The Disciplinary Committee (2)
"That concludes today's lesson. Reviewing the material is up to you, but I trust that a proud student of the Imperial Academy will make wise choices for their own future. Dismissed."
The moment class ended, Hershey Minerva sprang from her seat and slipped out of the classroom with quick, purposeful strides. Her destination, of course, was Delin's Lake.
I passed Magical Zoology too, so I should have plenty of free time now.
Magicians were a breed acutely sensitive to time. They utterly despised being made to invest it in anything unnecessary — which was precisely why the so-called Pass System had been created. The subjects every magician was expected to know were bundled together as mandatory courses, and the system allowed students to clear them early through proficiency testing. After all, teaching a student material they already knew was a loss for the student and the professor alike.
Beyond Magical Zoology, Hershey had also passed Magical Mathematics and Magical Engineering. Less than a month after her placement in the Expert class, she had cleared three of the mandatory subjects.
Her natural aptitude had certainly backed her up, but it was, without question, the fruit of relentless effort.
Under normal circumstances, Hershey would never have bothered striving for the exams. It wasn't as though clearing the courses early would free her up for anything else.
But things were different now. She had grown greedy — greedy for more time with Luid. For that one desire alone, she had pushed herself with an effort that surprised even her, passing all three subjects.
It was a secret she could never breathe a word of — one that belonged to Hershey and Hershey alone.
"I wonder if he's napping again today?"
Hershey smiled to herself. Simply imagining Luid asleep was enough to bring the smile out.
The concentration of mana thickened with every step, and soon the familiar scenery unfolded before her — a vast lake saturated with mana, its waters gleaming emerald. Delin's Lake.
"Lui—"
She had assumed, naturally, that he would be sleeping again today. Her steps stopped short. What she saw today was unmistakably different.
"I command thee."
A golden magic circle blazed on the ground — runes and mana arrays the likes of which she had never once seen before.
"Thy body shall rest beneath me; my fate shall rest upon thy blade."
Luid stood before the circle, right arm outstretched, chanting. The light of the circle swelled brighter and brighter.
"I am the one who forges all righteousness for eternity; I am the one who crushes all evil for eternity."
Those are no ordinary incantations...!
Hershey swallowed hard.
"By the will of the Holy Grail, if this wish and this truth be righteous — answer me, Guardian of the Scales!"
The instant Luid's chant ended, a blinding burst of light erupted outward. Hershey instinctively shielded her eyes.
The light gradually dimmed, and she felt the heavy mana that had saturated the air thin out dramatically.
Hershey slowly opened her eyes.
Standing atop the magic circle was a blonde knight-maiden bearing an ornate sword. The sight of her carried beauty and an overwhelming, oppressive grandeur in equal measure.
"I ask thee."
The blue-eyed girl spoke in a low, level voice, gazing down at Luid with cold, measured eyes.
Hershey could scarcely believe the scene unfolding before her own eyes. Because that blonde knight-maiden was—
"Art thou my Boss?"
Amelia!
"Ah, Sis."
"E-eh?"
"Not Boss — Master. How many times do I have to tell you before it sticks?"
Luid grumbled, his face full of complaint. Amelia slipped her sword away with an awkward expression.
"The lines are just too hard."
"It's only two lines. Mine are harder."
Amelia scratched her head. The oppressive aura from moments ago had vanished without a trace, replaced by a hopelessly sheepish look.
Wearing a bemused smile, Hershey walked over.
...The only person in the whole world who can handle Lady Amelia like that is Luid.
Noticing Hershey, Luid asked, "You're here early today."
"And you're one to talk, Luid — you seem to be... doing something rather unusual today."
Hershey laughed awkwardly. Amelia, realizing she'd been watched the whole time, flushed a shade of red.
She cleared her throat and waved a hand through the air. The armor dissolved, and she returned to her usual uniform.
"Lady Hershey. You've come to visit again today. It gladdens me to see you keeping my little brother such frequent company."
Amelia dropped to one knee and lowered her eyes to the ground — a knight's formal salute.
"I-it is I who am honored."
Hershey extended her hand, and Amelia took it as she rose.
Being saluted by a knight was only proper, but honestly, it made Hershey uncomfortable when it was Amelia doing it. That was why she always tried to arrive as quickly as possible — with Luid present, his little sister would defer to him first, and a simple nod of the head could take the salute's place.
Still, she couldn't show it. If she asked Amelia not to salute her, it would amount to saying, you are not yet a true knight. Declining a knight's salute was a grave insult. Hershey caught herself reflecting on the very thought she'd just had.
"So — what exactly were the two of you doing just now?"
Hershey asked out of pure, innocent curiosity.
"Ah, I was simply playing with my little brother for a while."
Amelia Windsor. The truth was, she was a maxed-out, veteran parent.
"Like... a game of make-believe?"
"Yes. Luid is still young, you see. His demands have grown rather sophisticated lately, which keeps me on my toes — but what can you do? He's my one and only little brother."
Amelia beamed with pride as she ruffled Luid's hair.
Oh, for heaven's sake.
Luid hated being treated like a toddler. But since Amelia had granted his every request, he decided to let it slide.
"Aha."
Hershey's curiosity was satisfied. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Luid.
So this is how he always played when he was back at House Windsor.
She'd learned one more fact about Luid. When Luid got bored, he played pretend with Amelia. Noted.
"Oh, right — Sis."
Midway through reenacting an anime from his past life, Luid remembered something he'd forgotten to ask.
"That favor I asked you about? Did you find anything out?"
Investigations fell under the jurisdiction of the knights. And the Academy placed heavy emphasis on practical training. Consequently, most incidents that occurred within the Academy were handled by the Swordsmanship Club — and Amelia was the commander of its investigative inspectorate.
Luid had asked her to find out how Catherine's disciplinary hearing turned out.
"...It's supposed to be confidential, normally."
Strict though she was about rules, Amelia had a soft spot where Luid was concerned. She let out a small sigh and spoke as though she had no other choice.
"The Disciplinary Committee convenes today. The verdict's already been decided."
"It's already decided?"
"Yes. The Headmaster intervened, you see. Word is, our side only conducted a token investigation."
Luid thought of Headmaster Clifford — a man remarkably friendly toward the protagonist's group.
"So what's the verdict?"
"Expulsion. And I doubt anyone can overturn this decision. He was absolutely uncompromising."
Luid's eyes went wide. Hershey, by contrast, looked as if she'd expected nothing less. She had no inside information about the Headmaster, but she understood perfectly well what it meant to cross House Windsor.
"...Expulsion?"
"He dared lay a hand on my little brother. Of course. Even without the Headmaster's decision, I would have stepped in myself."
Amelia's eyes went ice-cold.
"If she'd fallen under the Swordsmanship Club's jurisdiction, I'd have made sure she never used her arms again."
Gentle as she was by nature, where Luid was concerned there were lines Amelia simply would not forgive.
What do I do about this?
Luid was in a bind.
Granted, part of him wanted to agree with the decision, truly.
But Catherine hadn't become the main heroine for nothing.
That filthy temper of hers showed its true worth whenever Justin found himself cornered.
Most nobles took one look at Catherine's shameless antics, thought something like ugh, how does she even live with herself??, and wanted nothing to do with her.
Which made her an ironclad partner for Justin, whose very status as a commoner was a massive penalty. Without her, he'd suffer badly.
Above all, Catherine was a character absolutely stuffed with plot hooks. The protagonist grew strong by scooping up every one of those crumbs.
Just as Luid was agonizing over what to do next—
"I sense something suspicious."
Amelia murmured the warning and tucked Luid behind her, dropping into a draw stance as if she might unsheathe at any instant.
"Who goes there!"
she barked sharply.
Luid was puzzled. He couldn't sense a thing — then, a moment later, he understood.
Emerging from the forest was Justin. He was so pathetically faint that his mana couldn't be read at all.
But his condition was dire. He was battered black and blue, his skin turned a mottled shade of blue.
He staggered drunkenly for a few steps, then collapsed to the ground. Mana poisoning. Luid sighed and cast a spell over him.
A bubble of air enveloped Justin, who gasped in a great lungful of breath as though he'd just surfaced from the sea.
Luid moved his arm, drawing the bubble to right in front of him. He clenched his fist — the bubble burst, and Justin crumpled to the ground.
Luid looked down at him. He'd been planning to pay the boy a visit eventually, but he'd never imagined he'd come staggering over in such a reckless state.
"If you'd shown up five minutes later, you'd be dead."
"......Please. I'm begging you."
The spell Luid had cast was not a healing spell. He had no devotion to spare for that. Justin's internal mana was in ruins, and he spoke between ragged breaths.
"Help... Catherine."
"Have you no shame at all, commoner?"
Hershey said icily. The mere sound of a name she never wanted to hear again left a vile taste in her mouth.
"Why on earth would Luid help you?"
"Go home. There is no aid to be had here for you. Furthermore, soliciting a favorable judgment is a clear violation of regulations."
Amelia chimed in as well. Justin looked at her, and his gaze wavered. Amelia's name was famous even among the commoners —
as Luid's sister, and as the only inspector who judged noble and commoner alike with true fairness.
Just as despair began to color Justin's expression, Luid stepped forward. Well, what a lovely windfall this is, he was thinking.
"Sis, Hershey — give us the room."
"Yes, my lord."
Hershey turned obedient as a lamb at once.
Amelia looked somewhat dissatisfied, but she had no intention of stopping Luid from resolving things himself.
"I can't imagine why I'd ever help you."
"......I know. I know you have no reason to. But—"
Justin pleaded, desperate.
"Expulsion is just... too cruel."
"That girl has lived a life you couldn't even imagine. Scorned at every turn, despised as a filthy black mage. It's an environment that would breed powerful defenses in anyone."
"For you, it might end as nothing more than a bad memory. But for Catherine, this is the end of her life. So please — give her one last chance."
And why would I care?
It was on the tip of his tongue.
But if Justin can't do his job, that's a problem for me.
If the human shields who took all the dirty work off his hands disappeared, Luid would be the one who lost out. He couldn't very well give up his comfortable, carefree life of leisure.
I suppose I have no choice.
Still, he had no desire to do it for free.
"Fine. I'll help."
"...!"
Luid had agreed far too easily. Justin stared at him, as if unable to believe it.
"Th—"
"But. There's a condition."
Luid slipped his hand into his pocket and drew out his wand. It was a toddler's wand, utterly tiny — which made it convenient to carry in his pocket.
He rarely bothered with it, but for complex magic like what came next, it was necessary.
Luid twirled the wand in a slow, lazy circle.
A complex magic circle unfurled. It didn't stop at one — two layers, three, until at last there were eight.
It was the spell known as the Covenant of Vows — a magic that rendered any sworn oath impossible to break. Its flaws were a narrow scope, and that it held little power unless the exact terms were spoken aloud.
Luid had layered it over and over, weaving circumventions into the structure so that not even the caster — himself — could shatter it. This was now a vow not even a dragon could break.
"Swear it: never again will you show yourself before my eyes."
Luid wanted nothing more than to stay far, far away from the protagonist.