Chapter 75
Five days had passed.
Lady Carla was still missing.
Naturally, this situation didn't end as a mere disturbance within the academy. The cadets from the Republic had informed their homeland of the news.
Written by different people,
the current situation was conveyed in several letters.
Beyond the mountain range leading to the Republic.
The letters were quickly delivered by the finest merchant houses' costly express service. It didn't take long for their contents to reach their destination.
As befitted letters written by young people,
their contents revealed their bewilderment at the situation.
-Lady Carla's whereabouts remain unknown…
-The recent commotion involving demon worshippers at the academy…
-The factions within the academy are divided between the Kingdom and the Republic…
-The ducal princess and the princess had previously competed for the student council presidency…
-Armed teaching assistants and professors are patrolling the academy grounds…
The contents were all over the place.
Everyone knew different things, and their accounts didn't match because each had added their own opinions. One letter called it a Kingdom conspiracy, while another blamed it on the heinous demon worshippers.
Even so, the letters all pointed to one thing.
Namely, the irreparable rift between the Kingdom and the Republic.
Holding a letter in one hand,
the Republic's power brokers let out low groans.
Then, gazing at the seaside reflected in the window, they murmured.
“So the time we spent pretending not to see each other is over….”
The Kingdom and the Republic.
A country ruled by a king, and one where no one could rule.
And a country that believed in God, and one that refused to.
Two countries that found it difficult to acknowledge each other.
It had been a miracle that they had maintained their gray alliance without a single rupture until now. For a long time, they had papered over their accumulated sense of alienation with religion and the need for the Alchemy Guild.
A little indifference,
and a little deception had sustained an era of peace.
After the age of chaos, when demons ran rampant, the Arcana Republic, which had received the transfer of power from the ‘Arcana royal family,’ maintained peace through ‘deception.’
“…So that era is nearing its end. Was the republican system really so fragile? Were those who said we should return to monarchy right all along…?”
The power brokers looked out at the sea.
The sea was calm, without a single ripple. But this wasn't the calm of peace; it was the stillness before the storm. It was an eerie silence just before a tremendous storm called ‘Driagh’ swept in.
Could the ducal princess have staged this herself?
Could it not be a Kingdom conspiracy?
Could it simply be the work of demon worshippers?
None of that mattered at all.
‘All we need is a pretext….’
Besides, once that pretext touched their honor,
they might have to create one for the sake of their family's name.
Exactly.
As now.
….”
They were afraid.
Perhaps.
War might begin.
And it came to light that House Driagh, which dominated the Republic's aristocratic assembly and presided over it, had dispatched an envoy to the academy.
The royal family of the Kingdom of Gallia had as well.
Several days earlier.
The two envoys had reportedly hurriedly boarded carriages.
“…So Driagh and the Gallian royal family have finally made their move.”
Were they messengers sent to read a declaration of war?
Or were they troubleshooters sent to resolve this situation?
No one knew their true intentions except the head of House Driagh. But one thing was certain: an irreversible situation was unfolding, and things would not end quietly.
Time passed,
and those who remained prepared for the storm.
“Summon our vassals.”
For those who lived near the sea,
preparing for a storm was nothing new.
*
The academy was just as chaotic.
If anything, since this was where the incident had begun, the turmoil was spreading noticeably. The cadets, who always held their heads high and took pride in being nobles, had gone rigid.
The Kingdom cadets whispered among themselves.
“Could the academy really disappear?”
“I only heard it in passing, but apparently it's a possibility they're discussing back at our houses. If Sir Zack is dismissed over this, that'd effectively mean two of the academy's three departments are disbanded.”
“But if not an academy diploma, then where else can we earn honor…?”
“Probably on the battlefield.”
“…!”
“Like in the distant past, during the era when Hero Arien was active and endless wars raged.”
“Like… in the past.”
Why had we gathered here wearing uniforms?
Why had we accepted those whose ideologies and values differed from our own?
Why.
Wouldn't it be enough to seize honor with the swords in our hands…?
….”
….”
That one simple proposition was crumbling.
As anxiety spread,
and questions arose in their hearts.
The academy cadets felt a sense of disquiet.
….”
….”
So even when they walked the streets, they kept their mouths firmly shut. Except for those in the same faction, they even severed the loose ties of friendship they'd formed in the academy's open atmosphere.
Classes were suspended.
Instructor Zack, along with the teaching assistants and professors, patrolled the corridors and shopping district. Their murderous aura as they prowled every street and alley sent petty thugs and the proprietors of seedy shops scrambling to hide.
-Search the alley on the other side!
-We've checked this one more than ten times already.
-Have you checked the sewers?
-We've checked there too….
-…Damn it.
Just like their hearts,
even the autumn breeze had grown colder.
A chilly atmosphere hung over the academy grounds. It was hard to believe how rowdy things had been just recently during the student council election.
Amid that silence.
The cadets avoided going outside, except to visit shops for necessities.
They gathered in small groups and simply waited.
“What about meals?”
“We ate in our rooms. The servants are taking turns keeping watch, too.”
“I see.”
And then they fell silent.
….”
….”
So they could be ‘ready’ at any moment.
That was why cadets could often be seen at the general stores and grocers. There, a taut tension hung in the air as they desperately pretended not to notice one another.
….”
….”
Through that tension,
oblivious merchants chatted among themselves.
-There was a student council election the other day, wasn't there?
-Gasp…! Then does that mean the one who kidnapped the ducal princess was…?
The moment those words ended,
the cadets nearby stiffened.
Hesitate—
“!”
“!”
The merchants' voices dropped even lower.
-Shh, shh! Keep your voice down, man…! You'll get in trouble for saying something when we don't know it's true.
-Good grief, we came hoping to make a killing during harvest season.
-Something big might happen soon, so let's get out of here.
-Yeah, let's.
The footsteps of the merchants who had come from outside the academy faded away. They disappeared into a distant back alley, where cheap inns and taverns were clustered.
They said they weren't sure,
yet acted more certain than anyone.
….”
….”
The cadets' eyes trembled.
Was it really war?
So suddenly?
The merchants' words had been brief, but they left great ripples in their wake.
Because rats are the first to flee an earthquake.
In the cadets' hearts,
a swarm of rats came to mind, fleeing in a rush.
There was also the anxiety of wondering whether they should just stay where they were.
….”
….”
*
The merchants who'd been chatting entered the back alley with awkward, hesitant steps. They stopped looking around nervously, their expressions shifting to ones full of certainty.
Their uncertain footsteps, too, became calm and steady.
Then they spoke matter-of-factly.
[We've covered all of District 7.]
….”
It was a foreign language.
Then men dressed similarly approached from beyond the alley. They were shabby and plain, yet an oddly composed air surrounded them.
They walked slowly and spoke as if muttering.
As though exchanging casual greetings while passing by.
In the era before Arien.
In the language once spoken in the ancient Kingdom of Arcana.
“We've covered all of District 5.”
“Then all that's left is District 10.”
“A patrol is approaching from beyond District 4.”
“Understood. Stay alert….”
At that moment.
The four merchants froze.
They couldn't move a muscle, as if turned to stone.
Halt—!
“?!”
“?!”
“?!”
“?!”
‘A curse? How could…?’
‘They can cast paralysis over such a wide area so suddenly…?!’
‘Could Dean Edmond have come out himself…!’
‘Damn it, Dean Edmond shouldn't be here…!’
All sorts of thoughts raced through their minds.
Frozen in place, they looked around.
With the only things they could move—their eyes—they saw red hair slowly approaching. It was a hair color usually associated with commoners in the Republic.
They all thought at the same time.
‘A-a commoner mage…?’
The girl who approached, Morgan the commoner mage, looked at them with melancholy eyes. In her hand was a branch covered in numerous white runes.
She sighed and said,
“…So it was an internal affair within the Republic after all. The way you used the language from the days of the Kingdom of Arcana to communicate, while posing as merchants and subtly sowing unease, gave it away.”
“?!”
“?!”
“?!”
“?!”
Those who had disguised themselves as merchants were aghast. It was astonishing enough that a Republic commoner could use magic so skillfully, but she could even understand the ancient language of the Kingdom of Arcana.
‘Who on earth is she…?’
‘She looks like an academy cadet…?!’
And.
Something even more astonishing happened next.
Morgan said,
“Lydia, I don't think there's anything more to interrogate them about. Anyone using the ancient language of the Kingdom of Arcana as a code for contact is obviously up to no good.”
“I see. I couldn't understand it myself, but with your knowledge, I'm sure you're right.”
“Hmph. What about the riffraff?”
“They're moving with Priest Adrian.”
“To search the ‘suspicious places’ you told him about?”
“I can't be sure yet.”
At the same time.
In the darkness of the back alley, golden hair swayed.
The men frozen in place widened their eyes. They couldn't help but shout inwardly.
‘G-Gallia's Golden…!’
‘Where did she come from?’
Lydia approached them.
“Pleased to meet you. Though I doubt the feeling's mutual. I am a member of Gallia's royal family, and a convenient scapegoat you tried to use. You played right into Lady Carla's plan.”
“…?!”
What?
Lady Carla's plan, when she'd already been kidnapped…?
At that question,
Lydia didn't answer.
“For the past few days, you've been subtly manipulating the hearts of the Kingdom and Republic cadets. As though you were gently riling up the naïve nobles, hoping to provoke a conflict.”
She spoke coldly.
“It's about time we put an end to this. You have no idea how long I've waited to meet you in person.”