Solitary Confinement Again
Iria Astravel.
She was the Fourth Imperial Princess of the Solitaire Empire who appeared in Solitaire Chronicle.
Of course, by the time of the original story she had already been pushed out of the line of succession and exiled to the frontier, so there wasn't much information on her to begin with.
They kept going on about how ridiculously pretty she was, right?
Her beauty had been the talk of every gossip circle that mattered—enough that she ranked among the candidates for the most beautiful woman in the entire empire.
The webtoon had drawn every member of the imperial family as handsome or gorgeous, sure.
But facing her like this is something else entirely.
There was a world of difference between looking at a flat 2D drawing and seeing the real thing brought to life in this actual world.
The corner of Iria's lips curved into a soft smile.
"This place isn't suitable for conversation. Allow me to show you to the reception room."
"There's a reception room in the dormitory?"
"It was built with imperial donations."
Ethan's eyes widened slightly.
"I thought there was no special treatment, but the imperial family does get privileges after all."
"It isn't like that. The budget was allocated for it as a public facility from the start."
"Hmm."
Ethan's heart pounded.
After rotting in that dust-pit of an annex at the goddamn Ruby Dormitory… this is the first time I'm heading to anything clean.
No matter how prestigious Thief Academy was supposed to be, and no matter how good the dorm facilities allegedly were—
It was still basically medieval fantasy.
You could throw money at the problem all day long and still not stop the rats or the smell.
Though the original work did include plumbing and flush toilets, probably because reflecting medieval authenticity too hard would have driven every last fan away.
Living in the dorm annex had left him with more than a few disappointments.
That was a big reason he'd demanded the club building before the entrance exam.
The untouched dorms were cleaner than the ones people actually lived in, if anything.
But the imperial family had renovated a dorm like that?
This was definitely something to look forward to.
"Let's go. Lead the way."
"Understood. This way, please."
Ethan and the princess boarded the monorail.
"…What's with you? Sera Barakin."
Standing in front of them, Sera was trembling with a sulky look on her face.
"You two go by yourselves!"
"Oh my, jealousy? How cute, Sera."
"It's not that!"
Of course, Sera sulked off and took a different monorail in the opposite direction, so they couldn't go together.
What is this?
"You said the imperial family invested, didn't you?"
The Topaz Dormitory Ethan and the princess arrived at.
Its reception room was more shabby than expected.
Iria wore a faintly sad expression.
"Well… there are some circumstances."
I looked around.
This is just a slightly expensive Adventurers' Guild inn.
There were pricey oil lamps and shelves of parchment books here and there, but overall the place had been put together with wood, giving it a modest, almost plain impression.
If a fire broke out, we'd burn to death in an instant.
Ethan desperately managed his expression.
"Still better than my dorm, though."
That much was true.
The annex didn't even have hot water right now.
Without the hot water the senior female students of Ruby Dormitory's main building voluntarily hauled over, he couldn't even shower.
"My apologies."
But the princess was quick on the uptake.
"The amount of imperial gold coins I paid Student Ethan to secure entry into the dormitory this time was considerable… so it is nothing special."
"…"
Ahem.
I did milk the princess for quite a bit.
Honestly, it was an amount that made me anxious just storing it in the dorm for fear of theft.
I'd auctioned the dorm entry tickets to the students this time.
Slightly exaggerating, it was enough money to buy a small-to-medium trading company from a frontier kingdom.
But… is my money even safe right now?
Word had spread among the students, so I kept moving the location of the treasures.
Well… it is a school for thieves.
I was always anxious about when it might get stolen.
That money was for outfitting myself to take on the imperial palace later.
It absolutely could not be stolen.
As if sensing Ethan's thoughts, the princess chuckled and spoke.
"Do you by any chance need an Adventurers' Guild vault?"
Ethan felt a flicker of surprise at that insight.
"Hmm…"
I wondered whether I should say I needed it or not.
Negotiation principle number one.
Never tell the other party what you want.
Make them give it to you first.
"Having one would be nice, I suppose."
As Ethan stroked his chin, the princess chuckled again.
"You're not very good at lying."
"Well… think what you want."
"I shall provide the Imperial Seventh Vault free of charge."
Ethan nearly stood up from his seat in shock.
A familiar term had come up.
The Seventh Vault.
This vault should be quite close to the imperial center, right?
The empire's imperial family had such vast territory and wealth that they held their money divided among the central empire proper and surrounding allied nations.
It was convenient to think of it like the geniuses at the National Pension Service who invest the national budget overseas to grow it, though they weren't quite that skilled at investment—the structure was similar enough.
And the Seventh Vault is the one the high-ranking imperial members use the most among them.
Perhaps I could even find traces of the Emperor's Imperial Seal there.
I nodded slightly while remaining seated to express my gratitude.
"I'll use it gratefully."
"Think nothing of it."
"But if I simply accept this with no compensation at all, as a scion of the Cass family I'll clearly be laughed at."
Ethan moved a little closer to the princess.
"Hmm?"
She tilted her head up slightly with interest.
Ethan whispered against her ear.
"Do you want something?"
The princess leaned in toward his ear in turn.
"May I tell you later?"
Ethan leaned back against the wooden chair.
"I don't care for women who play hard to get."
"Play hard to get… is that some kind of… molasses?"
"It's nothing."
Ethan looked out the window.
It was still afternoon, with the artificial sun hanging in the sky.
He was busy as it was,
and he needed to communicate as much as possible with the princess from a different dorm while he could.
"Iria Astravel."
"Yes~?"
"Do you have time right now?"
She chuckled and took out what looked like a high-quality tea set from the cupboard.
"For our Student Ethan, as much as you like."
Ethan decided to extract information while pretending to fall for her.
Unlike the empire's other academies, Thief Academy's dormitory system could be called rather unique.
They did not sort students into dorms from the first day of admission.
The usual academy-story cliché of dorms—
Sorting by personality and tendency
—they simply did not do.
"Isn't that only natural?"
"What is?"
"So many people failed the entrance exam."
Besides the entrance exam held on this Thief Academy campus, countless entrance exams had been held at the frontiers and various bases throughout this vast cave.
And there honestly weren't many surviving students.
"I was honestly quite surprised they said they were selling dorm entry tickets."
"Isn't that natural?"
"There's never been a case like that in Thief Academy history."
"Then what happens to the remaining dorm entry tickets that aren't sold?"
"They expire."
Ethan continued the conversation a little further.
"…By the way, Iria Astravel."
"You can just call me Iria."
"Is it alright to tell someone you're not close with about the imperial family's internal affairs like this?"
Iria smiled as she traced her index finger around the rim of the teacup.
"Are we~ not close?"
"…"
Ethan was choosing his words inside.
1. Imperial family types can stab you in the back anytime, so I can't get close.
2. If you're from Thief Academy you'll all end up as her flunkies anyway—hanging out friendly makes you a maid, not a friend.
3. Women who trust their faces and shoot their mouths off—I've never met a reliable thief like that.
4. Do you like me?
Ethan chose the fifth option.
"The tea's gone cold. I'll be heading back."
"Oh my?"
He quietly stood and left the reception room.
"Thanks for the talk. It cleared up my curiosity nicely."
"Anytime, if it's a request from Student Ethan."
"I'll send the gold coins for the vault the day after tomorrow."
Iria gazed at Ethan's teacup, which hadn't been emptied at all.
"…Hmm."
Then she whistled, and a thief who had been using stealth techniques melted out of a corner of the reception room.
"Shall I follow him?"
"Leave him be."
"I can't just leave that rude fellow alone. How dare he treat the princess—"
"I said leave him."
"My apologies for the discourtesy."
Iria set the teacup down with a sharp clack.
"Good work. You may go."
"Yes. For the princess."
The female thief melted into the shadows.
Iria rested her chin on her hand as she watched Ethan growing distant through the window.
"Let's see how long you can keep hiding your identity."
Her eyes, catching the sunset light, gleamed golden.
"Ethan oppa?"
Ethan had a gut feeling.
The princess knew who I was from the start, didn't she?
He'd been uncertain, but her attitude had changed the moment the vault talk came up midway through.
I don't know why she's helping me, though.
Frankly, if he played dumb, even the crown prince would have no way of knowing who he was.
The empire couldn't casually interfere with Thief Academy, and what would they arrest him with?
It wasn't as if he walked around with a bloodline certificate.
The Cass family had always been a third-rate noble house stuck in a rural backwater that never came out.
Are those guys even really barons?
He'd heard that kind of talk more than once or twice since he was little.
Money kept coming from somewhere, so he used to think they had a gold mine at home or something.
That money pipeline had cut off around the time he turned fifteen, though.
"Anyway, I got a vault, so that's one less worry."
He didn't know why the princess was so interested in him,
"I'll just use it to my advantage."
Honestly, he wasn't worried at all.
That unique honey trap of hers somehow didn't work on him either.
He even wondered if he was impotent or something.
"Hmm. If there's a urology or psychiatry clinic nearby, I'd like a consultation."
As if there'd be something like that in a pseudo-proper medieval fantasy setting.
Though there were electric chairs powered by magic, sure.
As he was walking toward the monorail station—
"Ethan-ssi."
Iska flew over from afar.
"Long time no see, Iska Aelos."
"Yes, long time no see…"
Ethan was inwardly glad to see Iska, whom he hadn't run into in class the whole time.
Even if she'd decided to become a thief, she was an angel half-blood.
At least she wouldn't have a rotten heart like a thief, he thought.
"How's Sapphire Dorm?"
"Well… everyone's treating me well, so it's fine."
"Caion isn't bullying you?"
Iska brought up something unexpected.
"He was praising me as a warrior who doesn't fear death?"
Come to think of it, this girl revives three days after dying, right?
"Don't tell me you were the student who volunteered to be the target for the professor's dagger throws in throwing class?"
"That's… right? I said it would be easier to understand by getting hit directly."
"You're insane."
Iska wasn't normal either.
"…Anyway, that Caion guy is a sly thief, so don't trust him too much."
"But Ethan-ssi, you're a thief too…"
"I'm not a thief."
"Well… okay…"
He'd wondered whether an angel half-blood would adapt well to that rough dorm atmosphere, but Iska seemed to be doing fine at Sapphire Dorm.
Glad the classmates seem fine.
"So what brings you all the way here?"
Iska hemmed and hawed before finally managing to speak.
"Um, the principal said… you need to go into solitary confinement."
"Right now?"
"Yes."
"…"
Before he knew it, Iska was holding a glowing madman mushroom in her right hand.
"Uh… hands up, don't move?"
"…"
Ethan learned anew today that not all angel half-bloods are kind.
"Princesses and angels alike, nothing but thieves preparing to stab me in the back."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Do what you have to do."
Iska pattered over and cuffed Ethan's hands behind his back.
"Iska."
"No matter how much you appeal as a teammate, no means no, Ethan-ssi."
"It's not that, Iska."
Ethan muttered quietly.
"I have something I need to do right now. If you let me go now, I'll give you…"
"I don't take bribes. My family has plenty of money."
"Tch."
Ethan flew through the sky meekly, held by Iska.
There was no avoiding Donovan's eyes on campus anyway.
Solitary confinement was somewhere he'd have to go eventually, so maybe this was for the better.
Better to go in while he had free time like this…
If he got thrown in solitary when there were classes, it would be an unexcused absence for sure.
"Iska."
"Yes, Ethan-ssi."
"Ruby Dorm isn't in this direction?"
Iska flapped her wings.
"Principal Donovan said Student Ethan can pick locks and escape, so we're going to Sapphire Dorm."
Sapphire Dorm was where Caion was.
Don't tell me this kid's coming to kill me?
"Uh… don't worry. Caion-ssi is probably training in dagger techniques during the day, so he won't come to mess with you."
Ethan raised his head.
"Does that mean he'll come mess with me in the evening?"
"Hmm… he was looking forward to it?"
"…"
Ethan pondered how he could hit someone beyond the iron bars with both hands bound.
And he succeeded.
"Hey Ethan, if you lick my feet I'll give you a piece of cheese…"
"Fuck off."
Ethan picked up a stone in a bizarre posture and flung it through the bars.
Thwack!
"Aaaagh, you crazy bastard!"
"That's what you get for teasing a classmate, Caion."
"How the hell did you do that?!"
One more time.
Crack!
"This bastard hasn't even learned throwing techniques, how is he throwing—!"
"Wanna keep trying?"
"Just you wait, Ethan!! Fall back!"
"Yes, Lord Caion…! Ugh…!"
The stretching he'd done day and night in his past life had paid off.
"Heheh."
Ethan watched the backs of the fleeing Caion and his group with satisfaction.
Then his gaze fell on the solitary cell wall.
"Hm?"
There were traces on the stone wall that looked like they'd been slashed with a dagger.
Ethan quietly stood and scanned the wall.
Traces of a master felt from the wall.
"These sword marks… definitely not student level. Who left something like this on a solitary cell wall?"
Fog was slowly rising from under his feet.