……Whether the space itself had been isolated, or whether it had been wrapped in a barrier.
The [Magic Tower Admissions Guideline Briefing Hall] was trapped in a magical darkness.
“Mm……”
Lia looked into the darkness beyond the hall’s doors. She stared with the eyes of an adventurer.
“Do you think you know what it is, Lia?”
At Leo’s question, she shook her head.
There was no way to grasp it, neither through the System nor through the phenomenon itself.
“No. I don’t know. I can’t see anything, and it feels like there’s nothing there. Since I’m not a mage……”
“What could it be, what could it be?”
Just then, Maho approached with a bright, beaming smile. Her arms were full of pamphlet scraps from all sorts of departments.
“If it’s magical terrorism, does that mean we’ve been kidnapped?”
“We’re not quite at that point yet…… Oh, right.”
Lia tapped her own temple. For a moment, she had forgotten her duty.
No matter what the situation was, guarding the princess should always have been the top priority.
“Please sit down for now. Leo, you keep your eyes on the princess no matter what.”
“Okay! Princess, come with me!”
“Yes, yes~”
Maho, who had seemed to approach out of curiosity, quickly returned and sat down with Leo again.
“……She really is thorough.”
Her exterior was full of openings. She was the very model of the ditzy princess from old fairy tales, but what lay inside was as sharp as a blade.
Not just one blade, either—dozens of them. Razor-honed edges, sharp enough to cut at a touch, lay coiled like snakes.
Even now, she probably hadn’t come because of curiosity, but to subtly remind us that we were neglecting our duty.
—Mr. Leo, how did you become an adventurer at such a young age~? I’m curious. You’re amazing~
—Huh? Um…… Ahem…… Mwahahaha! It wasn’t that amazing~
The princess’s praise, and Leo squirming bashfully.
As Lia watched the two of them, she found herself recalling the “predetermined future.”
Maho’s quest. In the course of that independent quest, she might, perhaps, inevitably die.
Of course, “perhaps” and “inevitably” contradicted each other……
“It has been a while.”
In that instant, a voice chilled her from the crown of her head down her spine. A presence cold as ice.
Lia flinched and turned toward it.
“……”
Deculein.
He had approached at some point and was looking down at her. Her figure was reflected in his calmly sunken pupils.
He spoke to her as she gulped.
“You have returned to the Imperial Capital.”
“……Yes.”
“What of the matter you said you would handle in the Land of Extinction?”
“……”
It had been an assignment. A vow she had made to Deculein. She would find medicinal herbs for Carlos; she would definitely turn him back into a human.
“Did you fail?”
Deculein sneered as though he had expected as much. Lia clenched her fist tight.
“I didn’t fail. I obtained a possibility.”
“A possibility.”
“Yes.”
“Speak.”
Lia hesitated, then glared at him sidelong.
“……It’s a secret.”
“……”
It suddenly became cold. Goosebumps rose on her neck and arms.
Deculein remained still, and the temperature had not actually dropped, but it was a psychological pressure.
Left with no choice, she opened her mouth.
“……I met people in the Land of Extinction.”
“The Altar, you mean.”
“……”
Lia was greatly startled. Her eyes widened as she faced Deculein.
The reason she had not wanted to say anything was because it was hard to believe.
Most named figures would not believe the claim that “people live in the Land of Extinction.”
Yet Deculein did not seem especially surprised, nor did he disbelieve her. Instead, he immediately identified the Altar.
“You…… knew?”
At that moment, Lia harbored a very small suspicion.
Could Deculein be involved with the Altar too?
“Speak.”
……No, the named character Deculein was a thorough atheist. If a religion called atheism were to arise, he would become its most devout believer.
For such a Deculein to join the Altar would be a character error.
It was impossible.
To begin with, Deculein had interrogated and killed Jeokgwe so relentlessly, so he would know well enough of the Altar’s existence.
“……I asked them, and they said there’s a flower.”
“A flower.”
“Yes. A flower that harmonizes demonic energy and mana.”
“……Harmonizes.”
Deculein’s brow twitched.
“Yes. If the demonic energy is purified completely, Carlos will die. But…… if they’re harmonized……”
Carlos would end up little different from Jeokgwe.
She swallowed the words that followed.
Deculein probably regarded Jeokgwe and demons as practically the same.
“Anyway. They call that flower ‘Regetal.’ If we can just find the flower, Carlos will be able to live like an ordinary person.”
“……”
At that, Deculein’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment.
For some reason, his thoughts made Lia uneasy, and she fidgeted with her fingers as she asked.
“But…… more importantly. If this is magical terrorism, shouldn’t you do something to resolve it?”
“Impossible.”
“……Eh?”
An immediate answer. A reply so absurd it was almost unbelievable. A word that clearly concluded: “impossible.”
Lia tilted her head blankly, and Deculein explained.
“Because this is a ‘Complete-Separation Barrier Sorcery.’”
“……What’s that?”
“Because the core of the barrier exists outside the barrier, it is ‘complete separation.’ Because it bears the properties of both magic and sorcery at once, it is ‘barrier sorcery.’”
“……”
Complete-Separation Barrier Sorcery.
She did not know the term, but anyway.
“So that means we can’t get out?”
“Escape from the inside to the outside is impossible.”
“……Forever?”
“Until the core’s mana is exhausted, or until the core is destroyed.”
“Ah~”
As expected, there was nothing Deculein did not know.
Of course, Lia was still a little flustered by such a drastic change in his personality, but she was the one who had added the enormous turning point called a “fiancée.”
Lia deliberately smiled brightly.
“Then it’s nothing serious, is it?”
“It is not nothing serious.”
“……Pardon?”
“On the contrary, it is a major problem.”
“……Why? If you already know what it is, doesn’t that mean it’s not a big deal?”
Deculein looked down at her again. Then he gave a very long explanation.
“Complete-Separation Barrier Sorcery is the final hypothesis. After first considering hundreds of possibilities, hastily constructing formulas, and eliminating them one by one based on the condition of this hall, the traces left behind, and the concentration of mana, it is the last hypothesis that remains.”
“……The final hypothesis?”
“Yes. Once the impossible has been eliminated, whatever remains, however unbelievable, must be the truth.”
At that familiar maxim, Lia flinched in surprise, and a mage quietly approached.
Epherene.
Compared to Deculein, her expression was extremely grave.
“Then are we in big trouble?”
“Complete-Separation Barrier Sorcery is Grand Magic.”
“……”
That single sentence stopped Lia from speaking.
Grand Magic.
Something that surpassed the category of magic—in simple terms, a “magical miracle.”
“Grand…… Magic?”
Lia looked up at Deculein blankly. His face was still perfectly composed.
“Then…… does that mean it isn’t terrorism?”
“Manifesting a barrier in a civilian area without permission is considered terrorism under Imperial law. However, the caster who performed this barrier is likely not bound by such laws.”
“……The caster.”
Deculein nodded. He let out a deep breath, then looked back toward the stage.
“An Archmage, or a mage of equivalent caliber, is here.”
“……”
At that moment, Lia’s mind went briefly blank.
An Archmage.
Demakan?
No, if it was a mage of equivalent caliber……
Murkan?
“They likely came looking for me.”
“……For you, Professor? Why?”
To Lia, who asked in a daze, Deculein gave a very simple explanation.
“Because I killed Rohakan.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Julie arrived at the Imperial Capital together with Reylie.
“Here! It’s here, Sir Knight!”
“Right!”
Before going to the Imperial Palace, the two first stopped by a nearby clothing store. It was [Antoire], the most famous boutique in the Imperial Capital.
“……Sir Knight. Look. What do you think of this?”
Reylie looked through the clothes and recommended an elegant dress.
But Julie, as expected, shook her head.
“More importantly, what do you think of this suit?”
A stiff, old-fashioned suit that not even some elderly man would wear.
Reylie sighed.
“Phew. You don’t need a suit. Once you go to the Imperial Palace, you might be granted the Imperial Guard’s formal uniform anyway. Let’s buy a dress.”
“……It’s too expensive. How can one outfit cost fifty thousand elne?”
That much money would be several weeks’ worth of staple food.
Julie was muttering discontentedly when it happened.
—This seems like it would suit Julie.
In that instant, a voice surfaced, brushing against both Julie’s and Reylie’s hearts.
Deculein’s tone, too vivid.
—Haha. Professor, it seems you can only think of Sir Julie.
—It is only natural to think of a beautiful person when looking at beautiful clothes.
A voice from that dreadful past.
Her heart pounded, and cold sweat formed on her forehead.
—Then, is the engagement ceremony tomorrow?
—Yes. Wrap it up.
—Yes. Hahaha. Truly, Sir Knight is enviable~ To have such an extraordinary professor as her partner……
Laughter spread thinly like mist.
Not only the store manager, but Deculein laughed as well.
“……That was Deculein’s voice, wasn’t it?”
Reylie asked. Julie nodded silently.
“Mm, well…… I suppose so. They say this ‘voice’ phenomenon mainly connects to people related to you. So…… I’m a little scared too. Afraid I’ll hear my mother or father’s voice. Anyway, don’t worry too much—”
—By the way, Professor. This is truly an impertinent question, but.
The voice that had seemed cut off continued again.
The two instinctively listened.
—It is a topic that high society has been terribly curious about lately……
—Speak.
—Ahaha. It is nothing else, but what about Sir Julie has captivated you so completely, Professor?
……The store manager’s question.
And then.
—……She is a pitiful woman. That woman has never had anything of her own. That empty life of hers is so pitiable, and the way she pretends to be strong is so sorrowful.
Deculein’s answer.
—Is it…… compassion?
—It may be. But what of it? Rather, because of that, she will be happy if she is with me. She, too, must be wishing for me. There is no way she does not……
With those words as the last, the erosion of the “voice” faded away.
“……”
In the burning silence, Julie clenched her fist.
She gritted her teeth so hard her molars shook.
“Mm……. Looking at it now, this is nice.”
Reylie picked up the suit Julie had chosen earlier.
“Excuse me. This one, please ring this one up. We’ll buy this.”
* * *
Knights renowned across the continent were gathering at the Imperial Palace one by one. From famous masters such as Berok, Jailun, Yufle, and Bomas, to rising young stars including Julie and Delric.
All of them were names that the Emperor of the Empire had personally summoned.
“All thirty have gathered in the dining hall, Your Majesty.”
“Good.”
The thirty people Sophien had called. She watched the reception room where they had gathered through a crystal orb.
—Bomas. So you were here after all.
—Haha! Of course I was. But why has His Majesty called us……
The knights were conversing with one another. Their faces were full of smiles, as though they were pleased and proud.
All except for one person: Julie.
“Julie. That one has become an outcast.”
She sat alone in a corner, only blinking her eyes. Dressed in an out-of-season suit, with both hands resting on her knees, her posture looked painfully awkward, and not a single knight approached to speak to her.
“It appears to be because of Sir Julie’s Freyheim corruption incident.”
“I know.”
The corruption incident involving the Freyheim Knights.
Because of that, Julie’s image as upright and elegant had been damaged in an instant, and Deculein had abandoned her—pretended to abandon her.
Of course, Sophien had some vague idea of the truth behind it.
Unless Deculein himself confessed it directly, she could not know for “certain,” but at the very least, she knew it was something he had done for Julie’s sake.
“Call Julie first. Starting with that one, I will interview them one by one.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Ahan moved briskly and delivered the message.
Less than three minutes later, Julie arrived at the Emperor’s study.
“I greet Your Majesty.”
Sophien quietly looked over Julie as she bowed politely.
As expected, she was neither ostentatious nor arrogant. Rather, she was the very image of a typical loyal subject, expressing her sincerity fully through her neat conduct and etiquette.
“Yes. It has been some time. It feels like only yesterday that you were my training knight.”
“Yes. It was truly an honor. Those days were a light far too brief for me. Due to my mistake, I dishonorably—”
“That is enough.”
Sophien cut Julie off. If left alone, she seemed likely to recite only her own sins at great length.
“Do you know why you have come today?”
“I do not.”
“It is a test.”
“……”
Julie did not ask again, despite not knowing. It was a knight’s courtesy.
Sophien explained briefly.
“We are seeking a knight to succeed Keiron. A talent who will first become Our guard, and then a guardian knight of the empire.”
Guardian knight of the empire.
At that moment, Yulie’s eyes widened. Her white pupils quivered like a snowstorm.
She was an honest woman, truly.
“To that end, We have prepared several trials. Can you do it?”
“Your Majesty. Merely granting me the right to challenge them is an infinite honor—”
“Take this.”
Sophien held out a photograph. Yulie looked at it.
It was a child. A child far too young, not even eight years old.
“He is Jeokgwe. A Jeokgwe who has lived very ordinarily, like an ordinary child.”
“……”
“However, We utterly detest the bloodline known as Jeokgwe…… Therefore, We ask you.”
The corner of Sophien’s mouth curved mischievously.
“Can you kill this child with your own hands? Can you sever this child’s head with your blade?”
“……”
Then Yulie raised her head.
Sophien’s lips, which had been fixed on her, soon hardened.
“……Your Majesty.”
Yulie was not shaken. She did not hesitate.
“The child has committed no sin.”
To her, it was simply obvious.
To kill a child for one’s own wealth and advancement. Yulie was a knight who could not accept even such a “premise.”
“……Tsk.”
Sophien clicked her tongue for no reason.
“Now I think I understand.”
Seeing that face filled with conviction and principle, she felt she somehow understood.
“Why that professor bastard hates you.”
Deculein.
Why that man hated this woman.
“And why he loves you.”
And why he loved her as well.
But at that moment, Yulie asked back for the first time.
“……Professor Deculein, me?”
“That is so.”
“No.”
Yulie spoke firmly.
“He has never loved me, not once.”
“……Not once?”
“Yes. It was merely pity, like taking in a stray dog.”
Words uttered with fierce hostility.
A tone that knew nothing—no, that mistakenly believed it knew everything—and yet was truly so certain.
“……”
For some reason, Sophien’s mood twisted.
However, she did not show it.
Rather, this way would be more interesting.
“In any case, enough. The trial is something else.”
“……Yes.”
“We do not order knights to do things such as kill children. Killing one does not make a loyal subject, and rather, the one who kills may be the madman……”
Sophien thrust her head forward. She stared intently into Yulie’s face, which had been startled by the sudden movement.
“However, when We were young. When We were exactly the age of the Jeokgwe in that photograph. Someone attempted to poison Us.”
At those words, Yulie quickly grew serious. She faced Sophien calmly.
“Thus, the trial is this.”
Sophien grinned and continued.
“To use every ability you possess to find who was behind that poisoning.”
“……”
To the knight who had clamped her mouth shut, the emperor asked.
“Can you do it?”
“Yes.”
As if she had been waiting, the knight nodded. She spoke, pressing all her conviction and faith into her words.
“I, Knight Deia, will grind my bones to dust and shatter my body, and serve with the labor of a dog and horse, so that I may surely pass Your Majesty’s test.”
……For the emperor, it was a rather pleasing answer.