[What Are You Doing?]
I read the Xtalk message from Estelle and pulled out my pre-packed lunch to eat. I'd thought lunchtime might feel a bit lonely since I usually ate with Iris and Estelle, but...
"So, how many points do you think you'll get? I was pretty nervous right from the start, but I got some solid feedback. I applied for the magic section too, since they give extra points for it."
Matty, whose face I'd gotten familiar with back in the waiting room, had apparently signed up for the magic exam too. He wasn't leaving, chattering away noisily, so I didn't have a moment to feel lonely or anything.
It was barely a "chat"—more like a one-sided monologue—but anyway. Once I got to the academy, I'd be too busy to pay attention to anyone besides Iris and Estelle, so I tossed back a vague "sure, go ahead" and turned back to Matty, who was still yapping away in front of me.
"Matty, why'd you come to the academy anyway?"
"Huh? Why ask something so obvious? To network with nobles and royals, duh. My ultimate goal is to join the Imperial Knights."
I had no idea if Matty, blabbing right in front of me about joining the Imperial Knights, would actually pass. The game I'd played only spotlighted the crown princess and the saintess, along with people close to them—extras like him never got any attention.
But here he was, dreaming of joining the Imperial Knights.
Is this really a game?
"Huh? What'd you say?"
"Nothing."
Even if I had doubts, there wasn't much I could do about it. I just hoped this game wouldn't hit its destruction ending. Still, it was weird. The Les route was supposed to be one of the hardest modes, yet things had gone so peacefully so far without a hitch.
Probably because we hadn't hit the main stage yet—the academy enrollment?
"Hmm..."
No one could argue that the main stage of the game Destruction was the academy. Sure, there were past flashbacks or travel events depending on affection levels, but at its core, it was about the two protagonists meeting at the academy, falling in love, building friendships, and reaching a happy ending.
So once I passed this academy exam, I'd enroll, and the story would really kick off. To prepare for that, I needed to stockpile stamina now.
"Ah, it was seriously so fun! I swear, exams are my calling~"
Right—didn't have time to listen to this noisy guy prattling on. How does he have so much to say to someone he just met? If that's impressive, then yeah, impressive. Thinking in trendy MBTI terms for the young crowd these days, he must be a capital-E extrovert. Do they even have MZ gen here...? Whatever, who cares about that stuff.
"I'm done eating, so I'm off to check the magic exam schedule."
"Whoa, you eat fast, Theo! I'll catch up soon—go on ahead!"
At least he didn't ask me to wait. After some casual chit-chat and goodbyes, I headed to the magic exam registration desk, showed my pre-issued receipt, got my turn number, and...
"This is boring."
Another endless wait until my turn began.
Earth magic that literally flipped the fresh green grass upside down. Wind magic that pierced through the magic barrier and whipped into a frenzy. Freezing magic that encased every exam-related document on the proctor's desk in ice. Fire magic that summoned a pillar of flame, followed by water magic that conjured gentle rain falling from the sky to ensure no harm came to the exam hall.
Theo's magic exam wasn't a test—it was a full-blown show. The kind you'd pay to see.
"Hoo..."
The proctors let him go with a simple "good work, Theo," but only after he left could they finally catch their breath from the tension. If asked whether they'd ever seen an applicant with this much power before, well... maybe sometime in the distant past. But not recently. They would've known about a mutant like this.
And the most absurd part? This participant didn't even seem to realize how strong he was. If he truly knew his own power, he wouldn't have turned the exam hall upside down like that. He'd have held back, shown just enough to pass. No one in their right mind reveals their full hand—it's foolish anywhere.
"...Iris, did you know about that boy's power?"
The Emperor kept reeling from shock after shock watching Theo. At that level, he'd be able to choose between the Imperial Knights or the Magic Tower after graduating the academy. No doubt every faction would covet and try to scout him, promising vast wealth and honors.
"No, I was simply with the saintess and unaware."
It was a lie. Iris, preparing for the academy alongside Theo, couldn't possibly not know his skills. But if she deliberately hid it, even the Emperor might not notice—he didn't monitor her openly.
"...Then enroll at the academy and make sure you grab him first, before the saintess does."
"Grab him? What do you mean by that?"
"Don't play dumb. He's our empire's talent—he needs to stay that way. Once the Holy Empire hears these results, they'll want him too. We can't let them steal our people."
Watching the Emperor reveal his dark intentions, Iris inwardly sighed at her father. Talking peace on the surface while scheming to hoard talent—what was that about? If he was so worried, why push for the saintess to enroll alongside her at the academy? She couldn't figure it out.
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be better not to let the saintess enroll at all?"
"What are you saying? Your joint enrollment with the saintess is the first step toward peace between our nations."
He clearly had no intention of sharing his thoughts, hiding his schemes as ruthlessly as Iris concealed her ties to Theo and Estelle.
"...I'll take my leave then."
"No interest in observing more?"
"You've commanded me not to let such talent slip away, so I shall obey."
"True enough. You'll head back to where the saintess is, then. Fine, leave that side to you."
Iris felt utterly sour. She didn't want to spend another moment with the Emperor.
"Oh my, leaving already? How disappointing."
Nor did she want to see the young Empress, blatantly signaling her desire for alone time with the Emperor while spouting nonsense about being upset. The age gap between the Empress and crown princess wasn't that wide.
"I'll take my leave."
The Empress, around her age, was excessively jealous but had caught the Emperor's eye with her lovely looks. After Iris's mother passed, she'd seduced him and claimed the empress's seat. Even before that, she'd attended teas hosted by Iris or her mother, openly showing her affection for the Emperor—sometimes greeted by him personally. They might've had something going even before her mother's death.
Well, that's why she snatched the throne right after Mom died.
It used to disgust her, but now she felt nothing.
I can just boot her out later anyway.
The Emperor and Empress—neither were her allies.
My allies aren't my father or stepmother.
If asked whether she had any allies at all, it used to be a bleak void. But not anymore.
Now I have a place to return to.
Where Theo and Estelle were.
Though I could do without that Estelle idiot. Not even an imperial citizen.
Theo's hometown was her home now. In time, once she became emperor instead of crown princess, this palace would be hers to return to—but by then, Theo would surely be here with her.
Estelle... she'll become the Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire. She wouldn't try dragging Theo there, right?
Immigration applications were tough in a world with imperial authority. But if royalty pushed it, approval was common for mutual safety and peace.
Thus, Estelle could've demanded Theo's immigration as a peace condition not long ago.
But now Father knows his abilities anyway.
It wouldn't be approved easily, and with Estelle enrolling at the academy to stay in the Ermunt Empire for a while, she had no grounds to apply immediately. That would mean separating from Theo herself.
By graduation, it'll depend on Theo's choice, but he'll probably pick the Ermunt Empire where he was born and raised.
She mulled it vaguely, but unease gnawed at her—clearly because Theo's talents were simply too extraordinary.