Four Years Later (5)
The mont he saw Louis again, Rejir was horrified.
Now, just the sight of him filled Rejir with so much fear he could cry.
Of course, he had always been afraid, but not to the point where he would burst into tears just by seeing him.
The reason was the major incident that had taken place a few weeks before.
'If only it weren't for that incident...!'
At the ti, among the new soldiers, there was a criminal group notorious for their history of sexual assaults.
They were the kind of people who claid they would die of agony if they didn't attack a woman, even for one night.
They so thoroughly lacked common sense, it was as if they tossed it away like a fruit peel.
They had even tried to ss with Rio and Pram, knowing they were mbers of the special task force, simply because they were won.
'If you're going to die, do it on your own...!'
Naturally, the outco was obvious.
The sexual predators who attempted the attack were beheaded by Rio and reduced to dust by Pram's dark magic.
To prevent similar incidents from happening again, Rio didn't just sever their heads; she castrated them, too.
She hung their remains at the entrance of the barracks to establish discipline.
'Up until that point, it wasn't a problem.'
The problem was that, among those criminals, Rejir got caught up as well.
Of course, he had no intention of attacking Rio or Pram.
He just happened to be there for another reason and got swept up in the situation.
'Damn it...!'
The more he thought about it, the more wronged he felt, and fresh tears spilled over.
He almost cursed out loud, but the mont he saw Louis's face, the words died in his throat.
"You just thought 'damn' in your head, didn't you?"
When Louis asked in his uncanny way, Rejir tried to play it off, embarrassed.
"How could I say sothing like that in front of the squad leader? You're quite the joker!"
'Squad leader.'
This was the title the other soldiers used to address Louis, just as the squad mbers called him 'young master'.
A title normally reserved for officers was used for a regular soldier in his case.
"But why are you trembling like that?"
"......"
"Just be honest in front of . Don't you enjoy living as a maid?"
Enjoy this?
Being castrated and turned into a eunuch, forced to do work fit for won—did he honestly think that was fun?
Eventually, Rejir couldn't hold back his anger any longer and exploded.
"Enjoy it? Bullshit!! Just barely staying alive in the 7th Legion was hell enough, but on top of that, there's no reward, and I have to suffer this kind of humiliation! What's so great about any of this?!"
There couldn't be a hell worse than this one.
"It's unfair! I swear I wasn't in league with those bastards!!"
He had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong ti.
"I had no interest in those girls' bodies!!"
"Is that true? They've matured a lot compared to the past."
"So what if they've matured?! They're still puny little things. They don't even have down yet—what's so special about them?!"
Regardless of Rejir's complaints, Pram and Rio were now fine young ladies.
Rejir's words were nothing more than a childish grudge, regardless of their appearance.
"That's right, those girls! They should live like that for the rest of their lives and die of old age! If the monsters of the demon realm saw you, they'd call them relatives!!"
Rejir was just in the middle of fiercely criticizing the appearance of the two.
"Do I really look like that?"
"... Huh?"
Suddenly, a girl's voice was heard, and the scathing remarks stopped abruptly.
One of the girls was standing behind them.
"Been a while."
"......"
Locked in Rio's gaze, Rejir imdiately fell silent as if he'd never spoken.
She had followed Louis here to the Dexter domain.
"What are you doing here..."
"The young master had business here and told
to co along. But I think I just overheard sothing odd?"
"......"
Rejir shrank back like a herbivore facing a predator.
In Rio's eyes, ferocious intent was swirling.
"Whose relative did you say I was?"
So far, no one in the 7th Legion had ever insulted Rio and walked away unhard.
Most who scoffed at her were either crippled or at the very least ended up in the infirmary.
Rio seed quiet, but she was actually extrely aggressive.
"I'm the one who's wronged here... I'm the one being wronged, you brats!"
Nevertheless, Rejir complained back, unable to keep down his sense of injustice, despite his fear.
"I really wasn't interested in you, damn it! Is it so satisfying turning an innocent person into an eunuch, you crazy—!"
"Then why were you with those perverts?"
"That's... I was just trying to get so of your squad's clothes and happened to..."
"So you admit you were trying to steal clothes, then?"
It wasn't a sexual cri, but in the end, Rejir was guilty.
Louis nodded as if to say Rio had a point.
Rio, with a blank expression, added bluntly:
"More than anything, wasn't it your own fault for being nearby?"
"What kind of nonsense logic is that...!"
"That's how the domain where the young master and I lived was destroyed. Isn't that right?"
"......"
Rejir, who had been protesting like a storm, once again fell silent.
Indeed, the lord Seifert and all the villagers had died for a similar reason.
They were just in the wrong place at the wrong ti.
"And even the Lord sitting over there suffered because of you."
Rio pointed at Permann Dexter, who had been sitting quietly the whole ti.
This domain had suffered because of the demon nad Armon, with whom Rejir had once cooperated.
Even if his life had collapsed for no clear reason, Rejir was now in no position to protest.
"I'm sorry...."
Rejir had nothing more to say.
Then, Louis and Rio explained their reason for visiting Permann.
"So, you're saying you need my help to create noble identities?"
Permann quickly understood their request.
They wanted to forge noble status docunts to infiltrate the academy.
Possessing noble status would make school life much easier.
"It might be a little botherso, but will you help us?"
"Of course, it's not a problem. If it weren't for Sir Louis, I wouldn't have survived that terrible event."
Louis, though a 7th Legion soldier with a criminal record, was a hero who saved this domain.
Permann was willing to help, but one question lingered.
"And if the Crown Prince really has changed his face and is hiding there—what could be the reason?"
"To be honest, the Crown Prince can't do anything without a contract with a demon. I'm also curious about what he's planning there."
Even with Saber's unit beside him, could he really accomplish sothing by himself?
He should just leave everything to Saber and go into hiding.
"You do know that it's not just an ordinary school, right?"
That should go without saying.
The continent's greatest educational institution, recognized by both the empire and the Holy Nation: the academy.
Its na alone was prestigious with a long standing tradition.
"I graduated from there myself, and the place was founded by one of the five heroes who slew the catastrophe beast in ancient tis. It's also where his remains lie."
The five heroes who wielded relics and subdued the Chaos Dragon.
That their tomb was there made it a most significant place.
"And recently, the academy has drawn a lot of attention from the world."
"Attention?"
"Are you familiar with the prophecy regarding the Hero? According to that prophecy, the Hero will make their first appearance in the world there, very soon."
Hearing this, Louis narrowed his eyes, while Rio's expression stiffened.
"Do you believe in that prophecy as well, Lord?"
"I'm skeptical, but the people of the Holy Nation believe it blindly. I'd wager more believe than doubt, certainly."
The Holy Nation would cling to a prophesied hero to the bitter end.
Not believing the prophecy there would get you treated as a traitor.
"If the prophecy is true, there's one group that definitely won't sit idly by."
"The dark magic organization."
Those people would stop at nothing to destroy the Hero at all costs.
It wouldn't be surprising if they planned a terror attack at the academy soon.
"If the Crown Prince is hiding there to target that, I can understand it."
Even stripped of his power, that's all he had left to cling to.
He had lost his ho, his family, his power—what else did he have to lose?
If there was a place that would take him in, it would be only sothing like that.
"But, sir Louis... While it's possible to present you and this young lady as nobles, there's one problem."
Permann recalled the environnt from when he'd graduated from the academy.
"There is a hierarchy among nobles there. It's not just about family rank, but whether the family lineage is pure. In other words, even if you're a noble, if you're adopted you'll be treated like an orphan."
That ant they couldn't simply pretend to be adopted.
They'd have to be disguised as Permann's biological children to make school life manageable.
"Of course, a forgery is possible, but since we're dealing with nobles, the ruse would be discovered quickly. Most of all, I'm unmarried..."
"You don't have a lover?"
"No."
Louis paused in thought at those words.
He was willing to try anything to make the plan go smoothly, but this ti, he couldn't think of a way out.
"There's no lover? That's easy to fix. Just create one."
Louis shot a aningful look at Rejir.
When he saw Louis's smiling face, Rejir instinctively panicked.
"You're not... you couldn't possibly..."
Permann also realized and turned pale.
That was it. If there was no lover, they could simply make one—even if it ant a man.
"No way... Not that... Please, tell
it's not true..."
While Rejir, retreating in cosmic terror, backed away, Louis said,
"I'm counting on you. Mom."
At that, Rejir's eyes bulged and his stomach turned.
After gagging once, he looked at Louis, then broke into a run.
As he left the lord's office, Louis told Permann,
"If you are uncomfortable, you can refuse."
"No, it's fine. I never considered him human anyway; dress him up as you wish."
"In that case..."
Louis signaled to Rio.
Her eyes flashing with interest, Rio imdiately chased after Rejir.
Within seconds, Rio caught him, hit him once, and dragged him back in.
Dragging him across the office floor, Rio said,
"Let's do our best together, mother."
It was already hell, but a new layer of tornt had just been added.
****
On the empire's eastern border, a boundary separated the Holy Nation and the empire.
It wasn't a place one could cross without permission, yet nobles of high standing could do so easily.
That was because, near there, stood the great land of learning: the academy.
The academy was unlike other educational institutions with a single school building and so facilities.
Centered around its main building, a whole city had grown up around it.
It boasted an intense academic program for only the most promising students.
Likewise, only first-rate faculty were recruited.
"Are you the new hires?"
"Yes."
In a large laboratory, high up in the academy's main building, the academy's vice principal gazed at the newly selected teaching staff.
"Congratulations on the honor of joining the academy faculty. I hope you show the dedication this role deserves."
So of the new staff looked overwheld with emotion at the vice principal's encouragent.
Just being accepted into this hallowed institution felt like a dream.
All but one, that is.
"I'll give it my all."
Standing under the assud na of Talia Pronica and wearing a false face, Silia lied with empty words.
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