Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Episode 5
Immediately after Oz crossed the border, some of the mages, belatedly realizing this, began to murmur. A few of them even started to cast spells.
"Huff... Huff..."
Oz simply watched the scene, breathing heavily. He struggled to breathe, but it wasn't a physical issue. It was the chilling encounter with the girl moments ago.
'How was she there? Why did she let me go? What did she mean by "march"?'
Oz replayed the recent events in his mind, endlessly raising questions, as if confused. Nothing made sense.
He was still tense from confronting the border.
"Gentlemen of Spellerge. Surely you don't intend to fire those threatening spells into Helios Empire territory, do you?"
As Oz gasped for breath, a calm voice came from behind him. Oz subtly curled up the corners of his lips at the sound. At least for this moment, there was nothing to worry about.
"...Cease."
The man who appeared to be the leader of the Spellerge attackers ordered his spell-casting subordinates to stop in a low voice. His expression was creased in annoyance.
"Of course, they wouldn't dare declare war against the Empire."
"How brazen."
Black hair that reached her waist, and a black tail swaying between her legs. Her ears were hidden by her military cap, but they were surely the beastly ears characteristic of the demi-humans.
Oz, activating [Contemplation] and looking up at her, saw her identity appear as a string of text in his vision. An SR-rank character from the Empire's intelligence agency, Tenebris, with fitting red cat eyes.
[SR Mingling Cat]
Lucia Punisher
She folded her arms and issued a warning. Behind her, dozens of Imperial soldiers had already gathered.
"That man is a criminal of our Spellerge...!"
"Of Spellerge? And who might this fellow be?"
Lucia aimed her pistol at the mage who shouted indignantly at her and asked in return. A rare smirk played on her usually expressionless face.
Seeing this, the man who seemed to be the leader stepped forward and confronted Lucia. The two glared at each other across the border line.
"He is a criminal who committed a serious offense in Spellerge."
"Oh, really? He doesn't look like such a bad guy to me."
"...You know who he is, don't you? This isn't something even the Empire can easily overlook."
Oz was a central figure in the nation. They couldn't risk the leakage of confidential information if they lost him.
"Well? I don't really know. Perhaps you could tell me what would happen if we didn't overlook it?"
"That's...!"
The leader of the attackers started to shout, but then stopped abruptly. They couldn't be this unreasonable. It was clear they were aware of Oz's situation beforehand.
"We have a policy of accepting asylum seekers regardless of their status. If you have complaints...why don't you file a formal protest with the Empire?"
It was ridiculous logic. However, now that Oz had crossed the border, the Empire held the advantage. If they missed him here, any further negotiations would be useless; Oz would be long gone.
'And the Empire will just offer an insincere apology.'
It was a common occurrence. The coercion only the strongest nation in the world could afford. However, even he couldn't back down this time. The target was too important. Losing him would be a loss in itself.
"Then I'll prove it with the unique mana signature of a mage... No, wait... Don't tell me...?"
The leader of the attackers desperately tried to come up with a solution, but was once again speechless. All mages belonging to Spellerge left a mana signature, like a fingerprint. Even the [Mage King] was no exception.
But he hadn't intended to use that to prove Oz's identity. It was a stalling tactic. They wouldn't accept it no matter what he did. If a high-ranking official from Spellerge arrived at the border in the meantime, there might be room for negotiation.
But even that was impossible.
Seeing this, Lucia smirked and said, "I've been watching, but he didn't use magic even once while breaking through the encirclement."
Oz hadn't used magic even once while crossing the border. Not only could they not stall by analyzing his mana signature, they couldn't even claim he was a mage.
"Perhaps he's not even a mage? Then what are you trying to prove?"
"Th-That's!"
"Nothing? Then we'll take custody of this 'civilian' for now."
"...Damn it."
Clap clap clap clap--
"Oh... As expected of Oz. I wondered why he broke through empty-handed, but there was a reason."
At that moment, the red-haired girl who had been watching the situation from behind clapped and smiled. She was clapping with genuine admiration.
Everyone present felt a strange sense of unease and stared at the girl.
'Who is she...?'
Yes, everyone felt it. No one there knew the girl's identity. Not even the Spellerge attackers.
"Hee hee."
The most out-of-place girl in the scene waved at Oz. Oz felt an inexplicable chill and waved back, as if he was compelled to.
"Well then, I'll be going now. I have a lot to do. If you have any last words for this boy, now's the time."
"...I'll pass."
Lucia smirked again and confidently escorted Oz away.
I was lucky. Yes, I couldn't think of it as anything but luck.
The reason I didn't use magic wasn't some grand scheme to avoid leaving traces. I simply thought it was better to trust my relatively functional legs than to draw attention with [Mana Dominator], which could produce any kind of magic.
I would have used proper magic if I could. I ran relying solely on my physical abilities because I couldn't.
Of course, even if I had used magic there, the Empire would likely have decided to take me in, but I couldn't be optimistic. My value to the Empire would have decreased.
"I was honestly surprised by this incident. You're different from what I heard, Prince Oz."
"..."
Inside the carriage heading to the Empire, Lucia spoke to me with her arms crossed, as if she had just had an amusing experience.
"I never imagined the 'Oz' of the rumors would run at full speed, rolling on the ground no less, instead of using magic."
"...If I had done something predictable, I would have been caught."
Even though it was unintentional, it was better to make it seem like I had planned it. Even though the Empire had decided to accept me for now, being underestimated wouldn't be beneficial. It was best to raise my value as much as possible.
Arriving in the Empire wasn't the end. I was still walking a tightrope. If I made a mistake and my value dropped, I would be abandoned.
"Indeed. But given your personality, I thought you would definitely break through head-on."
"Really? Then I must have been a good actor."
"Hmm..."
Lucia looked at me suspiciously. I wasn't confident in my poker face, but it was alright.
[Contemplation - Activated]
As soon as I activated [Contemplation], Lucia flinched. It worked.
She was pretending to be nonchalant, but her tail was twitching nervously. A characteristic of cat demi-humans.
"If you think you know everything about me with just that, I'm a little... disappointed."
"...Alright, I admit it."
It was cheesy, but this was good. Oz's expression when [Contemplation] was activated was quite intimidating. It wasn't that he looked mean, but his gaze felt like it was piercing through everything.
The point was, looking impressive was important.
"S-So, what are you going to do now? It goes without saying, but we can't hide your existence forever unless you officially become a member of the Empire."
Lucia crossed her legs as well, continuing to speak. However, her twitching tail betrayed her lack of composure.
"Uh, hmm!"
Lucia finally seemed to realize that my gaze had been fixed on her tail. She quietly unfolded her arms and began to massage her stiff tail to calm it down. She didn't forget to glare at me in the process.
But wasn't this a rare sight? And I wasn't about to give up my hard-earned advantage so easily. I wouldn't back down.
"Wh-Why is it doing this?"
A sense of urgency emanated from her as she touched her tail, seemingly unable to control her own body.
"L-Look... your gaze..."
Right, I had asserted my dominance enough. It was time to avert my gaze for the sake of her pride and get down to business.
"...I plan to go to Scientia."
"Scientia? Why? You don't intend to become a professor, do you? Or are you planning to play student?"
"If necessary, yes."
"If necessary? That implies there's something more..."
It was the best option for me right now. If I went to the academy, I could learn proper magic. I already had the magical knowledge, so it wouldn't take long. Moreover, the protagonist, the [Princess of the Ruined Kingdom], was there.
I wasn't planning to follow the original story exactly, but if the protagonist died, it would be a straight path to destruction. I needed to observe her closely and provide support.
And lastly, even the original Oz had headed to the academy. There must have been a reason why he chose that place instead of seeking full asylum in the Empire.
I didn't know the game's ending. I had fallen into the game on the day of the 15th chapter update. All I knew was that the game couldn't be cleared without the original protagonist's power, and that Oz had died in the game.
"A letter of recommendation..."
"I'd appreciate it if you..."
"No, it won't be necessary. With your abilities, you wouldn't need a letter of recommendation."
"R-Right. I don't need one."
I wanted one, but considering my current stance, it wasn't a good idea. The Empire was favorable towards me now, but that favor could turn into a debt I'd have to repay later.
"Then, for the sake of our future amicable relationship, we'll ensure your safe passage to Scientia."
"You'll have to go to Scientia anyway, so don't act like you're doing me a favor."
"What...?"
As a game character, she was bound to be involved with the protagonist. When I said that, knowing this fact, Lucia stared at me blankly with a surprised expression. Her ears twitched on top of her military cap, along with her tail. She seemed quite shocked.
"...I can't let my guard down. How did you obtain such information?"
"I just know."
"You're not telling me?"
I really did just know. But there was no need to correct her misunderstanding. I didn't even know how to correct it.
"If you're from Tenebris, you should be able to find out yourself. I'm going to sleep now. Wake me up when we arrive."
"...Very well."
Frankly, sleeping was a bluff. I wasn't brave enough to sleep peacefully in this situation. But my body seemed to be quite tired, surprisingly.
I slept soundly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After going to the Imperial residence and finishing the tedious questioning, I was secretly brought to the western part of the Empire. Spellerge hadn't made any further moves yet. It made sense. With the neighboring Chrysos Kingdom collapsing overnight, they probably had other things to worry about.
"It certainly is different."
While every nation was in a state of emergency due to the sky's collapse and the overnight fall of Chrysos, only Scientia, an independent institution located in the western region of the Empire, maintained a peaceful atmosphere.
"...So, this is the city where the [Dragon Emperor] resides?"
Scientia was ruled by Tiamat, the [Dragon Emperor], one of only five dragons in the world, who served as the headmaster of the academy. Now that I was here, I understood. There was no need to activate [Contemplation]. Just looking at the Scientia campus, I could feel the tingling mana.
It was an absurd magical barrier. Did it rain meteors here instead of water?
"Phew..."
It was reassuring to be under her protection, but considering the game's story, I couldn't be completely optimistic. The collapse of the sky wasn't something even a dragon could take lightly.
She, who had mostly stayed within the academy, would also start venturing out more frequently to investigate the truth. And the enemies would be waiting for that moment. That's how the game began.
"Let's get moving."
I stopped looking at the campus and headed towards the reception desk. I had deliberately sought the Empire's protection and timed it with the entrance exam period. Well, it was still like sitting on pins and needles.
I couldn't help it, since I hadn't completely escaped the threat of assassins yet. I was fine for now, but it wouldn't take long for them to prepare another assassin to attack me.
Being deeply involved with the Empire wasn't ideal, but without any other power, I had no choice but to rely on them for now.
"We have a lot of applicants this year."
"It can't be helped."
The receptionists were probably talking about the collapsed sky. Scientia was currently considered one of the safest places. It was no wonder people were flocking here.
"I'm here to apply for the exam."
"Ah..."
When my turn came, I slightly lowered the hood I was wearing and spoke. Murmurs erupted around me. Oz's appearance was too striking. As an SSR-rank character, he looked fittingly extraordinary.
I didn't dislike this attention. It was rather enjoyable.
"Isn't he that guy?"
"I heard rumors he escaped Spellerge..."
Some of them recognized me. After all, Scientia was a place where nobles outnumbered commoners. There were bound to be people who recognized my face.
"...The exam is in three days."
The receptionist handed me an examination slip with a rather indifferent expression. They must have checked the information I wrote, so they couldn't be unaware of my identity. This indifference was probably their way of avoiding making a scene.
"Next applicant, please."
"Ah, yes!"
As I was leaving the reception area, I heard a familiar voice. A voice I had heard countless times while playing the game.
"..."
"Excuse me? Could you please move?"
"Oh, sure. My apologies."
I quietly stepped aside, glancing at the person passing by me. Bluish silver hair, tinged with blue, swayed at shoulder length. Her eyes were a deep sapphire blue, and her steps were confident.
Thankfully, she existed.
"Yes! My name is Noah!"
"You don't have to shout. You can just write it here..."
"Okay! I will. Do I write it here?"
A girl who was trying to maintain her spirit despite losing everything, including her country, just a short while ago. The key holder who was using the blatant alias "Noah." A Key Person, cent
ral to the story.
[KP Princess of the Ruined Kingdom]
Eleanor von Chrysos
[Contemplation] etched text at the edge of my vision, confirming her identity.
"Is this correct?"
"Ah, yes..."
Although it was just a brief encounter, I had finally confirmed the existence of the game's protagonist.