I Obtained the Final Boss' Power

Seal of Truth (2)

The mark of the 7th Legion, once branded onto the body, can never be removed.

To have that stigma engraved on your flesh means you've become a suicidal soldier for life.

No one in the Imperial Court was unaware of this.

Thus, Elaine, who once came from Saber, was more afraid of this situation than anyone.

"How does the Seal of Truth taste? In our 7th Legion, it's considered an excellent means of conversation."

"Aa-aagh...."

After being subjected to the spell's torture, Elaine was groaning, unable to control her body.

With the unbearable pain wracking her, she eventually spoke.

"S-save me... please."

Just a moment ago, her lips had been sealed as if by thread—yet, in the end, she was defeated.

"Please... just this once... have mercy."

"You finally feel like talking now?"

The torture spell inflicted upon 7th Legion soldiers was so horrific it was beyond description.

Elaine had heard about it only in rumors, but experiencing it firsthand, it surpassed anything she'd ever heard.

Honestly, it was impossible for her to endure it.

"For a little one, you lasted pretty long."

Saber members are only adults in appearance; in truth, their bodies had grown rapidly, but they were still children.

How long could those kids' minds endure pain no seasoned knight could withstand?

"Please... have mercy..."

It was reassuring that Elaine had finally surrendered. However, Silia frowned as Elaine only repeated the same pathetic words.

"Seems her training is incomplete. Should I activate it again?"

"Hiiiek!!"

When Silia raised her hand to activate the spell again, Elaine flinched in terror.

The output of her torture was even greater than what she used on ordinary soldiers, making it impressive that Elaine could hold on to her sanity.

As expected, she was indeed a Saber.

"I-I'll tell! I'll talk, so please stop!!"

In the face of pain, all are equal. Louis lifted Elaine's head and spoke to her, who now knew this truth in her bones.

"Isn't it fascinating? Just a moment ago, you were crying out for the Crown Prince, but you immediately switch sides like this."

She had been determined to take her secrets to the grave for that damned Crown Prince.

But no matter her resolve, most would break when faced with unendurable pain.

"Well, considering your kind kill even those who were helpers if they're no longer useful, it's clear what kind of resolve you have."

"......."

"That stigma suits you well. If the academy students or staff saw it, they'd be shocked."

If seen, she'd be treated as a criminal immediately.

On the other hand, what Louis was doing now was clearly assault, but that didn't matter.

"In contrast, I'm a public official with state authority."

"...!"

As Louis rolled up his school uniform sleeve, a gentle light shimmered from his bare arm.

When it faded, a special emblem was revealed on his arm. Realizing it was related to the Imperial Court, Elaine was shocked.

"This is...."

"You know, right? That after your Saber unit was discharged along with the Crown Prince, a new corps was formed to replace you."

That was the 7th Legion Special Task Force to which Louis belonged—a monstrous unit wielding authority equal to that of the royal family.

What Louis was doing now was not just simple assault but part of an official government duty.

"You're a criminal—trash. But we're state-sanctioned. Do you understand your situation now?"

Struggling was pointless and would only make things worse for Elaine. She no longer had a choice.

"Now answer my questions from here on out. Then your life will be spared."

In the end, sobbing, she revealed everything.

****

Thanks to Elaine's testimony, some unresolved issues became clear.

Why the Crown Prince wasn't at the academy, why Elaine alone had enrolled under a false identity, what the future plans were, and who was secretly supporting her—all this became known.

However, those plans were not set to be executed immediately.

Reportedly, everything would unfold at the academy event scheduled three months later.

Elaine's task was to covertly report any unusual occurrences within the academy until then.

'If nothing gets reported, they'll suspect something happened.'

In that case, the Crown Prince and his remnant followers would only become more cautious and wary.

To prevent this, keeping Elaine alive was the best answer. Besides, she was now nothing but a puppet who obeyed Louis' orders.

As long as the spell remained, she couldn't defy Louis or Silia.

'Plus, we concealed her stigma for her.'

It was a basic precaution—Louis and Rio had hidden their own stigmas even before enrolling.

The hidden stigma only glowed and was revealed when being tortured.

Even if their uniforms were torn, so long as they willed it, it wouldn't be discovered.

'Especially dangerous when bathing.'

One month passed. During that time, Louis lived pretending to be a student, patrolling the academy with his senses.

As expected, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Silia also balanced her staff duties, regularly reporting the situation back to the legion.

Other than being a new teacher and having to run errands for the senior staff, there were no major issues.

Then there was Rio—the greatest concern for Louis and Silia.

Could Rio, who had caused trouble on the very first day, truly adapt to life at the academy?

In truth, Rio's enrollment wasn't just for infiltration.

Among the squad members, Rio was the least sociable; this was to provide her with experience of the outside world.

The 7th Legion may be criminals, but the Special Task Force was recognized by the Imperial Court.

Ultimately, their job required contact with all sorts of people from outside.

For Rio, school life was seen as valuable experience.

'At least it was, until she caused that incident on the first day.'

But unexpectedly, a helpful hand reached out to Rio.

Princess Estelle, whom Rio had helped four years ago, devoted herself to supporting Rio's school life.

The toughest problem was quickly solved thanks to Estelle. She used a magitech device to disguise herself and assisted Rio.

She stuck close to Rio, preventing further trouble, and tutored her on anything she didn't understand in class.

Thanks to the Princess's diligent efforts, Rio was able to adapt to the academy within a month.

Though she still struggled with normal social interaction.

[Why did you bump into me and try to leave without a word? You're suspicious.

―SRIING]

[Why have you been eavesdropping on me since earlier? Should I interrogate you? -SRIING]

[Why did you just touch me? If you can't control your desires, I'll fix you.

―SRIING]

[Did you just insult the young master... or older brother? -SRIING]

If Rio sensed any trouble, she'd immediately reach for her sword.

Had Estelle not been there, Rio might have drawn her sword upon people at the academy dozens of times.

Honestly, even this was much improved compared to her time in the legion.

"Thank you for your hard work over the past month, Your Highness."

In a private meeting, Louis expressed his gratitude to the Princess. It felt like thanking a specialist in early childhood education.

"Oh, not at all. I was happy to spend every day by Miss Rio's side."

Helping Rio was difficult, but Estelle clearly enjoyed it.

Even the fact that all nearby soldiers now had black-dyed hair showed how obsessed she'd become with Rio.

It might have been a bit fanatical, but the outcome was good.

"Yesterday, she even took a bath with me in my quarters and scrubbed my back. I'll never forget how gentle her touch was."

Estelle reminisced about the sensation from the previous day.

Louis once again marveled at the Princess's sanity—or lack thereof.

What exactly had Rio done to save the Princess four years ago?

"But my role ends here. My father, his Majesty, ordered me to return."

"Thank you for all your help."

A month was already a considerable indulgence from the Emperor.

Estelle would have to thank him sincerely upon her return.

"In any case, I'm glad I stayed by Rio's side. Otherwise, she may have been ostracized here at the academy."

"Is it really that serious?"

When Louis asked, Estelle answered with a bitter smile.

"People think of this place as the Empire's most esteemed educational institution, but the reality is far from that. Fights and bullying among students are everyday occurrences."

Wasn't this supposed to be a model facility? It was the complete opposite of what he'd heard.

"Especially since even commoners can attend if they're talented enough. The problem is that noble children, drunk on their own superiority, come here too."

Their status might be lower, but their talent surpasses the nobles.

Nobles filled with inferiority complexes never leave such students alone.

"Even just looking at what I've uncovered... There've been incidents like seniors beating up juniors in secluded places, or threatening to spread nude images recorded with an illusion magitech device. Do you know what people say if you tell the staff?"

[Did you really have to snitch to a teacher?]

[So petty. Did you really think you could graduate and become someone with that kind of guts?]

[Why don't you tattle to your parents back home instead?]

[You just got hurt in a duel and now you're making a fuss?]

"If you go public, all you get is mockery and scorn. Duels between students are officially permitted at the academy, so incidents get covered up as sparring gone wrong."

Even if someone is clearly beaten, everyone accepts the excuse that it happened during a duel.

This custom dates back to the days of the academy's founder—a supposed hero—who valued such rituals.

"I heard Dame Silia was a student here with her younger brother. And... about your brother..."

Estelle also knew about the incident involving Silia's brother, who, tormented beyond endurance, ultimately committed suicide.

His body bore bruises and broken bones as if he'd been beaten, but for some reason, the investigation quietly fizzled out.

"This place can't hold good memories for Dame Silia."

"......."

Louis didn't know what Silia was thinking as she agreed to the infiltration.

She only insisted on acting as Louis's sponsor wherever he went.

Even when told the assignment meant returning to the academy, she hadn't hesitated.

"Even so, commoners come to the academy because it's a chance to change their status. No matter what else, graduating from here will guarantee a job."

That's why people endured the bullying—if only for the sake of their families back home.

.

.

.

After her inspection, Estelle returned to the capital.

Having shared a secret farewell with her, Louis was on his way back to the dorms with Rio.

Perhaps it was thirty days spent together, but Rio looked livelier than usual.

"Are you enjoying school life?"

When Louis checked, Rio nodded.

"I can't say for sure, but it doesn't feel bad. Thanks to Estelle's constant help, things aren't strange anymore. At first, it was overwhelming, but she turned out to be a good friend."

When Rio added that she wanted to meet her again someday, Louis made a few corrections.

"Call her 'the Princess,' not Estelle. And you do know she won't be here to help from now on, right?"

"Yes."

Now that the Princess was gone, Rio would have to adjust on her own.

The fact that the Princess spent thirty days at the academy was something to be grateful for.

"Instead, we'll have another guest tomorrow. Silia mentioned it as well, right?"

"The bald old man?"

"That's Headmaster Ferus."

While Rio was receiving guidance from Estelle, Louis had been searching the academy for clues about the Chaos Dragon.

Eventually, he located a suspicious area, but it was somewhere students were strictly forbidden to enter.

There was even a special barrier, making stealth impossible.

That's why he needed Headmaster Ferus and had asked him to come, using "academy event preparations" as an excuse.

"When did you contact that old man?"

"While you were wandering around with the Princess, Silia secretly summoned a spirit—the communication medium—and contacted him. Also, you remember you're supposed to call me older brother, not young master, right?"

"... Older Brother."

Apparently, calling him older brother was still hard for her to get used to.

Louis found treating Rio like a younger sister easy, but Rio seemed a bit uncomfortable acting like a true sibling.

"So, older brother, why did we spend thirty days just watching those guys?"

"Those guys?"

"The ones who secretly sided with Elaine."

Elaine wasn't operating alone on the Crown Prince's mission.

Shockingly, there were some students collaborating with her.

Louis learned their names directly from Elaine and monitored them without being discovered.

"Even arresting one would make the Crown Prince's faction wary, thinking that their plan was compromised. In that case...."

"Huh?"

As Louis continued his explanation, Rio suddenly stopped and stared at the ground.

"It's blood."

There was a tiny red splatter on the floor—Rio had detected it at a glance.

She could easily sense even minute traces of blood, and also instantly recognize whether the source was somewhere nearby.

"This way."

Suddenly, Rio dashed off and Louis hurried after her.

He had wondered why she was acting up, but the further he went, the more he sensed something unusual.

The smell of beating, screaming, and blood—these came drifting from somewhere deep in the forest.

When they arrived, it was a clearing, with several students gathered.

They sat in a circle, creating a space in the center, where two students were "dueling".

But it didn't look like a duel—the beating was all one-sided.

One side begged for mercy, but the other just smiled and continued.

There was even a female student sitting to the side, half her clothes torn, huddled on the ground.

"Who the hell are you?"

Selion, one of the students who had been hitting others, glared at the newcomers.

"......."

Louis and Rio simply smirked at Selion.

After all, he was one of the students Louis had been tailing for the last thirty days.