White Night Mountain Range (1)
After the incident was resolved through Karon's intervention.
The Imperial Court and the Order met in secret to discuss how to handle the aftermath.
The Imperial delegation was led by Sian Merkel of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau's Public Security Division.
Cardinal Elion led the Pope's delegation, with several Inquisitors who had taken part in the battle attending as witnesses.
"...."
Under heavy security and surveillance, a lengthy silence stretched on as everyone waited for someone to speak.
Then Sian Merkel glanced around the room and produced a document, the ink still wet.
"Allow me to briefly summarize this incident."
Elion nodded slowly.
"Cardinal Dominicus became corrupted by an unknown cause and turned into a demon. Is that correct?"
"That is correct."
"In that case, as someone who watched him closely for a long time, did you notice anything suspicious?"
"Hmm, let me think for a moment...."
Elion stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.
He tried to find some small clue that could explain where things had gone wrong.
Aside from the fact that Dominicus had possessed a lust for honor, nothing particularly strange came to mind.
"He was ambitious for recognition. There may have been another side to him, but I can’t say for certain yet."
"A desire for recognition...."
Sian Merkel compared the hastily compiled data with Elion's statements, trying to find something suspicious.
The closest thing to a motive they could suggest was that he had made a deal with the Demons for status.
But it was difficult to figure out what he had been aiming for when he had already risen as high as possible.
The Pope?
Or the Empire?
Even connecting the dots yielded no clear answer.
If Karon had been there, he probably could have dangled the right bait and found a lead.
Sian Merkel, having belatedly realized the reason for Karon's two-week disappearance, let out a sigh.
'He got me.'
Dominicus had left belongings behind, so Sian had to find a clue no matter what.
"The investigation has only just begun, so sitting here speculating won’t get us anywhere. Let’s discuss what we did accomplish."
Sian Merkel turned the page and addressed the positive aspects of the situation.
"Thanks to the seed recovered from the Demon we killed, the Magic Tower was able to produce an antidote."
"Yes. We received considerable assistance."
"That means we’ve taken a step toward a way to counter Demonic Energy."
Until then, every method of countering Demonic Energy had developed around reliance on Divine Power.
So whenever many patients suffered Demonic Energy Poisoning at once, their limited manpower was often overwhelmed.
The Order had struggled with the problem as well, but unlike magic, Divine Power was a blessing from the Goddess and was difficult to develop further.
The antidote developed by the Magic Tower offered the first real step toward solving that long-standing problem.
"We used it on a knight who was difficult to heal with Divine Power, and his condition improved considerably. What do you make of that report?"
"Hmm...."
Elion, having received Sian Merkel's question, let out a deep groan.
Even though the Order was wary of magic as a power separate from Divine Power, it could not ignore what had happened.
Divine Power acted slowly, but its effectiveness was high.
The Magic Tower's antidote acted quickly, but was less effective.
Furthermore, they could not deny that the antidote had essentially saved a priest who had been on the verge of death.
Used properly, the antidote would give them another means of fighting Demons in the future.
"Magic cannot compare to the grace of the Goddess, but I do not believe that means it must be rejected outright."
"I raised the point despite the risk of blasphemy. You are broad-minded, Cardinal Elion."
"It is only natural, for it is the teaching of Goddess Calde to embrace all."
Once Elion, representing the Order, gave a favorable answer, the negotiations moved quickly.
Sian Merkel presented the Order with a draft agreement.
"From now on, we will use the antidote alongside treatment for Demonic Energy Poisoning."
"Understood."
"Also, just as the Order assigns priests to knightly orders, we will keep supplies of the antidote with the Order. Any objections?"
"Of course not. It is a perfectly reasonable measure."
After both sides quickly signed and gathered their documents, Sian Merkel spoke quietly.
"Finally, the matter of Outside Instructor Karon, who resolved this incident, will be kept strictly confidential."
"Agreed. That is also our wish."
This arrangement was possible because the Imperial Court and the Order wanted the same outcome.
The Imperial Court needed to preserve Karon's official Imperial affiliation while concealing as much as possible that he was a mastermind.
The Order could not let it become public that a cardinal had fallen and become a Demon.
Internally, they had already agreed to describe the incident as a Demon ambush.
Finally, Sian Merkel gave the Cardinal a subtle warning and rose from his seat.
"This incident will cause a storm both inside and outside the Order. I hope we will meet again."
Elion drew a deep breath and slowly let it out.
Then he murmured quietly enough for only himself to hear.
"May the blessing of Goddess Calde be with us...."
* * *
"I'll be taking a two-week break from classes."
"Wh-What did you say?"
The chancellor was so startled that he spat his coffee back into the cup.
Witnessing that sight, I couldn't help but frown.
"I know you’re shocked, but what was that?"
"For a moment I thought you were going back to the Magic Tower, and it scared me. Sorry...."
The chancellor glanced at me warily, then tapped the table at an incredible speed, betraying his anxiety.
Ratatatatat.
The rapid tapping filled the office and grated on my nerves.
It was enough to make the refreshments on the plate tremble oddly.
I started by calming down the obviously anxious chancellor.
"I'm not going to the Magic Tower. I'll be assigning homework instead of holding classes, so you don't need to worry."
"In that case, may I ask where you are going?"
"That's confidential."
Even after I cut him off firmly, the tapping continued at the same pace.
Before getting up, I pointed to the document from the Intelligence Bureau lying at one corner of the table.
[Original Prison Term: 197 years.]
[Remaining Prison Term: 192 years.]
Two years for the nameless Demon.
Three years for Chimera (Clone).
The cardinal was still under discussion because the case was classified top secret.
Those Imperial bureaucrats should have been thanking me for taking care of a near-Level-7 threat, yet they were still debating it.
The White Night Mountain Range was more urgent, so once I returned I was definitely getting another ten years knocked off.
Anyway.
Reminding myself that I was a mastermind before I was an instructor, I snapped the chancellor out of it.
"Just think of it as something involving Demons. Don’t try to dig any deeper."
"...Understood."
"Then, I will see you in two weeks."
I took the document from the Intelligence Bureau and left the office.
A short while later.
I wrote 'CLASS CANCELED' in large letters on the blackboard and briefly explained why.
"Due to personal circumstances, I will be away for two weeks, so I am leaving you a simple assignment."
"An assignment?"
The reactions varied slightly from student to student.
Flora already knew I was going to the White Night Mountain Range, so she remained calm.
Ayla tilted her head and asked Flora, but she couldn't get the answer she wanted.
Gilbert and Camilla, meanwhile, looked unable to believe they had suddenly been given two weeks without class.
In the end, Ayla, unable to find out the reason, raised her hand with worried eyes.
"Is it for health reasons?"
"No. It's nothing like that. You can think of it as a brief matter I have to attend to."
After emphasizing that it was nothing major, I picked up a piece of chalk.
"So I’ll explain the assignment you’ll be working on for the next two weeks."
Without a moment's hesitation, I began drawing a magic circle on the board.
I hadn't drawn one like this since Spring Day.
Until now, they had learned Mana Control through their bodies. Now it was time to review it with their heads.
Once I finished drawing it cleanly,
"You just need to activate this magic circle using the least amount of mana possible. Simple, isn't it?"
I tapped the board and warned them to copy the magic circle before I erased it.
"I'm erasing it in one minute."
"W-Wait a moment!"
"Fifty-nine, fifty-eight...."
After confirming that everyone was frantically copying it into their notebooks, I cleanly erased the magic circle.
"Huh? Instructor?"
"If you’ve been attending my class, I expect you’ve already memorized it."
"I forgot the last circuit...."
Gilbert froze up blankly.
At that, Camilla quietly pushed her notebook toward him and sighed.
"Look at this and copy it."
"Oh, uh. Thanks."
Once Gilbert had copied the magic circle correctly with Camilla’s help, I moved on to the other announcements.
"And don't slack off just because I'm gone for two weeks. You must work hard."
"Is there another assignment?"
At Camilla's question, I shook my head.
"And you’ll run every dawn. I’m leaving the attendance sheet with Flora, so make sure you record anyone who skips it."
"Understood."
This was not an order from instructor to student, but from boss to subordinate.
No matter what happened, Flora would run the assigned route every dawn and remember exactly who failed to show.
However, Ayla, who was watching this situation, looked somewhat sulky.
"Instructor, I'm confident I can do it too."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
I met Flora's eyes right after.
I didn't know why, but she looked like a proud cat.
On the other hand, Ayla seemed like a dejected puppy protesting that she could do it well too.
It was good that they took the Running Crew seriously, but I had no idea why they were competing over this.
Ultimately, if I gave the same request, Flora would carry it out reliably, so I sided with Flora.
"I'll assign it to Flora."
"Thank you."
Leaving the satisfied, nodding Flora behind,
"That’s all for today. I’ll check your progress when I get back, so take care of yourselves."
I finished my last class before leaving for the White Night Mountain Range.
* * *
After the lecture, while returning to my quarters, I saw Ayla pushing through the crowd and running toward me from afar.
She was gasping for breath and scanning the area, as if she had been urgently looking for me.
"In-Instructor!"
"Have you come up with a question about the assignment?"
"No. That's not it."
"Ah, then what is it?"
Before I could even ask, Ayla revealed her business as if she were being pursued by the Four Great Demons themselves.
"When you get back, would you like to go to the Magic Device Shop with me that weekend?"
"Sounds good."
"Thank you!"
Ayla beamed and rejoiced, looking like an excited puppy.
At the same time, Flora came sprinting over at tremendous speed, only to stop with a stricken expression.
"Ah, aht...."
Ayla's head turned slightly, and the corners of her mouth rose.
At that, Flora's eyes sharpened.
"Um, Instructor... about the weekend...."
"The instructor already has plans with me."
"Is that true?"
It was a somewhat familiar scene.
I immediately recognized the same oddly competitive atmosphere from the Running Crew attendance assignment.
"Why don't the two of you calm down first?"
I had apparently picked up another problem to deal with before I even left for the White Night Mountain Range.