Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Gorilla’s Grip (3)
It was a good thing that Worden had arrived earlier than expected. But I never imagined he would show up looking this shocking.
“What happened in the Demonic Realm?”
“What do you mean what happened in the Demonic Realm? We did nothing but fight every single day.”
Bereninche calmly drank the black tea Winter had brought over. I glanced sideways at Worden. His face had turned deathly pale.
“So you can make potions too? They were low-grade, but they helped quite a bit.”
“……You evil employer.”
I instantly understood what Bereninche meant. Fighting during the day, fighting again in the evening, and making potions at night.
At the words “evil employer,” Bereninche burst into laughter.
“Anyway, good timing. Winter. Eye of Aira.”
“Oh.”
Bereninche immediately brightened at my words. The Eye of Aira had taken long enough to obtain. Winter hurried straight to the vault and brought back the Eye of Aira.
“So this is it.”
After receiving the Eye of Aira, Bereninche’s eyes gleamed. She quietly examined the pendant radiating sacred energy.
“I’ll pay you quickly.”
“And the Duhein side?”
“Of course. I’ll block them for you. Though not for your entire lifetime.”
I nodded. As long as things stayed quiet until the Duhein-related episode ended, that was enough. And even if Bereninche stepped in, it probably would not have a tremendous effect.
“I ran into the Purge Unit during this pilgrimage.”
“The Purge Unit?”
Since the topic came up, I recalled the Purge Unit member I had encountered on the train. A powerful expert who radiated terrifying killing intent.
But for some reason, he had also been a strange guy who got blown away in a single hit. Hearing me, Bereninche tilted her head.
“The guy wearing the Shark Mask?”
“The entire Purge Unit wears the same mask.”
“No, I mean the annoying bastard with the thin, irritating voice.”
“Uh……. Yeah, that’s him.”
I stared at Bereninche with a subtle expression. The Purge Unit was a direct organization within the Duhein Family that obeyed only the family head.
No matter who it was, even Bereninche did not know every detail about the Purge Unit. Yet every single characteristic she described matched perfectly.
“I killed him, though.”
“…….”
The atmosphere instantly sank. It was far too unfamiliar a statement to be delivered so casually.
Winter swallowed dryly, and Aro stared at Bereninche with deeply sunken eyes. Before I noticed it, the red makeup around Aro’s eyes had appeared again.
“So you saw him too? Did he come to me after meeting you? He kept saying rude things, so I snapped back at him, and then he attacked me. So I just killed him.”
It was an uncomfortable fact, but from my perspective, it was not exactly a bad thing. Whether that bastard lived or died was none of my concern anyway.
Thinking about it now, it was something I would have had to deal with eventually once the episode progressed.
“He probably didn’t die.”
“Hm?”
“That guy. He seemed like a clone. Or maybe he split his body or something.”
Still, I pointed out the possibility that the Purge Unit member might still be alive. At my words, Bereninche narrowed her eyes.
“When he fought me, that guy suddenly grabbed his chest too.”
“Right. I pierced through his chest. Guess your side was the real one?”
After hearing that much, Bereninche rubbed the philtrum beneath her nose and fell into thought.
“Anyway, got it. Thanks for the Eye of Aira. Be careful. I think Father’s planning something.”
“Yeah. Got it. Go on.”
Bereninche rose from her seat, said that much, and slowly left the chapel. Before leaving, she did not forget to wave at Winter and Worden.
Only after Bereninche departed did the atmosphere inside the chapel finally begin to loosen.
“Hm~ no matter how many times I see her~ she’s terrifying~”
Canis was the first to speak. No one knew where she had gone, but the moment she sensed Bereninche’s presence, she had vanished without a trace.
“……Just in case, are you two biologically related siblings?”
Aro asked with an unusually serious expression. I thought about it for a moment before nodding. Technically speaking, she was right.
“You should think carefully about becoming a son-in-law. Your family seems a little dangerous.”
“No thanks. I was already expelled from the family in the first place.”
After giving a short reply to Aro, who had immediately started spouting nonsense again, I looked toward Worden. Winter was poking him repeatedly with fascinated eyes.
“Wow. Senior. This feels like a rock.”
I knew it was rude behavior, but it was just that fascinating. At Winter’s words, I could not say anything.
I also wanted to try pressing those incredible triceps at least once.
“Little Sparrow.”
“Yes?”
“What kind of medicine did Bereninche make you take?”
Even in a fantasy world where magic created ice and fire, this felt a little excessive. Just in case, I decided to ask.
“She called it a nourishing? tonic? I think.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward me. If nutritional tonics alone could make someone like that, then why had protein powder ever been invented?
“What was the name?”
“Baker’s? Vitamin.”
It was a name I had never heard before. Even in the game, I had never seen a potion with that kind of name.
“That’s~ just a regular supplement though~”
At Canis’s added remark, none of us could say anything. And so the mystery behind Worden’s sudden bulk-up sank deeper into the abyss.
***
“Hah.”
Vice-Commander Sheila looked fondly at the Imperial Princess, who was letting out dry laughs while reading the report.
“You there, Sheila.”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness.”
“Wipe that grin off your face.”
Noticing Sheila’s gaze, the Imperial Princess spoke with narrowed eyes. Sheila bowed her head and said she understood, but the silly smile remained exactly the same.
“Now is the time to discuss serious matters.”
“Indeed it is, Your Imperial Highness.”
“……Then why do you keep grinning like that?”
Seeing Sheila continue smiling without answering, the Imperial Princess let out a deep sigh. Pushing further would only give her a headache.
The Imperial Princess resumed reading the report Sheila had brought.
“That bastard. Hah.”
The contents of the report were simple. The Fiendbeast that had appeared during the Academy attack had also shown up in the Ulla Desert.
And the Desert Alliance Army had defeated it. In response, the Imperial investigation team had already been dispatched.
The part that caught the Imperial Princess’s attention was one particular name.
“Isn’t he truly a capable individual?”
Davide Duhein. The man who had been expelled and now only went by Duhein had once again accomplished great things here.
More precisely, it was the Anaye Order, to which Davide belonged, that had distinguished itself. Sheila looked proud for some reason.
“Anyone would think he was your own son.”
“…….”
“……Why are you suddenly silent?”
Seeing Sheila react so positively over someone completely unrelated to her, the Imperial Princess tossed out a joke. She had expected a vague and hesitant response, but for some reason, no answer came.
Startled, the Imperial Princess hurriedly looked at Sheila. Sheila wore an awkward expression.
“Certainly not. Nothing of the sort you are imagining.”
“……I thought my heart was going to burst.”
Only after hearing Sheila’s firm denial did the Imperial Princess finally let out a relieved breath.
“More importantly, what is this term ‘Fiendbeast’? Is it referring to that monster from the attack?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness. Apparently, Student Davide was the first to use the term.”
The Imperial Princess placed her armored legs atop the table. She could feel the situation becoming somewhat complicated.
“Just why does that bastard know something like this?”
“Could it not simply be a name he came up with personally?”
At Sheila’s cautious reply to her concerned question, the Imperial Princess immediately shook her head.
“That could be possible, but my instincts say otherwise. It felt like he had known from the beginning.”
“……Then that means he knows the name of the Chimera.”
The Imperial Princess nodded. This was not something that could be dismissed as merely knowing a name. If it involved a Chimera, the Imperial House had to investigate with merciless thoroughness.
They had to cling desperately to even the smallest detail. If Davide had even the slightest connection to those things, then matters would become complicated.
“The Floating Island approaches soon. This is an important matter not only for the Academy, but for the Empire as well. There must not be any disruptions.”
“Everyone is busily preparing.”
The Imperial Princess set down the report and roughly rubbed her face.
“Davide. I need to summon that bastard immediately.”
Sheila poured tea for the Imperial Princess, who seemed slightly impatient. The Imperial House harbored immense hostility toward Chimeras on a fundamental level.
Every Chimera that had appeared throughout history had stood opposed to the Imperial House, and the Imperial House had fought against them without end.
“I will make the preparations.”
“Good. And that bastard Davide must absolutely be brought into the Floating Island. When I meet the Divine Beast of my Floating Island, I will take him along.”
“I have already arranged it, Your Imperial Highness.”
The Imperial Princess, who had been about to lower her legs from the table and drink her tea, froze. For a moment, she wondered if she had misheard.
When she looked over in confusion, Sheila was already wearing a face dripping with honeyed satisfaction.
“……What are you talking about?”
“I proposed that he take on a role managing and controlling the students. Simply put, something like a class representative. He will be acting under the name of the Imperial Knight Order.”
“……You really are desperate to bring him in. Go wash up a bit. Honey is dripping all over your face.”
“Fufu. Understood.”
The Imperial Princess clicked her tongue as Sheila answered without the slightest damage to her pride. Since the girl had practically been raised by Sheila’s hands, she could never seem to win against her.
“Who made the proposal?”
“The second-year dormitory professor of the Combat Department.”
“That Gorilla?”
The Imperial Princess unconsciously used his nickname. Sheila tightly pressed her lips together as if holding back laughter.
“Your Imperial Highness. Calling him Gorilla is a bit much. He is a remarkable talent.”
“You laughed too. Still, I did hear rumors about his character. They say that unlike his appearance, he is righteous and honorable.”
“That is correct, Your Imperial Highness. And he was someone who stood in opposition to Nerva.”
The Imperial Princess crossed her arms and looked at Sheila. The name that had come out of Sheila’s mouth sounded familiar.
“Your former lover, the current head of the Duhein Family, and now Gorilla’s sworn enemy, that Nerva?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness.”
The Imperial Princess recalled Davide’s face. A face that could at least be called one of his advantages. A face with a unique atmosphere she had found rather appealing.
And she had once met Nerva as well, the very man who had passed that face down unchanged.
“He is a dangerous individual.”
“That he is, Your Imperial Highness.”
“Well, he’ll handle things himself somehow. But did that bastard Davide actually agree so easily?”
The Imperial Princess had not met Davide many times, but she had grasped his general nature. At the very least, he was not the sort of person who would readily accept a position like that.
“Your Imperial Highness. Sometimes I think Student Davide might be a personification of causality itself.”
“Causality?”
“Yes, Your Imperial Highness. Student Davide’s actions always have reasons behind them.”
The Imperial Princess reacted indifferently to Sheila’s words. Who in this world moved without reason?
Even if such people existed, she believed they certainly did not make up the majority.
“Student Davide does not discriminate when it comes to things beneficial to himself.”
“……That just sounds like you’re calling him selfish.”
“I simply meant that there must have been a reason compelling enough for him to move.”
How had someone once so sharp ended up like this? The Imperial Princess could not help but lament inwardly.
“Of course, Gorilla’s determination is also quite remarkable.”
“Hm?”
“It seems Student Davide did something to him, because he’s sharpening his blade over it.”
The Imperial Princess listened with interest. Sheila continued speaking with a gentle smile on her face.
“He would not tell me the details, but apparently he intends to keep Davide under him no matter what.”
“Under him?”
“He means taking him in as a disciple. If you compare it to the Magic Tower, it would be like becoming a graduate student.”
The Imperial Princess’s face stiffened instantly. She knew little about magic itself, but she knew very well about the graduate student system of the Magic Tower.
She was also well aware of the infamous rumors that most talented people who entered graduate school ended up living like mummies.
“Besides, Gorilla’s grip strength is unbelievably strong. Once he grabs hold of something, he never lets go. Back in the day, he squeezed a pineapple with one hand and somehow filled six entire beer mugs with juice.”
Now fully excited, Sheila rambled on endlessly. The Imperial Princess listened with one ear and let it flow straight out the other.