particularly hungry for power.”
“?”
This time, Mave tilted her head.
“Isn’t that obvious? Everyone knows that Lady Lydia hasn’t been actively trying to build a faction among the first-years in the Department of Swordsmanship.”
“That’s only obvious if you’re looking at it from the inside.”
“What do you mean?”
“From the outside, I might look like a power-seeker who’s simply keeping her head down because her position is precarious.”
Lydia said with a wry smile,
“I have people with authority tied to Arien and the Sun God, like the Hero and the Saint, at my side, along with geniuses from every department who’ve shown exceptional talent… I can’t blame anyone for misunderstanding.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
“….”
An awkward silence passed. Being praised so highly by Lydia made them feel strangely embarrassed.
Arti and Aria said bashfully,
“Well, really, Lydia’s the one who’s guided us…”
“We’re grateful you think so highly of us, but…”
Surprisingly, Mave was the first to regain her composure. She was more eager to understand her beloved liege’s intentions than to dwell on the praise directed at her.
“So what should we do now? If the misunderstanding between you and Lady Carla was cleared up from the start, wouldn’t it be better to tell everyone?”
“People already think Lydia and Lady Carla are at odds. And if demon worshippers are involved, too…”
“Right. Someone might start spreading strange rumors.”
“Then…!”
“We need to catch the ones who are planning to spread those rumors. They’re probably doing their best to direct everyone’s attention elsewhere even now.”
“What?”
A Kingdom conspiracy.
Demon worshippers.
If all the circumstances surrounding these events pointed suspiciously outward…
then it was more likely that someone was trying to divert attention from within.
The conflict was inside the Republic itself.
Lydia decided to wait and see.
“….”
‘The original story may be gone, but given my fake rivalry with Lady Carla, I can’t say this situation has nothing to do with it.’
*
Once they had decided what to do next,
Arti and the others decided to stay the night at Lydia’s annex. Mave and Aria would sleep in Lydia’s room, Arti in the living room, and Morgan in her own room.
Darkness fell,
and when everyone had gotten ready for bed,
Morgan didn’t go to sleep.
She went to the backyard of the annex and wandered around.
“….”
She stood there, staring blankly into space.
Then someone called from beside her.
“Morgan.”
“….”
She turned around.
“…Lydia.”
“May I stand with you?”
“….”
Did she really have to ask?
Morgan answered brusquely,
“…Do whatever you want.”
“All right.”
A brief silence followed.
“….”
“….”
Lydia said,
“Is it bothering you?”
“I don’t know.”
What was?
But the answer was obvious.
Rescuing Lady Carla.
Morgan said,
“At first, even meeting that woman made me a little scared… No, I just didn’t like it. Now I don’t really feel anything. She’s probably tied up somewhere dark like a bundle of dried medicinal herbs.”
“….”
“In the end, she’s just another pawn to be sacrificed in a political struggle.”
“….”
“Maybe ‘scapegoat’ is more like it. Either way, it’s pathetic.”
“….”
It was a little extreme, but…
Seeing the pitiful state of someone she’d once feared had made those bad memories from the past feel much less intense. So Morgan began to speak candidly.
“A long time ago.”
“….”
“I saw her from a distance.”
“….”
They were both members of the same Driagh family, one of the great houses that held the Republic in its grasp. Of course, their positions were worlds apart.
Morgan said,
“I’m from a collateral branch, and a fake, with lowborn blood mixed in. But anyway, it was a big gathering where every member of the family had to attend.”
“I see.”
“That’s where I saw Lady Carla.”
Very calmly.
In a voice as gray as ash.
“The ones who beat me, insulted me, and starved me for being dirty would tremble and grovel at a single word from her.”
“….”
“So when I thought I’d have to face her at the academy, I didn’t really want to meet her. If she was a direct descendant so much higher in rank than the people who tormented me… just how badly would she torment me?”
“…I see.”
Morgan shrugged.
Her red hair gleamed even in the dark. A glimpse of the densely packed scars on her arm showed beyond her lightly fluttering sleeve.
“But. Well… I never had any reason to get involved with her.”
She said it nonchalantly.
“And after that, I gradually stopped thinking about it.”
“….”
Lydia fell silent.
That was why the backyard was quiet.
“….”
“….”
After a brief silence,
Lydia nodded.
“I see.”
“….”
She didn’t ask any questions,
but simply listened and accepted what Morgan said.
It was foolish.
“Hmph.”
That was why she humored Lydia, though.