Chapter 107:  One Eyed Inspector (5)

Six days later.

Elegant flags were hung on streetlamps throughout the Empire.

「Imperial Royal Academy Founding Festival.」

It was a major event in the capital—so much so that people even came to watch from outside the Academy.

There were exhibition duels, of course, but beyond that, many performances were put on by students from different departments.

From the stage performances of the dance department students,

to demonstrations of newly developed spells created by aspiring mages for their graduation.

Crowds gathered in droves to witness such mystical sights.

The students didn’t particularly mind the flood of spectators.

Rather, they tried even harder to leave a strong impression.

Because among those who came to see the festival…

Were some of the Empire’s most powerful figures, from members of the Imperial Family to the Master of the Mage Tower.

To leave an impression on them, the students gave their all.

If one had to name the place that worked the hardest among them, it would be the Student Council Office.

The senior class students were busy preparing for graduation and jobs.

So the position of student council president was typically held by someone in the intermediate class.

"Is the duel all set?"

A girl sitting in a leather chair in the student council room asked.

A blond boy standing opposite her answered casually.

"Not much to prepare, really. I’ll just fight like I always do."

On their academy jackets, a familiar badge was pinned.

The Golden Lion.

It was the same emblem worn by the Western Grand Duke’s daughter, Helena, symbolizing imperial blood.

Of course, their father wasn’t the Emperor.

They were distant relatives—some so distant that the Emperor didn’t even know their faces.

But such details didn’t matter much in the Empire.

What mattered was that noble blood flowed through their veins.

With that fact alone, they were treated as royalty in many places.

Less responsibility, greater privileges.

"You're confident, huh? I think you’re up first in the opening match, right, Finjay?"

"Yeah, that’s right."

Finjay Leopold.

He was the son of Empress Margaret’s brother—making him a relative of the Emperor.

He ranked fifth in the intermediate class.

Though male, his main weapon was the rapier, known for his swift and precise strikes.

"But am I seriously supposed to go up against Sonia? That’s kind of insulting."

The boy, with his golden hair stiffened in place with pomade, wore a dissatisfied expression.

But as a royal and a skilled fighter, he had no choice but to follow the will of the group.

"I told you. You have to crush her—completely and utterly."

That was the command from their leader, Student Council President Casey Leonil.

She was, after all, the Emperor’s niece.

"These days, thanks to her, commoners have been gathering at the dueling grounds like they’re inspired or something."

"Right? We’ve got the festival matches coming up and can’t even train properly because they don’t want to wait."

They were people who’d rarely experienced the act of waiting in their lives.

If they wanted to use the dueling grounds, they always got to go first,

and when it came to meals, a private chef was always assigned just for them.

“Still, she seems to be working hard. Why not just invite her to our group? I mean, she is from the Fern family, after all.”

Finjay, on the other hand, wasn’t thrilled with the situation.

He had at least wanted to compete with classmates ranked higher than him, like Ronie Julius.

Beating a girl—who was blind in one eye at that—didn’t exactly appeal to him.

But—

“I already asked her. And…”

Casey’s tone was firm.

And the reason was simple.

“She said no.”

She had dared to reject Casey’s offer.

Casey had hesitated to approach her at first, thinking the eye patch made her look gloomy,

but had eventually decided to be generous and extend an invitation.

「Sorry. I’m not fun. I don’t even know how to hang out.」

Doesn’t even know how to hang out.

With one eye and all, Casey thought Sonia was dismissing them as lazy aristocrats who did nothing but play.

Of course, what Sonia said wasn’t entirely wrong.

As student council president, Casey had received plenty of gifts from parents of her classmates, asking her to look after their children.

Those gifts ranged from luxury watches to, in some cases, entire vacation villas.

She’d enjoyed the perks while throwing parties with her loyal followers.

And to Sonia, that sort of atmosphere simply wasn’t enjoyable.

“She dared to reject our hand—doesn’t that make her the enemy?”

From that point on, even though Sonia belonged to one of the Three Great Houses,

they began to subtly look down on her.

After all, Sonia wasn’t even a direct heir of her house.

“She’s trained so hard, she must be strong by now. So it’s only fair that a student of your caliber goes up against her.”

The student council president swept back her lush golden hair.

And with crimson eyes flashing, she added,

“Do you understand, Finjay?”

“……”

The Empress’s nephew gave a vague nod.

“I even brought in a high priest this time. Have them tend to you while you wait.”

“When did you prepare that?”

Finjay looked at the student council president in disbelief.

As if to say, Why would you go that far just to deal with some one-eyed swordswoman?

“You never know. Maybe our little Sonia trained so hard, she had some kind of breakthrough.”

“…?”

The blond boy furrowed his brow, visibly offended.

But soon, he understood why the student council president was being so cautious.

“A few days ago, a man appeared to her. Apparently, he tutored her privately along with Ronie Julius.”

“What…? Where did you hear that?”

Casey shook her head indifferently, as if to say it didn’t matter.

“Don’t worry about that. What matters is that the man supposedly defeated Ronie in just ten seconds.”

“He took Ronie down that quickly…?”

Ronie, despite being a commoner, was ranked third and considered a fairly skilled student.

Even in sparring matches with professors, Ronie had managed to last over thirty seconds.

And yet, he had been taken down in a much shorter time than that.

“How strong of a teacher did she manage to find?”

“His name is Roger Julius. Turns out he’s Ronie’s older brother.”

Finjay let out a short, incredulous laugh at the fact that the older brother turned out to be a skilled fighter.

But it wasn’t a name he’d ever heard in connection with the Imperial Knights.

“A mercenary, maybe? I’ve never heard of him in the capital.”

“Not surprising. He’s from Nord. I looked into it—he used to be a student here. Class of the 72nd.”

The 72nd class.

It was considered a legendary cohort at the Royal Academy.

Two of the Emperor’s personal guards had graduated in that year.

“So I asked the Imperial Knights what kind of student he’d been,

but no one would give a straight answer. Almost like they were trying to hide something.”

The student council president clicked her tongue in irritation over this mysterious man she couldn’t get a read on.

“The only thing I could confirm is that he dropped out because he couldn’t afford the tuition.”

“Still, if he was from the 72nd class, he must be the real deal.”

Finjay’s expression turned more serious.

At that, Casey’s crimson eyes sparkled slightly, as if pleased with her distant relative’s response.

“Now you get it, don’t you? Why I chose you to face Sonia.”

“It’s just crash-course training, at best. Even if she’s flailing around in desperation, she’s still mid-to-lower tier.”

Casey nodded in agreement.

Still seated at the desk she had claimed as her own in the student council room, she spoke.

“That’s the kind of answer I like. I’ll be expecting great things.”

Finjay left, and the student council room door closed behind him.

Outside the window, the festival crowds were bustling with noise and excitement.

Casey was about to set in motion the match that would soon overwhelm those spectators.

And as if basking in her anticipated victory, a faint smile formed on her lips.

“Maybe I should go watch myself.”

She rose from her seat to follow after her cousin.

With her chin lifted high, she headed toward the Academy’s athletic field.

Today’s main event was about to begin.

The anniversary match in celebration of the Academy’s founding.

Meanwhile, in the waiting room for the duel…

The students gathered on the first floor of the Academy listened attentively as the professors explained the rules before the match.

Finjay, however, looked utterly bored, as if he’d heard all this far too many times before.

His gaze was fixed solely on his opponent—a red-haired female knight.

Sonia Fern.

A pitiful girl, blind in one eye, and wearing a monocle over the other.

She looked more like a librarian than a knight.

He couldn’t understand why someone in such a condition would go out of her way to suffer like this.

“Is that man the 72nd class’s Roger Julius?”

「―――――.」

I was quietly repeating the advice I’d given Sonia over the past few days in my mind.

Then, sensing a sharp gaze on me, I turned my head.

I met the eyes of Sonia’s opponent, Finjay.

‘Strong.’

I could feel his mana.

Not quite on par with a mage, but still a respectable level for a knight.

His weapon was a rapier, just like Sonia’s.

I didn’t know whose doing it was, but having Sonia face someone who used the same weapon—how mischievous.

Still, it wasn’t something to worry about.

Sonia could win just fine.

The boy, with an indifferent expression, turned his head away sharply.

He looked only at the high priest approaching to cast a protective spell on him.

“I’ll cast a healing spell before the match,”

said the young priest with glasses, reaching both hands toward him.

Finjay, seemingly annoyed by such luxurious treatment, responded offhandedly.

“Just do it lightly. Don’t want the others to stare.”

The other duelists waiting alongside him looked at him with obvious envy.

At best, all they’d been able to do was rub on some ointment before the match.

“Whoa… Finjay even has a professional healer? Looks like a high priest too—must’ve spent a fortune…”

“You can’t bring in a high priest with money alone. Royals really are different…”

Finjay closed his eyes, worried people would chalk up his victory to fancy gear and pampering rather than his skill.

He wore a bothered expression, waiting for the murmuring around him to die down.

“…?”

Suddenly, the room fell silent. He opened his eyes again.

In that moment—

All the waiting duelists, including Finjay himself, turned to look at the woman approaching from the end of the corridor.

“W-Whoa…!! Wait a second…!!”

“Isn’t that… her??”

Voices erupted with even greater shock than when the high priest had arrived. Finjay’s eyes widened.

The person approaching was known as the most beautiful woman in the Empire.

None other than Saint Istina.

“So this is what the Academy looks like, Roger.”

“Welcome, Lady Istina. You’re right on time.”

I greeted her with a friendly smile, like someone meeting an old friend.

Istina knew my smile was strictly professional,

but she responded warmly, as if used to this sort of diplomatic exchange.

“I brought Archbishop and Bishop Paul with me, so it took a bit of time.”

“Wait, my father came too…?”

Sonia, who had been calm until now, gasped in surprise.

And the Saint, who was gently looking at the daughter of the man she supported, smiled kindly.

“Yes. He said he absolutely wanted to witness his daughter’s performance, so I brought him with me.”

In front of everyone, she warmly greeted the girl who had always been subtly ostracized.

The other students stood speechless at the sight.

After all, the Saint’s status in the Empire—

Was far higher than that of any celebrity.

“Sonia. Let me formally introduce myself. I’m Istina Silverain.”

“Th-Th… Thank you for gracing me with your presence, Lady Saint…”

The high priest who had been about to cast healing magic on Finjay stopped abruptly, flustered.

Then he turned to the distant royal boy to ask for permission.

“J-Just a moment, Finjay. I need to go greet the Saint quickly.”

And then, in a flurry, the high priest rushed over to the Saint and bowed deeply.

“……”

Finjay stood frozen, as if this was the first time in his life he had ever been ignored.

He could only blankly stare at the Saint, who received the priest’s greeting with aloof indifference.

No matter how royal he was, a senior from the same faction with far more status was always more intimidating.

“L-Lady Saint… It is an honor to meet you here.”

“Oh my, I didn’t realize a priest was here. I never imagined we’d cross paths at the Academy.”

Istina subtly questioned why their priest was even at the Academy in the first place.

The high priest in his thirties scratched his brown hair awkwardly and answered sheepishly.

“Well… the Leopold family requested me to come cast a healing spell…”

Before he could finish, Istina turned her gaze gently toward Finjay.

Then, with a serene and holy smile, she said,

“So you’ve come to pray that he doesn’t get hurt. How kind of you.”

“…Pardon?”

The priest froze at the word prayer.

Because no matter how you looked at the situation, it was obvious he wasn’t here for prayer—it was a private buff, plain and simple.

Surely, the Saint must have realized that too.

And yet—

“Well then, since I’m here, I too shall pray that our dear Sonia does not get hurt.”

Istina did not cast a healing spell on Bishop Paul’s daughter.

Instead, with her silvery eyelids gently closed, she offered only a prayer—like a painting brought to life.

“For a fair and honorable match.”

A senior of such high stature doing nothing more than offering a pure, unenhanced prayer…

The high priest glanced at Finjay, his expression now full of anxiety.

“……”

Finjay wore a deeply displeased expression at the sight of the Saint.

Even Sonia—blind in one eye—was standing before such a powerful connection without receiving any kind of benefit.

And here he was, surrounded by priests and staff to manage him like some fragile noble.

“Priest, that’s enough. You can go back now.”

Finjay exhaled sharply, dismissing the priest who had come just for him.

“I’m going into the match right now.”

The Saint watched the boy as he marched toward the arena with a furious look on his face.

Her eyes, previously shut in prayer, cracked open slightly.

Then, she turned her head and locked eyes with me.

Lifting a finger to her fruit-colored lips, she offered a sly, seductive smile.

Like a devil hiding behind the mask of a Saint.

“Bringing her here really was the right call.”

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