“What do you mean...?” I asked. “The puppet you controlled, Headmaster.”
“What puppet?”
“You know, when you completely filled the fourth floor of the Tower of Trials with those weird puppets, a testament to your... unique taste. Creepy things that spied on students climbing the tower and gathered their information. Among them, there was one that could use demonic energy. A puppet that felt far too real—”
I abruptly stopped upon hearing my own sharp tone. I must have been more taken aback by his confusion than I’d thought.
Thankfully, Alderson didn’t seem offended. He simply listened, then closed his eyes for a moment.
“Leone...” He looked lost in thought.
Meanwhile, I searched through my inner pockets, trying to find the note Leone had left me.
It’s gone.
My heart sank.
Had I perhaps imagined it? There was no way...Still reeling, I suddenly realized my clothes had been changed. I was wearing loose-fitting clothes, the kind a patient might wear. Obviously, these weren’t the training robes I had put the note in.
Thinking about it, it made sense. My robes had been torn to shreds in that battle on the Veiled Side.
“Ah... yes. Leone,” Alderson muttered in a quiet voice. “Yes, there was definitely a puppet like that. Of all things, I shouldn’t have forgotten... No. Wait.” His expression hardened as he looked at me. “...Luan, listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
“Huh, what are you talking about all of a sudden...?”
“I don’t know much about Leone. I don’t know if it was always that way, or if something has altered my memory, but what I do know is that my mind isn’t in its normal state. I have a feeling that soon enough, I will forget everything about Leone.”
“You mean...”
Alderson nodded. “Leone might have the power to manipulate memories.”
That didn't sound like complete nonsense.
That part, I agreed with, but on the other hand, I started to consider.
Alderson Maveur... An archmage who had lost all his power was, in some ways, more trustworthy now than before...
But that didn’t mean I could reveal everything to him.
Saying ‘I could use demonic energy’ and admitting ‘I became a high priest of the Church of Darkness’ were two totally different things.
Even if Alderson was on my side now, if he learned that I had become a high priest, his opinion might change.
“Leone might be the cult leader.”
So, once again, I chose to only partially share what I knew, and voiced the suspicion I’d had for a while because somehow, I couldn’t shake off the feeling that Leone was the one who had chosen me as a high priest.
“Why do you think that?”
“I met Leone on the Veiled Side. She helped me rescue you, and without her help, I wouldn’t have been able to defeat the legion commander.”
“That alone isn’t enough to assume she’s the cult leader.”
“Of course there’s more. The Veiled Side is, in a way, a realm of dreams. And from what I know, one of the cult leader’s primary powers is the ability to traverse dreams at will.”
“...”
“If that is true, it explains her sudden appearance and disappearance on the Veiled Side.”
Alderson didn’t brush off my words. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, as if to gather his thoughts, before slowly beginning to speak. “I guess it is not entirely impossible. If what you are saying is true and Leone is the cult leader... then she might be a puppeteer far beyond my level.”
I tilted my head at the unexpected remark. “A puppeteer?”
“Magical puppets became popular in The Empire about a hundred years ago. They seem like a relatively recent innovation, but in truth, puppets were actually a technology of a long-forgotten kingdom.”
“A kingdom...?”
You may have heard of it before: a place called Setitus.”
My mind flashed back to the note Leone had left me.
[See you in Setitus.]
[P.S. I'm bored playing puppet.]
The very nation that my Eldest Senior Brother had destroyed.
The Empire of Evil.
Somehow, I felt certain that ancient kingdom was deeply tied to the Church of Darkness.
If I get the chance, I have to visit that place...
And just like that, my to-do list grew longer.
“Cult leader, huh... Considering a demon lord nearly descended upon the capital, it would be stranger if the cult leader wasn’t involved.”
“...”
“Back to the topic, if the cult leader is truly a greater puppeteer than me, then searching the tower’s puppets or stored records of her personalities will yield nothing. However...” Alderson gave a faint smile. “I do have one bit of an obsessive habit, and that’s meticulously documenting information about every puppet I create.
“So you have it? A record of Leone?”
“My memory is hazy, but I’m certain it’s there. Look inside my desk in the headmaster’s office.”
I was surprised. “You want me to?”
“I will have to report to the imperial court as soon as I can get out of bed. I don’t know how long I will be kept there... or whether I will ever return to the academy.”
“Oh.”
“There’s also a chance I will forget everything we just discussed, and I might never again remember anything about Leone the way I do now.” Alderson chuckled dryly. “I finally understand. Dreams are personal images, individual worlds. To be able to come and go as one pleases, to dominate them, is no different from having absolute control over someone.”
“...”
“Perhaps I too was a puppet of the cult leader... which is all the more reason I must ask you.” Alderson locked eyes with me. “Luan Bednicker, go and check the records.”
I just nodded in response.
* * * * *
* * * * *
The next day, Alderson left.
Just as he had predicted, the moment he was able to move, he was summoned to the imperial court.
“I wish you the best, Headmaster.”
“Yes... I hope we meet again someday.”
Thankfully, my condition had improved enough to shake his hand.
Now with the headmaster gone, the spacious infirmary felt oddly empty and lonely...
But I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I immediately focused on my recovery.
About a day after Alderson’s departure, I had recovered enough to stand, and after another day, I had regained about half of my strength, enough that moving around wasn’t much of an issue.
But I kept that secret for the time being. I had a feeling that if word got out about my recovery, I’d end up in tiring situations.
“Here’s today’s medicine. Drink it all up.”
A middle-aged man, who appeared to be a doctor, held out a cup of medicine. I gulped it down with a grimace as my face turned pale. And for the record, I wasn’t faking my reaction.
I knew that medicine meant to aid in quick recovery was bitter, but this one really was the worst. I forced down the bitter, fishy-tasting medicine, then choked down a flavorless, supposedly healthy meal. Though it barely did anything to relieve my hunger, I had no choice but to eat it to stay alive.
After I barely got through the day’s meal, I turned to the doctor and asked, “By the way, how are the others doing?”
“Most of them are fine.”
‘Most of them’ meant that at least one of them wasn’t.
I continued staring at the man, and he sighed. “Charon’s injuries are quite severe. As you probably know, wounds deeply affected by demonic energy do not heal well even with potions or a priest’s healing... His crushed right eye is likely beyond saving.”
“...”
“Mir is still unconscious, and Miss Goodspring has been suffering from a prolonged chill. I heard she’s practically living in hot baths, which are being constantly changed to keep warm.”
It seemed almost everyone from my attack force was in bad shape.
Sellen would probably get better with time... but the real problems were Charon and Mir. Especially Charon. His injuries had indeed looked very serious the last time I’d seen him.
I felt a bitter taste in my mouth, and it wasn’t just from the medicine I had just swallowed.
“What exactly is Mir’s condition?”
“Much like Lady Seren’s, but with some differences. Her body temperature is low, but given her background, that’s not too unusual. She’s also very physically strong, so most of her wounds have already healed.
“And yet she is still unconscious?”
“Yes. Neither the doctors nor the priests can figure out why.”
“...”
I needed to see her for myself. Like with Sellen, maybe I could help speed up her recovery...
Or I could get some guidance from the Martial God.
Almost as if reading my mind, the doctor sternly said, “Young Master Luan, your injuries are just as severe as theirs. Please refrain from doing anything and remain on strict bed rest for the time being. We will do everything we can to treat your friends.”
“...”
I was already almost fully recovered, but I wanted to hide that, so I simply nodded and asked, “By the way, where are my belongings?”
“They are stored in that wardrobe over there.”
“Ah.” I nodded in thanks...
When the sun had set, I got out of bed and stretched my stiff body.
Crack, crack.
“Man...”
Being stuck in bed for days, only able to cultivate, had nearly driven me mad. And since I still had to keep up the act, my only option right now was to sneak out.
I opened the wardrobe, and sure enough, my belongings were still inside, just as they had been left.
“This is... a cadet uniform?”
They had probably left it here for me to wear once I recovered, which made sense since my training robe from before wasn’t in any condition to be worn around.
I’m probably better off wearing this to avoid drawing attention.
I quickly changed into the uniform and checked myself in front of the mirror, looking smug.
“Hmm.”
No matter how I thought about it, this annoyingly handsome face was bound to attract attention.
This glorious hair of mine was a bit of a nuisance at times like this. Maybe I should wear a hat like Glenn.
I stroked my chin, then my gaze suddenly was drawn to one of my belongings.
“Ah, I forgot about that.”
One of Headmaster Alderson’s treasures. A mask from the Linchal Tribe, a tool said to contain the power of transformation.
“This might just do the trick.”
Wearing something like this might make me look even more suspicious, but... how exactly does the transformation work?
I placed the mask over my face.
“Oh... Ohh, whoa...?”
The strangely shaped mask clung to my face like a thin, wet cloth. Surprisingly, it wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything, it felt cool and nice.
When I looked in the mirror again, a girl I had never seen before was staring back at me.
“What the—”
No wait. Looking more closely, it was a boy.
“Holy fu—that scared me.”
Anyway, the features were delicate enough to be mistaken for a girl’s.
I realized this mask didn’t just change facial features, it adjusted body parts to some extent as well.
I had now become a black-haired boy with hair down to my waist.
The overall impression was much more delicate and frail than Glenn’s.
“Hmm...”
Honestly, it wasn’t my favorite look.
Face aside, the black hair stood out quite a bit. However, like this, no one would ever imagine I was Luan Bednicker.
“Well, not like I’ve got a choice.”
Coming to terms with it, I opened the window and jumped down.
Landing silently from the third floor, I felt a soft breeze brush over my skin. I enjoyed it until the breeze touched my hair, and then I was annoyed by the wind tossing my long hair around.
I wish I could get something to tie my hair with.
The only people I could think of who tied their hair were Sharyl and Mir.
Anyway...
The academy was quite noisy right now. Sure enough, the night air felt restless.
I remembered walking around the academy before the incident. Back then, I’d hardly found anyone outside after sundown.
Now, quite a few people were wandering around under the streetlights, and most of them were not cadets, but what surprised me the most was when I arrived at the shopping district to grab something to eat.
What is this...?
I almost mistook that scene for broad daylight, it was so bright and full of energy.
Having no idea what was going on, I grabbed a passerby and asked, “Is there some kind of festival going on?”
“Uh...”
The passerby just stared at my face for a moment before flashing an overly friendly smile that the normal Luan Bednicker would never have received.
“A festival? Well, you could call it that. They say the young heroes here managed to stop the cult’s attack... Apparently, this is the first time in nearly a century that a demon lord’s descent was prevented without casualties.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Oh, but aren’t you also a cadet? Shouldn’t you know the situation here better than I do—”
“I appreciate it.” I offered my curt thanks and walked through the district, getting the gist of what was going on.
Right now, the academy had a lot of visitors. Since the number of visitors was quite high and the academy couldn’t accommodate all of them, most of them were staying at inns in the shopping district.
Since the incident was a big deal, most of the visitors were likely influential figures. Naturally, they wouldn't be stingy with their money.
That had to be why the once-deserted shopping district had become like this, almost like a seasonal tourist hotspot.
Classes may be suspended, but most of the students are still on campus.
There was no way any merchant would pass up on an opportunity like this. They’d probably teamed up to put together some kind of event.
Whatever the case, it seemed like a food market had sprung up, and the streets smelled delicious.
After a few days of eating nothing but tasteless healthy food, my mouth was watering.
Meat. First things first, meat. Only meat. Nothing but meat.
Since this was my first proper meal, it had to be good. Failure here was unacceptable.
Like a starving hyena hunting for prey, I wandered the streets. Before I knew it, my feet had carried me toward the back alleys.
It wasn’t like I believed all the best spots were hidden around corners, but for some reason, this area smelled particularly good.
“Hey, you there,” came a confident voice from behind me. “It’s not safe to walk around here alone.”
I turned around to see a boy and a girl standing at the alley’s entrance, looking straight at me.
They seemed to be around my age, but they didn’t look like academy students, and I didn’t think that just because of their clothes.
They are...
Quite impressive. The flow of their ki was controlled and their bodies were well-trained.
Even among academy knight cadets, I hadn’t seen anyone on par with these two. No doubt they had been through real combat more than once.
“It’s not dangerous,” I replied.
In return, they chuckled. “Yeah, sure. That’s exactly what noble ladies say right before they get kidnapped.”
“You idiot. That’s not a lady, that’s a young master.”
“Huh...? Seriously? But he’s so pretty...”
“...”
Who the hell were these guys?
With so many different factions gathered at the academy right now, I couldn’t jump to conclusions. Still, something about them told me they weren’t ordinary.
Meanwhile, they started whispering to each other.
“...How’s that one? Looks like a cadet from here.”
“...Judging by the color of his tie, he must be an upperclassman. Hmm... could work.”
“...Then let’s go with that one?”
I can hear you, dumbasses.
Oddly enough, there was no malice in their conversation.
They definitely had something up their sleeves, but it didn’t seem like they were trying to mess with me.
The girl seemed to be the one calling the shots because when she gave a subtle nod, they turned to me with a friendly smile.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Good question, what is my name?”
“...Huh?”
“No, never mind. Just call me Naru.”
It was nothing special really, I just twisted “Luan” a little.
“Oh, that’s a pretty name,” said the guy.
“If you say pretty one more time, I’m going to bash your head in,” I said, annoyed, and both of them just smirked, like they found it funny. They were acting like I was some spoiled noble kid.
“All right, all right, my bad. Anyway, Naru, we need a favor—think you could show us around the academy?”
“We are looking for someone.”
I looked at the two of them for a moment, then nodded. “Sure. But you’re buying me a meal in return.