Professor Hasfeldt went missing from the northern expedition.
By the ti the northern army realized, it was too late. The regint of soldiers led by Hasfeldt vanished without trace in a single day.
Not only that, but imdiately afterward the Imperial army had to retreat in the face of the Black Death that had begun to spread throughout the land.
Even a superhuman was helpless before a disease. The number of frontline soldiers who’d fallen to the pest in the past month was said to have been several tis the number of those killed by the beasts. It hadn’t only been the capital facing a crisis.
The morale of the Imperial army, which had briefly breached the third line of defense, was extrely low. Defeat after defeat brought the front back to square one. Everything had gone the way the beasts wanted.
“That isn’t all. We lost hundreds of tactical-class mages. I heard that they were all elites, too.”
A tactical-class mage defined those who were capable of defeating a Calamity. In terms of industry, they were human resources at a doctoral-level.
To lose hundreds of mages of that caliber at once?
It was critical damage.
At this rate, the defense was going to be at risk. They’d just survived the plague, and if fear of an invasion spread amongst the people, it would be difficult to proceed normally with classes.
Chewing on my lips, I asked Miss Heerlein.
“Did you already know about Professor Hasfeldt going missing?”
Heerlein shook her head, a dark cloud over her face.
“I just found out a week ago.”
A sigh sounded from sowhere, and I belatedly realized it was coming from my own mouth.
“I guess the Imperials placed an embargo.”
“Exactly, it’s disgraceful.”
The subject was omitted but I knew who she was cursing. She seed to have a lot of issues with the current Imperial family.
Calling the Imperial family disgraceful–it was a remark that could have her hauled away for defamation.
Yet no one here cautioned Heerlein about what she said.
“I’ll tell you in advance, Aether. I’m going to the northern front this sumr vacation.”
I could see her pupils shaking through the fine line of her eyes. Her face was stiff, and her voice was shakier than usual. Irregular breathing cut through the air.
The ti when Professor Hasfeldt was reported missing, and the point when the Black Death began spreading.
Comparing these two tis, there wasn’t even the slightest chance that Professor Hasfeldt was still alive.
Furthermore, the front was up in the north, the frigid land of swarming beasts.
A true barren wasteland where barely didn’t even exist because not a single blade of grass could grow there.
“Miss.”
“Don’t worry.”
Heerlein probably knew that going MIA in a place like that basically ant death.
“I’ll only be gone for the sumr.”
Yet this person still held onto a thread of hope. Although my history with Professor Hasfeldt hadn’t been the greatest, that didn’t an I should be saying anything cold-hearted to my ntor, so I stayed silent.
The tea was finished in that short ti. I couldn’t even smoke here since there wasn’t any ventilation.
So I picked up a piece of citron from the bottom of the teacup and chewed on that instead. The bitter and sweet scent traveled through my nostrils and ca out on an exhale.
“So, that isn’t all we wanted to talk to you about. What’s really important is the next part.”
As Heerlein said that, I also realized sothing.
“How did they break through the third line?”
“With Flare. Klais mass-produced the Flare that you made within a few days.”
I had forgotten that Hasfeldt had a natural gift in scroll fabrication.
The mories of my ti as a slave haunted my brain. Please make hundreds of these by this ti, and hurry up with this by when. Can you not finish this simple thing right away? It killed just rembering it.
But apart from that, breaking through the third line in this war was a great feat.
“It was encouraging to hear that they’d overco terraneous disadvantage and nearly reached where the Demon King lay.”
“But there is a problem as well–the beasts are now fully alerted to our Empire because of that attack. It is likely the reason why they prepared this asymtric strategy1.”
“You an the Black Death?”
At my question, one of the nobles responded.
“Exactly. The Black Death broke out simultaneously across the country. Mathematical modeling showed this one to be different compared to how infectious diseases usually spread, which points to one thing.”
Yeah, what else could it be? Everyone would know.
This was a Cataclysm’s doing.
I knew because I’d seen that crow mask guy in person, but it seed that they had also noticed. They were learned folks, after all. If they couldn’t even deduce this much, then the Empire would have been ruined long ago.
Just then, an imposing voice sounded from across the table.
“I believe that this epidemic is a continuation of the Iron Drakes flooding the back mountains last sumr and the construction circle incident from this year’s entrance ceremony.”
The owner of the voice stood from his chair with the use of a stylish cane.
He was a gentleman with his white hair slicked back by pomade looking in his early forties.
His jade-colored eyes were striking, but were also a combination of hues that was familiar sohow.
“Duke Argana!”
This man looked exactly like Shadiel, the disciplinary leader. He must be the head of the Duke Argana family.
“Incidents keep occurring around the Academy, yet His Majesty, who has the Second Prince attending, hasn’t said anything so far. Is this not strange, ladies and gentlen?”
Everyone nodded. At this point, I understood that I was sohow screwed.
Have I co to a place that I shouldn’t have? Was I getting involved in sothing sketchy?
I an, really. This was Duke Argana and Chairman Robespierre, and other middle-ranking nobles including Counts and Viscounts sitting in this spooky place. Was it okay for an undergraduate like to be here?
Feeling uneasy, I shifted my chair closer to Miss Heerlein. anwhile, Argana’s speech was still carrying on.
“The front line is in peril due to the significant loss of tactical mages including Duchess Hasfeldt. And what about the internal situation? The treasury was already running low before the epidemic and now it is on the verge of drying up.”
“And the Imperial court threw a party in such a situation.”
“Yes, a trivial celebration congratulating the Second Prince on finishing the sester.”
This man must have been the one to bring these nobles together.
As a Duke, he had plenty of esteem and power. Yet that Duke was openly criticizing the Imperial family.
The country really must have beco a shit hole.
“And they tell us to raise taxes to replenish the treasury even though the people are becoming poorer.”
“It must have been difficult for you in many ways as the Minister of Finance.”
“Marquis Robes, I also recall hearing that the Academy was given Imperial orders to make cuts.”
“Yes, I was commanded to reduce the existing scholarships by half.”
Just listening to this had my teeth clenching. That was when Duke Argana turned his gaze towards .
What.
“Aether, was it?”
“... Yes, sir.”
My words naturally ca out stiff.
“I understand that you may have financial hardships as a commoner but also recognize that your magic talents and knowledge are valuable, including Flare amongst others.”
“.......”
“Aether, what happened here may have been difficult for you to understand, so I will simplify as best as I can as to why you were called.”
“... I see.”
This was it. The proposal they made was going to determine my response.
It was a mont that had swallowing dryly.
“Could you develop a weapon that will bring down the Imperial house?”
The piece of citron in my mouth went down the windpipe.
**Other things were said after that but none of it reached my ears. I jotted them down in the notebook of ideas I always carried but didn’t understand about half of it.
It felt like I got roped into so unfair contact. I only ant to establish a connection with the chairman and look what that got into.
At this rate, my simple ambition to comfortably research magic until I returned ho was going to be crushed. I had only planned to research like crazy and be done with it, but if this continued, I might end up in a political dispute.
I wasn’t going to be branded as a traitor and get taken out, right? No way.
Anyway, I wasn’t a political kind of person. The only ti I’d t with soone from the governnt was to ask for research grants. Excluding that ti, I didn’t recall being in contact with them.
I couldn’t; this was starting to wear on . Sighing, I hurried my steps.
“Feels like it’s going in the wrong order.”
So answers didn’t co from thinking alone, which was why collaborating was important in research as well as other things.
I walked through sudden drizzle and entered the large building–one of the key locations of Tilette Academy close to the fountain and a reasonable distance from the dorms.
[Transmutation Club]A place with many clubs, the stage of youth, passion, and conspiracy.
I dug through my pocket for the key. The door opened easily when I inserted the storage key given by Lorewell.
When I turned the handle, soone sat waiting inside the well-organized room–an elf twirling a quill, his eyes a mix of fear and nerves.
One eye was green containing the energy of the Grand Forest, and the other shone light yellow like topaz. The two irises glowed from within the dark room.
It was ti for our eting.
Footnotes
1. Unconventional strategies used when military capabilities are different between the warring parties
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