episode_0051

Thanks to Chloe’s cooperation, the tense atmosphere that was about to worsen came to an end.

She seemed to simply think that there was some misunderstanding as she underwent the investigation by the radiant altar.

If my guess is correct…

If they are investigating Chloe suspecting her connection with the nobles, mistaking me for someone else, the situation will not end well.

Pure-hearted Chloe followed the knights of the altar with a puzzled look, seemingly unaware of the seriousness of the situation. Seeing her like that, I felt I couldn’t bear it any longer.

If Professor Greifel hadn’t volunteered to accompany us, if he hadn’t followed out of concern for sending a student alone… I would have killed the priest who grabbed Chloe’s wrist without thinking about the consequences.

The professor ended the lecture early and sent the students back.

Even after the professor, Chloe, and the knights of the altar left the classroom, the students inside couldn’t leave their seats for a while.

I, too…

My mind was in disarray as I sat still.

I really hate it.

I hate pretending not to know even after putting my friend in danger.

“About the altar, it’s so sudden.”

It seemed like an unexpected situation.

He muttered to himself and approached the empty seat next to me.

“The place would feel lonely without Chloe, wouldn’t it?”

“Me? Or you?”

“Both.”

Karl said nonchalantly.

Of course, this development is not in the original work, but it seemed like he knew it was a serious situation just by looking at it.

“Do lonely people stick together?”

“…”

Crazy guy.

Throwing jokes in a serious situation. However, when I turned my head to look at him, I could only be surprised. Karl, who was always relaxed, had a… serene expression. He seemed slightly angry.

It’s Chloe herself. I hope that if I tell the curious or misunderstood content from the lectern, it will end, but if a clergyman enters in the middle of the lecture, there is no difference between having already decided on a conclusion. Once you are drawn in, you may not be able to come back for a while. Of course, the Barkan Kingdom will not allow it.

Is it spreading as a diplomatic dispute?

Or… war…!?

As her head became more confused, she quietly repeated Chloe’s name. The sword next to her heard and asked.

“Are you that close?”

“…She was my first friend at the academy. She’s the most normal person I know.”

Everyone I know is a member of the royal family… Letizia is a commoner, but she seems out of place, so Chloe is the most normal.

“Hmm.”

“Did you just say ‘hmm’? You got dragged away without even knowing English, and you’re not bothered at all?”

The expression on the sword’s face remained firm, but he seemed excessively calm.

He must have been somewhat friendly with Chloe… No, wasn’t he trying to get closer to her from the beginning because she’s the heroine and he’s interested, so he applied for the knight department as soon as he entered the academy? Why is he so calm about it?

After getting rid of the route to get close to Chloe by sparring every night, he managed to find us, didn’t he? He must be obsessed with the heroine to that extent.

“Oh, no. I didn’t know they were that close.”

“…And you?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re close to Chloe too…”

I almost said something like “What do you think of Chloe?”

I was curious, but I’m afraid to hear the answer.

“I don’t know… Are we close?”

“….”

“We should get closer.”

I want to ask.

“What about me?”

“Well, since class ended early, I should go.”

“Aren’t you worried?”

“Nothing will happen.”

What confidence is that?

Even though it seemed like a perfunctory response, it didn’t feel irresponsible.

“…I’ll make sure nothing happens.”

Once again, she muttered to herself.

Maybe it’s something I said for me to hear.

As I watched his retreating figure, I picked up my luggage and returned to the dormitory.

*

“What happened?!”

Carl shouted as soon as he returned to the Information Bureau’s safe house.

The Duke, who was drinking coffee, turned his gaze.

When Rachel saw Carl come in, she made room for him.

“If you’re asking about Chloe’s business, I can explain it as the faculty turning a blind eye completely.”

“What could have happened for you to come out so recklessly like that?”

“Sit down, Carl. It’s time to tell you too.”

In fact, I should have told him earlier, but Louis opposed it. He said let’s leave it until just before he naturally finds romance at the academy. It might be overwhelming for a novice to know that one of the women trying to get closer for the mission could be of royal blood. Surprisingly, the Duke accepted Louis’s persuasion.

But the situation has changed.

Since Carl is also involved, he has no choice but to tell everything. That’s how serious the situation has become.

“Carl, how much do you know about the royals?”

“…I don’t know well.”

He knew very well.

That there was a last survivor of the royals beyond the mask of the unknown, that they dreamed of rebuilding the royal family and forming a rebel army, and that Carl would clash with them repeatedly. Because they were the archenemy of the original.

Because they would become the enemy who would take away something precious… very valuable to Carl.

“Is that so? How did you know that Unknown, the mysterious sorcerer who appeared in the Magic Potion Lecture Hall, uses the power of the royals?”

“….”

“You wouldn’t know much about the royals, right?”

“I, I just felt it. That it was the power of the royals. A cursed power.”

The Duke stroked his chin and stared into Carl’s eyes. Carl lowered his gaze and turned away.

“It might be the power of the Holy Sword.”

“…Perhaps.”

“Shall we turn back time? About ten years?”

Clatter – the sound of picking up a cup filled with coffee.

The scent of coffee in the cup wafted to Carl. The Duke continued speaking slowly while savoring the aroma.

At that time, there was an imperial family. It was very grand. The number of nobles making up the imperial family, as well as the servants and relatives serving them, was so great that it was impossible to count them all by hand.

Gulp – takes a sip.

After a slight pause, he continues his story.

The imperial family collapsed. The nobles disappeared or died suddenly. The relatives were scattered, and their whereabouts became unknown.

“…”

“Most people know that. Although most of them don’t even know that.”

“Is the reality different?”

With golden eyes shining, Karl asked.

Although he knew from the original work how terrible and filthy the nobles were, he did not show any indication.

“Yes.”

“…What happened?”

“It’s better for you not to know what happened that day, at least for now. I can only tell you what is related to you.”

The duke closed his eyes for a moment and decided not to reveal the detailed ins and outs. Even the wise duke had struggled with how much to tell Karl until the end.

“The important thing is that the nobles are enemies of the ‘current empire.’ They are also the primary targets that the clergy must eradicate.”

[Sacred Claro Empire]

As the name suggests, the empire was a country where the emperor and the pope coexisted.

However, in the current empire where the imperial family has disappeared, only the pope exists.

The pope, as the leader of the clergy, had the duty to bestow blessings upon the empire and to spread the power of light throughout the continent against demons and evil forces. Therefore, from the time of the imperial family to the present, he did not interfere in the administration of the state. He simply established himself as the representative of God.

In the absence of the imperial family, the administration of the state and politics fell to the bureaucrats. However, the authority of the clergy, which illuminated the empire, remained strong.

From a perspective of respecting the history of the imperial family… no, from the standpoint of believing in the goodness of the nobles that had been passed down from the green emperor, the clergy secretly moved to assess the shock that citizens would receive. They could not publicly announce that the nobles who had protected humanity were enemies of the clergy.

Removing the remnants of the royal family from the land, they scoured the entire continent following the traces of surviving nobles. Finding and eradicating the final legacy of the royal family hidden by their relatives was indeed the most crucial mission of the organization.

“Does the organization… target the nobles?”

“Just understand that there are valid reasons for it. I also somewhat understand the reasons why it has to be that way.”

“…How is that relevant to me?”

The duke gently set down his teacup.

“Since the collapse of the royal family… the organization has been obsessed with finding surviving nobles. They were subjects of investigation not only within the empire but also in other countries. Of course, covertly.”

“Survivors…”

“It’s hard to discern. With the power of the nobles and their relatives, changing appearances is entirely possible. We simply investigated anyone we found suspicious.”

The talk was an investigation, a frenzy of madness filled with torture and death.

Knowing this fact, Duke Maynard did not approve of the organization. While he acknowledged its necessity, he couldn’t help but feel a rising sense of disgust.

“And then, the secret branches of the organization in each country were simultaneously annihilated. Clean as dust… leaving no one alive.”

“…”

“Our intelligence agency learned of this news before the organization did, and we were aware of the topics they were investigating in each branch.”

The duke opened a drawer and took out a piece of paper.

It was heavily damaged, but it had been restored enough to be readable.

“To the apostles who serve as shadows, even if you are in the shadows, may the light bless you! Apostles, seek out the young woman in her early twenties. If you sense impure power from her, be sure to kill her.”

It looked like a declaration or a secret order.

When the eyes of the blade could not leave the paper, the duke took out another paper from his pocket. It was a familiar paper that the blade had seen before.

[Barcan Principality] Grand Duchess, Cloe Deminous.

[Lugo Union] Daughter of the Chief Magistrate, Daniella Del Rio.

[Primera Kingdom] Viscountess, Beatrice De Dalia.

The contents written on the paper were exactly as I had seen before.

“A single command to find a noblewoman in her early twenties. Too many innocent people died in the process of carrying it out.”

“Disgusting. If they had entrusted it to us, we wouldn’t have made unnecessary sacrifices until we found the princess, until we were sure.”

A cold anger settled in the duke’s eyes.

“Do you mean one of those three is the noblewoman the sect was looking for?”

“Probably… no, it’s highly likely. I personally selected the most plausible women among the targets the sect was investigating from various countries.”

Karl wanted to ask for evidence, but he remained silent, thinking that it was probably due to the duke’s extraordinary brain and insight.

“That would have been fine, but recently there was an incident at the academy, right?”

“…”

“Someone wearing the Green Emperor’s helmet and wielding the power of the nobles.”

Only then did he understand why this situation had unfolded.

It was because of the unknown that appeared at the academy.

It was also Karl’s fault for proving that the unknown was a noblewoman.

“It got into the sect’s ear. That’s why they’re convinced there’s a surviving noblewoman, or rather, a princess, at the academy.”

“But why Cloe?”

“That’s not certain yet. There are elements that suggest it, but for now, it’s just speculation.”

Karl seemed quite shocked.

The duke, while carefully watching over his son’s well-being, did not hold back. It was such a serious issue, and he wanted to convey the cold reality.

“What’s certain… is that your ‘words’ as the owner of the Holy Sword started all of this.”

“!?”

“You should have kept your composure. This is the result of spreading rumors about the power of the nobles in places where many discerning eyes are watching.”

It wasn’t a harsh rebuke, but the message the duke intended to convey was delivered.

Because Karl acted so recklessly at the Magic Potion Lecture Hall, this happened. If he had remained calm even after discovering the unknown or encountering a different development from the original, the faculty would not have had to take action.

Karl clenched his fists.

He couldn’t be sure whether he was angry because one of the heroines was in danger, or because one of them might be the unknown.

Perhaps it was both.