54. Calamity Star

"Eliarnes."

"...So you could move using not just ordinary light, but even the light of a signal flare?"

"Correct. My Intent is quite remarkable—and quite troublesome."

I almost said, "It certainly seems that way," but barely managed to hold it back.

"What brings you to such a dangerous place?"

"I came because it is dangerous."

"You would have been safe if you'd stayed inside the academy."

Fabiana shook her head.

"Let me correct myself. I came not because I am in danger, but because my sister is."

"You must care for the Second Princess a great deal."

"Is it not only natural, when she is my sister by blood?"

"The Second Princess doesn't seem to like it."

"That remark just now could have cost you your head for insulting the imperial family."

"I'll correct myself."

"It's fine. I am standing here now as a student of Karelai Academy."

Then why bring up the imperial insult thing at all?

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Fabiana.

"The fact that you're here, Senior Fabiana, sounds to me like you have something to ask of me."

"I quite like how quick you are on the uptake. Correct. I have a request for you, which is why I am standing here as a student."

"If it's to kill Silina, I'll have to decline."

Fabiana's eyes went wide.

Then she made a face like a puppy scolded by its owner. No—more wolf than puppy?

"...Do I... really come across that way?"

"No. That's... not it. I was just saying it in case."

"Hm... Right. That's... understandable. You could certainly get that impression. A great deal of blood has been spilled in this succession struggle. But my request is nothing of the sort."

Fabiana clenched her fist and chewed her lip.

Wearing an expression of deep unease I never could have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠imagined on her, she stepped closer to me.

"Eliarnes. You... know of a way to get inside the Labyrinth, don't you?"

"...No, I don't."

"If you do know, then please grant my request."

Her desperate expression left me feeling awkward, so I scratched my cheek as I asked.

"What made you think I'd be able to enter the Labyrinth?"

"A person of your caliber has no reason to be loitering around a place like this without cause. So I wondered what that cause might be. And because I wondered, I had someone look around inside the academy."

"...Isn't that an abuse of power?"

Fabiana let out a soft laugh and, without answering my question, continued with what she had been saying.

"Your knight, the one always at your side, the one you got so angry over—Eurasia Espirot. I heard she left the academy and never came back. From that, I deduced it. That Eurasia Espirot is trapped inside the Labyrinth at the Arant Museum. And that you would therefore set out to save her. That you would charge in without thinking of the consequences, just as you did at the training hall."

It's not without thinking of the consequences.

It's the result of thinking things through plenty.

And "charge in"?

There's no one as calculating and rational as me.

She has no eye for people.

"Yet here you are, pacing right in front of the Labyrinth. Which means you know a way to save Eurasia. In other words, you know a way ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to enter the Labyrinth."

"...Hm."

"And on your way here, with someone's help, you learned that Silina is also trapped inside the Labyrinth. From that, you would have guessed there's some kind of informant within the academy and the imperial household. Which is why you were trying to slip in secretly."

I couldn't help but admire Fabiana's rapid-fire deductions—no, her certainty.

She's no ordinary brat, this one.

But still.

"How did you know I was here?"

Silence and Oculus.

I was even wearing Stella's hood with all my hair hidden. How did she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know?

"The Student Council secretary has sharp eyes."

First Adelia, and now the Student Council secretary.

What the hell is with these people and their damn sharp eyes?

Unbelievable.

"Am I right?"

"...Think whatever you like."

"Very well. I shall think and judge as I like."

With a low chuckle, Fabiana took another step toward me.

"Eliarnes. Please, could you take me into the Labyrinth with you?"

"Is there really a need for you to go in, Senior Fabiana?"

"I am very strong. As you know, I have reached Tier 6. I can use both Aura and Intent. Though my treasured weapon is bound to the academy, I am still far better than most of the riffraff out there."

"Yes, I know that, but... Hm... Why are you selling yourself to me? My Tier is far below Your Highness's."

"As you say. Your Tier is lower than mine, but I believe you are capable of far more than I am."

"There you go being certain again."

"I'm sorry, but this particular deduction is not something I can explain. This is... yes. It is my intuition."

Intuition.

A truly absurd reason.

But I could believe Fabiana's words.

Imperial blood—especially blood in which the imperial family's power ran strong—carried all sorts of unusual abilities.

That so-called intuition was one of the imperial family's hallmark abilities.

It was the same four hundred years ago.

The emperor of that time could know and feel more than others. That was why he'd become a coward, a son of a bitch, a pathetic wretch, and a lowlife.

Fabiana seemed to have inherited an especially strong concentration of imperial blood.

If so.

"May I ask you just one thing?"

"As many as you like."

"I'm not trying to curry favor or anything. It's just that I don't know what might happen inside, so I'm asking just in case."

"Skip the preamble and get to the point."

"Senior Fabiana, are you stronger than Silina?"

Fabiana's lips, which had been about to answer immediately, gently closed. Then she tilted her head and stared at me.

"Political power?"

"...Yes."

"I don't know what you're hoping to get from this answer, but I hold more political power than Silina. There's no comparison."

"Then, well... could you easily cover up something like a minor accident?"

"If it's murder, I can make that person into someone who never existed from the start. If it's a noble, I can tear out that family's roots."

"Do you also have a lot of money?"

"I could buy a small border kingdom with my personal funds."

"Let's go."

Fabiana, who had been watching me quietly with eyes that seemed to be trying to parse the intent behind my questions, reluctantly nodded.

"Ah, and let's make one promise."

"Anything."

"Everything you see, hear, and realize inside... since you won't be able to forget it, please keep it secret."

The moment my words ended, Fabiana placed her hand over her chest.

And quietly intoned.

"I, Fabiana de Hermann, swear upon my Mana beneath the heavens of the exalted Yurphia. I, Fabiana de Hermann, shall keep silent about all that I see, hear, or realize within the Labyrinth."

At that, whoosh—! Brilliant platinum Mana surged and settled into Fabiana's heart.

"Is that sufficient?"

Holy shit. That was fucking intense.

"...That was magnificent."

"Good. Now let us be off."

Fabiana removed the hood she had been wearing over her head and handed me a signal flare.

"First, I will draw the attention of the knight order and those Royal Guard bastards. While I do, you find a way and fire this flare. Then I will come straight to you."

"Understood."

Fabiana, who had been walking past me, paused for a moment and turned back.

Her platinum eyes, gleaming brightly, looked at me.

I looked back at her.

The sharp corners of her eyes softened into a gentle smile.

"Eliarnes. I will never forget this. Truly, truly, thank you."

"...I'll accept your thanks once everything is over."

"Keh heh. Very well. Good."

With a low chuckle, Fabiana continued on her way.

Watching Fabiana recede into the distance, I let out a small sigh.

At first, I'd planned to subdue Fabiana and go alone, but doing that would've caused my father a huge headache, so I couldn't.

And as Fabiana said, if she had some power, had money, and was confident she could keep her mouth shut—

If she could swear on her Mana like that—

Then it didn't seem like she'd get in the way of what I was about to do. If anything, she'd be a help.

Furthermore, if I left the First Princess owing me a favor, I figured it would be a huge help someday.

"Still... it does leave a bit of a bad taste."

Just a few days ago, I'd sworn I would never get involved with the imperial family.

Sworn I wouldn't so much as brush a single finger against them.

And already I was tangled up with them this deeply.

...If it comes down to it, I'll just run off to the Demon World the moment I graduate.

The moment that thought crossed my mind.

"You sons of bitches! Have you still not found a way in?! This is unacceptable. I'll have to cut off every last one of your heads with my own hands, right here, before I can go to bed!! Brace yourselves, you fucking bastards!!"

Fabiana's insane acting began.

...That's not acting. That's real, isn't it?

*****

"Wait. Please wait here."

"...Why?"

Eurasia swallowed dryly and gripped her sword hilt with hands that had begun to tremble violently.

"Beyond this... there seems to be something other than Monsters."

"Something other?"

Avoiding the ears of the exhausted people lined up behind them, Eurasia's very small voice reached Silina's ear.

"...I think there's a Demonized Human."

A Wizard who accepted Demonic Energy was called a Black Wizard.

But Wizards weren't the only ones who could accept Demonic Energy.

Humans who were not Wizards could do it too.

The world called them Demonized Humans (魔人).

The difference between a Demonized Human and a Black Wizard was clear.

Unlike a Black Wizard, who borrowed a Demon's Demonic Energy to use magic, a Demonized Human took Demonic Energy directly into their own body. Therefore, their appearance changed.

They cast aside their human form and transformed into something ambiguous, somewhere between Demon and human.

Because of this, their physical abilities were enhanced.

Not only in close combat—if they received Demonic Energy directly from a high-ranking Demon or a Legion Commander, they could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even use the abilities those beings wielded.

That meant they could use close combat and magic together.

That said, it didn't necessarily make them strong.

Since they used their own power rather than borrowed power, the combat strength of Demonized Humans varied wildly from one to the next.

But one thing was certain: they were stronger than humans.

At minimum, Tier 5.

That was what a Demonized Human was.

The Demonized Human was now just beyond the wall.

"First, I think we need to move the people back."

"...Right."

Silina, who knew how strong Demonized Humans were, gave a small nod and turned away.

At the same moment.

Thud—

"...Huh?"

Eurasia shoved Silina's back.

And then.

Shhk—

A curved blade burst through the wall as Silina's escort knight swung his dagger—

both blades converged on Eurasia, who now stood where Silina had been a moment earlier.