Reunion? (3)
Reunion? (3)
The Imperial Rondarium Academy was dazzling and immense.
It was a building into which the Empire had poured its most advanced architectural techniques without reserve, the very pride of the Empire. In a sense, it was an even more magnificent structure than the imperial palace. While the palace had been continuously repaired and expanded over the centuries since its construction, its foundations dated back to the medieval era.
But the academy had only been built about thirty years ago, and new wings were still constantly being added. A building similar to the Crystal Palace of England on Earth even stood on the academy grounds, and the streetlamps were lit not by gas but by Mana Stones. No, it was not merely the streetlamps—most of the lights inside the buildings ran on magical power.
Furthermore, it had an overwhelmingly greater number of telephone lines laid compared to other buildings in the imperial capital, and an analytic engine dedicated solely to the academy operated out of an entire building, allowing the academy's data processing to run almost perfectly, and at speeds overwhelmingly faster than anywhere else. As an added benefit, the engine ran on pure Mana Stones rather than coal, so it produced no black smoke.
On top of that, the "infirmary" was equipped enough to handle minor surgeries and was even affiliated with a university hospital. All daily necessities were provided from the highest-quality goods, generously supplied by the Empire's industrial production capacity, and if a student desired, they could even have their personal weapons replaced with imperial-issue models.
Despite all this, the tuition for attending the academy was entirely covered by the imperial family for imperial citizens, and even for students from outside the Empire, the fees were overwhelmingly cheaper than at other academies. This academy was, from the start, operated by the Empire at a loss.
The reason the Empire was so earnest about this academy was that it enrolled not only imperial citizens but also the children of famous houses from abroad, and sometimes even royalty.
So that after living a superb life here, they would feel discomfort upon returning to where they came from. And so that they could be instilled with trust in the quality of goods the Empire produced, the Empire had made this place into a "presentation room for the Empire itself."
The costs shouldered by the imperial family, then, could simply be called marketing expenses. There was no reason to spare money. The students who lived here and returned home would grow up to use the Empire's goods. In massive quantities.
Paradoxically, this also made it the optimal academy for the children of the imperial family to enter.
Probably, even if Alice's grades or my own hadn't matched our actual scores, the two of us would have been admitted under special consideration. After all, who could say anything when the imperial family ran the place?
"Top of the Imperial Rondarium Academy, Alice Fangriffon."
Of course, Alice had no need for such considerations.
Facing Alice stood the headmaster, his white hair parted in a perfectly precise two-to-eight ratio, the ends of his mustache rolled up neatly into a textbook Kaiser mustache.
Here, standing in this place, Alice was no imperial princess, and I was no princess. We were merely students.
That said, other students probably still wouldn't treat us casually, but the man standing before us was different.
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army, Abraham Fitzgerald Winterfield. He was from the most famous noble house among the northern aristocracy, a family that had produced the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army no fewer than three times. If this were a romance fantasy, they would be called the Grand Ducal House of the North.
It was not surprising that his granddaughter was at this academy. She was not a heroine, however. After graduating from this academy, she had belonged to the military before giving up that career path to find work as a teacher and instructor here, and she appeared as the homeroom teacher for the commoner class.
She was portrayed as a typically virtuous character, from a margrave's family yet possessing an open mind, rebelling against her grandfather who had a thoroughgoing aristocratic mindset.
Though she could later be used as a guest character, her performance was, typical of guest characters, outstanding, but she had little synergy with other characters, so on any playthrough past the first, she was almost never chosen. Besides, as a guest character, she couldn't be used in the final battle.
"And second place, Claire Grace. Step forward."
As the headmaster spoke, the two already standing before him took one more step forward.
I had seen Claire go to the Grace family's orphanage, but I hadn't known she would grow up so splendidly and even be adopted into the Grace house.
For reference, in the original story, Alice had been top of the class too, but the second-place student had been a different character, not Claire. And even then, they were only a supporting character, not someone important. After all, in the original, Claire hadn't taken the academy entrance exam.
Since she had been adopted into the Grace family, had she learned their swordsmanship as well? Her motion hadn't seemed that remarkable, but she was called "a model of uprightness" by the characters around her, and even Headmaster Winterfield had looked on in admiration during the story.
Would her swordsmanship be completely different from the Claire of the original, who had used the whip sword—a blade like a whip?
Though I was a princess, I was neither first nor second in class, so I stood among the other students. Sylvia's appearance was on the beautiful side, but it was nothing compared to the looks of the two standing up front. Indeed, "beautiful" was a subjective assessment of mine, and not a very objective description.
Come to think of it, both Leo and Claire had blue hair. Claire's was darker, but... if the two of them went around calling themselves "siblings," no one would doubt it. Though rumors had probably already spread among the nobility.
"Both students have achieved results far surpassing those of their fellows at that age. With that shining intellect, become ones worthy of the academy's name, and become great ones to command the Empire."
It was a ridiculous statement.
Both the first and second-place students were women, which meant, strictly speaking, they didn't even have the right to vote. It didn't matter for Alice, as she was the next emperor, but from an aristocratic perspective, a "good marriage" was the best way for Claire to make a name for herself.
It was fortunate that the Grace barony was not a "typical noble house."
Still, I had heard that the Imperial Army accepted everyone regardless of gender and treated them equally, so she could think about that direction. If the story didn't proceed according to the original and the emperor didn't suddenly awaken to become a sage ruler, that is.
Claire gave a slight bow of her head to the headmaster.
... But Alice did not...?
... Huh?
"......."
"......."
A brief silence.
Even though she must have clearly felt the gazes gathering on her, Alice didn't bow her head to the headmaster. She stood with her chest out, quietly gazing at him.
So much so that the headmaster's icy expression momentarily slipped.
And, if my eyes hadn't deceived me, the headmaster looked at Alice and seemed to smile. Just a little.
A satisfied smile.
'Aetherna Chronicles' was not, in truth, a meticulously researched virtual history simulation. It had a world close to the rootless fantasy unique to Japanese fantasy games, roughly cobbling together the histories of several famous European countries. Yet, to maintain the genre-specific color of "steampunk," it had drawn considerably from the actual atmosphere of the real countries of that era.
And that atmosphere of a real country of that era, namely the atmosphere of England, was—
—a macho atmosphere in which never tolerating unjust treatment, demanding an explanation, and asserting one's rights without ever backing down, even if it meant a life-or-death duel at the end, was considered 'manly.'
Of course, being a game, there was a fair degree of exaggeration.
Alice was not a man, but from an outside perspective, she was the sole legitimate heir to inherit this nation.
The weight of the name 'Fangriffon' was by no means light. No, even if you combined the weight of every other name in the country, it would not be heavier than Fangriffon.
Therefore, Alice's attitude of holding her head high as the legitimate blood of the imperial family was not very good behavior according to the academy's rules.
But to a stiff-minded old fossil who had reached the peak of the military and retired, it was the splendid posture of a future emperor.
Because if the headmaster was still alive when Alice became emperor, it would be Alice giving the orders.
Perhaps for that reason, the headmaster did not point out Alice's behavior. If any other student, say a ducal heir, had done the same, he would likely have given them a stern rebuke.
With a satisfied expression, the headmaster handed Alice the plaque he had been holding.
Alice received the plaque and held it with a crisp posture that looked as if she had practiced it many times, then executed a military-style 'about-face.' Claire looked a little flustered at Alice's action, but she quickly followed suit and turned around.
Alice opened the plaque and read the words written on it.
"In this year 1901, which marks the beginning of a glorious new century, I, Alice Fangriffon, representative of the 89 newly admitted students to the Imperial Rondarium Academy, do solemnly swear to strictly observe the academy's regulations, be faithful to the pursuit of knowledge, never neglect my training, and cultivate friendship with my peers so as to become a pillar to lead humanity."
1901.
In the game and in reality, it was undoubtedly the Belle Époque, the era they called the 'good old days.'
In reality, a world war didn't break out until over ten years later, but there was a high likelihood that covering that much time in a game would make it feel too loose.
So, in the game, incidents began to erupt even before we graduated from the academy.
The good old days wouldn't even last five years before collapsing completely.
... And I intended to save every single one of the heroines who might die in that process, without exception. If necessary, by looping back time as many times as it took.
"......."
The atmosphere in the auditorium was anything but light.
But that was actually only because of the headmaster and imperial princess standing at the front. Inside, everyone probably just wanted to go back and rest soon. Because the academy dormitories were of a luxurious specification that most aristocrats, let alone commoners, rarely got to experience.
No matter that they were academy students, they were still kids who had just turned fifteen.
No, they were kids turning fifteen that year, so some might not have even reached fifteen yet.
They would want to make friends and try dating.
And... to be honest.
I also wanted to make friends, leaving dating aside.
If possible, I wanted to become friends with the original protagonists.
I was standing there blankly, thinking such thoughts, when I abruptly felt someone's gaze on me.
"......."
I focused on the edge of my vision while keeping my eyes fixed on Alice. I hadn't shifted my focus there, so I couldn't see clearly—
—But it seemed that Claire, who was standing next to Alice, was looking at me.
... Had she recognized me?
It was possible. Claire had been incredibly clever in the original story. She might have been even smarter, having grown up with more leisure. She would have no experience with opium addiction, and she wouldn't drink or smoke, so her mind would be far clearer.
But, still, I couldn't just reveal my identity right then...
... Huh?
Wait, why did I have to keep it hidden?
If I just went ahead and revealed it, something felt unresolved about it, but at the same time, I couldn't quite recall a reason why I absolutely shouldn't.
"......."
Maybe I should think about it for a bit.
Standing there majestically, I watched Alice, who was the center of all the students' attention, and thought.