They had never been after Ian to begin with.
Their target was Ailey.
No. Going even further, it was me—the one controlling Ailey.
When I thought about it, it was only natural.
In the end, the most important person on an Academy team was the pilot who controlled the Titan.
If the pilot ended up unable to board the Titan, it was practically impossible for anyone on that team to earn a high score.
And without the Core, one could not board the Titan.
And without the Core, one could not see Ailey.
Ailey’s artificial intelligence hardware was located inside the Core.
No matter how well developed the Empire’s network was, connecting an individual Titan AI separately from the North all the way here was difficult.
No, in truth, it might not be difficult.
But House Luna would never do such a thing.
“No.”
Ian’s expression hardened at once.
Professor Flavia looked at Ian, then let out a small laugh.
“Then we will have to dispose of this Core itself. It has not even undergone House Luna’s inspection, and yet it involves technology that interferes with the Core, House Luna’s proprietary possession.”
It wasn’t that they had been unable to interfere from the time of development.
From the moment Ian began developing the omnidirectional monitor, House Luna may already have had information on it.
Knowing that, they had deliberately waited until the omnidirectional monitor was complete.
So they could pluck it when it was ripest.
Perhaps this was an opportunity to obstruct us as much as they pleased while taking the technology for themselves.
“So if you look at the blueprints…”
“Inspection cannot be completed with blueprints alone. Did I not say earlier that I need to see the finished product?”
“Then if you examine it here…”
“No. Since it concerns inspecting the Core, it must be done at House Luna’s research facility. I do not wish to do that either, of course.”
The conversation wouldn’t end.
In this kind of structure, there was no way for a cadet to defeat a professor.
Because she was crushing him with authority.
“An item like this does not merely affect the Academy and the North. It is something that will set a major precedent for the entire Empire.”
It was vicious.
“The Core is the pride of House Luna. If a precedent is set that any influence upon such a Core can be tolerated, we cannot accept the great losses we would suffer.”
She was pressing us down with the difference in status so that we could never win.
“In order to prevent such a precedent from being created, I, as a member of House Luna and a legitimate professor of the Academy, have a duty to manage this item without fail.”
Thud.
Along with the distinctive sound of military boots, raven-black hair split into two locks appeared.
“Is that so? I think a little differently.”
A cadet could not defeat a professor.
“Because you are not acting as a legitimate professor of the Academy.”
“Lucia von Dis Pater.”
“Add the title.”
If we could not win because this was between a cadet and a professor…
“This is the Academy. Regardless of one’s status outside, everyone is equal…”
“Add the title.”
“…Lady Lucia.”
Then if it was a member of the ducal house in charge of the North against a member of that count’s house…
We could win.
“How strange.”
Lucia narrowed one eye as if she found it absurd.
“Aren’t you the one who treats nobles well and treats commoners and lowborn people the worst? And now that you’re at a disadvantage, you call it an Academy where everyone is equal?”
“What I am doing is strictly as a professor of the Academy…”
“If you are a professor of the Academy, isn’t your role to trust your cadets?”
Professor Flavia stopped speaking for a moment, then opened her mouth again.
“Suspecting a cadet is also part of an Academy professor’s…”
“So you’re saying it is an Academy professor’s job to suspect, without circumstantial or physical evidence, an engineer who has never deceived anyone and earned the top seat entirely through his own ability?”
And she closed her mouth again.
On the surface, Lucia seemed to be speaking recklessly according to her whims, but in reality, she was extremely logical.
Lucia glanced at us for a moment, then came closer and whispered.
“Don’t misunderstand.”
“Yes?”
“I’m not taking Ian’s side, so don’t misunderstand.”
But wasn’t she taking Ian’s side?
As I wore a subtly strange expression for a moment, Lucia cleared her throat and approached Professor Flavia again.
“I’ve been listening since earlier. If possible, why don’t you choose just one?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Either become a professor who follows the Academy’s unspoken rules and resolves Academy matters within the Academy, or ignore the Academy’s unspoken rules and simply become a disgrace to House Luna by throwing around that authority.”
For the first time, Professor Flavia’s expression hardened.
“That is rather harsh.”
“If a person who calls herself a professor of the Engineering Department treats the top student of her own department like this, wouldn’t anyone find it strange? Don’t you think?”
Only then did Professor Flavia look around.
The cadets who had been watching us quickly went back to what they had been doing.
Even so, the strangely cold atmosphere did not change.
“I do not know what you hope to gain by doing this. I am merely carrying out a legitimate…”
“What is?”
At the sudden voice, Professor Flavia turned around.
And slowly stiffened.
“I asked what it is that you call legitimate.”
Princess Saya looked at Ian.
Then she looked back at Professor Flavia.
Those were the vivid blue eyes of the imperial family.
***
There is authority above authority, and above the authority above authority, there is an even greater authority.
Above a professor is a duke, and above a duke is the imperial family.
Professor Flavia left.
However, she did not simply leave; she left with the blueprint files.
Since an inspection was necessary regardless, she would make a concession and first complete the inspection centered on the blueprints, and if a design issue was discovered, then she would proceed with an inspection of the actual item.
If things proceeded that way, there was nothing to worry about.
After all, it did not seem likely that there would be any design flaws in the blueprints Ian had made.
“Huh.”
Aaron came closer and whispered in a low voice.
“Did you seduce that woman from House Dis Pater?”
“N-no, not at all.”
I had never seduced a woman in my life.
That sounded a little strange, but of course, I had never seduced a man either.
In any case, it was true that I was grateful to Lucia.
Outwardly, she had acted as if she would never take Ian’s side, but inwardly, had she been thinking that she should come and help?
What did they call a person like that?
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside?
“I thought Lucia was the type who was strong on the outside and gentle within, but it seems even her core is firm.”
Ah, so it was strong on the outside and gentle within.
As Princess Saya patted Lucia on the shoulder with a satisfied expression, Lucia looked a little flustered.
“It’s not as though I did it to get into Your Highness’s good graces…”
“Yes, I know. Once you have gone through battle, anyone becomes a comrade-in-arms and a friend. Would you spar with me next time?”
“My Titan is still under repair.”
I was a little surprised.
To think Lucia, who even spoke informally to professors, would use polite speech with Princess Saya.
As expected, was the authority of the imperial family in this world high enough to pierce the heavens?
“But our sparring match was three weeks ago?”
“My engineer is lazy.”
I think she wasn’t strong on the outside and gentle within, but crispy on the outside and tender on the inside after all.
How could she take it so naturally that engineers got worked to the bone?
“More importantly, why has Your Highness come to see Deep’s—no, Ian’s work?”
“I merely came where my fiancé asked me to come.”
At those words, everyone’s gaze stabbed toward Aaron at the same time.
“When we were very young, if I did not go with him where he wanted to go, he would even cry…”
Aaron clamped a hand over the princess’s mouth.
When the princess widened her vivid blue eyes and looked at Aaron, Aaron clenched his teeth hard.
“Only that far.”
“Mmmph mmmphmmph, mmmph.”
“Yes, it is insolent to cover the mouth of the imperial family. So don’t say things that make me cover your mouth.”
“Mmmph.”
“I am not daring to do this, I am telling you to seriously stop.”
“Mmph.”
“I said stop.”
The moment the princess nodded, Aaron’s hand fell away.
Everyone looked around nervously, eyes wide with shock.
As if nothing had happened, the princess opened her mouth again.
“In any case, it was truly incomprehensible.”
“C-covering the mouth of the imperial family is incompre…”
“Not that. The Academy Director is currently showing off his friendship with Deep. If House Luna were in its usual state, they would not have used a move like this.”
“Usual state?”
“I am referring to when they are, as usual, rather arrogant and lacking in self-objectivity.”
That assessment was rather scathing.
No, from the standpoint of the imperial family, which oversaw all nobles, it was probably an accurate expression.
To the imperial family, the most troublesome and bothersome existence was not the nobles who oversaw the battlefields.
It was House Luna, which monopolized the very technology that allowed them to maintain those battlefields.
“Perhaps it may have been something Professor Flavia did on her own. It would not be right to generalize about all of House Luna.”
So she could speak so clearly about things like this.
Maybe because my first impression of her thinking I was a spy had been too strong, I might have thought of Princess Saya as too much of an idiot.
“A good example would be Senior Karina Luna. She is someone who serves as a model noble.”
No, I take that back.
She was indeed an idiot who did not even know Karina Luna’s true nature.
“In any case, Deep. It would be best for you to be careful for a while. It is common for commoners or lowborn people who catch House Luna’s eye to fail to meet a good end.”
“For a while?”
“You have the protection of two ducal houses and the imperial family, but that does not guarantee complete safety.”
Lucia let out a hollow laugh.
“It is also common for commoners or lowborn people who catch the imperial family’s eye to fail to meet a good end, Your Highness.”
“Why, Lucia, do you wish to catch my eye as well?”
And she shut her mouth at once.
Lucia turned her eyes toward me.
Even if she looked at me, there was nothing I could do to help. Wasn’t this just her karma?
As I was thinking that, another set of footsteps drew near.
“What’s this? More of you are gathered here than I expected.”
Truly.
It was a truly unexpected person.
“Is that not Darca Sinis?”
“Whoa, Your Highness is here too. Have you thought about the investment matter I mentioned last time?”
“I will withhold my answer.”
“Well, I was not expecting a firm answer anyway.”
Darca passed right by the princess and came up in front of Ian and me, then seized our hands.
Meanwhile, Lucia quietly hid behind Darca and slipped away from the scene.
“I brought someone for you.”
“Wh-what did you bring?”
“What?”
“A business partner.”
A business partner?
Only belatedly did I notice the person standing behind Darca.
No, wait a moment.
“Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”
If it was a business partner introduced by Darca…
“My name is Kaya.”
That would be the Southern Allied Forces.