82. Good News and Better News
82. Good News and Better News
A lot happened over those two days.
Father and Uncle came to the academy, and even the commander of Nameless showed up.
The next day, I received an invitation to the Imperial Palace, went into the Treasury and came out with an Artifact Luna had made, and went into the Forbidden Archive, where I learned information that still gives me a headache just thinking about it.
And that night, I even completed a very fair and clean transaction with the Information Guild.
After those long, long—yet in some ways fulfilling—two days passed, the following day was incredibly peaceful.
No rumors spread about Eurasia and me going to the Imperial Palace, and no talk circulated suggesting we had entered the Treasury or the Forbidden Archive.
I don't know about Fabiana, but if he's the Emperor, shouldn't the imperial family's informants be unable to do their jobs properly?
Whatever the case, it's a good thing.
I like attention, but receiving attention beyond my current level is burdensome.
However, something has changed from before.
The students avoid me.
Of course, they avoided me before too.
After all, I'm the only daughter of Eustetia's main line, and while I'm fairly pretty, my expression is foul, my way of speaking is rough, and because of the times I was called out by the Vice Dean and my homeroom professor... they did avoid me.
But the degree of it has gotten worse.
Now it feels like they won't even look at me? No, it feels like they're reluctant to even be in the same space as me.
Earlier, when I went to the restroom, a female student washing her hands there was so startled she went scrambling out in a fluster.
Well... I don't particularly care, but I'm worried that Eurasia, who sticks by my side, might end up losing all her friends too.
And then, there's a student who's started clinging to us... no, precisely to me.
"Eliarnes."
A student with long, flowing platinum-blonde hair, staring at me with noble eyes.
"Good morning."
Silina de Hermann.
The student I least wanted to get close to keeps clinging to me.
She'd been staring at me with a strange look in her eyes for a while, so I'd been scurrying around trying to escape, but in the end, we ran into each other in the lecture hall.
It couldn't be helped. We're in the same class, after all...
"Good morning."
"Did you get back alright yesterday?"
"Well, more or less."
"I heard that Eurasia returned to the academy first, and that you came back in the middle of the night—past curfew, at that. Is that true?"
...I asked the guard at the academy’s main gate to keep it a secret, but it seems he went and blabbed right away.
"I was late because I was eating with my dad."
"The Duke of Eustetia left a letter saying he was returning to the Duchy. Around 9 p.m."
Silina's eyes narrowed.
"And last night, I also heard a rumor that a big fight broke out in a back alley of the Imperial Capital."
"That kind of thing happens all the time."
"They say it happened at a bar called [Piergius]."
Does she know what I did yesterday?
Was there some bastard in that bar who's in contact with Silina?
I told them so emphatically to keep their mouths shut. I should have just smashed all their jaws in after all.
As soon as my off-campus ban is lifted, I’ll go straight there and wreck every one of their jaws. Bastards.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I shrugged my shoulders.
"Guess someone got drunk and picked a fight."
Meanwhile, Silina's narrowed eyes showed no sign of opening properly.
With a strange "Hmm—" from her nose, she kept glaring at me.
Ugh, damn. I want to stab her.
"Who do you think I heard this information from?"
"Who knows."
"I heard it from Fabiana."
"Is that so."
Silina, who had been watching me answer indifferently, leaned her upper body slightly and whispered.
"That bar you wrecked yesterday. Precisely, the [Uranos] Information Guild. That's a place Fabiana manages."
I'd wondered how such a shabby information guild could have so much information, but if the Imperial Princess was backing it, that changes things.
But.
"That shitty... no, the person who created that guild was Senior Fabiana?"
"She didn't create it. Similar to you... no, she bent it to her will in a different way from you."
For a place she supposedly bent to her will, the quality of the bastards working there was way too shabby. Did she deliberately pick guys like that?
Fabiana did?
No way.
Just from the way they talked yesterday, they didn't even seem to know what their own boss was capable of, or where and what she was doing.
And the ones actually running those guys were the Cartel.
Fabiana was merely making a somewhat selfish deal with them, not the proper owner.
Well, that's that.
"So, what about it?"
I don't know what she expects me to do.
"...What?"
"Whether I wreck the place or kill those guys, what's your reason for asking about this?"
Silina's expression went blank.
But only for a moment. She composed herself, put on a deliberately stern expression, and spoke in her usual rude voice.
"No matter how much trash those guys are, they're still citizens living in the Empire. Inflicting such merciless violence on people like that is an act that violates imperial law."
Merciless violence, she says.
I let out a snicker and looked at Silina.
"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point."
"...That information you requested yesterday."
Silina's lips twitched.
Then she carefully scanned the surroundings and came a little closer. A sharp citrus scent wafted from her lush platinum-blonde hair.
"They say it reached the Cartel's ears."
"So."
"...Apparently, an order came down from the top to cut it off."
This time I was a bit surprised.
The information I requested yesterday was about two things.
The underground of the Imperial Capital, and the Eustetia collateral line.
I already obtained the former. And the latter I'd postponed for two days.
That means the information Silina is talking about is the latter.
The Eustetia collateral line.
The Cartel cut off information about them.
Why?
What are they trying to hide?
"Silina. Right now... just from what you're saying, it seems like my already negative thoughts are going to turn even more negative. Is that what you intended?"
Silina didn't answer.
"If that's not it, are you trying to use me—maybe even Eustetia—as a political weapon for the imperial family? From what I saw back then, the collateral line seemed to be on the imperial prince's side."
"That's not it."
This time she answered immediately.
"Fabiana is worried about you. And... I'm also, a little, just a little, worried about you. Even so, Eliarnes, no matter how rude you are, you're still my benefactor. Yes."
Who's calling who rude.
I narrowed my eyes and glared at Silina.
Silina, too, met my eyes with confidence.
"If it's a lie that the Cartel's top brass ordered the information cut, you're in big trouble."
"I don't know what you think of me, but it's not a lie."
"Hm."
It certainly... doesn't seem to be a lie.
It really does seem like she's saying this out of concern for me.
Then, for now, I should set aside my suspicions about Fabiana and Silina and think about the connection between the collateral line and the Cartel.
What did they join hands for?
The Eustetia collateral line.
Precisely, I suspect Shivria's family.
Of course, they say there's another collateral member at this academy besides Shivria, but the one I suspect right now is Shivria.
She's too reckless.
She runs wild without fear.
It's common for collateral lines to hate the main house, so I could let that slide, but this has crossed the line.
No, it's not so much hatred as it is contempt.
The collateral line looks down on the main house. Treats it as a joke.
They wouldn't pull that kind of shit without any basis. There's a basis.
And if they share that basis with other collateral lines, they could gather those dissatisfied with the main house and scheme some nonsense. They surely will.
At the end of it all, they'll ultimately rise up against the main house.
But no matter how much they gather their intentions, if Nameless moves, they won't be able to do anything and will just drop dead.
They should know that themselves.
So why are they running wild like that?
And the strangest thing is the order the Cartel gave.
"Who did you hear from that the Cartel ordered that information cut?"
"...I have someone hidden in the Cartel."
"If they can immediately know orders from the top, they must be sitting in a fairly high position. So, what does this person do?"
"Aren't you asking a bit too shamelessly?"
Silina looked at me as if dumbfounded.
"Don't you think it'd be better to tell me?"
"...Why?"
Silina tilted her head. I also tilted my head slightly and looked at Silina.
"You really do seem to have no head for politics."
"...What kind of crazy talk is that? Even from you... I don't think I can easily let that remark pass without proper grounds."
Seeing Silina's indignant expression, I giggled and was about to explain right away.
But.
Deng— deng—
A massive bell ringing throughout the entire streets of the Imperial Capital cut off my words. Following that—creak, the lecture hall door opened and the sound of alluring heels echoed out.
Click. Click.
"Everyone, good morning."
Our class's homeroom professor, Adelia Baros.
Adelia, who entered the lecture hall with elegant steps, swept her gaze thoroughly over the interior and smiled brightly.
"I have news to share with you all. So shall we hurry and take our seats?"
"...Tch."
Hearing Adelia's words, Silina clicked her tongue quietly and looked back at me.
"I'll tell you later, during break."
"I don't like your commanding tone."
"...You really are insolent."
"What's insolent between classmates?"
Silina's face flushed red and blue.
"...Will you tell me?"
"I'll think about it."
Grinning, I gave Silina a nasty smile.
At that, Silina's fist clenched tightly, but I pretended not to see and waved my hand dismissively.
"Hurry up and go sit."
"...You really... always watch your back."
With those final words, Silina went and sat in an empty seat on the opposite side from me.
At the same time, Eurasia, who had been trembling from a distance and stealing glances at Silina and me, came scurrying over and sat in the seat next to me.
"M-My lady...! Good morning!"
"Yeah. Good morning to you too, Eurasia."
Just moments ago her face had been full of anxiety, but as soon as she claimed the seat next to me, she quickly became all smiles.
It was a bright face that naturally brought out a "good morning"—the complete opposite of Silina, who had been scowling fiercely just moments before.
As I was giggling at Eurasia's face, clap! Adelia, standing in front of the podium, clapped her hands to draw attention.
"You've all taken your seats. Good. Before I speak, I have good news and better news? Which would you like to hear first?"
She said good news and better news, but on Adelia's face, smiling with the corners of her eyes folded, there seemed to be a strange irritation simmering.