Chapter 110:  One Eyed Inspector (8)

Finjay felt the sharp tip of the rapier press against his neck.

A few drops of crimson blood trickled from his pale throat.

It was because the concentration of mana at the blade’s tip had weakened his body enhancement.

Thanks to that, everyone in the audience could clearly see the vivid trace of blood.

“S-Someone’s won……!!”

An academy professor shouted urgently at the sight of Finjay—an imperial noble—injured.

Even as a distant relative, the noble blood flowing through his veins was shared with the exalted Emperor himself.

“The winner of this match is Sonia of the Fern family!!”

This was exactly what Sonia had aimed for.

She knew Finjay’s blood held far more value than the blood that had trickled from her own cheek.

“N-No……!! I can still go on……!!”

Finjay tried to cry out desperately.

But he was clearly outmaneuvered, with a blade at his throat and his back completely exposed.

On top of that, the host had already declared the result, and the audience’s cheers poured down like a tidal wave.

In the thunderous applause, there was nothing more he could do.

“Waaah―――!!”

“This is the best match of the year!! It's been so long since we’ve seen such a fierce duel!!”

In the deafening cheers, Sonia lowered her sword.

Finjay looked up at her with a dazed expression.

“You… you planned this……!!”

“You should’ve taken better care of your precious noble self.”

The one-eyed knight gave him a composed, mature smile.

Then she turned her head toward the VIP seats that loomed above.

And at that very moment—

The seventeen-year-old girl locked eyes with a man for the first time in her life.

The ruler of the Empire. The one who had built the very land she lived on.

「――――――.」

The Emperor stood up from his seat and began to clap.

Following his lead, the other dignitaries seated beside him also rose to their feet.

Among them was her beloved father, Bishop Paul.

“Sonia… you are truly admirable……!!”

Even in the Emperor’s presence, the bishop could not suppress the swell of emotion rising in his chest.

Though he hadn’t been able to give her a whole and healthy body, he was deeply moved by his daughter’s remarkable growth.

Standing beside him, Archbishop Thomas and Empress Margaret simply joined in the applause, as if understanding his heart.

“……”

But—

Not everyone was enjoying this moment.

In the audience, one girl stood with her arms crossed, the only one not clapping.

She had been forced to rise since the Emperor stood first, but among the student council members, she deliberately refrained from applauding.

“That idiot Finjay……”

Casey Leonil.

She furrowed her brow at a scene that, for the first time in her life, didn’t go according to her will.

“Now the academy will be flooded with those match-obsessed freaks ruining the mood again……”

The other student council members glanced nervously at her, visibly unsettled by her expression.

But soon, their attention was drawn elsewhere.

“Enjoying the festival all by yourself, are we, Miss Casey?”

That’s because I was seated just behind the students, with Saint Istina at my side.

“W-We greet the Saint……!!”

The students, having recognized only Istina, quickly bowed their heads in unison.

However, Casey alone kept her gaze fixed on me.

As if she’d realized I was the reason her entire plan had crumbled.

“You’re……”

“Julius Roger.”

I introduced myself first, without hesitation.

At that, the blonde girl narrowed her eyes sharply and retorted.

“If you’re a Roger, you must be Ronnie’s brother in the intermediate class. Why have you come to see me?”

Even in front of the Saint, she came straight at me with that question.

As expected of someone with imperial blood—what nerve.

“How curious. I thought you’d already know why I came.”

I stood beside her calmly.

At a glance, she resembled Helena, the Western Grand Duke’s daughter.

But unlike Helena, who had grown through her own efforts to reach her goals, this girl was different.

She wielded power to trample others, exuding an oppressive aura all for the sake of her ambitions.

‘Every time I see them, I think—Helena and Echina really are unusual cases.’

Back when I was Chief Secretary, I’d seen plenty of noble children waving around power inherited from their parents like it was their own.

This young lady was no different.

Most of them had that same arrogant glint in their eyes.

And I’ve always known how to handle people like that.

“What’s with that look? What, are you going to tell me not to bully your little brother?”

Seeing my pitch-black eyes, Casey raised her voice instead.

The Saint, watching from a predator’s vantage point, immediately picked up on the fact that she was actually frightened of me.

“Of course not, Miss Casey. You’re a noble child of the royal family, after all.”

“That’s right. How could I possibly lay a finger on someone from the great House Leonil?”

Only then did Casey seem to relax her guard a little.

She placed a hand on her waist and spoke confidently, just like always.

“Then, what do you want? If it’s about Ronnie, talk to my secretary.”

“No, that won’t be necessary. No need to trouble your secretary.”

I cut her off firmly.

“It’s best to deliver things directly to the person concerned.”

With that, I pulled a sheet of paper from the inner pocket of my suit and handed it to her.

“……?”

Casey accepted it with a displeased look.

And the moment she saw what it was—

“This is……!!”

Her sharp eyes began to tremble.

What I handed her was—

A detailed list of all the bribes she had received from other parents during her time as student council president.

“You’ve really taken your share, haven’t you?”

I spoke in a humble tone, though my expression said otherwise.

“Quite impressive for someone your age.”

I even pointed out the exact sums she’d pocketed with my finger.

“From requests to bully students they didn’t like, to bribes for bonus points in practical subjects from the professors.”

The Saint clasped her hands behind her back as she calmly observed the imperial noble girl’s shame being exposed.

Then, with a gentle voice and a not-so-gentle choice of words, she pierced right through Casey’s defenses.

“My, even in our national church, this would be enough grounds for exile.”

“If someone like this became a chief secretary, I’m sure her lord would be just delighted.”

I continued the conversation at ease, matching the Saint’s tone with an indifferent expression.

But Casey, the person in question, was clearly beginning to crumble.

“A-Are you… threatening me right now…?”

She stammered, flustered.

I gazed at her steadily with lifeless eyes.

“You see, I really dislike people who wield power they never earned as if it’s theirs.”

Then, in a cold voice—like someone who’d experienced it firsthand—I continued.

“Those types always scramble to blame their subordinates when things go wrong.”

Several men came to mind—those who’d freely swung around the power their family heads had built.

The one I had served for a lifetime… and to whom I repaid my service with poison.

“When you pin the cause of failure on others, you never really learn. That’s why you need a very strong ‘prescription.’”

A strong prescription.

At those words, Casey involuntarily swallowed hard.

And when she finally realized what that prescription was—

“I’m scheduled to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor this afternoon.”

The second daughter of House Leonil was left speechless, her lips parting in shock.

Power must be met with greater power.

And I was about to meet the one and only person who stood above her in a world where she feared nothing.

“I'm thinking of talking a little about the hardships my brother has endured.”

Hands clasped behind me, I turned my gaze to Ronnie, who was now running toward Sonia.

The sight of two seventeen-year-olds celebrating their victory together.

“…What do you want?”

Still, she was a daughter of the imperial family—a leader. Her mind worked quickly.

Though her pride had taken a hit, she finally asked in a trembling voice.

“Well now, if I were to list my demands here, wouldn’t that look an awful lot like blackmailing the imperial family?”

I replied calmly, and the Saint, as if it were all to her liking, held back a smile curling at the corners of her lips.

With a graceful hand over her mouth, she simply offered a gentle, compassionate smile with her eyes.

“……”

The student council members stared at their president in silence.

Until now, everything had always resolved itself as long as they stayed at her side.

But seeing her cornered for the first time, they too began to feel anxious.

That tension only pushed Casey further into the corner.

Her dignity as student council president and a daughter of the imperial family was on the verge of shattering.

“…Fine.”

In the end, she was the first to speak.

“I’ll make sure Ronnie Julius is treated on equal footing with the Three Great Houses within the academy…”

To treat a commoner student the same as the most exalted noble houses—

All the students who heard those words wore expressions of utter disbelief.

“Wipe those looks off your faces, all of you. Or would you prefer to face His Majesty’s discipline instead?”

Casey glared at her subordinates with a chilling expression.

At that, they clamped their mouths shut, clearly displeased but unable to protest.

“So? Is this good enough for you?”

The student council president let out a long sigh as she asked.

But—

I wasn’t so quick to give my approval.

“You say, ‘equal footing with the Three Great Houses’…?”

I scowled like the most heartless landlord in the world.

Then, with the cold gaze of a loan shark, I casually dropped Sonia’s name in front of the seventeen-year-old.

“According to my intel, even Sonia Fern—who is from one of the Three Great Houses—is being ostracized. And yet you’re offering Ronnie no better than that?”

“Th-That’s not true! We’ve never ignored Miss Sonia!!”

Flustered, she rushed to explain, but this time, the Saint stepped in.

“Is that truly the case, Miss Casey…?”

From within her silver hair, her soft blue eyes shimmered with light.

Eyes that caused even guilty lambs to confess on their own.

Cold sweat beaded on Casey’s forehead.

“So if I hear any word of Sonia being ostracized again… it wouldn’t be wrong of me to believe you lied to God, would it?”

“Of course not! I swear it’s true!!”

Casey cried out loudly, raising both hands and feet in surrender.

Then, the Saint and I spoke at the same time.

“From now on, both Ronnie and Sonia…!! We’ll treat them both with utmost respect, so please don’t worry!!”

The command to treat them as her superiors.

Casey’s lower eyelids began to tremble—she was nearly on the verge of tears.

But I wasn’t the kind of man to be swayed by a girl’s tears.

“When good things happen, inform them first. When something bad happens, resolve it first. Understand?”

I whispered to Casey in the same cold tone I’d used during my time as chief secretary.

At that, the student council president gave a shaky nod in agreement.

“Then go. Start implementing it immediately.”

For the first time in her life, the girl had tasted the oppressive weight of real power.

Biting her lips so hard it looked like they’d tear, she rushed out of the stands.

Her fellow student council members, one by one, trailed behind her.

Thanks to that, now only those who genuinely wanted to celebrate Sonia and Ronnie remained in the arena.

「――――――」

“Phew……”

The red-haired, one-eyed knight exhaled deeply.

With the match over, she lowered her sword and held out a hand to Finjay.

“Get up.”

“……”

The blond boy let out a long sigh.

Turning his face away, he took Sonia’s hand and stood up.

“How pathetic.”

To lose against someone with such a clear physical disadvantage…

He was convinced he’d become everyone’s laughingstock.

“I won’t be able to show my face anywhere now.”

“I don’t know… I don’t think it’s something worth blaming yourself over that much.”

But Sonia clearly thought differently.

She lifted her sharp chin and pointed toward the VIP seats.

There, the Emperor stood firm, having risen from his seat.

Under the radiant noontime sun, his face cast a solemn shadow, like that of a statue.

「You’ve all done well.」

The moment the Emperor spoke, the entire audience fell silent at once.

「Now I understand why the Empress insisted on attending this match.」

Leonidas turned his gaze gently toward Margaret.

In response, she bowed her head with graceful composure.

「This match carried meaning far beyond mere victory or defeat.」

It carried meaning.

At those words, Finjay’s brows twitched.

He had expected the famously cold Emperor to rebuke him.

But instead, what came out of his mouth was completely unexpected.

「Regardless of who your opponent is, doing your utmost to win—that is the mindset of a true knight.」

Leonidas looked down at the blond knight as he spoke.

「And in that regard, Finjay, your conduct was commendable.」

The Emperor had spoken his name directly.

At that fact, the boy froze—his entire body turning white with shock.

「That spirit is a form of respect for your opponent, and it will become the driving force that helps you grow even more.」

Ronnie, who had come to greet Sonia, gave Finjay a subtle signal with his eyes.

At that, Finjay hurriedly bowed his head deeply in gratitude.

“I-I will bear it in mind, Your Majesty……!!”

「I expect you to continue advancing with that same spirit.」

The Emperor then turned his eyes to Sonia.

His expression was even more solemn and deliberate than when he had looked at Finjay.

「Sonia Fern.」

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The red-haired knight answered with a reverent face.

Then, the ruler of the Empire asked in a serious voice.

「As I watched your match, I came to realize something. That today’s victory wasn’t achieved by academy training alone.」

“That’s correct, Your Majesty.”

With eyes befitting one who governed all things, the Emperor continued.

「Who was it?」

Leonidas, who had lived through and overcome countless trials in his life.

「Who was the ‘teacher’ that instilled that kind of resolve in you, when you’ve never even known war?」

For the first time in a long while, something had piqued his interest.

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