“Prisis.”
Royce found himself alternating between thoughts of the name “Prisis” and Ryu, who had just departed.
This dinner had proven far more enlightening than expected. Initially, it was nothing more than a casual visit to meet Elaine’s friend, Ryu, the commoner and infamous troublemaker of the Academy.
“Who would have guessed the Prisis family was this active?”
Not only had Royce inadvertently uncovered Ryu’s true identity, but he also learned who was backing the young man.
At first, Royce dismissed Ryu’s story outright, but the more he thought about it, the more everything lined up.
It was inconceivable that someone with such incredible skill, as though born to surpass Academy freshmen, would simply appear out of nowhere without some serious backing.
Just for a moment, Ryu had matched Royce blade to blade, showing the precision skill of a genuine master.
Only the elite of the six great families could cultivate such extraordinary talent and dare enroll them as mere students rather than esteemed professors.
Moreover, Ryu didn’t seem to be giving it his all. Royce could sense an ease, a reserve, in every motion. He must be holding back.
“Where in the world did you find someone like this?”
To Royce, it was less about what the Prisis family had uncovered, and more about where such a capable fighter originated. Certainly, the Prisis family must have been involved, but even so, such growth at such a young age required remarkable personal talent. And what’s more, the Prisis family wasn’t renowned for its wizards or knights.
Ryu’s swordsmanship was nothing like what one might learn in the Prisis family. It was raw, unpolished but highly efficient and sharply honed through countless practical battles.
“I wonder what would happen in a real fight…”
Royce closed his eyes, recalling the spar with Ryu. Although Royce had retired from active duty, his competitive drive was very much alive—especially when encountering a promising young talent like Ryu.
Knock, knock.
“Hmm? Come in.”
“Father, it’s Elaine.”
Snapping out of his deep thoughts, Royce turned to see Elaine, her long hair swaying, entering the room.
“What is it?”
“Um… might I…?”
“Hm?”
Elaine hesitated a moment before speaking softly.
“Father, may I ask what exactly happened between you and Ryu-sama earlier?”
“Ah?”
To Royce’s surprise, this wasn’t part of the script. The fact that Ryu was working under the Prisis family and infiltrating the Academy was supposed to remain a secret. As one of the six great houses, Royce had agreed not to interfere with the Prisis family’s activities. Both sides had agreed to simply tell Elaine that the duel ended without incident.
“Why the interest?”
“It’s just… Ryu mentioned…”
“What did he say?”
“He said he probably won’t be able to visit our home anymore…”
“Hmm. A commoner attempting to goad the head of the St. Claire family. Quite the boldness. He should apologize.”
“Father!”
Elaine’s surprise turned into alarm as she stared at her father. Technically, what the elder St. Claire had said was true, but Elaine knew better. This was all a misunderstanding; it happened during the duel! Her father was usually more composed and wouldn’t react like this to something so petty.
‘Somehow…’
Elaine felt her worries subside when she noticed the faint smile on her father’s face. It was strange to see him so amused.
Had she not known better, Elaine would have thought her father was teasing her.
“Hmph. ‘Won’t visit again,’ you say? Nonsense. Elaine, make sure you bring him back next time. Tell him it’s by my direct order.”
“Yes?”
“If you tell him it’s my direct request, I’m sure even if he doesn’t want to come, he’ll feel obliged.”
“…Understood!”
“Thankfully,” Elaine thought with a sigh of relief, still unsure why she felt so uneasy about Ryu’s comment earlier. After all, she had only invited her friends out of good intentions.
“And tell him, personally, I’ll definitely teach him a thing or two next time.”
‘His pride won’t let him turn down such a challenge.’
Royce knew exactly how to handle people like Ryu. After having traded a few blows in their duel, Royce could tell there was undeniable confidence in Ryu’s actions. Royce prided himself on knowing exactly how to handle such personalities.
“Yes! I shall take my leave, then!”
With a bright voice, Elaine left. Seeing her mood so improved, Royce couldn’t help but smile to himself.
The next time Ryu came around, he’d really have to show the boy a thing or two.
“Could this actually be real?”
“That’s my stance.”
“Huh…”
After leaving the St. Claire mansion, my thoughts immediately turned to finding Yuria. But then it hit me—there was no need. I had swung by my office to ask Eddi for Yuria’s whereabouts, only to discover she was already there.
Yuria, just as I remembered her, sat calmly in my office, sipping tea with Eddi. That timeless elegance, the same composed demeanor, the unmistakable attire of a wizard—they hadn’t changed a bit.
Most importantly, she had arrived at my office before encountering Uncle Royce.
“Could this be the effect of that stat point investment in luck I made?” I wondered.
What a stroke of good fortune.
After telling Yuria about my interactions with Royce St. Claire and describing how I played it cool, she nodded with a smile of understanding.
That settled, the next step was clear. Yuria was here because she wanted to inspect the ghoul corpses I had collected from the inter-year competition. She and Eddi had already conducted a preliminary examination.
And then the conversation veered towards something I hadn’t anticipated.
“Isn’t it convenient this all coincided with my intent to investigate the Academy? Crescent Academy is under direct Imperial control, so outside interference is nearly impossible. Our leader certainly had some foresight, didn’t they?”
“Yes…?”
Yuria smiled demurely and sipped her tea.
Turns out, the story I had improvised to Royce actually wasn’t that far from the truth. Yuria wasn’t just curious; she was investigating suspicions within the Academy itself, even possessing a bit of evidence.
When I fabricated the excuse for Royce, I had no idea that something truly suspicious was* happening within the Academy.
“I’ve been a student here myself, you know. Something like this couldn’t possibly happen without insider cooperation. It’s obvious there are some traitors within.”
She stated it with absolute confidence.
As it turned out, my retrieval of those ghoul corpses had unexpectedly come in extremely handy. They weren’t initially collected with any grand scheme—they were just data points for the Black Shadow Guild. But after examining them, Yuria was even more convinced.
“But what’s their goal? I thought they’d keep a lower profile after the Sandglass heist.”
“Probably so.”
Yuria set her teacup down with an expression of utmost seriousness.
“Is… is Sandglass somehow connected to the Undead incident?”
“Most likely.”
“Ah.”
Yuria definitely had her sources. Even Eddi was in the dark about some of this, yet she spoke with such certainty.
“Thank heavens she’s one of us,” I thought.
If Yuria was my enemy, she might have already uncovered my true identity.
“If Sandglass and the Undead group are the same, this operation is bigger than I thought.”
I recalled the trouble we encountered during the Sandglass heist. It definitely wasn’t an easy operation. Erica, who loathed asking for help, had to come to me for aid—an event that highlighted just how formidable the foes were.
Had I not been there, Erica would’ve never succeeded in stealing Sandglass. That day, the boundaries we breached were like nothing I’d ever seen before, and the two guards protecting the artifact were not to be taken lightly.
Sure, maybe I was a little self-congratulatory, but I played a pretty crucial role that night.
“Yes. This is only speculation, but… possibly their goal is the resurrection of a Demon.”
“Resurrection of a Demon?”
“Yes. The restoration of a nameless Demon. Given their actions, that seems the most reasonable motive.”
Yuria maintained her solemn expression as she explained the gravity of the situation. Although I couldn’t quite gauge the scale of reviving a Demon, Yuria’s serious tone indicated this was no laughing matter.
“Hehe. Since things are going this way, why don’t you take orders from me directly, leader?”
“Hmm?”
Yuria’s expression shifted into one of cheerful amusement.
“Given my current access to information, I can be an asset not just to the Black Shadow Guild.”
“Oh come on, Yuria. You’re one of us.”
“Not entirely untrue though.”
She gave a knowing shrug, then continued.
“So, is there any real work to be done?”
“Yes. I have a few suspects under surveillance. If you personally investigated, I’m sure we’d find answers sooner?”
“Ah. Got it. I’ll let you know more about that later. But while we’re at it…”
Yuria stood up, brushing herself off.
“Show me what you’ve got, Green.”
“Green knows already?”
“Apparently, Eddi couldn’t resist boasting.”
“Heh. Fair play from her. The visuals are pretty impressive.”
“Hehehe.”
Yuria chuckled silently.
First things first, it was time to show off Green a little to her.
