Chapter Index

    “Today’s lecture ends here. For the upcoming presentation, students who show the same attitude as today shouldn’t expect any luck.”

    With the professor’s usual warning, the class came to an end. Since it was the last session of the day, students immediately began pouring out of the lecture hall.

    And I was among that sea of people.

    Dave and Cheryl were off enjoying their own time, so for now, presentation preparations were on hold.

    The two had worked harder than me and the other two combined, so they deserved that much rest. Or—was this an indulgence?

    “—so…if…”

    “…huh?…I see.”

    “What the—”

    As I debated whether to dismiss Cheryl’s inevitable act of public disturbance as a momentary lapse or report her, an entirely unexpected voice reached my ears.

    “…that’s why we have no choice but to proceed as planned!”

    “Reckless beyond measure. Even my influence from behind the scenes has its limits. I didn’t take you for such a fool.”

    “Enough. There’s no point in discussing this further.”

    Though not entirely clear, I knew exactly who those voices belonged to.

    But—why?

    Fortunately, they hadn’t noticed me yet. I carefully hid behind a pillar and eavesdropped on their conversation.

    If any other students saw me, they’d immediately question what I was doing—but it soon became clear my worries were unfounded.

    “Chris and I will act independently from now on. I thought I might at least get some final advice from you, but it seems I overestimated you.”

    “If anything, it was I who overestimated you. I never imagined you’d act so impulsively, without any plan. Frankly, I’m disappointed.”

    “Hmph.”

    Before I could even grasp the situation, Cecilia let out a light scoff and vanished right before my eyes.

    “Huh?”

    Cecilia disappearing wasn’t surprising in itself. No matter how secure the Academy’s defenses were, no barrier was perfect—there were always ways to bypass them. And for someone like Cecilia, who wielded divine power instead of mana, teleportation would be trivial.

    But what shocked me was the content of their conversation.

    “What’s going on?”

    “Hm?”

    “Explain, Elia. What was that just now?”

    “I’m certain I set up an anti-eavesdropping barrier around us.”

    “A barrier?”

    “Sigh… Sometimes I forget your mental fortitude exceeds all expectations.”

    Elia waved her hand dismissively, as if it were nothing.

    “Forget it. That’s not what you wanted to ask, is it?”

    “Right. Then let’s get to the point. What were you talking about?”

    It hadn’t even been a month since Elia promised to inform me if the two acted suspiciously. Yet, judging from their earlier exchange, Cecilia and Elia seemed to have a far closer working relationship than I’d thought.

    “If Cecilia got that angry, it means the two of you were pretty close, huh?”

    “Weren’t we always? We’re fellow student council members, after all.”

    “You know that’s not what I mean. I don’t know the details, but Cecilia asked for your cooperation in something, and you refused. If even you turned her down, it must’ve been a dangerous proposal. I don’t know what it was, but—”

    “……”

    Elia stood silently, watching me.

    “I’m not going to scold you for secretly colluding behind my back. My request was already difficult to begin with, and it was hard to believe your direct subordinates had spent weeks with zero progress. Unless Cecilia had truly abandoned her duties as the Saintess and become docile, such a thing would’ve been impossible—and I know that better than anyone.”

    I took a quiet breath.

    “So tell me. What was it about?”

    “If you’ve analyzed it that far, you should already know I have no reason to tell you.”

    “No. You will tell me.”

    “And why are you so sure of that?”

    “Because if you don’t, I’ll follow you around all day.”

    “What?”

    Even the great Elia seemed stunned by this, her eyes widening as she stared at me.

    “Didn’t hear me? I’ll follow you. Until you get sick of me.”

    “Why? You’ll gain nothing from it. If you’ve realized I was working with Cecilia, you should know I won’t give you even the slightest hint.”

    “Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m going to follow you. Until you find my presence so annoying you’ll have no choice but to push me away.”

    “You think I’d find you annoying?”

    “Wrong choice of words? Rumors like, The heir of House Grave is cozying up to a leading imperial candidate—no, it seems the Duke’s heir is the one chasing after her…—wouldn’t that be more troublesome for you?”

    At a glance, one might think House Grave had thrown its support behind her. But that support would be nothing more than a poisoned chalice for Elia in her current position. If House Grave openly backed a specific candidate, it would only invite fiercer scrutiny against her.

    No matter what, once she began moving in earnest with House Grave’s backing, no one would be able to stop her.

    “Do you want to see my corpse one day, suddenly poisoned? That’s a rather cruel thing to say.”

    “It won’t come to that if you just tell me where Cecilia went.”

    “…This isn’t working. I’m sorry.”

    “If something happens because of this, it’ll be too late! I—no, we can’t afford to fail! Don’t you get it?”

    “Are you worried about those two?”

    “Worried…? Not exactly.”

    As if those two could ever be in real danger. At this point, no one could kill them completely. That’s exactly why I had no choice but to press Elia further.

    “Why did you agree to their request in the first place? It’s practically double-crossing. No—were you deceiving me all along?”

    “I was convinced it was necessary.”

    “You know there’s an order to saving this world! I thought you of all people would understand, but you just folded to persuasion?”

    “Didn’t you say you wouldn’t interrogate me?”

    “You didn’t seem willing to talk. And honestly, even I was pretty shocked.”

    Knowing Cecilia and Christine’s whereabouts and understanding Elia’s motives weren’t directly related—or so I thought. But seeing how stubbornly she refused, there had to be something more.

    Probably something concerning my safety. The moment she told me, some restriction would activate, preventing her from speaking—but I was already certain.

    Cecilia must have placed me on one side of a scale and forced Elia to balance it. I could even understand Christine’s cooperation. Knowing the future I’d face, she’d want to stop it at all costs.

    But Elia was different.

    “From your perspective, were those two far more prepared than me?”

    “Not exactly, but… I couldn’t help thinking you’ve been a bit lazy.”

    “Lazy?”

    Elia nodded.

    “Even if I ultimately refused the final part of their plan, Cecilia and Christine had meticulously calculated their next moves and the resulting consequences. Unlike you, who can only act based on prophecy.”

    “Tch—”

    “Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not blaming you or saying you’re inferior to them. The talent of prophecy—what you alone possess—is undoubtedly special and worthy of respect. However…”

    “It just wasn’t enough. Got it.”

    My mouth felt bitter. I’d prided myself on understanding their motives, but this felt like a slap to the back of the head.

    “So they were moving for the sake of the world? Working far harder than someone like me?”

    “That’s—”

    Elia froze.

    “…No, I can’t say.”

    “What are you talking about?”

    “It wasn’t for the world. Their words were closer to a child’s tantrum. If you knew the real me, you’d understand why I should have refused their request. In fact, I tried to at first. But…”

    “But?”

    “I just… didn’t want to.”

    Elia’s expression twisted into something even she couldn’t define as she spoke haltingly.

    “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to show you this side of me. I still believe those with talent must devote themselves to the world. And as someone with such talent, I swore to work for its sake—I should have, but—”

    “Elia?”

    “I—I, I, I, I—”

    “Enough.”

    Whatever Cecilia had said to her, she must’ve been quite the silver-tongued orator. I never imagined she could corner Elia like this. If it had been anyone else, it might not have mattered—but of all people, it had to be me.

    I placed a hand on Elia’s trembling shoulder.

    “This much is enough for now.”

    Not for the world’s sake. Something so dangerous that even Elia, who opposed it, was driven to this state.

    Something tied to the Church, requiring the combined strength of Cecilia and Christine to even attempt.

    Something deeply entangled with Eric Grave.

    “Damn it.”

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