“This is ridiculous. The eldest daughter of the Lichtenburg family practicing magic. I heard that if caught, it could negatively affect her grades.”
“Please… just pretend you didn’t see me…”
Erica squirmed with her fingers, murmuring in a voice that seemed to crawl away.
There’s no way Sergey wouldn’t notice Erica practicing magic.
He must have just let it slide because of his generous personality.
I was also planning to overlook it in the end, but I felt a bit unsatisfied by just letting it go.
“What’s with the rule-abiding student all of a sudden?”
“I just… wanted to learn a bit more about internal circuits. I got into trouble recently because I didn’t know about them.”
“Hmm…”
Internal circuits.
It’s true that magicians tend to not take internal circuits seriously.
They don’t need them, and especially wouldn’t be used against them by enemies.
But in the recent terrorism incidents, internal circuits emerged as the ultimate self-destruct weapon, impossible to dismantle.
Could that have shocked her?
Well, it wouldn’t hurt to study internal circuits.
“Professor Sergey’s class has already covered too much material. Even if you practice magic, it’ll be hard to understand. If you can make it, come to the Chairwoman’s Residence every morning at 7.”
“Huh? That’s where you’re staying, right?”
“The best teacher will be waiting for you there.”
Erica’s eyes widened.
I was planning to leave it to Trie.
Trie not only trained in martial arts but also mastered the handling of internal circuits, making her the perfect candidate.
“Calling yourself the best teacher. Aren’t you a bit too confident?”
“…”
Looks like she misunderstood.
I decided not to correct her.
I was actually looking forward to seeing her sulk later, claiming she was deceived.
“I really wish you’d stop practicing magic from now on.”
“I won’t! I’m done with it… But, Schlus.”
“What is it?”
“Are you super busy these days?”
“…”
That question was hard to interpret.
I soon gave up on pondering it and decided to answer honestly.
I had no memory of good outcomes from overthinking in situations like this.
“I’m definitely busier than usual. But why do you ask?”
“Well… You haven’t been coming to my place. Julia is waiting for you.”
Erica bit her lip and hesitated before speaking.
Now that I think about it, I did say it was okay for her to invite me to the mansion.
To be honest, I haven’t had the luxury to visit lately.
Plus, there were reasons why I couldn’t go.
Since I became a target for those zealots, frequently visiting the Lichtenburg Mansion could put them at risk too.
A lot of eyes were on my every action.
I had to be careful about every little thing.
“I’ll try to visit when I get the chance.”
“Okay… But, Schlus.”
“What now?”
“About that artifact that summoned your lover’s soul…”
Are you talking about the Ring of Miracles?
It might not be an artifact, but Erica seemed to understand it that way.
I had no intention of explaining the Ring of Miracles, so I decided not to correct her.
“Can you lend it to me just once?”
“It’s useless. You can only use it once, and it takes a hundred years to use it again.”
“Ah… That’s a bummer.”
Erica gave a bitter smile.
Was she wanting to summon her father?
“I guess I have to live for another hundred years.”
“…”
How did that lead to such a conclusion?
I couldn’t help but question Erica’s way of thinking.
“Uh, Schlus. But…”
“What is it now?”
“Well, from the south… Uh, never mind. It’s nothing.”
“…?”
She seemed to be mumbling to herself suddenly.
Her stuttering and avoiding my gaze were suspicious.
Did she get into some trouble?
If it was really something important, she’d bring it up later.
“If you have nothing to say, I’ll be going.”
“Okay…”
With a slightly uneasy feeling, I returned to the mansion.
I hadn’t even turned the doorknob yet.
*Bang!*
“I’m here, oh… Hainkel-sshi?”
The door swung open violently, and Emilia popped out.
With a cheerful face, she briefly greeted me, then hardened her expression and looked around to confirm no one was there before returning to her bright demeanor.
It seemed she had trauma from being caught by Trie like that.
“What did you talk about with Erica?”
“Just some small talk.”
“It must have been secret small talk if you had to send me away first?”
“…”
*Swoosh. Swoosh.*
As Emilia took off my coat, she whispered in a chilly voice.
She had intended to shadow me all day, and now that there was a gap, she was clearly unhappy about it.
“Yeah. It was something you weren’t supposed to hear.”
“Uhh… ”
Since talking with Erica would naturally lead to discussions about Julia and her, Emilia had sent me away.
I really didn’t want to share that story with her…
“Hey, bro. Did you ever notice that I couldn’t tell when you were lying? Your eyes seem so deep and empty.”
“Yeah?”
“But now I get it. I can tell how your mouth moves and how your cheeks move when you lie.”
“…”
As Emilia carelessly loosened my tie, her tone felt unsettling for some reason.
“Do you think you can hide something from me, bro? I can see right through you.”
“What do you mean you can see?”
“You must know. You’ve been obvious about it.”
“…”
Emilia’s hand undid the top button of my shirt and pushed me back onto the sofa.
Damn it. Did she figure it all out?
Did I let her know I knew her true identity?
Or could it be that I was secretly commanding Hertlocker?
Or could it be that I was manipulating the entire intelligence agency?
I had no way of knowing how much she figured out, so I couldn’t speak carelessly.
“Hey, bro. Be honest with me.”
“Okay.”
Here we go.
I was fully prepared for anything.
Prepared to subdue Emilia without a scratch.
“Bro, these days… ”
“Yeah?”
“You’ve got someone you like, right?”
“What?”
I flinched, shocked.
“What, what are you talking about? Why out of the blue?”
“Bro, you look really happy these days, you know? Like you have a lot of vitality… as if you’ve found a purpose in life.”
“…”
I couldn’t deny that there was a new goal I had.
To manifest her physical form in this world and resurrect her properly.
It was true I had that goal.
But I couldn’t possibly have gained vitality and changed drastically just because of a vague goal I didn’t even know how to achieve.
At least, that’s how I felt.
“Who is that person?”
“…”
“Can’t you tell me? Are you embarrassed? Or is it someone you can’t talk about?”
“It’s the latter.”
“I see…”
I couldn’t explain about Julia and her to Emilia.
“Hey, bro…”
“What?”
“Have you ever been confessed to?”
“No, I haven’t.”
I have confessed but never got one in return.
“Then, bro. If someone confesses to you, how do you think you’d feel? From someone other than the person you like.”
“That’s tricky.”
“Would you reject them?”
“It depends on who they are, but… probably yes.”
If Aria confessed, it would be hard to reject her.
So I had no choice but to answer with ‘probably’.
“What would you say to reject them? Tell me.”
“Well, I might say something like, ‘I don’t have feelings for you. I like someone else.'”
“That’s quite direct…”
*Thud.*
Emilia bumped her head against my chest, giggling.
Then suddenly she stepped back and beamed at me.
“I’ll support you, bro. I hope that forbidden love comes true. Anyone who tries to take advantage will pay dearly later.”
“…”
How did she know that Julia wasn’t an adult yet?
I barely managed to hold back my surprise.
Watching Emilia trot away, I couldn’t help but admire her deductive skills.
*
“The distribution of the press guidelines is completed, and all media outlets have responded that they will comply, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm…”
Hearing the report from the Minister, Gustav let out a small grumble.
The very fact that he had to pressure the media in such a way was a huge stress for him.
An ancient monster he thought would forever be asleep waking up, and a beam of light large enough to be seen from the edge of the continent defeating that monster.
Moreover, it just so happens to be Schlus Hainkel.
The situation was exceedingly annoying.
It felt like everything was going exactly the way he had orchestrated it.
As expected, media outlets began to praise Schlus Hainkel.
It was almost to the point where they seemed to want to deify him.
Since Gawayn’s death, people were starving for the birth of a hero.
Of course, the emergence of a glamorous hero to stir the public sentiment was welcome news for Gustav, but not if it was Schlus Hainkel.
That sly fox with unknown intentions should absolutely not become the hero.
‘The atmosphere feels sinister.’
Count Bermanstein reported that the culprits who attacked the Imperial University and awakened Untier all possessed the Magin’s Authority.
A massive force led by one of the Magins was attacking the Empire.
The Count clearly said so.
Then, that force must have a middle leader, which means someone in a managerial role.
In Gustav’s mind, Schlus Hainkel fit the role perfectly.
There was no need for evidence.
It was sufficient that the circumstances simply aligned.
After Schlus Hainkel died, the circumstantial evidence alone would provide a justification for an announcement.
The public would believe it based on that alone.
In fact, the public has always been more enthusiastic about the stories of tragic villains than heroes.
“The commander of the 1st division of the Imperial Army is about to retire, correct?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Due to old age, he requested retirement by the end of this year.”
“Summon the commander of the 1st division to the Imperial Palace. I have something to discuss.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I will convey this to the military headquarters.”
The justification is now prepared.
Now, all that remains is to prepare and execute the plan.
The risks of failure are at their highest.
Thus, I must gather the maximum firepower I can mobilize.
Firepower capable of taking down the Empire’s strongest swordsman, or even a Magin, in one strike…
