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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Chapter 3 Juist Academy (2)
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“This is the investigation report on Viscount Chiikan.”
“Excuse me?”
Viscount Chiikan was someone Lucian was also acquainted with.
He remembered him because he had caused a small commotion with the former Duke of Pharhyn at the previous gathering held here before leaving.
“Why did you investigate him?”
“Because there are many things that bother me about him.”
“What…?”
“It was ten years ago that he first appeared in this empire. He’s a man who bought his viscount title with enormous funds and then expanded his influence.”
“I’ve heard bits and pieces about it.”
“Indeed. I had doubts about the source of those funds, so I ordered an investigation.”
“What?”
Count Shurayton had begun to question the immense wealth of Viscount Chiikan for some time.
While he acknowledged the Viscount’s exceptional ability to manage money as a merchant, it was incomprehensible how he could continuously generate such vast capital to build such a powerful force in such a short period of time.
Especially given that he had been nothing more than an insignificant small merchant just ten years prior.
Count Shurayton felt the necessity to investigate where such a large sum of money suddenly came from and how he managed to build such a powerful influence.
“So, did you find anything?”
“…No.”
“……”
“We haven’t really found anything substantial.”
“What?”
Lucian looked at Count Shurayton with a slightly surprised expression. There had been almost no instances where the Count failed to obtain the information he sought.
Given that Count Shurayton invested quite a bit in intelligence, Lucian, who was well aware of this, found it unexpected that there was no progress.
“All those who went to investigate have lost contact.”
“……”
“It seems my intuition that there’s something going on wasn’t wrong.”
On the contrary, the mere fact that nothing had been uncovered only deepened the mystery surrounding Viscount Chiikan.
“We’ll have to investigate further.”
“…Please be careful.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
“……”
Lucian also felt a bad premonition and cautiously offered words of caution to Count Shurayton.
Count Shurayton nodded with a faint smile, as if to reassure his son.
‘There’s definitely something.’
He thought, while engraving even greater doubts about Viscount Chiikan in his mind.
***
“Huh?”
“Oh!”
“Hey, look over there.”
“Oh my!”
As Juist Academy students exited their classes into the hallway, one person’s exclamation started a chain reaction, and one by one, their gazes converged on a single spot.
There was someone slowly walking towards them.
It was Sei-an, with his strikingly deep purple eyes and silver hair mixed with a pale purple that felt almost mystical.
At his appearance, everyone in the hallway looked at him with surprised eyes.
“He’s not dead.”
“Heh!”
Among them, a group could be seen chuckling and sneering softly at Sei-an.
The others also did not welcome Sei-an as he approached them. Instead, they merely looked at him with disapproving expressions.
‘Tsk! Just as I thought…’
Sei-an was not so dull as to miss that atmosphere. He had somewhat expected it, considering the former Sei-an’s personality, but seeing their reactions, he could confirm his assumption that he had been thoroughly ostracized here.
“Excuse me.”
“……!”
However, there was something he needed to ask them, so Sei-an approached the person standing closest among those looking at him and spoke.
The person looked at Sei-an with surprised eyes and showed a slightly flustered expression.
“Excuse me, could you tell me where the principal’s office is?”
“What?”
“The principal’s office.”
“……!”
Sei-an, who had just entered the academy, had looked for someone to guide him at the entrance but found no one. He had wandered alone until he finally came to where the people were.
So, he needed someone else’s help to find the principal’s office.
That’s why Sei-an approached the person in the hallway who was looking at him with the most indifferent expression and spoke.
Unlike the others, they seemed to have no interest in him at all, making them seem more suitable to ask.
“……?”
But the student who received the question looked at Sei-an with a strange expression.
It was incomprehensible that this guy, who had lived here, didn’t know where the principal’s office was.
“You don’t know?”
“Oh, I know.”
And the atmosphere was somehow strange.
The guy who used to barely speak to people and would grovel without even daring to lift his head before those with more power and strength, was now acting completely calm even in front of so many eyes.
However, the student answered his question without realizing it.
“Then, could you please guide me?”
“Oh, okay.”
Moreover, he himself was flustered by his own actions: naturally nodding and guiding Sei-an to the principal’s office in response to his request for guidance.
“It’s here.”
“Thank you.”
“……”
Kanto, who was of commoner origin, was once again surprised by Sei-an bowing his head and thanking him.
Sei-an had previously been the type to not even speak to commoner students, in stark contrast to how he couldn't lift his head around royalty or other nobles.
For him to initiate a conversation with a commoner like himself and even bow his head in thanks, Kanto couldn’t help but feel flustered.
Knock, knock.
Meanwhile, Sei-an, who had already lost interest in Kanto, lightly knocked on the principal’s office door and slowly entered.
“Ah, Sei-an. Welcome.”
Japyro, the principal of Juist Academy, smiled warmly and rose from his seat to greet Sei-an.
“I received word from Count Shurayton.”
“Is that so?”
It seemed Count Shurayton had sent a letter in advance regarding Sei-an.
“That despite the unfortunate incident, you’ll forget everything and start anew.”
“Yes.”
“A good decision. We, too, are not pleased when a student gives up their studies and leaves midway.”
“……”
Sei-an subtly furrowed his brow at Japyro, who kept smiling at him.
Sei-an felt a strong urge to think that he would look better if he just didn’t smile, and he deliberately averted his gaze from Japyro’s face.
“By the way, did your father not tell you to convey anything?”
“What? You said you received the letter, didn’t you?”
“I received the letter, yes. I’m asking if he didn’t tell you to convey anything else.”
“No, he didn’t.”
“……”
At Sei-an’s words that he hadn’t been told anything, Japyro’s expression quickly changed. The smile on his face vanished rapidly, and the look in his eyes towards Sei-an immediately grew indifferent.
“Is that so. Then you may leave.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Try not to cause any unnecessary trouble from now on.”
“Yes.”
Seeing Japyro no longer even looking at him, Sei-an clicked his tongue in disapproval inwardly and headed outside.
It was clear that Japyro had expected Count Shurayton to offer some sort of bribe, a gesture to look favorably upon his son who had returned to the academy after causing trouble.
‘He clearly didn’t investigate the Count enough.’
While other nobles might have done so, it was a futile expectation for Count Shurayton, who was far removed from the very concept of bribery.
Thump!
“……?”
As Sei-an stepped outside, his eyes widened in surprise. Kanto, who had guided him here earlier, was still standing in the same spot.
“Do you have something to tell me?”
“…We’re in the same room. I was going to guide you.”
For some unknown reason, Kanto had waited, thinking that Sei-an, who couldn’t even find the principal’s office, wouldn’t be able to find his own room.
‘Why am I doing this?’
Kanto himself couldn’t understand why he had thought of guiding Sei-an to his room.
Although they shared a room, Sei-an had shown no interest in Kanto, a commoner; in fact, he had always treated him with complete disregard and contempt. Kanto, in turn, had shown no interest in him either.
He had only looked at Sei-an, who was weak to the strong and strong to the weak, with contempt.
“Thank you.”
“……”
However, Sei-an, who had reappeared after the accident, seemed very different.
Even though it was a short time, seeing him bow his head and now offer thanks, Kanto found himself strangely unable to ignore him.
“Did you… lose your memory in the accident?”
Then, seeing that he was speaking formally to him and didn’t seem to remember him at all, Kanto guessed that he might have lost his memory. He had once read in a book that people sometimes lost their memory after a strong blow to the head.
“That’s right.”
“……”
And when Sei-an nodded, confirming his guess, Kanto looked at him with renewed surprise.
He had read about it in books, but this was his first time seeing someone who had actually lost their past memories.
“Aren’t you going?”
“Oh! Right, I should.”
Kanto, who had been looking at Sei-an with a surprised expression for a moment, quickly came to his senses at Sei-an’s request to be guided to the room, and began to lead the way towards the dormitory.
***
“Illnis!”
“What is it?”
“That guy is back.”
“What guy?”
There were several clubs within Juist Academy.
These clubs were created with the goal of diligently pursuing academics even after classes, often for hobbies.
Illnis, the leader of one such club, subtly frowned at the sight of someone bursting through the club door.
“That guy!”
“Speak properly, Rubin.”
“That guy, Sei-an, is back!”
“……”
At Rubin’s subsequent words, Illnis’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
But it was only for a moment. Illnis narrowed his eyes with a sarcastic sneer on his lips, as if amused.
“What a fool. To come back here.”
“Exactly.”
Illnis Jaimel.
He was the son of Duke Jaimel, whose family, along with the Pharhyn Ducal Family (which Behitz, whom Sei-an called a senile old man, belonged to), was one of the three great ducal families of the Cezaros Empire.
“If he survived, he should have just quietly hidden away. Tsk!”
Illnis clicked his tongue and sneered softly at the fact that Sei-an had returned to Juist Academy.
“But thanks to him, I won’t be bored for a while.”
Then Illnis let out a small laugh, his eyes gleaming like a child who had rediscovered a fun toy.
