Olga Hermod had never particularly wanted to become an archmage.
It was simply something she couldn’t avoid.
As a mage of common birth, it would have been no surprise if she had died on the battlefield long ago.
But she survived. In order to survive, she became an archmage. And in the end, she was even granted a noble title.
She received the rank of count thanks to the many victories she had led in war.
In terms of status as a mage alone, she could stand shoulder to shoulder with the famed Tronius Ether.
However, the cost was steep. She had spent more than half her life on the battlefield, and returning to everyday life required considerable effort.
So at times, she would wonder.
“It’s been a while.”
“Puhihi…”
What kind of life would she have lived if she had never gone to war?
Though she was already a woman of considerable age, she still dreamed of growing up and playing like an ordinary student.
The things she had given up. The life she sometimes imagined she might have led.
But she knew.
Even if she hadn’t gone to war, living such a normal life would have been impossible.
“I never imagined I’d see you again.”
Olga Hermod had once crossed paths with Yuna.
She had been the one who turned a blind eye to Yuna’s first kill.
And the moment she faced Yuna again, Olga Hermod understood.
The faint possibility she used to dream about could never have come true.
Even if war had never broken out, it would have been the same.
The girl standing before her proved it.
Seeing the child who had assassinated a famous mage to avenge her parents, there was no way she could remain ignorant.
“This isn’t exactly how I wanted us to meet again.”
According to Yuna, they were probably similar. No—not just the two of them.
Countless people had walked the same path as her and Yuna. They had risen up against injustice and stained their hands with blood.
Olga Hermod had merely survived because she was lucky and talented.
And the girl standing before her was much the same. She had survived this long because she had luck and talent.
“Didn’t I tell you back then?”
On the day Yuna’s revenge succeeded,
Olga Hermod lost a comrade.
However, she didn’t grieve. That comrade had committed many acts that warranted death.
Unable to adapt to life after the war, he was often plagued by paranoia.
When his delusions worsened, he would even mistake someone making eye contact on the street for an assassin.
That was how Yuna’s parents had died.
And in the same way, unable to adjust to the world after the war, Olga Hermod’s comrade had ultimately been killed by the very assassin he so feared.
Whose fault was it, really?
Olga Hermod’s comrade had certainly been someone who deserved death, but he hadn’t always been that way.
It was simply the world that had made him so.
“I told you never to appear before me again.”
The war had been unavoidable.
Some whispered that the emperor had gone mad, but Olga Hermod, who had lived a long life, knew better.
Even if Abraham hadn’t started it, the war would have come regardless.
If anything, Abraham had spilled less blood and managed to bring the war to a close.
“I respected you that day. You should have respected me too.”
Olga Hermod had lost a comrade she had spent decades with.
However, it was because Yuna’s revenge had been justified that Olga had let her go.
She could have apprehended Yuna right then and there. But instead, she had helped her escape.
Had it not been for her, Yuna who had yet to fully awaken her potential would never have made it out.
“Why did you break your promise?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Never show yourself to me again.
That was the price for Olga Hermod letting Yuna go.
Now that the agreement had been broken, she couldn’t turn a blind eye a second time.
This place was the Cradle, and everything within it was under the protection of Headmistress Olga Hermod.
“It would be in your best interest to surrender peacefully.”
The space began to warp.
With her sense of balance collapsing and her vision thrown into disarray, Yuna could barely stand.
A grating ringing echoed in her ears, twisting every sense in her body.
This was the true strength of Olga Hermod, who had risen to the rank of archmage through illusion and spatial magic.
“Not that refusing to surrender would make any difference.”
Yuna couldn’t resist.
She was no different from prey caught in a spider’s web.
“I’ll take my time deciding what to do with you.”
With those final words, Yuna’s consciousness sank into complete darkness.
***
At last, the written exam had arrived.
This was the domain not of those human butchers but of intellectuals like me.
Of course, I had done decently in the practical portion, so even if I took the written part a bit lightly, there was no real risk of failing.
The moment I opened the first page of the exam booklet, I realized—
“Wow, this is…”
I’m screwed.
I had been far too complacent.
Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t been paying attention in class lately. I had just been sleeping through everything.
There were even several days I hadn’t shown up at all, so I had no clue what material was being tested.
The entire exam was full of things I never learned.
At this point, it was just a relief that I had done well on the practical exam.
After utterly failing every written subject except for alchemy,
I was finally free from exams.
Wow, now I could actually think about resting for a while. As for the results…well, as long as I didn’t outright fail, I’d be fine.
I mean, I was in Class F anyway. So what?
Living life by accepting the label of “inferior student” stamped on me by society wasn’t such a bad option.
Once I graduated, I’d be inheriting a remote territory far from the central government, so honestly, grades or whatever didn’t matter to me at all.
Might as well just enjoy the moment.
“Oh, how did the exam go, Johan?”
“……”
My mood soured instantly.
Why is it that people who ruin your day always show up on days like this?
“Your Highness, what brings you here today?”
“No need to be so stiff. Aren’t we close?”
I immediately dropped to one knee and bowed my head. It was the proper posture for a frontier noble’s son when addressing an imperial member.
That’s what our “relationship” was.
Practically strangers.
“…Enough. Get up already. Johan, you always manage to put me in awkward situations in such creative ways.”
“Have I done something to offend you, Your Highness Third Princess Lobelia Vicious von Miltonia?”
“If you keep that up, you might find our relationship growing closer. Not just in proximity, but politically as well.”
“Your Highness, what is the matter?”
I stood up at once.
Truly, she was a difficult person to please.
“Johan, want to guess? What do you think I came here for?”
“…Just because?”
“It seemed like at least three different answers just passed through your mind. That’s some interesting self-control.”
“I assure you, that’s not the case.”
“Well, whatever. I’ll just say it myself. If I left it to you, we’d never get to the point.”
Lobelia crossed her arms and shook her head. She looked just as tired as I was. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just avoid meeting each other when we’re both exhausted?
“Same as before. The Headmistress has summoned you.”
“Wait, why would Your Highness be the one to…”
Why does she keep getting stuck with delivering messages like this? Who the hell’s behind this? Someone else really ought to step up already!
“…Thank you. I’ll head over right away.”
“Mhmm, no, not yet. By now, you should know how I work. I like to take care of everything in one go.”
“I see.”
Come to think of it, whenever she came to relay the Headmistress’s summons, there was always some kind of extra agenda. Like testing me, or something like that.
“You healed Ariel’s illness, didn’t you? Ugh… The more I think about it, the more infuriating it is. I can’t believe Ariel kept something like that from me.”
“She must’ve had her reasons.”
“And you too, I suppose?”
“I had my reasons.”
“Of course you did.”
In my case, I was simply respecting Ariel’s resolve…
Honestly, if Lobelia had just directly asked me to reveal everything, I probably would’ve told her without much resistance.
“Johan, did you know? Ariel’s surprisingly tenacious.”
“That’s news to me.”
“Be careful.”
“…Huh?”
Of what, all of a sudden?
“Oh, and about that reward I was supposed to give you last time….it might be off the table. I may not need to give it to you after all.”
“Wait… huh?”
When she first offered it, I hated the idea. But now that it was being taken away, I felt oddly disappointed.
No, wait. This isn’t right.
What she said earlier kept bothering me.
What exactly was I supposed to be careful about?
Was she implying that I had a reason to be cautious around Ariel?
“…Understood, for now.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant, but for the time being, it seemed best to avoid running into Ariel altogether.
If caution was necessary, then that was the right course.
I needed to stay out of it completely.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
“Yes, Your Highness. I wish you good health.”
At Lobelia’s clear dismissal, I turned and began to walk away.
I wasn’t going to see Ariel.
And to do that…
“Haah, where on earth has Yuna been wandering off to since yesterday?”
It would be best to use Yuna’s information network to avoid any chance encounters in advance.
***
With a tangled mix of emotions, I headed toward the Headmistress’s office.
Someone like the Archmage seemed like the kind of person you’d need to line up to see, but strangely enough, I saw her pretty often.
Well, I had a rough idea why.
It was probably about me messing around with the exam again.
No doubt she was planning to scold me for that.
Still, I wasn’t too worried. The exam had been conducted on a large scale, so there was no real justification to single out and nullify just my results.
Sure, I played the role of commander, but there was no proof that the entire strategy had come from me.
It had been a joint decision, carried out by everyone involved.
“Headmistress, I came because you called. Johan Damus.”
“Come in.”
I knocked twice lightly.
And when the answer came, I quietly opened the door and stepped inside.
Ugh, what a hassle. Whatever this was, I just wanted it to be over quickly.
“Student Johan. The reason I called you here today is…”
“I’m sorry. It was all my fault.”
“…To inform you of the developments regarding the recent incident.”
“So it wasn’t my fault after all.”
“If you have any concerns related to the exam, let me reassure you. I don’t intend to treat them as a problem.”
“Oh, thank you.”
I ended up putting myself at a disadvantage for no reason.
I should’ve just held my head high instead of apologizing unnecessarily.
“Ahem! Returning to the matter at hand. Do you remember what happened last time?”
“Which incident are you referring to?”
So many things had happened around me lately that I honestly couldn’t tell which one she meant.
“The Under Chain attack.”
“……”
Which attack was that?
Was she talking about the one where I got ambushed while eating with Kult?
Or the one involving Jeff and Melana?
There had been so much going on, I genuinely didn’t know.
“Since that day, we’ve been continuously searching and investigating, but…”
I was still unsure which incident she meant and sat there feeling confused.
Then Olga Hermod stood from her seat, raised her staff, and lightly struck it against the ground.
Thud!
The space around us rippled, and something appeared on the floor.
“You mentioned the pink-haired female student seemed suspicious, didn’t you?”
I was stunned to see Yuna lying on the floor.
Right… I had completely forgotten.
She’d been coming and going so freely that it had slipped my mind. Archmage Olga Hermod was the one guarding the Cradle.
I shouldn’t have overlooked the possibility that this day might come.
“Student Johan. Let me ask you one thing.”
Swish.
Olga Hermod pointed her staff at me. Even that simple gesture made it hard for me to breathe.
“Do you know who this girl is?”
“……”
I looked down at Yuna who was collapsed on the floor once again.
She seemed to be in a deep sleep.
After roaming around freely like a cat, now look at her.
“Yes, I know her.”
“Then, you must know that she…”
“She’s my friend.”
“…Are you saying that with full knowledge of who she really is?”
“Yes, I know very well.”
Olga Hermod swept her cold gaze over me.
What was the emotion behind that icy stare? Contempt? Hostility?
Perhaps even killing intent.
But I had already crossed the river.
Without hesitation, I had stepped toward a dangerous path with surprising ease.
“This girl has killed people.”
“Are there any second or third-year students in the Cradle who haven’t?”
“She’s killed more than just one or two. Dozens at the very least… possibly even in the triple digits. And not on a battlefield, either….these were killings outside of war.”
“So what?”
“Do you understand what it means to defend this girl here?”
I shut my eyes tightly.
What the hell was I doing? Everything was finally calming down. Why was I willingly throwing myself into trouble again?
“I understand.”
And honestly, the reason wasn’t even anything grand.
Even if I was a coward or a petty person, I didn’t want to become someone without a shred of decency.
“I’m defending her with full awareness of what that means.”
Yuna was my friend.
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