The Academy Academic Festival #5
The man standing behind me could be described, without exaggeration, as having an entirely unremarkable appearance.
It was nothing shabby, yet it certainly wasn’t made from the fine fabrics used by other nobles.
Worse still, the cuffs and collar showed clear signs of wear and tear, as though they had been through many seasons.
If someone had come to the academy on the day of the academic festival, they could not be a mere commoner.
Since I had never seen his face before, I could not begin to guess who he might be.
His subordinates from the Haniel Marquisate and the Crescent Count’s family had likely felt the same unease I did.
They each wore stern expressions, maintaining the same stoic demeanor that made no effort to address him by title or even by name.
“Um…”
“…Oh?”
Yet both the Count of Crescent and the Marquis of Haniel suddenly changed color to a sickly shade, as though they had just seen a ghost.
How should I put it? The look on their faces was one of pure disbelief.
If I read the room correctly, I was at least a solid 99 on the “everyone else is bluffing” scale.
If the leaders of these two noble houses reacted this way to someone, it was impossible for him to belong to any other noble family.
At the very least, he had to be royalty.
Well, then, let’s cut the preliminaries short and get to the point.
He looked far too old to be the current king.
Moreover, even his voice carried an unmistakable aura of absolute authority, the kind that belonged only to someone from the royal bloodline.
In that case, there was only one possibility that made sense.
To be honest, I was hoping it was wrong, and that I was mistaken.
The man standing behind me had to be extraordinary.
“…No way. Wait, what? Why would he be here? I’ve scoured every record of the academy’s history, and there’s never been a single mention of such a figure appearing at the academic festival!”
Thinking back on it, not even a single incident had ever disrupted the academy’s order.
This had to mean he had slipped in without anyone noticing.
Just the sight of his arrival should have forced every visitor to bow their heads in silence.
Yet here he was, surrounded by complete silence, as though the entire academy itself had been ordered to be still.
As I cursed under my breath and turned sharply, the two noble lords quickly dropped to one knee.
“Hold it right there.”
But the man raised his hand, stopping them.
“His Majesty the king of Lebechia is still at the palace. Your knees are reserved for His Majesty alone. What you are doing now looks as though you intend to rebel against royal authority.”
“N-no! We would never! It’s impossible!”
“Enough. It’s fortunate you haven’t noticed yet. The protagonists of today’s festival stand upon the dais—talented young men. I am nothing more than an old man who has stepped aside.”
At those words, the two lords’ knees bent, only to straighten immediately.
Instead, they bent their waists as deeply as possible and offered the deepest possible bow before the man standing before them.
“…Very well. That should be sufficient understanding for His Majesty.”
The man turned slightly and looked at me.
In those piercing eyes was a flash of something that made anyone who met his gaze feel both fear and reverence.
For a moment it felt as though I had been tossed into the middle of a winter snowstorm, stripped naked.
“An exceptionally interesting young man.”
“…?”
“You haven’t seen me before, yet you speak as though you already know everything.”
True. As the man had said, I had never laid eyes on him.
When I was passed the throne, I was still a mere ten-year-old child.
I knew the world, but I had never accompanied my father to the palace.
Of course, I had never had the chance to meet the legendary, terrifying king of Lebechia.
And I had assumed that opportunity would never come…
“Grover Rogan von Haniel, Wigna Kant von Crescent.”
“Yes, Your… Hrk.”
“Shall we walk together? I have something I wish to say to the two of you as well.”
The lords immediately agreed without a moment’s hesitation.
Because of that, even Rie, who had been quietly standing beside them, grew visibly uneasy.
The man glanced at her for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“Is this your daughter, Marquis Haniel?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“It seems the girl is destined to become Lebechia’s most powerful sword. Hmm, how impressive. At her young age, she already possesses such skill. His Majesty must be blessed indeed.”
As he chuckled, the man beckoned to Rie.
“You will come with us too, won’t you?”
Rie looked uncertain for a moment before answering yes.
The three of us—Rie, the two lords, and I—fell into step behind the man, following the path of the one who had once been the absolute ruler of Lebechia and the very terror of the nobility.
“You said your name is Lucian, correct?”
As we reached the vast academy garden, an especially quiet spot, the man called my name.
He gestured, and I hurried forward to stand at his side.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“I do.”
“Really? Then I shall ask. Who am I?”
“The former king of Lebechia, the man who once held the throne.”
“The king is spoken of as one. Since I have descended from that position, you may address me by name without fear of offense. So let me ask again. Who am I?”
“…Your Highness, Ruhart Edan Hal Palasia.”
Yes. Ruhart Edan Hal Palasia.
The man standing beside me was the former king of Lebechia.
A man who had seized the throne not by birthright but through blood purification and his own strength.
An absolute ruler who had annihilated seven noble families and instilled fear of the Palasia bloodline into the nobility itself.
Now he dressed like a venerable old man, yet even holding a sword in his hand, he could have suppressed any knight with a single laugh.
“Ah…”
The name Ruhart Edan Hal Palasia reached Rie’s ears.
She let out a small sigh and quickly clapped a hand over her mouth.
The two lords now stood with heads bowed to the ground, their faces tense, waiting for whatever word would emerge from the former king’s lips.
“Are you not afraid of me?”
“…?”
“You don’t seem afraid.”
“I am.”
“Oh? In my eyes, you do not look afraid. Perhaps you are lying?”
“I am not. As I said, it is indeed terrifying. But I know that you, Your Highness, do not punish without reason. I have never brought even a single speck of dirt upon this Lebechia, yet I am still able to stand here with such boldness.”
People like me were exceptionally skilled at reading others.
Especially one who had once stood at the pinnacle of absolute power and had seized it through his own ability.
If I lowered my head too much before him, it would only diminish his interest and breed disappointment.
As I always had done, I would simply remain unafraid while remaining keenly aware of my place and never crossing the line.
I was not the kind of noble who had insulted the royal family like those seven families of the past, nor was there any need to be afraid.
And it was not just any person; the man before me was Ruhart Edan Hal Palasia, the one who had directly mentioned my name.
That alone meant there was a reason, so there was no cause for fear.
“…?”
The former king of Lebechia stroked his chin thoughtfully, studying me closely.
After several minutes, he muttered in a passing tone.
“…Not bad for a youth who claims to be building a family.”
“Pardon?”
“No. Just a casual remark, Lucian Theodore von Deodore. Pay it no mind.”
The former king’s words finished, he immediately gestured for Count Crescent to come forward.
The count approached in a hurry.
Even before the Marquis of Haniel, he had always carried himself with an edge as a noble.
But facing the very ‘Ruhart Edan Hal Palasia’—the terror of the nobility—made it only natural that he would bow his head deeply.
“Wigna Kant von Crescent.”
“Yes, yes. I am listening.”
“I am no longer the king of this Lebechia. To involve myself in His Majesty’s affairs would be nothing less than striking at the authority I myself established. How could I offer advice to His Majesty? Am I not right?”
“Y-yes.”
“Indeed. Yet as a father, I may offer at least minimal counsel to my son. For instance, one must never allow the slightest whisper of a woman to sway one’s heart and cause deviation. I am sure His Majesty would approve.”
There had been rumors that the Crescent family was receiving excessive praise from His Majesty because they believed the marquisate’s daughter was loved by the king.
It seemed the former king was pointing out exactly that matter.
“I do not wish to interfere with what my son or my daughter-in-law do. But if something strange begins to swirl around them, a father’s heart will burn with anger. Do you not agree?”
…Good grief. Even I, who was not even involved, felt a chill run down my spine.
In other words, the message the former king wished to convey was this.
I know that the woman of your family is in a loving relationship with my son.
I have no intention of commenting on that matter, but if anyone tries to use it—
Then naturally, I must act.
And if the man before me truly did, I could already imagine the chaos that would follow.
He was the one who had personally executed his own brother.
A great king who loved the people of the kingdom and cherished every inch of Lebechia.
Yet he was also the one who hated anything that threatened the Palasia bloodline and the kingdom itself.
“Wigna Kant von Crescent.”
His voice dropped so low it sent chills down the listener’s spine.
Was this even something a man past sixty could speak in such a tone?
Even though I knew the source of that lethal aura was not me, my heart pounded so hard I could not even glance sideways.
Slam.
The former king stepped closer to the Count of Crescent.
Then, slowly reaching out, he lightly grasped the count’s shoulder.
In the next instant, his voice whispered a single sentence that would be seared into the bones of the noble before him until the moment of death.
“Do well.”
“…?”
“Conduct yourself properly.”
“I-I shall. I swear it.”
Even the Crescent family was a respected noble house.
Yet the former king treated its head as though he were training a puppy.
Watching those eyes that seemed to radiate coldness, I unconsciously swallowed the dry lump in my throat.
“Enough. You may go.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the count seemed to have completely forgotten that he had anything left to say to me.
He bowed deeply and fled as if running.
“Well then, Lucian. Shall we continue our conversation?”
And so, once again, I found myself forced to speak with that terrifying man.