Chapter 286

Chapter 286 – The One Thing Not Permitted

Bellos de Giggas Aderian.

A woman brought into the world amidst the highest nobility.

To the common observer,

Her existence surely seemed like an unbroken chain of joy, completely devoid of anxiety or distress.

Any whim she harbored could be fulfilled; any object she craved was within her grasp.

Indeed, who would dispute such a claim? Exquisite dishes that ordinary people might never taste in a lifetime, along with invaluable garments and precious gems—all of these were mere standard fixtures of her daily routine. This was to say nothing of the widespread reverence she automatically received merely by being present.

Yet at this precise instant,

Bellos stared into the vacant air, her gaze heavily weighed down by deep apprehension.

‘……Principal Schuberts.’

The secret sanctuary belonging to the principal was extravagant, adorned with premium furnishings that would not look out of place within the sovereign residence. However, that grand display only caused a sharp pang in her chest…… undoubtedly because every single comfort here had been arranged for her comfort by Schuberts himself.

“Your Imperial Highness, I beg you not to distress yourself excessively. The well-being of Principal Schuberts remains unthreatened.”

“……True enough.”

Bellos signaled her agreement with the hidden guardian’s reassurance.

In reality, there was only a single outcome she truly dreaded.

A situation where her adversaries had completely abandoned restraint.

Yet, had they chosen such a radical path, they would never have apprehended Principal Schuberts so publicly before a crowd.

Consequently, Schuberts was likely out of immediate danger.

Even so……

“Once more, I find myself completely powerless.”

A sorrowful grin touched Bellos’s face while her fingers lightly followed the perimeter of the deserted writing table. Her pale, delicate digits glided across the polished wood.

The secret protector could offer no reply to this display.

To attempt further consolation would be overstepping his boundaries as a subordinate. Furthermore……

‘……There are no words.’

He simply did not possess the rhetorical skill required to soothe the intense misery of the Third Imperial Princess.

Thus, remaining mute, the hidden warrior stood watch in the shadows behind her.

In reality, his own spirit suffered a matching ache.

It was impossible for him to be blind to her suffering.

Bellos, a descendant of the royal line and a figure of boundless reverence—her journey through life had been anything but tranquil, regardless of perspective.

She possessed the power to achieve any goal and possess any treasure…… save for a solitary element that remained entirely forbidden to her.

A single exception…… human connection.

Indeed, the sole thing denied to her existence was the company of others.

— Your Highness, pardon my boldness, but someone as insignificant as myself has no right to stand by your side. I must ask that you never come looking for me again.

Companions who had shared jokes and casual conversation with her only twenty-four hours prior would offer a frightened goodbye the following morning.

— Your Highness, I implore you to pursue your education with utmost dedication, even in my absence. Consider this my parting request.

Even the loyal instructors who invested their entire souls into guiding her would be branded as lawbreakers in the blink of an eye, banished to desolate frontiers.

Every individual who managed to earn her affection suffered an identical destiny.

All due to a solitary, unyielding truth.

……Precisely because she belonged to the royal bloodline of the Aderian Empire.

Because she possessed the birthright to claim her place in the imperial inheritance whenever she deemed fit.

“Sir Altex.”

“……At your command, Your Highness.”

Shaking off his own despondency, the hidden warrior acknowledged Bellos’s voice.

“I am alright. There is no need for you to look so grim.”

“……Forgive my lapse.”

Covert Knight Altex quickly masked his features and lowered his gaze respectfully.

Bellos offered a gentle, subtle grin.

“Principal Schuberts possesses an unyielding moral compass. He is not the type to abandon our connection due to an incident of this nature.”

Altex pressed his teeth against his lip upon hearing her statement, recognizing that she was attempting to soothe her own anxieties rather than his.

A sense of worthlessness washed over him due to his inability to aid his master. Yet, a far deeper ache stemmed from a different realization.

……Principal Schuberts would not leave her behind.

That assertion was not directed at his benefit; it was a mantra Bellos utilized to pacify her own mind.

Had those individuals who previously crossed the immense chasm of her royal rank to cultivate an ordinary friendship been simple commoners?

Hardly.

And yet, in the end, every single one had departed from her presence.

The safety of their own kin took precedence over any personal attachment; they were forced to preserve what belonged to them.

Naturally, it was unthinkable that Principal Schuberts would withdraw for identical motives……

Nevertheless, that exact certainty only intensified Altex’s internal grief.

The more resolute a belief is, the more painfully its pieces pierce the soul when it breaks apart.

“We should depart.”

“……Allow me to accompany you.”

Altex prepared to follow the exiting Third Imperial Princess.

Or rather, he attempted to do so.

Right up until a self-conscious clearing of a throat echoed through the space.

“Cough. Well now.”

“……!”

In a fraction of a second, Altex interjected himself before her, his fingers gripping the handle of his blade. It was an instinct deeply ingrained into his soul.

He recognized the interloper a moment later……

“……Is that you?”

The features struck a chord of recognition.

Correct…… Aster?

The young scholar from the institution who had previously overwhelmed him using an astonishing manifestation of holy might. On that prior occasion, Altex had grown complacent due to the school attire, but even with total focus, this magic-user represented a formidable adversary.

Consequently, Altex prepared to unsheathe his weapon, but Aster pre-empted him by speaking.

“Hey, it wasn’t my intention to spy on your conversation…… But honestly, the atmosphere felt so tense that I just sort of found myself overhearing everything……?”

Third Imperial Princess Bellos inclined her head slightly.

Was his manner of speaking informal or respectful? Regardless, the exact style of speech was irrelevant.

Then what truly mattered?

The proposition that Aster offered right after.

“You appear quite distressed regarding the principal’s current situation…… How about we join forces for a small undertaking……?”

An undertaking? What sort of task could he mean?

While she pondered this, Altex advanced a step.

“This individual poses a threat. Your Highness, I urge you to retreat.”

Altex radiated intense vigilance.

Bellos collectedly shifted her gaze between Altex, who obstructed her view, and Aster, who stood just past him.

Shortly after, she spoke.

“Sir Altex, lower your guard.”

“……Your Highness?”

“He possesses ties to Principal Schuberts. He can be relied upon. Furthermore……”

Moving around Altex, Bellos looked directly into Aster’s gaze before continuing.

“I find myself intrigued. You implied that you possess a method to rescue Principal Schuberts. Is that correct, Aster? Ah, there is no need for formal speech with me. We are within the institution grounds, after all.”

Altex was utterly unable to conceal his astonishment at her daring choice.

“Your Highness, despite any connection to Principal Schuberts, his history remains entirely ambiguous! Please do not allow yourself to be deceived by clever rhetoric……”

“Sir Altex.”

Bellos paused and directed a sharp look toward him.

Her expression completely immobilized Altex.

“……I understand, I will comply.”

“I am well aware of your concerns.”

Following his embarrassing loss to Aster in their previous encounter, Altex had conducted an exhaustive background check on the youth.

Yet, his search yielded virtually no significant data.

Background: A street child from the Black-White Slums.

Fortunate turn of events: Secured entry into the institution via an acquaintance with the young leader of the Blandoga family.

Whispers suggested that the Blandoga household recognized his latent abilities and fostered him with great care, yet nothing accounted for Aster’s extraordinary strength.

Therefore, only two scenarios made sense.

He was either an unprecedented prodigy on par with the Blandoga heir…… or a hidden asset covertly trained by an organization powerful enough to compromise the academy, the Blandoga clan, and the crown’s own spying apparatus.

The first option was far more welcome; the second presented immense peril.

Nonetheless, Bellos reached a conclusion,

……The potential danger is worth facing.

It was far preferable to embrace the hazard and wage a frantic battle than to passively watch those she cared for be stripped away from her.

This was a resolution she had kept buried deep within herself for an extended duration. Up until now, the proper chance had simply never arrived.

“Therefore, Aster. Is my assumption accurate?”

“You could say that.”

“In that case, I will not press you for details regarding your identity. However, there is a single point to consider. Rescuing Principal Schuberts requires standing against the Second Prince of this very domain. Despite that obstacle, tell me how……”

Bellos observed Aster with her unclouded vision. Subsequently, she remarked,

“You genuinely possess a solution, do you not?”

Though she explicitly inquired about a “solution,” her true objective was to analyze his demeanor while measuring the sheer scale of the crisis.

Even so, Aster’s reply revealed absolutely nothing.

“It makes no difference to me whether we face the First Prince or the Second Prince. The only variable that counts is what you decide to do.”

“……?”

“Should you take action at this juncture, your royal siblings are likely to focus their hostility on you with even greater intensity. Are you prepared to handle that consequence? That is the real question I have for you.”

Bellos batted her eyelids.

Briefly.

Following that brief pause, she spoke.

“I am utterly exhausted from watching everyone vanish from my life.”

Aster remained ignorant of her complete history, yet the underlying sentiment of her declaration was perfectly unmistakable.

“Does that mean you are partnering with me?”

“It does.”

“Excellent, let us discuss the specifics immediately.”

Aster transitioned directly to the core matters without any hesitation.

Once the entire consultation with Bellos drew to a close.

Left entirely by himself in the vacated refuge, Aster caressed No. 1, who had delivered his morning meal, a sharp spark visible in his gaze.

‘……The vital roles have been assigned.’

Even the most justified manipulation and manufactured outrage require a foundation of genuine reality.

The next step was to discover that foundational piece.

A fortnight following the apprehension of Principal Schuberts.

Jenion Academy found itself thrown into a state of unparalleled turmoil.

With the ongoing investigation moving forward, academic instructors were called in sequentially for interrogation, and a significant number found themselves facing impending prosecution under allegations of misconduct.

As to whether these individuals truly bore guilt, the investigative team remained entirely indifferent.

Executing mandates passed down from superior authorities, they cast blame upon anyone available while methodically progressing toward their ultimate objective.

“Therefore…… the only requirement for you, Professor, is to provide a single statement. Merely claim that every action was carried out under Principal Schuberts’s direct commands. Think of how simple that would make things.”

On certain occasions, they utilized gentle persuasion.

“Professor, it appears you fail to comprehend the gravity of your current circumstances. We are not conducting these proceedings for our own amusement. These are directives originating from the highest levels. The highest levels! The influential figures you rely on for protection have absolutely no leverage against this individual. Do you understand now? Or must we explain it again?”

On other occasions, they turned to open intimidation.

A portion of the faculty attempted to defy the investigators’ designs owing to their loyalty to the administrator, but as the interrogation process persisted over days, an increasing number ultimately surrendered to their demands.

Naturally, the incentives offered were highly lucrative.

Complete immunity from wrongdoing, along with unconditional patronage from the crown in the days ahead.

Certain junior instructors were guaranteed elevated, permanent faculty status, while senior educators were promised highly secure and affluent retirements.

In this manner, the evidence and testimonies intended to ruin Schuberts multiplied as time passed.

Once a sufficient quantity had been gathered.

“Your Highness, the groundwork has been fully established.”

Second Prince Deoric de Giggas Aderian gave a detached nod to the notification brought by his subordinate.

……Commence.

Following the servant’s departure upon receiving the order, the Second Prince reclined comfortably against the cushions of his couch.

Given that he was an individual responsible for destroying a multitude of existences, his level of tranquility was remarkably profound.

Then again, such procedures were entirely routine for him.

It was hardly a momentous affair.

Merely dismantling the support network of his thoroughly useless younger brother, a task he had performed numerous times.

In truth, this move carried an even more significant purpose.

It served to neutralize his good-for-nothing relative while simultaneously seizing a vital vulnerability belonging to Grand Duke Muspellun.

“The melody has ceased.”

Following his observation, the musical ensemble that had momentarily gone quiet began to perform once more. Mild, soothing harmonies pervaded the grand hall.

A serene latter half of the day.

Completely, deeply serene.