Treating Without Discrimination
"...Good."
The prince of the Kasen Kingdom. Prinz. First in the line of succession. He was in an exceptionally good mood right now.
"Court Mage Lord Roderick has set out. He should cross the border soon."
If the Holy Kingdom had its Holy Knight Commander and the Empire had its Grand General, then Kasen had its Court Mage. In truth, Kasen's position wasn't particularly favorable. It sat right beside the Empire, after all—a country that could swallow it whole if things went badly.
Yet Kasen refused to shrink back. Instead, it had solidified its place as a self-governing kingdom. Within the alliance, it stood second only to the Empire. Several reasons explained this, but one of the biggest was Roderick's existence.
The Court Mage is the only human mage who has reached the Fourth Circle. In terms of pure combat power, he rivals dozens of knights.
The First Circle was the foundation for any mage. The Second Circle belonged to exceptionally skilled mages. The Third Circle was reserved for a handful of geniuses. And the Fourth Circle?
It was essentially the stuff of legends. Even the Empire had no Fourth Circle mage in the current era. The chief mage of the imperial palace was one of Lord Roderick's own disciples. This was one of the reasons Kasen had been able to hold back the demons.
And now they were sending that great mage to the Academy. Naturally, there had been considerable opposition within Kasen. Sending the kingdom's greatest military asset to the Empire? What if something happened to him?
The strongest check against the Empire would be broken. The very reason for their position as the alliance's second power would vanish.
The Kasen nobles had begged him to reconsider. But Prinz's resolve never wavered.
"The Holy Kingdom sent its Holy Knight Commander, and the Empire sent its Grand General. If the two pillars of the alliance dispatch their greatest forces while Kasen alone holds back, how would that look?"
Honor and status were important, but pride mattered just as much. People would rather die than lose face in front of equals. Between rival nations, it was even worse. If only the Empire's Grand General were going, perhaps it would be different.
But with the Holy Knight Commander attending as well, the situation had grown delicate. In the end, Kasen decided to send its Court Mage.
Of course, it wasn't purely for the Academy's sake.
"There's another reason I summoned Lord Roderick. The Empire is trying to erase his influence among its own mages. At a time like this, calling him over under a reasonable pretext will create quite the stir in the Empire's magical community."
It might even lure away some of the Empire's mages. The nobles' ears perked up at Prinz's hypothesis. Weakening the Empire while strengthening Kasen. If the gains were clear, the risk was worth taking.
"This way, I can help Estelle preserve her pride as well."
The Holy Kingdom's Saint had brought the Holy Knight Commander. The Empire's prince had brought the Grand General. If Kasen's own prince did nothing? It would be humiliating for Estelle, who came from Kasen. Or so Prinz had convinced himself.
And so the Continental Academy's entrance ceremony finally began.
"The Continental Academy is a grand space that carries on the alliance's will for harmony..."
Most people weren't particularly interested in the congratulatory speech. They were more focused on who they would meet and what they would do.
This was a legal place to interact with people from other countries. A place where new political alliances could be formed. It was why every nation had approved the Academy.
"...Furthermore, here at the Academy, the identity of 'student' takes precedence..."
Yes. That was exactly why he had gone to such lengths. To ensure Estelle wouldn't be called a lesser noble, he had even pushed for the inclusion of commoners.
By directing all attacks toward the commoners, Estelle would remain safe simply by virtue of being a noble. Not only Prinz, but the others had agreed as well.
Now that I think about it, something's strange.
He had already spotted the Saint, Liberio, in the distance. But for some reason, Arhen was nowhere to be seen. This was the Continental Academy, located inside the Empire. The Empire's prince should have been here to grace the occasion, yet Arhen's figure was nowhere to be found.
I thought for sure he'd show up at the entrance ceremony to show off in front of Estelle, whether through a speech or something else. Is he planning some kind of performance from the shadows?
Even stranger was that the Grand General was missing too. The Holy Knight Commander and the Court Mage had all arrived, so why hadn't the Empire's Grand General shown up? It felt suspicious. The whole situation gave off a bad vibe.
As Prinz's unease continued to grow—
"Your Highness."
"Yes, Lord Cain!"
"Casual speech."
"No, Lord Cain!"
"I told you to speak casually."
"Sorry. Just... please don't hit me..."
Arhen had perfectly followed in Wilhelm's footsteps. Just as his older brother had abandoned his role as the trash prince and villainess supporter, the younger brother had cast aside his one-dimensional obsession with the female lead.
"You remember what I told you, right?"
Cain didn't expect him to completely cut ties with the female lead. The male leads' reasons for existing weren't so easily erased. So he had decided to instill some self-restraint.
"Before talking to Estelle, think once more. Before meeting Estelle, think once more. Before doing anything for Estelle, think once more."
"If you ever feel like doing whatever you want, just remember that day. It'll help."
No. Absolutely not. He didn't want to remember it at all. Arhen shook his head desperately. For the record, the events of that day hadn't ended there.
After Arhen had called for priests to heal him with holy power, Cain had broken all his limbs again. After three hours, Arhen's intelligence had actually increased.
"Oh, and don't do anything reckless to my brother."
It was absolute. He fully intended to obey. He had heard the stories. Wilhelm had endured this for three days. Arhen had only suffered for one, yet his brother had lasted three.
What exactly was that man? Was he even human? Hadn't he been a complete degenerate? It turned out his brother had been hiding his true abilities. Was that it?
"Take good care of the Grand General. He's supposed to be hunting demons, so being stuck at the Academy must be driving him crazy."
"S-Should I tell him he can go out occasionally to hunt demons?"
"Fuck. If you take my demons away, I'll kill you all."
Arhen quickly shut his mouth at Cain's sudden outburst.
The Southern Region had once been the most livable place on the continent. Warm climate. Fertile farmland. A sophisticated trade system. The kingdoms there had each enjoyed their golden age. Until the beings from hell—the demons—appeared.
"Whoa...!"
The young man couldn't close his mouth at the sight before him. It resembled his homeland, which had once been the most beautiful in the world. They said the entire alliance had pooled their strength to create it.
"So this is the Continental Academy...!"
When he was young, demons had taken everything from him. His family. His house. His country. Everything, without exception. That was why the place that remained only in his memories had been the most precious. No other place could possibly surpass his territory. Even the man he used to be, who once believed that, had to admit it.
The Academy was magnificent enough to rival those memories.
From now on, I'll learn so much here. I'll meet so many people.
His life until now had been a desperate struggle for survival. Spending barely a single night among ruined buildings. Staying constantly vigilant against demons that could attack at any moment. Cleaning up the remains of those who had died the day before.
Then one day, a change had occurred in his body. At first, he thought his mana had simply grown stronger. But he soon realized the sensation was different. This clearer, purer energy was holy power—and on a level higher than that of the Holy Kingdom's priests.
A person who could wield both mana and holy power. He had achieved victory in a battle against a High Demon that appeared at just the right time. From that day forward, he was called by a new title.
The one chosen by the gods. The one bearing a great destiny.
The Hero, Sion.
"I'm looking forward to this. I wonder how much I'll be able to gain here."
The title of Hero had been bestowed by the Holy Kingdom. Because he could handle both mana and holy power. Because he had demonstrated the might to defeat a High Demon.
And because, although it had been destroyed by the demons, Sion's family had once been quite a prestigious house.
In return, the Holy Kingdom had gained quite a lot as well. They had secured Sion before any other nation. A person who could freely wield both mana and holy power.
Even the Holy Knight Commander could do something similar, but the Commander's holy power was only slightly better than a priest's.
In contrast, the Hero Sion had already surpassed that level. And this was despite not having lived in the Holy Kingdom. If refined properly, he could reach the level of a cardinal's holy power.
The ability to defeat a High Demon combined with cardinal-level holy power? The entire alliance would drool over him. He was also from a prestigious family of a now-destroyed southern kingdom.
Considering the direction of the South's reconstruction after the war, they could exert influence over the region through Sion.
It was hard to pretend I didn't notice when I knew everything.
As expected of someone from a prestigious family, Sion had more or less figured it out. That the alliance wasn't helping the South purely out of goodwill. That the Holy Kingdom wasn't calling him the Hero simply because it was God's will. But he had no choice. It was for the South. Reconstruction required the alliance's help.
The fight against the demons required the Holy Kingdom's support. Sometimes using others, sometimes being used in return—this was simply how nobles lived. He understood that well.
Is it because today is the entrance day? There are so many people.
No one knew anything about each other yet. They didn't even seem to know that he was the Hero. Sion actually preferred it that way. It was burdensome and uncomfortable.
There were plenty of people who had fought far more than he had. Yet here he was, being called the Hero in front of them. The Holy Kingdom said he deserved it, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't embarrassed.
Just how much money did they spend on this?
They must have struggled so much during the war against the demons. Did the Empire really have resources to spare? Did that make any sense? Against those demons?
As Sion turned the corner in astonishment—
Thud!
"Ah!"
"Oof."
He collided with someone else who had been turning the corner at the same time. The old Sion would never have allowed this to happen. He would have noticed the person's approach immediately.
A Hero's senses were sharper than most knights, after all. But perhaps because he had been lost in thought. Or maybe the world itself had decided to play a prank. Either way, Sion failed to avoid the collision.
"Kyaa!"
Sion was a battle-hardened veteran who had fought real demons. The woman he had run into fell hard.
"Hup!"
It was his fault. She mustn't get hurt any further. Sion quickly leaped forward and caught her. But simply catching her wasn't enough. In the end, he threw his body out to shield her, embracing her protectively.
"Ah."
"...Are you alright, my lady?"
The moment he saw the woman in his arms, Sion was stunned. Was the person he was holding actually human? Could she be an angel descended from heaven?
"Yes. Thanks to you. I'm sorry. Did I startle you?"
She was even apologizing first. Even though she had received the greater shock, she was worried about him first. What a kind heart.
She's an angel. This lady is definitely an angel.
After helping the angel to her feet, he bowed his head.
"I'm the one who should apologize. I wasn't paying attention. My name is Sion, from the South. And you are...?"
"I'm Estelle. About what just happened, I'm really sor—"
"Since we're both new students, why don't we skip the formalities as friends? We both made the mistake, so I won't accept your apology."
Hahaha! He laughed, but the next moment brought only silence. Sion had spent his life fighting demons for survival. He had no experience with the opposite sex.
"Um... then I'll be going first, Sion."
"Yes. See you later. Angel... I mean, Estelle."
As he watched Estelle walk away, he swallowed hard. She was beautiful. Truly beautiful. She had to be an angel. His heart was pounding. His chest hurt so much. Estelle. He wanted to know more about the angel. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to talk to her again. He wanted her to smile at him!
His entire mind was filled with Estelle. It was completely focused on her.
"Hero?"
That was why he didn't notice the next approach at all.
"Yes?"
"That's right."
Thud!