156. Upheaval
156. Upheaval
Fabiana, who had been laughing so hard it seemed she might pass out, finally stopped, tears streaming down her face.
And Silina wore an expression like she was furiously grinding the gears of her rock-hard head.
"The Flame Emperor... why would she have an audience with me? What does she want to talk about?"
"She won't talk about anything."
"Right. Just like my senior said, she won't say a word."
"Then why...?"
"Because the mere fact of having a private audience with you carries more than enough meaning."
The Flame Emperor came to the academy.
She appointed herself as a history professor at the academy.
And after that, she requested an audience with Silina.
No one knows what will be said in that audience. No—I know.
The Flame Emperor truly won't say a single word.
She might not even set foot in the place where Silina is waiting.
But what about the third parties watching this situation?
They'll conclude that the Flame Emperor has taken a position behind Silina.
From the start, they'll think the Flame Emperor came to the academy because of Silina.
Going further.
They'll even start thinking that any faction that touches Silina from now on will be making an enemy of the Flame Emperor, the second of the Empire's Six Pillars.
If it's reached this point, the Puppet Emperor and the First Prince will have to hold their breath for the time being.
If they were completely out of their minds, they'd say fuck it all and move, but seeing how they've kept their plans tightly hidden and operated in secret, I can be certain.
Those bastards can't move recklessly.
"Right now, what I'm... thinking... is this correct?"
"I don't know what you're thinking, but even if you've understood the current situation, nothing's really going to change. You just need to quietly move along with the flow of the world."
Silina, seemingly unsure how to even look at me, rolled her eyes this way and that before finally settling on Fabiana.
"Eliarnes is right. Silina, my beloved little sister. From now on, you simply need to be swept along as the world flows. Even if it displeases you, it would be best to do so for the time being. Someday, the moment when you will create the current and lead the world... yes. It doesn't seem too far off."
Fabiana, who had been gazing at Silina with warm eyes, composed her expression and looked at me.
"Eliarnes."
"Yes."
"I owe you a great, great many debts."
"I'd prefer you carry that burden heavily. So heavily that just seeing me brings it to mind."
"Just thinking of your name, even looking in the mirror every morning, will remind me of what I've received from you."
"Mirror? Why would I come to mind when you look in a mirror?"
"I mean that when I see pink, I'll think of you."
Pink? Mirror? Morning?
...When I look in a mirror, I can see it too.
The pink of my hair and eyes.
But Fabiana doesn't have any pink, does she?
"If I lower my gaze just a little, I can see a different pink. A very pretty pink."
If you lower your gaze from there?
I can see a different pink too.
"...I am currently having extremely... rude thoughts about Your Highness... but I would prefer they remain merely rude thoughts."
"Unfortunately, I am indeed referring to my very pretty flower petal—"
"Flower petal—what! Stop. I get it, I get... it. Yes. No. Um... just... carry the burden moderately. That much is... too excessive."
"So you do feel embarrassment. I'm pleased to have learned how to respond whenever you're being insufferable."
Fabiana chuckled—heh heh—and pulled a long pipe from her desk drawer, putting it in her mouth.
"Thank you, Eliarnes."
"If you suddenly say thank you after going on about flower petals... that's worse than not hearing it at all."
I waved my hand dismissively, but Fabiana paid no mind and continued.
"As I said a moment ago, Fabiana de Hermann, First Princess of the Hermann Empire, will stake everything to handle all matters so that no harm comes to Eustetia. This oath is not only for this occasion. Until the day I die, no trouble will befall Eustetia."
"To fully uphold that oath, you'd need to become the rightful ruler of the Empire."
"I have already sworn. Is anything more necessary?"
The atmosphere was completely different from the Fabiana who had been making lewd wordplay moments ago.
Her glossy platinum-gold eyes were filled with confidence, as if envisioning a clear future.
A future where she becomes Emperor.
"If there had been other ears listening in this room, that would have been an extremely dangerous statement."
"That would depend on who that person was. So, Eliarnes, did my words sound dangerous to you?"
Thick smoke poured from Fabiana's lips.
Around the time that smoke dispersed, I rose from my seat and laughed—kikik.
"They weren't half bad."
"If that's how you heard them, then that's enough."
"May I consider that, through today's events, we've become 'friends' who can trust each other?"
"Friends, not merely allies. Yes. As your academy senior, as an Imperial Princess of the Empire, and as a human being, I have decided to place my absolute faith in you. Your enemies are my enemies, and whatever it may be, I will stand on your side. Furthermore, if you were to raise a rebellion against the Empire, I would listen to your story before the world's."
"That's more than I deserve."
I bowed my head and turned away.
"Still, I like it a lot."
"If that's how you feel... I'm glad."
"Yes. Then, once things calm down a bit, let's meet again."
I opened the door and left Fabiana's office.
At the same time, I let out a deep sigh.
My own strength is so weak that I'm stuck doing this annoying shit.
Back in the old days, I would've just smashed their heads in first.
Back then... behind me, Arisa would come running, Luna's miracles would shine, Kaloso's magic would unfold, and Paulo's Sacred Sword would be drawn.
"Maybe it's because of this body, but I've gotten pointlessly sentimental."
I clicked my tongue and quickened my pace.
My Device was ringing like crazy.
No need to see who it is.
*****
"This lady has... endured a great, great deal."
"Thank you."
"Because you, this lady's precious disciple, begged more earnestly than ever before through a message... this lady has... refrained from tearing that idiot limb from limb and has been sitting here for 38 minutes to grant her precious disciple's request."
"...You didn't just wait for 38 minutes, you listened to what I had to say—"
"But you are remarkably at ease. This lady... fretted endlessly over whether her precious disciple, her one and only disciple, might have suffered some harm, and yet my disciple is perfectly at ease. Should I be relieved? Should this lady also greet you with a carefree smile?"
A grinding sound came from Leona's hand—crack—as blood dripped down—drip, drip. Her nails had dug into her palm.
Seeing this, I can't help but think her temper is even filthier than mine.
"No. You know your own faults, which is why you're kneeling before this lady like this."
"This is because you kicked my leg while listening to my story, Vice Dean... Hmm, yes. I know my faults. So could you please let go of some of your anger?"
I tried to grumble, but Leona's gaze was so piercing and fierce that I gave up.
"My anger is great, but my sense of betrayal is just as great. Disciple. Why did you not confide your circumstances to this lady, your master?"
"Because I was afraid it would turn out like this."
"Do you not trust in your master's strength?"
"I'm certain that right now, in the Empire—no, across the entire continent—you're the strongest, Vice Dean. But even you can't kill the entire world."
My leg had mostly healed.
I straightened my kneeling legs and sat properly.
Then I remembered Leona going on about my panties earlier, and pressed down on the middle of my skirt.
"I don't want you... hmm, I don't want my master to die. Even if you don't die, I don't want to hear the world cursing you."
The corner of Leona's mouth twitched.
Her stiffly frozen tail loosened softly, and her unmoving ears perked up.
I didn't miss that opening.
Little by little, I scooted toward Leona on my butt.
"We're close enough to worry about each other like this, aren't we? Don't tell me I'm the only one who thinks so?"
"...Your master is not so weak as to cause her disciple worry..."
"Come on, whenever you go somewhere, I always say it, right? 'Yes, have a safe trip.' Have a safe trip. Have a safe trip—what does that mean? It literally means go and come back. Go, and then come back to where I am. It means to keep my words in mind and make sure to return, in case something happens and you can't come back."
It sounds like something I just made up on the spot, but with this kind of talk, rather than a sound explanation, you need to raise the volume of your voice and build up emotion before the other person can refute you.
So right now, I'm drooping the corners of my mouth and curling up like a cat that got drenched in the rain and is all grimy.
Of course, it's not that I don't mean it.
Those words... well, they're one of the lectures Aunt Diana gave me when I was little, 400 years ago.
It was common sense she beat into the heads of Paulo and me with a club, since we never greeted anyone no matter where we went.
So it's not something I should dismiss as bullshit I don't even mean.
And the effect?
"Hmm... I never knew my always-slippery disciple harbored such admirable thoughts..."
It was incredible!
Her awkwardly moving tail loosened softly, and her ears fluttered adorably.
"Is your leg... a little better?"
"It hurts. When I first got hit, I thought my leg had been torn off."
"Don't exaggerate when you blocked it with Aura. Still... I'm sorry..."
Leona's tail curled up dejectedly.
Her ears drooped weakly too.
"I'll just think of it as a loving beating."
I laughed—kikik—and patted the ground right in front of me.
"Sit down and let's talk. My neck hurts from looking up now."
"You could just stand up. Isn't it ridiculous for a disciple to sit stubbornly while her master stands? Your leg seems fully healed too."
Even so, Leona sat down in front of me.
I bowed my head to her.
"Thank you for listening to my story instead of going straight to the Flame Emperor."
Leona had acted exactly opposite to what I expected. She had truly waited in my personal training hall, just as the message I left said.
And on top of that, she listened to my story until the end without interrupting once.
Of course, she kicked my leg immediately after hearing everything, but it didn't break or even crack.
It was really just a scolding kind of kick.
If an ordinary student had been hit, it might have really been torn off, but I'm not an ordinary student, so it's fine.
"...If you're grateful, then behave properly from now on."
"Still, I think I'll have to do what I have to do."
"You don't take your master's words gracefully at all."
"Rather than lying ambiguously, I'm trying to speak clearly."
"Where did such an impertinent disciple pop out from..."
Even as she grumbled, Leona didn't actually seem as displeased as her tone suggested.
"Whoa... that way of talking just now really made you sound like a grandma."
"...Even deliberately acting in front of you is tiresome."
"Still, I like your lively way of talking better, Master."
"...It was only fifteen days ago that you gave me grief for not acting my age. Of course, that doesn't mean this lady is using this manner of speech because of your nagging. This is... take it as a sign that this lady is being serious."
"You say that, but actually hearing it, it's not bad. It suits your appearance better too, Master."
"If that's... the case, hmm... then I suppose I'll do as you say."
Scratching her ear... scratching the ear on top of her head, Leona wagged her tail.
"First, Eliarnes. Let's correct what's wrong and move on. The Flame Emperor said I can't find the Puppet Emperor's main body, right? That's not true. That was... roughly more than ten years ago. As I am now, I can find that shithead Puppet Emperor's main body anytime."
Even as she spoke, her eyes gleamed sharply.
Her fangs flashed between her twisted lips.
"The only reason I don't kill him is because of the covenant bound to the name of the Six Pillars."
"Covenant? Is that covenant the Absolute Command the Emperor holds... something like that?"
"Ah... right. These days they call it the Absolute Command instead of a covenant. Yes, right. Absolute Command."
Absolute Command.
It came up again.
"What exactly is that?"
"It's the condition attached to the name of the Six Pillars. Literally... an absolute command. The Emperor has the authority to issue exactly one absolute command to each of the Six Pillars. And in exchange for that command authority, the Empire lends them its power."
"Why would beings as powerful as the Six Pillars accept such restrictions? In this world now, there's no one to stop them if they just do whatever the hell they want, is there?"
"There's me."
I closed my mouth for a moment at that answer.
Short, but it made me think about a great many things.
Because Leona exists in this world.
The other beings cannot stand above the world.
They cannot achieve what they want.
If that's the case.
The conclusion is that the current Six Pillars had no choice but to bind themselves under that name because they didn't want to die to Leona.
"The Absolute Command issued to you, Master... is it something like... don't kill a member of the Six Pillars?"
"Correct."
"Which Emperor issued such a command? And what was the reason for issuing it? Why did you hand something like that over? Did you get scammed?"
"Scammed, my ass. The protection of the Beastkin. And... the establishment of a refuge where Beastkin can live. In exchange for that, I took on the name of the Six Pillars and made the covenant. And the content of it was that I wouldn't kill the other Six Pillars."
Leona smiled bitterly.
"Still, the covenant has been kept well. The Empire declared the protection of Beastkin across the continent, and it created a refuge that wasn't just in name—it was as if they'd transplanted an environment Beastkin genuinely prefer. So I... have no choice but to keep the covenant. They say it's not true, but if I ever did anything reckless, they could slaughter all those Beastkin."
I've never heard about a refuge for Beastkin.
There was no information related to Beastkin even in the Eustetia archives—is the Empire putting some effort into security?
"A refuge... where is it?"
"The north, the territory of House van Chaser."
"...Oh?"
This... if I play my cards right, I might be able to resolve this myself.