episode_0203

“I only want one thing.”

“Is this a proposition?”

“Something like that.”

Immediately after our short family reunion, Father and I got down to business.

I pushed my teacup aside and scattered ether neatly across the table.

A pure white light formed into a screen, crackling slightly before a video-like image appeared.

“What is this?”

“Um… It’s magic that displays memories as moving pictures. Just watch it for now.”

“My, such magic…”

Father rested his chin on his hand and quietly stared at the screen.

What I had displayed was the countless memories I had gathered while collecting information on .

“I… I don’t want to do this…”

“Jane, what nonsense is this? You are my proud daughter. You will inherit the family and the organization’s work, becoming a truly outstanding dark mage—!!”

The screen showed Duke Darius, the head of Moriarty, pulling his eldest daughter’s arm.

The noblewoman soon vehemently refused her father’s insistence that she learn dark magic, witnessing the brutal deaths of the servants she had lived with like family.

The next scene showed the starving citizens of the empire huddled together.

They were cowering in a dungeon-like place, too terrified to do anything but hold hands and tremble.

Duke Darius stood before them, arms outstretched, drawing in dark energy.

“I will give you power.”

“S-save… Aaaack—!!”

“No… Ugh-k… Kheuk—”

The dark energy filled the dingy room of the cellar.

Every time the people inhaled the air or absorbed it through their skin, their eyes became bloodshot, their veins turned black, and their bodies grotesquely swelled.

When the Duke retracted the energy, the state of the room became clear.

There was not a single person left unharmed.

All of them possessed strong bodies, empty minds, and emitted an ominous aura similar to the Duke’s.

“Kh…m…”

I cautiously looked up at Father’s face.

He seemed greatly displeased, his hand covering his mouth as he furrowed his brow.

“These are the memories of those who died and were absorbed during the Academy incident and yesterday’s attack by the assailants.”

“So that’s how he increased his puppet soldiers…?”

I nodded.

“Some have properly accepted that dark energy and become stronger while retaining their sanity. But still, they cannot disobey his orders.”

“That’s due to the difference in power, but also the action of the dark energy itself. There are also those who have sworn allegiance.”

I continued to affirm.

Thinking back, even at the Academy, those who attacked me only pretended to, secretly stealing the Academy’s documents.

In the case of Persona, who led the attack, while a known figure, they are mentally unstable compared to .

There was no trace of them setting and executing a rational objective.

So, they were probably only used as expendable pawns along with the false mission of attacking me. I shuddered once again at Duke Darius’s ruthless nature.

“Right, that reminds me of something that happened then.”

“What is it?”

“That… you know… when you cleaned up after Evan—”

Ah, I remembered.

After the midterm exams of the first semester and before going on an adventure, I briefly visited the royal palace and caught a certain monster.

“At that time I investigated the body of the magically-transformed Marquis Carsen at the Magic Tower, and sent that information to the royal family.”

“What was its content?”

“I don’t remember the details. But… I still remember that the Imperial Family and the name ‘Seeker’ appeared many times.”

Father added a brief explanation.

The basic concept and structure of the magic transformation ritual were similar to those of the Imperial Family, but such magic did not actually exist.

The individual known as ‘Seeker’ is close to the Imperial Family and operates secretly, gathering capital and information.

“The ‘Seeker’ is undoubtedly Duke Darius.”

“We have physical and circumstantial evidence. But since he’s close to the Imperial Family… it will be difficult to investigate.”

Just as with the dungeon break at the Artemis ruins, these national issues are not to be lightly touched upon.

At that time, we dealt with it quietly, fearing a dispute with the Holy Kingdom over responsibility.

But if a conflict arises between the kingdom and the empire, which already have a poor relationship?

Even house-bound nobles might jump up and raise the flag of war.

So, our Nifrantz royal family should remain quiet.

War will happen eventually, but for now, I want to enjoy this peace a little longer.

The people of the capital, the cadets of the Academy, the citizens of the Filbrogue Barony.

So many familiar faces and voices have become accustomed to me, and that responsibility weighs on my shoulders.

“So, what is it that you want? I haven’t heard the important part.”

“Because it’s important, I’ll tell you last. However, I have some cards to play.”

Thwack—

I snapped my fingers, scattering the screen on the table and absorbing the ether.

“I can’t keep only taking hits. I’m going to carefully plan a strategy and crush .”

“To do nothing—”

Father’s eyes widened.

Kwaang-!

He slammed his fist on the table, causing the teacups to rattle noisily.

“Wha—?! W-what are you…”

“Exactly that. Of course, they keep their base hidden, so it’s probably impossible to completely destroy it.”

His knuckles were white with tension.

“What’s the point then? If you don’t uproot them properly…”

“No, there is meaning. Even madmen have some coherence. Even if not their base, if they suffer significant damage, they won’t act for a while.”

“…You intend to buy time.”

I nodded quietly.

“I want nothing to happen until I graduate from the Academy. I just want to enjoy this peace for a little longer.”

“…Have you fallen in love?”

“You know.”

I quietly looked beyond the office door.

The room wasn’t soundproof, so anyone nearby would hear our conversation.

“Well… you’re of age, so having a lover or two wouldn’t—”

“Five—no, six.”

“…”

I proudly held up one hand and gave a thumbs-up with the other, leaving Father speechless.

A short silence passed, and after regaining his composure, he wore a serious expression.

“Children…”

“Not yet.”

“Whew…”

Father’s long sigh seemed to pierce through the table and reach the floor.

After all, even a rotten royal wouldn’t want to sow their seed and make children anywhere causing many problems.

I can understand this response.

Considering that the person sighing has a double-digit number of children, it can be seen as a serious response born from experience.

I straightened myself again.

With the serious expression of a gambler about to bet, I spread my hands and held up three fingers.

“I’ll achieve these three things soon. First, I’ll annihilate several branches of Moriarty. Of course, there won’t be a trace that Nifrantz even moved.”

“Are you confident…?”

“Who do you think I am?”

I answered his question with a question, as it was a question that didn’t even deserve to be asked.

Remembering my childhood, when I captured nearby vicious nobles and strung them up like sausages, Father’s expression slowly soured.

It was an affirmative answer.

“Second, this. Like with Marquis Carsen, I will completely eradicate the crimes of the nobles connected to Moriarty and other dark forces.”

“Th-that’s a good thing. Just don’t go overboard. Don’t stir up a hornet’s nest—”

“Who do you think I am?”

Father nodded again, his face still slightly strained.

“Third… well, it’s nothing compared to the previous two. I’ll become next year’s Academy Student Council President.”

“My… I may not know much about it, but such a position isn’t obtained through strength alone.”

Grin—

I flashed a confident smile.

“Who do you think I am?”

“Right, right. Now I see you’ve also taken over Phillip and the Second Knights. You certainly possess leadership qualities.”

“Taken over… That’s a bit harsh. Oh, and by the way, the next commander of that group is my lover.”

Father placed his hand on his forehead as if it hurt.

However, his mouth was already grinning.

“Heh heh—! You did take them over, didn’t you?”

“Yes, it was delicious.”

I could sense the presence outside the door trembling nervously.

Having revealed my cards, Father provided the necessary data.

He pulled out a piece of paper, wrote something down in elegant handwriting, and finished with his signature.

Flutter—

“Take it to the Prime Minister. I’ll include all the information about Marquis Carsen from the Magic Tower and the nobles I’ve been observing.”

“That’s enough. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You could find this information on your own. I only summarized what you needed.”

I took another sip of tea and neatly folded the paper Father handed me, tucking it into my bosom.

This will make the investigation much easier.

Slurp-

“Huu… Let’s hear it then. What incredible thing do you want from me… I’m starting to get scared.”

“Ah, it’s nothing much really. Just pretend you never said something you said before.”

“Something I said?”

I nodded.

Perhaps the three cards I had just revealed were merely stepping stones to my main objective, and what I wanted was to unlock the locked door leading to those stepping stones.

I carefully set down my teacup and spoke.

“Please pretend you never revoked my right to succession.”