A morning filled with warm sunlight.
Listening to the chirping of birds outside the window, I leaned comfortably on the sofa.
“…Hmm.”
Danya was resting her head on my lap.
As I gently stroked her tail and hair, I felt a sense of calm settle over .
— Swoosh. Swoosh.
Peaceful.
An endlessly drowsy and fluffy feeling.
It was so serene that it felt like I was in the eye of a storm.
To be precise…
“It feels more like a countdown.”
Rather, it’s a fate set in stone.
Ever since the Inquisitor marked as a target, the future had already been decided.
Because of that—
— Knock, knock.
I wasn’t too surprised by the sudden knock.
Carefully placing Danya down, I rose from the sofa.
“Mmm…”
Thankfully, she didn’t wake up. Since she had a rough night, I wanted to let her sleep a bit longer.
I opened the door quietly.
Standing at the door was an entirely unexpected person.
“Student Council Vice President?”
Iris Lipenstein.
Lichten Academy’s Student Council Vice President stood there with her cold gaze fixed on .
“Ian Blackangers.”
She gave a slight nod—perhaps her version of a greeting.
I returned a simple nod and asked.
“What brings you here? I don’t see why the Vice President would co all the way here.”
“I’m not here today as the Vice President.”
“Then?”
Her gaze briefly shifted.
She glanced into the room behind , but I subtly moved to block her line of sight.
It wouldn’t do any good if she saw Danya sleeping inside.
Of course, Danya had permission to stay overnight, so there weren’t any procedural problems—
‘Still, she’s a stickler for rules.’
It’s always best to be careful around Iris.
“…Hmm.”
Her face already showed suspicion as she stared up at . After a brief sigh as though pondering sothing, Iris finally spoke.
“Well. That’s not the important issue right now. Today, I’m here not as the Vice Student Council President, but as a mber of the Lipenstein family—the ruling house of Lichten.”
Every four years, Lichten selects its ruling family.
Typically, the Lipenstein family holds that position.
Thus, Iris Lipenstein.
Her influence within Lichten, the city-state, was anything but minor.
After all, she was one of the few individuals who could directly communicate with the head of the ruling Lipenstein family.
“So, why would soone so significant co to ?”
Had my tone co off too irritable?
Iris glared up at .
“You really are soone who seems like a good person, and then you aren’t… Never mind. More importantly—”
She handed a docunt.
A neatly organized piece of paper that looked very much like an official notice at first glance.
[Summons Notice]
— The recipient of this notice is hereby summoned to attend the 12th Lichten Ruling Committee eting. Please refer to the details below for the date and location.
The dry, formal wording of the docunt carried an unspoken tone: ‘If you don’t co, we’ll drag you here anyway.’
“As stated in the docunt. It’s a high-level summit, so only a few individuals, including the Mayor, will attend. You need not worry. The location is…”
Iris explained in her clear and articulate tone.
It was as though the atmosphere of the docunt itself was emanating from her.
If one were to describe Iris Lipenstein as a person, perhaps she could be best represented by an official notice like this one.
Co to think of it, I wasn’t sure why I was even having such thoughts. This was such a nuisance. Just when I had been savoring a rare mont of peace and drowsiness, she had to show up with sothing like this…
“Ian.”
If it’s a high-level summit in Lichten, that ans the big shots will gather. Is the Empire also participating in this eting? Things are becoming endlessly annoying. But if I think about the story…
“Ian.”
“Ah. Yeah.”
“Where is your mind wandering? Please focus.”
“… Sorry.”
Iris looked at with an icy gaze—as if to say, ‘Try making repeat myself again.’ Then she continued her explanation.
“I understand you want to rest, but you must attend the high-level eting.”
“That’s quite the polite request.”
“Ian, your presence at this eting is very important. In fact, the Mayor personally designated you to attend.”
“… The Mayor?”
“Yes. This high-level eting is an informal summit between the Empire and the Holy Constantine faction. I ask for your utmost care and cooperation.”
An informal working summit between the Empire and the Holy Constantine faction.
To summarize, under the Mayor of Lichten’s nomination, I was being dragged into a eting that could sway the continent’s political landscape.
According to Iris, I’d be attending in quite an important capacity too.
A re student participating in such a critical eting? How glorious.
‘Glorious, my foot.’
I’d planned to laze around and take it easy for the first ti in a while—maybe even for the last ti—and now? A working summit?
“Get ready. I’ll wait.”
The thought of the sharp tensions between the Empire and Holy Constantine already gave a headache.
‘… Well, it is a good opportunity, I guess.’
Muttering complaints, I began preparing. Danya groggily opened her eyes and looked at .
“… Where are you going, Ian?”
“To the main Lichten office for a bit.”
“… Eh?”
“It’s nothing big. Don’t worry.”
After finishing dressing, I turned to bid Danya goodbye—then pulled her into a hug.
“Eh?”
Surprised for a mont, Danya wrapped her tail around .
“I’ll be back.”
“… Co back safely.”
Hugging Danya turned out to be a wise decision.
◆
The streets felt oddly cool.
Iris and I walked toward the administrative center in southern Lichten.
“Can’t we just take a carriage to the summit venue?”
“We cannot. It’s taxpayers’ money.”
“…”
Most of this chill probably ca from Iris.
Or maybe there really was sothing wrong with my body.
Grumbling, I followed her until we reached the entrance of Lichten’s main administrative building.
“State your na and purpose of visit.”
The guards blocked our path—until they recognized Iris’s face.
They imdiately straightened to attention.
“Lady Iris, identity confird. You may proceed.”
“Thank you.”
As we passed through the gate, Iris turned to look at .
‘Let in too.’
I mouthed the words silently. Iris pointed at with her finger.
“He is a visitor for the summit eting. Please verify his identity thoroughly.”
“…?”
I stared at Iris, dumbfounded.
“Yes!”
The guards quickly approached , asking.
“Could you provide your identification and state the purpose of your visit? We also need to perform a verification procedure…”
Hmm.
Avoiding the guards’ gazes, I turned my head and glanced back.
Iris, who had been sneaking glances at with the faintest of smirks, quickly turned to stare off into the distance.
With a sigh, I reached into my inner pocket and pulled out the Pass bestowed upon by the Emperor.
“A-Ah! I apologize!”
Click!
The guards snapped to attention, their boots clicking crisply against the ground.
Walking through the door, I ca face-to-face with Iris, who looked surprisingly startled.
“What was that?”
“… I’m sorry.”
Iris lowered her head with an apologetic bow.
“I just thought… it’d be fun to see you flustered for once. I thought you might enjoy it.”
“How was that fun, exactly?”
“Jokes are only funny when they’re slightly inconvenient, aren’t they?”
“That was supposed to be a joke?”
“Yes. An unexpected situation. If it actually caused you trouble, I would have helped. A perfect joke, don’t you think?”
“You really do sound like a German.”
“… German?”
“Never mind.”
I scratched my cheek.
If that was her version of a joke, what could I say?
She seed genuinely sorry, so I couldn’t even get mad about it.
It was also a small sign that she wanted to get closer to .
‘Well, anyway.’
I lifted my head.
We were a short distance away from Lichten’s Main Building.
Ahead stood the building where the high-level summit would take place.
Unlike the other practical, modest structures of Lichten, this one was luxurious—almost excessively so.
Tall, gleaming marble pillars, gilded decorations along the building’s facade, and elegantly curved architecture conveyed an air of extravagance befitting such an important event.
“Let’s head inside.”
I thought I saw Iris frown slightly—probably not my imagination.
She was likely grumbling in her mind about taxpayers’ money.
I couldn’t help but think the sa thing myself.
The security around the building was even more intense.
No, not just security—these were soldiers, standing in disciplined rows, keeping vigilant watch over the surroundings.
“The relations between the two nations have been poor lately.”
“Because of the Empire’s succession crisis?”
“… You’re well-inford. That’s surprising. The First Princess has been actively aligning with the Vatican recently. The remaining factions are uniting against her. Even the Empire’s citizens are leaning that way.”
That was true.
But that was only what was visible on the surface.
“… The deeper cause is sothing else, though.”
“The deeper cause?”
Iris tilted her head quizzically, but I didn’t bother answering.
The truth was that an organization was stirring tensions between the two nations from behind the scenes.
An organization that would benefit the most if war broke out between the Empire and the Holy Constantine faction.
That organization was the Bloodstone Cult.
A war would create the perfect opportunity for them to seize control of the Empire in one fell swoop.
After walking for a while—
“Hmm. You must be Ian Blackangers?”
A deep, authoritative voice greeted .
A middle-aged man with slicked-back white hair stood before .
It was the Mayor of Lichten—Count Lipenstein.
Reviews
All reviews (0)