Sena had been watching Sylvia’s battle from the beginning.
But there wasn’t much to see in reality.
‘It’s too dark to see anything.’
Would it have been different if it were brighter? Sena never really caught a good glimpse of Sylvia’s sword.
She instinctively knew the blind spots that existed between human beings.
Because of the sword that always moved angularly, everyone at the Academy avoided sparring with Sylvia the most. Even if they were more skilled than Sylvia, they could end up with a blade at their throat if they let their guard down for a moment.
Still, Sena watched Sylvia’s fights nervously. Objectively, Sylvia was strong, but to Sena, she was just like a younger sibling. He worried she might get hurt.
Fortunately, those worries were unfounded. There was a flash, and Sylvia’s sword swiped through empty air.
Sena knew from his swordsmanship lessons at the academy that it was a signal the battle was over.
He smirked faintly. It felt rewarding to have corrected Sylvia’s mana colorblindness.
“Phew.”
He almost called out loudly to Sylvia, waving his hand. Sena hesitated and sat down on the balcony. Blood poured from his lips.
‘I woke up soon.’
Sena’s pupils dilated. He was wearing a white shirt now. He would stand out.
‘What should I do? I’ll get caught by Sylvia.’
Sylvia had good night vision. Even in the darkest places, she could identify small objects far away.
First, Sena hurriedly wiped the blood from his hands onto his shirt and pants. He planned to change clothes quickly. But—
Boom!
A spark flashed, and Sena turned his head to see Chris grappling and pummeling someone with a half-dazed look on his face.
‘Why are you showing up at this moment?’
Damn bad luck. If Sylvia had good eyesight, Chris was good at everything except seeing. He was especially sensitive to sound.
-A man infiltrated the women’s dormitory. Is it Yuri’s room? Yuri is mine. Sena, I have to catch this intruder. Don’t touch the pieces. I’m the best for this.
-…Can you hear that? The women’s dorm is ten meters away. And you only have one piece left, the king. You really got lucky.
Now, how could he move? Sena couldn’t make a single move.
If he accidentally woke up someone who was awake, Chris would likely knock them out to keep things under control. Tonight seemed to be a dangerous night with a lot going on.
-Lord Granz is currently not at the palace.
Through the serene dawn air, Chris’s calm voice reached him.
It had been a long time since Chris had spoken casually. It felt like seeing the early Chris again. Back then, he was truly remarkable. Chris was like a watercolor painting that expressed the essence of a vagabond.
At some point, he had turned over a new leaf, but in serious situations like this, he tended to revert to his original self.
-The Duke won’t be targeting Her Majesty today; he has no justification. Probably tomorrow, at the ball. They will attempt treason in front of everyone. Today is just a preliminary to make that gathering a bit easier.
These were unfamiliar stories. They were probably information that wasn’t even allowed to the chief physician.
Sena’s mouth twitched.
‘You could’ve told me sooner!’
Of course, he had fixed things as quickly as possible, but if he had known, he would’ve done more!
Grumbling quietly, Sena was about to reproach Chris when Chris, quite stylishly, said.
-Tonight seems like it will be a long one. Sena seems to be oversleeping.
He hadn’t slept yet.
Keeping quiet about being awake was the right answer, after all. Who wants morning to come so quickly?
Since when did the sun show sympathy for humans? Morning will come. But because it’s a deadline morning, he’ll rush a little.
‘If this is Astria’s trap, then the best I can do here is… to complain to Cruyff and tidy up tonight’s events with the Church.’
Hmm, isn’t that all a bit unnecessary?
Well… still, wouldn’t it be nice if the Church supported him? Even if he doesn’t like it, their influence is like a cheat code.
The Emperor is inaugurated in the name of the Church. The will of the Church is the will of the God. How dare mere humans forcibly bring down an Emperor recognized by God?
The justification collapses instantly. The most fearsome ‘Inquisition’ of this era to be held accountable. Once the Duke is on the stand, the bought-and-paid-for fake priest Cruyff will issue a ‘you’re sentenced to death’ verdict.
Of course, it’s all about justification. In reality, the Church is nothing but a sect that supports the powerful.
Surprisingly, Sena’s voice carries weight in the Church. Or rather, he’s trusted.
The moment Sena supports Astria, people will start thinking, ‘Whoever opposes her is doomed.’ Then, betting on the Empire and Astria regaining power is the plan.
So, tonight, he planned to stay awake. To witness the Duke’s behavior with his own eyes and report it.
Sena stuck her head out.
‘Is he gone?’
If he is, let’s quickly go inside and change clothes.
But at that moment, Sylvia’s eyes met his.
Sena immediately recoiled. Cold sweat dripped down his back.
“Senior. You can come out now.”
“…D-Did I get caught?”
Awkwardly smiling, Sena peeked out again, and in an instant, Sylvia was on the balcony. Without hesitation, she grabbed Sena and leaped down from the balcony.
“Anyway, what else did you want me to wake you up for?”
Carefully setting Sena down, Sylvia spoke. Sena looked at Sylvia with blurry eyes.
Astria was taller than Sylvia by even a little, and Sylvia was clearly smaller. Being held by someone like her… felt a bit pathetic.
“Well, about that…”
“What should I do?”
“Go to Her Majesty.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Considering how Senior Chris felt about Senior Sena, I’ll get scolded. Please think of your Junior.”
‘Come to think of it, she’s now officially the escort.’
Knights might be oblivious to other things, but hierarchy was strict. The worst-case scenario was unimaginable, and to top it off, with the Academy graduation just a year apart, Sylvia couldn’t push back.
“Well, even so, Chris won’t be by Her Majesty’s side.”
“The battlefield changes every minute. Moreover, if that’s considered treason, who knows what might happen?”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to go protect Her Majesty?”
“Senior?”
Sylvia looked at Sena suspiciously. Sena’s lips curled in discomfort.
“…Am I being treated like a burden here?”
“It’s better than just being a burden. Senior, you’re fragile. I worry you might break.”
“I’m not that fragile. Remember, I was the top student of the Academy.”
“The ‘former’ top. Remember when you were a first-year and forbidden to use magic? How long are you going to dwell on it? Since the second year, Senior Chris has never missed being the top.”
Sena was already gazing into the distance, clearly avoiding the conversation.
‘Who looks this perfect right after waking up?’
In the faint moonlight, Sena resembled a painting—a cuteness that no painting could capture.
Sylvia discreetly stepped back, wanting to take in Sena’s entirety.
Then Sena took a step forward.
“?”
Perplexed by this inexplicable action, Sylvia quickly stepped back three paces. Sena advanced exactly three paces.
“W-Why do you keep stepping back?”
“Why do you keep coming forward?”
Sena looked puzzled. Sylvia gave him a suspicious look. ‘Something’s not right.’ But before she could say anything, Sena spoke first.
“Did you… kill them all?”
Sylvia blinked belatedly, realizing she had forgotten to hide away the bodies.
“Ah, yes.”
Looking strangely at Sena, who seemed unaware. Sena disliked seeing people die—it was common sense among those who knew him.
“Can you check? There might be survivors.”
“…Yes. But…”
Sylvia looked uneasy.
“Senior, they’re traitors. If we mourn even their deaths, how can we survive in this harsh world?”
“I’m not mourning.”
Sena crouched beside a fresh corpse. Having adapted somewhat to the darkness, he could discern the features a bit. The head was missing.
“I have power, but the true strength lies in the testimony of the involved parties.”
“Testimony?”
“I plan to put Reinhardt on trial for heresy. Just in case, I want to secure witnesses for the situation.”
‘And I hope she doesn’t see the blood on me.’
Sylvia still hadn’t caught on, despite the blood stains on Sena’s shirt.
“…Senior, you have quite the plan.”
“That’s why you should have left one alive.”
“I think we’ve gathered all the information we need. But what’s with that tone?”
Sylvia glared at Sena.
“You’re blaming me after I’ve kept watch? I didn’t kill him for fear of what might happen to you, Senior.”
“You killed him because you thought it might be a threat to me?”
“I didn’t say that.”
Sylvia turned her head silently.
‘Her character is really peculiar upon closer inspection.’
Sena looked at the next corpse. This time, it was a fully armed enemy. It wasn’t just about ending a life but also ensuring no chance of survival.
‘…What do they think of me?’
He could see the treatment. He must have gotten the wrong idea. He’d save an assassin who was trying to kill him.
Could that be true? Sena wasn’t the kind to protest in the midst of war, holding a sign that said, ‘Killing is wrong’.
Some deaths are unavoidable. Some people deserve to die. Sena understood that fact.
Anyway, the initial purpose was achieved. Now, he would naturally think about the blood stains on his shirt.
“We can’t help it here. Let’s move to the next scene. Chris mentioned visiting the Imperial Knights, right? We might find witnesses. If we’re lucky, we might even get direct evidence of rebellion.”
Sena spoke as he stood up, addressing Sylvia. But Sylvia was staring at Sena with a chilling gaze.
“Stay still.”
“Why?”
Sylvia drew her sword and infused it with mana. A clear blue light illuminated the surroundings.
Bloodstains were visible on Sena’s shirt. Sena hurriedly covered the blood.
“Explain.”
Sylvia gave him a chance to speak. Sena hesitated.
“It’s obviously not my blood. No one came into my room. This just happened. Just now. Haha.”
Sylvia’s cold gaze now moved to Sena’s head.
“…!”
With certainty, she approached closely. She reached out and brushed Sena’s cheek.
A faint trace of blood was on his lips.
Though Sena continued to smile, his back was already soaked.
“S-Sylvia?”
Without delay, Sylvia put her thumb into Sena’s mouth.
“Ugh.”
After a quick search, she withdrew her hand and touched it to the blue-lit sword.
A considerable amount of blood. It was just a brief touch, but apart from multiple wounds, there was no other sign.
“Uh… I suddenly feel a bit sleepy. I’ll go rest.”
Sena decided to make a run for it.
Of course, he couldn’t even take a step before Sylvia grabbed his wrist. It felt like his hair was standing on end.
“…From now on, I want you to answer my questions honestly.”
“W-What?”
“This, it’s vomited blood, isn’t it?”
The worst-case scenario he had imagined had come true.
Sena couldn’t move his stiff body.
“Why are you vomiting blood? W-Where does it hurt?”
Sylvia’s pupils trembled anxiously.
“Oh, no, it doesn’t hurt. I’m fine. Look.”
Sena smiled brightly, spreading his arms wide and turning around.
But today, he seemed to be vomiting more blood than usual.
Thump-
Dizziness from anemia caused him to stagger slightly. Sylvia hurriedly supported him.
Sena’s pupils shook.
This might be more serious than he thought. Sena tried to reassure her.
“It’s just a mild respiratory illness. I’ll be fine once I take some medicine.”
However, Sylvia’s shocked expression showed no sign of returning.
“How… severe is it? Surely it’s not life-threatening or anything, right?”
‘Everything else is fine. Justitia. If you’re really real, please let this lie pass.’
Sena thought this as he gently stroked Sylvia’s hand.
“What are you even thinking? Don’t worry. I’m healthy. It’s just… a very slight discomfort.”
Sena’s gaze remained steady.
He didn’t stumble in his words, and perhaps this was the best lie he had ever told in his life.
However, Sylvia’s eyes quickly welled with tears.
“Liar.”
Watching Sylvia’s tears fall, Sena thought to himself.
There is no God.
