Ch.87Academy Attack Incident – 9

“When the Elder Lich begged that Astaroth should be immediately apprehended and interrogated, I wondered what was happening. Was this your plan?”

“The timing worked out well. I was lucky too. I came up with the plan on the spot when I saw the barrier coming down. For an improvised plan, it was pretty decent.”

“Decent? That’s an understatement. When I called the other Legion Commanders to discuss the matter, they were on the verge of splitting into factions. They’ve completely fallen for it. Watching that unfold has been quite an entertaining spectacle.”

Elysier’s voice was laced with unbridled joy. Though he wasn’t openly laughing, it would be fair to say he was halfway to roaring with laughter.

Perhaps due to all the frustrations he’d accumulated while serving as the Demon Lord, he seemed unable to contain his amusement at the current situation where the Legion Commanders were suspecting and interrogating each other.

“What should I do next? Please lend me your wisdom.”

“Just do whatever feels right. Do you really need to ask me?”

“My negligence could return as a threat to you and those around you. Like this recent attack. I would rather die than be a hindrance when I cannot be of help. That is why I wish to follow your guidance.”

Even with such insistence, a plan wouldn’t materialize out of thin air. But Elysier persisted in his request.

After advising him to maintain a facade of neutrality while subtly encouraging division and bringing in Astaroth, I was about to remove the necklace when Elysier stopped me.

“I just received a report from the 5th Legion Commander. That woman Astaroth has escaped.”

“…Escaped? Where to?”

“That is something even I do not know. When I didn’t even know where she was hiding, how could I know where she has fled?”

This time, even I couldn’t help but be taken aback. It wasn’t just a matter of insubordination; she had completely fled. I couldn’t imagine how she planned to deal with the consequences.

It was a problem for me too. The more extreme her actions became, the larger the scale of the incident she might cause to seek forgiveness.

“Thanks to this, opinions have shifted dramatically. Except for the 1st Legion Commander who insists we should hear her side first, everyone else is treating it as a fact that Astaroth has sided with the humans. There’s even talk that she should be captured immediately, and all other succubi should be rounded up and thoroughly interrogated.”

Elysier chuckled.

“This once again proves your words correct. From the perspective of someone who doesn’t know the details, wouldn’t it seem like Astaroth fled to human territory after completing her mission?”

“That’s true. And well, I have a pretty good idea where she might have fled to.”

Unless she planned to run off to some barren wilderness and live in hiding for the rest of her life eating roots, there were limited places where she could seek refuge.

It would likely be either the Starlight Order, where she had planted her flag long ago, or the Astrierre family that she had infiltrated into the Empire.

“Alright, I’ll tell the Sword Saint to investigate the Astrierre family first—”

“There she is!”

Hearing a sudden shout from somewhere, I quickly hid the necklace. It’s safer to hide it from the beginning than to get caught and have to explain. I put the necklace in my uniform’s inner pocket and turned around immediately.

A group of knights I had never seen before, not Royal Guards, were approaching me in formation. They appeared well-armed, wore full plate armor covering their entire bodies, and were considerable in number.

‘Something’s not right.’

The way they marched in formation, and how they seemed to be pointing their weapons at me—this was definitely not a rescue team looking for survivors.

I prepared to draw Eternity at any moment and waited for them to close the distance.

“Are you Miss Mira Crate?”

The knight at the front slightly lowered his spear tip and asked politely.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem like one of those crazy holy knights who immediately speak informally and initiate confrontational conversations.

“Yes, I am. What brings you here?”

I returned the politeness. Meanwhile, I observed the knights just in case. Though I couldn’t identify their affiliation since both their armor and weapons were unfamiliar to me, I could be certain of one thing.

These men were enthralled by a succubus.

I could feel the distinctive wavelength emitted by enthralled humans, making me 100% sure.

This meant that regardless of how polite they appeared on the surface, we could never have a good relationship. As if determined not to betray my expectations, the knight pulled out handcuffs from his waist.

“We are arresting you on charges of treason.”

“…Did I hear you correctly? Charges of treason?”

“That’s right. We don’t want to use force, so we would appreciate your cooperation.”

The moment I realized I hadn’t misheard, I couldn’t help but laugh involuntarily. I had no idea what that woman Astaroth was trying to do, but she must be quite desperate.

Even if she wanted to frame me, to choose such a charge—how did she plan to handle the aftermath? She must have lost her mind from all the adversity piling up.

“Are you sure you can back up those words? Treason isn’t a charge that can be applied just by verbal accusation. Bring proper evidence first. If you’re trying to arrest me based on mere suspicion, I refuse.”

Even if they brought evidence, it would surely be fabricated. At my words, the knights exchanged glances and pointed their spears at me.

“I’ll say it again, we don’t want to use force. Please come with us quietly. If you’re innocent, the charges will naturally be dropped.”

“I doubt it. From my perspective, once I’m taken in, you’ll do whatever it takes to have my head and my family’s, like fabricating evidence to frame me for crimes I didn’t commit.”

What wouldn’t that Astaroth woman do? She clearly wasn’t in her right mind right now.

After having their disguised coercion rejected twice, the knights’ demeanor grew increasingly hostile.

“Must we use force to make you comply?”

“That’s my line. Do one of you need to be laid flat on the ground before you’ll back off?”

“Very well. Everyone! Arrest this—ARGH?!”

I grabbed the shaft of the knight’s spear as he tried to seize me, pulled him in, stomped on it to break it, then grabbed his wrist and twisted it, breaking it along with his armor. The sound of bones breaking was drowned out by the crunching of armor.

The knight screamed. I kicked the back of his knee, forcing him to kneel, and shattered his ankle. Finally, I twisted his other arm’s shoulder joint to the breaking point, ready to snap it at any moment, then looked at the rest.

Despite their vanguard being instantly subdued and taken hostage, they all charged forward regardless. They were well-trained men.

“Wait, wait! Stop! That’s enough!”

Just as I was about to break the hostage’s shoulder and lunge at the next knight, a voice from somewhere made the knights stop in their tracks as if measured by a ruler.

“Why are you fighting the moment you meet? We can resolve this with words.”

A man accompanied by female knights on either side was walking steadily toward us. He had blonde hair and a handsome face that seemed to be an equal mix of sleaziness and boldness.

He looked like the type who would fit in at a beach, wearing sunglasses pushed up to his forehead, a flower necklace, and an unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt. That was my first impression, at least.

“And you guys, didn’t I tell you to let me explain first instead of just dragging him away? Of course he’d be upset if you suddenly try to arrest him for treason without explanation. Right, handsome boy?”

The man grinned at me. He didn’t even glance at the knight writhing on the ground with his wrist, ankle, and shoulder shattered.

“I’ve only heard about you until now, but seeing you in person… you’re much better than I heard. No joke. Anyway, nice to meet you. Shall we introduce ourselves? What do you say?”

His right hand extended as if offering a handshake. I stared at that hand for a moment before speaking.

“Who are you to act like you know me?”

My attitude clearly displeased the female knights on either side, who both gasped in shock. But I had no reason to be polite.

I could feel the distinctive wavelength of a human enthralled by a succubus coming from this man too. Just like the knights who had tried to attack me moments ago.

Even this seemingly friendly approach could be Queen’s command. Just like how Alexander, the Pope’s son, treated everyone else like dirt but pretended to be friendly only to me.

“Ah, should I have introduced myself first? I thought you’d know me already.”

Despite my sharp response, the man showed no sign of anger, just withdrew his hand with an awkward smile.

“Well, I guess kids these days wouldn’t know. Ahem, let me introduce myself. I’m Igor Ercarenchia Crescenne von Uperantis Bellium. As my name suggests—”

“The deposed crown prince? The one who lost the power struggle and was exiled to the frontier?”

“Hey now, one shouldn’t casually bring up past humiliations.”

Despite being openly mocked about his past right to his face, the deposed crown prince still maintained his friendly smile. Was this his natural personality, or was Astaroth making him act this way?

“And soon I won’t be a deposed crown prince anymore. I’ve gained quite a support base.”

Strong confidence appeared on his face.

“A support base large enough to challenge my insolent sister who drove me out.”

“…”

Is he trying to draw me in? This could get complicated. While I’ve had plenty of experience with war and battle, I’ve never engaged in power struggles.

In my previous life, I just happily fought on the front lines without caring about power, and after gaining the title of Savior, everyone just naturally deferred to me. Even if they harbored different thoughts inside.

It was the same in this life. The Crate family had traditionally been merchants, so they rarely got involved in imperial power struggles.

Actually, they almost got involved once, but I heard my parents handled it very wisely.

‘Wait a minute.’

I stopped my train of thought. There was something I shouldn’t have overlooked.

“Sister? Who?”

“What? You didn’t know either?”

Igor feigned surprise.

“She’s a woman. She’s been so convincing that even I, who lived in the same palace for over ten years, only found out recently. It’s a bit much that she didn’t tell even you. Weren’t you quite close to my sister?”

My mind became complicated. No wonder her already androgynous appearance had been becoming increasingly feminine lately—there was a reason for it.

‘…So all this time she was clinging to me not because she was gay, but simply because she was a woman?’

It felt like a world secret had been revealed. My head was spinning.

‘But why didn’t she reveal it earlier… Ah, perhaps she didn’t want to fully draw me to her side?’

Come to think of it, the previous crown prince—no, crown princess—had only shown interest in me without trying to bring me to her side. Her first attempt was right before the academy attack incident.

Then, perhaps the secret she promised to tell me if I joined her side was about her true gender. It seemed quite plausible.

“I understand you have a lot to think about, but could you move aside? The guy seems to be half-dead.”

Only then did I remember the knight whose ankle I was still pinning down. I removed my foot. Igor laughed at the sight of the knight who was a complete wreck in his armor.

“Loyalty can be problematic when it’s excessive. Take him to a priest for healing. All of you go too. I’ll handle things here. Ah, you two stay.”

After all the male knights left and only the female knights remained on either side, his sleazy smile grew even more pronounced.

“I’ve heard the news. You’ve accomplished quite a lot despite being enrolled for only half a year? They say you’ve declared you’ll be the top student for all three years.”

“Flattery won’t work, so just tell me why you’re here. What was that about treason charges?”

Whatever he said, I had to consider that Astaroth’s will was involved. So I had no intention of going along with him at all.

“Oh, that? It means that since I’ll eventually take the throne, if you side with my sister, you’ll be charged with treason later.”

“Is that even possible?”

“You’re quite blunt. I like it. Since you seem to prefer directness, I’ll be straightforward. How about joining my side instead of hers?”

“You want me on your side? Why?”

When I frowned and asked, Igor pulled the female knights on either side closer by their shoulders and smirked.

“Isn’t it always more special to take what belongs to someone else?”

“What?”

“Especially if it belongs to that arrogant sister who threw me into the gutter.”

This guy was insane too.