76. Kiara di Servitore
Even if there are casualties, the vacancies are not filled again.
In the history of the Academy, there have been cases where students have died, but even when such vacancies occur, students are not recruited to fill them.
The spot is simply left vacant after being marked as a death during training.
Kiara quietly observed the empty seat that had belonged to Lucas.
An empty seat, abandoned without an owner.
Paradoxically, although the space where he used to sit was vacant, his voice seemed unnervingly clear as if it were still there. Always that irritable voice, commanding her as if she were merely his possession.
– Kiara! Get over here and take care of my clothes immediately!
– You are mine. You only need to follow my instructions. Don’t even think of running away!
– Kiara, how dare you… how dare you ignore me?!
Such powerful voices – now voices that can no longer be heard.
Kiara closed her eyes and imagined.
What sort of end did Lucas meet?
In truth, her last memory was of Ivan, his face so horrifyingly demonic. She saw his face, his expression, and the eerie smile that had surfaced in his expression. After seeing that, Kiara lost consciousness in a flash, struck by a powerful shock.
When she opened her eyes again, she was already disqualified.
She was evacuated with all four limbs severely broken, and only then did she finally learn that Lucas was dead.
– You foolish girl! How could you fail at such a duty?! What do you plan to do with the future of our house?!
This was the declaration made by the head of the Servitore family, her father.
As soon as Kiara had opened her eyes, a barrage of insults poured out at her, raining down with more ferocity than a storm.
Kiara couldn’t reply.
The Servitore family was practically subordinate to the Shaiskeil family, and Kiara, the first daughter of Servitore, was already fated to become Lucas’s concubine.
Though she was meant to assist Lucas, the magician who was in fact nearly disqualified, in both protecting and guarding him, now that she had effectively failed, both she and the Servitore family would be cast aside by the Shaiskeils with no recourse for argument.
Thus, Kiara couldn’t answer her father.
She merely bowed her head deeply, her arms and legs still not moving under her control, estimating in her mind what Carla might have done.
…I simply wasn’t strong enough.
Still, that didn’t justify her failure.
Her duty had been to protect Lucas, and as a personal commitment, she was supposed to dedicate her entire life to Lucas von Shaiskeil – an individual who may have been almost worthless as a human being but one with an undeniably polished facade.
That duty, however, was a failure.
An irreparable failure.
Surprisingly, she didn’t feel any particular emotion towards Lucas.
Should she say this, her father would undoubtedly go berserk, but alas, it was the truth.
As a human-to-human relationship, there was never any form of respect between her and Lucas.
If Lucas didn’t consider Kiara to be a person, it only seemed natural that Kiara wouldn’t consider Lucas as such either.
What will happen to me now?
Kiara blankly gazed out the window.
As if to reflect the ominous events happening in the Academy, the sky was thick with dark clouds, heavy and oppressive, promising imminent rain.
…
She quietly stood up from her seat.
Her emotions for him—whatever this lingering feeling was—remained unsorted, but that didn’t matter.
Whether it was called yearning…
Whether it was relief…
Whether it was emptiness…
Perhaps it could even be all three.
Regardless, there was no longer any need to dwell on it.
Everything was already over, and the place where Lucas had sat would remain empty forever.
*
After the class ended and Kiara returned to the dormitory, she stopped in front of Lucas’s room instead of heading directly to hers.
The room, now ownerless.
Even though she would no longer hear the shout of “Kiara!” from this room next door, Kiara still stood in front of the door for a long while, watching blankly.
She didn’t miss the empty seat or anything like that.
What felt strange was the thought that she’d never again see that voice, face, expression, or gesture that had once bound her entire life.
…It’s already too late, too late now.
Shaking her head, Kiara moved towards her room.
Holding on to regrets wouldn’t help, and she already had a complicated situation with the coming witness interrogation in a few days.
The atmosphere among the Western squad was already in chaos, and while she wasn’t sure about the Eastern side, the Western group was practically disintegrating. They’d lost all their Exchange Battles, and given the fact that Lucas had even died in the Exploration Battle, it was actually surprising that anyone retained any motivation at all.
“Huh?”
Kiara’s face froze tightly as she gripped the doorknob.
A faint magical power emanated from inside the room.
This was a magical power that she couldn’t possibly not recognize. Tightening her expression, Kiara slowly opened the door.
“You’re late, Kiara.”
“Lord.”
A middle-aged man in a long coat stood with his back straight, gazing at her. Though clearly middle-aged, the lines on his face revealed the weight of time passing through. He silently watched Kiara as she entered the room — a gaze she couldn’t understand, a depth filled with the wisdom of years.
“I greet you, Lord.”
“It’s fine. Formalities between us are unnecessary. Come in and sit.”
“But Lord, how could I…?”
“Hmph.”
Contred von Shaiskeil.
There was no flicker of emotion in Contred’s gaze as he looked at Kiara; if anything, it was more benevolent than the one he gave Lucas.
“Sit. I imagine you’ve had a difficult time lately.”
“Not at all. This only happened because I failed.”
She realized a bit late.
It wasn’t a request from Contred.
It was an order.
“Don’t think that way.”
The man, who had been standing, only sat down after Kiara carefully took her seat. This unusual etiquette could indicate Contred’s own respect and care for Kiara.
“Lucas…ah, Lucas is gone. Funeral preparations are underway. I heard your father was very upset with you, Kiara.”
Carefully shaking her head at Contred’s words, Kiara acknowledged that while her father was angry, it was only natural considering the situation. After all, as the head of Servitore, she had caused a major incident.
“The Shaiskeil family isn’t going to fall to this extent. And we won’t cast the Servitore family aside either. Let me have a word with your father.”
Kiara immediately rose and bowed deeply.
The reason her father had been so furious was likely his fear that they would be abandoned by the Shaiskeils after her failure. But if Contred would meet with him, that could be avoided.
“In any case, Kiara, I came because I thought you might have too much on your mind.”
“Thank you, Lord.”
Kiara’s voice trembled slightly, but with definite sincerity.
In every word Contred said, the determination not to abandon Servitore was evident, and Kiara found comfort in this.
“Kiara, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”
“Yes, Lord. Whatever it may be.”
“Did Lucas really attempt to use a potion of lust on Karla della Cascata?”
Hearing this, Kiara pondered her memory.
She had indeed heard about the potion but wasn’t sure if Lucas actively intended to use it. And as for directly witnessing him trying to do so—she hadn’t.
The last thing she saw was Lucas destroying Ivan’s necklace, causing his magic to waver and allowing her to knock Ivan away. That was it.
“I’m not sure, Lord. I haven’t actually seen it myself.”
“Tell the truth. Consider this moment your witness stand.”
Kiara slowly raised her bowed head.
Her piercing gaze locked with Contred’s own unreadable eyes—eyes like those of someone harboring poison, hiding their emotions thoroughly.
But Kiara was quick-witted.
She immediately understood what Contred was after.
“Let me ask again. Kiara di Servitore, did you know your late Lord Lucas von Shaiskeil possessed a potion of lust intended for use on Karla della Cascata, and did you observe him attempting to do so?”
Kiara’s throat felt like it was tightening.
Until now, both she and Servitore had existed for the Shaiskeils. For this, even perjury might be justified.
“…Yes, Lord. The late master undoubtedly had the potion. And he…he intended to use it on…”
“Karla, daughter of Cascata.”
“Correct.”
“Good.”
Contred’s voice silenced Kiara. She tried continuing but stopped mid-sentence, reacting automatically to Contred’s authoritative tone.
“Pointless…”
Contred paused, sighing deeply. His briefly clouded gaze quickly cleared into sharp, piercing eyes, unnoticed by Kiara.
“…Though I thought my son was worthless, it seems he has, in his final moments, at least managed to help. What you’ve seen, Kiara, make your testimony accordingly. Have you understood?”
Suddenly, Kiara felt fear.
This wasn’t about making a sharp judgment of a dead son. The meaning behind his words was more than that, and revealing it was not what she contemplated.
No, she was pressed down by a raw fear, incomprehensible in its cause or origin.
“Do not forget my words, Kiara.”
Contred slowly approached her.
Kiara, like a frog in front of a snake, could only gawk at him, immobile.
“Kiara, you must not forget my words. Do you understand?”
“Yes, yes…Lord. Of course, of course, I’ll follow through…”
“Good. You are a wise girl, Kiara. I believe you understood me. Let it be.”
Kiara didn’t reply.
And Contred didn’t wait for her.
“I shall leave now. There’s no need to see me out.”
As the exit opened and Contred stepped out, his voice was unusually cold.
