NOVEL NEXT Chapter 145
“Why are you here?”
“Well, I guess you’ll find out once you come here.”
Uje is coming directly to the academy?
Why? What for?
Is it to see the face of this brat who’s trying to pry into his plans just like I’m curious about the face of a cartel associate?
No, he must already know who it is.
If he’s coming directly to the academy, he must have caught on to Silina planning something.
So, what is he coming here for?
Just to give a warning as Fabiana said?
In the first place, what does Uje have to lose by trying to take down Eustetia’s side branch?
Slurp – I gulped down the swill, making my mind clearer and continued to think.
Dark mage and the side branch’s dealings.
The relationship between the side branch and the cartel.
Uje behind the cartel.
What is Uje’s goal? Transcendence.
I crawled back through the thoughts.
Transcendence. Uje. Cartel. Side branch. Dark mage.
The dark mage’s and Uje’s transcendence.
Caught between the cartel and Eustetia’s side branch.
The cartel likely seeks money as their goal.
But why is the side branch involved?
They know that Arisa’s blood doesn’t flow in Eustetia’s name. They’re preparing something using that as a dagger.
What for?
At this point, it’s clear that what they’re aiming for is not just simple embarrassment.
What happens if they pull down the authority of Eustetia’s direct lineage?
Their standing in the empire shrinks, and naturally, Eustetia Duchy’s finances become troubled.
Even ignoring the finances, if the reputation sinks, they’ll eventually be unable to maintain the duchy.
That means Eustetia’s direct lineage gets kicked out of the duchy.
Then what happens next?
Who becomes the master of the duchy?
The seat of the duchy is the second-best position after the system.
Supplies are abundant, and various crops, as well as the celestial stone that can only be dug out in Eustetia Duchy, are produced.
The value of celestial stone goes without saying.
It’s a gemstone that differs from others.
In the first place, it’s not supplied to just anyone.
Only the families of heroes from the human war or families of those who died trying to conquer the demon realm can receive it.
So, the duchy is undeniably a good position.
It’s a place that even ordinary nobles can’t easily look upon.
The only human that could get their foot in the door… Well, if I had to pick, it would be Duke Betias from the north.
But the duke I saw once when I was young was no such person. So who, in the world, qualifies to be the master of the duchy?
Royalty.
Emperor? No way does a person about to abdicate the throne have any desire for it. If they coax that, their head’s gonna roll.
Silina? She’s too dim-witted for that.
Fabiana… I can’t say it’s impossible, but for now, let’s exclude her.
What remains?
First Prince and Second Prince.
Among them, the one with a slightly higher possibility is…
The First Prince, Anton de Herman, who has traded something with the dark mage.
“Hmm…”
I organized my thoughts thus far.
Behind the side branch is the cartel.
They prevent information from leaking out from behind the side branch.
Why? To pull in part of the funds flowing from Eustetia Duchy, which has lost its direct lineage.
Behind such a cartel is Uje.
A member of the six pillars who are not lacking in power or reputation compared to Eustetia.
And what does Uje want?
Transcendence into a demon. The material is Ophelia Bloomin.
The side branch wants the position of the direct lineage.
The cartel wants countless riches.
Uje wants to transcend and gain stronger power.
Anton de Herman.
What does he want?
And the mysterious dark mage who traded with Anton and the side branch.
Who is that brat?
For now, it’s highly likely that he’s the one who brought information about the side branch’s movements to Ophelia’s office and information on Eustetia’s secrets to Stella’s room.
Samaela? Absolutely not. That girl doesn’t have the brains to concoct such a scheme.
However, she’s likely on the same level as a dark mage.
Why? It’s simple.
Adelia Baros.
She didn’t deeply involve herself in this matter.
She told me about the existence of the key but didn’t reveal its location.
Compared to when she helped me a lot during the Arant Museum incident, she hasn’t lent me a hand this time.
Why? I heard the answer on the first day of class.
Dark mages of the same caliber can’t disclose their plans to or interfere with one another, as if it’s an unspoken rule.
I can’t tell what contracts those dark mage brats have or what they’re competing over, but this matter is on a different scale than what Samaela pulled.
Uje’s obscure intentions.
Likewise obscure but the dark mage causing havoc here and there.
That’s all I can grasp.
There’s so little information that it’s impossible to make even a guess.
For now, I took a deep breath, filling my head with information I cannot decipher.
“Have you finished organizing?”
“Yeah, somewhat. Were you waiting long?”
“The face you made was one I’ve never seen before, so I waited quite a while.”
“…Did it take long?”
“Just kidding; it hasn’t even been a minute.”
“Oh my god. It seems like my one and only sister is very close to you, Eliaernes.”
“Hmm… Don’t be jealous; it seems that would only make me more tired.”
“You… what kind of crazy nonsense are you spouting?”
Heh heh heh…
Fabiana let out a low laugh, then sputtered out a complex expression wrapped in hazy smoke.
“Anyway, since things have turned out this way, Silina, you should head back to the imperial palace while Uje is visiting the academy.”
“No.”
“Are you hoping I use force to stuff you inside the imperial palace? This sister of yours doesn’t trust the royal knight order, so it seems I’ll have to handle it personally and put you in the royal palace.”
At that, Silina hesitated for a moment.
Just by exchanging words, they both convey their conditions really well.
Fabiana seems to be breaking down physically the more she uses her powers, and I suspect it stems from an accident when she tried to save Silina a while back.
I thought I might as well just ask directly, but I didn’t bother.
I’m not overly curious, and I know it’s not my place to delve into.
“So, what are you planning to do, Fabiana-senpai?”
“It’s not much of a problem for me. I’ll be busy just because Uje is visiting the academy, but there won’t be threats to my safety.”
Fabiana flicked her pipe and looked at me intently.
“Eliaernes. What do you intend to do?”
“What could I possibly do? He’s one of the six pillars of the empire.”
“With that attitude, you sound far too sarcastic. Not to mention, you have a face like you’ve already come to a conclusion.”
“I’m not intending to hide it.”
I downed the remaining swill in one go.
“Ugh… in any case, you don’t have to worry. And Silina, if you don’t want to return to the imperial palace, stay at the academy.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“I’m simply saying there shouldn’t be much of a problem.”
Chuckle, chuckle – I smiled and, before getting up, took one last look at Fabiana.
“Senpai.”
“Hmm?”
“As long as Silina is fine, that’s all that matters, right?”
“…That’s true, but strangely, that sounds ominous. Is that just my feeling?”
“Well… Maybe depending on your perspective, it could be okay, annoying, or frustrating…?”
“Are you referring to me as a princess or as the student council president?”
“Who knows? Perhaps all three.”
“All three? I only mentioned two.”
I shrugged as I stood up.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you earlier, but this is something that shouldn’t be known by anyone, including you, so please bear with that.”
“…You’re just making me itch more now.”
“I’ll scratch that itch thoroughly soon enough, so bear with it.”
“The only person who can so easily tell me to bear with it is probably you in this entire continent.”
“Honestly, there are so few people I can have such amicable conversations with.”
“I’m the only one for you, and you’re in the handful for me. Or should I say two handfuls?”
“Two hands.”
“Hahaha! I hope to one day be enough to hold in one hand.”
“I’m hoping for that too.”
Fabiana laughed heartily. Silina, however, seemed displeased that the conversation was excluding her and made a heavily displeased face.
“Anyway, I’ll be leaving now. Have a good time together as sisters.”
With that last remark, I exited Fabiana’s office.
I do need to check in on the club room, but… first, let’s deal with the urgent matters.
*
I sat in the Personal Training Grounds for about 10 minutes.
Knock, knock – someone knocked on the door.
I immediately got up and opened it.
“You’re really quick.”
“Hmm. It’s just your urgent heart reaching the Flame Sovereign. So, what’s the wish this time?”
I had ripped my Wish Right and summoned the Flame Sovereign.
Well… She seems like a fairy popping out of a bucket from those kids’ storybooks these days.
…But isn’t it a bucket?
Well, that’s not what’s important.
“To put it simply, it’s a long story. I’m debating whether to explain from the beginning or the middle.”
It’s a worry concerning how much I can trust the Flame Sovereign and how much I should share. If she’s on the same line as Uje, it would only complicate matters further.
Of course… behind me is our Demon Fist.
Leo is there, but I don’t want to run over to her clumsily and spill the beans.
“If that’s the case, I suppose I can wait until your indecisiveness is over.”
“It won’t take long.”
And well, the Flame Sovereign might be a past specter or whatever, but she looks like a righteous person to me.
So I think… it might lean in a good direction.
Before that, first.
“I’ll ask just one thing.”
“Is this answer the usage of your Wish Right?”
“Please listen and then decide.”
“Alright, I got it.”
I sat opposite the Flame Sovereign and posed a question.
“Flame Sovereign, do you fight?”