NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42
Philsberg Academy’s head of the Magic Department and the Tower Master of Truth.
The terrorist incident caused by Sindri Meyer came to a close.
And then, a few days later, on one afternoon…
“Hmm~ Delicious!”
As Leje popped a well-cooked chicken skewer into her mouth, she sighed in ecstasy.
The sight of the Duchess munching on a chicken skewer while walking down the street…
Rudell chuckled, stuffing a skewer into his mouth, seeing that she didn’t care about manners at all.
“Oh, this is really good?”
The perfectly grilled skewer, sprinkled only with salt, hit Rudell’s taste buds just right.
“Right? I’m glad I spotted this while patrolling.”
At Rudell’s response, Leje smiled to herself and continued walking…
“By the way, even after everything that happened, there are still so many people around.”
Stuffing the last piece of chicken skewer into his mouth, Rudell tossed the stick into a nearby trash can.
Compared to before the terrorist incident, the number of people on the street had decreased quite a bit, but there were still many passing by.
Sindri’s terrorist act at the academy and the attempted assassination of the princess.
When considering the importance of the situation, it was only natural that the kingdom would cancel the festival and conduct a thorough investigation at the academy…
– We will double the security at the Karens Duke’s House using private funds.
– We cannot cancel the festival.
Thanks to Kaylee’s sensational proposal combined with Jade’s strong insistence, canceling the festival was virtually off the table.
However, even so, after the festival ended, the large-scale audit that would be conducted at the academy couldn’t be stopped by Kaylee or Jade.
Of course, there was no reason for them to stop it anyway.
“Well, people will just believe whatever they’re told.”
Publicly, this incident was announced as a personal act of Sindri.
Sindri, disgruntled about losing his influence as he got older, dabbled in forbidden research and planned to overthrow the kingdom with a Chimera he created in the process.
Many details remained undisclosed, but the facts about Jade’s assassination attempt and several other hidden truths weren’t revealed to the public.
With the recent intensification of the power struggle between the two largest factions—the Nobility Faction and the Royalists—spreading the fact that there was an assassination attempt on royalty would definitely benefit the Royalist side.
For this reason, stakeholders, including Kaylee and Jade, decided to stay silent about this incident.
“By the way… who sent those golems? It’s like someone knew this incident would happen ahead of time.”
“Well… maybe it was a security measure that Sindri had prepared just in case?”
The golems that subdued the rampaging Chimeras.
There were many speculations about their owner, but no conclusion was reached regarding who that was.
The golems self-destructed at the end of their use, leaving no clues behind.
Of course, Rudell knew who the owner of the golems was and how the incident unfolded, but he had no reason to tell Leje.
“Did you seriously think that he was trying to clean up the mess he made by unleashing the Chimeras? That’s ridiculous!”
“T-That’s true…”
“Sigh… I should’ve caught that guy back then.”
At Rudell’s answer, Leje let out a short sigh, sounding frustrated.
Even though they searched the surrounding forest thoroughly, they couldn’t find Sindri.
While it was surprising to Rudell, he had some suspicion.
‘Maybe he was silenced…’
While the Church might have ties with one another claiming to be brothers and family, outsiders like Sindri were a different story.
Their manner was to use you while you were useful and dispose of you as soon as you became unnecessary.
It was a cruel method, but considering that they worshiped Thanatos, the God of Death, and looked down on all beings aside from themselves, it wasn’t surprising.
Indeed, if he was silenced, it could be considered relatively clean and merciful.
“I don’t know… I just want to enjoy the festival.”
“Yeah, it’s at least time to enjoy, right?”
Leje, who had been momentarily lost in thought, stretched her arms toward the sky with an annoyed look.
Rudell followed her lead with a slight smile.
With the kingdom continuing its investigation, most Church-related individuals at the academy would soon be involved.
Even if not, since their existence had already been revealed, Rudell could personally get rid of those who would remain free.
While things progressed faster than expected, the outcome was good, so it was all fine by Rudell.
Just then, as the two walked along the road…
“Waaaaaaah-!!”
“…?”
They turned their heads at the loud crying sound coming from somewhere.
What they saw was a girl sobbing while holding a teddy bear in one hand.
“Seriously, I can never have a quiet day pass by.”
“Right…”
With a short sigh, they looked around but didn’t see any other members of the Discipline Corps.
At that moment, the two were on a day off granted by Kaylee.
In fact, they could have passed by the crying child without any concern.
However…
“Still, we’re not just going to leave her like that.”
“Right, even if it’s a day off, we’re still members of the Discipline Corps.”
Nodding to Rudell’s words, Leje approached the crying child and reached out her hand.
“Hey, sweetie? Let’s stop crying for now. We’ll help you find your parents.”
*
Rudell and Leje found the girl’s parents as the sky began to darken in the late afternoon.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“During the festival, lots of people come, so you can’t let your guard down.”
Leje crossed her arms, addressing the girl’s bowing parents.
A young child is like a ticking time bomb.
If you take your eyes off them for even a moment, you never know what chaos they might unleash.
“And you shouldn’t wander off from your parents either. Got it?”
“Okay! I’ll listen to my big brother and sister!”
The girl beamed a bright smile and hugged her teddy bear tightly at Rudell’s words. Rudell fondly patted her head, watching her with warmth in his heart.
“…”
“Huh? Did I do something wrong?”
“Nothing at all.”
“…?”
Leje gazed at Rudell with a strange expression.
Rudell asked quizzically at her reaction, but Leje turned her head with a huff.
Rudell could only tilt his head in confusion at her unexplainable response.
“Alright. You should say goodbye to your sister and brother now.”
“Thank you, pretty sister! Cool brother, for finding my mom and dad!”
“Yeah, next time, make sure to stick with your parents.”
With the girl’s farewell, both Rudell and Leje waved with faint smiles.
As the girl and her parents disappeared into the crowd…
“Sigh…”
“Why the sudden sigh?”
“It’s nothing, but what time is it now?”
“Let me check… ten past six.”
“Ugh… we’re late.”
As Rudell pulled out his pocket watch, Leje scratched her head, muttering in a huffy manner.
“What’s all this about? Do you have some appointment or something?”
“Seriously, are you doing this on purpose?”
“Huh? What do you mean… ah…!!”
As Rudell answered her, he finally realized why Leje made that comment.
“Could you have forgotten?”
“Ha ha… sorry.”
Watching her shake her head as if he were hopeless, Rudell apologized with an awkward smile.
Tonight would mark the end of the Sabbath Festival.
And the ultimate highlight of the festival, the event that defined its very existence, was just around the corner.
An extravagant fireworks display that would paint the night sky, drawing visitors from other nations.
“Great! I lost the good spot I had…”
“Ugh…”
A low groan escaped Rudell’s lips as he heard Leje’s complaints.
It’s always the case; the competition for good spots is fierce.
By now, the place Leje had in mind would surely be packed to the brim with people.
“Sigh… What can you do? It’s not your fault. We’ll just have to mix in with the crowd.”
“No, I don’t think that has to be the case?”
With a frustrated short sigh, Leje said that just as Rudell held her hand.
“Huh? What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“I’ve got a good idea.”
As he answered her wide-eyed question, Rudell started to move.
“Wait a minute! Where are you going!”
“You’ll find out when we get there!”
Watching her panic, Rudell replied with a grin, and they both started moving forward together.