Queen's Gambit (1)
"Eden… I'm sorry. Truly."
Redona Leonhart. His face looked somewhat older than it had two years ago. The wrinkles had deepened, and his once sharp eyes had grown dull. The man Eden had once followed like a father now resembled a frail old man.
"…It's fine. I have nothing to say to you."
As Eden turned to leave, Redona spoke in a rush.
"I know everything now. That it wasn't your fault. But by the time I found out, it was already too late."
"It doesn't matter. Your stepping in wouldn't have changed anything."
"....... Eden."
Eden's heart stirred. The resolve not to be hasty, not to get excited, not to be swayed by emotion had already been forgotten. In the surging tide of emotion, he bit down hard on his lower lip.
"It's too late. An apology now changes nothing."
"Give me a chance to explain."
"Explain…" Eden had no desire to hear any excuses. He had begged to be believed, again and again. That it wasn't his fault, that they should investigate again. That he wasn't the kind of person who would do such a thing—hadn't Redona known that? Like a child abandoned by his parents, he had cried out. And the one who had cast him aside was none other than this man.
"Go ahead. Explain, or whatever it is."
Redona couldn't continue for a long while. Only the sound of his mouth opening and closing as he tried to speak filled the room.
"Back then… I knew nothing. Not that the Violet family was committing corruption through their connections to the imperial family, nor that their daughter was treating the academy as her own domain…"
"Not knowing doesn't justify your actions."
"...If I had known, I would have taken your side no matter what!"
"If you had known…"
This wouldn't do. The emotions he had been suppressing were on the verge of exploding. There were things in this world that, once said, could never be taken back. This was one of those times.
"Even if I had committed a crime! You, of all people in this world—you should have believed in me! You were my parent! To a seven-year-old child, you were my entire world!"
His jaw trembled, and his fingertips wouldn't stay still. He didn't even know what was coming out of his own mouth. Words from his heart poured out without passing through his mind.
"But… you abandoned me! I told you it was all a misunderstanding. I clearly said I didn't do it! That I wasn't the kind of person who would do such a thing! You knew that too, didn't you? What could a mere seventeen-year-old brat—an orphan with no parents—possibly know about distributing drugs at the academy…!"
He slammed his fist into the wall. With a cracking sound, the wall splintered, but Redona didn't even blink.
"Sometimes… even parents make mistakes. Even adults make the wrong choices. I sincerely apologize. I was wrong. I should have believed you back then, but I was too cowardly to do so."
"......"
It was repulsive. Eden knew that adults made mistakes. "Even knowing that… after I was expelled from the academy, you never revealed the truth. You knew everything was wrong, so why didn't you try to correct it?"
But wasn't an adult supposed to strive to fix their mistakes? Redona had known the whole truth yet remained silent.
"But… Eden, I have a family. If I had revealed the truth, I would have been expelled from the academy… If I became unemployed after being expelled, who would take care of my wife and children?"
"That's just an excuse."
"But a head of household must protect his family. As a professor and as the Disciplinary Committee Chairman, I had to fulfill my duties, but at the very least, I had to protect my family."
"......"
"Between justice and family, what was I supposed to choose?"
At those words, everything became clear. Eden understood.
"I… was also your family."
To this man, he had been nothing. The one who had believed they were family had been Eden alone. To this man, he had merely been a talented orphan.
".....!"
Redona's eyes widened as if they might tear apart.
"Was I not family to you? It was foolish of me, but there was a time when I thought of you as my father."
"Eden… wait, I misspoke. That's not what I meant!"
"It's fine."
He should have walked out the door the moment it opened. Sometimes it was better to leave uncomfortable truths buried even when you knew them. But once you knew, regret changed nothing.
"From the beginning, it was my mistake to think of you as family."
After a deep breath, his heart finally began to calm. Don't be trapped by the past. What he needed to see now was the present and the future. Escape from these old thoughts.
"Just do your job properly."
With those words, he firmly closed the door. Thud.
Now, no sound could be heard.
Episode 3 Queen's Gambit
Alicia Floren had been busy for several days. Ever since receiving the commendation from the headmaster, she had been at the center of a massive vortex sweeping through the academy.
Not only had she been pushed into the position of president of the [Fallen Noble Student Council] formed by the children of fallen nobles, but she had also been appointed as the leader of a secretive organization called the [Purge Unit]. They committed radical acts, claiming to "carry on the will of the great Alicia Floren and stop Louise Violet's dictatorship." They kidnapped and tortured several nobles who sided with Louise overnight and even carried out terrorism during classes. Naturally, these actions went against Alicia's intentions.
Alicia demanded they take a more moderate approach, but the students, already fired up, only grew more radical.
"Lady Floren! Their actions are heinous corruption and criminal acts! We cannot confront them with moderate methods!"
"Blood—only blood can punish them! Lady Floren, join us as well. You can't just overlook the humiliation you've suffered, can you?"
Only then did Alicia realize. From the moment Eden Rofas had said he would make her the queen of the academy, he had already predicted this would happen. He had placed the burden on her to lead these people blinded by anger and revenge. But Alicia's temperament was far too soft to control such a massive wave. Her heart was too gentle to follow the old saying "an eye for an eye."
"At this rate, we're no different from Louise Violet!"
It was true. The students who had risen up to eradicate corruption and restore justice had already lost sight of their original purpose. Some even argued that they should seize the power Louise had enjoyed and divide it fairly among themselves. Not stopping there, some claimed that since the imperial family would release any criminals they caught anyway, they should execute them themselves.
In the midst of this radicalization, a notice appeared on the academy bulletin board.
Notice from the Joachim Academy Disciplinary Committee.
Yanice of the Dayler family, Conrad of the Suss family, and Gabriel of the Banks family. The above three students are hereby referred to the Disciplinary Committee on charges of assault, rape, and drug distribution and use.
That was the signal for everything to begin. The students who had lost their way applied as witnesses, hoping they could officially purge the sinners, and gathered evidence. In preparation for possible corruption within the Disciplinary Committee, they prepared homemade bombs, and even prepared masks in case of emergencies. Thus, the calm before the storm passed.
*
The Disciplinary Committee was held at the Celine Hall of Joachim Academy. Standing before the massive door made of red wood, Alicia took a deep breath.
"Hello."
Eden appeared behind her and greeted her. His expression was surprisingly calm.
"It's been a while."
"Yeah."
"Did you have fun while I was gone?"
"......"
Alicia frowned at Eden's casual question. Then, with clear displeasure, she said, "Don't even ask. If I'd known it would turn out like this, I never would have agreed in the first place."
"Why? I set the stage for you, and if you just stand by, you're throwing away the opportunity?"
Eden tilted his head.
"It's what you wanted more than anything. Setting everything back to the way it should be."
"...... Let me ask you this, assuming you know exactly what's going on. Does this look normal to you? Students kidnapping and torturing other students in the middle of the night, disrupting classes with magic, setting up guillotines and saying we should execute people? Does this look normal?"
"It's not normal."
"You knew it would turn out like this."
"I don't know everything, Alicia. I only made a plan. I don't know which direction that plan will take."
Eden's eyes gleamed sharply.
"I'm just running toward the end. Toward that single conclusion at the very edge. Watching Louise Violet fall and kneel before me, begging. I thought you wanted the same thing."
"We can't ignore the process for the sake of the result."
"I'll respect that. You can think that way. But for now, you have to follow my method. Otherwise, what can you do?"
"......"
Alicia realized that Eden's words had become sharper than they were a few days ago. His expression was also slightly different. She couldn't quite put it into words, but… his once colorless, dull eyes now seemed darkly sunken.
– We will now begin the disciplinary hearing regarding the assault, rape, and drug distribution and use by the aforementioned three individuals: Yanice, Conrad, and Gabriel.
– Defendants, step forward.
The chairman's voice could be faintly heard beyond the door. It was the beginning of the storm.
"Let's go in."
With a faint sense of unease, Alicia followed behind Eden.