Chapter 34

A storm named Ryuje swept through the room, and only after her figure disappeared did the three remaining individuals exhale a sigh of relief.

Eventually, when Ryuje regained her composure, memories of the recent events surfaced in her mind.

‘Handle one girl, you say?’

‘Yes, Councilor.’

It all started with the reproach for the mishandled task when Gejeck had uttered those words.

‘A student already admitted into the Academy? You must be joking.’

No matter how diminished the Academy’s influence might have become, they were still a formidable force, and it was not wise to recklessly provoke their chancellor.

‘Rather than wasting time on such nonsense, focus on your own duties. Is that understood?’

With that, Gejeck was sent off, but quite some time later, when he returned to her, the footage he presented was quite intriguing.

‘This is?!’

‘The kid I mentioned earlier.’

‘Oh?’

From the empty air, she appeared, slowly descending onto a pile of garbage. As soon as Ryuze saw this, a certain possibility came to her mind.

Could using this child well enough break down the ironclad power of the Academy?

For example, if this girl was a traitor secretly colluding with the invaders, and the chancellor or the Academy failed to recognize her true nature before admitting her—it could imply issues within those walls.

High risk, high return. The plan wasn’t without danger, but it was worth trying.

‘Is this footage genuine?’

‘Of course, Councilor.’

‘This is workable enough. Good, let’s find a way.’

And so it began.

On the surface, it was a simple task of dealing with just one disturbing girl. Therefore, everything needed for the plan was quickly prepared.

Though the accusations against the girl were fabricated, that wasn’t important.

It was common knowledge that blending a few truths into a concoction of lies would turn doubts into certainties, and public opinion molded this way would naturally turn the girl into an enemy of humanity.

However, there was one significant issue.

‘Is the Chancellor still in the Academy?’

‘Yes.’

‘Hmph…’

The Chancellor of the Academy, Ryuje Erharknen.

It was easy to predict that any minor scheming wouldn’t work on a creature who had lived through the ages.

The crux of this plan was to create the necessary circumstantial evidence for the girl’s guilt, and then eliminate her to cover up the truth.

If that creature discerned what was happening before the evidence could be established, who knows what might happen.

So, they waited, holding their breath for the opportune moment.

‘Councilor! There’s information that the Academy Chancellor has left the bounds of Fangju!’

‘Is it reliable?’

‘Yes, it’s confirmed via Fangju’s security forces! He’s even taken the Gyre, so it’s unlikely he will return anytime soon.’

A chance that might not come around again.

That’s why they acted quickly, disregarding bureaucratic procedures and employing coercive methods.

After all, there was constant interference on the ground to avoid identifying Fangju’s location, and there was no way the Academy’s situation would reach the Chancellor.

Even if the Chancellor returned, as long as the job was done beforehand, it wouldn’t matter.

For the dead, silence is certain.

At least, that’s how it was supposed to be, wasn’t it?

But that plan…!

Ryuje’s face gradually grew red with anger.

‘Damn it, Gejeck, I told you the Chancellor was going to be gone for a long time, didn’t I? Is this what you call a long time? And the way you handled the matter…!’

Frowning, Ryuje glared at Gejeck.

‘What sort of humiliation is this?! How dare I, a councilor of Fangju, be subjected to such treatment!?’

‘You’re right, Councilor. Gejeck, your performance has been quite lacking recently.’

Bevbert, responding naturally to Ryuje’s irritation, passed the responsibility onto Gejeck.

There was a reason for the two of them to blame Gejeck exclusively, for it was he who had taken the lead in this affair from the start.

While Bevbert had acted directly and Ryuje had a share of responsibility for pursuing it to escalate, such facts were not important to those two.

Now, all they needed was a scapegoat who could take the blame and bear the brunt of their frustrations concerning this unpleasant outcome.

Hence, Gejeck felt aggrieved, but well aware that contradicting or arguing with the Minister or the Councilor was akin to suicide.

‘Th, that is…’

Fumbling to find an excuse, Gejeck’s body instinctively bent under the sharp gaze directed at him.

‘I, I’m sorry, Councilor, Minister.’

‘Hmph…’

Seeing Gejeck completely discard his dignity, Ryuze’s and Bevbert’s expressions softened somewhat.

‘Does this mean the Academy had a good day? Damn it…’

‘There’s nothing to be done, Councilor. We’ll withdraw from this one and wait for the next opportunity…’

‘Tch.’

As Ryuje and Bevbert conversed, Gejeck, checking the mood, cautiously interjected.

‘Excuse me.’

‘What is it?’

Ryuje looked at the hesitant Gejeck with irritation.

‘Say what you have to or shut up.’

Clearly upset, Ryuje’s attitude made Gejeck hasten to explain.

‘F, fact is, I anticipated something like this and had preparations beforehand!’

‘Preparations beforehand?’

This made Ryuze raise an eyebrow, showing interest rather than irritation.

‘Yes, I infiltrated one of my people as a freshman in the Academy.’

‘Oh? Tell me more.’

‘Certainly, it goes…’

In the broken room, a sinister conversation unfolded.

Already, the stern warnings from Ryuze were completely gone from their minds.

…

‘Hmm…’

Awakening in warmth.

Even though the beds in the Academy dormitory were indeed comfortable, this bed had a different kind of comfort.

‘Hmm…’

Yawning and slowly rising from the bed, a flicker of blue light appeared in the corner of the room, revealing a figure.

A peaked cap, long coat, pale skin, and beautiful, crimson eyes—Ryuje.

‘Did you sleep well?’

‘Ah, Chancellor…’

‘Hmm…’

Ryuje approached slowly.

From the blackout curtains on the windows and the antique appearance of the room, it was clear this was her bedroom.

‘You were asleep for a full day, your body and mind must have been exhausted. Do you feel any discomfort or strange sensations?’

‘Yes, I seem to be fine.’

‘That is truly fortunate.’

The warmth I felt on my head, and slowly, memories of past events came back as I bowed my head.

‘Thank you for saving me.’

‘No, I apologize instead for not being able to protect you. I should’ve stopped such a thing from happening…’

Ryuze’s expression darkened slightly.

But that was unreasonable self-blame, so I shook my head.

‘No, it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known something like this would happen. It’s fine.’

In fact, I didn’t expect it either.

Even though it was small-scale, it was a significant event—an invasion by the Invaders. And instead of uniting against the external threat, they turned their blades on me. I couldn’t imagine anything like that.

Also, while I was aware Gejeck and his cohorts were plotting something, I had grown somewhat complacent relying on the strength of the Academy.

So, placing all the blame on Ryuje was simply too drastic.

‘I appreciate your words.’

‘I mean it.’

‘…’

With that, Ryuze stared deeply into my face. Somewhere in her ruby-red eyes, a hint of nostalgia lingered.

‘You look very much alike.’

‘Huh?’

‘No, never mind. Just ignore it—it’s a soliloquy.’

‘Yes.’

A natural silence descended. After a while, Ryuze bowed her head to me.

‘Eh, Chancellor?’

‘My thanks come late. Thank you for protecting the Academy and saving so many lives.’

‘…’

A polite gesture.

‘It’s…’

I tried to respond, but my lips wouldn’t move. Even though I was determined within my mind to act composed, a sense of pain and fear from the court ordeal clouded my vision and stopped my words.

‘Come here.’

Seeing my state, Ryuze sat on the bed and opened her arms to me. As if mesmerized, I embraced her, feeling her warmth transfer through my body and back.

‘Pat pat.’

Ryuje gently patted me without saying anything.

As her warmth relaxed the frozen state of my heart, emotions surged, and my eyes began to heat up.

‘…I was scared.’

Confessing my innermost feelings as if in a confession.

‘…I imagine so.’

Ryuze responded calmly.

‘…Still, I truly mean what I said about this not being Chancellor’s fault. Those people are the bad ones.’

‘…Yes, thank you.’

‘Pat pat.’

She continued patting my back. Despite trying to hold it back, my eyes continued to feel warm.

‘Eh…’

‘It’s fine. You can cry all you want. The only one who will hear your voice is me.’

With that, Edu finally burst into tears, while Ryuze continued to gently comfort the crying Edu.

At least at that moment, the fragile Edu in her arms was just a small, innocent girl, unrelated to any stagnant water or past lives.

And so, the quiet, warm time between the two flowed gently.