novelQuest, Re-challenge! (3)
| ← Ch.030 | Ch.032 → |
―That place was a room encroached by the dusk.
What greeted Kazuki and the others, who were going to report the result of the quest, were instructions for him to head towards the student guidance room alone.
Mio showed her disapproval towards the idea of Kazuki going alone, but Kazuki could imagine the reason for those instructions.
...It seems that they didn't want Lotte to be present at the place, so they named a representative to come alone.
There was no doubt that this talk was about that female soldier.
Inside the student guidance room, that was dyed dark red by the evening sun from the window, Liz Liza-sensei was waiting alone.
"Sensei, please explain what in the world is going on."
Before Liz Liza-sensei opened her mouth, Kazuki jumped the gun and pressed his question.
"We were targeted by Germany's Einherjar at the end of the quest. The other party was contracted with a Diva of Norse's Mythology, Thor. The one who was targeted was probably Lotte....This incident wasn't supposed to happen."
Kazuki reported dispassionately.
"I don't understand how things could turn out like this, but if things don't change, then Lotte will be in danger. Lotte needs to be transferred from this academy to the Knight Order, then we ought to request the Knight Order to strengthen the monitoring of the Einherjar. A firmer security is needed."
Kazuki dared to say an obvious matter stupidly.
"We can't do that."
Liz Liza-sensei only spat out a sentence.
"...Why is that?"
"Because all of you weren't attacked by anyone. Publicly that is."
The light of the evening sun from the window, cast a deep shadow on Liz Liza-sensei's face.
Liz Liza-sensei donned the expression of a cold adult.
"The name of the Einherjar that's contracted with Thor is Beatrix Baumgard. She slipped out from the lodging house of the Knight Order alone at 14:23, Japan time. She trespassed Okutama's Haunted Ground. Even without your report, the Knight Order had already grasped all her movement. Her monitoring was not neglected for even a second."
"You understand to that extent, and she already attacked with impunity, yet you will keep saying that there was no attack?"
Though that reply was just as Kazuki expected― a cold sweat ran down his back.
The attack on Lotte by Einherjar was not supposed to happen. Moreover the government and the Knight Order were not planning to get involved. In short...
"...The government and the Knight Order didn't plan to shelter Lotte from the start. All those refusal to hand over Lotte's person and the protection were just for [outward appearance], is that so?"
"Japan didn't accept Germany's proposal and respected the life of the refugee. Germany was understanding and came to Japan only for the sake of defeating their common enemy, Loki. Then unrelated at all to Japan and Germany's united front―Lotte died in an unfortunate accident. That sort of plot. It couldn't be helped if it was an accident."
"Don't fuck with me! ...There is no way that kind of forced [It can't be helped] could exist!"
"Speaking honestly, for Germany, it seems it doesn't matter whatever Loki did. Their order of priority is the opposite. That's why entrusting Lotte to the academy was only a feint. The matter of Einherjar coming to Japan under the pretext of subjugating Loki to secretly assassinate Lotte, the Japanese government recognized it implicitly. All for the sake of preserving favorable relations with other foreign countries and Germany."
"Even my encounter with Lotte... was that nothing more than an arrangement to lure Lotte to the ideal place for assassination in the quest?"
"There was no other way to preserve the balance of power between the Magic Advance Countries."
"...Lotte didn't seek power only for the sake of her greed. Didn't she do it only to escape her destiny of death by sickness?"
"Everyone knows her circumstances already."
Liz Liza-sensei just shrugged her shoulders to the words that Kazuki squeezed out.
"That girl only tried desperately to live! The nation is an enormous existence, but they are going to gang up on one girl and trample her underfoot just like that? Even arranging a forced plot like this! Isn't there any other way?"
"There is no need to search for any other way. Other than the misfortune of Lotte whose existence is trivial, everything else would work out just fine, don't you agree? ...The only object a country has the obligation to protect is its people. The current era Japan doesn't have any allowance to recognize the human rights of a refugee who came as she pleased."
Is she saying that seriously?
To agree that Lotte is not a human deep from the heart after seeing her smile...
"Someone who could let a person die because of that kind of reason is not a human!"
Kazuki never thought that Liz Liza-sensei was this kind of person who could explain such unreasonable, behind the scenes plot, without even cracking an expression. Was Liz Liza-sensei really aware of this reality?
When she encouraged Kazuki that he would be able to succeed in the quest, was she already aware of this?
"...If you can't agree, then what are you going to do? Trash."
While leaning her back on the chair, Liz Liza-sensei questioned with a testy tone.
At that instant, an obvious reply naturally floated inside Kazuki's mind.
"If the government doesn't have any intention to involve themselves in the supposed incident that would befall Lotte... no one should have any complaint if someone saved Lotte from the accident willfully."
His expression warped unconsciously. Kazuki floated a smile half in desperation.
"Even if Beatrix had the tables turned on her and she gets into an accident, in a place where there is supposed to be no one, Germany won't have any right to complain....We are of equal status in this regard."
If this was not an official matter then the story is simple.
"Don't say such reckless things like a child. The opponent is Germany's ace you know?"
"I will―protect Lotte! I won't accept such a thing!"
Liz Liza-sensei's rock hard expression... broke suddenly.
She suddenly bent her back with all her strength and released a huge sigh.
Thereupon she stood from her chair and turned on the light of the student guidance room that had turned dark.
"...Sorry, Hayashizaki. I was anticipating from the start that a student like you will say such thing."
Liz Liza-sensei sat back on the chair and said so while leaning on her back powerlessly.
"The order that was handed down to me was to forbid you and Amasaki from speaking, when you come back, where Lotte is killed while you guys survived. But forbidding you to speak is useless talk, isn't it? Moreover, I thought that Lotte's chances of returning alive was high with two people that can use Phoenix's level 5 magic, if you guys devoted yourself to escaping. Stop underestimating my student, that kind of talk."
"...So Liz Liza-sensei already predicted everything from the start... including my action... was it? You don't plan to let Lotte die..."
"You are still not trusted by anyone and evaluated too little but, you are the possessor of a King's power. Other than entrusting Lotte to you, there is no one else who has any chance of saving her. Sorry Hayashizaki. If you are really the King of Solomon― ignore the likes of the country's scheme and save the girl....I'm counting on you."
Liz Liza-sensei had already seen through that the person called Hayashizaki Kazuki was that kind of human.
However... rather than saying things like aiming to become a harem king, this objective was much more easier to consent to.
{If your caliber is only to the extent of letting Lotte die at this point, even Leme won't acknowledge you as our King. It's obvious that you have to save Lotte if you're a King, so to speak. This is the ordeal you need to pass to become a King. }
Leme's voice resounded inside Kazuki's mind. Leme was enthusiastic too.
Mio would also approve of this.
"Well then, what is going to happen from now on with regards to the previous scheme?"
"You guys keep your mouths shut and take Lotte to challenge a quest once more, at that time it will be arranged for Beatrix to attack again. There won't be any witnesses if it's inside the Haunted Ground. The role of you guys are to shut your mouth and guide Lotte once more to that kind of place."
"...In other words if we know the timing of the attack beforehand, we can anticipate Beatrix with any kind of preparation of our own, right?"
"However, you cannot take Otonashi Kaguya and the others. If the student council president is present at the scene, we won't be able to say that [Our academy's student protected her by their own initiative though―]. Nonetheless, the time to prepare for Beatrix is not long....One month. If you can turn her away one more time, they shouldn't be able to meddle so openly and the period of cooperation with Einherjar would be over. If it turned out like that, they would lose all excuses and they would eventually go back to their country."
So we couldn't rely on our senpais. And even then... the opponent was a formidable enemy.
"A student overreaching himself cannot become an opponent who can oppose Beatrix. After all, she is Germany's ace. But you are a King. Lotte's Diva is originally a Diva with considerable power. If you could use him well, then the chance of victory would appear. For the sake of defeating an enemy with your limited power..."
King, the moment he heard that word, Kazuki felt an unpleasant premonition. Liz Liza-sensei announced.
"In this limited time of preparation, increase Lotte's positivity level as much as possible from now on."
So in the end this ended up like that, Kazuki cradled his head.
"By the way, we met the knights of Japan's Knight Order in the Haunted Ground. They barged into the fight with Beatrix too, but what's with that?"
Kazuki inquired so before he left the student guidance room.
"...What are you talking about? All the knights in Tokyo should already be informed about Beatrix. To show hostility to Beatrix, what is...?"
Liz Liza-sensei knitted her eyebrow, this was the first time that she was baffled by the situation.
"Its impossible for Japan's knights to be in that place."
"Don't screw with me! ...This kind of thing should not have happened!!"
―A voice of an old man rang out behind the closed door of the headmaster's office.
"If there was even a little mistake, my Mio-tan would... ehem, my step daughter would have died! For Germany's Einherjar to attack our students in the middle of the quest...!!"
"How could Board Chairman Amasaki know about... Aah, I see. So the two knights mentioned in the report are your protégés, is that so?"
Headmaster Otonashi responded so while leaning his back in the cushioned creaking chair.
"...Those knights were the kids I taught previously. I called them from other provinces."
"I see. That bit was the only thing incomprehensible in this incident. Even though all the members of the knights in the metropolis were already gathered into Loki's subjugation team and got informed about Beatrix's movement, why were those knights loitering on that quest uninformed... By any chance, will you always rely on your former students to shadow and protect your step daughter everytime she challenged a quest?"
"Not always, this is the first time. She failed on those quest before so... it can't be helped! Because Mio-tan formed a party with a useless rank E! Taking into account that risk... this is a reasonable measure!!"
"So you call your step daughter something like [Mio-tan] habitually... I received the report about Amasaki Mio's personality, but... I think I see how that personality could take form."
"Fuh, there are also things I want to say about you bastard's training plan for your daughter, but right now it doesn't matter. Why did Germany's knight attack the students? I never heard anything about this. Don't joke around, you knew this before it happened."
"A gag order was planned for the aftermath, but there was no danger to their life. The Einherjar had been informed that the only one that could be killed was Lotte. Nonetheless, I guess there was still the risk of those battle-crazy savages going overboard, they didn't change at all since they were still called Vikings. Those rabble are really the same as the ones told about in Norse Mythology."
"Stop your bullsheet! ...In the worst case... Sheet, she got swallowed in this kind of plot because she grouped together with that kind of brat...!"
Board chairman Amasaki changed the brunt of his wrath because he realized there was nothing he could do by himself about the diplomatic relations between Japan and Germany. If Mio was not in the same party with Hayashizaki Kazuki, then she wouldn't be in any danger.
Headmaster Otonashi twitched his eyebrows toward those words.
That kid was certainly a hindrance...
It was not the same stupid reason because he had similar tastes about his daughter, like this old man.
There was no way in the world that they could welcome the likes of a 15 year old kid as the [King of Magica Stigma].
Knight Academy, Knight Order, government... all those organizations had already possessed [vested interests] regarding the Magica Stigma. All the people had already solidified their status up to this point, then suddenly they were told that they had to serve a 15 year old kid, who in the world could do that...
The power and influence of the King must be chipped off as much as possible.
The extremist like Liz Liza Westwood advocated that they [ought to support] the King. But [Reduce the power of the King], that was the consensus of all the people that stood at the top of the organizations.
"...Your knight protégée shouldn't make their report regarding the quest public."
"That's obvious, do you think we can report that kind of thing? Is there something wrong with that?"
A new scheme came to mind inside Headmaster Otonashi's brain.
"...There is something interesting from the report of those knights. If we could use that a little, we could also get rid of that eyesore child from this academy while also taking care of Charlotte at the same time. Your daughter could also move into a more proper girl-only party then."
This old board chairman also shared the common position of not welcoming the King after all.
And then the step daughter he doted on above all things could stay far away from Hayashizaki Kazuki.
Nonetheless, Hayashizaki Kazuki was also one of the students that he needed to protect as a teacher.
For a while, Board Chairman Amasaki's eyes were wavering in hesitation while feeling the weight of his duty.
But in the end― he nodded for the sake of his step-daughter. Headmaster Otonashi smiled.
| ← Ch. 030 | Ch. 032 → |