A Students Duty
People who were drowning in their suffering could recognize each other by just looking at each others faces.
That was always the thought that ca to mind whenever I t Atalante.
Lets make a bet.
Atalante, showing the most haggard appearance yet, spoke such a sentence in a subdued voice.
A bet?
Between the two of us, who brought the worse news.
What an apt bet.
Considering I was summoned by this person as soon as I returned to Elfante, it was highly likely that she had brought so seriously bad news too.
A Grand Assassin is currently in Elfante.
I was the one to start it off.
Just by seeing her eyes widen in shock, it was clear that the news I brought was anything but good.
Wont you need a nation-level budget to employ that person?
Well
There were only two Grand Assassins in the entire continent. Seras, and [Hessed], the head of the Vagabond, so her thought went in the right direction in a way.
After all, unlike Seras, who was exclusively under the Pope, Hessed was a freelancer who could be employed or contracted by anyone.
Judging from what youre saying, it seems like they infiltrated the academy because of sothing related to you. I can take so asures to
No, just leave her be.
Excuse ?
Its more dangerous to carelessly ss around with her.
It would be a different story if we had not t at all.
But if the Purple Devils Fragnt began to awaken due to my influence, interacting with her carelessly would be dangerous.
Purple Devil. Or, Devil of Obedience.
Out of the Rulers of Pandemonium, she was the most How should I put it?
Unique I guess
Ill handle it sohow.
As long as I was well aware of how to handle her, it wasnt an exaggeration to say that she was the least dangerous one among the Devils, but
Currently, the Devils were fighting over my shares. Her inclusion would only further complicate my situation. So, there was no need to interact with her unnecessarily.
The better course of action was to keep her close and moderately manage my interaction with her.
In other words
The things that I needed to do were
Make Eleanor, Yuria, and Lucia feel better Awakening Faenols emotions Carry a bomb that was a Grand Assassin on my back at all tis.
Simple and easy, am I right? Hell no.
Chapter 4 hadnt even started yet, but I had to do all this?
Haaa
But still, it wasnt like I could run away from it.
Besides, everything that I had done so far was pretty much sothing unmanageable.
As I was racking my brain and let out a sigh, Atalante looked at with a gaze full of pity.
You look tired.
Do I?
Yes. Honestly, I am a bit worried. If you keep pushing yourself like this, Im afraid sothing really bad might happen at so point.
Well, who knows?
Even so, I dont think I can rest for the ti being.
The Prophet definitely tried to kill Eleanor. They threw the Reversed Sea, a bait at the level of a chapter boss, and tried to do so while tying up my hands.
This kind of progression didnt exist in the original ga.
Hell, the Prophet wasnt even a woman in the ga.
He was a re fanatic who blindly believed in anything related to Devils.
But now, that bastards actions almost seed
Not like that of a Devil Worshipper, but soone who wanted to erase all of them.
I could not let that happen.
There was a reason why I switched my race using the Fallens Seal. At the very least people around shouldnt get hurt because of that bitch.
That was why
I couldnt afford to dawdle for a while if I wanted to stop her.
Then for now, lets hear the interim progress report.
While I was thinking that, Atalante threw out such words along with a sigh.
How have you been getting along with the Vessels lately?
Everything is going smoothly. I am making steady progress.
[Smoothly?]
[You literally got split into half a while ago.]
Caliban sarcastically comnted inside Soul Linker, but the fact of the matter was, as long as I was breathing, it ant everything was going on smoothly.
Considering that the ones involved here were Devils, I could say that I was doing pretty well even.
And, more importantly
Caliban.
[Ye?]
You might see even worse things in the future.
[]
He questioned , What could be worse than being split in half? in silence. Well, I only told him the truth.
I an, just look at what was written here.
System ssage
[ Event related to the Second Fragnt of target Yuria will soon be unlocked! ]
The Second Fragnt of the White Devil
Lets just hope that it wont overlap with the main quest.
Thinking so, I fidgeted with the mask I was always carrying in my pocket.
This was my lifeline. The mont I showed my bare face in front of her, it would be the end of .
[Which ans shell see your face soon enough.]
[What? Am I wrong? So far, all your worries sohow ended up happen]
I removed the amulet from my wrist.
No way Id keep on listening to his ominous predictions.
If thats the case, then thats good to hear.
Atalante sighed as she spoke.
After all, if your bad news overlapped with mine, it would have been too much for you to handle.
Ah, right.
We were in the middle of a bet.
Apart from the three tasks I ntioned earlier, there was at least another piece of bad news.
First of all You made quite a ss in the Forge of Struggle. I never expected your na to be involved in sothing like the change of the Chieftain.
How disastrous was it?
That was what I said for now.
Since Atalante almost entirely handled the aftermath of the sses I created, this ti too, she must have acted as a seawall to prevent from getting entangled in complicated, botherso political machinations and administrative storms.
Of course, I did all the work, but this ti there was the international shield nad Kasa, so it shouldnt have been too difficult to sort out.
The work itself wasnt too difficult. You laid out the plan quite cleverly.
See, there you have it.
But because of this incident, the Imperial Household has started to take a serious interest in you, Dowd.
As soon as I heard what ca out of Atalantes mouth, my expression hardened.
The Imperial Household.
Those bastards who held the leash of the Tristan Duchy. Among the three superpowers, they had an exceptionally closed-off nature. If it wasnt a separate branch route in the scenario, there was hardly any chance to even see their faces.
That was how particularly sinister and sly they were; So players even thought that they had more power and influence than the Pope.
To be more precise though, the problem was not the entire Imperial Household, but just one person.
Has the Chancellor taken an interest in ?
No.
Thats a relief. If it had been that person instead of His Imperial Majesty, I might as well just kill myself right now.
Atalante looked at with intrigued eyes.
You even know the power structure inside the Imperial Palace?
At the very least, I knew what kind of human trash the Chancellor was. It was unbelievable that a human could be so vile.
The reason behind Gideons death and Eleanors Corruption Value maxing out were all because of that bastard.
Roughly.
Then itll be easier to explain.
Atalante rubbed her eyes and sighed.
You know about the Comprehensive Competency Evaluation coming up soon, right?
Ah, that
It was an indispensable event at the academy. Basically, it was like a periodic exam.
If the midterms were just about being thrown into one place for a battle royale, the Comprehensive Competency Evaluation was like a final exam at the end of the year.
It covered everything from written, practical, real combat.
This ti, Her Majesty the Empress herself is coming.
Given the circumstances, hell be coming to contact you directly.
What?
My expression instantly turned blank at those words.
No, like Sure, in the Forge of Struggle, the Chieftain, a head of state, visited the academy himself, but
The Chieftain and the Empress had different weights in their position.
One was pretty much a figurehead that could be replaced within a month, while the other was soone who wielded absolute power until their death.
To put it simply
If the Chieftain were to prepare for a continental conquest, he would be beaten the fuck up and kicked out by the other War Chiefs in an instant.
But if the Empress did the sa, the entire Empire would shift into a state of war with just her one word.
That was the extent of their difference.
But now, such a person
Was coming just to see little old ?
I racked my brain silently.
Considering the importance of the Empress, especially within the Imperial Household, this was likely to be highly relevant to the main scenario.
I could not afford to take this lightly.
The problem is
Atalane continued with a sigh.
To gain an audience with Her Majesty, usually, one must demonstrate the qualification worthy of eting her. Failing to et that qualification itself amounts to a cri of lse-majest1offence or defamation against the dignity of a ruling head of state or of the state itself. The English na for this cri is a modernised borrowing from the dieval French, where the phrase ant a cri against The Crown..
If it was lse-majest, especially when it was against the Empress
I could end up getting jailed.
It was absurd but that was how much the Empire venerated the Empresss authority. They practically treated her like a living demigod.
Of course, it would have to be interpreted quite maliciously for it to go that far, though.
The problem was
If Her Majesty personally selects you for an audience and you fail to et the required qualifications, it would give those around you a reason to tear into you and bring you down.
Atalante continued with a gloomy tone.
And if such a reason arises, you might end up facing the Chancellor, who is a vehent opponent of the Empress. Such a person might harbor animosity towards you simply because Her Majesty showed interest in you.
Yeah, that sounded about right.
That was the problem with soone who was filled with the possibility of maliciously exploiting such clauses of the law.
At the very least, youll need to prove that youre a person of such caliber without any weaknesses, only then youd be able to et Her Majesty.
Then do I have anything to worry about?
It was a bit weird for to say this myself, but I was soone who had achieved incredibly unbelievable results so far when I was just at the level of a student.
Submitting just a few of them should suffice in proving my qualifications.
However, Atalante looked at with a gloomy expression.
Im not worried about that part. However, you should make sure there is no blemish that can be picked on, shouldnt you?
So theres so other part to worry about?
How are your grades?
Ah.
I dont think I even took the subjects needed to complete the required number of classes.
Okay, look I had no choice in this matter, okay?
Ive been running around non-stop, barely holding onto my life. Where the fuck would I found the ti to study?
I know youve been busy, Dowd. Thats why Ive been covering for you as much as I can. But with the Empress involved, I cant just turn a blind eye.
You Have to study
Atalante spoke in an earnest voice.
At the very least, you need to get a perfect score in all subjects in the upcoming Competency Evaluation to even have a chance of making up for it.
Hmm.
A perfect score in all subjects in Elfantes exam, where prodigies from across the Empire gathered.
And that was what I had to do; , who had barely attended any classes.
How long until the exam, Headmistress?
There is about a week left.
Hm.
Hmmmmmmm.
Ultimately, the entire situation pointed to just one thing.
I needed a teacher.
A teacher who could teach reaaaaaaaally fucking well.
And, being a student of the Theology School, the first person I should imdiately convince was the Saintess. After all, shouldnt I start with the subject that carried the greatest distribution of marks?
I already had business with her due to the Faenol-related event anyway, so she had just soared up my priority list.
As such
I quickly ca here to create a ans to appease her.
So, youre that guy, huh?
Professor Vulkan of the Crafting School was a man whose muscular build made it hard to believe he was of such an age.
Watching him move heartily among the anvil, hamr, and the flas of the forge, it was easy to forget that he was an old man.
Nice to et you, Professor Vulkan.
Forget it. Theres no need for formalities between you and .
And true to his appearance, a hearty voice imdiately followed.
Just like how a person who didnt care much for formalities sho
If youre too polite, I cant swear into your face.
Spill it, you piece of shit. What kind of item do you want to make this ti? Isnt that why youre here? Im already curious about how many nights Ill have to pull an all-nighter.
What an Intense person. I like him.
Thinking as such, I looked at Professor Vulkan; Although his lips were smiling, his eyes were practically shooting daggers, as if just waiting to kill .
It was clear his attitude wasnt cooperative, but I ca to him for a reason.
He was the one who made the bomb used by Percy, the Dean of the Magic School, to blow up the Purifier. He was also the one who had modified my Ultima.
Even if he was not as skilled as the all-around manufacturing tool Sephira from the Forge of Struggle, he was still undoubtedly a top-class craftsman.
The only shortcoming in his craftsmanship wasnt the quality of the items but rather, just the fact that he was a bit slower in speed.
I had heard he had been pulling all-nighters every ti I had given him a crafting request, after all.
In that respect
There was no one else but him who could make an item of a quality that didnt fall short of Sephiras, especially for the maniacal request I was about to make.
Ive co with a rather fascinating request.
Was it ever not? What is it? Just tell without any reservations.
Professor Vulkan put his hamr aside.
Well, I dont know about that.
If I actually spoke without reservations, I was pretty sure he would get mad at .
But it felt like he would rage even if I spoke with reservations, so I just proceeded.
I laid our various materials.
These were what I obtained while fighting the Reversed Sea in the Forge of Struggle. They were the body components of the Rulers of the Demonic Zones used in reconstructing Kasas limbs.
It was basically a comprehensive gift set.
I also pulled out the starsteel used in making Yurias circlet.
Indeed, Vulkans eyes lit up as he examined the materials.
You have quite the luck. Where did you get all this?
I felt like my image had improved a bit in his eyes, but
Considering what was to co, it was questionable how long that would last.
Using these
I firmly resolved myself and handed over a blueprint to Vulkan.
Id like you to make this for .
Vulkan examined the blueprint thoroughly.
Then, he looked at with a cold gaze.
To be fair, it was an expected reaction.
So, Dowd Campbell.
Professor Vulkan spoke in a rigid tone.
You said it was a fascinating request, didnt you?
Yes.
What part of asking for a really fucking strong leash is fascinating?
I need two of them.
Did anyone ask, you punk? Youre asking the senior professor of the Crafting School to make pet accessories? With these materials?
I forced a smile in response to his half-contemptuous gaze.
Its not for pets.
What?
Its for people.
Two people.
Isnt that fascinating?
It really was fascinating.
After all, looking at Vulkans gaze It was the first ti I realized that you could verbally abuse soone with a re gaze
You can rate/review this serieshere.
Illustrtins on our discord discord.gg/genesistls
1
offence or defamation against the dignity of a ruling head of state or of the state itself. The English na for this cri is a modernised borrowing from the dieval French, where the phrase ant a cri against The Crown.
Reviews
All reviews (0)