Chapter 144
Chapter 144
Floating Island (1)
With the joyful news that the Imperial Princess had awakened, the Academic Department moved as usual.
The Imperial Princess was still in seclusion. Although she had awakened from the nightmare, it seemed the risk had not been completely resolved, so she still needed time to recover.
“Hehe.”
I, too, spent a relatively comfortable daily life. Above all, Winter—who I thought would struggle the most after the festival was canceled—showed the fastest recovery.
“You’re that happy?”
“Hehe. I looked it up, and they say there are a lot of ancient temples on the Floating Island!”
After becoming aware that the Floating Island was coming, Winter had changed. The one who used to droop like a limp slime had turned into an energetic puppy.
The reason, as expected, was religion. It was after she heard from some book that the Floating Island had temples related to ancient religions.
“There. A bit lower.”
“Ah. Yes.”
I brushed Aro’s fur with a blunt comb. After returning from meeting the Imperial Princess, Aro had been a great help, so I wanted to repay her.
When I asked if there was anything she needed or wanted, Aro said she wanted me to brush her whenever she wished.
I moved the comb with moderate pressure from the Silver Fox’s back down toward her hips.
“So do we just enjoy the Floating Island? What about our Religious Order?”
“Yes. There’s nothing in particular for us to do.”
Unexpectedly, Aro said something commendable. It was the first time, aside from Winter, that someone brought up the Religious Order first.
Winter, who knew her well, glanced at Worden and Canis. Worden was asleep, and Canis was absorbed in some book.
“Our plan to gather Believers through the festival has fallen apart.”
“It hasn’t fallen apart completely.”
Winter spoke with regret, but I shook my head. That drew both Aro’s and Winter’s gazes toward me.
“Ah. Right!”
Only then did Aro seem to remember something and clapped her small paws together. Curious, Winter pressed her for an answer.
“There was talk that the Academic Department would give out awards. Davide, Soloven, and Rama were included, and they said everyone who participated in the rescue efforts would also receive small rewards.”
“Uh… was that said?”
“It was posted on the bulletin board.”
It was as Aro said. I didn’t know exactly what the Academic Department was thinking through this incident.
Or perhaps Ethan had strongly pushed for it. Ethan had a member of the Imperial Knight Order deliver news that I would be receiving a significant reward.
He also said that this situation would be spread to everyone.
“Your image will change. Even if only a little.”
“Right. We’ll have to hear the rumors to know.”
Thinking my image would improve at least slightly, Winter wore a satisfied expression.
“Mmm~ rumors~ I know those well~”
Then suddenly, Canis chimed in. Everyone turned to look at her, though her eyes remained fixed on her book.
In this kind of area, Canis was certainly helpful. If this counted as intelligence work, her abilities seemed heavily skewed toward being an assassin.
“This is~ 100% rumor~ I didn’t add anything at all~”
“So what is it?”
“Aro unni and Winter~ were a huge help~”
Hearing Canis’s words, I let out a hollow laugh. Winter’s face turned bright red in embarrassment, while Aro puffed herself up proudly.
“So. There’s a pure white healer who detoxifies poison. And a black healer who evacuates people.”
“That’s right~”
“And because of how devoted she was, she even got the nickname ‘Angel’?”
“Ugh.”
At that point, Winter buried her face in her hands. She had simply treated people out of a healer’s instinct and diligently carried out what I asked of her.
Yet suddenly, she had been given the nickname ‘Angel.’ While Winter found it extremely burdensome, Aro seemed quite pleased.
“But what’s an Angel?”
“…It’s an apostle of a god. The term became well known because of the First Saintess of the Lofty Order. So people use the word ‘Angel’ to refer to someone holy, kind, and healing others, like the First Saintess.”
Even in the middle of this, Winter kindly explained to Aro—who didn’t know the word ‘Angel’ after coming from the Far East.
I glanced at Canis. As our eyes met by chance, she smiled with her eyes. Aro and Winter had indeed done something impressive, but not enough to warrant such a nickname.
“It was you.”
“Mmm~ you caught me right away~”
Canis didn’t even try to deny it. I clicked my tongue and lay back on the sofa. Despite her confusion, Aro climbed onto my stomach.
“As expected of a great noble, you understand politics well.”
Canis’s skill was remarkable. How had she even thought of launching a public opinion campaign here? Only then did Winter understand the situation and let out a sigh of relief.
“It’s not like I did much~ I just exaggerated~ a little~”
“Yeah. The dictionary calls that fraud.”
“But spreading rumors is being done by others~”
A new piece of information surfaced. I idly played with Aro’s ears as I looked at Canis.
“People from Soloven and Rama’s sides~ are spreading the rumors like crazy.”
“…Why would they?”
“I don’t know~ And even the Imperial Knight Order and the Academic Department are helping~ so it’s like the tide has come in~”
Soloven, at least, could be considered somewhat close, but the others—hard to say. Whatever the reason, the tide had indeed come in.
“In that case, we should row. Bring me some paper.”
Winter quickly brought paper and a pen. I scribbled something onto the sheet she handed me.
“Wow.”
Aro, seeing it for the first time, let out an exclamation. The others had similar reactions. Canis gave a hollow laugh, and Winter looked completely stunned.
“Prepare it.”
After saying that, I fully relaxed into the sofa. By tomorrow, we would receive simple training within the Academic Department and prepare to encounter the Floating Island.
***
“Are you listening?”
What was it that I received this time again? First of all, the Imperial Princess’s roguelike dungeon required clearing everything to obtain the reward.
Thanks to the roguelike element—something not easily felt in action RPGs—it had been quite fun to play.
The reward was good too. A Random Skill Enhancement Ticket. It was something that could only be obtained once throughout the entire game.
“Davide. Are you listening?”
As for the skills I had—Trace of Anaye, Adaptive Body, and Blood Magic were all I had. The best outcome would be enhancing Trace of Anaye, and the worst, relatively speaking, would be Blood Magic.
Still, looking at the Blood Magic Aro used, it had plenty of applications and versatility, so anything would be beneficial to me.
“Hey. Davide!”
Aside from that, I had also gained leverage to use Ethan like a slave, and the Imperial Princess’s favorability toward me must have increased significantly.
Soon, it would begin to be revealed that I was truly one of the Imperial Princess’s people, and when that happened, the status of our Religious Order would rise as well.
Interference from other Orders was a bit concerning, but as long as our relationship with the Lofty Order remained good, it didn’t matter.
“Hm?”
I suddenly sensed something sharp flying toward me and moved my body aside. What brushed past my tilted head was a name card.
“Oh.”
“What do you mean ‘oh’?!”
Despite being just a name card, it embedded itself into the wall with authority. As I admired it purely, an angry voice followed.
The First Dorm Supervisor Professor. In other words, the balding professor who seemed somewhat close to me was glaring sharply.
Only then did I realize that all the surrounding students were staring blankly at me. It was now two hours before the Floating Island arrived.
This was a session to review the training we received yesterday. Everyone gathered here was part of the student control personnel designated by the Academic Department.
“What are you thinking about to be spacing out like that?!”
The balding professor, who was in charge of training those so-called ‘temporary student council,’ frowned deeply. I shrugged.
There was no way I’d stay focused when he had been repeating the same thing for forty minutes. So instead, I asked what I had been curious about.
“I was wondering to what extent we can punish those who do not comply with control.”
And the atmosphere instantly turned cold. As if by magic, the gazes of the other students disappeared. Only Soloven looked at me with a troubled expression.
“…Killing is not allowed.”
“What about injuring them?”
“Not to the extent that causes permanent physical disability… no, that’s not the point! Just no!”
“Hm. I wonder if control will even work.”
Personally, I preferred fear-based governance. It wasn’t ideal, but it was effective and simple.
“Absolutely not! Absolutely not! No! I’ve said it three times!”
“Yes. Yes.”
At the professor’s repeated warnings, I nodded halfheartedly. I could hear others swallowing dryly.
Publicly, I was the one who had stabbed a blade into a classmate’s stomach simply because I was displeased. Of course, there had been the condition of a deal with Rama behind it.
Either way, I had steadily built both the image of someone who follows through and someone who should never be provoked.
“Phew. That’s it. Go to your assigned positions. The Imperial Knight Order will already be stationed there. Follow their instructions. Dismissed!”
At last, the tedious time came to an end. Only after approaching me one last time to emphasize that I must never harm students did the balding professor leave.
“You can’t kill them.”
“I know.”
“You really can’t.”
“…I said I know. Are you picking a fight?”
Soloven, the only one I was somewhat acquainted with, approached and spoke as if urging me. I frowned and responded roughly.
After nodding, Soloven left, and just as I was about to move, I noticed some people still lingering.
“What. Got something to say?”
They were two male students. Judging by their name tags, they were first-years. They were staring blankly, so I thought they might have business with me and asked.
“N-No, sir.”
“Then get going.”
One of them waved his hands as he answered. I nodded casually and headed toward my assigned location.
“?”
After walking for a while, those two were still following me. At first, I thought we were just going the same way, but now it was clear they were following me.
I turned around and looked at them.
“W-We’re in the same, same team. Sunbae-nim.”
“Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, it was teams of three. Only then did I realize why the first-years had followed me.
Those selected for the temporary student council were all influential figures. Some, like Soloven, had ability, reputation, and family background, while others, like me, were irregulars.
If first-years had been chosen, it must be due to their family or reputation. In that case, that ridiculously handsome guy from the Karata Order should be here too.
“Student Davide!”
“Ah. Vice-Commander. How have you been?”
When I arrived at the assigned location, the Vice-Commander was there. She greeted me brightly.
I didn’t know why someone who should be tending to the Imperial Princess was here, but I greeted her first. The first-years who followed me also bowed at ninety degrees.
“Hehe. I couldn’t miss an important event like the Floating Island. I even got permission from my superior.”
So the Imperial Princess gave permission. I simply nodded in response to the Vice-Commander’s words.
Seeing me converse so casually with the Vice-Commander of the Imperial Knight Order, the first-years looked shocked.
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s my first time seeing the Floating Island.”
At her words, I flinched. Noticing my sudden reaction, the Vice-Commander tilted her head.
“Is it really your first time?”
“…Shh.”
It had been a question out of pure curiosity, but she brought a finger to her lips. Come to think of it, the fact that she was a fairy with twice the lifespan of a normal human was a secret.
The first-years had so little presence that I kept forgetting they were even there.
“You’ve heard the precautions, so someone like you, Davide, will handle things well, right?”
“Of course. I’ll show you what order truly is.”
At the Vice-Commander’s words, I smiled confidently. The first-years, recalling the question I had asked earlier in the training hall, tensed up completely.