NOVEL NEXT Chapter 156
Fabiana de Herman was laughing so hard that I thought she might choke, tears streaming down her face until she finally stopped.
Silina looked like she was seriously racking her rock-like brain.
“Flame Sovereign… why are you having a dialogue with me? What do you want to talk about?”
“I’m not going to say anything.”
“Okay. Just like you said, I won’t say a word.”
“But why…?”
“Just by having a dialogue with you, that alone holds plenty of meaning.”
The Flame Sovereign had come to the Academy.
He claimed to be the History Professor there.
Afterward, he asked for a dialogue with Silina.
No one knew what kind of conversation would transpire during that dialogue. Well, I knew.
The Flame Sovereign wouldn’t say a single word.
He might even choose not to step into the place where Silina was waiting.
But what about the third parties observing this situation?
They would judge that the Flame Sovereign was standing behind Silina.
In the first place, they would think he came to the Academy because of Silina.
Furthermore, anyone who now touched Silina would have to think that they were opposing the Flame Sovereign, the second pillar among the six pillars of the Empire.
If it had reached this point, Uje and the First Prince would have to hold their breath for a while.
Those completely bonkers would act recklessly, but seeing how they were secretly plotting while keeping their plans tightly concealed, I could be sure of that.
They couldn’t act recklessly.
“Am I thinking… is this right?”
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it won’t change the situation just because you understand it. You just have to move quietly according to the flow of the world.”
Silina didn’t know how to look at me, glancing this way and that, until she finally settled her gaze on Fabiana.
“Eliaernes is right. Silina, my beloved sister. You should just let the world sweep you along from now on. Even if you don’t like it, it’s better for you to do so for a while. Someday, there will be a moment when you create the flow and lead the world… Yes. I don’t think it’s too far off.”
Fabiana, who had been looking at Silina with warm eyes, composed her expression and looked back at me.
“Eliaernes.”
“Yes?”
“I owe you a great, great deal.”
“I’d appreciate it if you kept that debt in mind. So deep that you think of me whenever you see me.”
“Just thinking of your name will remind me of what you’ve done for me every morning when I look in the mirror.”
“Mirror? Why would I remind you when you look at the mirror?”
“When you see the color pink, you’ll think of me.”
Pink? Mirror? Morning?
…When I look in the mirror.
I can see pink in my hair and eyes.
But Fabiana has no pink!
“I can see another shade of pink if I simply lower my gaze. A very beautiful pink.”
And lowering my gaze from there?
I too would see another shade of pink.
“…I am currently having very… impolite thoughts about the princess, but I hope they remain as mere thoughts.”
“Unfortunately, I’m talking about my very beautiful petals—”
“Petals, what! Stop. I get it, I get it… Okay. No, uh… just keep the burden… moderate. That much is… too much.”
“You’re feeling embarrassed. I’m glad I’ve figured out how to respond to you whenever you’re being annoying.”
Giggling – Fabiana pulled out a pipe from her desk drawer and placed it in her mouth.
“Thank you, Eliaernes.”
“When you suddenly say thank you after talking about petals… it doesn’t feel any good.”
I waved my hand dismissively, but Fabiana continued without caring.
“As I just said, Fabiana de Herman, the First Princess of the Herman Empire, will handle everything such that none will harm Eustetia with all her might. This oath is not for the first time. Until dirt fills my mouth, Eustetia will not face any troubles.”
“To fully keep that oath, you need to become the rightful owner of the Empire.”
“I’ve already sworn. Is more necessary?”
The atmosphere shifted completely from just moments ago when Fabiana was making vulgar wordplay.
Her shimmering platinum eyes were filled with self-assurance, seemingly envisioning a clear future.
The future where she becomes the Emperor.
“If there had been other ears listening in this place, that statement would have been extremely dangerous.”
“That depends on who it is. So Eliaernes, did my words sound dangerous to you?”
Thick smoke erupted from Fabiana’s mouth.
As the smoke dispersed, I got up from my seat and snickered
.“It wasn’t bad.”
“If you heard it like that, that’s enough.”
“With today’s event, can we consider ourselves ‘friends’ who can trust each other?”
“Not allies but friends. Yes. As a senior of the Academy, as the princess of the Empire, and as a human being, I have decided to trust you completely. Your enemy will be my enemy, and whatever that may be, I will stand on your side. Also, if you declare rebellion against the Empire, I will prioritize hearing your story over the world’s narrative.”
“That’s quite an honor.”
I bowed my head and turned my back.
“Still, I really like it.”
“If you feel that way… I’m relieved.”
“Yes. Then let’s meet again when things calm down a bit.”
I opened the door and left Fabiana’s office.
At the same time, I let out a deep sigh.
My main body was weakened to the point of doing such tedious tasks.
In the past, I would have charged in headfirst.
Now… behind me, Arisa comes running, Luna’s miracle shines, Kaloso’s magic unfolds, and Paulo’s sacred sword is drawn.
“My body must be like this; I’ve become needlessly sentimental.”
Clicking my tongue, I quickened my pace.
The device screamed maddeningly.
No need to check who it was.
*
“The unreal princess… has endured a lot.”
“Thank you.”
“Because you, my precious disciple, requested a favor more earnestly than ever through a message, I have been sitting here for 38 minutes without tearing that idiot apart.”
“…I wasn’t just waiting for 38 minutes, I told you my story, didn’t I—”
“But you seem quite nonchalant. I was anxious, worried whether my precious disciple, my only disciple, would face any harm. Yet my disciple is just so calm. Should I feel relieved? Should I also welcome you with a calm smile?”
Leona’s hand made a crunching sound, and blood dripped down with a thud. Her nails were digging into her palm.
Seeing this made me feel that she might actually have a worse temper than me.
“No, you must be kneeling before me because you know your wrongs.”
“This is because the Vice Headmaster kicked my leg while I was telling my story… um, that’s right. I do know my wrongs. So can’t you calm down a bit?”
I wanted to grumble, but Leona’s gaze was too piercing and intense for me to continue.
“My anger is great, but my betrayal feels even greater. My disciple, why did you not confide in your teacher?”
“I was afraid it would end up like this.”
“Do you not trust your teacher’s strength?”
“I believe that right now, no, throughout the entire continent, the Vice Headmaster is the strongest. However, even the Vice Headmaster cannot kill the whole world.”
My leg had mostly healed.
I straightened up and sat cross-legged.
As I did, Leona’s earlier comments about my pants crossed my mind, and I pressed down the center of my skirt hard.
“I don’t wish for the Vice Headmaster… um, my teacher to die. Even if she doesn’t die, I don’t want to hear the world speak ill of her.”
Leona’s lips curved slightly.
Her previously stiff tail relaxed, and her once motionless ears perked up.
I didn’t miss that opening.
I slyly inched closer to Leona.
“We should be close enough to worry about each other, don’t you think? Surely, I can’t be the only one who thinks this?”
“…Your teacher isn’t weak enough to be worried by you.”
“Come on, every time you go somewhere, I always say, ‘Yes, have a good trip.’ and ‘Come back soon.’ What does that mean? It means I’m telling you to come back. To return to where I am. Just in case something happens and you can’t return, I’m saying this because I care.”
I know it sounded like a last-minute fabrication, but when it comes to this kind of talks, voice volume matters more than a rational explanation, and emotions should overshadow any attempts at rebuttal.
So I’m now drooping my lip like a soggy cat caught in the rain.
Of course, it’s not completely untrue.
That line… was something Diana used to nag me about 400 years ago.
A piece of common sense that she hammered into my head using a stick back when Paulo and I didn’t greet anyone.
So it’s not something I should dismiss as mere empty words.
And the effect?
“Hmm… I never thought my disciple, who usually just slacks off, would harbor such noble thoughts…”
Incredible!
Her awkwardly moving tail gently uncoiled, and her ears fluttered adorably.
“Is your leg feeling a bit better?”
“It hurts. At first, I thought my leg was going to be ripped off.”
“Stop whining; you’ve wrapped strong magic around it. Still… I’m sorry…”
Leona’s tail drooped sadly.
Her ears drooped too.
“You can think of it as a love tap.”
Giggling, I patted the ground in front of me.
“First, let’s sit down and talk. It’s tiring to look up at you now.”
“You could just stand up. Isn’t it silly for the disciple to be sitting while the teacher is standing? You look like your legs are fine now.”
Still, Leona sat down in front of me.
I nodded to her.
“Thank you for not going straight to the Flame Sovereign and listening to my story.”
Leona behaved completely opposite to what I had expected. She had genuinely been waiting for me in my personal training grounds, just as I had left in the message.
And not only that, she listened to my entire story without interrupting even once.
Of course, right after I finished, she immediately kick my leg, but it didn’t break or even crack.
It just felt like a normal scolding.
If it had been an ordinary student, they might have really gotten hurt, but I’m no ordinary student, so I’m fine.
“…If you’re thankful, then be good from now on.”
“I think I still have some things I need to do.”
“You’re not listening to your teacher at all.”
“I’d rather speak plainly than lie ambiguously.”
“Where did such a cheeky disciple come from…?”
She grumbled but didn’t appear to be genuinely upset.
“Wow… that tone of yours just now was really like a grandmother.”
“…It’s too bothersome to act on purpose in front of you.”
“Still, I prefer your lively tone, teacher.”
“…It was only a little over two weeks ago that I scolded you for not being appropriate for your age. Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m speaking like this now because of your scolding. This is… a sign that I’m being serious.”
“Though you say that, it doesn’t sound bad when I actually hear it. It suits your appearance more.”
“…In that case, um… I suppose I will follow your words.”
Scratching her ear, Leona waved her tail.
“First, Eliaernes, let’s address what’s incorrect. The Flame Sovereign might have said I can’t find Uje’s main body, right? That’s not true. That was about ten years ago. Right now, I can find that stupid Uje’s main body at any time.”
Her eyes glinted sharply.
The fangs visible between her twisted lips shone.
“However, the reason I haven’t killed him is that it’s tied to the bond I have with the six pillars.”
“A bond? Is it the absolute command the Emperor holds or something?”
“Ah… that’s right. These days, it’s been referred to as an absolute command. Yes, that’s correct. An absolute command.”
Absolute command.
Here it comes again.
“What exactly is that?”
“The condition that comes with the name of the six pillars. It means… an absolute command. The Emperor has the authority to issue one absolute command to each of the six pillars. And in return for that command, the Empire lends them its power.”
“Why would beings that make up six pillars impose such restrictions? Isn’t there no one left to stop them from doing whatever they want in this world?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
At that reply, I closed my mouth for a moment.
It was short but made me think about many things.
With Leona being in this world.
Other beings cannot stand atop it.
They can’t achieve what they desire.
Then, it concludes that the reason the current six pillars had to impose such restrictions is out of fear of dying at Leona’s hands.
“The absolute command given to my teacher is… something about not killing the members of the six pillars… is that right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Which Emperor gave such an order? What was the reason behind that order? Why did you let go of something like that? Did you get swindled or something?”
“Swindle? It was for the protection of the Beastmen. And… for the establishment of a refuge where the Beastmen could live. In return, I laid the bond under the name of the six pillars. And that bond was to not kill the other six pillars.”
Leona chuckled softly.
“Still, the bond has been kept well. The Empire declared protection for the Beastmen across the continent, and they established actual environments that Beastmen would prefer, not just empty promises. So, I’m… obliged to keep the bond. Though I say otherwise, if I do something rash, I could kill all those Beastmen.”
I hadn’t heard about the refuge for the Beastmen.
There was no information related to the Beastmen in the Ustetia archives, but perhaps the Empire was taking care of its security?
“Where is this refuge located?”
“Up north, in the domain of van Chaser.”
“…Oh?”
This… could be something I could resolve easily, if handled correctly?