Another Rugin
Another Rugin
Gedeasha Bolorenos.
A great Archmage, and of the Elperun race, who enjoy a lifespan far longer than the average human.
─ Hyung, if they're Elperun, is this some kind of elf rip-off? Isn't this just a blatant copy?
─ Use the fancy term 'homage,' little brother. Besides, the concept of elves is an ancient existence originating from Norse mythology or Germanic folklore. It wasn't invented by any specific individual; it's an old cultural heritage of humanity, so it's not subject to copyright...
─ Please, just stop there. I don't want to hear any more.
Well, it's an elf rip-off... no, a mysterious minority race created by paying homage to elves, which my brother made. According to the lore, their average lifespan is about 3000 years.
They are divided into the Leaf Elperun race, who specialize in magic and love nature, and the Tech Elperun race, who pursue rapid advancements in machinery and technology.
Gedeasha Bolorenos is a Leaf Elperun from these two branches, a founding member who was with the Academy at its inception, and the closest friend of the first Dean.
Actually, there are many more detailed settings attached to her, but a much more important setting than those miscellaneous things is that she is a secret and reliable supporter character for the protagonist students fighting against Heretics in the original novel.
─ Now, the character Gedeasha isn't a mainstream character who stands at the forefront, but she plays a decisive role, like a kind of Deus Ex Machina. However, because so many eyes—both inside and outside the Academy—are focused on her, she can't intervene in every trivial incident, and she only appears dramatically during a few truly critical, major events.
─ I've said it until my mouth went dry, but the Sepenteria Continental General Academy is where the children of major figures from all the powerful nations of this world attend. If an incident occurs in such a sensitive place, it could easily spark a massive war between nations...
─ Ah, please, I didn't even ask! Stop it already!
Thanks to my brother, who forcibly injected settings into my ears like a machine gun whenever I saw him at home, I know her in detail.
And I also know well just how desperately she does her best to maintain the precarious peace of the Academy.
So, throwing the bizarre position of 'Academy Special Security Officer' at me must have been the best result she could come up with after much deliberation.
From the Church's perspective, no matter how strong the Academy's security system is, they can't just leave the precious safety of the Saint entirely to outsiders.
And for me, it's the most reasonable compromise in a situation where I must fulfill my duty to protect the Saint's safety.
So, I didn't feel any personally uncomfortable or twisted feelings toward her.
Just the thought that she's a Dean who is racking her brain to do her best in her position.
That was the extent of my dry impression.
+++*
[Olfredric XV / Furthermore, please ensure this is clearly conveyed to Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna. Even though he has been relieved of his post... tell him to do his utmost to ensure that not a single hair on the Saint's head is harmed, especially by maintaining the 'Law of Division' at all times.]
Law of Division.
It is a secret technique among secret techniques that borrows the power of the holy artifact, the Halo, to physically split one's body into two.
To be precise, it is a high-difficulty technique that forcibly separates another ego, which forms internally, from a part of my soul and divine power to create an actual, existing split body.
The split 'other me' is closer to an entity with a completely different personality and individuality than I have, rather than just an illusion or a puppet. There are so many parts that are different that even I sometimes can't control them, so maybe it's more comfortable to think of them as complete strangers who are twins.
But what is the Pope's intention in ordering me to use this tricky and dangerous Law of Division right now?
Actually, I didn't need to think about it for long.
This was a dual-core forced labor system that transcended human dignity, something even that vicious black-company boss from my past life wouldn't have dared to imagine.
It was hellish news, telling me to work a full 48 hours a day.
Of course, maintaining two bodies eats up a tremendous amount of divine power in real-time, so even for me, the time I can endure in a day is not 24 hours, but barely over 10 hours. So, to be precise, it could be said that I'm being overworked for about 34 hours a day...
Still, where on earth is there a crazy person who works 34 hours a day?
Of course, if I used an efficient method of keeping them asleep inside the Rune and only waking them up in emergencies, the stamina consumption would be much less than that, and I had already sealed the split 'other me' in the White Rune and given it to the Saint, but using it in earnest for regular, real-time duty is a completely different matter.
"Ha... man, they really work me to the bone just because I saved their life once back in the day... well... that one life-debt was the biggest thing in my life, though."
I poured out empty complaints, which were no different from whining, inside my heart to His Holiness the Pope, with whom I was entangled in a deep grace that I couldn't bring myself to resent even if I wanted to, and looked up at the flashy building towering before me.
This was the most luxurious dormitory exclusively for female students within the Academy, where the Empire's princesses, precious young ladies of the General Bureau, or children of great tycoons resided.
Every student has the right to study equally in front of learning, but as long as the logic of capitalism exists, it was inevitable that gaps would occur in the level of daily life.
Because the Academy is also a place that requires massive capital to operate, it's not a business where you just dig up the ground.
Well, it's not like the Saint who will save the world can live struggling in a moldy, shabby, and cramped dormitory.
Things like this must definitely exist.
Anyway, the reason I am standing alone in front of the main gate of this forbidden area for men, the female dormitory, is because the Saint went inside for a moment to organize her personal belongings and reorganize her situation.
It's funny to say, but I am no longer officially the Saint's dedicated escort.
So, the reason I'm waiting here with my neck stretched out in front of the dormitory isn't for escorting, but to give a few important explanations regarding the changed position.
Of course, as soon as the entrance ceremony ended earlier, I had already briefly conveyed the story that I was officially relieved of my escort duties and appointed as an Academy Special Security Officer.
─ Saint, this is a sudden and embarrassing situation for me too, but I have been relieved of my escort duties for you.
─ Yes? Ah, no, surely... did you get expelled from the Academy for emitting that power...
─ That's not it; it's because of a compromise that both the Academy and our Goddess Church are satisfied with. Due to the nature of my job, which requires escorting you from Heretics, I have to keep the Detection Law activated, but escorts are not supposed to emit power unless there is an attack, a preemptive strike, or a clear signal of a threat.
─ Ah... I see. Then what happens? Will someone else...
─ No. I will continue to reside at the Academy. I have been appointed as an Academy Special Security Officer. And the position that has become vacant will be concurrently held by Escort Officer Lesha, along with her attendant duties.
─ Ah... so Lesha will be doing both.
─ Yes? M-me, both?
─ Yes, but since the nature of the work doesn't involve moving in close proximity anyway, it shouldn't be very difficult. Also, I plan to thoroughly patrol and search the Academy to kill Heretics before they can reach you, so you don't need to worry too much about your safety.
─ Aha... I, I see...
─ And also, I have something to tell you about the White Rune I gave you... but first, it's right for you to finish organizing your luggage. Let's move to the female dormitory for now. Lesha? Guide her.
─ Yes, yes, Chief Inquisitor. I will guide you!
─ Then let's move.
─ Yes, okay. Oh, and Chief Inquisitor, I think I spoke a bit harshly earlier because I was so flustered. I'm sorry.
─ Haha, that's something you could naturally do since I was the one at fault. You don't need to worry.
That was how the conversation ended.
I was worried that the Saint would feel anxious if I told her I was relieved of my escort duties, but she didn't at all.
If anything, she looked much more at ease?
It felt like she thought it was a relief. She looked like someone whose life was about to get tangled up but then got resolved.
"..."
Well, it must just be my imagination.
How much time had passed while I was waiting blankly, lost in such thoughts?
"Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna. Have you been waiting long?"
The Saint, who had finished organizing her luggage in the dormitory, came out to the main gate of the dormitory with Lesha, her attendant and bodyguard.
"No. I haven't waited long at all. Then, shall we go somewhere and talk for a bit?"
"That's good. Hmm~ shall we go to a cafe and talk? I heard the Academy's coffee is so delicious!"
"I would like that too, but unfortunately, I don't think we can. It's a conversation that others shouldn't hear."
"Aha, hmm then... where should we go? A place where there are no other people..."
"Ah, Saint! Chief Inquisitor! There's a bench behind the dormitory, shall we go there?"
"Oh, good. People don't use that place; since the terrace is so well-equipped, there's no need to go all the way there."
"That's good. Let's go there."
So we moved to the bench behind the dormitory.
+*
Chief Inquisitor, who called us separately saying there was a serious conversation that others shouldn't hear.
He sat me and Lesha on the bench, stood in front of us, and told me to take out the Rune he gave earlier.
I don't know the reason, but I took out the Rune and showed it to him.
Then, he hesitated for a moment, let out a sigh, and opened his mouth.
"You might be slightly surprised. I'll start by apologizing in advance."
Apologizing? What does he mean by apologizing out of the blue?
As Lesha and I tilted our heads, he continued his explanation.
"Um, I'll get straight to the point and show you. I told you earlier that a part of me was contained in this Rune when I gave it to you. That was literally true. This is another 'me'."
Along with those words—
"Huh?"
The faint light emitted by the white mineral disappeared, and the Rune in my hand became as light as if it had no weight.
"Oh, seriously! Hey!"
And at that moment, a voice was heard from behind, where no one should have been.
Lesha immediately drew the sword at her waist and tried to swing it without delay.
"Uh, wha...?"
The owner of the voice heard from behind gently grabbed Lesha's arm.
"Hey, wait a second. Let me talk."
A prim and irritable woman's voice. It contained an indescribable, overwhelming charisma.
I could feel Lesha's body stiffen.
"I, I can't move..."
She was extremely flustered because the arm that was grabbed wouldn't budge.
I could tell from this point.
This woman who suddenly appeared from the back is a powerhouse strong enough to neutralize someone like Lesha without any effort.
So, she didn't even pay any attention to Lesha.
"Hey! You! Why are you splitting again, damn it! I told you I was tired! What's with the sudden black suit? I like white!"
"It was a direct order from His Holiness the Pope. It's a special security situation. My consciousness and memories will be shared soon anyway, so stop being irritable and be quiet. We are in front of the Saint."
The Chief Inquisitor replied calmly without blinking an eye, despite the rude and irritable voice.
I thought that was very strange.
Of course, since this is near the female dormitory, it's not particularly strange to hear a woman's voice passing by.
It's not, but the Chief Inquisitor's reaction was so natural that it was bizarre to dismiss it as not strange.
We came to this secluded place to have a secret conversation that others shouldn't hear, so isn't it inconsistent for him to have such a calm reaction even though a stranger suddenly appeared?
"Oh? Oh my, Saint? Ah, I'm really sorry, Saint! I dared to raise my voice rudely in front of the noble Saint! Ah! You too, sorry! You're the Saint's escort, right? Sorry, your arm must have hurt!"
The woman's voice, hurriedly apologizing to Lesha and me.
My head turned back slowly like a machine.
And standing there was...
A woman with long, straight black hair flowing down to her waist.
A tall and extremely beautiful cold beauty wearing a uniform that was sophisticated enough that it wouldn't be wrong to call it the female version of the black suit the Chief Inquisitor is wearing.
But the strange thing was that her overall atmosphere was so similar to the Chief Inquisitor.
To be precise, rather than looking exactly the same, that unique dry and cool feeling was very similar.
It felt as if their souls were closer than twins looking in a mirror.
"I greet the Saint. Nice to meet you for the first time."
Such a woman bent her knees elegantly and then bowed her head respectfully to show courtesy to me.
"My name is Luna Niginna. I belong to the 1st Special Inquisition Department, as the Inquisition Chief. My memories have just been shared with the main body in real-time, so I have finished grasping the current situation. From now on, I will perfectly perform the Saint's safety and protection without the slightest deficiency."
An unbelievable, dumbfounding sound.
This woman who suddenly popped out of thin air introduced herself as Luna Niginna and proudly said she held the position of Inquisition Chief of the 1st Special Inquisition Department.
I couldn't understand what kind of bizarre situation this was with my head at all.
But Lesha, my friend next to me, was rubbing her grabbed arm, and as if she had guessed something, she nodded and said in a low voice.
"Luna Niginna... I've heard of her, Saint."
Lesha had heard of such rumors.
It's not that the 1st Special Inquisition Department doesn't have an Inquisition Chief.
An Inquisition Chief named Luna Niginna definitely exists.
But there is a rumor that the Inquisition Chief does not show herself unless it is a very critical situation or a special situation.
"Originally, the Special Inquisition Department has separate positions for Chief Inquisitor and Inquisition Chief. The Chief Inquisitor handles overall command, and the Inquisition Chief takes action. But the 1st Special Inquisition Department doesn't have an Inquisition Chief. There were rumors that there was one, but no one believed it. Me neither. So I thought the Chief was competent and did everything alone... so there was such an inside story."
"...No way."
Hearing Lesha's words, a sensation like an electric current passed through my head, and I felt like I knew what this situation was.
He clearly said so. That another version of himself was dwelling inside this small Rune.
He gave me this Rune, saying it would protect me in a really dangerous situation.
And just a moment ago, he said this.
"Um, I'll get straight to the point and show you. I told you earlier that a part of me was contained in this Rune when I gave it to you. That was literally true. This is another 'me'."
And as soon as those words ended, the Rune became light, and a beautiful woman who looked very much like the Chief Inquisitor appeared from behind.
And she introduced herself as Luna Niginna, the Inquisition Chief of the 1st Special Inquisition Department.
Then, this beautiful woman standing in front of me right now is...
"Lu, Chief Inquisitor Lu Niginna?"
At my trembling question, she straightened her knees and lifted her head, then twitched her eyebrows and shook her head firmly.
"Saint. That name belongs to that unlucky main body guy standing over there... no, that bastard."
"Bastard or guy, they are both disrespectful terms. I told you to watch your mouth in front of the Saint, Luna."
"Shut up, Lu! Stay out of my business! Anyway, Saint. I am Luna Niginna. I am the Inquisition Chief, the action leader of the 1st Special Inquisition Department."
She is Luna Niginna. The Inquisition Chief in the rumors of the 1st Special Inquisition Department.
"Another Rugin."
She was another 'Rugin'.