Shadow of the Imperial Family.
A socially sanctioned butcher organization.
You shouldn’t expect something like honor from the Guillotine Knights.
They are nothing more than slaughterers wrapped in the packaging of “knights”.
And that very group wants to scout me… no, conscript me.
Then what response should I take here?
“Well now, how could I possibly refuse? It’s an honor. I do have one concern, though… You said I have potential, but doesn’t that also mean I’m still lacking? Right now, I’m rather weak. I worry I might end up tarnishing the name of the Guillotine Knights.”
I must never offend the other party. Elevate them while lowering myself.
That’s the most basic principle of conversational skills.
“A reasonable concern.”
See? Doesn’t he look pleased?
They say praise can make even a whale dance. Would those who wish to be acknowledged, even if only under the wrapping of ‘knight,’ be any different?
“However, there’s no such thing as a reputation for us to uphold, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Ah…”
That was an unexpected level of objectivity.
He understands exactly how the world sees them.
He isn’t depressed or bitter about it. He assessed himself as if merely stating an obvious fact.
A formidable opponent…
“Still, there’s something else that concerns me.”
“Again?”
“Yes, well…”
I don’t have many chances.
If I keep making excuses, he’ll catch on. Even now, doesn’t he look displeased? It’s safe to say he already suspects me.
“As you know, I support Her Highness Lobelia.”
“And?”
“To be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to remain neutral.”
“Hmm…”
Appealing to their sense of honor failed.
Then what about bringing politics into it? No matter that they are a unit directly under the Imperial Family, if they get entangled in the succession issue, it’s bound to become troublesome.
“That’s something I’ll need to ask the Commander about… Wait here for a moment.”
At the very least, it would be difficult for the mid-level officer in front of me to make that call on his own.
He invoked the will of His Majesty the Emperor and all that, but there’s no way the Emperor personally gave orders to this man.
He’s already busy enough. Would he really handle personnel matters for the Knights himself?
Maybe if I were some high-ranking figure. But I’m not that important.
Of course, judging by how he brought up the things I’ve done, the Imperial Family must already have a decent grasp on me.
That part doesn’t concern me much.
Unless their intelligence division has been asleep, they’d at least suspect something.
If someone keeps showing up near the collapse of every terrorist organization, anyone would grow suspicious.
What matters is that the connection between House Damus and House Ether isn’t exposed.
Both houses are making efforts to conceal that, and they’re using Lobelia as the central cover.
Lobelia herself would make sure that particular thread remains untouched.
Not necessarily for my sake….but at least for Ariel’s.
“Yes, Sir Knight. Shall I wait here?”
“…We’ll contact you again in the near future. Return for now.”
“Understood.”
Good. That buys me some time.
Now it’s time to report this to those at the heart of power.
They dare try to conscript me? I’ll tell Lobelia everything.
***
“Impossible.”
“Huh…?”
That was Lobelia’s answer when I went to her and informed her of the Guillotine Knights’ attempt to conscript me.
“Didn’t you already answer your own question when you tried to drive them away? They follow only the command of His Majesty the Emperor. They do not obey mine.”
“……”
“If I were to interfere with their affairs or attempt to block them, they would resist rather than comply. Even if I intervened, it would only make your path more thorny.”
“Isn’t that just a hollow pretext?”
“That may have been true until recently. They practically treated me as the successor and even extended certain conveniences. But the one who overturned that board was none other than you, was it not?”
“Me? What did I—!”
“The First Prince has returned. And that was after meeting you.”
“…….”
So because of Theseus, the Guillotine Knights are now maintaining strict neutrality again?
Unbelievable. Of all the unfair twists…this circles back to being my fault?
“No. His Highness Theseus’ return has nothing to do with me.”
“Oh, I’m sure.”
Lobelia shrugged.
Incompetent, yet overflowing with composure. What exactly is she capable of? When force is needed, she collapses. When authority is needed, she lacks power.
At this point, I’m starting to regret ever thinking of Lobelia as the protagonist. Was I expecting too much from someone this incapable?
“How insolent.”
“You must be imagining it.”
“Really? Imagining what? Tell me what you were thinking.”
“Well…”
“You’re not even trying to hide your insolence anymore, are you?”
Without even listening to my excuse, Lobelia immediately clamped her hand over my mouth.
Her hand isn’t particularly large, yet the roughness rivals that of a barbarian.
“Even if I cover your mouth, the insolence remains in your eyes. Should I pluck them out instead…?”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
I desperately shook my head.
No…at least, I tried to. But my head wouldn’t budge.
Her strength truly is abnormal.
Even if I struggled more, my body might tremble, but my head wouldn’t move an inch.
In this state, the only thing I could do was quiver and roll my eyes frantically.
“Haah… Johan Damus. I truly dislike the fact that I’m getting used to you. Have we grown close beyond our stations…?”
“…I am merely overwhelmed by Your Highness’ grace.”
Finally released, I nodded obediently even at Lobelia’s nonsense.
What can I do? Even if she’s usually no help, when it comes to oppressing me, she possesses both physical force and authority in equal measure.
“In any case, I don’t believe I can help you right now.”
“Yesh.”
“…Should I stitch that mouth of yours shut? You’re being quite open about your dissatisfaction. And you’re the one who came here asking for help.”
As if your family isn’t the one that put me in this situation to begin with.
“Anyway, the only advice I can offer is for you to lie low.”
“I’ve always been lying low.”
“Oh, I’m sure you have.”
Lobelia openly scoffed.
“Even if you join the Guillotine Knights, they won’t assign you anything immediately. Their identities are secret to begin with.”
“Doesn’t that mean I become secret as well?”
In other words, I could be treated as socially dead.
“They won’t handle it that extremely. Doing so would only arouse suspicion. In your case, you’re a minor noble from the frontier. After graduation, they’ll likely let contact fade naturally.”
“That does happen often.”
It’s common enough for people to lose touch after graduating from the Cradle.
Not just here….whenever someone leaves a group they once belonged to, it’s hardly unusual for communication to fade over time.
“After that, they would need to train you in the duties required of a Knight, so deployment to the field would be far off.”
“But in the end, wouldn’t I lose all my existing prospects?”
I may not look it, but I am the heir to a territory. And now I’m supposed to give up the lordship and join the Knights instead?
“But don’t you have plenty of time?”
“What’s the use of time if there’s no solution?”
“No, there is a very clear solution.”
Lobelia crossed her legs arrogantly in her chair.
Watching that shameless display, I could already guess what she was about to suggest.
“So, you’re saying that if Your Highness becomes Emperor, you could set me free.”
“As expected, you’re quick to understand.”
Only the Emperor can issue orders to the Guillotine Knights.
So if she becomes Emperor, everything would be resolved.
It’s a theoretical solution.
As she said, there is still plenty of time.
But still… what is this feeling?
“Well, for now, having an ally in the imperial family isn’t a bad thing. As you go about your life, you might even come to like it.”
Somehow, I couldn’t quite believe her.
More precisely…
“You might even end up holding a key post in the imperial court.”
I had an uneasy feeling that she had no intention of ever letting me go.
***
In the end, I gave up on any expectations.
Looking back, it was a careless judgment. Lobelia had tried to recruit me as her subordinate the very first time we met. So if she could bind me to her officially, wouldn’t that be even better for her?
I had let my guard down because we had grown somewhat closer recently.
These cunning imperials…!
Now I have no idea what to do about this.
“Ariel… no, not her.”
Honestly, Ariel would probably be pleased if I ended up tied to the imperial family.
She likes Lobelia just as much as she likes me.
She might even be happy at the thought of us working in the same place.
“Yuna… that won’t work either.”
Yuna doesn’t have the influence.
Even if she becomes the successor to the Master of the Magic Tower, she would have no sway within the imperial family.
The only suggestion she could offer would be that we run away together.
She might actually be able to help me escape the imperial eyes. But if it came to that, I would officially become a fugitive and have to give up my life as a noble.
I’ve lived as a noble my entire life, and now I’m supposed to become some lowly commoner?
I can’t do that.
“Fortunately, nothing has been finalized yet…”
For now, I’ve sent the Guillotine Knights away. When he reports my situation to his superiors, what are the chances that the Knights of the Guillotine will simply give up on me?
From my perspective, I doubt they’d want to take on that kind of risk just to recruit someone like me.
But others might see it differently. Haven’t the things I’ve accomplished been worthy of high praise?
To me, they were just desperate measures and makeshift solutions I barely managed to pull off…
“Johan Damas.”
“No.”
Lost in those thoughts as I walked across the campus, the knight I had parted with only hours ago came looking for me.
Had he already contacted his superiors and finished speaking with them?
What kind of efficiency is that…? And his superiors too. Why are they moving so fast?
“I reported your situation and received an answer.”
“Huh…?”
Isn’t that way too fast?
Don’t you people have any procedures to follow?
“They said it’s fine. You may take pride in it. As of today, you are a member of the Guillotine that severs the heads of our enemies.”
“No, I—”
“What is it? Surely you don’t mean to complain?”
“Of course… not.”
It looks like I’m about to be dragged off without a choice.
I can’t even try to talk my way out of it. The knight standing before me has a fanatical glint in his eyes. If I say the wrong thing, my head might fall before I even get the chance to explain myself.
“Sir Miles? What are you doing at the Cradle?”
And at that very moment, an unexpected figure stepped in.
The Oracle.
With a displeased expression, she placed herself squarely between the knight and me.
“Ah! Lady Oracle! I was just delivering His Majesty the Emperor’s will. This young man has been granted a most honorable opportunity.”
“Oh?”
The Oracle looked back and forth between the knight and me. As if she finally understood, she gave a small nod, then narrowed her eyes.
“And who authorized that?”
“Huh? This is His Majesty the Emperor’s—”
“And who did you say I am?”
“Are you not the Oracle?”
“Then I assume you’re aware that I stand on equal footing with Sir Lanius?”
“That is true, but…!”
“But? Since when have you been allowed to give me any answer other than ‘yes’? I’m quite curious.”
“N-No, that’s a misunderstanding.”
Unbelievable.
The Oracle is actually covering for me.
When she was an enemy, she was nothing but irritating….but now that she’s on my side, she feels incredibly reliable.
Well, it’s not like she was ever truly an enemy. Still, we weren’t exactly on friendly terms.
“Johan Damas is under my supervision. Of course, someone of your rank may not have been informed. Taking that into consideration, I will graciously overlook this matter.”
“Th-That can’t be. This wasn’t my personal decision. It came from higher up…”
“Higher up? Who exactly?”
“Huh?”
“Is this ‘higher up’ you speak of someone above me?”
“Th-That…”
“Can’t decide? Sir Miles, then summon whoever stands above you and below me. I will personally reprimand them.”
That day, I witnessed something extraordinary.
The Guillotine Knights whose very name makes imperial citizens tremble were the ones trembling instead.
I had no idea, but the Oracle is actually a terrifying woman.
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