Drag Him Down (1)
History must flow in the right direction. In this world, the victor defines justice. If there exists someone who wishes to become that justice and desires to pull me from the fields, then of course I must follow that truth, wouldn't you agree?
His words carried immense weight.
“However, as an outsider, there is little I can do. Still, the fact that you came to see me can only mean you have prepared yourselves for something. The only thing I can offer is to ride along with that resolve of yours.”
“Thank you, thank you so much, Uncle…!”
“It will not be an easy path. That road means taking the heaviest burden in the world into your own hands. But if you truly wish to prove yourself to that extent—”
Perhaps it was the influence of the alcohol. Or maybe it was because his resolve remained crystal clear even in that state. He emptied the cup filled only with ice into his mouth.
Clink.
The ice-filled glass settled on the table.
“Go wild as much as you like. Don’t worry about me.”
Since he had spoken those words, we had no choice but to act accordingly.
When we returned to Sigmund, the outcome was exactly as I had expected.
The rumor that the young lady had slammed her head into Montgomery had already spread like wildfire across the streets under lockdown. The student protests had now flared into a blaze so fierce that not even the chairman’s authority could contain it.
“Step down—!”
“Give me back my school life…!”
Each of them surely had different thoughts, but one thing was certain. This was the students’ desperate effort to reclaim what had been stolen—the price of their youth, which had once dreamed of a brilliant school life, now stained with blood. They wanted to restore everything to its original state.
Yet the chairman, unwilling to relinquish his position, made a truly wretched decision.
“Block the insurgents!”
“Suppress them all!”
“Glory to Karlangk!”
From what I heard, he had completely bypassed the Sigmund security forces that no longer obeyed him. Instead, he had tearfully written letters to Sabrina, begging for help. The capital’s security and defense unit—the Imperial Guard—which was currently focused on defending Karlangk, had been mobilized to crush the unrest by force.
“...Captain of the Imperial Guard, sir. But these are just students. Are we really allowed to do this?”
“What does that matter? Even if they are students, the fact that they are disturbing public order remains unchanged.”
“But we didn’t sharpen our swords to point them at the future of this empire!”
“Insubordination will be punished under military law.”
“...Damn it. Understood. I understand perfectly, damn it all!”
Even so, the Imperial Guard seemed reluctant to fully accept the order. Because they had not drawn their blades in earnest, no bloodshed had occurred yet. If it came to that, the situation would spiral completely out of control. But the fact that it hadn’t happened yet did not change how precarious everything was.
It was a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.
In other words, someone had to end this situation now.
And that role fell to me.
After all, we were the ones who had created this chaos in the academy to replace the chairman. Wasn’t it entirely our responsibility to resolve what we had caused?
Resolve the knot you tied yourself. The wisdom of life.
The way for me to bring this situation to an end was remarkably simple.
The Grand Bell Tower of Sigmund.
Standing tall in the center of this academy city was a magnificent gilded bell said to have been bestowed by the founding emperor. It rang once at every dawn and then fell silent. It was rarely rung otherwise. The bells that marked the beginning and end of classes came from the smaller bell towers scattered around the area, not this one. So hearing its sound in daily life was uncommon.
But if a regular meeting of the student council—which governed this city—was convened, the bell would ring three times across all of Sigmund. It was a symbolic bell.
I stood silently before the entrance to that bell tower, facing the elderly keeper who guarded it. He had been reading a book, but upon seeing me, he hurriedly stood and scolded me.
“...Hey. Wait a moment, student. You can’t come in here!”
But I had a reason to enter. So I spoke. Or rather, I threatened.
“I earnestly ask you to step aside. Today is a day the bell must be rung.”
“The bell must be rung? It’s not even June yet, and the next quarter hasn’t arrived. The student council’s regular meetings happen once per quarter… There should be no reason to ring it at the end of the month, should there…?”
“.........”
But at that moment, the old man’s eyes flashed as he looked at me.
“Wait. You… you’re that student, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m a student. Nothing special.”
“What do you mean, nothing special? There isn’t a single person in all of Sigmund who doesn’t know you…”
Then he gazed up at me with eyes that seemed almost reverent.
“The Lord of Steel. The academy’s top student, the Black Comet, the hope of the North, the one who returned alive from eternal death, the savior who rescued everyone… and the hero who will become the next Hero.”
“...Why are you suddenly saying all this to me?”
“Those are the titles everyone calls you by. You’re addressed that way far more often than by the name Yohan.”
“Sounds like a sign the world is ending. That everyone knows me.”
“You chose actions worthy of being known. We’re simply responding in kind.”
With that, he closed the book he had been reading and placed it over his eyes.
“...Well, whatever. If it’s you, you may pass.”
I was so startled that I had to ask for an explanation.
“Huh? You’re letting me through that easily…? I came here fully tense because I heard you were a strong man, sir.”
“If you’re acting like this, there must be a reason, right? I was here covering my eyes with a book and sleeping, so I didn’t notice you. You simply did what you always do—slipping in and out like a ghost—and entered the tower.”
“...Why? It would have been cleaner if you had challenged me to a fight. I could have knocked you down neatly and gone up.”
He trailed off, then added quietly.
“...It’s nothing much. My grandson received help from you this time. We don’t see each other often because of my work, but he’s in the 65th class.”
“I’m glad your grandson received help. However, I may not remember his name…”
“That’s perfectly fine. That’s what it means to be a hero, after all.”
“...Thank you. I’ll remember that.”
Hearing those words, I simply continued upward toward the top of the bell tower.
Sigmund was filled with chaos. Students stood face-to-face with the Imperial Guard lined up before them, raising their voices.
“The chairman must resign!”
“Even if you lift the lockdown, we won’t attend classes! Not until Montgomery, who tried to cover up the incident, steps down!”
In response, the captain of the Imperial Guard standing before them shouted back just as loudly.
“Return to your dormitories, students. This is a public square. You must not create an atmosphere of unrest.”
“Who created this atmosphere first?! You turned the practical exams into a disaster, imprisoned the Hunt Master… and you’re going to imprison the Grand Duke’s daughter who spoke up to the chairman recently too, aren’t you?!”
The student who spoke those words seemed to have made up his mind. He picked up a cobblestone from the ground and hurled it at them.
Whoosh—!
“Ugh—!”
The stone flew straight at one of the shield-bearing guards and struck him perfectly on the head. Because of where it hit, the well-trained guard collapsed far more easily than expected. But that gave the captain exactly what he needed.
No longer able to hold back, he ordered the guards before him.
“...Sweep them away. Restore order!”
“Kgh, sorry—!”
Thud—!
The sound of their armored boots shook the ground. The clash of panicked students who never expected such a response and those finally revealing their true colors and preparing to fight filled the air.
But—
Dong—.
At that moment, the bell tower rang.
That heavy, majestic sound was different from the others. It was not the ordinary bell that announced the current time, which everyone including the students heard daily. It was the sound of the Emperor’s Bell that rang from Sigmund’s central grand bell tower at the beginning of each month.
As the sound echoed in everyone’s ears, even the sparks that had just flown high were gently wrapped in silence.
All eyes turned toward the source of the sound.
And then they saw it.
A massive silhouette standing beside the enormous bell. Though the distance was great, the figure was so distinctly large and dark that it could not be mistaken. It was the hero who had once saved everyone’s life—the one who desired silence.
He wore the same attire he had when he overcame death. The long hem of his coat fluttered in the wind as he rang the bell alone.
Dong—.
When he rang the bell a second time, it was not only the students demonstrating outside. Even those who had been quietly observing the situation from inside the buildings poked their heads out.
“...Isn’t that the Lord of Steel?”
Altria, the head of the Discipline Committee, had climbed to the indoor watchtower of the ground training field. She had been about to issue orders for the committee to mobilize for the safety of the protesting students… but she was stunned by the sight of Yohan ringing the bell.
“Why is that bell ringing now…? It’s not the beginning of the month, nor is it the regular meeting season. And more importantly, is he even allowed to ring it…?”
Since she had received no prior information about this, Altria could only murmur to herself, lost in thought.
Unless… could it be that a regular meeting has begun without my knowledge? That’s entirely possible. It would be the only way for the student council to intervene and resolve this incident triggered by the chairman…
But if that were the case, shouldn’t the tower keeper be the one ringing it? There was no need for Yohan to do it himself…?
—Wait. Maybe that’s not it.
The moment that doubt formed, the neurons in her mind aligned perfectly.
“...That person is doing things in reverse. He’s not ringing the bell because a regular meeting has been held. He’s ringing it to convene a regular meeting.”
After all, who would be the most furious about the unjust treatment of the imprisoned Hylkenbesta? It wouldn’t be the students whose lives she had saved. It would be the one who had stepped forward with her to save everyone’s lives.
I had thought the Lord of Steel had not shown himself even once during the protests that covered all of Sigmund… but he was the kind of person who only appeared at the center of events to deliver decisive judgment when the time came.
If he was taking this action, it could only mean the time had come to put an end to the situation.
At least, that was how Altria understood the Lord of Steel. And since her judgment of people was always accurate, she was certain she wasn’t wrong. It was a perfectly natural flow of logic.
Having reached that conclusion, she pinned on the badge engraved with the sword of justice that symbolized the Discipline Committee and hurried toward the Moon Shrine, where regular meetings were held.
Dong—.
Finally, the third bell rang.
One. Two. And then ten.
“Did the bell bring you here too, Altria?”
“Yes. Looks like the same for you, Loaen.”
“The head of the Newspaper Club, Figaro, has arrived.”
The key officers of the student council, having reached the same conclusion as Altria, arrived at the same location by their own paths.
And Yohan, having released the bell’s clapper, sat on the edge of the tower and simply looked down at them.
“The wind is strong up here. One day, I should bring the young lady here…”
He faced the cool breeze from that high place and gazed up at the sky.