Chapter 61: Your Name (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 61: Your Name (2)
“I’ve been defiled…”
Listening to Bell’s limp, despondent mumble as if she’d given up on life, I turned my gaze toward Violet.
“Finally, a GL Drift…”
I had a feeling this would happen eventually, but I didn't expect it to be today.
“Shut it. Go put her back in her room.”
Violet looked like she was in no mood for jokes, her face scrunched in a deep scowl, so I went and dropped the dog off at the dormitory.
“So, what is it?”
I asked upon returning. Why was she acting so serious?
“She’s a mid-boss.”
“How strong?”
“Just below Silence?”
Well, she was worth catching, then.
“She didn't look like it at all.”
To think that the bitch who was panting and acting like a literal dog was actually a heinous villain of this RoFan world.
What on earth happened…
“Ah.”
Come to think of it, the dark mages were trying to do something by sacrificing innocent people.
After failing over and over, they struggled and eventually ended up manipulating Ellen, the supposed male lead.
“Was our bitch really that strong?”
“When you get married later, don’t you dare have a say in naming your kids. ‘Bitch’? Really?”
After grumbling like that, Violet explained Bell’s role in the original story. At the same time, she pulled out a crucial piece of information, even though the original plot was now completely wrecked.
“She might look like that, but she’s the daughter of the Wolfkin Chieftain.”
“No wonder she’s strong.”
A Chieftain was equivalent to a Knight Commander in human terms.
If her father was the Chieftain of the Wolfkin—a tribe that held significant sway among the Beastkin factions—then her claim of being close to the princess was likely true.
“What happens in the original?”
“The Beastkin, including the Wolfkin, join forces to save Bell. But in the end, they fail to break the mental control, and she dies.”
“Wow.”
We really were her life-savers.
“So, what should we do?”
“The field trip? I think it’s best to take her along. Most places called ‘Forbidden Zones’ are inhabited by other races. According to her, there’s another Beastkin village there.”
I nodded at Violet’s suggestion that it would be good to build rapport in advance.
“By the way, what the hell did you do to her? She looked absolutely haggard.”
“I just told her to transform into her human form so I could check her body for confirmation.”
“…….”
“Lower your eyes.”
Violet barked at my suspicious gaze.
“My vacation is over, though.”
“……”
Realizing that she was the one who should be lowering her eyes, not me, Boradori went quiet.
Now that I’d confirmed our dog was actually an SSR-grade unit, I had no choice but to keep her on a leash instead of abandoning her.
Thus, the first thing I did was…
“Uncle. The dog I picked up a while ago is actually the daughter of the Wolfkin Chieftain, so a Beastkin delegation is going to visit the Academy. I’m planning to take her on the field trip, so tell them to meet us there when they arrive.”
“……?”
Uncle Aeryun, whose dark circles were getting deeper as the field trip approached, blinked about fifteen times at my words. After a long moment of contemplation, he let out a sigh.
“Did I fall asleep?”
He looked like he’d just had a fever dream.
To the mumbling Uncle Aeryun, I repeated my point.
“Uncle. The dog I picked up a while ago is the daughter of the Wolfkin Chieftain, so a Beastkin delegation is going to visit the Academy. I’m taking her on the field trip, so tell the delegation to come that way when they arrive.”
“You son of a…! What the hell are you talking about?!”
“What do you mean? I’m raising a dog, and the dog’s family is coming to visit, so I’m telling you to tell them to come pick up their dog…”
“She’s not a dog?!”
“She acts like a dog herself, so shouldn't she be treated like one?”
“Argh!”
I stared at the top of Uncle Aeryun’s head as he slammed it onto the desk.
Thank goodness.
At least he’s keeping his hair.
“Slowly. Just answer what I ask.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You said ‘the dog you picked up a while ago,’ right? When did you pick her up?”
“During the break, on my way back. I think I told you.”
“You little…! While you were enjoying your comfortable vacation in the Leon Kingdom, what do you think we were doing?”
“Working.”
“Yes, working! In the Holy Kingdom! Getting caught up in that dog-awful incident!”
Rather than being "caught up," didn't those Golden Generation kids volunteer for it?
“Ah…”
“That dog-awful…”
However, since everyone else was also complaining of PTSD, I decided to keep quiet.
“Even after coming back, I’ve been summoned here and there because of that. Do you think I’d remember you picking up a single dog?”
“The past doesn't matter. What matters is the present.”
“Ha… fine. So. Next. That dog is the daughter of the Wolfkin Chieftain?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me sooner?”
“I only found out this morning.”
“……”
He looked like he had a mountain of things to say but was holding back. I understood, but I felt a bit wronged. I really did just find out this morning.
“…Fine. Let’s move on. So, the Beastkin are going to visit the Academy?”
“I sent word when I was in the Kingdom, but they were a bit far away, so I think it took a while for the news to reach them.”
“Right. Even if the Beastkin have shamans, they don’t have mages. They have to use primitive methods to communicate, so it takes time.”
Uncle Aeryun, who had been nodding, suddenly stopped.
“Wait, hold on. If the Leon Royal Family sent the message, shouldn't Leon have handled it? Why are they bringing the Beastkin all the way to the Academy?!”
“She said she didn't want to go. Said she doesn't listen to anyone weaker than her.”
“Then you, who are stronger, should have ordered her to go!”
“I already tried, but she said she doesn't listen to those weaker than her, not that she’d listen to those stronger than her.”
“How is there someone exactly like you…”
Exactly like me?
That was an unfair accusation.
“So you’re taking her on the field trip? Why?”
“She said there’s a Beastkin tribe she knows in that area.”
At those words, Uncle Aeryun looked at Taylor.
“There are indeed two Beastkin tribes and one Elf village near Rias,” Taylor replied with a nod, confirming Bell’s words.
“You’re in charge of the Empire, and you didn't even know that?”
“I am personnel specialized for the Imperial Palace. It’s more efficient to leave external information to the field agents.”
“This is why the Academy gets breached every single time…”
“Do—do you think Rias will be any different?!”
“You sound like you’re praying for it to be breached?!”
At my remark, the two Imperial agents started bickering.
According to Violet, more supporting characters would be added next year.
That meant more people would be added here, too.
I thought it would be fun if the number of Imperial personnel increased so I could watch three-way or four-way brawls.
“Well, fine. So I just need to pass the message to the arriving Beastkin? That’s easy enough.”
After huffing and puffing with Taylor for a while, Uncle Aeryun nodded more easily than expected and agreed to the request.
“Was it really that easy?”
“Yeah. It’s such a ridiculous situation that reporting it is the hard part. Hosting the Beastkin when they arrive is easy.”
“Really?”
I hadn't met any Beastkin other than Bell, but from what I’d heard, they weren't exactly easy to deal with.
I mean, wasn't Bell herself a difficult bitch to begin with?
“Really.”
However, unlike his usual self, Uncle Aeryun was smiling broadly.
“It’s not like I’m the one who has to deal with them anyway.”
It seemed he was just planning to pass the buck.
Clink. Clink. Drip.
Watching the coffee drip into the glass, the green-haired woman took off her glasses and set them on the desk.
“They should be arriving soon.”
With a deep sigh, she untied her hair and leaned back into the plush chair.
Then, running her fingers through her hair, which hadn't been washed in days, she let out a small breath.
“Still, it should be quiet for a while now.”
In appearance, she looked similar to the Academy students.
But in reality, she was an Archmage who used magic to suppress aging as much as possible, and the Director of the Academy directly managed by the Imperial Family.
Joan Helias.
Having not slept for nearly a week while preparing to send the freshmen on their field trip, she managed her skin with mana and brought the freshly brewed coffee to her lips.
“I’m sick of coffee. I want something sweet. I’ll just send this to the Imperial Palace quickly… finish all my work this morning, go home early, and rot in bed all day…”
For an Archmage, it was possible to use mana to exert superhuman willpower and stay awake for a week.
But just because she could didn't mean she wanted to.
“I’m taking a vacation. Those damn Imperial bastards. They brought in those old fogies just because they wanted to show off as the Empire. They were so happy when royalty from other countries came. But when the Academy gets breached, they say it’s all my fault. I told them to spend some money and prepare in advance.”
If one saw her sipping coffee with both hands while simultaneously processing dozens of documents with magic, would they marvel at her as an Archmage?
Or would they lament that such power was being used for such things?
“They give me a pittance for a budget but expect so much. And if it gets breached, it’s my fault again. I’m just going to go for it. If they don’t approve it, I’ll just blame the bastard who cut the budget when it gets breached later.”
The budget required for Academy facility maintenance was gaining an extra zero at the end, but Joan didn't care at all.
“I hope Rias gets breached too. All those bastards who came to the Academy, I hope they all go there.”
Mumbling words similar to Aeryun’s, Joan finished her coffee, set the cup on the desk, and clapped her hands.
Clap!
With that sound, mana radiated from Joan’s body.
The number of papers floating in the air increased from dozens to nearly a hundred.
“……”
Her red eyes turned toward the papers floating in the air.
Checking the countless words written on the papers didn't even take a second.
With just a quick glance, she verified all the content, and seals flew through the air to stamp the papers.
Unnecessary documents or those requiring revision were set back down in one corner of the desk.
The papers with seals were neatly placed on the opposite side.
Having finished work that would have taken dozens of people to complete in such a short time, Joan sprang up from her seat and stretched.
“It’s over!”
It was just as she was shedding tears of half-joy and half-sorrow at finishing all her work.
“Going home…”
“Director!”
No one can stop me from going home!
The moment she set that mindset, the door swung open without a knock, causing Joan’s eyes to shake violently.
“Is it the Imperial Palace?”
No matter how informally she treated her secretaries, there was no secretary stupid enough to mistake kindness for entitlement.
Or rather, it was more accurate to say she had made sure such secretaries didn't exist.
“No, ma'am!”
So she thought the Imperial Palace had pulled some more bullshit, but apparently not.
“Then Leon? Dale? Or another country?”
Did some diplomatic issue arise? Oh, for god’s sake, what is it this time?
Dozens of potential incidents flashed through Joan’s mind, and she scowled.
“It’s not that either!”
At those words, only one thing remained.
“Did something blow up at Rias?!”
Something must have happened during the freshmen field trip, which should be arriving soon!
“Not that either!”
“Then what is it?!”
If it’s not that either, I’m going to kill you for blocking my way home.
Joan glared at the secretary with that resolve.
“The Beastkin have arrived. They said you’d know if they mentioned they were the Wolfkin warrior squad?!”
“…How the hell would I know that?”
Why are you guys even here?
It was two hours later that a hollow-faced Joan received the report from the Intelligence Bureau stating that the Beastkin were scheduled to visit.