Before I knew it, an entire month had flown by in the blink of an eye, and November, the month I thought would never arrive, was finally here.
This meant the academic presentation was right around the corner.
It also signified that my honor-destroying show was fast approaching.
The results of this presentation would be all or nothing.
Either society would scoff, saying, “Vermonts? They’re still rambling on about Black Magic?” and cast us aside.
Or, we’d shatter the existing magical framework to its core—there was no middle ground.
Knowing that the outcome hinged on my every word made it impossible not to feel tense.
“This is a tea to help ease your tension, Master,” Sylvia said.
“Oh, thanks. But…”
“…?”
Just then, Sylvia burst into the room, placed the teacup down, and stood before me.
I was just about to ask for tea, but Sylvia had beaten me to it for the first time ever.
“How did you know I was tense?”
“Huh? It’s written all over your face.”
“This is just my neutral expression.”
“No, there’s something different. It’s like there’s a faint emotion hidden in your neutral expression. It might be one of the abilities you gained when you awakened your Aura.”
“…”
Ah, so she could read my emotions now.
Does that mean I’m doomed to have my lies exposed to Irene, my thoughts laid bare to Empress Sister, and now my emotions spied on by Sylvia?
This was ridiculously unfair. Why don’t I get a cheat-like ability like that?
“Let’s test its capabilities for a bit.”
“Of course. I’ll help however I can.”
“Try guessing what I’m feeling right now.”
“Understood.”
Even so, having Sylvia, my closest confidant and bodyguard, gain such a skill wasn’t all bad.
She’d be able to sense hostility from anyone approaching with ill intentions and respond accordingly.
I decided to test how effective this emotion-detecting ability really was.
“Uh…?”
“…?”
As I stared at her, envying her ability, Sylvia suddenly turned bright red and shrank back.
What’s her deal?
“P-Please don’t look at me with such… suggestive eyes…”
“Alright. Your ability is trash. Got it.”
“Wait, what?! My Lord!”
Test complete.
The skill was so weak it was practically useless.
While a bit disappointing, I felt relieved.
At least I didn’t have another person added to the list who could read my thoughts.
“Charlotte, Julia. Are you both ready…?”
“Should we pack some donuts too?”
“Huh? We have donuts? Definitely bring them! Yuri loves donuts!”
“And let’s take the cookies we’ve been saving too…”
Just as I was about to call for Charlotte and Julia, I heard them chattering near the kitchen.
It seemed they were filling a snack basket to share with Yuri.
To them, snacks were a serious matter.
While the academic presentation was a big event for me, it was just another field trip to the Imperial Magic Academy for the kids.
“Ah! Mister! Yuri mentioned in a letter that you’re presenting at the academy!”
“…I’ve told you about it several times already. You’re just now realizing?”
“Hehe! I must’ve forgotten! Here’s a charm I made to help you do well! It’s supposed to give you strength if you keep it on you!”
“I-I’m not one to believe in such superstitions. I think they’re silly. But… if it helps Aslan calm his nerves, then it might not be entirely useless. So, I made one too… just one.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is encouraged by the support of our Necromancer and Dark Knight!]
Why Kali was being encouraged, I had no idea.
Still, I happily accepted the charms Charlotte and Julia handed me.
One was inscribed with “Confidence Charm,” the other with “Never, Ever Get Tired Charm!” in clumsy handwriting on colored paper.
Traditional charms were supposedly made with special materials and written in ancient runes.
But I felt these were far more effective.
I carefully tucked them into my inner pocket so they wouldn’t get crumpled.
“Wait, isn’t the presentation tomorrow? Why are we leaving today?”
“It is, but I thought it’d be better to arrive early and spend the night in the capital.”
“Oh!? Then can I visit the Lady while we’re there?”
“Miss Merilda will attend the presentation, so you’ll see her then.”
“Yay!”
Charlotte and Julia clapped their hands and jumped with joy.
They seemed to get along well with Merilda, which pleased me.
Their bond would make it easier to maintain friendly ties with Archduke Richard Friedrich of the North.
“Alright, let’s head ou—oh?”
“Huh?”
“…!?”
Just as Charlotte excitedly ran toward the carriage, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Julia froze as well, her expression stiffening.
Sylvia reached for her weapon, preparing to draw her Aura.
…I felt nothing.
What’s going on?
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. There was an unusual mana disturbance coming from the direction of the capital.”
“I felt it too! It was like… a huge explosion just happened!”
“I think I felt it too, just faintly… yeah.”
“…”
It seemed something serious had occurred in the capital.
I signaled to the coachman with a gesture, and he quickly turned the carriage around.
Moments later, he returned with a streamlined, faster carriage better suited for speed.
“Let’s hurry.”
“Yes!”
Not knowing what had happened, we needed to get there as quickly as possible to assess the situation.
Without hesitation, Charlotte, Julia, and Sylvia followed my lead as we raced toward the capital nonstop.
.
.
.
“Aslan Vermont is the first presenter?”
Yuri gasped as she looked through the presentation booklet.
She’d already heard countless times from the “grumpy Mister” that Aslan was participating in the presentation, but she hadn’t expected him to be the opening act.
Traditionally, the first presentation was reserved for the most significant or groundbreaking topic in the academic world.
Could Aslan Vermont really… deliver?
The Vermont family wasn’t known for producing renowned scholars, and Aslan himself didn’t seem connected to academia in any meaningful way.
The choice was surprising.
“Is he just going to embarrass himself and come back empty-handed…?”
The audience would undoubtedly scrutinize his paper for flaws, searching for anything to criticize.
Would he be okay?
Yuri bit her lip nervously, feeling restless.
“Wait—why am I worrying about that man?”
Realizing she wasn’t in any position to be concerned about Aslan Vermont, she recoiled in shock.
If Aslan failed and humiliated himself, Charlotte and Julia might lose respect for him, or worse, stop liking him altogether.
They could even give up on marrying him.
In that case, Yuri should be hoping Aslan’s paper was a complete disaster.
Yet, strangely enough, Yuri found herself wishing, just a little, for his success.
Was it because she’d seen firsthand how hard he worked during his time at the estate?
She didn’t particularly enjoy seeing the efforts of a dedicated person go to waste.
“Ugh, whatever! He’ll manage somehow, whether I worry or not. He’s annoyingly good at everything anyway.”
Snorting to herself, Yuri flipped through the booklet.
The title of the first presentation was: A New Paradigm That Doesn’t Disrupt the Existing Mana-Based Magic Framework.
“…?”
What did that even mean? A new paradigm that didn’t disrupt the existing framework?
Was such a thing even possible?
The title was so vague that it was hard to imagine what the presentation would actually entail.
Well…
She’d find out soon enough. She’d been invited by Aslan and managed to snag a seat in the back row.
As Yuri mused about it, she turned to leave the research building.
“Eek! Tomorrow’s the presentation! I need to hurry! I have to finish the prototype somehow!”
“…?”
From behind a slightly open door, loud and frantic voices spilled out.
Was it someone participating in the presentation?
Curious, Yuri tiptoed closer and peeked through the gap.
“If I miss this chance, all my research funding will be cut off, and ten years of work will go up in smoke! I have to succeed—no matter what! If I can just complete this, it’ll revolutionize magic! The energy of dreams! The ultimate magic! It’s so close now!”
Should… should I just close the door for them?
The sight of someone talking to themselves so intensely was a bit unsettling, and Yuri hesitated.
Just as she reached to quietly close the door, a blinding flash of light burst out from inside.
“Ugh!?”
BOOM!
A deafening roar echoed throughout the Imperial Magic Academy.
Yuri felt her body tremble as an intense mana wave swept over her, raising every hair on her body.
What on earth was happening?
Throwing the door open, Yuri’s jaw dropped.
“S-Success! It worked! But—wait! What? It’s going berserk…?”
“Get out of there right now!”
Inside, a researcher was sitting on the floor, trembling.
In front of them, a menacing red sphere was slowly expanding, consuming everything it touched—burning, melting, and obliterating it all.
The sphere threatened to engulf the entire laboratory at any moment.
