Chapter 515

Episode 515. A… cademy? (7)

Alon Palatio observed the scene before him with a blank stare. There stood Yutia Bloodia, maintaining her eternal smile. She wasn’t the usual white-haired, red-eyed woman; now she sported black hair and black eyes. Even her physical appearance was different. While the original Yutia Bloodia looked more like a girl, the woman before his eyes looked considerably more mature.

However, Alon was certain it was her. Even if her appearance and her mana—which couldn’t be felt before—had changed, her characteristic atmosphere remained intact. Furthermore, seeing Penia, who a moment ago was clinging to his arm very happily, trembling like a leaf, finished confirming it. Penia had always been terrified of Yutia Bloodia.

“—First, how about we change the seats a bit?” said Professor Stonia, directing a strange smile toward Penia.

Penia, shivering with fear, was about to nod mechanically when…

—Ah!

She let out a small exclamation as if remembering something and looked at Professor Stonia—or rather, Yutia Bloodia—with trembling eyes. She seemed to be processing something urgently. After a couple of seconds of tension:

“—M-me?” Penia asked. In her gaze, there was a desperate determination. But…

“—No, do you think I would only move the young lady of the Colina family? Everyone must change places.”

Yutia Bloodia replied with her usual smile and took out a paper she had brought with her.

“—Well, come to the front to confirm your new spots and sit accordingly, yes?”

She said kindly. Alon observed Yutia’s seating map while listening to the murmur of the students passing to the front. His seat hadn’t changed: he was still in the first row of the magic class. He had sat there to project an image of a diligent student, and there he remained fixed. In contrast, Rine and Penia…

“—Professor…”

“—Yes? What is it?”

“—… Why am I in the last row?” Penia asked. She was in the farthest corner.

“—It is by order of academic merit,” Professor Stonia (Yutia Bloodia) replied, smiling.

“—… By merit?” Penia retorted. “But we haven’t even had any exams yet!”

“—It’s because of the entrance exam results, you know?”

“—But I, in the entrance exam—”

“—By academic merit.”

“—The exam—”

“—Merit.”

Penia made a face that said, “were there even entrance grades?”. However, noticing that the other students didn’t suspect anything, she let out a sigh of resignation. Then, Rine spoke:

“—Professor.”

“—Yes, tell me.”

“—I don’t have good eyesight, so I would like to sit further forward.”

“—Yes, the ideal would be in the center.”

“—That’s true. Then, I will let you sit in the center.”

Yutia Bloodia moved a finger elegantly. As if by magic, Alon’s name disappeared from its original spot and Rine‘s name was written over it.

“—Ready?”

“—… It seems fine to me to be in the seat next to it,” Rine suggested.

“—Don’t be modest. Student Alon can sit in the far side seat.”

Since the classroom had a diagonal structure, Yutia Bloodia placed Alon’s name in the spot closest to the teacher’s desk. Seeing this, Rine and Penia lowered their heads in unison.

“—Well, shall we begin?” Yutia Bloodia said with a smile that seemed to have grown deeper.

Time passed, and Yutia Bloodia, under her disguise as a professor, conducted the magic lesson surprisingly smoothly. Upon finishing:

“—Well, today’s class ends here.”

Yutia concluded the session and added:

“—You three, stay for a moment. I am glad to see my former disciples after so long.”

She addressed Alon, Rine, and Penia. Alon wore an expression of doubt for an instant, but soon understood it was part of the background invented by Yutia and nodded.

“—Shall we start by speaking only with student Alon?” she asked.

“—… Only with me?”

“—Yes, since he is my most beloved disciple, I would like to catch up with him alone.”

“—Said like that, it sounds quite offensive to us,” Rine replied immediately.

However, Yutia Bloodia maintained her imperturbable smile at Rine‘s reaction.

“—Oh, really?”

“—Yes.”

“—But what can one do. It’s the truth.”

She replied. It was a rhetorical question that seemed to say, “And what are you going to do about it?”. Rine and Penia looked at her with stupefaction, but Yutia looked away, giving them to understand that their opinion no longer mattered to her.

“—Well, shall we go?” she said, walking alongside Alon.

Click.

As soon as they entered Professor Stonia’s private office:

“—Yutia.”

Alon called her, and she, after clearing her throat as if adjusting her tone of voice, smiled at him.

“—Oh, did you recognize me, Master?”

“—… How could I not?”

At Alon’s words, Yutia let out a small laugh of satisfaction. Alon observed her in silence for a moment and then threw out the question that was circling his head:

“—How did you get here?”

It was a mandatory question, given that his undercover presence at the academy was a state secret.

“—Don’t worry too much, Master. Actually, I suspected you might be here, but I wasn’t sure until I saw you.”

“—You didn’t know…?”

“—No. I came because The Wanderer instructed me to head to this place. Of course, for the disguise, I received help from the Prince.”

Alon remained silent. If it was as Yutia Bloodia said, her presence there made sense.

“—And just in case, don’t worry about our relationship. It turns out Professor Stonia really was the magic teacher for the children of the northern nobility.”

“Probably no one will suspect a thing,” she added, smiling. Alon nodded, but didn’t stop staring at her.

“—Why are you looking at me like that, Master?” Yutia Bloodia asked in a soft voice.

Alon hesitated. He thought that perhaps it wasn’t the right time to interrogate her, but his curiosity was stronger.

“—… Yutia.”

“—Yes, Master.”

“—Can I ask you something?”

“—What is it about?”

“—Contanias told me that you taught him how to create the Consecration Matrix. Is it true?”

Yutia Bloodia nodded.

“—Mmm… yes, it’s true.”

“—… How did you know how to do it?”

She replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world:

“—The Wanderer taught me.”

“—… The Wanderer?”

“—Yes. In fact, my bond with the Prince began at that moment.”

Alon put on a complex expression. Her words had no cracks, apparently. But if he thought about it a bit, something didn’t add up. After all, The Wanderer had spoken to Alon as if he knew nothing about the Consecration Matrix.

Alon observed Yutia Bloodia. She was still smiling, waiting for his response. He had to choose: press her more now or leave it for later. He chose the latter. The most important thing in this situation wasn’t that.

“—… Did you ever get to meet the real Professor Stonia?”

“—Professor Stonia?”

“—Yes.”

According to Evan‘s information, she was linked to the Religion of War. At Alon’s question, Yutia Bloodia nodded.

“—Yes. In fact, although it sounds funny, I chose her identity precisely to investigate.”

“—… To investigate?”

“—Yes. I have discovered that she has links to the Religion of War.”

“—!”

At Alon’s surprise, she smiled and added:

“—How about we bring the other two in and we all talk together?”

She snapped her fingers as if she had planned it beforehand and, in that instant…

Click.

“—Aaaah!”

Rine and Penia, who were leaning against the door listening, fell into the room.

“—Ahem…”

Both began to fiddle with their hair, embarrassed. After their accidental entry:

“—… Are you saying that Professor Stonia is a follower of the Religion of War?”

“—Yes. Although to be exact, she has only been brainwashed.”

Alon summarized the first piece of information from Yutia Bloodia.

“—So, with the exception of the Apostles, all members of the Religion of War are under mind control?”

“—Exactly. Basically, they are nothing more than manipulated pawns. That’s why, to obtain real information, we must capture the Apostle of War.”

“—… This is getting complicated.”

Alon felt frustrated confirming that the level of manipulation was so absolute.

“—But among the information I obtained, there is something useful,” Yutia Bloodia continued.

“—… Oh, really?”

“—Yes, although for now it’s just a guess. Professor Stonia is just a pawn, but it seems they use her frequently to transmit information among them.”

“—… Information transmission?”

“—Yes. I found data in the letters she sent. Of course, they won’t suspect a thing; I only intercepted the letters, copied them, and let them continue their course.”

She pulled out a sheet of paper and showed it to him.

“—… ‘Execute when there is the greatest crowd of people…?'”

The letter contained only that line. A single phrase about acting when there were more people. And then:

“—… I see, it’s about that,” Rine nodded in understanding.

“—Have you discovered something?”

“—Yes, Godfather. The academy will celebrate the ‘Great Imperial Festival’ next month. It is a three-day festival in honor of the Ancestor emperor who founded the academy. It gathers the royal family and all the high nobility. It is a massive event.”

“—And the goal of the Religion of War is to gather as many followers as possible, right?” Penia added.

Alon understood immediately. And he also understood why they wanted to perform the ritual at the academy.

“—… They plan to annihilate the nobility and the royalty to devour the citizens of the Empire?”

“—Whether they plan to use them after brainwashing them or kill them all before moving, the goal is the same,” Rine said.

Yutia Bloodia nodded.

“—They will probably kill them all. It’s easier to take control if you cut off the heads first.”

“—… This is vital information.”

“—Don’t mention it.”

Yutia Bloodia smiled, though with an air of self-satisfaction.

“—… We will discuss this further when we are all gathered. We still haven’t located the exact place of the ritual.”

Alon decided to end the meeting. He wanted to continue debating, but they had already been in her office for too long.

“—See you soon.”

“—Yes. I will strive to gather us all in a way that doesn’t raise suspicion,” Yutia Bloodia replied.

Just as Alon, the last one to leave, was about to cross the door, Yutia gently held his sleeve.

“—?” Alon looked at her strangely.

Yutia gestured for him to come closer. When Alon, bewildered, leaned his head toward her lips, she whispered in his ear:

“—Master. The real answer to your previous question… I will give it to you the next time we are alone.”

“—!”

Alon looked at her in surprise. She was still smiling, but Alon noticed something different.

“—It’s just that… I don’t want to be a liar with the Master.”

He felt anxiety in her smile.

“—Truly.”

Even though the smile didn’t disappear, her eyes trembled slightly, as if seeking Alon’s approval. Before that image… Alon could only nod in silence.