Chapter 1: Deeds and Schemes
1
“Haah…”
Edmond Dale Editore.
The man who serves as secretary in the Kingdom of Mirestia let out a sigh without trying to hide it. Considering the facts he must report to the king he serves, he felt like sighing once, twice, three or four times.
He was currently climbing stairs, but he thought it might not be so bad to turn on his heel and request a brief vacation. He works hard enough – too hard, even. He should rightfully take a break, and no one should be allowed to prevent that… or so he thought. He was feeling so gloomy that such thoughts crossed his mind, but Edmond lacked the courage to run away from this. No matter how much his heart resisted, his feet continued walking without stopping.
In the end, he felt disgusted with himself for having no choice but to meekly accept the reality before him. There were many rooms in the royal castle with various purposes. The one Edmond was heading to was the office on the second floor.
As he approached, he felt his already gloomy heart growing even darker.
“…It’s Edmond,”
he called out, raising his voice slightly so it could be heard through the door after knocking several times. Just that made him feel a wave of fatigue washing over him.
“Enter,”
came the voice granting permission to enter.
To Edmond, it was nothing short of a voice luring him to hell.
“…Excuse me,”
he said after a brief pause to banish the gloomy feelings of not wanting to enter this room from his heart. He slowly opened the door. While normally there wouldn’t be many people in this room, Edmond’s eyes fell upon the figures of over ten individuals. Of course the King [Mengis] was there, along with what appeared to be a selection of his most capable retainers.
Furthermore, he even saw the twin magic knights [Harry] and [Tucker], who served as the king’s trusted aides and royal guards.
They were all gathered around a massive table placed in the center of the room. They had been continuing their meeting until Edmond entered, and the many documents scattered haphazardly told the story of how heated it had been. The content went without saying – it must be regarding the recent attack on Aslan Magic Academy.
The timeline for reopening the academy, including a review of security measures, had already been established. What was troubling those gathered here most now was the faction issue.
The problem that should have arisen from the attack incident, especially everything related to the nobility, had been almost entirely settled by Count Gilbert, the leader of the noble faction, which was extremely inconvenient.
Many heirs of influential noble families attended this academy. That’s why the nobles’ complaints about this attack incident should have been very significant. However, by some unknown means, Count Gilbert had managed to calm the situation in an astonishingly short time. As if by magic.
This had dramatically increased Count Gilbert’s influence, and nobles were still steadily shifting allegiance from the royal faction to the noble faction. Furthermore, the fact that the likely target of this attack was Count Gilbert’s son added fuel to this trend, to the point where some were even praising the Count as a paragon of virtue.
In other words, the balance of power between the royal faction and noble faction, which had maintained equilibrium for many years, was now on the verge of collapse. Naturally, as king, this could not be overlooked.
That was the main topic of this meeting. However, unfortunately, while the meeting had become heated, no promising solutions had yet emerged.
Though no one said it out loud, an indescribable atmosphere of irritation hung over the room. Secretary Edmond keenly felt this, making him feel even more gloomy. Still, he had to speak.
“You’re back, Edmond. Now then, let’s hear your report. I hope it’s not bad news?”
“…”
The king’s piercing gaze struck Edmond.
At that moment, he felt as if his shoulders had turned to lead.
(I… I want to go home… I want to go home so badly…)
As he glanced around desperately seeking help, he noticed that many had paused their work, perhaps finding a moment for a break, and were now looking at Edmond.
“Yawn~”
Off to the side, Harry, one of the twin magic knights, was sprawled on a sofa looking bored and yawning.
(Lounging and yawning in the presence of the king! What a cushy job! You good-for-nothing!)
Edmond vented his usual frustrations in his mind as a form of escapism.
“Well, I received a report that someone has tamed an elemental dragon…”
“Oh! That elemental dragon! That’s wonderful! Is it someone from our country’s mage corps? Surely they belong to the royal faction!”
“…”
Edmond wondered why he had ever taken this job.
He had worked desperately to prove himself to his parents, who only doted on his younger brother and showed no interest in him. He’d bowed his head when he didn’t want to, sucked up to influential nobles to make connections, and finally obtained the position of secretary. He had truly been happy when he got it. In fact, he was very satisfied with the income and prestige.
But sometimes he wondered. Was he really happy now? Work, work, work, and more work. His days were truly hectic. Just carrying out his duties without any real feelings. Could he really call that happiness?
As Edmond pondered such things vaguely, he reported in a voice that was neither loud nor soft, and devoid of intonation:
“…The one who tamed the elemental dragon is named [Luke Wizaria Gilbert]. He is Count Gilbert’s son.”
A moment of silence. And then—
“W-what?! Gilbert again?! Aaaaarghhhh!!”
King Mengis’ blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the castle.
§
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
—In the capital, at the Second Mage Corps Headquarters.
“U-um… hello, Sensei Yorand.”
“Ah, you’re here! Sorry for calling you so suddenly. Were you busy?”
“N-no…”
A girl with deep purple hair entered a certain room where Yorand was seated,
looking uneasy. Yorand’s lips curved into a faint smile. It was the kind of smile that would make most women swoon.
“Have a seat anywhere. Let’s see… You’re Citrica, right? From the Hausen baronet family?”
“Y-yes, that’s right.”
“A first-year at Aslan Magic Academy. You’re in the same grade as my little sister.”
“Yes… Um, Sensei Yorand. About what you wanted to discuss—”
“Ahaha. No need to be so tense, it’s not a big deal.”
Yorand chuckled happily as he flipped through some documents in front of him. But he soon put them down on the table and turned to Citrica.
“It was you, wasn’t it? Who aided in the attack on Aslan Magic Academy.”
“—Huh?”
It was so sudden.
“Your family is on the verge of ruin, right? Someone’s probably taking advantage of that weakness. I would if I were them. What an incompetent family though. Looks like having a talented child like you is the only thing keeping them afloat.”
“Um, w-well…”
Yorand’s demeanor remained as calm as before. But the words he spoke were as sharp as blades.
“Yeah, and your [Sleep] attribute is quite convenient too. Right? It was you who helped with the attack, wasn’t it?”
“W-what’s this all of a sudden?! D-do you have any proof?!”
Citrica stood up forcefully, causing her chair to fall over.
“I have a lot of friends, you know. After piecing together various bits of information, I’m certain it was you. And you seem to be misunderstanding something. I don’t really care who the culprit is. I don’t need proof in the first place.”
“…What do you mean?”
“What’s important is the fact that you’re conveniently suited to be the culprit. These documents? They’re fabricated evidence I made to frame you as the culprit.”
“T-that’s not allowed—”
“Oh, but it is. Who do you think the people of the kingdom would believe? A nearly ruined noble family, or me, the vice-commander of the Second Mage Corps?”
“…”
“Besides, my precious little sister is a bit suspicious right now. Alice can freely create all kinds of [poisons], you see.”
“B-but something like that—”
“—You still don’t understand, do you?”
Yorand’s demeanor changed completely. What was directed at Citrica now were eyes devoid of any emotion, cold enough to freeze.
“I honestly couldn’t care less. What happens to someone like you, who has no value to me at all.”
“…”
Somehow, Citrica understood from the bottom of her heart that this was his true feelings. She understood it completely.
In that moment, everything drained from her heart—and all that remained was deep despair.
(This person… really doesn’t care at all…)
It’s over. Everything is over. The face of her pathetic mother, crying and saying “You’re our only hope,” flashed through her mind. Something cold trickled down her cheek.
“Ahaha. Sorry, did I scare you too much?”
“…Huh?”
The dark atmosphere surrounding Yorand dissipated. With her emotions in turmoil, Citrica didn’t even know what expression she was making.
“Think about it. I wouldn’t call you here just to say something like that, would I? If I really intended to frame you as the culprit, I’d do it more discreetly.”
Yorand laughed, looking very amused.
“…Then, what’s your purpose?”
Citrica asked with an anxious expression, as if wandering in a dark maze with no light in sight.
However, Yorand’s response was very simple.
“You’re going to be my pawn from now on.”
“…Huh?”
She couldn’t immediately comprehend what he had said.
“You understand that you don’t have the right to refuse, don’t you? From now on, you’ll obey my orders absolutely. For now, just stay as you are. You don’t understand anything anyway, right?”
“Um, w-well…”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find the real mastermind through you. So relax.”
“…”
Was that something to be relieved about? At this point, Citrica couldn’t understand anything anymore. The only things she could grasp were that the man before her was wicked, and that it seemed she could continue her daily life as before for the time being.
(“…Haha, as expected, the essence of control is different between Luke and me. You can control minds, make them devoted, and turn them into true pawns—”)
But Yorand was fine with that.
For now, his immediate goal was achieved. That was enough for the moment.
In truth, this recent attack had instilled great fear in Yorand. It had almost destroyed the enjoyable future he had finally found. He would never make the same mistake again. He would definitely find the mastermind and kill them, inflicting every possible pain this world had to offer.
Yorand was thinking such thoughts while maintaining a completely cheerful expression.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
“Hmm, come in.”
“Excuse me.”
“…Eh?”
For Citrica, the scene was incredibly abnormal. The one who entered was Gordova. He was a man renowned as the commander of the Second Magic Corps. Yet, Gordova was bowing deeply to Yorand. This was absolutely strange.
Gordova hurried over to Yorand.
“I have an urgent matter to report. Actually—”
As he was whispering, Citrica couldn’t hear what he was saying. Therefore, all she could do was observe—
“What?! Hahahaha!! As expected, you’re the best, Luke!! Of course, I’d love to attend that party!! —Oh, right, you should come too. I’ll introduce you.”
“…Eh?”
Absolute obedience to Yorand’s orders. Citrica had no right to refuse—.
§
—Citrica D. Hausen.
Her revelation as an informant would naturally come much later in the story. After deepening her friendship with Abel, going through numerous events together, and becoming deeply involved in the plot, Citrica would tearfully confess the truth—that was the original storyline.
However, the twisted story had branched off in various directions, and on this day, she had fallen to become Yorand’s pawn—.
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