Chapter 139
Chapter 139
Knight Commander Ethan (3)
I swallowed dryly and took out a strand of hair from my pocket. Between white and black, I chose the black hair.
Rather than hair, it looked like a tough yet beautiful thread, and I brought it toward the bracelet.
‘It works.’
As I brought the Astral hair closer, the bracelet began to hum and react. I secretly cheered in delight.
In the game, its usage was alchemy—in other words, equipping something used as a potion ingredient. It was an artifact that granted various passives like fatigue recovery.
I hadn’t expected something like that to be applied this way.
“…….”
The hair was absorbed into the bracelet and began to emit a faint glow. I quietly watched it.
The glow continued for quite a while before gradually fading.
▶[Aroma Band: Black North Star]
It leads me toward the path I instinctively desire.
However, there wasn’t the overwhelming effect I had expected. Astral was a great queen who had existed in ancient times.
In the game, she appeared as a boss and possessed power great enough to literally erase part of the continent.
Yet even after using her hair, nothing particularly remarkable happened. Thinking about it calmly, I wondered if I had placed too much significance on something like hair.
“No helping it.”
I planned to just wear it until I found a better material. Since I didn’t yet know what effect “heading toward the desired path” had, I intended to experience it firsthand.
Thinking about it this way, I felt it was a waste that I had entrusted ‘Fairy’s Spirit’ to the Academy Director. If I had equipped that, I would have gotten a fairly decent effect.
‘The level is different, after all.’
Still, it was too valuable an item to attach to something like this bracelet. I put on the bracelet as it was and fully lay down on the sofa.
Things outside were busy with aftermath processing, but that wasn’t my concern. If I had done this much, then I had done everything I needed to.
“The outside’s~ noisy~ do I not need to go check~?”
Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard Canis’s voice. When I slightly opened my eyes, I saw Canis stuffing the unconscious Anger into her body.
“You’re up.”
“Yeah~ I almost couldn’t wake up ever again~ you know~ the most painful moment~ of my life~”
I asked casually, and a playful answer came back. Seeing her still cheerful, I let out a small chuckle.
After putting all of Anger away, Canis drank a glass of water and sat in a rocking chair.
“Dabi~”
“Why.”
Even with my eyes closed, I could feel her gaze. It bothered me, and I couldn’t fall asleep. Just as I was about to tell her to stop staring, Canis spoke first.
At her unusually serious tone, I looked at her with a slightly surprised expression.
“There’s something~ I’m curious about~ will you tell me?”
“What.”
Her smiling face was the same as always, but her eyes were frighteningly stiff. I realized that Canis had heard something from Magus.
“The one behind the attack knew a lot~ about our family~ why is that?”
I got up from my seat and stretched. Her question was only natural. It was a secret known only within her family.
Canis, who knew how much harsh effort had gone into protecting that secret, couldn’t possibly understand it.
Both I and the one behind it spoke as if it were nothing special.
“It’s simple. Because they’re connected.”
“……Connected~?”
Canis made a meaningful expression. I shrugged.
“Both I and the one behind it are connected to the Ulbushis Family, so we know such things.”
“Then. Then~ what connection does Dabi have with our family~”
I stared at Canis quietly.
“Fiendbeasts are Chimeras. And Chimera is an ancient magic that is now said to have disappeared.”
“……So?”
“But they’re openly walking around. That means there’s a magician who can use ancient magic, right?”
The more I continued, the more Canis’s expression hardened. The bosses of [Difficult Dungeon] were largely divided into three types.
‘Story bosses’ that appeared in the main story, ‘event bosses’ that appeared during limited-time events, and ‘field bosses’ that could be fought anytime.
Unless her affection level was raised, Canis would inevitably turn into a ‘field boss.’ The reason was the atrocities committed by her family, the Ulbushis Family.
“You already know, don’t you.”
But Canis already knew that. In the past, during a battle against a Fiendbeast in the Ulla Desert, I had forcibly made Canis participate.
Back then, Canis had done something wrong, but it was only natural for her to feel dissatisfied. Even so, I had silenced her by bringing up the Ulbushis Family’s secret.
“Originally~ great families~ have lots of secrets~”
“Yeah. The problem is what those secrets are. Let me make one prediction.”
I spoke sharply to Canis, who had been trying to gloss it over.
“Within a year, Ulbushis will fall.”
“…….”
After this, the Imperial Princess would begin moving in earnest. Moreover, unlike in the game’s story, Magus was already making moves a bit earlier.
Naturally, it was obvious that the Imperial Princess, who stood in opposition, would adjust and move as well. And if that happened, Ulbushis wouldn’t survive.
“You’re smart, so you can roughly guess, right? Your family will become a target of purging.”
“Then.”
“Of course, Duhein as well.”
At the mention of Duhein, Canis tightly shut her eyes. This was by no means a trivial matter. These were among the Empire’s most prominent great families.
If both Ulbushis and Duhein were purged? That would lead to chaos within the Empire. And not just that—it would escalate into a conflict between the royal faction and the noble faction.
“……There’s no reason to drag me into the Religious Order~”
Even in this serious moment, Canis asked what she was most curious about. It was only natural—this was what she would be most concerned about right now. I let out a small chuckle at her question.
“Do you think a family like Ulbushis would completely disappear?”
“Hm?”
“Of course, it’ll be crushed beyond recovery. But even then, with help from the Imperial House, it can be rebuilt. That is, if you—the successor—are still around.”
Only then did Canis’s eyes widen.
“You belong to our Religious Order. In the future, I’ll bring the fallen Ulbushis and Duhein into our Religious Order.”
In other words, marking them in advance. That was the reason I had tolerated Canis’s wild personality all this time. Duhein might be difficult because of Bereninche, but Ulbushis was different.
Persuading Canis would be easy. With just this much effort, I could devour the entire foundation of the Ulbushis Family.
“……So that was your intention.”
“Before that, you need to understand just how foolish your family is.”
I gave a fierce smile to Canis, whose expression had darkened.
“The technology that created Fiendbeasts. Ancient magic. The ones who provided it were the Ulbushis Family.”
Canis stared at me without any visible emotional disturbance.
“And Anger was also created using ancient magic.”
I quietly looked at Canis. Thinking about it, there wasn’t a character more pitiful than her.
When I had first learned the secret she carried, I remembered clicking my tongue. I had even shaken my head at the cruelty of the game developers.
“When you’re ready, tell me. I’ll show you the whole truth.”
After saying that much, I lay back down on the sofa again.
***
“What about the damage?”
“Human casualties amount to 247 poisoned individuals. The number of dead is 36 knights from the Imperial Knight Order. As for property damage, those who fought the one behind it only destroyed two buildings.”
“……The damage is small compared to the scale.”
The Academy Director let out a sigh as she received the report from her secretary. Both casualties and property damage were low.
Even among the casualties, aside from those who could be treated for poisoning, the only deaths were from the Imperial Knight Order. However, even considering all of that, one issue remained—the unconscious Imperial Princess.
“How is Her Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess?”
“According to Vice-Commander Sheila, there are no major abnormalities, but she requires about a month of recuperation. It is said to be the aftereffect of using a specific artifact, not from an attack.”
“We owe her a great debt.”
The Academy Director felt a subtle sense of relief. She was relieved that the students she cherished had survived, yet at the same time felt guilt that the Imperial Princess had collapsed.
She could only hope that the Imperial House would not overreact. At present, only the Academy Director, her Aide, and Vice-Commander Sheila knew that the Imperial Princess had collapsed.
“……Come to think of it. When Her Imperial Highness was heading to the Poison Swamp, Davide assisted her?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“Then that brat must know as well. Honestly, he gets entangled in incidents far too often.”
That brat again. The Academy Director sighed at Davide’s name, which she had been hearing frequently lately.
Wherever he went, complicated incidents broke out. Even if it was karma for the trouble he had caused others, it was still infuriating. Because of that so-called karma, the Academic Department had been suffering headaches.
“Make sure to keep their mouths shut.”
“Understood. Then, what should we do about the Floating Island?”
“Proceed as planned. Hold the festival after the Floating Island ends.”
Since we had been attacked, it would have been right to cancel all events. But not the Floating Island. The name value it carried wasn’t something that would be shaken by something like this.
“This is troublesome.”
Parents, noble families, even the Imperial House. After being struck twice by external forces, the state of the Academic Department was a disgrace.
Of course, since the Imperial Knight Order was responsible for security, they would take more of the blame, but the Academic Department would still be criticized all the same.
“I should meet Ethan.”
“I will arrange it.”
The Academy Director mentioned Ethan, who had once been her student. That guy would be having a headache as well.
After the first attack, the defenses surrounding Museion Academy had been strengthened even further. Yet despite that, a second attack had broken through.
It had now reached the point where they had to worry about a third attack.
“I’ll go now.”
The Academy Director stood up from her seat. There was a mountain of work to handle after receiving the reports, but this was a more pressing issue.
After briefly checking her attire, she left the office. Her body felt heavy from using so much Divine Power, but she couldn’t afford to be idle.
“Hm?”
“Ah. Director.”
Just as she was about to head down the stairs, she saw Knight Commander Ethan. The staircase wasn’t small by any means, yet with Ethan standing there, it looked completely filled.
The Academy Director tilted her head upon seeing him, and Ethan, who also noticed her, bowed his head in greeting.
“This works out well. I was just on my way to see you. I’ll guide you to the office.”
“Thank you, Director.”
The Academy Director led Ethan back to the office.
“Shall we speak comfortably first? What brings you here?”
“You may speak comfortably, Director.”
As soon as they entered the office, the Academy Director cast a soundproofing Barrier-type Magic. Ethan naturally took a seat.
After downing the tea brought by the Aide in one go, Ethan made a proposal.
“Hoo. Fine. Ethan. Say what you came to say.”
The Academy Director had spent a long time as a professor at the academy. In the past, the academy had frequent exchanges between the Magic Department and the combat departments, so she had taught Ethan once.
From that single lesson, the two had formed a close, informal teacher-student relationship. The world of magic, which he encountered for the first time, had been shocking to Ethan, and for the newly appointed, inexperienced professor, a student like Ethan had been quite memorable.
“Professor. We have secured one individual presumed to be behind this.”
“That’s quite good news.”
At the immediate good news, the Academy Director let out a sigh of relief.
“But it’s not ordinary.”
“What is?”
“First, Davide has completely become a person of Her Imperial Highness, the Imperial Princess.”
So it had come to that. The Academy Director felt conflicted. He was still a child who should have been protected while walking the path of learning.
But politics was not something so simple. The Imperial Princess’s methods were frighteningly cold and swift.
“What does Davide have to do with it?”
“The fact that Her Imperial Highness has taken Davide under her wing itself is significant.”
Ethan carefully voiced his speculation. The Academy Director listened attentively to her former student.
“This isn’t just a simple mastermind. It could escalate into a major political conflict. We need to understand Her Imperial Highness’s intentions.”
“……Right. If it comes to that, Museion Academy won’t remain safe either.”
The Academy Director had also begun to question the recent movements of the Imperial Princess. Until now, she had quietly lived her academy life.
Then at some point, she suddenly began acting actively. Ironically, that timing did not differ much from when Davide began to change.
“There is something between the two.”
At Ethan’s words, the Academy Director tightly shut her eyes.
“What are you trying to say?”
“You must decide. Whether you will follow Her Imperial Highness.”
“And if I do?”
“Then you must protect Davide. He is the key.”