Chapter 85: Orcus [Side Story]

★ Knight Department Central Garden:

The central area of the Knight Department, which bisected the academy, was naturally a place of heavy foot traffic.

Even on a regular day, the Knight Department students, lively and vibrant as they were suited to their major, ensured that the area buzzed with activity. Come lunchtime, when movement was freer, it became a common sight for this place to turn tumultuous.

Unlike magic or other studies, proving one’s superiority here required physical confrontation. The innate competitive spirit of humans manifested in the Knight Department as crossing swords, making it naturally noisier than other parts of the academy.

Duels in the garden were not common, but not unheard of either.

However, the hustle and bustle today stemmed from a different reason. If anything, it was quieter than usual. Everyone gathered seemed to be watching someone intently.

“It’s always noisy here.”

Orcus remarked, sitting on a chair prepared in the garden, observing the Knight Department students.

It might’ve been quieter than usual, but that was only relative to the Knight Department’s standards. To Orcus, a member of the Magic Department, this place was always noisy.

Putting aside his observation, Orcus lifted his head towards the sky, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Perhaps it was because he had spent a lifetime amidst even more tumultuous kin.

With his eyes closed amidst the cacophony, he almost felt like he could fall asleep.

“Calling someone out and then sleeping comfortably here? More surprising is that you can sleep amidst such noise.”

“Try living with Noel for 17 years, Damian. This is nothing.”

But his brief respite was interrupted by a voice calling him.

Unlike others, who were guarded and distant due to the disparity in status, the voice that woke him showed no hesitation in speech or manner.

Turning his head towards the voice, Orcus saw a boy with a sulky face approaching him, just as he had expected. The boy’s eyes, sharp as a legendary dragon’s, seemed to cut through anything they fixed upon. However, the emotions in those eyes were the exact opposite.

“Why such an anxious look? Do you have an appointment elsewhere?”

“Well, something like that. So, if you have something to say, could you make it quick?”

Orcus, with a mysterious smile, scanned the surroundings and then spoke.

“First, there are too many people here. Let’s move somewhere else.”

***

Orcus, with Damian by his side, pondered over his existence. It was a practice he had done several times before, always yielding the same result, but for Orcus, who loved verification, it was akin to a habit.

The closer someone was to him, the more Orcus scrutinized and reflected deeply.

Being in a position where trusting others wasn’t easy, for Orcus, assessing whether the person before him would become an obstacle was as natural as breathing.

In this regard, the man named Damian Kraus, standing beside him now, was almost uniquely positioned next to family in Orcus’ ongoing evaluations, which often yielded varying results.

In common parlance, they were best friends.

Orcus had settled on this definition of his relationship with Damian.

‘But that’s not enough.’

Despite having verified it numerous times, Orcus continued his scrutiny.

Knowing full well it wasn’t particularly meaningful, he felt compelled to do so, especially considering the conversation they were about to have. This talk would once again change the dynamics of his relationship with Damian, and it wasn’t just Orcus’ issue.

“Did you use magic? It feels unusually quiet here.”

“Oh, these knights. I wish they’d consider the existence of magic in this world. It’s a simple perception-distorting barrier. It reduces the presence of this place to that of a pebble on the roadside. Unless someone has the concentration to notice every pebble, they wouldn’t normally find this place.”

“What an odd barrier. When did you set this up?”

With no one watching, Damian dropped the formal speech.

Even in regular conversations, his use of formalities felt somewhat perfunctory, but Orcus preferred it this way, not using honorifics. In private settings, using honorifics seemed to create a distance, and he found it uncomfortable to casually address someone who elevated him in such a manner.

“It must be something significant for you to go this far. Can you get straight to the point?”

“What’s the rush? Is there anything more urgent than discussing the state of affairs with the next emperor? Even if you leave here, you’ll just end up killing time with Lady Elena, meaningless as it may be. Am I wrong?”

“...You?”

Damian’s eyes widened as if struck by the truth.

Orcus internally chuckled at Damian’s reaction. To anyone else, it might have seemed they were sharing a secret tryst, but Orcus knew exactly what Damian and Elena did together, so he just laughed inwardly.

No matter how skilled both were, while in the academy, in the Imperial Capital, their movements inevitably reached Orcus’ ears.

With hundreds of eyes and ears spread throughout the academy, it was easy for Orcus to get a rough idea of where and what the two were up to at any given time.

Orcus couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of his friend’s flustered face, which he was seeing for the first time. Damian’s reaction, despite somewhat being anticipated, confirmed Orcus’ suspicions about the feelings he harbored for Elena.

This caused a twinge of guilt in Orcus, but he didn’t change his mind. He was confident that what he was about to say would ultimately lead to Damian’s happiness. The only choice that would satisfy both his sister and himself, while also bringing joy to Damian, was this.

“Let’s ask it straight then. What exactly is your relationship with Lady Elena? Planning a reunion?”

“Why are you curious? Do you have feelings for the lady?”

“What if I do?”

Damian’s eyes flickered momentarily at Orcus’ shameless response, but he quickly regained his usual demeanor and spoke in a firm voice. Orcus, shedding his playful air, met him with the cold expression he used to wear when dealing with ministers at the royal court.

“Don’t lie. Tell me the real reason.”

“There are many reasons. If you and Lady Elena were to be together, it would directly affect the Kraus and Edelweiss families. As the next emperor, understanding the movements of power is crucial. Well, if you want another reason, it’s because I don’t want my own relationships to get complicated. Oh, don’t pretend you don’t understand. If you’re as observant as I think you are, you should know what I’m talking about.”

At Orcus’s words, Damian’s face began to reflect an array of emotions he didn’t want to confront.

Soon, Damian spoke again.

“So, what do you want to hear from me? Are you asking me to make a final decision about Noel right here and now?”

“That’s something the parties involved should resolve. I don’t think it’s my place to interfere. I’m just genuinely curious about your relationship with Lady Elena. Hmm... if you two are in that kind of relationship, what can I do? Should I tell you to break up?”

“I knew it. Didn’t you just mention something about power?”

“Even so, it’s too much. For a third party, who isn’t even family, to intervene in such a personal matter, there’s no justification. Even if this issue could shake the imperial power, it’s a problem for the imperial family, not for Kraus and Edelweiss.”

He was showing that he had no interest in their personal affairs.

The truth was far from it, but he had to act this way.

“As I said earlier, I’m just purely curious. Having headaches over the relationships of those around me is enough, with the imperial family tree alone.”

While he seemed to be supporting their relationship and urging for an answer, to Damian, it might feel like being pushed to reply quickly.

Orcus was already half sure of what Damian’s response would be.

Orcus, considering himself and Damian as best friends, knew something very well about Damian: he harbored a near-obsessive belief that he and Elena couldn’t be together.

While Orcus didn’t know why Damian held such a belief, he was certain that this obsession would lead to the answer he wanted to hear in the current situation.

The possibility of a reunion between Elena and Damian.

If more time passed, it could definitely be a feasible scenario, but that time wasn’t now.

Certainly, the current relationship between Elena and Damian seemed different from the icy, stormy early days of their enrollment, now more like a spring breeze. Given time, Damian’s fixed notions would naturally crumble, altering the dynamics between them.

Therefore, a conclusion had to be reached now.

Before their relationship grew any closer.

Seeming to have sorted his thoughts, Damian, with a composed face, slowly began to answer Orcus’ question.

“...Like you said, it’s not a reunion or anything. We just found a common hobby, and that brought us a bit closer than before.”

“Oh? And what might that hobby be? Never mind, you don’t need to answer that.”

After all, he wasn’t expecting a straightforward answer anyway.

Orcus was aware there was something between the two, but for now, this response sufficed. If he drove the point home now, the rest would be up to Noel. At that moment, sensing a magical reaction caught in the barrier, Orcus slightly raised the corners of his mouth and continued.

“So, you’re saying that you and Lady Elena, you two have nothing going on?”

The magic reaction, which had been rushing towards them, halted at Orcus’ words. Judging by the distance, it was close enough for Damian’s expression to be clearly seen.

As she stepped into the barrier, Orcus expanded it in reverse, making it like Damian didn’t notice her approach. Hence, Damian simply nodded in response to Orcus’s question, without saying a word.

What must Elena be feeling upon hearing this conversation? At the very least, it wouldn’t be pleasant.

But Orcus had no obligation to concern himself with her feelings. In fact, if she walked away feeling a sense of loss, it would be a favorable outcome for him.

“In that case, Damian. It might seem odd to ask this after such a question, but how about an engagement with Noel?”

After all, it was always good when a rival stepped aside on their own accord.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

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