Recently, Liz, the voice actress for Kai and Alfa, has been feeling like she’s wandering through a dream rather than reality.
Liz was born from a commoner family.
Moreover, having lost her parents at an early age, Liz had to endure a tough childhood.
The one fortunate thing about Liz was her outstanding talent as an artist.
This allowed her to enroll in the Imperial Art Academy, making use of her abilities.
However, after entering the academy she had longed for, Liz instead fell into despair.
Because she realized that the talent which had upheld her self-esteem until now was something quite common within the academy.
She wasn’t special at all.
Just another girl with run-of-the-mill talent found anywhere in the world.
But then…
– The final winner of this voice audition is… Miss Liz!
– Huh? Is that really true?
One day, a man appeared who magically changed her destiny. A man who chose her over other strong competitors in an audition she hadn’t expected much from.
His name? None other than Ragnar Terison.
A pioneer known for creating iconic animations like “The Mysterious Disappearance of Eli and Hammel,” he was also the director working on the upcoming animation “Knight Shin Chronicle” with royal support.
From that moment on, Liz’s world changed dramatically.
Working on “Knight Shin Chronicle” with Ragnar, Liz met people she never imagined herself meeting under normal circumstances.
“This is Liz, who’ll be voicing Kai. Nice to meet you, I’m Serica El Grinevalt, voicing Saya.”
An heiress from one of the most prestigious ducal families smiled warmly and extended her hand toward Liz.
“I’m Kayla von Obernue. I’m the assistant director under Director Ragnar. If someone chosen directly by the director in an audition can’t pull their weight, I’d be very disappointed.”
It was astonishing to later learn that this person was actually the empress herself, willingly serving as Ragnar’s assistant director.
And then…
“What do you think about the development of episode 19, Miss Liz?”
“Uh… me? Does my opinion matter?”
“Of course it does. Whom else should we ask if not the lead voice actress of our project?”
Liz had always heard that artists were often stuck in their own worlds, stubbornly refusing to budge from their views. But Ragnar was different.
Even though Liz was younger, Ragnar never dismissed her opinions and always tried to help resolve her worries.
Of course, in truth, Ragnar only did this because Liz’s help was essential for his plan to end “Knight Shin Chronicle” with a bang.
To Liz, however, who had never experienced such kindness from anyone before, she couldn’t help but be deeply moved.
Thus, without realizing it, Liz developed feelings for Ragnar.
“…So, Liz, are you after Ragnar? Lately, your looks towards him have been anything but innocent.”
“Huh?”
“Nope. Can’t happen. Didn’t your teachers at the academy tell you not to touch what belongs to others?”
“…”
“We already have one strong competitor; we don’t need you adding to the list. Got it?”
“…Yes, Miss Serica.”
“Good, good girl.”
And just like that, the pure love of an innocent girl was crushed by threats and intimidation.
Meanwhile, life at the academy underwent significant changes too.
“Liz, yesterday’s episode 32 of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ was amazing. Your performance as Kai was great.”
“Evangelin-sama.”
“Ugh, we’re classmates! Stop with the honorifics already, it’s so awkward.”
“But… Evangelin-sama is from a ducal family, while I’m just a commoner…”
“What does social status even matter? You were the one chosen by Ragnar-sama in the audition, not me. So, you’re obviously far more talented than someone like me.”
Evangelin gave a bitter smile as she said this.
“So from now on, try to act a little more confidently. You’ve become the face of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle,’ after all. If you ever need help, feel free to ask me.”
That way, Liz gained Evangelin von Thieria, a solid supporter, but that didn’t mean everyone at the academy accepted her.
Until recently, Liz had always worn old clothes, lacked any remarkable talent, and sat quietly in class, lacking confidence.
She was barely noticeable—someone so low in the school caste system that no one bothered wasting time tormenting her.
Then everything changed when Liz passed the audition for ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ and landed the role of Kai.
Her outdated clothes transformed into stylish outfits, and her once dull expression became radiant.
Not only that, but ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ became a massive hit across the empire, and Liz went on to secure the lead role in the next big hit, ‘Life and Death.’
It was like a Chikorita suddenly evolving into Meganium—a complete reversal of fortune.
Naturally, some noble students who previously ranked highest in the academy’s caste system couldn’t tolerate this rebellion.
Yet they lacked the guts to directly mess with the star voice actress of ‘Life and Death,’ a show supported directly by the imperial household.
Instead, they began attacking Liz indirectly.
“Tomorrow, there will be an observation class at the academy where students’ guardians are invited to attend.”
The professor in charge of Liz’s class announced this with a neutral expression.
“In principle, all students’ guardians must attend tomorrow’s class, but if personal reasons prevent them from coming, please report it to me beforehand.”
At these words, a few students subtly turned their heads toward Liz.
Tsk.
Some students snickered openly at Liz, confident the professor wouldn’t notice.
They knew well enough…
That Liz had no parents to attend the observation class.
“…”
Liz calmly ignored their sneers, having faced similar situations daily before passing the audition for ‘Knight Shin Chronicle.’
But watching this, Evangelin couldn’t stay calm like Liz.
‘You disgusting pests dare…!’
She hated this situation immensely.
In fact, she wanted nothing more than to beat them up right then and there, but unfortunately, handling things with brute force would only backfire in the long run.
There was only one solution to resolve this gracefully.
“Sera.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Contact Director Ragnar immediately. If he’s unavailable, contact Lady Serica.”
Evangelin spoke firmly.
“It’s regarding something urgent about Liz that needs to be conveyed.”
*
The next day, during the observation class at the academy.
The usually quiet academy building buzzed with activity due to the visiting guardians of the students.
Including Liz’s class, high-ranking nobles and even the academy president filled the back rows of the classroom.
Of course, no one claimed to be Liz’s guardian.
After all, despite being the main voice actress of ‘Life and Death,’ she was still just a commoner orphan without parents—right?
As some students smirked at Liz, mocking her openly…
“Excuse me, is this the classroom for today’s observation class?”
A tall, handsome man and an incredibly beautiful woman entered the room.
Their striking appearances instantly drew everyone’s attention.
“Oh, we forgot to introduce ourselves.”
The man bowed politely to the professor standing at the podium.
“My name is Ragnar Terison, and I’m here acting as Liz’s guardian.”
“Ragnar… Terison?”
“T-the director of ‘Knight Shin Chronicle’ and ‘Life and Death’?”
Everyone present gasped in shock.
How could they not? Everyone in the room had seen those shows.
Many had wondered what the genius behind such masterpieces looked like.
And now, this young man in his early twenties was the creator of those legendary animations?
Really?
Stunned by this unexpected giant’s arrival, the students who had mocked Liz earlier started sweating nervously—but the surprises weren’t over yet.
“Hmm, an academy observation class.”
Step.
Following Ragnar, someone else entered the classroom slowly.
“This is interesting. I’ve been wanting to gauge the quality of the Imperial Academy anyway. This is perfect timing.”
Seeing the newcomer, both the academy president and the nobles widened their eyes in shock.
“H-His Majesty the Emperor!”
“Your… Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty! What brings you here?”
With trembling voices, the president and nobles greeted the emperor.
The emperor chuckled lightly and replied,
“Well, did I accidentally wander into a place I shouldn’t be?”
“That’s not true! Is there anywhere within this empire that Your Majesty cannot visit?”
As the president spoke, the emperor grinned faintly and continued,
“Nothing much. I just happened to hear yesterday that one of my favorite character’s voice actresses, a student here, had an observation class today.”
“…Pardon?”
“My favorite character’s voice actress implies someone deserving my utmost favor. That’s why I decided to attend today’s observation class. Do you have any objections?”
“…”
Of course, no one dared object.
Even if they did have complaints, the president lacked the courage to voice them.
Unfortunately for him, the emperor had one issue with the president himself.
Speaking of which…
“By the way, aren’t you the principal here?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Tell me, I heard something intriguing yesterday. Do you know what it was?”
“I-I don’t know, Your Majesty.”
“It seems the student I’ve been keeping an eye on isn’t treated very well here. Apparently, for trivial reasons like social status or family background…”
The emperor narrowed his sharp gaze.
“As the principal, surely you understand the root cause of this situation. What do you think about it?”
“…”
The academy principal.
Age: 60.
Notable fact #1: He was planning for retirement in five years.
Notable fact #2: His plans just went down the drain.
