[What are you doing?]
As I read the X-Talk message from Estelle, I unpacked the lunchbox I had prepared earlier and started eating.
Usually, I had lunch with Iris and Estelle, so I thought eating alone might feel a little lonely, but…
“So, how many points do you think you’ll get? As for me, I was a bit nervous when I first went in, but I think I got a pretty decent evaluation. Oh, and I applied for the magic portion too. They say they give bonus points for that, you know?”
Marty whom I had gotten somewhat familiar with since the waiting room seemed to be taking the magic portion exam as well. Thanks to his lively chatter, I didn’t have a chance to feel lonely or anything.
[Hmm, I’m eating lunch while chatting with someone named Marty.]
Chatting… might be a bit of an overstatement, considering how one-sided the conversation feels.
[Marty? Sounds like you’ve made a new friend. If they become a classmate, I’ll take good care of them too.]
Knowing that I would be too busy to pay much attention to anyone but Iris and Estelle once I got to the Academy, I gave her an indifferent reply, told her to do as she saw fit, and then turned back to Marty, who was still chattering in front of me.
“Marty, why did you come to the academy?”
“Hmm? Why ask something so obvious? It’s to build connections with nobles and imperial family members, of course. My ultimate goal is to join the Imperial Knight Order.”
Whether Marty who was standing in front of me will actually achieve his dream of joining the Imperial Knights is something I don’t know.
In the game I played, the spotlight was solely on the Crown Princess and the Saintess, as well as those closely connected to them. Extras like Marty never received any attention.
But here Marty was talking about his dream of joining the Imperial Knights.
“Is this really a game?”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
Well, even if I have my doubts, there’s nothing I can do about it.
All I can do is hope this game doesn’t end with the destruction ending.
Still, it was kind of fascinating.
The “Yuri Mode” was considered one of the toughest modes in the game, yet things have been flowing so peacefully and smoothly up to now.
Maybe it’s because the main stage, the Academy, hasn’t come into play yet?
“Hmm…”
The Academy was undeniably the main stage of “Ruin Simulation”.
Though there were occasional past events or travel events triggered based on affection levels, the core of the game revolved around the two protagonists meeting at the Academy, growing in love, building friendships, and eventually reaching a happy ending.
Once I passed this Academy entrance exam, I would officially enroll, and the story would truly begin in earnest.
To prepare for that time, I needed to conserve as much energy as possible now.
“Ah, this is so much fun! Honestly, I feel like I was born to take exams!”
Right, this was exactly why I couldn’t afford to waste time listening to the chatter of someone being so loud right in front of me.
How could someone have so much to say to someone they just met?
Well, if nothing else, it was impressive in its own way.
Thinking about it in terms of that MBTI thing popular with the MZ generation, maybe this was what a capital “E” personality looked like.
(TN: MBTI is short for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. E personality is basically extroverted people).
Did something like the MZ generation exist here too? Who knows, and honestly, who cares?
“I’ve finished eating, so I’m heading out to check the order for the magic exam.”
“Oh! You’re quick, Theo! I’ll catch up soon, so just go ahead and wait for me!”
At least he didn’t ask me to wait for him to finish eating, and for that I was grateful.
After exchanging a few pleasantries and polite words, I headed to the registration desk for the magic exam. I showed my application form, received my assigned turn, and then…
“Now I’m bored.”
And so began another seemingly endless wait until my turn came.
***
There was earth magic that tore through the lush green grass, wind magic that pierced through protective barriers and raged uncontrollably, ice magic that froze all the exam-related documents on the judge’s desk, fire magic that created towering pillars of flame, and finally, water magic that summoned a gentle rain to gracefully descend from the sky and extinguish any potential damage the fire might have caused in the examination site.
Theo’s magic exam wasn’t so much an exam as it was a full-blown spectacle.
It felt more like a magic show you’d have to pay to see.
“Haah….”
Without saying much, the judges simply told Theo he had done well and sent him on his way, but it wasn’t until he was gone that they could finally relax and breathe a sigh of relief.
If someone asked whether they had ever seen an applicant with such power before, well…
Perhaps there had been someone, once upon a time.
But certainly not in recent memory.
If such an extraordinary individual had appeared, there was no way they wouldn’t have known about it.
What made it even more ridiculous was the fact that this applicant didn’t seem to think his abilities were all that remarkable.
If Theo had truly known how powerful he was, he wouldn’t have gone so far as to completely overturn the examination site.
He would have held back and shown only enough to control the situation.
Revealing all of one’s cards is a foolish act no matter the context, so he would have only demonstrated the bare minimum required to pass.
“…Iris, were you aware of that man’s power?”
Even the Emperor who was watching Theo found himself repeatedly astonished.
At that level, Theo could easily graduate from the academy and have his pick between the Imperial Knights and the Magic Tower.
No, it was certain that organizations everywhere would vie to scout him and be eager to recruit him for themselves.
They’d undoubtedly offer him incredible wealth and prestige in the process.
“No, I only accompanied him because the Saintess was present. I had no idea.”
It was a lie.
Considering Theo was preparing for the academy, there was no way Iris, who had been by his side, didn’t know the extent of his abilities.
But the truth was that if Iris decided to conceal something, it was nearly impossible to uncover it.
After all, the Emperor hadn’t openly kept her under surveillance.
“…Then when he enrolls in the academy, make sure to secure him before the Saintess does.”
“Secure him? What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?”
“Do you really need me to spell it out? As a citizen of our empire, he must remain one of our assets. If the Holy Empire catches wind of this, they’ll surely try to recruit him as well. We cannot afford to lose such talent.”
Iris was left speechless by her own father as he revealed his dark intentions.
Outwardly, he spoke of peace and harmony, yet his words about not losing talented individuals completely contradicted that image.
She couldn’t make sense of why he insisted on sending the Saintess to enroll in the academy alongside her if that was his true mindset.
“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better not to send the Saintess to the academy at all?”
“What nonsense is that? Your joint enrollment with the Saintess is the first step toward peace between our two countries.”
It seemed he had no intention of explaining himself further. Just as Iris was keeping her connections with Theo and Estelle a secret, the Emperor was equally determined to keep his own thoughts hidden.
“…I’ll be taking my leave now.”
“You’re not interested in observing further?”
“You’ve instructed me not to let a skilled individual slip through our grasp, so I’ll simply obey your order.”
“Now that you mention it, that’s true. You’ll be returning to where the Saintess is, then. Very well, I’ll leave that to you.”
Iris felt thoroughly displeased.
She had no desire to remain in the Emperor’s presence any longer.
“Oh my, leaving already? How disappointing.”
Iris also didn’t want to stay and watch the young Empress, who clearly wanted to spend time alone with the Emperor yet had the nerve to feign disappointment at her departure.
The age difference between the Empress and the Crown Princess wasn’t particularly large either.
“I’ll be taking my leave now.”
The Empress who was around Iris’s age was excessively jealous by nature. Yet, because of her remarkably beautiful appearance, she had caught the Emperor’s eye, seduced him during the time when Iris’s mother had passed away, and ascended to the position of Empress.
Of course, even while Iris’s mother was still alive, that woman had frequently attended tea parties hosted by Iris or the Empress, and had even openly expressed her affection for the Emperor.
When Iris remembered how the Emperor had occasionally greeted her personally, it wasn’t hard to imagine that their relationship had begun before her mother’s death.
Well, that’s probably why she was able to claim the Empress’s seat so quickly after Mother passed away.
In the past, it had disgusted her. Now she felt nothing.
It doesn’t matter. I’ll get rid of them eventually.
Both the Emperor and the Empress.
To Iris, neither of them was an ally.
My allies are neither my father nor my stepmother.
If she had no allies, things might have felt hopeless in the past, but not anymore.
I now have a place I can return to.
A place where Theo and Estelle were.
Though, honestly, it wouldn’t matter if Estelle weren’t there. She’s not even a citizen of the Empire.
Theo’s family home had become the place she could now return to.
In time, when she was no longer the Crown Princess but the “Emperor”, this palace would definitely become her place to return to. And she was certain Theo would be there with her in the Imperial Palace.
Estelle, though… she’ll become the Holy Emperor of the Holy Empire. Surely, she wouldn’t try to take Theo to the Holy Empire, would she?
Applying for immigration was an extremely difficult task in a world where imperial power existed.
However, if the application was initiated by a member of the imperial family, it was generally approved for the sake of mutual safety and peace.
If Estelle were to demand Theo’s immigration as part of some peace agreement, it might have been possible up until recently.
But now, Father knows about Theo’s abilities.
It wouldn’t be an easy thing to approve, and with Estelle now enrolled in the academy, she was bound to spend quite some time in the Ermunt Empire. There was no chance she could file an immigration application anytime soon.
After all, doing so would mean she too would have to part ways with Theo.
“When graduation comes, Theo himself will ultimately decide, but wouldn’t he choose the Ermunt Empire, the place where he was born and raised?”
That was what she vaguely assumed, yet an unsettling feeling lingered within her. This feeling was definitely because of Theo’s remarkable abilities.
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