Ipeurin looked at Gindalpeu with wide eyes. Gindalpeu chortled, stroking his beard.
A pendant.
She didn't know what exactly it was, but regardless, it meant that Dekyulrein was carrying around her "childhood photo."
He'd even asked for it to be restored because it was so worn out.
"Kekeke."
No, why on earth would that Professor Dekyulrein?
No matter how much she thought about it, it was something Ipeurin simply couldn't understand.
Could Gindalpeu be lying to her?
"This is amusing. Very amusing."
That didn't make sense either.
He had seemed a bit of a pervert just now, but this old man Gindalpeu was a super-ultra-great mage of the Ether rank.
Why would such a famous person tell a weird lie to someone like me? What could he want?
"......."
At the same time, Ipeurin recalled the kindness Dekyulrein had shown her all this time.
From hushing up disciplinary actions, to approving her club's establishment, to fair evaluations, and so on.
She had simply thought it was part of the guilt Dekyulrein harbored toward her father...... but her mind soon fell into chaos.
"Um, if it's about the pendant—"
"Kekeke. The interview is over. Whatever you do, don't tell Dekyulrein that I told you. I'm too old to be hated again, after all. Ah, and this isn't a request—it's a warning, hm?"
Gindalpeu grinned.
Ipeurin gulped and looked at Gindalpeu.
"......If you could tell me just one more thing."
"Ten thousand Elne."
"What?"
"That's the value of a single word from me. Dekyulrein gladly paid fifty thousand Elne."
"Fifty thousand Elne...... Um, could you perhaps do one hundred Elne? I'm still a student, so—"
*
Thud—!
The interview room door slammed shut.
Ipeurin, kicked out mid-negotiation, trudged along and ran into Kariksel. Kariksel also seemed to have just finished his interview.
Dekyulrein's interview.
Ipeurin's eyes sparkled as she quickly ran over.
"Mr. Kariksel! Mr. Kariksel!"
"Ah, yes. What is it?"
"How did the interview go? What was it about?"
"Ahaha...... Well...... I don't know."
"?"
Ipeurin tilted her head. Kariksel scratched his temple and answered.
"I gave up."
"......Huh?"
"They said they'd give 'Solda' just for passing the first exam...... so honestly, I didn't need anything more than that."
"Ah...... I see. You must want to see your babies soon?"
Kariksel's goal from the very beginning had been Solda, after all. Ipeurin thought as much, and Kariksel nodded.
"......Hahaha. Yes. That's right. They keep appearing before my eyes."
"Still, once we return to the continent later, who knows when we'll meet again. I know an unbelievably delicious restaurant. Do you know Loahawk?"
Ipeurin, who would challenge until the end, was disappointed, but either way, she had gained a good connection thanks to the Solda exam.
"Loahawk...... Yes. That sounds good."
"It'll be incredibly delicious!"
Ipeurin walked down the corridor with him to see him off.
Inside the hall, mages who had passed the exam—like Reilli, Dojeumu, and others—along with mages who had failed, were sitting with their respective expressions.
Among them, the tent jutting out in the corner of the corridor must be Silbia's.
Ipeurin, exhausted from taking the exam, was newly envious of that tri-color.
"Miss Ipeurin."
"Yes?"
Ipeurin looked at Kariksel again. Kariksel, gripping the exit door handle, smiled brightly at her.
"Take care of your health. It was a short time, but it was good to meet a future pillar."
"Huh? A future pillar......"
Rumble rumble rumble BOOM—!
At that moment, an earthquake occurred.
Startled, Ipeurin looked up at the ceiling.
Boom—! Boom—!
The continuing tremors. Adventurers accustomed to sudden situations remained calm, but the mages were quite agitated.
Supervisor Mimik spoke.
"Everyone, please calm down. It's nothing serious."
Just then, Dekyulrein came out of the interview room. With only two candidates to choose from, he had time to spare, and he walked under the gazes of the test-takers.
Silbia, who had packed up her tent at some point, also looked at him.
Clack— Clack—
Ipeurin scrutinized Dekyulrein as he approached the exit. More precisely, she looked for the pendant.
There was no sign of a pendant or anything like it on his body...... but with his personality, he wouldn't leave it somewhere obvious.
Suddenly, Dekyulrein stopped right in front of her. Ipeurin looked up at him and gulped. *No way*, she thought, but he spoke.
"Move."
"......Ah. Yes."
Ipeurin and Kariksel immediately stepped aside, and Supervisor Mimik spoke to Dekyulrein.
"Please assess the situation first. I will follow behind."
Dekyulrein went outside without answering. Ipeurin stared intently at his back as he moved out.
"Um...... But I haven't been able to take the exam."
Someone said in a sad voice. It was Meiho. She seemed to have been waiting for Dekyulrein's interview, for she pouted.
"Ah, please wait just a moment. It will be over soon. Everyone, please wait inside!"
Supervisor Mimik returned to the hall, and Ipeurin shifted her gaze to the wide-open exit.
"Huu......"
Taking a deep breath, Ipeurin stealthily slipped out the door. Tap-tap-tap-tap— she chased after Dekyulrein, who had just left, and climbed the stairs from the underground.
* * *
......As the security officer in charge of the Solda exam, I am flying.
This is no metaphor—I am literally "flying."
Standing on a platform woven from six neck-thick steel strands, whoosh—.
A miraculous technique far faster than the running of an "Ironman."
"So it was those guys from yesterday."
—I don't know about that. For now, I can't see anything even with this magic glass.
Luina from the crystal ball spoke.
—Damn it...... It's nothing but darkness.
The ones I had pursued last night had vanished without a trace at some point.
Even the resonance of the steel couldn't tell which way they had gone.
—Could you wait a bit? I'll head out too. I'll be there quickly if I ride a horse.
While Luina chattered on, I arrived at the scene first.
"......."
And I was at a loss for words.
Such was how bizarre a tragedy it was.
—I sent out a "Whisper" first, so—
"Disconnect."
I cut the connection.
I simply stood still, gazing at the eerie landscape reflected on my retina.
Drip drip drip—
Liquid flowing like a stream from beyond touched the tip of my boot.
......Thick, sticky red blood.
A fishy stench that raged through the area like madness.
Severed flesh and strewn entrails.
Brain matter surging up from sliced skulls.
"......."
I was uncharacteristically bewildered.
Fragments of bodies that had once been human were forming a mountain.
The bodies torn apart like scraps numbered roughly over a hundred.
I checked their condition with "Psychokinesis."
Most were corpses cleanly split from head to toe, but among them were Named individuals as well.
The action captain of an altar called "Deuruman." As befitting a Named, he seemed to have resisted fiercely, for his body was torn every which way.
"Curious."
I couldn't get the slightest sense of who had done this.
It hadn't even been a minute since the tremors occurred.
How could an entire unit, no, this many people, be massacred in just 60 seconds?
Some corpses were divided as neatly as if measured with a ruler, while others were ripped apart in an unsightly mess.
I couldn't tell if it was magic or a trait.
Almost as if they had been cut whole along with space itself......?
"......I've seen this before."
Along with space.
Skin being severed.
A certain scene vividly etched in my memory replayed.
This aftermath was of a similar kind to that inexplicable phenomenon which had once taken Beron's wrist.
......Then.
Rustle—
A faint sign of life stirred in the bushes.
I turned toward it.
"......You."
The one hiding there.
Ipeurin was puffing out her cheeks like a hamster.
*
"Ah. Um......"
Ipeurin saw Dekyulrein and the mountain of corpses beyond him. His intensely piercing gaze was chilling.
She hesitantly tried to take a step closer.
"Don't come."
Dekyulrein stopped her.
Moonlight flowed down his sharp jawline and nose bridge.
Clear shadows divided his face. Like a ghost wearing a mask.
"You'll get blood on you."
"......What?"
Standing before the corpses, he was frightening enough, but that cold voice, today, for some reason,
felt a little different.
Ipeurin stared blankly at him.
"Ipeurin Debyutan! What are you doing here! Go back now!"
It was Luina, arriving late on horseback. Ipeurin stumble-stepped back but didn't avoid Dekyulrein's eyes.
Hweeeeeng—!
In an instant, numerous flying objects rose into the sky from Suryeondo.
They were knights who had sortied urgently aboard magic-engineering patrol aircraft.
They had entered with the resolve to protect Suryeondo from the intruder, but.......
"What in the world is this!"
Hundreds of fragments and pieces of flesh strewn across the ground.
The only thing left was dealing with the corpses.
Dekyulrein shrugged and made an excuse.
"Let me be clear: I didn't do this."
"Huh? Ah, yes......."
The knights nodded reluctantly. However, no one seemed to believe him.
Dekyulrein surveyed the line of knights. Yulri, who was supposed to come, was nowhere to be seen.
A knight spoke in her stead.
"Knight Yulri will be a bit late. She got lost on the way."
"......I understand."
I nodded.
Well, she had the penalty trait "Poor Sense of Direction."
* * *
A wasteland where the blazing sun poured down vertically.
The acting lord of Yukeurain and Dekyulrein's younger sister, Yeriel, arrived at [Rohallak Internment Camp] together with people from the Imperial Palace.
"My......"
Her first impression was awe at its vast expanse.
"They built it big."
As she muttered as if sneering, the eunuch beside her smiled.
"Yes. That's right. It should be able to accommodate over a million, shouldn't it?"
"A million, my...... More importantly, when do you plan to start the intake?"
A million. Rohallak could house even more if one considered only area, but the problem was the environment.
It was a region with poor supplies, so even if only a hundred thousand were accommodated, starvation deaths would pour out. One couldn't even farm in this wasteland.
The eunuch spoke.
"The Red Palace has formed numerous secret societies in the shadows."
"You're saying you'll lock up the leaders of those societies here?"
"No. The leaders will be executed; only the small fries. Furthermore, we plan to take in unregistered Red Palace members first."
Yeriel placed her hand on her waist as if frustrated.
"That's what I'm saying. How do you distinguish whether those unregistered Red Palace members are actually Red Palace? What if the records are wrong and you lock up someone who isn't?"
"Ah~ this is when the former emperor's wisdom shines. There were related records remaining. Furthermore, there are provincial records where the Red Palace membership list was compiled through informal channels. Why, aren't the births of Red Palace members quite diabolical? Born wrapped in a red box, and all."
"......."
Yeriel shook her head.
This eunuch was completely missing the point.
She asked what they would do if the records were wrong, and he said there were even older records—what was she supposed to do with that?
"Furthermore, we have identified the locations of the temples the Red Palace serves."
"Are you saying you'll interfere with their religion?"
"It is not a religion. It is a heresy. The paladins of the Holy See will likely step in."
Yeriel nodded half-heartedly.
It was the will of the emperor and the imperial family anyway, and Dekyulrein had stepped in personally, so from Yukeurain's perspective, there was no choice but to accept.
She just needed to think about how to utilize that labor force. Whether there were a hundred thousand or a million Red Palace members, simply leaving them to starve to death would be a waste for both sides.
"Ah, by the way. This time, Lord Betan's praise for the Rit Aily soup at Light and Salt has been quite famous."
"It didn't really suit my palate."
"Ah...... is that so?"
"Well, if you wish, I could reserve you a seat."
"Ah! If so, then just four for our group— ugh?!"
At that moment, the eunuch suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Looking in that direction, a scorpion the size of a finger was rustling as it approached.
A Hallak scorpion. Though small in size, it was notorious for its venom that could kill even a knight.
"Acting Lord, be careful, be care— aaagh!"
The eunuch made a huge fuss, and Yeriel glanced at him.
"What are you so surprised about? How did you even come here if you get scared by a mere scorpion?"
"Ah. I, ah, my apologies. But that scorpion......."
"Shh. You'll scare the baby. It'll rampage if startled, won't it? Hold your tongue."
Yeriel offered her finger to the scorpion. The eunuch was aghast, but the scorpion slid forward like a docile lamb and climbed onto that slender finger.
“······Isn’t that a Hallak scorpion?”
“That’s right. It’s from Rohalak, so it’s a Hallak scorpion.”
“P-please be careful. Its venom is terrifyingly potent.”
“Shh.”
Yeriel spoke to the scorpion, asking how, and by what chance, it had come here.
The scorpion answered that there was a tribe nearby.
“It seems there’s a tribe nearby.”
“Oh······.”
The eunuch exclaimed in wonder. Yeriel smiled mischievously, then stretched out the finger on which the scorpion was perched.
“Shoo~”
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah──!”
“······.”
“Aaaah─! Please stooooop───!”
His reaction was impressive. Yeriel let out a hollow laugh and said to the scorpion,
“Go back with your friends and family.”
“It truly is a fascinating talent no matter how many times I see it, Miss Yeriel.”
Just then, another eunuch approached. The moment Yeriel saw his face, she frowned.
“It is a pleasure. Has it been seven years? You’ve grown quite a bit.”
Eunuch Jolang.
He was accompanied by some escort knight.
“Hmph. A eunuch brings an escort knight with him? I suppose there are knights in the imperial palace who serve eunuchs instead of His Majesty.”
“There is no such distinction. Eunuchs and knights alike all strive for His Majesty, after all.”
At Jolang’s reply, Yeriel gave him an overt sneer.
“For the fastidious Jolang to come all the way to Yukline in person, things must be heating up quite a bit for you these days. Is it because of the rumor that His Majesty is fond of our house lord?”
The power structure of the empire usually differed according to the emperor’s character and legitimacy.
The late Emperor Crebaim had pursued harmony between divine authority and imperial authority, but in truth, in that shadow existed a third force known as the “eunuchs.” Like bats, they clung to both divine and imperial authority and gnawed away at the power of both sides.
“Not at all. We are merely His Majesty’s shadows.”
Because Crebaim was a monarch with such firm legitimacy, the eunuchs had been unable to run rampant. But the current emperor, Sophien, had not had a very good reputation before ascending the throne—no, rather, she had been famous for indolence and ennui.
The eunuchs had likely been certain they would gain power surpassing even that of the previous reign.
That prediction had missed spectacularly.
Emperor Sophien, said to be lazy, pushed her policies through with great force and vigor, and in that process, the one who gained the greatest trust was neither a minister nor a eunuch, but Deculein.
“However, I have come to deliver a certain piece of information to you, Miss Yeriel.”
“Information?”
“Yes. Count Yukline entrusted you with the right to govern the territory, did he not?”
Based on Deculein and Yeriel’s actions thus far, and on the development of the Yukline territory, Jolang posed to Yeriel the certainty he had inferred.
Yeriel answered calmly.
“The right to govern? I am merely the acting lord.”
“Haha. Yes. Even so, Miss Yeriel.”
Jolang whispered in a low, quiet voice.
“It would be best not to trust the Count.”
“Pfft.”
He was muttering as if he knew something, but Yeriel merely snickered. I’m not so foolish as to get caught up in the schemes of some eunuch.
“Are you not curious how Count Yukline thinks of you? How he truly, ‘genuinely’ thinks of you?”
“······.”
Even so, Jolang was persistent, and Yeriel’s expression hardened.
‘How he genuinely thinks of you.’
Though she pretended otherwise, that was an unease that had always lurked in a corner of Yeriel’s heart.
“Before long, I shall come to you with the proof.”
Jolang bowed his head and smiled. Yeriel glared down at the crown of his head with narrowed eyes.
“If you’re done talking, go stuff yourself with Rotailli soup and get lost.”
As if she would not exchange another word with him, she turned on her heel and got into the car.
Still smiling, Jolang watched her back.
“······Lugen. The item Zukaken promised?”
Jolang asked the knight beside him.
“They say it is already prepared.”
“And the contents?”
“A recording in which Count Yukline mentioned Yeriel in the past. As for how it was obtained, it seems Deculein failed to properly manage his people when he cut ties with the underworld. Well, there was nothing fatal, but one of them happened to be useful.”
Jolang nodded.
“Bring it to me as quickly as possible. Don’t worry about the price.”
Until now, the thorn in Eunuch Jolang’s eye had been Yukline.
A prestigious house where Yeriel’s practical ability and Deculein’s external reputation harmonized.
In the worst possible situation, with even the emperor favoring Deculein, the only answer for the moment was to create a rift between the two—and Jolang had finally found a method.
“I wonder. How long that young lady can keep acting so insolently······.”
He chuckled like a fox as he watched Yeriel’s car disappear into the distance.
* * *
······The four-day Solda promotion exam concluded safely.
Of course, there had been an intrusion by the Altar midway, but thanks to Professor Deculein’s absurdly brutal performance—though the man himself denied it—it ended anticlimactically.
Those who passed even the final, third exam were Sylvia, Relly, Dozmu, Meiho, Epherene, and forty others. Returning once more to the Yukline grand hall, they attended the Solda badge conferment ceremony.
“······Solda Epherene. Well done!”
Chairwoman Adrienne handed her the Solda promotion plaque and badge.
“Yes!”
A third-rank Solda badge.
Epherene accepted it proudly. With this, it would be easy to climb to the next two ranks after Solda, “Kendel” and “Regello.”
“Solda Sylvia! You worked hard!”
“Yes.”
Epherene and Sylvia came down holding their badges, certificates, and robes and sat in their chairs.
“Miss Epherene~ Thank you~ I passed thanks to the Roahawk meat you shared back then~”
It was Meiho, sitting beside her, speaking with a smile. Epherene grinned as well.
“It was nothing. But the meat was delicious, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, yes~ It was incredibly good~”
“Haha. If you come to the empire later, let’s eat it together again~ Instead, you’re buying that time, Miss Meiho.”
Epherene was chatting like that when she suddenly looked at Deculein seated in the VIP section above the hall. Gindalf and Rogerio were with him.
But then, all of a sudden.
“······?”
Gindalf glanced at her, then said something to Deculein. At that, Deculein frowned and soon took a small pendant out of his briefcase.
“Ah······!”
The pendant.
That pendant was the one Gindalf had spoken of.
For a moment, Epherene’s breath caught.
* * *
“······What restoration are you saying was done incorrectly?”
I showed Gindalf the pendant I had taken from my briefcase. It was because Gindalf had suddenly said something like, “I think there may have been a small mistake in the pendant’s restoration back then. Could you show it to me?”
“Mm······.”
Gindalf stared intently at the pendant, then shook his head.
“It seems I was mistaken. It was done well. As expected, there’s no way I would have made a mistake.”
“······.”
Then he burst into hearty laughter.
What was this, making people go through needless trouble? I put the pendant back into the briefcase.
Gindalf asked again in a subtle tone,
“By the way, Professor Deculein. Even if I ask who the child inside that pendant is, you won’t tell me, will you?”
“What the hell have you been talking about since earlier, old man? Can’t you tell me too?”
Unable to suppress his curiosity, Rogerio butted in. Gindalf frowned and pushed Rogerio away.
“Ahem. Youngsters should hurry along and leave.”
“Come on, now. That’s damn petty.”
I paid them no mind and focused on the ceremony.
Yet Gindalf kept looking at me, then at the wizards seated in the hall, then back at me, chuckling with a smile.
“Kuhuhuhu. How interesting. Ah, Deculein, my boy. The Magic Tower will soon begin classes as well, so if there is ever anything you need from me, tell me anytime. I’ll grant you one favor for free, whatever it may be.”
That laughter grated on my nerves. I did not know why, but for some reason, he gave me a feeling similar to the chairwoman.
“Solda Relly! Congratulations on your promotion!”
Meanwhile, the conferment ceremony was slowly drawing to a close.
The faces present here were Maho, Epherene, Sylvia, and······ though he was not in this space now, as of today, I was certain.
The incident involving Veron quite some time ago.
And the massacre that happened just two days ago.
All of it······ Allen.
It must have been that bastard’s doing.
“Good! Everyone! You all worked so hard~!”
At the chairwoman’s shout, everyone applauded. I followed them and clapped as well.
······But.
Someone’s gaze upon me was rather intense. It was a stare as if trying to bore a hole through my face.
Annoyed, I turned that way.
Epherene.
The girl flinched in surprise and avoided my eyes, but the way her fist was clenched seemed anything but ordinary.
Now that she had become a Solda, she was probably plotting some insolent scheme again.
I shook my head.