episode_0079
by fnovelpia
A long time had passed, and yet it had not begun. I expected that it would soon be time for the president or someone else to come out and give a speech.
There have been several times when I’ve sat near the window and looked into the distance, wondering if anyone from the podium was approaching.
Here, the main auditorium was too large to be called a simple auditorium. Starting with a wide floor that could easily accommodate a parade, there were seats along the stairs that could easily seat hundreds of people.
It is no exaggeration to say that the movie theater has been expanded to a very large size. You can sit down by climbing the stairs, and there are flat areas in between to avoid steep slopes. And then the stairs again… .
This is repeated so that even if you enter from the first floor, you will find yourself standing at a height that would be the fifth floor when you reach the end of the auditorium. I guess it is a place where the allied forces of the continent during the Great War gathered for a meeting. It is a place of that size.
Given the origins and nature of the Imperial Academy, this may be a reasonable guess.
However, it is more magnificent than if it were simply written by soldiers, with its ornately carved pillars, walls, and beautiful windows. Thanks to this, it creates a reverent and overwhelming atmosphere rather than a dull one.
No matter how you look at it, it’s not the purpose of gathering students to give trivial advice. Such general speeches are more than enough here. They probably chose this place to show the seriousness of the matter.
All the students, both freshmen and those who are about to graduate and already have a good reputation, are there, as well as the faculty, staff, and people from the partner organizations that help run the academy.
Everyone looked as if they didn’t know what was going on. Professor Smith, who was in charge of the Knights’ Department, was no exception. Seeing that, I was certain that they were going to announce something that happened at the palace.
Swish-
I stopped looking out the window and turned my head. Then I saw Julia, who looked great in her black uniform.
My gaze, which ran down her short silver hair that covered her forehead, stopped at the tip of her high nose. She must have noticed my gaze, because she stopped looking at the podium and looked into my eyes.
She stares at me intently, then suddenly lowers her eyes slightly as if something is bothering her. She closes her eyes slightly and bows as if greeting me. Looking at her, I remember the time when she greeted me by pinching the hem of her maid uniform skirt with her fingertips.
Julia had every right to be by my side as a maid in waiting, as a friend with whom I had spent my childhood—a person I had not yet considered—and as a member of the imperial household.
However, I always struggle with which of her many identities I should focus on and treat her.
Friend? Relative? Maid?
Any form is fine, but I am cautious because I am afraid she might feel uncomfortable. That is why I continue to be Her Highness the Princess, and she is simply Julia.
Unlike the other members of the clan, when they look into my turquoise eyes, they are simply delighted and surprised. They are not overwhelmed by instinctive respect like the Count and his wife or Matthias, nor are they ecstatic like Chloe. It is a strange thing.
Rather, I feel like I am being sucked into Julia’s purple eyes. I feel like I am being consumed by an uncontrollable curiosity.
“Beatrice.”
As I stared intently into her eyes, Julia finally spoke first. I answered by opening my eyes a little wider.
“How is Chloe Deminus… .”
“Oh, Chloe?”
The elaborate, sculptural face begs the question. I have a duty to resolve it.
“She is now on our side. To be exact, the descendant of the warrior has become mine.”
“Be, is it Beatrice’s…?”
“It’s a metaphorical expression.”
But when I thought of Chloe, who had been insisting on sitting next to me in the auditorium, it didn’t seem like a metaphor. She looked at Julia, who was sitting next to me, with envy and reluctantly left her seat.
“I should be grateful to the Green Emperor. I didn’t know he would give me such a gift.”
“……”
He is a talented man.
A magician who defeated the demons, an emperor, a man who could receive the warrior’s mad obsession… I suddenly wondered who the empress who had such a man was.
Who on earth is this woman who defeated such formidable competitors and became the victor of the harem? How beautiful and great must she be to be chosen by Green?
Julia’s expression hardened as she blinked as if she didn’t understand English. It seemed like she had caught on to what I meant.
“No way… .”
“I don’t know, Julia. Is Chloe bewitched by my eyes, by the blood of the royal family, or is she simply in love with me?”
“……”
“All we can say for sure is that the power of the warrior is in our hands.”
He smiled brightly at Julia’s serious face. He didn’t want her to get worried.
“So don’t worry too much, Julia.”
“… Yes, Beatrice.”
Julia still looked a bit shaky, but somehow managed to shake off her anxiety at my smile. Our gazes soon turned to the lower reaches of the auditorium.
Chloe is seen standing far away. It may be disappointing for her, but if the palace affairs are announced here, all eyes will be on her. She was the one who was engaged and had awakened the power of a warrior.
Wouldn’t it be awkward for me to be around her when she’s in the spotlight? There’s no need to make a fuss about it. I don’t want to show everyone my friendship with her.
*
After a long wait, the president finally took the podium.
Everyone sat in their seats, holding their breath, waiting for the president to speak. Not only the students, but everyone else must have felt a little bit that this was not an ordinary gathering.
Starting with the wavelength of the magic tool, amplification magic was unleashed.
This means that the president’s voice can be heard from all over the auditorium, even from my surroundings far from the podium.
On the splendidly decorated podium, an old gentleman in a neat uniform appeared. I thought he would come out wearing a robe since he was the president and the head of the temple, but it was unexpected. It seemed like he was trying to emphasize that he was standing here as the president and not the head of the temple.
“Thank you for responding to the urgent call.”
It’s a deep and powerful voice that doesn’t match his age. It feels like he’s chanting a spell, and it gives off an energy that doesn’t seem like inspiration.
“This old man has been through things you don’t know. It was full of amazing things that I still remember vividly. Interesting things, sad things, painful things, happy things… .”
The general, with his back straight, pretended to recall his memories. He still had no sign of aging. His voice and his gestures proved his full energy.
“These days, I often think of that terrible memory.”
It’s horrible… I don’t know what you mean by horrible. In my case, it feels horrible that the Empire has betrayed us and brought down the royal family.
“As you all know, there have been recent incidents here and there in the Empire that remind us of terrible events.”
An incident occurred right within the academy where Eligos was summoned.
Although the sword was used to subdue him, considering Eligos’ true power, it would be considered a miracle that he was over so easily. Especially since someone of the rank of General would know the status of the Incubus King during the Great War.
“I have called you here to speak of the being at the center of something terrible.”
The president’s eyes are turned to the audience. Those listening to him have also vaguely heard or sensed the incidents. His eyes, fixed on each and every one of them, seem to be asking, “You know roughly, right? You don’t need me to explain it to you, do you?”
The tension in the room dropped.
Everyone is now very curious to hear what the president will say next. Of course, I am too… .
Finally, the president moved again. I watched him closely, wondering if he was going to show me something. But he turned around and came down from the podium.
“?”
The president, having stepped down from the podium, immediately went to where the faculty was gathered and sat down. There was a chair set up for him among the faculty.
I can hear murmurs here and there, wondering if I’m the only one who has doubts.
At that moment, a magic tool moved on the podium.
Paat-!
Mana gathered and formed a gigantic holographic form. It became clearer, eventually revealing a figure from somewhere in the distance, using the same magical tool. — Christopher Maynor — The man who runs the empire is seen through a giant hologram.
“Greetings to all of you from the Imperial Academy. I am Christopher Maynor, Imperial Special Agent.”
He spoke in an elegant, low voice. It was different from the booming voice of the president, but you could sense his confidence and ability in his voice that seemed to be full of leisure. He really was that kind of person.
“Please be lenient with my unexpected greeting. I feel very heavy-hearted that a lowly central administrator like me has interfered in the noble academy.”
The Duke slowly looked around at the agitated people. He can see this auditorium just as we can see him, because it is connected through the magic tool.
It is rather arrogant to lower yourself to a mere central government official. Just before that, didn’t you send the president of the Academy up first and make him a follower? It is an amazing directing technique.
Although he appears to be one step removed from state affairs due to his dubious position as the Minister of Special Affairs, he possesses all the authority and responsibility of the executive branch and also operates in the shadows as the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Service.
It’s not for nothing that I call him the man who moves the empire.
The Duke is someone I must confront along with the Order. He is the leader of the traitors who betrayed us, and a witness who must hear the truth of that day.
“That means the story I’m going to tell you here is serious. It could even turn the once peaceful empire upside down.”
The grand auditorium, which had been noisy at the Duke’s appearance, suddenly became quiet. This was because his voice had become extremely heavy, as if it reflected the seriousness of the situation.
“But it’s too big of a problem for me to handle alone, and it’s not a problem I can handle alone.”
… .
“They are evil and unclean beings, and it is difficult to fight them without the blessing of the church.”
Bam-
My teeth ground for a moment. Why are we being treated like this? Our royal family, who led humanity to victory in the Great War and brought prosperity to the Empire, are being treated like this… .
“I would like to introduce you to someone who will perform miracles that God will grant. Please reverently welcome ‘her’ who will tell you of the coming threat!”
…her?
“This is Saint Alana.”
The Duke turned around and introduced the person next to him. Soon, the woman who had been outside the holographic range approached him. He could see her through the hologram.
Gasp- sounds are heard here and there. Even the heavy atmosphere that had been gripping the room couldn’t stop the exclamations that naturally came out. Men and women alike opened their mouths and looked at her.
Bam-
I ground my teeth again. My anxious and nervous mind, my trembling heart, rolled my eyes to find someone. The woman in the hologram was beautiful. But I turned away. Because I didn’t want to face her beauty.
My eyes scanned the auditorium, not the hologram.
I searched and searched for the sword. I wondered what his expression would be like when he saw the saint, the childhood friend he had longed to see so much. It was definitely poison. This curiosity was poison. And yet, it was so strong that I couldn’t bear it without relieving it.
“!”
Finally, where his eyes stopped, there was a knife. In an unusually upright posture, not a posture that seemed to show he was bored, but a posture where his body was leaning forward. He was looking at the podium as if he was being sucked into a hologram.
I managed to calm my pounding heart and followed his gaze to the hologram.
… .
There was a heavenly woman there that everyone could not help but fall in love with.
A divine artifact with beige hair was in place, her ample chest seemingly filled with divine grace, ignoring the bulky nun’s habit and boasting a weighty presence.
But even in such a lewd sight, we cannot dare turn away from her kind eyes and her white, pretty face looks at us with a benevolent expression.
A woman born with a natural talent.
It seems to be the embodiment of the definition of a ‘woman’ that was originally perfect.
No stone-like man could escape from her.
She is a female.
Capturing memories of the sword….
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