The New Principal
Princess Emilia had quietly let her guard down around certain people, but there were still a few she hoped this particular individual hadn't noticed her true identity. One of those was Diana Deschubella, the Deshubella viscountess who had lost her family's prestige in a single stroke after falling to the Devil of All Nations.
The Deshubella viscount had long counted the Ten Thousand Evils as his family's mortal enemies, so Diana, raised in such a household, was very likely to feel the same way. Emilia knew that losing even a minor faction like the Deshubellas within her already-small circle would be a devastating blow.
Although Diana hadn't openly supported her yet, she'd been working quietly for a long time, and now she was about to leave.
Emilia offered a gentle, sorrowful smile as she watched Diana pour tea into her own cup and sit down.
When she'd first hatched the plan to sow chaos using the Devil of All Nations' existence, Emilia had already decided to abandon the Deshubellas. But the timing had been too early, and the bond she'd built with Diana left her regretting the choice.
At first, the approach had simply been to widen her influence, yet every moment spent with Diana's bright, sociable nature made Emilia wish she'd stayed by her side a little longer.
Now that she was calling it quits, Emilia silently lifted her teacup while she mentally plotted how to deal with the Deshubellas.
"Eeeh—? You've already made up your mind?" Diana teased, refilling her own cup. "What, am I not special to you anymore? I'm about to cry!"
Emilia, sensing her true feelings, thought that Diana's real talent lay in diplomacy. She read people's hearts easily and gently stirred their weaknesses. The kind of person who would suffer pain and patience to seize exactly what she wanted, the kind who became a terrifying opponent the moment she turned into an enemy.
"Managing Rai? As a subordinate? Anyway, the one holding Rai is you, Aria, right?"
"No. Precisely speaking, it's the headmistress herself."
"So Endo or Aria... wait, not Endo, but Aria."
Even Emilia had only recently learned that the headmistress was following the 2nd Prince's orders. Yet Diana spoke as if she already knew.
Emilia's usual gentle expression vanished as she stared blankly. Diana let out a soft laugh.
"Although I don't seem to be doing much, I've conducted various investigations to help Rai."
Despite being astonished that someone had noticed, Diana dismissed it casually.
"How did you persuade the Emperor?"
"He gave it to me as a gift."
"Wow— the Emperor really has a huge heart."
Emilia answered with a straight face, and Diana giggled.
"Really. More of a debt than a gift, though."
"...Ah— Velukashiko Kingdom, right? You resolved their diplomatic issue."
"Yes. I couldn't hide it from Diana."
Emilia nodded in agreement.
The Empire had conquered Caylen Kingdom with minimal bloodshed and declared the Era of War over, but Velukashiko Kingdom still refused to yield, prolonging the conflict. They'd used the Northern Army and poured enormous war costs into it, nearly bankrupting the economy. The weakened Northern Norden eyed the borders greedily, and with the conquered kingdoms unrestful, the Empire simply couldn't spare the resources to deal with Velukashiko.
Emilia's mother, Olivia, had gone as a diplomatic envoy and resolved it. The Empire safely ended the Era of War and announced the Era of Peace.
And her mother, who had borne all the credit, presented it to young Emilia.
"The victor deserves appropriate recompense."
Emilia murmured the Empire's creed.
The Emperor had rewarded General Edelian with the entire conquered kingdom, renaming it Aideria after his title. To complete the final puzzle of ending the Era of War, diplomatic prowess had been necessary. Now the Emperor was handing over the Devil of All Nations himself as payment.
Emilia had no idea who the red-haired, red-eyed legend truly was, yet the timing felt eerily fitting.
Diana's thoughts filled in the gaps, quietly sipping her tea while she waited for Emilia to speak.
"Rai doesn't want the Deshubellas?"
"I can't dream of things I can't have. Since the Ten Thousand Evils are with me, the Deshubella viscount cannot become my strength."
"It's not your father, it's the Deshubella family itself."
The Deshubellas were only viscounts, but their true power had always come from their bloodline. From the small kingdoms before the Empire, the family had maintained countless collateral branches. The Deshubella viscount's own strength rivaled that of a major noble house.
Emilia stared at her, sensing how much was hidden beneath Diana's words.
"I'll become the head of the Deshubella family."
Diana stated it clearly, and Emilia hesitated before answering.
"You mean you'll push out the viscount?"
"Please don't look at it that way. Father will retire soon, so I'll simply take over a bit earlier."
Diana smiled sheepishly as she sipped her tea.
If the viscount, who despised Rai, stepped down and Diana took the title, the entire Deshubella family could become allies of Emilia's.
Yet she couldn't understand why Diana was going so far.
"But... why...?"
"The victor deserves appropriate recompense. If I become Emperor, I'll give you Rai-kkang."
"... ..."
The unexpected demand left Emilia more bewildered than ever.
"I'm not talking about giving away people like slaves. We're Empire citizens who don't abandon human ethics."
Diana smiled brightly.
"If I become Emperor, I could never keep the Devil of All Nations. So many people have been hurt by him. If I erase him or expose his identity forever, but he seems unwilling to hide it... and even if he could, I wouldn't want to carry such a threat as Emperor."
From just a casual tea-time conversation, Diana had already read the entire plan.
'No. She's been thinking about this for a long time.'
Emilia realized Diana had anticipated every possibility and come seeking exactly what she wanted.
A tempting reward and a bold demand.
"Let me free Rai freely. That's my shameless request as someone who hasn't done anything yet."
"... ..."
"Then I'll give you the Deshubellas in return, Aria."
Emilia would gain both Rai and the Deshubellas.
For her, nothing could be better.
"One day, I may need to push Instructor Rai from behind."
"When that time comes, I'll be the one pushing him. I'll safely receive and take him with me."
Diana smiled, telling her not to worry.
"And... can you tell me why you want Instructor Rai?"
Emilia couldn't understand even after thinking about it, and Diana laughed brightly while clasping her hands.
"Is it a great love?"
"... ..."
Seeing Diana draw a heart with her clasped hands, Emilia gave a horrified expression.
"Hahaha— Aria's face is so funny."
***
The once-barren landscape was gradually turning green, spring on its way, but the weather still felt chilly.
And the academy was beginning its new semester.
"Senior! Long time no see!"
Mia, who had stayed at her family home during the break, ran straight to Zeroa and hugged him tightly.
Zeroa watched her active skinship with his younger sister, but for Mia it was simply joy at finally seeing him again.
"Wow— have you grown taller? You've become so much more solid."
"Instructor Rai gave me a lot of training during the break."
Despite the lukewarm reply, Mia knew exactly how grueling the hellish training had been, thanks to her own experience.
She had been glad she hadn't received it and could rest comfortably at home, yet she had still trained on her own out of fear of growing weak.
Seeing her parents watching her training with tears in their eyes, they also came to deeply respect the instructor they had never met—Rai.
"It would be great if I was in the same grade as you. We could study and train together."
Mia walked beside Zeroa, smiling brightly.
Having already confirmed her class, Zeroa felt at ease.
Most students from last year had changed, so it felt like he was starting second year again.
Especially with Aria, it felt good. While listening to Mia's words, Zeroa walked through the courtyard with her.
"Apologies for the interruption, but may I ask the way?"
Zeroa nodded at the man blocking his path.
"Yes. Where are you headed?"
"I'm looking for the headmistress's office. Embarrassingly, I've been unable to find it on my first visit."
The middle-aged man with his neatly groomed mustache and monocle spoke with a carefree laugh.
Zeroa pointed out the correct building, and the man thanked him politely before departing.
"Who was that?"
"Well... perhaps one of the headmistress's guests."
Two people who had been staring at the back of the somewhat enigmatic man continued walking without paying much attention.
The man entered the building Zeroa had indicated and headed straight for the headmistress's office without hesitation.
"Hello. I'm Jerome Fricker."
"Yes, hello. What brings you here?"
The secretary at the headmistress's office bowed deeply in response to the polite greeting.
"I've come to take the position of headmaster."
"What?"
Surprised by the unfamiliar news, the secretary knocked and entered the office.
Headmistress Celenas, who had been working at her desk, stared at the flustered secretary, then let out a wry smile.
"A new headmaster has arrived."
"Ah... was that the scheduled event?"
Before the secretary could recover, Jerome entered and greeted Celenas.
"Headmistress Celenas, I am Jerome Fricker. I have been appointed headmaster of Legandia Academy."
"Yes, I'm pleased to meet you. I've been holding a position I never deserved, and now I can finally set down the heavy burden. What will become of me?"
"Celenas can continue as an instructor, given your past contributions. If you wish."
The secretary, who had overheard everything, finally realized that Celenas had been fully aware of the replacement.
Jerome glanced at the secretary eavesdropping beside him, and Celenas spoke first.
"I'm glad. I wasn't ready to part ways yet. Setaara, thank you for all your help until now. Please take good care of the new headmaster, Jerome Fricker."
"Ah... ah no... I am honored."
Unlike her usual calm demeanor, the secretary bowed deeply in shock.
Matching her bow, Celenas set down her pen and stood from her chair.
"Is there anything to hand over?"
"No, it's fine. I already familiarized myself while coming here. Ah, one thing— I must receive the handoff."
Jerome's eyes sparkled as he smiled.
Realizing the meaning behind his smile, Celenas nodded and requested the secretary call Rai.
As the secretary left the office, Jerome stared at the closed door before speaking to Celenas.
"Is the Devil of All Nations living comfortably on Imperial rations?"
"He is not the Devil of All Nations. He is Rai Redford."
"I see. The heretic Rai Redford who created countless Imperial graves."
Jerome nodded and sat on the sofa.
While Celenas prepared tea, a knock sounded, and Rai entered.
"Hello~ I heard you summoned me. Oh?"
Rai spotted Jerome lounging comfortably on the sofa, tilted his head for a moment, then grinned.
"New headmaster? Nice to meet you. I'm Rai Redford."
"Jerome Fricker. It's an honor to face a legend. Please sit."
Both men shook hands with smiles and sat on the sofa.
"It's truly thrilling to be able to command a legend as a slave."
His words were polite and cultured, yet they clearly aimed to provoke Rai.
"Don't get too excited. You might suffer a heart attack."
"Fortunately, my body is healthy."
"Fortunately. People can never be too careful, though. A healthy heart stopping suddenly is no small matter."
Rai answered with equally meaningful words, and the two men locked eyes, exchanging stiff smiles.