The woman detests the "press."
She disliked reporters whose rudeness crossed the line as if they were justice itself, and found their double standards—treating information like power and posturing like the upper class—disgusting.
However, that doesn't mean she denies their necessity.
Thus, she reads the newspaper every day, and separates them.
Those to be eradicated, and those who still require observation.
And now, the woman decided to spare a certain press outlet she had been contemplating eradicating recently.
[The virtuous and noble Silver Lion's knight and the lowly Academy's mage. Will justice prevail after all?]
Isn't it quite commendable to have written such a pleasing sentence?
It was a third-rate article filled with statements flattering the royal family, but thanks to the article portraying the Silver Lion on the side of justice and endlessly criticizing the mages, it seemed one press outlet would survive this year.
...Though what will happen next year remains unknown.
"Your uncle is doing something interesting."
"Woo?"
"Hehe, I'm not referring to those incompetent ones bound by blood. How could such people be called your uncle. Therefore, the uncle I speak of is Lee Han, the only friend acknowledged by this mother. Though not of royal blood, he is a sworn brother acknowledged by me, so you must surely show proper manners when others are not watching. Understand, Arthur?"
"Awooo."
"Yes, are you also interested? Your eyes are sparkling. I suppose that's understandable. I'm already looking forward to what kind of bloody battle my sworn brother will unfold."
"Woo?"
"Arthur, my son. Remember this. The bloody battles of warriors are a great stimulus that breaks through boredom. Even this mother sometimes relieves stress by watching bloody battles. Or if there's a criminal who dares harm you, personally beheading them would also be an interesting experience. It's a beneficial stress-relief method for one who aims to be king. Being in this position, there are so many beasts whose necks I want to pluck out..."
"Woo?"
The woman whispered affectionately to the child in her arms, but the contents were somehow nothing but things that weren't exactly proper for a child's emotional education.
It was fortunate that the child wasn't yet big enough to understand those words.
And the only butler in the royal family who could point out what was wrong with the woman offered his rebuke.
"Morally, such words should not be spoken to a child, Princess."
"Is it you. Still no presence. Do be careful walking around, won't Arthur be frightened."
"I'd think he'll be more frightened of the Princess in the future than of me."
"What did I do?"
"Albert truly marvels that you genuinely don't know, haha."
"Impudent fellow."
The princess's butler Albert shook his head as if he couldn't help it.
Even now, he wondered if separating the child from this cruel princess would be ethically right.
"You've been going out frequently lately."
"The Princess gave me a task, what could I do?"
"You're being overly dramatic."
"It's not being dramatic. Investigating lions in the middle of the north is quite a troublesome task even for me, haha."
"Hmm."
Her—Isis Ired de Pandragon's—brow narrowed.
It would be one thing to think he's just whining or scheming like usual, but Albert's face showed fatigue he couldn't hide.
Seeing the world's Aura User so exhausted, it probably wasn't just whining.
"The north, troublesome people they are."
"Rather than poking a hornet's nest needlessly, wouldn't it be better to just leave them be?"
"That's not something I haven't considered either, but given my personality, I prefer to burn bothersome hornet's nests."
"...If only you could fix that violent side of yours, it would be really nice."
"I've lived my whole life like this, just leave me be."
If something bothers her, even if there's honey to be had, she burns it down.
Cruelty that pursues only efficiency.
It could be called the very foundation that makes up Isis.
Of course.
'Though she has gotten much better than before.'
Having engaged in bloody political struggles with none other than her own blood relations since birth, it was inevitable that Isis's disposition was cruel.
Backstabbed by siblings she trusted, chased by assassins dozens of times.
If anything, growing up in such an environment with a gentle disposition would be grounds to suspect mental illness.
Because of this, she doesn't hesitate to see blood, and even drove all her own siblings out of the palace, but recently she has shown a somewhat softer side.
Probably because a 'friend' who pleases her more than the insignificant and unpleasant crowd has appeared.
Albert looked at the newspaper that had somehow not been torn to shreds and was safely placed on the dining table.
Since news of a certain article dominated the front page.
'Haha.'
Albert spoke, trying hard to hide his satisfaction.
"I heard the news. They're quite active. Youth is indeed good."
"...When another old person says that, I can relate, but when you say it, I can't relate at all."
"Haha, I've grown quite old too. More importantly, won't the Princess intervene?"
"Why would I?"
"Oh my."
If it were her original disposition, she wouldn't have let 'foreign matter' like mages run amok.
Because there's concern it could disrupt the mission she gave him.
But now it's quiet.
Even though the mage should surely be bothersome.
"As expected of a butler. You know me well."
"Then..."
"However, this time I won't intervene."
"?"
It was an unexpected statement, and Albert tilted his head.
Why on earth would his master stay quiet?
But through the words that followed.
"If I, if I were to step in, wouldn't I steal the opportunity for my sworn brother to elevate his fame that he finally got?"
"......"
"If he can also build his reputation through this opportunity, it would be profitable."
"Haha, you care deeply for your brother."
Albert could finally guess his master's mind.
"That guy treats fame too lightly. Despite accumulating such achievements, I wonder why he still intends to remain 'unknown'."
"Hmm."
"Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Hehe, I just thought our Princess is still a youth whose passion hasn't cooled."
"...What nonsense is that?"
"Such things exist."
Now he clearly understood why she wouldn't intervene even though there's a foreign substance called a mage.
She's someone who acknowledges knights more than anyone.
She was also always displeased with him remaining unknown.
That's probably why she didn't interfere with the war game.
Because it's an opportunity for his fame to become known at last.
'They say there are noble ladies who work to make unknown actors famous in theater circles, right?'
The feeling of wanting the actor she supports to do well.
In their own jargon.
'Fangirl spirit, haha, our Princess still has some purity left.'
Albert was pleased.
However.
"Hmm, I don't know why they're doing that."
"Woo?"
"More importantly, Arthur, we'll have to prepare to go out soon."
"?"
"It will be fun."
The problem is that the emotion Albert called pure would be a great disaster to others.
...The news that Crown Princess Isis would visit the Academy came four days later.
*
*
*
"......Haa."
The boy sighed.
A boy with a somewhat gloomy impression.
His unkempt hairstyle and dull grayish hair only amplified his external melancholy.
On top of that, even the atmosphere relentlessly emitted an unpleasantness that said 'don't come near me'...
He was undoubtedly the kind of person that made one not want to get close to him at all.
However.
"Derek? Derek, where are you!"
"......"
"Ah! Found you!"
"!?!!"
...Recently, the boy—no, Derek—was facing a major crisis in his loner life.
Because of a certain girl who suddenly started staying by his side and meddling.
The boy had been hiding on a leafy branch with his presence as suppressed as possible, but it was impossible to avoid the eyes of the intelligent girl with the ponytail.
"K-Karin Lady. W-Why are you looking for me again?"
"I came to have lunch together. We're friends, aren't we?"
"...P-Please eat with others. When you have so many friends besides me."
"Hehe, they're my followers. I don't have many friends."
"......"
Is it okay to say that so bluntly?
What a personality.
"Derek, my neck hurts from looking up, so won't you come down? I specially packed a lunch box too."
"...I-I don't mind going, but p-please don't touch my hair this time."
"Understood, I promise."
"T-Then, alright."
Whoosh.
The shaggy-haired boy Derek thus came down from the tree branch in one drop.
He came down so lightly it was like a flying squirrel jumping down, and the girl's eyes sparkled.
'As expected, not ordinary physical ability.'
Free movements that even swordsmanship department cadets probably couldn't imitate.
She thought it was extraordinary when they first met, but the more she got to know him, the more his extraordinariness revealed itself.
Well, what was even more visible than such extraordinariness was—
Swipe.
"Y-You said you wouldn't!"
"A woman's heart is like a reed, you know."
"!!"
As soon as he came down, the girl immediately went to his side and flipped his bangs up.
When the hair that even completely covered his eyes was pushed back, beautiful golden eyes were revealed.
They were beautiful eyes different from his dull gray hair, and an alluringness that could even overwhelm women lingered.
'Truly pretty eyes.'
Pretty eyes that make you want to keep looking at them the more you see them.
And even the extraordinariness that occasionally shows.
It was inevitable that the girl paid attention to the boy, and he was worth approaching after shaking off the boring followers.
"Derek, really, don't you have any intention of fixing your hair? I'll introduce you to a stylist I know well."
"I-I'm really fine. Hair grows back even if you cut it, so just washing it well is enough."
"Then tying it with a string?"
"Do I have to?"
"......"
...But sometimes this degree of firmly dark personality is annoying.
The girl, Karin Alencia de Guinevere, puffed out her cheeks.
'I-It's overwhelming.'
Derek was overwhelmed by the girl.
It couldn't be helped.
Even though he said so yesterday, there were no women in his life, and they were existences like wild beasts that he couldn't become familiar with no matter how much he tried.
If he had to give an example, a lion or a bear?
But with such a lion hovering around him, Derek stiffened like a herbivore, and he broke into a sweat while agonizing over finding a new hiding place.
However, this too was brief.
While Derek found the girl who kept approaching him problematic, what kept bothering him was—
'The cadets who went training with that person are said to return today, right?'
The culprit making the Academy noisy.
The foolish warriors who started a war game with mages.
Now, there's all kinds of criticism and raw denunciation directed at the swordsmanship department cadets.
Calling them foolish for challenging mages to a war game.
'Well, it doesn't seem like a foolish act?'
However, Derek didn't consider their actions foolish.
As long as the [Conditions] are met, there are cases where warriors win against mages in war games.
'Hidden Piece, if only that's obtained, the probability of winning would become even higher.'
But the only person in this world who knows about the existence of the Hidden Piece is him alone.
Thus, he was curious.
That person, Lee Han Turtle, would he really—
'If he's someone who intervened in the game like me? Or if not that, someone who knows the original work?'
Derek's uncertain prediction.
The uncertain prediction that the swordsmanship department instructor might be someone who knows the game or the original work, like himself...
'If that's the case, it'll be possible to confirm this time.'
One of the trump cards to defeat mages.
Proof of having obtained the Hidden Piece.
'He might have obtained the
Hidden Piece, Musket of the Mage Hunter.
The musket developed by an alchemist who devoted his entire life solely to killing mages has a longer barrel than a regular musket and is also more powerful.
Also, it's not just powerful, but even has magic resistance.
If one obtains the blueprints for this special musket and is given time to develop the musket and become familiar with handling it, it's even possible for a mage suppression unit to be born.
'If it were me, I would definitely have raised them that way.'
Because it was also the only route for lower-class cadets to fight and win against mages in a short period.
Thus, Derek placed a high probability on the swordsmanship department lower-class cadets bringing back the 'Rare Job—
If he were the instructor and also someone who knows the game or original work, he would have raised the cadets in that direction.
Besides, honestly, there weren't many positive jobs that lower-class people could obtain.
'Therefore, if the cadets bring back muskets slung over their shoulders, it definitely means that person is in the same situation as me!'
Thus, Derek looked forward to it.
Because it means gaining a 'comrade' who will make this life, which he thought was lonely, no longer feel lonely.
Just as the boy was secretly shining his eyes with small expectations.
"Hmm? It's the swordsmanship department instructor. It seems they've finally returned."
"W-Where?"
"There."
"Ah, finally, ......hmm?"
...What is that?
Academy main gate.
Since it was lunchtime, the cadets using the lawn garden near the main gate could all unexpectedly be the first to welcome the return of the swordsmanship department instructor and cadets.
However, the atmosphere that instantly spread was—
"...?"
It was an awkward expression as if they had seen something they shouldn't have seen.
Derek...
'I-In the selectable jobs, there's no
Looking at the one wearing a bear skin—
Berserk—no, looking at the 18 cadets, he blinked with wide eyes.