Chapter 97: Closure Part 3

After a short break at the Damus territory, we returned to the capital.

Honestly, we spent more time traveling than resting. That was kind of disappointing.

“We’ll be heading to the Imperial Palace. What about you, Johan?”

“I’ll be staying at the Cradle.”

I’d come with them all the way to the capital, but there was no way I could enter the Imperial Palace.

As I said before, I would only end up getting in the way.

So I’ll wait where I always am until Ariel returns.

“I’ll mostly be in the workshop, so please go ahead, Ariel.”

“Yes, Johan.”

That’s the best I could do—

To be somewhere close, where she could easily see me when she was exhausted.

That’s why I came all the way here.

I may have been half-pushed into it, but I’m not going to complain.

“Then I’ll walk from here.”

“Are you sure? There might still be people targeting us.”

“Yuna’s with me, so I doubt we’ll be ambushed. No need to worry.”

“…Having Yuna with you is actually more worrying.”

“What, Lady Ariel? Getting insecure? You getting all nervous just because we’ll be together for a bit?”

“……”

I grabbed Yuna by the collar and pulled her aside.

Let’s not start a fight now that we’re here.

We’ve barely had time to recover from the trip…. why are you picking fights?

If you must, do it when I’m not around!

“…I’ll be going now.”

“Okay, Johan. I trust you.”

Somehow, Ariel’s “I trust you” sounded like it had a different meaning.

She was worried about me… right?

***

Thankfully, we made it back to the Cradle without any incidents.

If anything, it was eerily quiet.

Everyone moving through the streets was being extra cautious.

“This atmosphere isn’t normal.”

The unsettling stillness—

Like the calm before a storm.

There was no better way to describe the current situation.

Sure, I was holed up in the Cradle, but I figured I should do a little digging too.

“Hmm?”

Just as I stepped through the front gate of the Cradle,

I saw a luxurious carriage about to leave. It naturally passed right beside us, then came to a halt.

“I heard you went down to the Damus County. Was that not the case?”

“Oh, Headmistress. It’s you.”

The one who opened the carriage window and revealed herself was none other than Headmistress Olga Hermod.

It was the first time I’d seen her go out.

“There were a few things that came up, so I returned immediately.”

“You’ve been through a lot, Johan.”

“And what brings you out today, Headmistress?”

It wasn’t like she never went out, but with the protection cast over the Cradle, there was no way she’d leave unless it was something serious.

Maybe that big field training she planned so thoroughly last time?

If it wasn’t an internal academy matter, then it had to be one of two things.

The first: something had gone wrong at her own magic tower.

And the second…

“I’m off to meet that damned Emperor.”

“I’m worried someone might hear you.”

“No one will. You really think I wouldn’t make proper preparations for something like this?”

“……”

In other words, badmouthing the Emperor required full-on battle readiness.

“I noticed on the way back. Did something happen recently? The atmosphere feels awfully tense.”

“Who knows? I’ve heard rumors that that bastard Loki is up to something again, but there’s no clear evidence.”

“Just baseless rumors?”

“Yeah, so you be careful too, Johan, when you’re out and about.”

Apparently, a bunch of different rumors were floating around.

Most likely, the Second Prince Loki himself was the one spreading them.

Flooding the air with all sorts of grotesque stories to hide what he was really after.

And considering the twisted stuff he actually did, it was hard to dismiss any of them.

“Whatever the case, the target’s probably one of the other imperial members. As long as we don’t get involved, we’ll be fine.”

“Ah… right.”

By now, I’d bet the number of people caught up in the Second Prince’s schemes was in the triple digits.

That guy didn’t care what he had to do to reach his goals.

He’d even poisoned an entire village just to kill one of his own brothers.

Honestly, isn’t that just crazy?

That man was the type who’d gladly burn down an entire house just to kill a single flea.

“Well then, take care.”

With that, Yuna and I passed by Olga Hermod and entered the Cradle.

And the very first thing we noticed upon stepping inside was—

“There’s way fewer people around.”

“It’s probably because it’s break time.”

The drop in numbers was obvious.

***

Ever since the Under Chain’s attack,

Olga Hermod had done everything she could to stabilize the Cradle.

Truth be told, it was her very presence that had always kept the Cradle safe in the first place.

And after forcefully pushing through a round of field training and pulling it off successfully, she had effectively restored her reputation.

But Olga Hermod didn’t stop there.

She knew exactly where the Under Chain’s attack had all started.

“We’ve identified 114 individuals.”

The issue was the spies and traitors embedded inside.

Up until now, she had left them alone, chalking it up to necessity.

After all, those students hadn’t turned their backs out of malice, but because no one had ever helped them.

Still, the Under Chain’s attack had been caused by those very individuals.

She had made the mistake of thinking that, given the right environment, they could be brought back to the right path.

“There’s… a lot.”

So Olga Hermod rooted out every single spy and traitor still hiding within the Cradle and reported them to the Emperor.

Emperor Abraham was surprised and even shaken by the sheer thoroughness of the action taken by the normally gentle Olga Hermod.

“I had heard the Tower Master had made that decision, but seeing the actual numbers makes it feel real.”

Abraham respected Olga Hermod.

It was rare to find someone who had returned from the battlefield and still retained what could be called a sense of humanity.

But the way this was handled felt more like Abraham’s own approach—

A method that tore out the root of the problem without hesitation.

However…

“So, what was done with the traitors, Tower Master?”

“……”

The follow-through was lacking.

Abraham asked Olga Hermod again with a twisted smile.

“You don’t still think they can be won over, do you?”

“They’re still children, Your Majesty.”

“But they’re causing harm. Killing them would be the cleanest solution.”

“Punishment doesn’t necessarily have to mean a purge.”

“But it’s fast and leaves no loose ends.”

“I tend to prefer things that are slow and cumbersome.”

At Olga Hermod’s firm words, Abraham scoffed and said,

“Then do as you wish.”

In the end, Abraham decided to respect Olga Hermod’s method.

Regardless of how the punishment was carried out, the fact remained that she had identified 114 traitors. Since she would be the one handling the punishment as well, even if it was slow and complicated, it wasn’t Abraham’s problem.

“Still, we’re going to be short a lot of people.”

“Huh?”

“With the numbers dropping so suddenly, won’t that affect their studies?”

“That much can be adjusted…”

“I can’t have you dealing with that too, not when I’ve already left the traitors’ handling to you.”

So Abraham took a step back when it came to dealing with the traitors.

Which meant it was now Olga Hermod’s turn to take a step back.

“Let’s increase the number of students.”

“Huh…? You don’t mean taking in more new students, surely…you’re not suggesting we accept transfer students, are you?”

“That’s exactly right. We could promote students from within who wish to advance early and, at the same time, bring in others of similar age through an entrance exam. Doesn’t that sound reasonable?”

“……”

It wasn’t an unreasonable suggestion.

But there had to be a reason for proposing something so troublesome.

“Are you perhaps trying to place someone from the Imperial Family in the Cradle?”

“Would I need to?”

Just as Abraham said,

There was no longer any need to plant someone from the Imperial Family in the Cradle.

As the terrorist groups had done, it was far quicker to win over the students themselves.

And above all, there was no need to go through such trouble. If it was the Emperor’s will, anyone could be granted access.

“It’s just that the child of an old friend of mine wanted to enter the Cradle. I merely exercised a bit of trivial influence.”

“…An old friend, you say?”

“That’s right.”

There was no way that could be true.

Even the street children knew that there was no one Abraham could truly call a close friend.

He couldn’t afford to keep people close. He had experienced more betrayal than anyone else in his life and had carried out purges in response.

To him, the closest person was merely a subordinate he could make use of.

“The rest is simply to replenish the numbers while I’m at it. Though I suppose it could also serve as a bit of misdirection. The Cradle’s threshold has been high for some time, but perhaps it’s time we lowered it.”

“I agree with that sentiment as well, but…”

Just who could the Emperor be trying to place in the Cradle and he went so far as to make a personal request?

Olga Hermod couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

The claim about an old friend was a lie.

But if he was willing to tell such a lie just to bring someone into the Cradle,

What reason could possibly justify it?

“Well then, since I’ve gone so far as to make a request, it’s only right that I introduce you, isn’t it? Come now, give your greetings to the Tower Master.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“……!”

Olga Hermod was stunned.

She couldn’t hide her surprise at the figure in the hood who stepped forward at Abraham’s words.

Since when was she here?

Olga Hermod had already taken stock of everyone present in this place. Even if Abraham’s presence stood out on its own, the knights guarding him were far from ordinary.

But Olga had been able to perceive all of them.

That was because she was a master of illusion magic that twisted human perception and spatial magic that allowed her to dominate the space around her.

Yet she had failed to detect the identity of the hooded figure.

It was as if the person had only just been etched into the world and suddenly became visible.

“Hello, Tower Master. It’s an honor to meet you.”

A stiff but gentle voice.

When the hood was pulled back, golden hair shimmered like sunlight as it cascaded down like a waterfall. The eyes that looked straight at Olga Hermod shone blue, like embedded jewels.

Though her expression was rigid and cold like her voice.

She was a beautiful girl.

But that wasn’t what Olga Hermod saw.

What stood out to her was the simple fact that the figure was a girl.

She’s that young… and still has the skill to deceive me?

Impossible.

Could it be magic? An awakened ability? Or perhaps, like Emperor Abraham, was it an overwhelming power that had stopped the aging process?

Olga Hermod had considered the possibility, but before she knew it, she found herself shaking her head.

No.

Living within illusions herself, Olga Hermod possessed a sharper eye than anyone when it came to distinguishing truth from falsehood.

After all, without knowing what is real, one cannot control what is not.

That was why she knew. The girl wasn’t hiding her age.

She was hiding something far greater than age.

Then what was it?

Ah.

The moment her thoughts reached that point, Olga Hermod understood.

A being even Emperor Abraham could not dismiss.

A presence entwined with the Empire and its history, one that belonged more to legend than to reality.

Someone said to be able to deceive the world itself and twist fate.

The Oracle.

“Oracle…?”

“Yes.”

At Olga Hermod’s words, a gentle smile appeared on the Oracle’s previously expressionless face.

As if impressed that Olga had arrived at the correct answer, the girl bowed respectfully and continued with her introduction.

“My name is Alice. I look forward to working with you, Headmistress.”