The Art of Advanced Praise
Nia Cynthia. Ever since his youth, he had been hailed as a prodigy of magic. By the time he turned ten, the number of spells he could wield exceeded a thousand. It was a level of talent so rare it could be counted on one hand in the entire history of the Empire. Thanks to this, the Marquisate of Cynthia was overjoyed. It was only natural, given how brilliant their heir was. Thus, Nia grew up having everything. As a genius. As the heir to the Cynthia Marquis family. As the next Master of the Yellow Magic Tower. He rose to the highest position among the rising stars of the next generation, to the point where the political landscape would shift depending on which royal bloodline he chose to support.
And that was the greatest mistake of his life.
The moment Nia aligned himself with the First Prince, a crack formed in the delicate balance between the First Prince and the Third Princess. Although Nia's achievements were remarkable, they weren't originally enough to shake the Empire's political world on their own. He was merely the heir, not the Marquis himself, and only the future Tower Master. However, the struggle for the throne between the First Prince and the Third Princess had dragged on for a long time. Most political figures in the Empire had already chosen their factions. The political landscape had been locked in a stalemate for far too long. Nia was the perfect figure to break this deadlock. A blue-chip stock with guaranteed future value—that was what shattered the equilibrium.
That was also why Iris's maternal grandfather, Duke Robliaju, was stretching his insidious claws into Jerion Academy.
To swallow up the blue-chip prospects of the future so that when the time came to decide the throne, the scales would tip in their favor. That was the plan of the Third Princess's faction. In such a situation, Nia—a guaranteed future asset—suddenly sided with the First Prince. To the Third Princess's faction, it was a bolt from the blue. Thus, they played a ruthless hand: eliminate Nia Cynthia. If they couldn't have him, they would destroy him. That was their plan. And now, that very Nia was standing right in front of my eyes.
"B-Brother, did you change your staff? It looks very nice." Nikita spoke up, trying to defuse the tension. Just as she said, a remarkably high-quality staff was fastened to his waist.
"You have a sharp eye. An acquaintance of mine accidentally broke my old one, so I had to replace it." Fortunately, Nia played along. Nikita quickly kept the conversation going in that direction.
"Oh dear. I recall your previous one was also quite an exceptional piece."
"Regrettably, the artisan who crafted it was recently injured in a carriage accident. Out of urgency, I had one made by a craftsman recommended by the very acquaintance who broke my staff." Nia smiled warmly as he spoke.
"Now, Nikita. Explain this situation to me." The conversation looped right back to the start. His gaze turned incredibly chilling. To be precise, the look he directed at me was downright murderous.
'Nia Cynthia is someone who dotes on Nikita to an extreme degree.' This was a line written in Nia's character profile. Until now, there had been no way to verify the truth of those words. Demon Palace Academy Slayer: Flame Butterfly Chapter only dealt with incidents occurring inside Jerion Academy. Nia was a character completely outside the academy's scope. Whenever he was mentioned, it was always news of his death. Perhaps that was why it felt a bit surreal. This is the first time I've ever seen this guy alive.
"W-Well..." Pressed by Nia, Nikita wore a troubled expression. It was understandable, as she had no idea how to explain the current situation. Staring quietly at Nikita, Nia let out a long sigh.
"Nikita, I want you to have a wholesome relationship with the opposite sex." When Nia turned his gaze back to me, his eyes were completely dead. A wholesome relationship. It seemed Nia had completely misunderstood the dynamic between Nikita and me. Then again, the scene he had walked in on was far from normal. A younger sister hiding under a desk, and a male student deliberately blocking the way in front of her. Put that way, it did sound incredibly sketchy. I had only teased Nikita a little because she was cute. I felt so wronged.
"And not with some random bastard who rolled in from who-knows-where." That was harsh. Hanon was technically of Robliaju blood, after all. Ah, so that's why. Since he sided with the First Prince, Nia had essentially made an enemy of the Robliaju Ducal family. The disguise I wore as Hanon possessed black hair and ruby-red eyes, the signature traits of the Robliaju family. He must have immediately realized I carried Robliaju blood.
Come to think of it... Did Nia know that Hanon was originally a pawn the First Prince's faction intended to use? Since I didn't know much about Nia, there was no way to tell.
"A r-relationship?! You've got it all wrong! My junior and I are absolutely not in that kind of relationship!" Nikita vehemently denied it, her face turning pale. Nikita knew her position all too well. Although she could live free from her family's constraints while attending Jerion Academy, she would inevitably be used in an arranged marriage once she graduated. Therefore, she could never afford to have the label of a romantic relationship attached to her. In an arranged marriage where purity was paramount, such a rumor would be a devastating blow. She had no desire to bring shame upon her family.
"Is that so?" Nia's expression brightened slightly. "Then I suppose I should ask what this fellow thinks as well." Nia turned his cold eyes back to me. He possessed an exceptionally handsome appearance, much like Nikita. While his looks might be someone's cup of tea, I had absolutely no interest in men.
"Senior Nikita is the senior I respect most in the entire world."
"Ugh." Nikita flinched, clearly not expecting me to praise her so openly right in front of Nia.
"She faithfully carries out her duties as the vice president and is generous enough to take on other people's workloads as well. Even when she gets stressed from overwork, she often hums to herself, and she seems to have a real talent for singing. I respect her deeply, including that side of her." The words about Nikita poured out of my mouth like rapid-fire. Nikita stared at me with her mouth agape, completely dumbfounded. Her face practically screamed, How on earth do you know that? Nia slowly knit his brows.
"...Anything else?" For some reason, he demanded more.
"There is plenty. Yesterday, she attempted to eat eggplant, a dish she normally cannot stand. Although she ultimately failed, isn't the attempt itself what holds the greatest value?" Nikita's lips parted soundlessly.
"Nikita, you have grown so much. I am proud of you." Nia looked at Nikita with immense pride in his eyes. I was slowly beginning to understand how to handle this guy.
"So, is there more?" "Yes, of course there is. Just the day before yesterday—" Tug. At that moment, I felt a sharp pull on my clothes. Turning my head, I saw Nikita glaring at me with her teeth clenched. Her entire body was trembling. If I said any more, she was going to explode.
"...Both of you, get out." No, she had already blown her top. "GET OUT!" And just like that, Nia and I were kicked out of the student council room at the same time. The two of us stood awkwardly in the hallway, with the firmly shut door behind us.
"...I've never heard Nikita shout like that before," Nia muttered, his expression filled with a complex mix of thoughts.
"That is because Senior Nikita likely never showed her true self back at your estate." Nia glanced at me. "I know. That is why I sent her to Jerion Academy." I hadn't known that. To think that Nikita being able to come to Jerion Academy was due to Nia's influence. Now I understood why Nikita had been so consumed by rage over Nia's death that she went as far as to make a deal with an Ancient Dragon. Nia truly cared for her. Knowing this, Nikita must have suppressed any jealousy in her heart and followed him with genuine devotion.
"You. What is your name?" Nia asked. What should I do? If Nia knew about Hanon, things would get quite troublesome. According to my plans, it was supposed to take half a year for news of Hanon's transfer to reach the First Prince's ears. But with Nia's sudden appearance, that timeline had been pushed forward significantly. In this situation... I might as well throw it out there. "It's Hanon Airey."
"Hanon, is it?" Nia murmured, savoring the name. "I shall remember it." With that, Nia turned on his heel and walked away. Seeing how he didn't react much to the name, it seemed he hadn't heard anything specific about Hanon from the First Prince. I let out a small sigh of relief. Fortunately, my plans wouldn't be derailed too much.
I wanted to ask why he came to the academy, though. Well, I would find out soon enough anyway. Since I'm banned from the student council room today... I might as well head back early and do some physical training.
A week had passed since Nia Cynthia arrived as an associate professor. Thanks to him, the female students had been in an absolute frenzy lately. Nia was what one would call a pretty-boy noble. On top of that, his manner of speaking was incredibly gentle, and he answered the students' questions with utmost sincerity. To women, there was no man more ideal. Naturally, the hearts of the female students were set ablaze. Even the girls in the Martial Arts department were constantly gossiping about him.
"Good grief, what's so great about a guy who looks like a gigolo?" A female student sitting next to me grumbled, glaring at the gossiping girls with disapproval. She turned to look at me, her ponytail of fiery red hair swaying. "Am I right, Princess Sweet Potato?"
"Why are you sitting next to me and chatting so naturally?" Her name was Seron Parmia. She was the one who had teamed up with me during the previous battle in the Demon Palace. Perhaps she thought we had become close since then, because lately, Seron always sat next to me during Martial Arts class. To be precise, she had been cast out of the girls' circle, and since she hated being alone, she chose to sit next to me instead.
"And what is with 'Princess Sweet Potato' anyway?" Last time she called me a burnt sweet potato. Now it was Princess Sweet Potato.
"Well, obviously because Aisha carried you back in a princess carry last time." I had lost consciousness from the explosion back then, so I had no memory of it. Somehow, I had gained a reputation as a lunatic who blew himself up to kill an Apostle. It was true that I had triggered an explosion on my own body, but I had calculated that I wouldn't take any damage. Who could have known that Steel Skin and Magic Engraving would create such a synergy? But to everyone else, I looked like a madman who had launched a suicide bomb attack, destroying his own body in the process. Perhaps that was why the other students rarely approached me. The general consensus was: What if we touch him and he explodes? Ah, how lonely.
"I guess you've retired 'Burnt Sweet Potato' then." "...I'm not calling you that anymore." Seron turned her head away with a sour look. If that was the case, she shouldn't have called me a sweet potato in the first place. Whether it was burnt or a princess, once it was a sweet potato, it didn't really matter to me.
"If you keep hanging around me like this, the girls are really never going to let you back into their group." "Whatever. I'm sick of catering to their whims anyway." I had no idea what she was talking about, considering she was a girl herself.
"I think I just get along better with guys." She was saying the exact line of a girl who got ostracized by other girls and ended up hanging out with guys. I could already see Seron's bad ending in the far future. A terrible ending where she becomes the unrequited love of every guy in the group, ultimately transforming into a queen bee. What a horrific fate.
"Seron, go make up with the girls right now." "What? No way." "I'm saying this for your own good. I want to prevent you from becoming a queen bee at all costs." "...Did you hit your head again? Did your brain get blown away and left empty during that explosion?" She just didn't understand my sincerity.
"Hey, King-non, let's grab lunch." As I bickered with Seron, a familiar voice called out. Pushing away Seron's forehead as she tried to pounce on me in retaliation, I looked up to see Card. He still wore his usual cheeky grin. It looked like he had just finished his Magic class and headed over here. Since Seron, Card, and I had been eating lunch together quite often lately, it had become a routine. The other students seemed to call us the "Troublemaker Trio," but since my reputation couldn't possibly sink any lower, I didn't really care.
"Card, what's your take on Associate Professor Nia Cynthia?" I asked as I walked out with Seron. Card shrugged. "I feel a sense of rivalry." "Not that useless nonsense. Do you know why he came here as an associate professor?" Since Card was a Magic student, he must have overheard something.
"Ah, it's actually a pretty amusing reason." As expected, I knew he would know. "What is it?" "Well, you see..." Card lowered his voice as if sharing a deep secret. "They say he came to test a youth-restoring spell." And a truly unexpected reason slipped from his lips.