Chapter 82 – Good News and Even Better News

A lot has happened in the past two days.

My father and uncle visited the academy, and even the Commander of the Nameless showed up.

The next day, I was summoned to the Imperial Palace, entered the treasury, took the artifact Luna had made, and visited the forbidden archive, where I learned information that still makes my head ache just thinking about it.

And that night, I also finished a fair and clean transaction with the Information Guild.

So, after those two long, yet fulfilling days, the next day was incredibly peaceful.

No rumors spread about Yurasia and my visit to the Imperial Palace, and there were no whispers about our entry into the treasury or the Forbidden Library.

Perhaps even the Emperor himself couldn’t fully control the Imperial gossipmongers, let alone someone like Fabiana.

In any case, it’s a good thing.

I don’t mind attention, but receiving more than I can handle at my current level would be troublesome.

There was one noticeable difference, though.

The students were avoiding me.

Not that they weren’t doing that before, though.

After all, I’m a direct descendant and the only daughter of the Eustetia family, I have a pretty face, but also a rather fierce gaze, I tend to speak roughly, and because of the incidents where I was called to the vice-headmaster and my homeroom professor… they kept their distance.

But now, it’s worse.

It’s like they’re trying not to even make eye contact. No, they’re avoiding being in the same space as me.

Earlier, when I went to the restroom, a female student washing her hands freaked out the moment she saw me, and ran out.

I don’t really mind, but I am worried that Yurasia, who always sticks to my side, might lose her friends because of it.

And… there’s a new student who is now clinging to…

More precisely, clinging to
me,
specifically.

“Eliaernes.”

A student with long, flowing platinum blonde hair and a noble gaze stared at me.

“Good morning.”

Silina de Hermann.

The one student I wanted to avoid the most was sticking to me like glue.

She’d been looking at me with this weird gaze, so I had tried my best to avoid her, but I still ran into her in the lecture hall.

There’s no helping it since we’re in the same class.

“…Good morning.”

“Did you get back alright last night?”

“More or less.”

“I heard Yurasia came back to the academy first, while you came back late at night, past curfew. Is that true?”

So much for asking the guards at the front gate to keep it a secret. They must have blabbed.

“I was late because I was having dinner with my dad.”

“Duke Eustetia sent a message that he returned to the Dukedom around 9 PM.”

Silina’s eyes narrowed.

“And there were rumors of a huge fight in the back alleys of the capital last night.”

“That happens all the time.”

“They say it happened at a tavern called Pierce’s.”

Does she know what I did yesterday?

Was there someone in that tavern reporting to her?

I told them to keep their mouths shut… Should’ve just broken all of their jaws while I had the chance.

Well, I’ll go back and do that after the house arrest is lifted. Those bastards are going to get it.

Clicking my tongue, I shrugged.

“It must’ve been some drunks picking a fight.”

Silina’s narrowed eyes didn’t waver.

With a faint ‘hmph,’ she continued to glare at me.

God, I kind of want to stab her.

“Take a guess. Where do you think I got this information?”

“Who knows?”

“Fabiana.”

“I see.”

As I casually responded, Silina leaned in and whispered,

“That tavern you wrecked yesterday. More precisely, the Uranos Information Guild. Fabiana’s the one managing it.”

I had wondered how such a shabby Information Guild had so much information. If a princess was backing them, it would explain a lot.

But still…

“…You’re telling me
Fabiana
was the one who created that pathetic guild?”

“She didn’t create it. She just… took control. In a different way from how
you
did.”

Took control? The people working there were all low-level thugs. Did she intentionally recruit such incompetent people?

Fabiana?

No way.

Just from the way they spoke yesterday, it was obvious that they didn’t even know their leader’s abilities, let alone where she was or what she was doing.

And in reality, the ones truly in control were the Cartel.

Fabiana was just making self-serving deals with them. She wasn’t the real owner.

Anyway.

“So? What’s your point?”

I didn’t understand why she was telling me all of this.

“…What?”

“Whether I wrecked the place or killed those punks, why are you telling me this?”

Silina looked dumbfounded.

Then, after composing herself, she put on a serious face before speaking in her usual condescending tone.

“Even if they were scum, they were still Imperial citizens. Using brutal violence like that against them is against the Empire’s law.”

Oh? “Brutal violence,” she says.

I let out a small chuckle and looked at her.

“Get to the point.”

“…The information you requested yesterday.”

Silina’s lips parted slightly.

She cautiously looked around before leaning closer. A strong citrusy scent wafted from her platinum blonde hair.

“The Cartel caught wind of it.”

“And?”

“…They said that orders came from above to cut off the request.”

Now
that
was a little surprising.

I had made two requests yesterday. One about the underground of the capital, and the other about the collateral branches of House Eustetia.

I’d already received the former. The latter was supposed to be delivered in two days.

That meant she was talking about the latter.

The collateral branches of House Eustetia.

The Cartel cut off access to information about them.

Why?

What were they trying to hide?

“Silina, what you just told me has only deepened my suspicions. Was that your intention?”

Silina didn’t respond.

“Or are you trying to turn me, or perhaps the entire House Eustetia, into a political tool for the royal family? From what I’ve seen, the collateral branches seem to be aligned with the First Prince.”

“That’s not true.”

This time, she responded immediately.

“Fabiana is worried about you. And well… I am too, a little. A tiny bit. Even though you’re a brazen brat, you’re still my benefactor.”

…And who’s calling who brazen?

I narrowed my eyes and glared at her.

Silina met my gaze without backing down.

“If you’re lying about the Cartel’s upper management cutting off my information request, you’re going to be in big trouble.”

“I don’t know what you think of me, but I’m not lying.”

“Hmm.”

She didn’t seem to be lying.

She seemed genuinely concerned about me.

Then, leaving aside my suspicions about Fabiana and Silina for now, it was time to think about the relationship between the Cartel and the collateral branches of House Eustetia.

What exactly were they colluding for?

The Eustetia collateral branches and the Cartel.

More precisely, I was suspicious of Shibria’s family. Of course, there’s another collateral branch student at this academy, but Shibria was the one I was most suspicious of right now.

She was way too bold and reckless for a collateral branch member.

It’s normal for the collateral branches to dislike the main family, but this was excessive. Actually, it wasn’t just dislike, but open contempt.

A collateral branch looking down on the main family? They wouldn’t act like that without a reason. There must be something.

And if they were to share that reason with other collateral branches, they could easily cause trouble by uniting those who disliked the main family and start plotting something. And at the end of that plot, would be rebellion against the main family.

But no matter how much they plotted, if The Nameless decided to act, they’d all be wiped out in an instant.

They should know that.

So why were they acting so recklessly?

And the strangest thing is the Cartel’s order.

“Who told you about the Cartel cutting off the information?”

“…I have someone planted inside the Cartel.”

“If they know about orders from the higher-ups right away, they must be pretty high-ranking. Who are they?”

“…Aren’t you being a bit too bold asking that so openly?” Silina looked at me as if I were crazy.

“Don’t you think you should tell me?”

“…Why?”

Silina tilted her head. I tilted my head slightly as well, staring right at her.

“You really are bad at politics.”

“…What the hell are you talking about? Even if it’s you… I can’t let something like that slide without any proof.”

Seeing Silina’s indignant expression, I chuckled, and was about to explain, but…

Ding dong, ding dong…

A loud bell echoed through the capital, cutting me off. Then the door to the lecture hall creaked open and the sound of elegant heels clicking against the floor echoed through the room.

Click, clack…

“Good morning, everyone.”

Our homeroom professor, Adelia Baros, entered the classroom.

With her usual graceful steps, she walked into the lecture hall, scanned the room and smiled brightly.

“I have an announcement for you. So why don’t we all sit down?”

“…Tch.”

Silina clicked her tongue and looked at me.

“Tell me during break.”

“I don’t like being ordered around.”

“…You’re getting awfully cheeky.”

“Why would there be any formality between classmates?”

Silina’s face turned red with anger.

“…So, you’re going to tell me?”

“I’ll think about it.”

I grinned mischievously at her.

Silina’s fists clenched, but I pretended not to notice and waved her away dismissively.

“Go sit down.”

“…You seriously… You better watch your back.”

With those parting words, Silina turned and walked toward an empty seat on the opposite side of the classroom. At the same time, from a distance, Yurasia, who had been nervously watching our exchange, dashed over and sat right beside me.

“M-my lady! Good morning!”

“Morning, Yurasia.”

A moment ago, she seemed restless. But as soon as she secured the seat beside me, a bright smile bloomed on her face, a stark contrast to Silina, who was still scowling from across the room. Just looking at Yurasia’s bright, cheerful face made me want to greet her back.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Clap!’ Adelia, standing at the front of the room, clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Now that you’re all seated… great. Before I start, I have some good news, and some even better news. Which one would you like to hear first?”

Though she phrased it like a question, her smiling eyes held a hint of annoyance beneath the surface.