The Expulsion Committee (4)
Deep in a mountain range somewhere in the western continent.
In a cavern so remote that no living soul would ever set foot there, a woman sat cross-legged upon the stone.
That was all she did—and yet her mere presence seemed to warp the space around her, twisting it out of true.
Long crimson hair spilled down like cascading lava. Vertical slit pupils of molten yellow cut through the dark.
Her name was Kiadrice Sol.
Once, in the world of Theore, she had stood shoulder to shoulder with Ian Darkest—the last descendant of the Dragon Race.
Not long ago, the twisted mana of the Eclipse had clawed open a portion of her sealed memories.
Fragments of a past she had forgotten—or rather, a past she had wanted to forget. And at the center of every shard stood one man.
Ian Darkest.
"…Foolish human."
A cold sneer slipped between Kiadrice's lips. In her yellow eyes burned a deep contempt for humankind—and something far more specific, aimed squarely at Ian.
It was not mere disappointment. Not simple betrayal. It was something far more primal, far more destructive… rage.
How dare he. How dare he use me—the last bloodline of the noble dragons—for some petty, worthless purpose?
The memories that had surfaced were fragmentary, but their meaning was crystal clear.
Ian Darkest had deceived her. He had taken her power and bent it to his own ends.
He had trampled her pride and toyed with her fate as if it were his to command.
"That arrogance of yours will be your ruin in the end, Ian."
Kiadrice traced a slender finger across the rock.
The stone split with a sharp crack.
In every gesture lived the innate elegance of the Dragon Race—and the destructive force to reduce all things to ash.
"Lionel… that foolish puppet is far too small a vessel to hold my wrath."
She clicked her tongue at the thought of Lionel Darkest.
Ambition vast, vessel tiny, mind shallow. Steering him had been easier than twisting a child's wrist. A little prod at his desires and his inferiority complex, and he moved exactly as she wished. The expulsion committee aimed at Ian was the fruit of her quiet influence as well.
But that was only the beginning.
"Expulsion will be the start, Ian… I will force even that arrogant soul of yours to its knees at my feet."
Kiadrice's eyes flared with a terrible light.
She had sworn her vengeance upon Ian. Not a simple punishment—a thorough, merciless destruction that would deny his very existence.
In her gaze, a future already reduced to cinders burned with perfect clarity. And at its heart stood Ian, collapsing in despair.
The underground conference room of Vermouth Hall.
In that windowless, stifling chamber, a heavy silence and a taut tension hung in the air.
Seated in the defendant's chair, I faced the grim-faced members of the review board.
Among them sat Professor Valerius of the Fief Management department, several senior professors from other faculties, and the student representatives.
Composition's exactly what I expected.
As anticipated, the heavyweights—the Academy Headmaster, the Magic Tower delegates—were nowhere to be seen. A committee sized just right for Lionel to work his influence.
Even if it's only a fraction of the Academy, the fact that a committee can be jerked around by the likes of Lionel…
No wonder this place gets wiped off the map within three months.
I allowed myself a bitter inner smile.
In the vast majority of cases, within three months of the Eclipse the Academy was always reduced to rubble by an Aberration assault.
The precise causes and pathways varied wildly, but somewhere inside these walls there was always a link connected to the Aberrations.
And if that link was never found, everyone in this room would meet their end.
— Creeeak.
The conference room door swung open with a clatter, and Lionel strode in as if he owned the place.
Impeccably tailored uniform. Not a single blond hair out of place. Blue eyes brimming with arrogance and absolute confidence.
As always, the textbook image of a great house's heir.
The moment he spotted me, the corner of his mouth twisted upward into a thin, oily smile—like a predator already tasting victory.
I met his gaze and offered a faint smile of my own.
Then—
"The Imperial Royal Academy Disciplinary Committee is now in session."
With the chairman's solemn declaration, the real interrogation began.
"Cadet Ian Darkest. You have been summoned before this committee on charges of spreading false information, prolonged academic underperformance, a consistently negligent attitude toward your studies, and—above all—of severely damaging the honor of the Academy."
A soft, pudding-like professor recited the charges in a greasy voice.
Professor Oily of the Knight Faculty, if I remembered right.
His eyes glittered with some unreadable greed.
Probably took a backhander from Lionel.
"First witness, you may speak."
Of course it was Lionel who stepped forward. He took his place at the witness stand and launched into his attack with the exaggerated gestures and grief-stricken expression of a stage actor.
"Honorable members of the committee. I stand before you today with a heavy heart—as the eldest son of the Darkest family, and as a student of this Academy."
He even dabbed at the corner of his eye with a handkerchief before continuing.
"My half-brother, Ian Darkest… is, regrettably, both the shame and the perpetual headache of our house. From birth he has carried insolent blood, and through countless acts of misconduct he has repeatedly stained the honor of both our family and this Academy."
Lionel deliberately leaned on the word "bastard," tearing down my origins, then inflated Seorigol's financial troubles until I looked like the very picture of an incompetent lord.
At his inflammatory speech, several professors and student representatives already in his pocket nodded along.
"He's right! Ian Darkest has a history of agitating the cadets and trying to throw the Academy into chaos!"
"In the past he caused repeated incidents of violence and insolent behavior! He is a cancer that poisons the academic atmosphere of this institution!"
The chamber grew noisy.
Lionel raised a hand and quieted them.
With every eye upon him, he spoke with perfect composure.
"What is even more serious is his complete lack of ability as a fief lord. The territory of Seorigol under his management suffers from chronic deficits, and he has failed to pay the taxes owed to the family for years. The people of his fief groan under harsh exploitation, and the land itself teeters on the brink of bankruptcy! Can this truly be called the competence of a student in the Imperial Royal Academy's Fief Management department? This is clear incompetence—and an act that brings shame upon the Academy itself!"
Clever.
He seized on the process of "incitement" regarding the Eclipse warning, ignoring the outcome entirely, while driving every quantifiable failing home as undeniable guilt.
Yeah. This is exactly the kind of thing his brain is good at.
A man who knew how to play politics.
Lionel was unquestionably that sort of creature.
In an instant the atmosphere swung hard against me. Lionel's side pressed the attack without mercy, and the majority of the committee seemed to be swallowing their claims whole.
That was when Roella Amelia shot to her feet.
"I object!"
Her sharp voice cut straight through the chamber.
Lionel's brow twitched ever so slightly.
"Miss Roella Amelia. Please obtain the floor before speaking."
"Then give me the floor!"
Roella all but barked at the chairman—pure blunt force.
Perhaps cowed by her momentum, the chairman fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"…You may speak."
Granted permission, Roella began in a clear, measured voice.
"Is the fact that Ian Darkest is a bastard grounds for expulsion? Is a struggling fief budget a reason to be thrown out of the Academy? While most of the lordlings sitting in this room manage their territories comfortably under the protection of their houses, Ian Darkest has been fighting alone in barren Seorigol with no support whatsoever!"
Her voice rose with every word.
Honestly, I was surprised.
She was going this far to defend me?
We had a contract for her help, sure—but I hadn't expected this level of fire.
Her blue eyes were already blazing with anger.
She shot me a sidelong glance and added, almost sulkily:
"Of course, it's true that the idiot usually acts like a complete dummy and drives people up the wall! But! During the Eclipse, if it hadn't been for his advice, my territory—Loreal City—would have suffered catastrophic damage! He clearly… has something the rest of us don't! His insight and his ability to handle a crisis are things this Academy should be learning from—not expelling him for!"
At Roella's unexpected defense, the chamber stirred.
The girl who had always been hostile toward me suddenly standing up for me must have been a genuine shock.
And just look at Lionel's face twisting into that bizarre expression.
She was the young lady of the Amelia family—open rivals of House Darkest. Of course he was rattled.
"Miss Amelia's personal sentiments fall outside the scope of this committee's deliberations. Ian Darkest's past conduct and present lack of ability are established facts, supported by objective evidence in the form of his grades and numerous prior warnings."
Lionel strode past me, clearly about to produce some carefully prepared documents.
A snide remark slipped out before I could stop it.
"Didn't realize you cared so much about your little brother's grades. Touching."
"Shut your mouth, you worm."
Lionel whispered it just loud enough for me alone to hear.
Ahh. There he is. That's the Lionel I know.
In the next breath he smoothed his voice into something gentle and stepped back up onto the witness stand.
"I wish to apologize to everyone present for failing to guide my own blood onto the proper path. Especially to my younger brother, Ian. And I can no longer stand by and watch my own flesh and blood walk a path that is anything but right. As the elder brother of a wayward sibling."
A speech that almost managed to sound moving.
Absurdly enough, some spectators in the gallery were actually tearing up.
Lionel's fans, no doubt.
The momentum had tilted completely.
Lionel turned to me with sorrow-filled eyes.
"And so I will ask you instead, Ian Darkest—my own blood."
That loathsome gaze. That loathsome posture.
He made his declaration.
"Will you not stop becoming a monster, and return once more to the embrace of our family?"
Ahh.
Moving.
Truly, deeply moving.
I rose from my seat in one smooth motion.
Then I walked straight toward the witness stand where Lionel stood.
A few people actually cheered, convinced Lionel had succeeded in talking the monster down.
I came to a stop beside him and gave him a bright little smile.
Lionel smiled back at me.
Really. Creepily, disgustingly punchable.
With that thought, I turned my head and looked at the chairman.
"I request to call a witness."
At the same moment—
— Creeeak.
The heavy doors of the conference room slowly swung open, and a figure of unmistakable presence stepped into view.
Cherry-blossom pink hair. Mysterious green eyes.
"Linea Judith?"
Someone's stunned cry filled the chamber.