Chapter 154: Grave Part 3

Boom!

The room exploded.

All from a single knock by my lovely fiancée.

A year and a half.

The farewell to the dorm room filled with memories came without warning.

“There you are.”

“……”

Ariel tilted her head expressionlessly when she spotted me.

And soon, her gaze shifted to Yuna, who was sitting at my desk holding a newspaper.

Their eyes met.

“What brings you here, Miss Yuna?”

“Probably the same reason as you.”

“Aha.”

A tense standoff.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the two of them launched into battle at any moment.

In that volatile atmosphere, both of their gazes turned to me at the same time.

“Ah.”

Something felt off.

It seemed like they might soon declare a temporary alliance.

Though I had always hoped these two would get along after seeing them bicker every time they met…I never wanted them to find common ground like this.

Is this my cue?

“Let’s all just calm down first.”

“We are calm.”

“Right.”

Since when did they get so chummy together?

You’re not exactly at the “we” stage of your relationship.

And for the record, calm people don’t blow up other people’s rooms.

“Let me start by saying. It’s all just a misunderstanding.”

“It always is.”

“You always say that, don’t you?”

“……”

This is painful.

“I did believe you.”

“……”

“But when something happens twice… isn’t it only natural to start having doubts?”

Not a single word of that is wrong.

But still, it’s not like this is my fault either.

How do I even explain this injustice?

This is all Lobelia’s fault.

“Hah, but still, blowing up the room won’t fix anything, will it?”

“True.”

My body started to float.

An overwhelming force wrapped around my body. One I couldn’t resist.

Ariel’s ability: Telekinesis.

It felt like sinking deep beneath the sea, and in that heavy stillness, Ariel spoke.

“But doing nothing won’t solve anything either.”

“……”

“This incident reeks of malicious intent. Specifically, from the Emperor.”

“Think about it. From the very start, how did news of something that happened inside the Imperial Palace leak outside?”

“She’s right. Miss Yuna is exactly right. This is a trap set by the Imperial family.”

Ariel and Yuna.

If I’d known they worked this well together, I would’ve encouraged them to get along sooner.

But of course, they only seem to team up when it’s to give me hell.

Why is that?

“To break through this trap, we need to bury it with a bigger scandal.”

“Wait…hold on a second.”

That’s my idea, isn’t it?

“The reason we’ve never gone public with our relationship is because we were afraid it would put House Damus at risk.”

Though we do have some dealings with the Empire’s more well-known terrorist groups, there are still plenty of lesser ones out there.

House Damus’s military strength wasn’t nearly enough to fend them off.

That’s why our engagement remained a vague verbal agreement with nothing official.

“But now? Being associated with my family is a far better option than being associated with the Imperial Family, don’t you think?”

She’s not wrong.

The only problem is…she’s saying all this while holding me restrained.

Anyone would think she’s pushing a selfish agenda.

“Let’s make our relationship public.”

“No, wait, hold on. That’s not what I meant.”

And just like that, a crack appeared in their newly formed alliance.

Right.

There’s no way Yuna would just sit by and let Ariel walk away with all the advantage.

“If it’s going to come to that, wouldn’t it be better for me to loudly spread the word that I’m dating Johan instead?”

Yuna doubled down.

“Would the Imperial family even care if it were just a commoner? A romance between the son of a declining count’s family and a commoner? How would that be a hot topic?”

Why is she verbally dragging House Damus through the mud with me included?

Is this what Ariel’s secretly been thinking all along?

“At least it’s better than Ether Duchy, who’s currently committing a massacre up in the north.”

“……”

“Ah, wait—ow, it hurts!”

The pressure of Ariel’s telekinesis on my body intensified with her mood.

At this rate, I’ll burst.

I have to reinforce my body with mana.

Why does this feel even more overwhelming than when I was facing a monster like Kult?

“And a commoner? Who are you calling a commoner?”

“…Huh?”

“What?”

What the hell is Yuna saying right now?

“I’m a noble too. From a count’s family. And unlike Ether Duchy, we’re not the type with enemies all over the place.”

“……”

A shocking revelation out of nowhere.

Ah, so this was Yuna’s so-called plan?

If it’s her, she might have been slyly hiding her noble title just to earn my sympathy.

And if what she said is true, she could brazenly submit a marriage proposal to House Damus.

No, more than that…if she made it public, she could deal a heavy blow to Ether Duchy, who can’t openly acknowledge an engagement.

What a terrifying scheme.

“You scheming little—”

“Scheming? Isn’t Ether Duchy the ones scheming, trying to crush a count’s house with their power?”

My hands and feet tingled.

Not from her powers. Just from the sheer tension in the air.

I want to see Lobelia.

I miss the only one who could resolve this situation with both strength and authority.

It’s the first time I’ve ever thought this way, but right now, I can’t help it.

Rumble!

Did my wish just come true?

Just as the mood between the two of them was turning dangerously hostile, lightning struck from the sky.

“What on earth is going on here?”

“Your Highness! I knew you would come to our aid—wait… Headmistress?”

But it wasn’t Lobelia who appeared. Looking closer, even the lightning that struck was just ordinary blue lightning.

Of course. There’s no way she wouldn’t notice a building getting smashed inside the Cradle.

Maybe thinking it was a terrorist attack, Olga Hermod had rushed over with sweat beading on her forehead.

That must be the weight of responsibility she bears.

“Your Highness?”

“Did you just call for that woman?”

And this….this is my pain.

Without thinking, I blurted out Her Highness’s name. Because deep down, I believed Lobelia was the only one who could resolve this situation.

And now, I have to pay the price.

Calling out another woman’s name while two women are already fighting over me. And to make it worse, that woman is the very same person I’ve recently been rumored to be dating.

This is basically suicide.

“Enough!”

Thankfully, our brilliant educator Olga Hermod stepped in to stop it.

With just one sharp shout, she dispelled Ariel’s power.

And in the same moment, perhaps overlaying her signature illusion magic, the two women who had been glaring daggers at me slowly collapsed to the floor.

Damn it, Headmistress! I knew I could count on you!

“Haha… Mom… sorry, but I’m not who I used to be.”

Thud!

But right then, Yuna pushed herself off the ground.

Her ability: copy.

It looks like she used it to counter Olga Hermod’s spell.

Wait…did she just say Mom?

Olga Hermod adopted Yuna as her foster child? My trust was plummeting fast.

Now it’s clear that she’s the one responsible for this whole mess.

So why the hell am I the one caught up in the fallout?

“Phew, as expected, an Archmage’s spell isn’t so easy to break.”

Ariel soon stood up as well.

But in her case, it was probably pure skill.

No wonder she nearly reached the rank of Archmage.

“There’s joy in seeing students grow stronger, but today… things couldn’t be more troublesome.”

Olga Hermod tightened her grip on her staff. She must have realized she couldn’t easily handle the two of them.

But there’s just one problem.

“For the love of god, take this fight out of my room…!”

My room was being destroyed in real time.

***

Archmage.

The weight of that title was by no means light.

In fact, Olga Hermod had proven the weight of that title by defeating both Yuna and Ariel at the same time.

A victory against a mage nearing Archmage level and the queen of assassins.

Of course, Yuna had been at a disadvantage, forced into a head-on confrontation instead of an ambush. But she still wasn’t someone easy to handle. Not to mention Ariel.

The fact that she subdued the two of them spoke volumes about the gap in their abilities.

Well, it wasn’t just a matter of power; it was also the experience that came with age.

Still, even she had her limits.

“So, what am I supposed to do about my room?”

“Well, nothing to be done, I suppose.”

There was one thing she couldn’t recover. That was my half-destroyed room.

As an Archmage, she was outstanding but as Headmistress, she was the worst.

“We’ll begin repairs immediately, but it’ll likely take more than a week. I’ll compensate you for any broken belongings, of course.”

“And what about me?”

“Stay at a friend’s room for now… ahem, or I’ll issue you an overnight permit.”

“What was that pause supposed to mean? I do have friends, you know.”

“Ah, yes. Just to be absolutely clear. Under no circumstances are you allowed in the girls’ dormitory. Understood?”

“Seriously, what do you take me for? I have plenty of same-gender friends.”

“Well, in that case… staying in a friend’s room should be fine.”

Olga Hermod nodded with a reluctant look on her face.

Lately, I’d been getting the feeling that people’s opinions of me were getting worse and worse.

“Right… so, um… what’s going to happen to Yuna and Ariel?”

“They’ll need to spend a week in reflection. I’ll be keeping a close eye on them, so there’s no need to worry.”

“Ah… thank you.”

Of course, a week probably wouldn’t be enough to clear up the misunderstanding, but it would at least buy some time. And maybe, just maybe, it was something they could resolve through conversation.

In the meantime, I had a mission. To hunt down Lobelia and make her kneel and apologize in front of those two.

***

Before fulfilling the grand mission of bringing Lobelia to her knees, there was something I had to deal with first.

Namely, where I was going to stay for the next week.

Thankfully, I had plenty of options.

“Hey, Stan.”

“Screw off, Johan Damus.”

Slam!

Stan Robinhood shut the door in my face before I could even say why I came.

Ungrateful bastard.

After all the help I’d given him, how could he treat me like this?

He was really going to pay for this.

I was going to badmouth him to Emily until my throat went dry.

“You’re going to regret what you did today for a long time.”

“Your threats won’t work on me.”

“Hey, open the door! Hey!”

I knocked a few more times, but no answer came.

Heartless bastard.

“Tch, whatever. I’ve got plenty of other options.”

Stan was just one of my friends… no, not even a friend anymore.

Like I’d be the one to miss him.

I immediately headed toward the next person’s room.

“Hey, Raven.”

“Oh, Johan? What’s up?”

“Well, thing is…”

Unlike Stan, our mercenary Raven greeted me with a smile.

That noble-born Stan had worse manners than a mercenary.

“Uh, well… thing is, my room’s kind of messy, and it might be a bit much for a noble like you to stay in, y’know?”

“You…”

His pupils shook.

Cold sweat trickled down his face.

Something was definitely up.

But what could shake him enough to make him lose his cool like this?

He used to play the role of a spy, so he should’ve been decent at acting.

Which meant… it had to be something completely unrelated to spy work…

“Ah, I get it, you bastard. Enjoy your time, and give her my regards.”

“Wh-What do you mean, regards?”

“I can take a hint, you know.”

“Ahem!”

This brazen bastard was probably secretly living with Ollie or something.

Well, good for him.

I just hoped that love wouldn’t come back to stab him in the back someday.

Anyway, Raven was a no-go.

Unlike with Stan, this time there was a clear reason, so what could I do?

I wasn’t completely oblivious; I could take a hint.

This much consideration was the least I could offer.

“Well then…”

I was out of options.

Now what was I supposed to do?

It’s not like I could actually wander around outside.

Especially with all the public attention from the dating rumors with Lobelia.

If I carelessly roamed around, I could practically see a repeat of the Eden incident happening all over again.

“…Since when did mankind fear the sky? To sleep under the blue sky is no different than having the world in your hands.”

I had arrived at the conclusion. I was going to sleep outside.

Before that, I had considered sneaking into another building, but with the Cradle’s security measures, wandering around at night just wasn’t going to work.

If I accidentally stepped into an empty classroom and got hit by a triggered spell, it wouldn’t even be surprising.

The alchemy workshop was another option… but knowing my luck, while I slept, Professor Georg might stamp my handprint on a university entrance form.

In the end, sleeping outside was the only choice. Still, as long as I stayed within the Cradle, it should be safe.

The weather was warm, so I figured I could just stretch out on a bench and sleep comfortably enough.

But the moment I made that decision—

Plop.

A raindrop fell.

“What? I’m pretty sure I’ve never even seen it rain here. What the hell…!”

It felt like the weather was deliberately turning against me at the worst possible time.

It was as if the world itself bore a personal grudge.

Rain? In this weather? You’re expecting me to sleep outside?

I was delicate. If I went through with that, I’d catch a cold for sure.

Haah. I had no choice.

***

“I knew you’d come back. Here’s your overnight permit, just as promised.”

“……”

“Is something wrong?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

How did she know I’d come back?

How could she tell?

Something about it felt oddly unsettling.