Chapter 13

12.

Aritha remembers.

The day when a sudden letter arrived, and despair clouded her master’s face.

“…Please take care of the children, Aritha. I must leave for somewhere urgent.”

Aritha remembers.

The day her master returned battered and bruised after venturing into an ancient dragon’s lair with comrades.

“He hasn’t returned… No, this isn’t someone who would just disappear… If we search every corner of the continent, we’ll surely find him eventually…”

Aritha remembers.

From the day she heard incomprehensible mutterings from her master, she witnessed the days when the shadows of the entire continent were gradually taken over.

The days spent relentlessly crushing shadowy organizations within the empire to uncover clues.

“I don’t know, Aritha… What should I do?…”

Aritha remembers.

Even after subjugating all the dark corners of the continent, the hollow look in her master’s eyes never faded.

Even after trying to console her master by offering everything, including herself, there was only a bitter gaze directed towards a faded will.

“…Aritha. Can you investigate what’s happening at Primus?”

Aritha remembers.

The moment when a glimmer of hope briefly appeared in her master’s empty eyes.

Even the usually calm voice trembled slightly that instant.

“Hey, wait! Evan!!”

-Swoosh!

“…Tch.”

Aritha remembers.

The moment when a poisoned dagger narrowly missed its mark.

The form of a small girl who saw through her unseen ambush.

Aritha thinks.

“That brat Carian, what scheme is he plotting…?”

-Rustle.

“『Memory Restraint』”

She cannot remember.

The threads of mana piercing into the depths of shadows where no external intrusion is allowed.

The moment she was caught by the overwhelming presence of a small girl and had her memories erased.

“You didn’t infiltrate Primus today. For some reason, the newly adjusted guard magic arrays prevented it.”

Aritha cannot remember.

The moment when a young finger sent a purple orb into her mind.

The moment she turned around as instructed by the girl in front of her and returned to the distant orphanage.

-Tap tap.

-Tap tap.

“…Ugh…?”

“Oops, big sister woke up~!”

“Sister Aritha actually slept in.”

Aritha remembers.

Her own figure sleeping in the orphanage bed sometime later.

The playful fingers poking her cheeks.

“Understood, Aritha.”

“…Dean?”

Aritha remembers.

The perplexity of failing to complete her master’s order for the first time.

Yet, her master’s smile carried not disappointment but a trace of excitement and joy.

-Rustle.

“Your memory is cut off. No, it was severed so you wouldn’t see.”

“…What do you mean…?”

“It means I made the wrong choice. I should have gone myself instead of sending you.”

Aritha remembers.

The gentle voice telling her “good job” while she hung her head like a sinner.

The calm voice expressing gratitude that she hadn’t disappointed him once again.

“Thanks to you, one thing has become clear.”

There’s something hidden in the academy that I shouldn’t know about.

Carian, his eyes filled with mixed emotions, said this as he rose from his chair.

Then, he informed Aritha and the children beside her that the morning menu was soup.

“Let’s eat first. People can’t think properly when they’re hungry.”

***

“Take at least one spoonful. You need to eat something to regain your strength.”

“…Yes…”

Continuing my persuasion, Princess Irina picked up the spoon I offered with a dazed expression.

Still, her slow nibbling showed that last night’s shock must have been quite significant.

‘In the end, it’s because of me again…’

After erasing Aritha’s memories last night, I also had to erase the memories of Princess Irina and Evan.

After all, how could they understand why I let Aritha go?

To be honest, secretly infiltrating Primus itself is already a grave crime.

Especially letting someone who tried to harm a student go, when that person is a professor at Primus, is unthinkable.

However, from my perspective, I couldn’t just let one of Carian’s trusted subordinates be interrogated.

Though Aritha and I didn’t interact much, if anything happened to her, Carian would definitely stir up trouble at Primus.

‘It’s better this way than making unnecessary noise.’

Thus, instead of arresting Aritha, I erased her memories and sent her back where she came from.

It was better overall to make it seem like no intruder ever existed rather than announce their presence.

Of course, for Evan and Princess Irina, there’s nothing more confusing than this situation.

They suddenly fainted while patrolling the campus with me and don’t even remember what happened.

It’s strange to stay calm amidst such a mystery-filled event.

“Really, it’s fine… People faint sometimes. Your health is okay, so please start eating.”

Apparently, Princess Irina and Evan feel embarrassed about fainting in front of me.

They thought they should protect me but ended up causing trouble instead.

‘But, shouldn’t professors be protected by students, not the other way around?’

Why Princess Irina and Evan tried to protect me remains a mystery.

No matter how you look at it, I’m not someone who needs protection from kids. Why did they think that?

Still, I’m grateful for their intentions.

However, having knocked out Princess Irina and erased her memories, I can’t meet her gaze.

All my actions clearly surpass mere trespassing.

Although Princess Irina won’t remember what happened, it’s still scary.

Is this what they mean by ‘the thief’s guilty conscience’?

“Anyway, nothing really happened. Don’t worry too much about it.”

Eventually, after lightly patting Princess Irina on the shoulder, I got up from my chair and headed for the hallway.

Or rather, I tried to.

“Professor, a letter came from my sister─”

-Halt.

A noticeably cautious tone.

A glance-like gaze checking my reaction.

However, more than anything, the two words “sister” stopped me in my tracks.

Because the only sister Princess Irina could possibly refer to was someone I knew.

“It seems she will come to observe this upcoming Ascension Ceremony.”

“Why…why?”

“I’m not entirely sure either, but the letter says that Divine Lady sent a message.”

Feeling my eyebrows tremble, I turned back to Princess Irina and asked her to let me see the letter sent by her sister.

That is, the handwritten letter from Lilian, even if just for a moment.

And exactly one minute later.

I was left breathless seeing that everything Princess Irina said was written verbatim in Lilian’s personal letter.

‘So they’re doing some kind of relay race or something?’

When I barely managed to send back the person sent by Carian, now Lilian herself decides to visit.

I didn’t give any hints to my students, so where did things go wrong?

As I briefly reflected on my past actions, I had to shift my gaze upward again upon hearing another voice from Princess Irina.

This time, it wasn’t an official notice but a personal request.

“Please help me, Professor. I don’t want to disappoint my sister…”

Her determined eyes.

The atmosphere felt very serious.

“Um, what exactly are you asking me to help with?”

“Training. For the Ascension Ceremony.”

“Hmm…”

Thinking from Princess Irina’s perspective, this Ascension Ceremony is an opportunity to meet Lilian.

Simultaneously, it’s a chance to showcase her skills to Lilian and gain recognition.

Considering this, it’s not surprising that Princess Irina seeks my assistance.

After all, she’s my teaching assistant.

And among the professors of Primus, there aren’t many stronger than ancient dragons.

Probably, there’s no one as certain as someone directly trained by such a dragon.

Technically, I’m just borrowing Orpheon’s name, but Princess Irina has no way of knowing this fact.

Still, from my point of view, it’s not just awkward—it’s downright unsettling.

If I train Princess Irina, she might end up like my other students.

Despite this, I couldn’t refuse her request due to an insurmountable difference in status.

If the Divine Lady asks for training, I must provide it. If she asks for guidance, I must offer it—that’s my current reality.

“In the afternoon…please come to the faculty office. It would be better to discuss this when we have more time.”

“…! Yes!”

Princess Irina’s face brightened with anticipation for the future.

In stark contrast, I merely wore an awkward expression, worried and apprehensive about the future.

If the Emperor appears before me in the future and holds me accountable for ruining not one but two of his daughters, I’ll have no excuse.

I’ll probably just beg him to spare my life…

***

“Hmm…”

Just as Ainel finished reviewing the newly received documents, she let out a short sigh.

Then, she momentarily shifted her gaze toward the newly appointed professor standing right in front of her.

“When did the design of mana become such a terrifying subject?”

The new professor’s assigned tasks for the Ascension Ceremony raised questions.

Indeed, the sheets in Ainel’s hands contained only extremely cruel assignments.

“Even though these are for advanced classes, this seems a bit excessive.”

“But they’ve all been taught these things. They’ll be fine.”

“The students won’t be fine…”

Worried about the inevitable complaints from the students in the future, Ainel advised adjusting the difficulty level.

Nevertheless, the new professor remained steadfast.

Eventually, the youthful face began persuading Ainel, referencing the purpose of the Ascension Ceremony event.

After all, the aim is to provide early battlefield experience; thus, this level of difficulty is appropriate.

“Experiencing these kinds of things beforehand is better, Dean. Even younger ones than the advanced class students have handled this level.”

“…What kind of world have you lived in, Professor…?”

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