Chapter 29
Chapter 29
A few days before Leios took the Academy entrance exam, at the Imperial Palace of the Ribera Empire.
“My friend and my teacher.”
The Emperor was welcoming an old man with a pleased expression.
“I do not know where to put myself with such excessive hospitality, Your Majesty.”
“Put away such pointless humility. If I did not offer you hospitality beyond your station, then no one in this Empire would be worthy of receiving my greeting.”
At the repeated courtesies, Sword Saint Yohanel wore a gentle smile.
More than ten years had already passed since there had been conflict between the two.
Realizing that the Emperor felt uncomfortable with him because of it, the Sword Saint had chosen to seclude himself in his own territory.
The Emperor had sent invitations to several events over the years to the Sword Saint.
However, citing illness and old age, he had declined them all and ultimately never showed his face.
How could a being revered as a god by those who wielded the sword, one called a Sword Saint, fall prey to some trifling disease? That was why it was nothing but welcome news that the Sword Saint had begun external activities again starting with this year’s Founding Day celebration.
After sitting together for a short while and exchanging news of how they had been, it seemed as though the conversation between the two proceeded warmly, as if past grudges had been forgotten.
That was, until the Emperor brought it up.
“I hear you have been spending time with the third one lately?”
“He is sharper than expected, so he is quite rewarding to teach.”
Chuckling lightly, the Sword Saint remarked that the rumors were completely off the mark.
It was a subtle criticism of the Emperor for leaving Leios in his current situation.
Yet the Emperor’s expression did not change.
“I handle my own affairs myself.”
“It seems you lack even the bare minimum of virtue as a father.”
“Unfortunately, I have neither received nor witnessed such a thing, so I would not know.”
Seeing the Emperor’s face, as if he even considered that natural, Yohanel let out a sigh.
The very cause of the conflict that had driven them apart had stemmed from that.
“If only you had not brought him into the palace in the first place.”
“The blood of Ribera is not something light enough to be allowed to wander the streets freely.”
“Have you forgotten who was at fault to begin with”
“······.”
Yohanel’s remark clearly crossed the line.
Had Royal Knights been present, they would have drawn their swords at once, faces flushed red as they shouted for immediate execution and charged forward.
However, the Emperor did not appear particularly angry.
Rather, with a look of curiosity, he spoke.
“How strange. For someone as detached from worldly matters as you to show such fixation on that child.”
“A child whom no one ever looked after or placed expectations upon is trying to stand upright on his own. As one adult, how could I not feel affection. And besides······.”
Yohanel stopped speaking for a brief moment.
The Emperor worshiped strength.
He valued it more than his own bloodline or even the women with whom he had shared affection.
If, at this very place, he were to say that Leios was close to becoming a Sword Master and would soon reach that realm, the balance of power would change in an instant.
Leios would immediately take his place at the center, and the other princes would be culled and pushed aside.
‘But······.’
Yohanel hoped that Leios would no longer be dragged into such filthy struggles.
No matter how noble it was called, power was always accompanied by a bottomless ugliness.
“···His mind is keen as well, so I am considering making him my successor.”
“The successor of a Sword Saint, huh.”
At those words, the Emperor nodded, saying it was quite plausible.
The Sword Saint held the title of Grand Duke.
That would be more than sufficient even for royalty.
“So the next Grand Duke would bear the blood of Ribera. Indeed, you had a daughter around the same age as the third, did you not.”
“That remains to be seen.”
After that, the two exchanged a few perfunctory remarks.
As the conversation continued to circle endlessly, Yohanel rose from his seat, saying he would take his leave.
Until the Emperor changed his mind, he could not yet reveal his true intentions.
For now, he would simply wait for the right time.
“······.”
However, no one knew that the Emperor’s eyes narrowed as he watched Yohanel’s back as he exited through the door.
The day of the Academy entrance ceremony dawned.
With splendid events and festivals unfolding throughout Beatrice’s Road, enormous crowds gathered.
There were so many people that one might suspect all the citizens of the capital had assembled here.
“As expected, when the base is handsome, it can’t not suit you.”
It was already past noon, and I was in the middle of putting on my Academy uniform to attend the entrance ceremony.
Looking at my reflection in the large full-length mirror placed at one side of the room, admiration rose unbidden.
I had merely changed clothes, yet I felt the aura of a model one would only see in magazines.
Experiencing that sense of superiority for the first time, a smile naturally slipped out.
“Alice won’t be late, right?”
It was about time to head to the Academy.
The original protagonist tended to oversleep and was often late for classes or schedules.
I did not know whether she had inherited even that trait, but surely she would not be late on the first day.
My gaze drifted to the mark on the back of my hand.
There, faintly engraved, was a pattern of three small circles intersecting with one another.
This was insurance, just in case.
No matter how much of a protagonist she was, I could not give blind trust.
Thus, I had set several clauses as conditions and formed a contract that made it impossible for her to betray me, and that became the connection binding us.
The very first clause I implanted prohibited any actions, whether direct or indirect, that could cause me harm.
At the very least, that ensured I would not be stabbed in the back by her.
After all, she had staked her life on it, so she would not dare to violate it.
What remained was the Assassin Guild to which she belonged.
Once I had become their target, enough time passing would lead them to realize that Alice had failed her mission.
That was why I made the bold move of seeking them out myself.
I took out the strongest Assassin Master with a surprise attack, and Alice, who knew the guild inside and out, took care of the remaining small fry.
With two skilled individuals stepping in, the Assassin Guild collapsed in an instant, and anything that could have become an obstacle to Academy life disappeared completely.
There were still slight distortions left, but I had now boarded the trajectory that led into the main story.
Slowly gather people, build my own power base, and seize control of the Empire.
That was my first goal.
In any case, as time went on, becoming hostile with the other princes was inevitable, so knowing the events that would occur in the future, I planned to use them as sustenance to gain the upper hand.
‘Still, I want to avoid clashing with Emperor Gilgamesh.’
Even if he was not on the level of the Sword Saint, he was still among the strongest in the Empire.
Even if I continued to grow stronger at this pace, I judged that I absolutely could not defeat him before reaching awakening.
After all, he was the Emperor.
I suddenly thought how nice it would have been if the genre of this novel had been modern fantasy.
A story layered over reality without actually entering the novel.
If that were the case, I could have shown those who deserved it what for—my ex-girlfriend who dumped me for another man, or the friend who looked down on me while strutting around acting like some great writer.
And I could have given my parents, who were still working even at their old age, a comfortable life.
“Ha.”
Thinking such things within a world where imagination had already been made real made me realize just how far gone I truly was.
Since the time to head to the Academy had truly arrived, I strapped my sword to my sword belt and left the lodging.
Merging into the sea of people, I was naturally carried toward the Academy, and I walked slowly, enjoying the atmosphere.
The Academy itself was also filled with countless people.
The entrance ceremony was being held in the grand auditorium.
There was only one building lavishly decorated with all manner of ornaments, so I was able to arrive without any difficulty even without searching.
“They said the waiting room inside, right.”
Separate from the acceptance notice I received after the entrance exam, the Academy had contacted me directly.
The content was that the top-ranked and second-ranked entrants were to participate in the event as representatives of the new students.
The top-ranked student would prepare a response speech to the congratulatory address given by current students, while the second-ranked student would present bouquets to the representatives of the current students.
Naturally, the top-ranked student was me.
The message did not state who the second-ranked was, but according to the original work, there was only one possibility.
Knock knock.
When I knocked on the door of the waiting room inside the grand auditorium, I heard footsteps from within.
With the sound of the handle turning, the door slowly opened, and a beautiful girl with striking red hair greeted me.
“Are you Mr. Ostia, the top-ranked student?”
“Then you must be Elysia, the second-ranked.”
Elysia used her real name at the Academy.
From the start, high-ranking nobles of count or marquis rank and above tended to become known even if they tried to hide it.
Thus, unless one made a deliberate effort to conceal it like royalty, everyone knew and simply pretended otherwise.
The Pendragon family to which she belonged was likewise one of the most prestigious.
Though not affiliated with the Empire, it was a family that had ruled the Duchy of Britain for generations, so there was no way the young lady of that house could remain unknown.
“Nice to meet you. As you already know, I am Elysia, the second-ranked.”
In a span of less than 0.5 seconds, Elysia discreetly examined me from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
Then, as if she had completed her assessment, she slightly lifted the hem of her uniform skirt and offered an elegant greeting.
The hair color I had temporarily let loose when dealing with the Assassin Guild had been returned to brown after the matter was resolved.
Thus, there was no chance of Elysia mistaking me for royalty.
“Have you prepared your response speech well?”
“Moderately.”
When I pulled out parchment from my chest and waved it, she nodded as if she understood.
Judging by her expression, she had asked merely out of formality and had little real interest.
Well, that made sense.
She was originally the type to have no interest in anything beyond her own goals or desires.
That was why she had been so flustered when her heart was stolen by the protagonist.
That aside, I kind of wanted to see August’s face.
In the original work, Elysia was the top-ranked and that guy was second, but now he had been pushed down to third place.
I was truly curious what expression he would make when he found out I was the top-ranked at the entrance ceremony.
Knock knock.
Someone came looking for the waiting room.
Since there was still some time before the entrance ceremony began, Elysia tilted her head in confusion and stood up, heading for the door.
“Could it be an administrator? Maybe there’s something else to be delivered.”
When she opened the door, a figure appeared.
When I widened my eyes at the familiar face, the other party greeted us first.
“I am Petra, the second-ranked among the representatives of the current students. Are you Miss Elysia and Mr. Ostia?”
She spoke with deliberate politeness, possessing a refined elegance distinct from Elysia’s.
At that, Elysia stared blankly for a moment before hastily bowing with a look of realization.
“···Yes. I, I am also the second-ranked, Elysia.”
“Is that so, then I look forward to working with you.”
“The pleasure is mine! Please guide me well!”
She accepted the greeting with an unusually tense demeanor.
Petra soon said she would excuse herself for a moment and approached me, speaking with a slightly unfamiliar expression.
“···Well then, should I say congratulations?”
“I would have been happier if it were praise rather than a question.”
When I answered with a shrug, she stared at me with a blank look before opening her mouth.
“So the rumors were not false after all.”
Rumors?