NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63
Adelia’s creepy red eyes scanned my body everywhere.
“Why are you suddenly curious about that?”
Then she whispered in a sticky voice.
“And where did you hear that there are beings who can see the form of souls?”
I didn’t answer her, but counted silently in my head.
By the time I counted to three…
Thud.
The door, which had just barely been propped up, collapsed.
“Professor Adelia Baros, I clearly saw you leave just now. Why are you here?”
The maid from Signia Hall.
Mr. Mikel Bendelin walked in.
“Uhh…? Oh my…?”
Just moments ago, she was radiating an enigmatic atmosphere, but upon Mikel’s appearance, Adelia wore an utterly flustered expression.
I smiled at her, grinning from ear to ear.
“Isn’t this a violation of school regulations?”
“That’s right. No matter how special a professor you are, entering a student’s room without any permission is clearly against the rules. So, you’ll be facing disciplinary actions.”
“Seems to be true, Adelia… Professor.”
“When did…?”
“Well, let’s say that’s a mystery.”
Just after Adelia blurted out that she could see the form of souls, I hit the emergency bell.
I got all the intel I needed, so it was time to wrap this up.
By the way, she could even see how weak I was? I didn’t expect that.
Still, it’s a relief that Adelia doesn’t seem to be over 400 years old.
She only said she can see the form of souls; she doesn’t have a clue that I was Ronan.
Anyway, that single piece of information completed the puzzle in my head.
The reason she had been showering me with intense interest since the beginning of the semester was because of the form of souls.
And with just that form, she could see the talents and potential possessed by that human.
Moreover, my future course of action was now clear.
I should avoid anything related to magic as much as possible.
Of course, I had thought before that I wouldn’t get noticed by them until I got stronger, but it seems a bit more caution is required now.
A sigh involuntarily escaped me.
After solving one incident, I should have been able to see a smoother path, but more complicated issues keep popping up.
But still, it’s lucky that I caught on before it got too late…
Again, I sighed and shook my head.
“Mikel, please take care of Professor Adelia for me. And could you also bring me a sick leave request?”
“Yes. I’ll prepare a light meal for you as well.”
“Thank you.”
“Call me anytime you need.”
With an angle that looked like it was set with a protractor, Mikel left, whispering softly to Adelia.
“Shall we go, Professor Adelia?”
“Um… Can’t you let me off?”
“Not a second time.”
“…I guess there’s no choice.”
Adelia, nodding weakly, let out a small sigh and glanced at me.
“Eliaernes, you really are something. Last time, you just sucked the sweetness out and tossed me aside, and now today…”
“When did I just suck on sweetness? It just happened to be seeping out, so I just put my mouth up to it.”
“…Huh?”
Adelia’s expression, always overflowing with leisure and quite miserable, shattered in an instant.
“I never asked or even wondered about it! It’s all just you telling me things, Adelia… Professor!”
I shrugged and lowered my head to Mikel.
“Then, I’ll leave it to you. Mikel.”
“Yes. Rest easy. I’ll fix the door within an hour.”
“Okay.”
“Really… You are too much…”
As Adelia was dragged out, her expression was filled with frustration, absurdity, and betrayal as she looked back at me until the very end.
Watching Adelia, I managed to fold my middle finger down…
Barely, I instead stuck my tongue out and mocked her with a big laugh.
So again, a silent peace returned.
I stood up, shivering, and pulled out the device I had shoved into the drawer.
I thought it would hardly be useful and that I wouldn’t need it, but now, it was time to use it no matter what.
*
Tap-tap-
The icy platinum eyes, heavy with concern, scanned the documents laid on the table.
The emergence of the labyrinth.
The attack by demons and mages.
The assassination attempt on the royal family.
And the bizarrely swift resolution of incidents, paperwork, rumors, and movements.
The labyrinth incident within the system claimed no deaths on the surface.
Only missing persons appeared.
And naturally.
The betrayal of the guard knight that attempted to assassinate the Second Princess was buried without much uproar under the pretext of magic erosion and the demon race’s coercive powers.
Consequently, all students at Karela Academy were placed under a ban on going out.
Although there were no fatalities within the academy, the nature of gathering the Empire’s greatest talents necessitated taking drastic measures to protect the students.
On the surface, that’s how it appeared.
Behind the scenes, however, other reasons were at play.
It was feared that there could be demon race infiltrators among the students.
As a result, some well-bred noble children, shoved by their parents’ pressure, pushed for leaves of absence.
Especially those from kingdoms other than the Empire.
If they held the Empire’s nationality, they couldn’t just go for a leave of absence, especially with the Imperial Prince and Princess studying there, not to mention the fact they would have to watch their step around the Empire.
Karela Academy is a source of pride for the Empire.
To apply for a leave of absence due to worries regarding the academy’s security might be seen as a question of the Empire’s ability to maintain order.
However, if they are of a different nationality, there’s no need to watch their step.
No matter how powerful and great an Empire may be, it would be absurd to pressure a kingdom with such flimsy reasoning.
It was not merely an accident; it was an incident.
And it’s a fact that even those of high standing in other kingdoms undoubtedly knew.
The demon race’s attack. The emergence of the labyrinth.
The resultant casualties.
That was an incident that hadn’t occurred even once in the past hundred years within the system. The repercussions would be vast.
In contrast, the Imperial Family along with the nobles aligned with them utilized this incident as a weapon.
The demon race is the enemy.
A common enemy for all humanity, a malevolent force that must be erased from this land through unity.
That is a well-known fact among all inhabitants of the continent.
The once-peaceful demon race, which had signed a peace treaty and stayed quiet for a time, resurfaced.
In fact, they were roaming freely within the Empire.
This means that the ‘enemy’ that should be obliterated once again appeared.
As a result, all of humanity will have no choice but to unite once more.
And the highest power on the continent, the Empire, will become the center point for that.
This was a vital opportunity for the Empire to regain a foothold.
Outwardly appearing powerful, but inwardly rotten and decaying is the current state of the Herman Empire.
After the peace treaty, the Imperial political situation gradually began to teeter towards instability.
It couldn’t be helped.
After a long war had ended, the nobility, ensuring their survival rights, began to stir as they sought to fill their ever-hungry stomachs.
Of course, it wasn’t only the nobles.
Those neighboring countries that teamed with the most powerful Empire in the continent to deal with the terrible aftermath were also ready to reclaim what had been lost and abandoned.
Thus, the divisions that began internally, and petty pressures from outside left the Empire suffering in silence.
On one side, there was even speculation that a war might break out, not among demons, but among humans.
But then, at that very moment, the demon race appeared.
They brought forth the long-forgotten terror of demons back to the surface and awakened everyone’s vigilance.
Therefore.
The might of the Empire, which everyone feared, and the geographic advantages thought to be a nuisance, along with information accessible only from the Forbidden Library…
It was a chance to sharpen the dulled blades once more.
That’s why it’s strange.
Strangely natural, and eerily smooth.
As if following someone’s intentions, the unfolding various incidents caused Fabiana to rub her throbbing temples while leaning back in her chair.
The trigger of the incident must surely lie with the Imperial Family.
At the very least, it must be a noble at the level of a marquis connected to the Imperial Family.
There’s no way this could unfold otherwise.
“I can’t face Eliaernes…”
Fabiana tried her best to hide what she could per Eliaernes’ wishes.
Yet that didn’t mean she aimed to hide everything.
She sought to display only enough merit to grant access to the Treasure House and the Forbidden Library.
However, that wasn’t easy.
In some areas, it was impossible.
A miscellaneous group of people seemed to be aware of things that only happened within, hearing rumors circulating.
The starting point of those rumors was, of course, something she couldn’t trace.
It’s nonsense.
Fabiana de Herman.
She is the First Princess. The princess supposedly holds the most considerable power in the Imperial Family and is highest in the line of succession.
For someone like Fabiana, who wields the information guild of the empire, to be unable to locate the source of mere gossip seems almost impossible.
But it’s not utterly impossible.
Someone capable of masking Fabiana’s eyes and orchestrating the bigger picture surely exists.
The Emperor and the Empress.
And…
“Anton de Herman…”
The First Prince, Anton de Herman.
“Is this the work of that damned brother?”
Crack—gritting her teeth, Fabiana pulled a magic herb from her pocket and placed it in her mouth.
And just then, click-click—with a great royal emblem embossed, she was about to light it with the Emperor’s lighter she had stolen last month when…
Ding dong—
“Huh?”
The device rang.
What audacious and arrogant person is trying to contact her with a message?!
A sinister grin crossed Fabiana’s face as she gripped the device with rough hands.
And then…
“Ha… Hahahaha!”
She couldn’t stop the laughter that erupted and beheld the message that appeared on the device’s screen.
[
.]
[It’s Eliaernes~…^^]
[Good morning.,…! ]
[I have something to tell you regarding yesterday. ]
[Is your time… okay~?]