Midterms (12): Hard to Believe Even After Seeing It
Well, there was an expression like this...
"Hard to believe even after seeing it with your own eyes—probably the perfect phrase for this mess, right?"
The Great Hall of the Academy, where cadets were taking their exams.
Inside that building—even in the corridors connected to the cadets' exam rooms.
Some outsider was strutting around like he owned the place.
BAM!
Smashing through the corridors like a maniac, no less.
"Sellin!!! Sellin El Soladion!!!!"
...Loud enough to give me a headache.
No matter how much he bellowed, unless you cracked open your door like I had, you wouldn't hear a thing.
The individual exam rooms for cadets were spaces created by spatial magic.
Those rooms were completely cut off from the original world.
That guy knew it, too—that's why he was doing it.
BAM BAM!
"Sellin~? Where are you hiding!!"
CRASH!
Knowing full well, he was smashing walls and floors left and right as he went.
But seriously, what the hell was the Academy doing?
Some outsider throwing a tantrum like that, and nobody lifting a finger?
Not that I could talk—truth is, this situation was unavoidable.
The lunatic he was screaming for was his own daughter.
And that daughter's name was the woman I'd just been reminiscing about.
Sellin El Soladion.
The empire's fallen princess.
Calling the empire's fallen princess his daughter meant...
This guy was the emperor of the empire.
But even so... emperor or not...
Wasn't it too much to just leave the cadets hanging like this?
And how the hell was he even able to rampage like that, emperor or no?
More than anything, the Academy had been acting weird for a while now—I had no clue what they were up to.
"Haa..."
I just wanted to go home.
I had zero interest in getting tangled up in this hassle.
But... to get home in this state, I'd have to resolve it first.
And to do that, I'd need to take down that man.
What a pain.
Such a huge pain.
...Still, no choice, right?
If they say jump, I jump.
Besides, I was kinda curious about Sellin's dad anyway.
Sellin El Soladion...
I wondered how the pure, innocent girl from my dreams had ended up like this.
Asking the man who turned her into a fallen princess might give some answers.
Yeah.
Might as well make the best of it.
"Hoo..."
A long breath, laced with resolve.
With it, I slipped my foot into the crack of the slightly ajar door.
Screeech.
The sound of the door opening echoed through the entire corridor.
Silence fell over it in an instant.
Clack.
"...Sellin?"
The emperor asked cautiously from somewhere down the hall.
"Nope."
"...Tch."
He clicked his tongue sharply at my curt reply.
"What's your name, lad?"
"Name? What for?"
His tone suddenly turned polite.
Bit late for image control now, wasn't it?
"Gotta know it to feel a little less sorry, don't I?"
"Sorry, huh..."
At least he knew he'd screwed up.
"If you're sorry, just get lost quick..."
BAM!
Before I could finish, a blade whipped toward my face.
...Magic.
Speed no ordinary cadet could react to.
"Hooh...?"
"Didn't you just say you were sorry?"
"Yeah, gotta know the name of the guy you're killing to put up a tombstone at least."
Crazy bastard.
Well, an emperor pulling this crap? Yeah, checks out.
One exchange.
Now, a brief standoff, both of us gauging the next move.
"Hey, Your Majesty."
I spoke first.
"What is it?"
"Emperor or not... you can't just do this in the Academy, right?"
"...Normally, no."
So this wasn't normal?
"You look puzzled."
"Yeah, a few things don't add up."
"Very well... I'll tell you personally, just this once."
Special treatment, huh.
Didn't exactly thrill me coming from a psycho like this.
"Do you know who I am?"
"...Emperor of the Soladion Empire."
"Right. I am the emperor... the emperor of the empire."
I knew that much.
He'd been screaming it while calling Sellin "our daughter" earlier—who wouldn't?
"Superior to all others... that's what an emperor is."
Ah...
Even this far in, I could tell this guy was off his rocker.
No desire to hear more.
"Do you know what kind of looks I've gotten my whole life?"
"No clue."
Not like I cared.
"Failure... talentless hack who never got a Quest... the late emperor's one stain..."
Not exactly compliments.
But they suited the man in front of me perfectly.
That's how it felt.
"Words I've heard my entire life."
"...Not that curious."
"Long ago, as a child, I once overheard maids gossiping."
Creepy.
Do that, and you won't have fans.
...Not that this guy had the looks for it anyway.
"Know what they said about me?"
"No."
I kept signaling I didn't care, but he ignored it and kept talking.
"They questioned if I was truly of imperial blood... I flew into a rage."
Imperial servants usually knew to watch their mouths.
One slip could mean death.
For maids to say that...
Probably meant this emperor was worse than I'd imagined.
"Know what I did to those maids?"
"...Killed 'em."
"Right. Slowly... very slowly, with utmost care."
His voice held a thrill as he answered.
Like he was proud of it.
"...Disgusting."
From what I'd heard, I could guess why Sellin turned out like she did.
Sellin, desperately piling up her sandcastle.
That was the Soladion Empire.
But after reincarnating, seeing his descendant like this...
No way he'd treated family normally.
Whoosh.
Another blade hurtled at me, blindingly fast.
I twisted away naturally, but a thin red line etched my cheek.
"You listening, lad?"
"Nah. Not interested."
"Tsk... you should. My story's priceless—nowhere else to hear it."
"Haa..."
Then listen to it yourself.
"Fine... how about this? You know my daughter Sellin, right?"
"...What?"
A smile crept across the emperor's lips.
"Sellin... that bitch has one hell of a body, doesn't she? Those huge tits, that snow-white skin... those beautiful emerald eyes..."
"...Hey."
"Hm? What's up? Finally interested?"
No.
Less than ever.
"Shut your damn mouth."
Words out, I tensed my legs and leaped forward.
Target: the beast before me.
Sickle swung wide, aiming to cleave from right shoulder to left flank.
BAM!
His right arm blocked my sickle.
I pulled back instantly, creating distance.
Fast reflexes.
And tough body.
He'd used magic earlier... but he handled mana reinforcement like a pro.
Claimed he was some Quest-less hack...
Bluff?
Or... nah, couldn't be.
Emperor of an empire... no way he'd touch a Taboo.
"...You've been rude from the start, lad."
Cold expression now.
Rude, huh.
"Rude's for people who deserve it. Not trash like you."
"No respect for the emperor of the empire? Then who do you respect?"
...Beats me.
I'm pretty rude myself, so who knows.
But one thing was clear.
"Emperor or not, wanna be treated like one? Act human for once."
"I am the emperor. I am the truth. I am the way."
"That's why they call you a hack."
BAM!
"Shut up!!"
Debris from the shattered corridor flew at me.
Telekinesis...
More spells than expected.
"Hey. One question."
"...No regrets asking me anything now?"
"Nah. Never been the type to care."
"...Hah. Amusing. Fine, one question. Gotta leave regrets before death."
"Dunno about dying or whatever. Where'd you get that power?"
"Ha, hahaha, hahahaha!!! So... curious about my power?"
His reaction screamed unnatural.
...Right?
"You... believe in God?"
"God... nah, not really."
I didn't deny religion existed.
Just my take: God was humanity's delusion to escape reality.
"Then believe from now on."
"...What?"
"This power... this Quest... was granted directly by God, who recognized my efforts!!"
"...Ah."
Yeah... got it.
I could peg what kind of nutjob this emperor was.
"You... you're a cultist, aren't you?"