episode_0243

Winter arrived swiftly.

“Hooo…”

My exhaled breath instantly frosted upon meeting the outside air. A hazy plume of breath billowed up and dissipated into the distance.

I looked down from the railing at the student council grounds. Cadets were visible here and there, sweeping up fallen leaves and clearing the paths. They had just started sweeping in front of the building, but due to the sheer number of trees, the leaf-strewn path stretched far into the distance.

Unable to bear it any longer, I quietly reached out my hand.

[Brave Wind].

A gentle wind blew along the roadside, sweeping the fallen leaves neatly to the side of the path. Once they were beyond the edge of the fence, it was over. The area beyond the fence was a flowerbed, so the leaves would slowly decompose and become nutrients. Soon, snow would cover that as well.

The cadets who had been cleaning the path looked up at me. Each of them bowed their heads, offering me their thanks. I waved my hand, signaling them to return to their work.

‘It’s quite cold out.’

Lately, for some reason, I’ve found myself caring more about the people around me. Normally, I wouldn’t care whether others struggled or not. Is it because of the responsibilities of the chairperson’s duties since my election? When I see our cadets struggling, I can’t help but feel concerned.

I closed the veranda door and went inside.

“Nothing to do?”

Hloop-

Frederica looked over here while sipping her tea. She slightly furrowed her brow. It must be because the outside wind had made the chairperson’s office chilly. Steam rose from her teacup.

Of course, I had brewed that tea myself. Having consistently pursued the art of tea ceremony, I often created original blended teas. My skill reached a high enough level that it even pleased Frederica, a tea aficionado. Since then, she has been consistently drinking only the tea I brew.

“Of course not. This is all work.”

“Hmm… Really?”

She must have seen what I did outside. If she finds it admirable, it’ll be a bit awkward. In reality, it was just a spontaneous act out of momentary whim. Once my term begins, I plan to delegate all the work to my subordinates.

“Today’s schedule is…”

“There’s nothing urgent for the time being. The only thing is the direct report to the Headmaster at 1 p.m. Just make sure you organize the content properly.”

Frederica narrowed her eyes and looked at me. I shrugged, and she continued without giving me a chance to speak.

“Next is—”

“At 2:30 p.m., there’s an inspection of the training grounds for the winter special training. I’ll go, so just stay put.”

“…….”

She sipped her tea as if she had nothing to say. Her tightly closed eyes suggested she was deep in thought. My guess was right. She looked at me with a satisfied expression, having successfully found something.

“So, about what I asked yesterday—”

“Ah, you mean the social gathering you’re attending tonight? I’ve picked out a dress. I’ll leave the makeup to your maid. The carriage will arrive at 5 p.m. This is a list of the nobles attending the social gathering. I’ve investigated their personalities and hobbies. I’ve also purchased some gifts, and I’ll have them put in the carriage later.”

I pointed under the table. A neatly folded dress and numerous gift boxes were piled up. This wasn’t a student council task, but a request from Frederica personally. Having become accustomed to work, I accepted without thinking and perfectly completed it.

“Whew… Okay. I give up.”

“Were we even having a competition?”

“…Hmph.”

A faint wrinkle appeared between Frederica’s brows.

‘I won, keke.’

It’s immensely satisfying to get one over on her. She must have thoroughly enjoyed bossing me around. The problem is, I’m not the type to just take it lying down.

The bumbling secretary who couldn’t even memorize the schedule is dead. I’m now the next student council president, holding even tighter control over the student council than the current president.

“Continue drinking tea until your term ends. I’m heading out. Oh, use a porter for your luggage. I no longer have the cost-effectiveness for that sort of thing.”

I waved my hand casually and left the chairperson’s office.

. . .

『Checking progress conditions.』

[Main Story Chapter 6: The King’s Qualification] -[Reacquisition of the Right to Succession] -[Verification] -[???]

Lately, this is my only concern. If asked which one, it’s obviously the second condition.

I can’t quite understand the third question mark, yet it’s easy to figure out. As I experienced before, that question mark means an ‘intrusion scenario’: an external force intervening in the flow of the existing scenario. That is, a clash with Moriarty will inevitably occur again.

I am a veteran of Acastos. Moreover, in this world, I’ve already experienced an intrusion scenario. A mere question mark can’t plunge me into fear. The enemy is set, and all I need to do is prepare for that enemy.

On the other hand…I don’t understand the second condition at all.

Verification? What am I supposed to verify? The scope is too broad, and I absolutely cannot understand the meaning. It’s not like I have no idea. I just can’t be certain.

That’s the problem. Unlike the ‘intrusion scenario,’ which is simply difficult, I’m struggling right from the start of figuring it out. Indeed, the word ‘verification’ is enough to arouse my hatred. It feels like the examiner knows I won’t be able to solve it, even if they tell me the answer. It’s like an open-book exam.

‘Is Mother playing a prank…?’

That…doesn’t seem likely. That I’m doing something wrong, and she sent the message with some kind of meaning? There’s no need to be so complicated; she might as well simply state it as a condition of the scenario.

‘So… that’s it.’

As I continued my thinking, I seemed to have come close to the answer. This is some kind of signal. There’s a gate I need to pass through and a series of verification processes necessary for it. There’s too much to explain concretely, so I consider it to have been expressed as one implied word .

I stood up from my seat.

“Then… let’s start with the first one.”

I drew up the Aether.

Whoaa-!

The energy circulating within my body converges in my dantian. Pure white Aether stacks and stacks, condensing into a single, intensely concentrated drop.

I concentrated that energy in both my eyes. My brown pupils gradually faded, and a pure white light gradually poured out.

[Spiritual Vision].

My vision of the surroundings completely changed. It wasn’t the world of light and matter, but the world of souls and mana spread before me. Among the world shining in brilliant colors, only my form appeared black. My body has the characteristic of absorbing all mana.

To carry out an infiltration mission against Moriarty, my identity is too firm. In this world, I’m the only one who can freely manipulate Aether. If I happen to leave the wrong trace, I could be framed as the instigator, and an international conflict could start.

Therefore, to hide my identity, I first need to hide the Aether. Of course, it’s dangerous to jump into the enemy territory barehanded, so the method I chose is to concentrate the Aether only in my eyes.

A new technique, Spiritual Vision. Eyes that see souls. This way, while maintaining my senses, if I cover my eyes using special blindfolds, there’ll be no evidence of my Aether use.

I should prepare new weapons.

‘Attribute Conversion.’

The pure white light swirling over my skin gradually turns black. Soon, black shadows began to seep out of my body.

Magi. The fundamental power from the roots of the demons, forming demons and demonic beasts.

During my battle with Persona, my body has become able to absorb and use Magi. Just as I change Aether into mana of various attributes, I can also change it into Magi.

Also, using Magi, I can unleash the full power of the [Shadow Domination] magic, but it’s slightly modified because I found it unpleasant. I just changed the medium of the spell activation to mana. If I’m only going to use the subspace warehouse, using dark attribute mana is sufficiently efficient.

‘But to use it in combat, I need to use full force.’

I spread both my arms and gathered Magi in my palms. The shadows wriggled and formed black daggers. When I applied force, it dissipated back into shadows.

It’s literally ‘Attribute Conversion’. Magi, Aether, they are all just one of the substances that make up the world, aren’t they? I just changed the attribute of the technique I usually use, so my attack power won’t decrease or efficiency lower.

Of course, to hide my identity, I need to perfectly hide my habits. Should I change my appearance a little? I looked in the mirror, and a pretty, voluptuous girl, looking just like usual, was standing there.

“After a long time… should I try dyeing my hair?”

To choose a new style of clothing, I called Yuri from the next room and held a fashion show.

Whatever I wore, it suited me too well.

***

Moriarty’s stronghold, Fortress.

On the top floor of the mansion on the ground level is Duke Darius’s room. This is the space where he operates as the Grand Duke of the Empire, not as Moriarty’s follower.

Clang-!

Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s peaceful. Again today, the blood of innocent soldiers stained the floor.

“Hmph, keke… hahaha—!!”

Duke Darius still couldn’t forget Princess Narita’s face. Her face, which he saw on the broadcast screen the moment the class competition ended. That expression of overwhelming victory should have been his.

However, the Duke lost. Princess Narita prevented Moriarty’s attack and simultaneously achieved her original goal of winning the class competition.

It was a truly flawless strategy. A perfect performance. She volunteered as an observer heading to the exit, escaping the enemy’s sight, and simultaneously commanded all members of the party. In the end, she used teleportation magic to return to the dungeon and swept away all the points. Not only was the strategy outstanding, but her skill in carrying it out was also excellent.

Kwaang-!

“That bitch…”

Unfortunately, Duke Darius wasn’t a gentleman who knew how to compliment his enemies. His personality was at the extreme of arrogance. Only he must be perfect, only he must be impeccable.

Therefore, he raged. He ground down his own soldiers whenever he had the chance to alleviate his anger. This isn’t a metaphor. He literally separated bones and flesh and then consumed that blood. The remaining flesh was scattered in the backyard and fed to wild animals.

There was never a day the Duke’s room was free of the smell of blood.

Today, he had barely managed to calm down. After defiling and tearing apart a young and pretty maiden among Moriarty’s soldiers, Duke Darius was finally able to regain his composure, thanks to her sweet virgin blood.

Kwaang-!

It was sudden. A soldier, forgetting fear, burst into the Duke’s room.

“Reporting…! Right now—”

Clang-!

Before he could finish his words, his neck was severed. He didn’t want to ruin his good mood. However, another soldier came in. Although he was beheaded, the same thing repeated.

“…What is it.”

Only after piles of corpses blocked one side of the door did Duke Darius listen. But his pleasant mood had already vanished. He glared at the soldier, barely suppressing his rage.

“R-right now… the branches of Ubiet everywhere… are under attack…!!”

The Duke’s eyebrows twitched.

Moriarty’s branches are under attack? By whom? It couldn’t have been the Empire’s doing. The Emperor is already under his control. He controlled both the front and back of the Ubiet Empire.

Could it be some amateurish adventurer from a foreign country, burning with a ridiculous sense of justice? This thought made the soldiers’ panic all the more suspicious. If they couldn’t subdue a few adventurers, they wouldn’t risk death to have a private audience with Duke Darius. That makes no sense.

The enemy’s identity was suspicious.

“Who is it.”

“…Yes?”

“I asked who the enemy is.”

“T-that’s…”

Clang-!

The soldier who answered late was immediately beheaded. Then, the next soldier came in and continued the report.

“The enemy… seems to be a traitor of Moriarty.”

“…What?”

The soldier, swallowing dry saliva, spoke with difficulty.

“T-the… no, that woman… is only one person. A white-haired woman wearing a strange blindfold… wearing Magi all over her body, using the magic ‘Shadow Blade’ to slaughter our soldiers…!”