Karma (1)
Olga Hermod had never particularly wanted to become an Archmage. It was simply that she had no choice.
As a commoner-born mage, it would have surprised no one had she perished on the battlefield long ago. Yet she had survived. She became an Archmage simply to stay alive, and in the end, she was even elevated to the nobility. Leading countless campaigns to victory had earned her the title of countess. If evaluated solely by her standing as a magician, she stood shoulder to shoulder even with the renowned Tronios Aether.
But the cost had been steep. Spending more than half her life upon bloodsoaked battlegrounds meant that clawing her way back to an ordinary existence required monumental effort.
And so, from time to time, the thought crossed her mind.
"It has been quite some time," Olga murmured.
"Puhehe..."
What kind of life might she have led had she never marched off to war? Though now an elderly woman well past her prime, she still found herself dreaming of what it would have been like to laugh, play, and grow up like an ordinary student. The things she had surrendered. The life she wondered if she could have lived.
Yet she knew better. Even had she never stepped foot onto the battlefield, such an ordinary life would have remained forever out of reach.
"I never imagined I would see you again."
Olga Hermod was already acquainted with Yuna. After all, she had been the one to turn a blind eye to Yuna's very first murder. Facing Yuna once more, Olga understood all too clearly that the faint possibility she so often dreamed of could never have come to pass—and that it would have been no different even if the war had never erupted.
The young girl standing before her was proof enough. Looking upon a child who had assassinated a renowned mage to avenge her slaughtered parents, there was simply no denying it.
"I truly had no wish to meet you under such circumstances."
Yuna's end would likely mirror her own. No, not just hers. Countless souls had walked the very same path as herself and Yuna, rising against sheer absurdity and staining their hands with blood. Olga Hermod had survived purely through a mix of luck and talent. And the girl before her was no different. Luck and talent alone had kept her breathing until this day.
"Did I not tell you back then?"
On the day Yuna's vengeance succeeded, Olga had lost a comrade-in-arms. Yet she had not grieved. Her comrade had committed far too many atrocities deserving of death. Failing to adapt to life after the war, the man had suffered from severe bouts of paranoia. Whenever that delusion peaked, he would mistake anyone who happened to lock eyes with him on the street for an assassin.
That was how Yuna's parents had died.
And in that manner, having failed to adjust to the post-war world, her comrade had ultimately been assassinated by the very hands he so dreaded. Whose fault was it? Though the man undoubtedly deserved to die, he had not been a monster from the beginning. It was simply the way the world was.
"I told you never to show yourself before my eyes again."
The war had been inevitable. While some whispered that the Emperor had lost his mind, having lived as long as she had, Olga knew the truth. Even if Abraham had not initiated it, war would have erupted regardless. If anything, Abraham was the one who had subdued the fires of war with the least amount of blood spilled.
"I showed you respect that day. You ought to have respected me in return."
Olga had lost a companion who had fought beside her for decades. Yet because Yuna's vengeance was justified, she had let the girl go. She could easily have captured Yuna on the spot, but instead, she had aided her escape. Had it not been for Olga, Yuna, whose talents had not yet fully bloomed, would never have slipped away.
"Why did you break your promise?"
"...Sorry."
Never appear before my eyes again. That had been the price of Olga Hermod letting Yuna walk free. Now that she had broken that bargain, Olga could not turn a blind eye a second time. This place was the Cradle, and everything within it was under the protection of its chancellor, Olga Hermod.
"It would be best for you to surrender quietly."
Space began to distort. With her sense of balance shattered and her vision scrambled into nonsense, Yuna could barely remain on her feet. A piercing tinnitus rang in her ears, violently twisting each of her senses. This was the terrifying might of Olga Hermod, the Archmage who had ascended to the pinnacle through Illusion and Space magic.
"Though, of course, resisting would be utterly meaningless anyway."
Yuna could not fight back. She was already no different from an insect caught in an intricate spider's web.
"I shall take my time considering how to deal with you."
With those parting words, Yuna's consciousness plunged into absolute darkness.
The moment of the written exams had finally arrived. This was not a stage for human butchers, but a theater meant for intellectuals like me. Of course, having performed reasonably well on the practical exams, even if I phoned in my written tests, there was virtually no risk of being held back a grade.
Or so I thought, until I flipped open the first page of the exam paper and realized the cold, hard truth.
"Whoa, this is..."
I'm completely screwed.
I had been far too complacent. Come to think of it, rather than paying attention in class lately, I had spent practically every lecture snoring away. In fact, I had skipped so many days that I couldn't even fathom what the exam scope was supposed to be. The test was packed wall-to-wall with things I had never seen or heard of in my life. At this point, it was a miracle I had done well on the practicals.
And so, after utterly bombing every single written test outside of Alchemy, I was finally liberated from the nightmare.
Man, for the time being, all I was going to do was rest. Who cared about exam scores? As long as I didn't flat-out fail, it was fine. It wasn't like I had a reputation to uphold in Class F anyway. Embracing the underachiever label society had slapped onto me wasn't such a bad way to live.
Once I graduated, I'd inherit a rural estate on the frontier so remote it would take active effort to get entangled in central politics, so frankly, grades and academic prestige meant jack squat to me. Might as well just kick back and enjoy the moment.
"Oh, did you do well on the exams, Yohan?"
"..."
My mood instantly plummeted. Why was it that on a perfectly good day, someone had to come along and spoil it?
"Your Highness, what brings you to seek me out today?"
"There is no need to be so stiff. Between the two of us, surely we are closer than that."
I immediately dropped to one knee and bowed my head, adopting the textbook posture expected of a rural noble dealing with imperial royalty. This was the nature of "our relationship." Practically strangers.
"...Stop that and stand up. Yohan, you find novel ways to confound me at every turn."
"Did this humble subject inadvertently offend Your Highness? Her Imperial Highness Lobelia Vicious van Miltonia, Third Princess of the Empire."
"Keep that up, and you would do well to remember that the distance between us might close not just physically, but politically as well."
"Your Highness, what business brings you here?"
I stood right back up. Good grief, she truly was an impossible woman to please.
"Yohan, care to guess why I came looking for you?"
"...Just because?"
"I suspect at least three plausible answers flashed through your mind just now, making your feigned ignorance rather amusing."
"Now why would you think that?"
"Well, whatever. I shall simply tell you myself. If I leave it to you, we will never get to the point."
Folding her arms, Lobelia shook her head. She looked just as exhausted as I felt. It would save both of us so much fatigue if we simply never crossed paths.
"It is the same as before. The Chancellor has summoned you."
"Wait, why is Your Highness the one delivering..."
Why did they keep using an Imperial Princess as an errand runner? Who in the world was making these arrangements? Couldn't someone nearby read the room and step up instead?!
"...Thank you. I shall head over right away, then."
"Mm, not so fast. Surely you have realized by now, haven't you? I prefer to settle all my business in one go."
"Is that so?"
Come to think of it, whenever she came to deliver a summons from the Chancellor, there were always strings attached—probing questions, sly remarks, and the like.
"You were the one who cured Ariel's illness, were you not? Ha...! The more I ponder it, the more exasperating it becomes. To think Ariel would deceive me like that."
"I'm sure she had her reasons."
"And I suppose you did too?"
"I had my reasons."
"Of course you did."
In my case, I had merely respected Ariel's wishes, but... honestly, if Lobelia had point-blank demanded that I spill the beans, I probably would have caved without putting up a fight.
"Yohan, did you know? Ariel has a surprisingly stubborn streak."
"That is news to me."
"Be careful."
"Pardon?"
Be careful of what, out of nowhere?
"Ah, and regarding that reward I promised to grant you previously—it seems it won't be happening after all. It may no longer be necessary."
"Wait, never mind that... what?"
When she had first offered a reward, I had recoiled in absolute dread, but hearing it was canceled gave me a weird pang of regret. No, that wasn't the point. What she had said earlier was gnawing at my nerves. What on earth was I supposed to be careful of? What possible reason did I have to watch out for Ariel?
"...Understood for now."
I had no idea what she meant, but steering clear of Ariel for the time being was definitely the smart move. If caution was warranted, avoidance was the answer. Better not get entangled at all.
"You may go now."
"Yes, Your Highness. Fare you well."
Taking Lobelia's dismissal as my cue to bolt, I turned on my heel and walked away. Rule number one: avoid Ariel. And to pull that off...
Good grief, where has Yuna been wandering off to since yesterday?
My best bet would be tapping into Yuna's intelligence network to dodge her in advance.
With mixed feelings churning in my chest, I made my way toward the Chancellor's office. You would think someone of an Archmage's stature would require an audience booked weeks in advance, yet I seemed to see her with bizarre regularity. Well, I had a rough guess as to why. She was probably calling me in over my antics during the exam again. No doubt she intended to nag me to death about it.
Still, I wasn't particularly worried. Since this exam had been conducted in squads, she had no justifiable basis to single out and nullify my score alone. Sure, I had acted as the squad leader, but there was no concrete proof that every single tactic had originated in my head. Besides, the whole strategy had been mutually agreed upon and executed by everyone.
"Chancellor, it's Yohan Damus. You summoned me."
"Enter."
Two light knocks, followed by an immediate reply. I quietly pushed the door open and slipped inside. Ugh, what a drag. Whatever this is, I hope it wraps up quickly.
"Student Yohan. The reason I called you here today is none other than..."
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
"...to inform you of the developments regarding the recent incident."
"Ah, so it wasn't my fault after all."
"If you are anxious regarding the exam, allow me to put your mind at ease. I have no intention of making an issue of it."
"Oh, thank you very much."
My guilty conscience had tripped me up for nothing. I should've just stood proud instead of instinctively groveling.
"Ahem! Returning to the matter at hand, do you recall what occurred last time?"
"Which incident might that be?"
Too many disasters had erupted around me lately for me to know which one she was referring to.
"The attack by Under Chain."
"..."
Which attack? Did she mean the ambush while I was eating with Cult? Or did she mean the mess involving Jeff and Melana? There was too much baggage on both ends for me to tell.
"Since that day, I have been conducting ongoing investigations and searches, but..."
As I stood there bewildered, unable to pinpoint which event she meant, Olga Hermod rose from her seat. Raising her staff, she brought it down lightly against the floor.
Thud!
The surrounding space rippled like disturbed water, and something materialized upon the carpet.
"You mentioned that a pink-haired female student seemed suspicious, did you not?"
My eyes widened in horror at the sight of Yuna sprawled out on the floor.
Right. I had forgotten. She moved around the place as if it were her own backyard, making me overlook the obvious fact that the one guarding the Cradle was none other than the Archmage Olga Hermod. I should never have dismissed the possibility that a day like this might come.
"Student Yohan. Allow me to ask you one thing."
Olga leveled her staff directly at me. That simple gesture alone sucked the air straight out of my lungs.
"Do you know who this child is?"
"..."
I looked down again at Yuna lying motionless on the floor. She appeared to be fast asleep. She had pranced about recklessly like a stray cat, and now look where it had landed her.
"Yes, I know her."
"In that case, is she..."
"She is my friend."
"...Do you say that knowing full well what kind of person she is?"
"Yes, very well."
Olga Hermod regarded me with a chilling gaze. What emotion was veiled behind that cold stare? Contempt? Hostility? Perhaps even lethal intent. But the Rubicon had already been crossed. With startling naturalness, I had stepped straight into the treacherous river.
"This child has taken lives."
"Is there anyone among the second- and third-years at the Cradle who hasn't killed?"
"It is not merely one or two. At least dozens... perhaps reaching into triple digits. She committed murders of this magnitude outside of war."
"And?"
"Do you understand what defending this child here implies?"
I squeezed my eyes shut. What on earth was I doing? Now that all the tedious hassles were finally over, why was I actively courting danger like this?
"I understand."
It was for a shockingly simple reason. Cowardly and underhanded though I might be, I had no desire to become someone utterly bereft of shame.
"I'm defending her knowing full well what it means."
Yuna was my friend.