“To clarify some things, the trip will not be a leisurely one. This is not going to be a vacation. In fact, you can even say that it’s quite dangerous. Your task isn’t a simple one. We need you to figure out the situation there and report on anything strange.”
“Lately, the goods imported from the Kasha have stopped, and we’ve lost most communication with our internal sources. What we need you to do is figure out what…”
Listening to the Year Head speak, I rubbed my ear. She had been talking for quite a while but the gist of the situation was that while we had been invited to the Kasha, it was done so in secret.
The House of Myron, a mid-sized establishment within the Kasha, had agreed to smuggle us into the territory for some undisclosed deal with the Academy.
From what I understood, the situation there was somewhat complex and we needed to pay particular attention to the House of Astrid-The biggest and most powerful House on the Eastern side of the Kasha, the area we were going to.
…There was a bit more, but I missed it due to the fact that I was late.
‘I’ll just get Leon to tell me the rest later.’
Thinking about Leon, my face twitched.
He was standing next to me, but his eyes appeared vacant and saliva drooped down from the side of his chin. It almost felt like he…
Had completely lost it. No, he did lose it.
“Hey, wake up.”
My finger snaps served no purpose at all.
Snap!
“Hey.”
Snap, snap.
He was gone.
But how?
How did he lose it?
‘Ah, wait…’
Recalling a certain scene from before, it all suddenly clicked.
‘It’s likely due to what happened right when I came. Right as he was getting cursed at by everyone around us.’
Thinking about it, I’d also be pretty hurt had I been in his position. Good thing that I stayed away from people’s business. While my reputation at the start was quite bad given the speech I had given on the first day, one could say my current reputation was quite good.
The same couldn’t be said for Leon.
“That’s enough from me. I will be setting up a portal soon. Please get ready to enter. Following the fact that we can’t set up a teleportation device in the Kasha, you will all be transported to Alfina, a city within the Verdant Empire. You’ll stay there for a night before departing.”
Alfina? Verdant Empire?
The sudden piece of news took me aback as I subconsciously looked in Leon’s direction. ‘So we’re going to go to the Verdant Empire?’
Yes, it made sense. Since the Nurs Ancifa Empire was located between the three other Empires, the only way to reach the Kasha was through one of them.
With the Verdant Empire sitting in the east, we would need to go through them in order to reach out destination.
But…
‘…Something about this situation smells fishy.’
Why did we need to stay over there for a day? This made no sense since time seemed of the
essence.
Unless…
“They’re purposely making us stay for the night.’
I could only think of one reason for this.
That reason stood right next to me.
“Oy, snap out of it!”
Snap, snap-!
“Oy!”
Snap!
***
Thankfully, no issues arose after Arianna made the announcement. Setting up the portal, the cadets lined up one by one and slowly entered it. Arianna watched in real-time as the cadets left.
“Make sure you’re lined up correctly.”
“Don’t cut the line.”
“…Are you listening to me?”
In the end, Aoife took the role of the leader. She seemed to be the one most of the cadets found reliable.
She was the undisputed choice.
When a vote was brought up, she got the most votes. Arianna assumed it’d be a close one between her or Leon, but she was surprised to see nobody vote for him. She wasn’t sure why,
but she had a small inkling about the reason.
‘It’s not because he’s Julien’s knight, right?’
If so, just how deep was their hatred for Julien?
Num, Num.
“Hm?”
Arianna’s attention was soon drawn to a faint chewing sound coming from her right. She turned her head to see a figure with long black hair and features so perfect that they could hardly be described as human, standing beside her with a chocolate bar in hand.
The Year Head’s eyes lifted in surprise.
‘When did she…!?’
“Please don’t cu-Oh, it’s you guys.”
Her attention seemed to be fixed on Julien and Leon who were next in line.
As her pearly white teeth bit on the bar, her gaze never left Julien who was busy talking with Aoife. Looking at Leon, Aoife moved closer to the two of them. Close enough for her head to be mere inches away from Julien’s as the two checked Leon’s condition.
“What’s going on with Leon?”
“He’ll be fine.”
“Will he…?”
“…I think so.”
For a brief moment, Delilah’s eyes narrowed and Aoife shuddered. Hastily flicking her head,
she looked around.
“An assassin?!”
Her sudden outburst caused Julien’s face to change.
“…You’ve lost it as well?”
“No, I…”
Julien waved his hand at her and hopped onto the teleportation device. However, just as he
was about to leave, he stopped and looked in Delilah’s direction.
Their eyes met for a brief instant before a faint smile tugged at his lips.
That was when he entered the portal, disappearing from view, leaving Aoife alone. Scratching
the back of her head, she still seemed confused, but eventually, seeing that she was the last one, she went on to address the Year Head.
“All the cadets have left. There is no one left behind. I will now be joining them.”
“…Oh, yes. Stay safe.”
“Thank you.”
Following their brief exchange, Aoife entered the portal.
A short and unsettling silence followed after her disappearance. Arianna thought about
saying something to the Chancellor but stopped herself.
She thought about the events she had witnessed just a few moments prior and massaged her
head.
“Will they be alright…?”
Could they really behave?
Arianna’s gut churned at the thought. She was previously confident, but that confidence had
long been shattered.
She was no longer sure.
“Maybe.”
“Hm?”
Arianna cocked her head and looked at the Chancellor.
“Maybe? You also think they won’t be alright?”
“…No.”
“But-”
“I’m talking about the natives there.”
Popping the chocolate bar into her mouth, Delilah chewed quickly and swallowed the
contents.
“…Maybe they will be alright.”
Or maybe not.
Delilah was already feeling pity for them.
“Wha…”
Before the Year Head could get her words out, Delilah faded out of sight, leaving her standing
all alone.
With her gaze fixed on the spot Delilah was previously in, the Year Head blinked her eyes.
“Wait, what?”
What did she mean by that?
Why did they need to feel bad for the natives?
***
At the same time, Evenus County.
“Congratulations Count, it’s just good news after good news.”
Standing before the Count was none other than his personal servant. With a casual motion,
the servant tossed a small piece of paper onto the Count’s desk. His wrinkled face shifted,
forming a wide smile.
“….Who would’ve thought the second young master was this talented? This is happy news for
the County. Not only do we have Julien who is the current Summit winner, but Leon as well,
who came as the runner-up. Now that we have Linus…?”
The servant stopped there, but his words were clear.
Given how things were going for the Evenus County, their rise was inevitable. They were set to grow even further. Perhaps in a few years, they could rank up once more.
Any normal person would be happy with this news, but Aldric’s reaction appeared milder.
… In fact, it almost felt like he was displeased with the current turn of events.
This took the butler aback.
“Count? Why wou-”
“We have yet to consolidate our gains. Only a few months have passed since we managed to
take new land. Our soldiers are scattered everywhere, and the new recruits still need time to
properly train.”
“Yes, I know. But that’s-”
“Julien and Leon already have the people around our territories wary. Now that a third one
popped up, what do you think their reaction will be?”
“That’s…”
“If I were them, I’d either do two things.”
Aldric raised two of his fingers.
“Send a formal letter of alliance, or…”
One of his fingers fell.
“…Create an alliance to suppress the County’s growth.”
“Ah, yes, that’s true.”
The servant suddenly looked towards the desk where a large pile of letters appeared.
“But given the numerous letters on your desk, it appears as though most have chosen the first
option.”
“No, they haven’t.”
Sliding his hand across the table, the letters fell on the bin by the side of the desk.
“An alliance built on blind trust is a fantasy. Each party has its own interests driving them to
seek such a bond. A more dependable alliance would be forged through the betrothal of two bloodlines-but alas, I have only two sons.”
“Right.”
Understanding the Family Head’s words, the butler’s face started to fall. What he previously thought was good news suddenly felt like bad news, and he suddenly realized how
complicated the politics around the household were. Thankfully, the family head still appeared composed.
“The situation is troublesome, but I can manage.”
The servant felt at ease then.
Or at least, up until his next words.
“We might not be able to absorb new territories, but that doesn’t mean others cannot.”
“Eh?”
“I’ll have them absorb the territories in my stead. By the time they reach a similar stage to our current one, we should have consolidated everything. That’s when we’ll attack.”
“….!”
Overhearing the Family Head’s words, the servant felt a certain coldness over his entire body,
making him shudder on the spot. This…!
While he thought he was used to the Family Head’s plans, overhearing the current one, he
could only shudder. It seemed like under this man, the Evenus Household was bound to rise to heights even he couldn’t imagine.
Just what sort of greed hid behind this man?
…And what drove him to reach such levels of greed?
Why was he-
“It’s worth a thought. For now, if you would excuse me. I have things to take care of.”
Aldric displayed a small letter, one that contained the Haven Academy emblem. “Yes, understood.”
Understanding that the Family Head wanted some time for himself, the servant excused
himself and left the room. By the time he left, silence filled the Family Head’s room.
Ripping the letter open, Evenus carefully read its contents.
“Hm.”
His eyes narrowed.
“…They’re sending him to the Kasha?”
Aldric’s tone was cold and it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Eventually, his gaze fell on
another line on the paper.
Parental consent –>
I…. and… hereby consent to allow my child, [Julien Dacre Evenus] to participate in the
expedition planned by the Academy.
“……..”
Staring at the two empty boxes at the start of the letter, Aldric’s expression subtly changed.
“And…”
A figure flashed in his vision. One of a beautiful woman with long brown hair, and brown eyes.
Thinking of her, his eyes grew vacant.
‘If you were to meet the current him, would you be able to tell that he’s not our son?’
If so…
Would she kill him, or would she love him?
