Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 58
>Chapter Title: Saint Yansk University and the Chamber of Secrets (1)
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*
Ivan gripped his head and opened his eyes. Consciousness surfaced hazily, accompanied by a throbbing headache.
It was like the hangover after a night of heavy drinking. But surprisingly for this era, Ivan was a man who rarely drank. Therefore, he had no reason to experience a hangover.
He pushed aside the soft velvet blanket and sat up in bed.
“What…?”
A velvet blanket? A bed?
Ivan's thoughts sharpened instantly. He wasn't the kind of person who woke up in a bed like this. He never slept anywhere but the sofa in the director's office. (A fact that drove Enrique to frustration whenever she saw it.)
The more flustered he felt, the slower he moved. He rose deliberately and scanned his surroundings. It was a caution ingrained in him through long years of training.
A person overwhelmed by confusion in an unfamiliar environment is prone to mistakes and misjudgments. With feigned composure, Ivan tried to recall the circumstances that had brought him to this place.
“…”
Luxurious fabric wallpaper gilded with gold leaf, a brilliant tapestry hanging on the wall, a massive wooden table, and clothes scattered on the floor.
A floor covered with a plush red carpet and a bed where the velvet blanket billowed softly.
And at the far end of it, a silhouette lying with its back to him.
A woman. Curled up, she looked to be around 160 cm tall. Her build was slender. It was difficult to gather more information, as she was wrapped in the blanket.
“Hmm.”
He checked his own condition. He was half-naked, wearing only a pair of light cotton trousers, his upper body bare.
After a quick check, it seemed nothing ‘serious’ had happened. It was both a relief and a source of suspicion.
But judging by the overall situation…
A succubus.
Yes, those mosquito-like creatures that invade dreams, forcibly unleash unwanted desires, and drain one's mana and vitality.
It had to be them. It was the obvious answer. Ivan had encountered those pests several times during missions to escort the Hero's Party near the Demon King's castle.
Where did I run into it? Last night's memories were hazy. I was definitely…
“Ugh…”
The headache struck again. It was clearly the kind that interfered with memory. Ivan shook his head, then slowly and carefully stood up and moved toward his overcoat.
As he reached into the sleeve of the coat lying on the floor, his fingers brushed against something. *Clink.* A dagger and a water bottle.
Dreams are illusions built upon reality. Naturally, items one always carries or regular routines are reflected in them.
And when it came to routine and being armed, no one was more thorough than Ivan.
He silently drew the knife from his sleeve and rested it on his forearm.
He shouldn't touch the woman lying in the bed. If this was a dream created by a succubus, there was no telling what kind of trap might be laid here.
However, one of the two sure ways to wake from a succubus's dream could be attempted right now.
Either act in a way completely contrary to the dream's intended design to induce shock, or have a priest use a purification spell.
Since it was unlikely a priest was by his side while he slept, he decided to follow the first method.
-Slice.
A cool pain accompanied the deep cut on his forearm. He quickly looked around, but there was no sign of the dream collapsing.
It was fine. He was an agent who had undergone pain desensitization training, so a mere knife wound to the forearm might not be enough of a shock to break him out of a succubus's dream.
In that case, he just had to use a different method.
“Hoo…”
He had sworn never to use it on himself again.
Had it been fifteen years? He remembered being tied down limb by limb in the unit's infirmary, forced to receive 'treatment' after a spear was embedded in his abdomen.
Ivan stared at the water bottle with a weary expression before slowly… very carefully, tilting it.
A viscous, ghastly red liquid gurgled out. Onto his forearm, where blood was pouring freely.
The moment it touched the wound, a sizzling sound, *tssss*, accompanied the immediate sealing of the gash. There was no groan or sigh. His breathing remained steady.
But a lightning bolt of pain tore through his head. It was a familiar pain, if one could call it that, one he had buried deep in the recesses of his memory.
The sensation of a healing potion. (He decided to think of it that way.)
Hoo, he let out a short breath, righted the potion, and sealed the cap again.
With a delicate and careful gesture, as if sealing an ancient, cursed demon inside a jar.
The tightly sealed healing potion reverted from a conceptual viscous liquid—the very malice of hell given form—back into a reliable piece of essential equipment. He tucked the potion bottle into his sleeve and pulled on his clothes.
“…?”
Even after going this far, the dream wasn't breaking.
He glanced at the dagger again, wondering if he should slice his forearm once more, when a small hypothesis occurred to him.
What if it wasn't a dream…?
Ivan leaned back on the massive sofa by the table, aimed his dagger at the woman lying on the velvet bed, and sank into thought.
Who was that woman, where was this place, and why was he here?
What on earth happened yesterday?
I was definitely searching the school, determined to find the academy's secret room…
Ep11. Saint Yansk University and the Chamber of Secrets
Let's turn back time for a moment, to the situation in Fritzenkaya right after the children of the Hero's Party were rescued.
Elizaveta ultimately refused the throne.
“The authority of the royal family cannot be established until the nation's tribulations are rectified.”
>“With my royal father so hale and hearty, how could I dare usurp the crown?”
She declared she would completely root out the 'unknown foreign enemy' that had disguised itself as the 'fake crown prince' and infiltrated deep into the royal family, then generously opened the national treasury to the populace affected by the terror.
The important point here was that she opened the 'national treasury,' not her personal funds.
In other words, in a way that would make it clear to all the nobles that the royal treasury was now in her hands.
“The Foreign Minister was abducted by the hands of heinous traitors.”
These traitors had shockingly kidnapped a nation's crown prince, disguised themselves as him, and manipulated the monarchy.
With the first heir to the throne missing, this unprecedented incident caused the royal family's authority to plummet. Naturally, the Counter-Intelligence Command, which should have prevented such a thing, ought to have been in deep trouble, but…
“As one of royal blood, I feel a great responsibility for this situation and will relinquish all my authority within the court.”
The matter was resolved when the princess, who also served as the head of the Counter-Intelligence Command, lamented her inability to protect her own brother and voluntarily stepped down from her position.
“May the Lord protect Krasilov. From this day, the royal family shall no longer hold secular authority. The royal bloodline shall serve only as a symbol of national dignity, a beacon to overcome this crisis.”
All who carried the royal bloodline would step down from direct rule to become cultural symbols. In other words, it was the beginning of a constitutional monarchy.
The 'divine right of kings' that the crown prince had been spreading became meaningless, at least within Krasilov. Is the world evil? Who is there to blame? Since the king no longer rules directly, you may cast your stones at your nobles.
The power the people saw was now vested in the House of Nobles and the high administration.
However, all power stems from military strength, wealth, and information.
And now, in Fritzenkaya, all three belonged to one person.
“Your Majesty, your command.”
>“You jest, my lord. My royal father is still well, and I no longer involve myself in state affairs. Why do you speak of commands?”
>“Hahaha! My apologies, Your Highness!”
Dmitry and Elizaveta were smiling and drinking tea. The rear garden of the Eastern Palace, on a summer afternoon after the rain had stopped, was filled with the gentle fragrance of blossoming flowers.
“How are the old men in the House of Nobles?”
>“They're all just darting their shifty eyes about, a rather amusing sight. They reach out to the military administration only to receive no response, so they must be quite frustrated.”
>“Let them suffer a little more. Perhaps a brave one among them will even draw their sword.”
>“That would only make things easier to handle.”
All the Royal Guard divisions near Fritzenkaya had already sworn allegiance to the princess, and all intelligence channels to the rest of the military were controlled by the Counter-Intelligence Command.
The announcement that the crown prince had suddenly gone missing was suspicious enough, but the story of a 'fake' crown prince daring to attempt a coup only to fall overnight was just as baffling.
From the perspective of the House of Nobles, it must be agonizing. Especially for those who had sided with the crown prince.
Of course, the nobles were not fools. Anyone could see that this was merely the beginning of a massive purge.
The princess resigned as head of the court? Would the garden she had personally cultivated for over a decade truly betray its master?
The princess gave up the Counter-Intelligence Command? She had been their master since the days of the Annihilation Squad. No sensible noble would believe such a thing.
That both the national treasury and the royal family's private coffers were under the control of the Eastern Palace was not even a secret among the nobles. The princess had intended it that way.
With the current king sitting squarely on the throne, the princess unilaterally declares a 'constitutional monarchy'? Isn't it obvious that she has stripped the king of all his authority and power and subjugated him?
In that case, there was really only one thing for the nobles to do.
“Your Highness, Count Yusuf requests an audience.”
Hearing the attendant's words, the princess let out a wry smile.
“The vanguard is bold. The cavalry commander himself has come.”
>“They must be anxious as well. I shall take my leave, then.”
>“Nonsense. How can a monarch hold court without a subject present? You will remain where you are, my lord.”
Elizaveta smiled and nodded at the count as he opened the door and entered.
If they were to see with their own eyes the lieutenant colonel in charge of the Counter-Intelligence Command's practical affairs in Elizaveta's office, the House of Nobles would find it easier to adopt a more cooperative attitude.
Therefore, as soon as Count Yusuf, the commander of the Fritzenkaya cavalry, opened the door and stepped onto the office's plush carpet, he fell to his knees and bowed deeply.
“Raise your head. Such ceremony is perplexing.”
Elizaveta waved her hand with a smile.
Krasilov had now become a constitutional monarchy. Thanks, in a way, to Aleksandr's machinations.
The royal bloodline was now subordinate to the nation's constitution.
But the constitution, and those who handled it, obeyed one person.
The royal authority of Krasilov was now more solid than at any time since the reign of the previous king. The people's discontent would all be directed at the nobles, while the sweet fruit of authority would go solely to the royal family. No, to the princess.
Fritzenkaya had now fallen into Elizaveta's hands.
She would have to bestow favors upon everyone involved in this affair, but instead, her thoughts turned to one man.
What reward was truly fitting for the one who had rendered the greatest service—her woodsman?
*
The number one contributor who made the princess the power behind the throne (a somewhat biased assessment). Ivan Petrovich, who had successfully protected the children of the Hero's Party and thus preemptively eliminated an international conflict, was at that very moment…
“Uncle, I can't take it anymore. I can understand the stalking, and I can even accept the way you talk, but this is just not right. Stop right there!?”
...sneaking through the darkness, avoiding the eyes of Esidis, who was chasing him with a dagger and shaving foam.
With the perfect concealment befitting a former member of the Annihilation Squad, he calmly slipped out of Esidis's line of sight.