Chapter 521

Episode 521. It’s Not Easy… (6)

“—Are you saying it’s a term of endearment for a loved one, or something like that?”

“Probably?”

At Alon Palatio‘s confirming question, Evan nodded while staring into space for a moment.

“It’s a somewhat old memory, but if it hasn’t been distorted, that’s probably the meaning, you know?”

“… Really?”

“Really.”

Evan nodded and immediately continued.

“But where did you hear that? As I recall, ‘Ronia’ is a word used by northerners.”

“… Northerners?”

“Ah, I don’t mean the north where the barbarians live; I’m talking about the north of the Allied United Kingdoms. You know, those villages before you reach the snowfields.”

Alon nodded involuntarily at Evan‘s words. Certainly, as he said, there were quite a few villages before reaching the northern area inhabited by barbarians.

“… It’s true there are villages even in places that aren’t Eliban territory.”

“Exactly. It must be a word used by the people there, right? At least according to what I know.”

Alon stroked his chin with a vacant expression. Then, a memory from a few days ago came to mind.

‘You know, Alon, the “me” from the previous turn didn’t call the Master “Godfather”.’

‘I called you Ronia, and you called me Ronia too.’

Recalling Rine‘s voice, Alon thought, stunned:

‘… That I called Rine “Ronia”?’

According to Evan, Ronia is a term of endearment for a loved one. Following that logic, if what Rine said was true…

‘… Does it mean we were lovers?’

The conclusion was that Rine and Alon had been a couple in the first turn. There was no reason to use an appellation like “Ronia” with anyone who wasn’t a loved person. After standing dazed for a moment:

“But where did you hear the word Ronia? In the first place, it’s something not often used unless you’re from the northern villages, right?”

At Evan‘s question, Alon hesitated for a second on how to respond and decided to change the subject.

“More than that, how is it that you know it?”

“What?”

“I mean the word Ronia.”

“Ah, that…”

It seemed the change of subject worked, as Evan‘s gaze drifted away from him while he reflected on something.

“… Well, there were certain matters.”

“Matters?”

“Though it wasn’t exactly something good.”

Seeing Evan‘s expression harden slightly, Alon said:

“If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine.”

“No, well, it’s not a pleasant story, but it’s not something I can’t tell you.”

After saying that, Evan meditated for a moment and replied.

“I told you the other time, didn’t I? That in the past, huh?”

“Yes.”

Alon nodded, naturally recognizing what would follow Evan‘s words. He knew he would surely mention that he was a fallen noble.

“Well, you see… when I was a child I lived quite well, even to the point of considering a contract marriage (arranged marriage).”

“Arranged marriage…”

“Yes, an arranged marriage.”

Since it was a story not at all unusual for a noble, Alon nodded and Evan did the same.

“The partner for the arranged marriage was, at that time, the daughter of the noble who ruled that territory.”

“… The one they say is now a village?”

“Yes. Back then, a noble ruled it.”

“… So you heard the word Ronia there.”

“Exactly. That young lady would cling to me calling me Ronia. Although in my case, those weren’t words I heard with sincerity.”

“… They weren’t sincere?”

At Alon‘s question, Evan unconsciously licked his lips. His face hardened as if it weren’t a good memory. However, his voice continued.

“I was used.”

“… Used?”

“Yes, they planned to use my family to devour the kingdom. But they were discovered early and were completely slaughtered. Because of that… you understand if I leave it here, right?”

Evan looked at Alon as he finished speaking. Alon nodded in silence. He knew well what followed those words. If the family with whom you had pacted an arranged marriage conspired in a rebellion, the fate of the in-laws’ family was obvious.

“… That’s why you became a mercenary.”

“That’s right. At that young age, the only thing I had learned was how to handle the sword… although what I learned wasn’t very useful because I was such a child, and my swordsmanship smelled too much like a noble to use it.”

“Ah, now that it has disappeared from the map, can I use it?” Evan commented with a bitter chuckle. Alon vaguely remembered that he was a noble from Ashtalon, but…

“Well, let’s leave this boring story here.”

Evan spoke to refresh the atmosphere and began to look around again.

“Alright.”

Alon also agreed with Evan‘s words and continued walking.

The next day.

Ignoring as usual Delgard, who was looking at him over his shoulder in a strange way, Alon participated in the club that Yutia Bloodia had created. In the club, whose meeting days were set at two to three times a week to avoid suspicions of being too frequent or regular, everyone was already gathered.

“You’re a bit late.”

“Is it because of that friend again?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing Yutia Bloodia make a small sound as if thinking about something, Alon opened his mouth immediately.

“Does anyone have any suspicion or found any clue?”

At Alon‘s question, the first to speak was Evan.

“Nothing. No matter how carefully I look, there are no traces or preparations for a ritual.”

“Me neither.”

“The same on my part.”

Penia and Rine followed in order.

“Just in case, I checked the design plans of the academy and confirmed there’s a cavity in the basement, so I did a covert inspection, but…”

“Was it a failure?”

“Yes.”

Looking at Rine, whom he had been looking at more than usual lately for some reason, she nodded.

“Nothing especially strange was seen there.”

“I see.”

“Hmm, I also checked the spaces where only the professors can move, but I found no anomalies,” Yutia Bloodia added after Rine‘s response.

“… Although little time has passed, it’s harder to find than I thought.”

While Alon muttered that, Deus, who had been keeping silent, looked around and spoke:

“I haven’t found clues about the ritual site either… but something has arisen that I find suspicious.”

“… Suspicious?”

“Yes.”

Deus nodded and took something out from his clothes.

“… This is…?”

“It’s a club called the ‘Guardian’s Social Circle’.”

“… A club?”

“Yes.”

“Ah, I’ve also heard of it,” Penia intervened at Deus‘s words. “… It’s that one, right? The largest social club within the Imperial Academy.”

“Exactly. It’s said that even nobles who already have their own clubs enter here without fail for ‘socializing’ reasons.”

At Deus‘s words, Alon silently looked at the pamphlet of the social circle he had brought. It was a pamphlet that, more than a refined feeling, showed it had been handmade by a student.

“… You say this place is suspicious?”

“To be more exact, I have the feeling that the conditions are too favorable.”

“… Favorable conditions?”

“Yes, according to what I heard, on the second day of the festival, the Guardian’s Social Circle will hold a grand masquerade ball.”

“… That means.”

“That the nobles will gather there,” Rine murmured, and Deus nodded.

“Correct.”

“… How did you obtain this information? I hadn’t heard anything about it yet,” Rine asked.

Deus replied:

“The schedule hasn’t been made public yet; it’s information only known by the members of the committee that runs the social circle.”

“… And how did you know?”

“One of the female students told me.”

Rine‘s eyes went blank for a moment while failing to process the situation. Penia, at her side, let out an exclamation and said:

“Surely she told him in advance to ask him to be her partner.”

Deus nodded in silence and spoke while looking at Alon.

“… Anyway, it’s not that I’ve found a physical trace, but I have a hunch that if those guys are really going to perform the ritual, they wouldn’t let the second day pass.”

“It seems like a sensible opinion. But in the end, isn’t it just students who gather in the social circle?” Rine asked.

Deus continued:

“… It’s a student social circle, yes, but they say Archduke Lolas is coming.”

“If it’s Archduke Lolas, he is the high noble of the Southern Empire. He would be practically the second in command…”

At Rine‘s murmur, Evan let out an exclamation of understanding.

“So they’re going to cast a bait?”

“It seems so. If it’s someone at the level of a second-in-command, the nobles will come to greet him to be seen.”

“… Then they will be able to put many nobles in a single space.”

“Does that mean Archduke Lolas or whoever invited him is an apostle of the Throne of War?” Evan asked.

Alon shook his head at Evan‘s doubt.

“The possibility exists, but we can’t affirm it. They could be being used. However, it’s worth investigating thoroughly.”

“I think so too.”

“Then the work for next week is already decided. I’ll look for the students related to the Archduke,” said Penia.

With that, the group set the plan for the following week and dissolved.

Immediately after Alon‘s group dispersed, only two people remained in the club room.

One was Yutia Bloodia, who wore a smile.

And the other…

Was Rine, who also showed a similar smile. After a brief silence while they only looked at each other:

“Hmm, what’s wrong, Yutia Bloodia? You even whispered in my ear that you had something else to tell me.”

Rine, who had been in silence, spoke first.

And then:

“Rine, one must not tell lies, you know?”

Yutia Bloodia opened her mouth with a somewhat heavy tone.

“Hmm? What lie are you referring to, Yutia Bloodia?”

“Surely you don’t say that because you don’t know, right?”

“I really have no idea.”

The paced conversation was quiet. Extremely quiet. However, for some reason, there were no ups and downs in the tone of either.

“Rine? No matter how much you desire the Master, it’s not right to tell those kinds of lies, you know?”

“Hmm… what could you be talking about? Ah, are you referring to the Godfather calling me ‘Ronia’?”

“My, you know it well.”

Yutia Bloodia tilted her head slightly with a smile. At that, Rine tilted hers in the opposite direction and replied:

“That is not a lie.”

“It’s not a lie?”

“No, the Godfather clearly called me ‘Ronia’.”

“My, my… Rine? You shouldn’t speak as if it were a habitual thing when it’s a word the Master told you in a final moment out of pity, don’t you think?”

“But in the end, the fact that he used it doesn’t change, right? Besides, there’s no law saying it won’t be that way again in the future.”

“Heh…”

Smiles spread on the lips of both.

“Rine, you call the Master ‘Godfather’, don’t you? That relationship is inappropriate.”

“You were the one who forced me to call him that, weren’t you, Yutia Bloodia? Insidiously, to keep me at bay.”

Rine continued speaking with a smile.

“My, keep you at bay? Why would I do that, if there’s no reason for it from the beginning.”

Yutia Bloodia replied in the same way.

“Is that so? We’ll see about that from now on, won’t we, Yutia Bloodia?”

“You’re very confident, eh?”

“It’s because, at his side, there is still no one, right?”

At those final words, the club room was filled with an absolute silence.

And then.

‘Eh…?’

Penia, who had returned because she forgot something in the room and was about to enter, froze behind the door upon hearing 그 conversation.