Chapter 129
Chapter 129
The Open-Mouthed Gehenna (2)
“Ah. You’re here.”
Before the first class began, I headed to the chapel early. Instead of the 9 o’clock first class, there was a speech by the Academy Director.
Winter, who had arrived first, greeted me as I trudged over.
“Good morning. Where are the others?”
“They’ll be here soon.”
Since it was a gathering where all students and professors would be present, we decided to move as a Religious Order unit.
Winter, dressed in black priest robes, was taking out and organizing the robes for the others.
“Winter. Come here for a second.”
“Yes?”
At my sudden call, Winter tilted her head and slowly approached me. As she came close, I stepped behind her and unfolded the part of her clothing that had been folded and curled up.
“Ah! Thank you.”
Flustered, Winter expressed her thanks. Perhaps embarrassed at having shown that side of herself, her neck turned slightly red.
I took a small step back and looked her over.
“W-Why are you doing that?”
“Hm.”
Uniforms differed by department. The Divine Department uniform had a design similar to priest robes.
The predominantly white Divine Department uniform paired quite well with the Religious Order’s black priest robes.
“Hi~”
“Hi!”
“Hello?”
Under my silent gaze, Winter’s eyes darted left and right before she hurriedly welcomed the people entering the chapel.
Canis and Aro appeared, full of energy even in the morning. Behind them followed Worden, carrying a bunch of things.
“How did you all come together?”
“Well, Canis and I are in the same Magic Department, and we happened to run into our cute little sparrow boy on the way.”
I nodded roughly and welcomed them. It wasn’t anything particularly important. The calm atmosphere I had with Winter instantly turned lively.
“The day has come~ to try this on~”
The first to eye the priest robes was Canis. She used magic to lift the robes into the air and admired them.
Though it might be somewhat lacking for someone like Canis, who had refined artistic tastes, it was made with materials interesting enough to make up for it.
“Hmm~ how do I look?”
Canis approached with light, bouncy steps and asked me. I looked at her indifferently.
Watching her tuck her brightly saturated blue hair behind her ear, I let out a small chuckle.
“It suits you.”
“Me too! Me too, take a look!”
Leaving behind the bewildered Canis at the unexpected compliment, Aro rushed in. Despite being the tallest among the girls, she acted the most childlike.
“Yes, it suits you well.”
As expected of Aro. Her speed in changing clothes was on another level.
In that short moment I was talking with Canis, she had already changed from the Magic Department uniform into clothes of the Far East and even put on the priest robe over it, making me laugh in disbelief.
“Here! This is a gift.”
Her face was still covered, but her appearance was graceful. Since I had given a casual compliment, Aro seemed pleased and pulled something out from her clothes to hand to me.
“Ferraiolo?”
Winter, who had been quietly taking care of Worden’s clothes, muttered that with a surprised expression. It was a word none of us had heard before, and we all tilted our heads.
“Um, simply put, you can think of it as a silk cloak.”
“Uh, that’s basically what I was going for.”
I unfolded the garment Aro handed me. It was a luxurious shawl made of black silk, with the outer edges finished in gold.
“I’ll put it on for you.”
Aro stepped forward and draped it over my shoulders herself. It covered my shoulders and went down to my elbows.
There was a string at the front to keep it from slipping off. With careful hands, Aro tied it into a knot.
“Oh~ it makes you look kind of important~”
“Thank you.”
Canis was the first to let out an admiring exclamation. Worden also stared at me blankly and clapped his hands. As I touched the incredibly soft fabric, I expressed my thanks to Aro.
It seemed she had specially ordered it while getting the priest robes tailored. And she didn’t stop there—she handed out similar items to the others as well.
Though less flashy than mine, they were made from the same material.
“Th-Thank you.”
One by one, everyone expressed their gratitude to Aro. The silk used as the material was extremely high quality, and Aro had paid for it out of her own pocket.
“What are you doing?”
“No, this… it won’t go in.”
Just as it seemed preparations were roughly finished and we were about to head out, Worden still hadn’t fully put on his priest robe. I approached Winter, who was helping him get dressed.
At my question, Winter made an aggrieved expression. Because of those bulging muscles, the sleeves wouldn’t go in properly.
“I definitely made it to his measurements back then.”
“I can’t stop working out.”
So he had bulked up in the meantime. I shook my head. The priest robe we had gone through the trouble of making had become useless.
Especially with those massive arms, it was absolutely impossible. In the end, I had no choice but to settle for everything except the top.
With the shawl Aro gave me draped over, it still looked quite decent.
“Let’s go now.”
Come to think of it, this was the official place to present the priest robes of the Anaye Order.
***
“Your Imperial Highness, are you alright?”
At Sheila’s question, the Imperial Princess nodded indifferently. She looked exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept well.
Seated in a separate space prepared within the grand hall, she merely glanced around without much interest.
“Shall I block out the noise?”
“No need.”
Around 8:50, most of the students had arrived at the grand hall. With so many gathered, it was extremely noisy.
Worried it might bother her, Sheila asked, but the Imperial Princess showed no sign of concern.
“Hm?”
The crowd that had been buzzing suddenly fell silent. At the grand hall, which had grown quiet in an instant, the puzzled Imperial Princess turned her head.
Familiar figures began to enter her view. At the front was Davide. Dressed entirely in black, with luxurious gold patterns scattered across his priest robes.
“Oh ho.”
Even the shawl draped over his shoulders. He was thoroughly dressed up. Seeing that, not only the Imperial Princess but even Sheila admired it.
“Those are the priest robes of the Anaye Order.”
“I quite like them.”
The outfit suited Duhein’s characteristic sea-colored hair very well. On top of that, the ornate decorations and Davide’s sharp expression completed the look.
They were priest robes that fully conveyed a sense of intimidation. At Sheila’s remark, the Imperial Princess revealed her true thoughts. She had always preferred dark, subdued styles.
“Student Davide is handsome, isn’t he?”
“…I meant the priest robes, not Davide.”
Unable to hold back her teasing, Sheila prompted a deep sigh from the Imperial Princess. It was almost surprising how someone with that personality managed to serve as Vice-Commander in such serious settings.
“I see Student Winter as well.”
Next, the members of the Anaye Order entered one after another. Winter, wearing a white base outfit paired with black priest robes.
Aro, dressed in traditional Far East attire resembling a fluttering flag with the priest robe over it, and Canis, neatly and cleanly dressed.
And finally, Worden at the very back, displaying his incredible muscles. Not a single one of them gave off a light impression.
“Who is that muscular one at the back? I don’t recall seeing him in the report.”
“That is Worden Yord.”
“Worden? That sparrow-like brown-haired one?”
“Yes.”
“…Did he take something?”
Sheila couldn’t answer the Imperial Princess’s last question. She found it just as unbelievable. In just under two months, his size had practically doubled.
“Well, regardless, they all look quite capable.”
Rulers were greedy for talent. Especially the Imperial Princess, who was planning to form her own special unit, was even more so.
Watching the Imperial Princess’s eyes gleam with interest, Sheila smiled gently.
“If we can get just Student Davide, we can have them all.”
“He’s the biggest problem.”
At Sheila’s words, the Imperial Princess clicked her tongue softly. Sometimes he was like a sly snake, and other times like a ferocious beast.
Even the Imperial Princess, who took pride in her own abilities, wasn’t confident when it came to Davide.
“They’re quite close.”
The Anaye Order had taken a spot not far from the Imperial Princess. Because others felt burdened by the presence of the Imperial House, the area around her was sparse.
However, the Anaye Order settled nearby without concern. Though Winter seemed a bit uncomfortable about it.
“It’s starting soon.”
Once the Anaye Order had taken their place, several people appeared on the stage of the grand hall. Among them, the most noticeable was, of course, the Academy Director.
An old man with white hair. Despite his age being evident in his appearance, he stood upright as he stepped onto the stage.
—Thank you all for gathering here. I am the Academy Director of Museion Academy.
Though his demeanor was polite, his tone was rather casual.
Even with the Imperial Princess and many high-ranking figures present, the Academy Director addressed them at a level suited to students.
—I will refrain from unnecessary words. I will get straight to the point. I will now tell you why I have gathered you all here.
All the usual trivial remarks were completely omitted. The Imperial Princess nodded in satisfaction at that.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes. I like that he gets straight to the point.”
“Like Student Davide?”
“…Is there something wrong with your head?”
How one could make such a comparison was beyond her. At the absurd remark, the Imperial Princess unknowingly spoke harshly to her aunt.
Even so, Sheila merely chuckled. It was fortunate they were alone.
—One month from now, the Floating Island that appears once every 60 years will dock at Museion Academy.
The impact of those words was enormous. The grand hall instantly erupted into cheers. However, the Imperial Princess noticed that, for some reason, her surroundings were quiet.
“Hm?”
Looking around, it was true—no one near her was cheering. The students were watching someone carefully.
They were all staring at Davide, who had sparks crackling around him as if he were in a foul mood.
“His notoriety really follows him everywhere.”
Even the professors were looking at Davide. They remembered how he used to cause disturbances whenever he was in a bad mood.
Still, with the Imperial Princess present, they thought he wouldn’t act out—but just in case, everyone kept their eyes on him.
“What are you looking at?”
Realizing the attention on him, Davide spoke. His tone was oppressive and domineering. The students who had been staring quickly turned their heads away.
Following that, the cheers gradually died down, starting from where Davide stood.
—It seems you’ve calmed down. To briefly explain the schedule: traditionally, when events like the Floating Island occur, we hold a festival. It wouldn’t feel right to skip it this time.
Looking at the now-quiet grand hall, the Academy Director continued.
—One week will be the evaluation period. Clubs, Religious Orders, individuals—it doesn’t matter. Freely submit your festival content proposals as long as they do not violate public morals. The Academic Department will review and approve them.
At the Academy Director’s words, cheers erupted once more. Some welcomed the festival itself, while others were simply happy to skip classes because of it.
This time, even Davide’s presence couldn’t suppress them. The Imperial Princess also chose not to make an issue of it.
—Now, now~ settle down. After one week of evaluation and one week of preparation, we will begin the festival.
Cheers louder than ever poured out.