Chapter 261
Chapter 261
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 261
Chapter Title: The Truth Revealed (6)
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The students unknowingly stepped back.
The old man, who looked one foot in the grave, had a voice louder than a young man's shout.
But once they realized the meaning behind his words, the volume of his voice was the least of their surprises.
The Kazra Kingdom was a nation located north of the Tormia Kingdom.
What business would a royal magistrate, who served the king's command, have visiting a provincial academy instead of the Royal Magic Academy?
The students' questions were answered by Ordos's next words.
“Is Arian Shirone present! If so, come forth at once and receive the king's command!”
As if it were their duty, the students all began to look for Shirone.
But Shirone was nowhere to be seen.
After the initial shock subsided, a strange thought occurred to them. Why was an envoy from the Kazra Kingdom looking for Shirone?
Alpheas turned to a student beside him and said.
“Would you go and fetch Shirone? This seems to be an urgent matter.”
“What? Ah, yes!”
The student scurried off to find Shirone.
Of course, he had no idea where Shirone was, and finding him on this vast campus was nearly impossible. But in the heat of the moment, his legs had moved before his mind could catch up.
“Arian Shirone! Is Shirone not here? This is the king's command! He must come out at once and receive it!”
Ordos screamed at the top of his lungs, as if something greatly displeased him.
Of course, as an envoy from the Kazra Kingdom carrying out the king's command, his position was unassailable by anyone present.
No matter how renowned Alpheas was in the magical society, his position was merely one appointed by the state. No organization could take precedence over the nation.
This was tantamount to a foreign king appearing in person, so the students from noble families, well-versed in the theories of monarchy, dared not make a peep.
“Shirone! Will you not come out at once!”
“I've brought Shirone.”
A beautiful voice cut through Ordos's grating tone.
Olivia, the current headmaster of Alpheas Magic Academy, walked over, holding Shirone's hand.
Since he always visited the Paranormal Research Society after classes, finding him hadn't been difficult.
Iruki and Nade followed behind.
Shirone looked around with a bewildered expression.
Nearly the entire student body had gathered, and in front of them stood a large carriage and guards who radiated strength.
On the way, Olivia had only told him that someone was looking for him.
“Shirone, go to that man. He is an envoy from the Kazra Kingdom.”
“What? An envoy?”
Shirone, startled, finally looked up at Olivia.
As much as she had cared for him when Killain was scheming, and though Shirone now trusted her, he couldn't help but feel anxious upon hearing about a royal envoy.
Olivia gently patted his back.
“It's alright. You'll understand when you go.”
Trusting Olivia, Shirone took a deep breath and walked toward Ordos.
Ordos glared at Shirone with hollow eyes.
Though his eyes were hollow, it felt as if they were piercing through his brain. Just as the thought that he couldn't possibly lie crossed his mind, Ordos asked in his characteristically grating voice.
“Are you Arian Shirone?”
“Yes, I am.”
“To lie here is to insult the Kazra Kingdom! I will ask again! Are you certain that you are Arian Shirone!”
“Yes! I am certain!”
Shirone shouted without realizing it.
He didn't know why they had to shout at each other from such a short distance, but it was certainly effective.
His mind went blank, and the answers came out automatically, as if he were hypnotized.
Ordos held out a hand to his aide standing behind him.
The aide handed him a scroll stamped with the royal seal. Unfurling it, Ordos raised his head arrogantly and shouted.
“Arian Shirone! Before I deliver the king's command, I will ask you a few questions. Be warned that if you lie or commit perjury, your life may be in danger. Do you understand!”
“Yes, I understand.”
He didn't appreciate Ordos's attitude, summoning him only to threaten his life, but since it was the king's command, he had no choice but to comply.
Of course, having lived without committing any crimes, he had nothing to hide.
“Arian Shirone. Are you the son of a mountaineer living on the slopes of the Valley of Dawn, Arian Shirone?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Are you Shirone, the child picked up in a stable by Arian Vincent and Arian Olina?”
Commoners didn't really have meaningful surnames.
The reason Vincent and Olina shared the same surname was because they were of the Arian race. Though they were a little-known minority, any ethnologist would immediately recognize it and know they were commoners.
In the end, Ordos's words held not a shred of consideration for Shirone.
Even without adding that he was a child found in a stable, the entire kingdom already knew Shirone was a commoner.
“Yes, that is correct.”
Shirone replied with a sigh.
He could feel the students' contemptuous gazes, but he had already prepared himself for this.
But Ordos relentlessly emphasized only the negative aspects, as if he couldn't bear not to humiliate Shirone.
“You were raised from the age of two months by the hunter Vincent, who lives in the Gashi Mine region on the slopes of the Origin Mountains. You were abandoned in a stable. From then on, you followed your father and learned hunting skills. Later, you entered the Ogent family as a footman, worked for two years, and then became a guest there, allowing you to enroll in the magic academy. Is all of this true?”
One of the students burst out laughing.
“Puhahaha! A footman!”
The laughter immediately died down as all eyes turned to him, but it was clear the other students were laughing inwardly.
A footman was a servant in a noble house who did chores like polishing the floors.
Nade glanced around, trying to memorize the face of the student who had just laughed.
Iruki, too, was frowning, clearly offended by Ordos's words.
Shirone sighed once more.
He had been flustered when he first stepped forward, but now, his situation was becoming painfully clear.
Everyone was mocking him.
It was a terrible feeling to be looked at like an insect by friends he had been laughing and chatting with just a short while ago.
“Answer, Shirone! Is all of this true?”
“Yes, it is true…”
As soon as Shirone's words fell, the students began to murmur.
Most of it was disparagement and ridicule; only a few looked at Shirone with pity.
Canis and Arin, listening from a distance, were among that minority.
“That's surprising. To think Shirone was a commoner.”
“Hmph, so what? Nobles are so damn annoying. All they know how to do is flaunt their family names.”
Canis and Arin were also orphans. Having been abandoned on the streets as children and spending their youth in Radum, the capital's underbelly, they couldn't help but feel disdain for the nobles mocking Shirone.
“Still, there are some who aren't like that. Iruki and Nade, for example, and Dante's group looks upset too. Dante is especially surprising. I thought he hated Shirone.”
Arin had the ability of clairvoyance, so it was likely true.
Canis glanced at Dante with displeasure, then spat out his words as if it were no big deal.
“Tch, what does background matter to a bunch of magic-obsessed freaks? That's how aspiring mages are supposed to be. No, that's annoying too. Who are they to pity anyone, born with silver spoons in their mouths?”
Arin let out a small laugh.
Shirone at least had the title of a commoner, but they were just rootless bastards. Though his words were harsh, it was clear Canis was also moved by Dante's attitude of judging people by their magic alone.
“Look… Amy is coming.”
Where Arin pointed, two young women were running over, out of breath. It was Amy and her best friend, Seriel.
“Amy, what in the world is going on?”
Seriel, while gasping for breath, never stopped talking.
The student sent by Alpheas had first sought out Amy, who was known to be Shirone's girlfriend.
Of course, Seriel, who was always by her side, wouldn't miss accompanying her in such a dramatic situation.
“I don't know! We'll find out when we get there.”
Amy and Seriel pushed their way through the crowd of students.
As Shirone's official girlfriend appeared, the students parted without a word to let them through.
“Shirone! What is this…!”
Having pushed through the crowd, Amy hastily swallowed her words.
Numerous knights were watching their surroundings with menacing glares, and a crotchety old man was shouting.
Shirone stood with his head slightly bowed, listening intently to the old man, looking like a criminal awaiting his sentence.
Ordos's denigration of Shirone grew more and more intense.
He started by rattling off the story published in the magazine, and when that was done, he began listing private anecdotes gathered through his own channels.
He mentioned everything from his time with the children of the slash-and-burn village to tales of wandering the mountains for days on end just to secure a single meal.
To the students, it was all new and absurd. And because of that, the fact that Shirone was a commoner hit them even harder.
The scroll Ordos was holding likely contained only the king's decree.
At this point, Ordos's effort in memorizing eighteen years' worth of details was almost commendable.
As for Shirone, the subject of all this, his mind was reeling.
Having all his secrets laid bare in front of friends he had spent the last year with felt more miserable than being stripped naked.
“Is all of this true? Answer, Shirone.”
Shirone was so agitated he didn't even realize his fists were clenched. By the time he came to his senses, he was on the verge of exploding.
He hurriedly calmed himself and nodded his head in resignation.
“Yes, it is.”
The students erupted in laughter.
As the barrage of absurd questions continued, no one bothered to hold back anymore.
In truth, the stories weren't particularly funny. But to those raised in noble families, the past of Shirone, the top student of the advanced class, was endlessly amusing.
Seriel looked at Amy with concern.
Of course, she too had first learned that Shirone was a commoner from the magazine.
Honestly, it had been a huge shock. She had even felt a little hurt that Amy hadn't told her something so important.
But Seriel decided to choose the path that would make her happy.
She couldn't bring herself to hate Amy and Shirone; all the moments she had shared with them were too precious.
But the other students had no such memories.
To them, Shirone was an untouchable genius, and an obstacle they wished would be struck by some misfortune and disappear from their lives—nothing more, nothing less.
“Amy…”
Amy finally exploded.
“Those bastards! What's so funny that you have to laugh?”
Amy rolled up her sleeves and marched toward the students.
She was also angry at Shirone's friends for just standing by and watching this happen.
At that moment, Ordos delivered the king's command.
“Arian Shirone, kneel and receive the command!”
Amy's steps halted, and Shirone knelt on one knee, listening for the decree.
Ordos shouted as if everything up to now had been a whisper, his voice threatening to tear his throat.
It really sounded like it might.
“By order of King Orkamp IV of Kazra! As all of Arian Shirone's actions align with the information heard in the Kazra Kingdom, it is highly probable that you are the First Prince who was taken to safety during the kingdom's crisis eighteen years ago! Therefore, I invite you to the kingdom, to readily answer this summons and prove your qualification as the First Prince yourself! That is all! King Orkamp IV!”
Iruki and Nade shouted in unison.
“Whaaaaaat!”
The other students were similarly shocked.
When the envoy from another kingdom arrived and began prying into Shirone's past, they had assumed it was a simple scouting offer.
It was very rare, but depending on their circumstances, kingdoms sometimes recruited talent from other nations.
But for Shirone to be royalty… And not just any royalty, but the First Prince, a direct descendant of the royal bloodline.