Return (1)
Return (1)
A massive explosion shattered the capital's nighttime silence, and guards and security knights rushed to the alley where it had occurred.
They were dumbfounded by the houses and streets that had been blown apart, and even more flabbergasted when they saw who had been caught up in it.
The victim was a Royal Academy student, while the perpetrators were officials dispatched from the Empire and international students.
Although an Academy student had saved the victim, the security forces arrested everyone at the scene.
All those who had attacked Ivana had died, but Paula had not.
It wasn't because Ivana had shown her mercy.
At the very last second, Paula had used her ability to dodge just enough.
Though she was severely injured, her life wasn't in danger. After drinking a potion, she was confined to a medical bed inside the security headquarters.
She had survived, but whether that would turn out to be a good thing for Paula remained to be seen.
For the first time in my long life, I found myself being interrogated in a capital security prison.
Perhaps thanks to Ivana's consistent testimony that I had saved her, the interrogation wasn't coercive.
I answered the security knight sincerely, and he treated me better than I'd expected.
"It was strange that Paula was secretly investigating and tailing Ivana, so I followed Paula, too."
Being sincere didn't mean I was telling the truth, of course.
When asked why I hadn't told Ivana herself, I gave the excuse I'd prepared.
"Paula wasn't a stranger, and while I'd met Ivana before, things were awkward between us, so it was difficult to tell her directly."
Fortunately, the security knight interrogating me was also an alumnus of the Royal Academy.
He immediately understood my explanation, attributing it to the duel.
As expected, school ties and regional connections worked in any world.
After that, I explained what had really happened, minimizing my own role as much as possible.
Fortunately, I hadn't been deeply involved in the incident, so I didn't have to lie much.
Ninety percent truth and ten percent lies—it was advice I'd heard from a swindler in my past life, and it worked remarkably well.
Even so, it didn't look like I'd be released easily.
Imperial officials were involved, and the survivors were Royal Academy students.
Unless Ivana's backers made a move, getting out of here would be tough.
'Wait, if the First Prince finds out, will he let me go, too?'
I had absolutely no idea what the First Prince would do.
It wasn't as if I could break out of prison, either, so I could only hope the preparations I'd made would bear fruit.
Time passed as the interrogation continued.
It was hard to tell how things were progressing from in here.
Still, I could feel that dawn wasn't far off.
Just then, a commotion broke out outside the interrogation room.
It seemed people had arrived.
Perhaps Ivana's people had come, or maybe the Academy professors.
Either way, it looked like I'd be released soon.
Shortly afterward, the door to the interrogation room opened.
I thought they'd come for Ivana, but the visitor had come for me.
I expected Katrin or an Academy professor, but someone unexpected walked in.
The old man, the Duke of Ceuta, entered the interrogation room, leaning on his cane.
I stood to greet him.
"Being kept awake until dawn is no good for an old man."
He complained that losing sleep at his age was a real waste, patting his lower back.
"Let's go. The conversation's over."
"Already? How did you...?"
"Those security bastards have only just begun their investigation, but the Royal Knights have already made their move."
I wondered how the old man had found me. It seemed he was the one who had mobilized the Royal Knights.
"All I did was gather information after the incident broke out and pass it on to that Vice-Commander bastard."
Even that alone was incredible.
To mobilize the Royal Knights so quickly meant he'd heard about the terror attack just as quickly.
As an advisor to the Knights Order, the old man's reach was far wider than I'd thought.
When I expressed my gratitude for that alone, the old man waved his hand.
"How could an advisor to the Knights Order rest easy after hearing that a terror attack might take place in the capital?"
Though he was an old man who had lost his mana, he was still a knight.
A proper knight, unlike me.
Even as he spoke, the old man grumbled about all the unnecessary trouble he'd gone through.
"The funny thing is, that Vice-Commander bastard, who wouldn't lift a finger because he claimed it was a security force matter, started moving like lightning the moment he heard a female student named Ivana was among the victims."
The old man cast a sly glance at me as he spoke.
His expression seemed to ask if I knew something.
I shook my head.
It wasn't time to speak yet.
The old man shrugged and pushed the door open with his cane.
"Anyway, thanks to the Royal Knights swarming in, the situation has been more or less sorted out, which means you can leave. After all, you're just a witness who coincidentally helped a survivor."
Fortunately, it seemed the old man had no intention of telling anyone else what he'd heard from me.
Did our secret agreement back then include this sort of thing?
The question crossed my mind, but for now, I decided to look on the bright side.
And so, I was able to return to the dormitory much sooner than expected.
Because the Royal Knights had moved faster, the First Prince received the news sooner than before.
With the world still shrouded in darkness, the First Prince sat in his office, listening to the report.
Unlike before, the First Prince was properly dressed, and a mocking smile lingered on his face.
It was because he'd heard that Ivana was safe.
"So those official bastards from the Empire tried to kidnap Ivana, failed, and then blew themselves up?"
"It seems they were trying to erase their tracks."
Though the report differed slightly from the actual truth, neither the speaker nor the listener cared much.
"Why?"
"It seems to be because of Lady Ivana's ability."
At the young noble's words, the Prince tilted his head.
"It's a highly useful and unique ability, but is it really worth kidnapping her over?"
At the Prince's question, the noble answered cautiously.
"Perhaps there's a secret we're unaware of."
"If it's a secret we don't know, then it doesn't exist."
But the Prince snorted at his words.
"Ah, my apologies."
At the noble's apology, the Prince waved his hand and tapped the desk.
"Tsk, tsk. Maybe I should've kept her hidden a little longer. I thought making her face known beforehand would lessen the shock when she eventually made her debut, but this is troublesome."
The First Prince scowled.
He'd gone to the trouble of bringing his younger sister to the capital, only for this to happen in less than a month.
And it had to be the Empire.
The absurd turn of events gave the Prince a headache.
Hearing about Ivana made him want to see his sister, but he couldn't meet her right now.
'I should pay a visit to Mother's grave.'
Though irritation welled up inside him, the Prince didn't turn a blind eye to what needed to be verified.
"By the way, it's certain they didn't try to kidnap her knowing her relationship to me, right?"
At the Prince's question, the young noble's face turned awkward.
"Given the circumstances, it seems unlikely, but we had little time. It's still difficult to be certain."
Fortunately, the Prince didn't get angry this time.
Instead, he decided to throw away some lives.
"Since we have to consider that possibility, too... in the end, it'll be easier to just kill them all."
The young noble and the Vice-Commander in the room didn't object to his words.
"Who else is there besides the injured girl?"
"The officials dispatched from the Empire all died on the spot. Besides the injured female student, there's one other international student, who happens to be out of the capital right now."
"Good. Send the Knights Order to capture them."
At the Prince's command, the Vice-Commander and the young noble exchanged glances.
The young noble cautiously asked the Prince.
"What should we do if someone interferes?"
The Prince looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Is that even a question? Behead them on the spot for treason."
Since this was an operation of the Royal Knights, it was only natural to execute anyone who interfered as a traitor.
But neither the young noble nor the Vice-Commander mentioned to the Prince that the people who might interfere were the Princess and the Grand Archduchess.
After obtaining the Crown Prince's approval, the Vice-Commander and the noble slipped out of the office.
To weave other motives into the spy's arrest, they had plenty to do, starting with appointing a senior knight.
After bidding farewell to the young noble, the Vice-Commander headed toward the Knights' quarters.
To orchestrate an 'accident,' they had to arrive before the spy could escape.
The Vice-Commander's steps quickened as he walked down the corridor.
Though the incident had unfolded very differently from before, human greed remained unchanged.
The train tracks, shifted because Ivana hadn't died, were returning to their original course once more.
As the sun rose, I returned to the dormitory and packed my bags again.
Despite having made various preparations, I couldn't shake my unease.
I felt sorry toward Katrin and the other professors for skipping classes, but I felt I had to go in person.
It looked like my second-year grades were going to be absolute shit.
I wrote a letter to my group members, who had already left for the group project, saying I was on my way, left it with the dormitory warden, and departed from the Academy.
Running was faster than taking a carriage.
Watching the sun climb high into the sky, I made my way out of the capital.
As I left the capital, I waited for a window to pop up.
The Save Point message window I'd seen when leaving the capital in my previous life.
But no matter how much I walked or ran, the message window didn't appear.
I couldn't tell if it meant my group members, the Princess, and the Grand Archduchess were safe, or if it was already too late.
Suppressing my rising anxiety, I kept running toward the territory where my group members were.
Just as Alex was about to pass through the city gates, the Knights Order finished preparing to depart as well.
It was an arrest squad composed of dozens of knights.
It was clearly an excessive number, but when the Vice-Commander's instructions and the Crown Prince's command were mentioned, the knights had no choice but to comply.
The knights were equally displeased with the senior knight who would lead them.
That was because he was a knight who openly aligned himself with the First Prince Faction.
Though his skills weren't bad, to the knights who believed they should always maintain neutrality and protect the royal family, he was merely an eyesore.
But the number of knights who held to such traditional values had dwindled significantly after the Knight Commander departed.
Ever since the Vice-Commander had shown support for the Crown Prince, the neutral knights had always been pushed to the sidelines.
Even now, the other knights merely watched with resigned faces as the knights of the First Prince Faction ran rampant.
In fact, some knights were even contemplating joining the Second Prince Faction simply because they couldn't stand the sight of the First Prince Faction.
Once the knights had gathered, the senior knight leading them stepped forward and shouted loudly.
"The criminal we're capturing this time is a spy from the Empire! He's the culprit who caused the massive explosion in the capital last night, and he's currently leaving the capital with other students under the guise of an Academy student!"
Still, there was less resistance to this mission. Everyone had personally seen and heard the terror attack that occurred last night.
"I hope no one shows leniency or looks down on him just because of his young age."
"Yes, sir!"
The senior knight's voice grew louder, and several knights roared in unison as they echoed his words.
"Countless people died in the capital's terror attack. The King is furious, and the Prince has issued a command. Kill anyone who blocks the arrest, and cut down anyone who interferes!"
Many knights frowned at the excessive words, but, finding it difficult to speak up, they all kept their mouths shut.
"Understood!!"
The knights who had been shouting roared back in response.
The senior knight bowed to the watching Vice-Commander and prepared to set the Knights Order in motion.
The moment he raised his hand to shout—
"Now, depart—"
A massive shadow loomed over him.
"It's been a while."
With the rising sun at his back, the Giant looked down at him.
"Fascinating. You've already made senior knight? Do you even have the skills for that?"
The senior knight's jaw dropped as he stared at the Giant.
"No way..."
The Vice-Commander also stared at the Giant, his face turning pale.
"Yo, Vice-Commander. Long time no see."
"No, why so suddenly..."
The Vice-Commander opened his mouth, but no proper words came out.
"Don't worry. I just came out for a stroll. I was also curious about how the Knights Order has been running these days. So, I'm thinking of joining this deployment for the first time in a while. That's fine, right?"
"Yes!!!"
At the Giant's words, the previously silent knights erupted in a roar.
Conversely, the faces of the knights aligned with the senior knight soured.
The senior knight kept looking at the Vice-Commander, unsure what to do, while the Vice-Commander stared blankly at the Knight Commander who had suddenly barged in.
Standing right in front of the train tracks, the Giant grinned at his subordinates.