I Became a Mythical-Tier Tamer Due To A System Error Chapter 112
After the assembly of the Black Knights ended, I returned alone to the livestock shed and sat down in front of the bonfire.
Should I be happy about this, or not.
‘Things are just running smoothly without me……?’
It was a bit bewildering, but everything had worked out perfectly without me even lifting a finger.
‘Besides, the number of members suddenly increased as well.’
It was absurd.
Of course, it wasn’t intentional.
To begin with, I never gave any order to increase the number of members.
……Most likely, it seemed to be Nickie and Eris’s decision.
‘I should at least figure out who those twenty people they brought in are.’
That was quite an important factor.
Since Nickie and Eris carefully selected them, there could very well be key figures from the episode among them.
‘Still, I can more or less guess a few of them,’
The hint was decisive.
Not only did they infiltrate the Student Council Building without their identity being exposed, but they also managed to bring back crucial information.
There was no way I wouldn’t know whose credit it was.
‘……Curio.’
One of the Princess’s secret bodyguards.
If Curio had joined the Black Knights, then one more person would inevitably follow along like a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
‘There’s a high chance that even the squinty-eyed Luga has infiltrated.’
He too was one of the Princess’s secret bodyguards.
On the battlefield, he wore a white mask, and so he was called the White Demon—‘the Hero of the Empire,’ currently the strongest person within the Empire.
For now, he wasn’t an enemy force.
As long as I didn’t openly oppose the Princess, there would be no reason to clash with Luga.
‘But, there’s always the chance.’
No matter how things went, I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility of an unexpected conflict.
Being cautious wouldn’t hurt.
‘……Well, this episode is almost over anyway. I’ll just leave the troublesome parts to the Princess.’
I had handed over all of Rubin’s impeachment documents to the Princess.
For the time being, there was no need for me to step forward.
The Princess and Ren would use the documents to proceed with Rubin’s impeachment.
I only needed to quietly support them from behind.
‘Still, there’s something bothering me.’
The Princess attempting Rubin’s impeachment, and that succeeding, thereby bringing this episode to a close.
That was the storyline of the original history.
However…… there were already more than a few factors diverging from the history I knew.
Rubin’s impersonation of the Black Knight, the mastermind backing him, even the terror threats.
The possibility of this episode’s conclusion being distorted had grown very high.
Still, I wasn’t particularly worried.
‘Doesn’t matter. If the story gets cut off at the Princess’s end, that’s good. If not, then so be it. Let it change however it wants.’
I had already let go.
That didn’t mean I had given up.
‘Even if history gets all tangled, I’m confident I can turn it back again.’
I trusted myself, who had already overcome many crises.
And I trusted the spirit beasts who supported me.
That was why I had even gone so far as to deliberately create the Black Knights, deviating from the original history.
‘Even if the Princess fails to impeach, I can always end it with my own hands.’
Night deepened, and I merely poked the bonfire with a branch.
Royal Academy Yggdrasil.
The Princess’s private villa.
Under the radiant afternoon sunlight, Ren and the Princess sat side by side at a table, reading through documents.
“……Indeed, this information is convincing.”
Accounting fraud, abuse of power, internal concealment, kickbacks, embezzlement, and more.
It was filled with violations so blatant that one could easily mistake it for a crime syndicate.
Not only that……
“We can’t just overlook the impersonation crime either.”
Though Ren’s expression remained as calm as usual, his fist was clenched.
The Princess, noticing it, answered him.
“……Ren, you’re angry, aren’t you.”
“Remina. Even if I’m just a fledgling of the Academy, I am still a knight.”
As the Princess’s knight, Ren held his own sense of chivalry.
Absolute loyalty, honor, respect, and justice for his lord.
Yet Rubin, who had been granted a knighthood by the Princess……
“Vice President Rubin is completely denying the very chivalry I believe in.”
Ren had infinite respect and gratitude for his benefactor.
But Rubin had not only impersonated that benefactor, he had also stolen all his merits.
They say power comes with responsibility.
However, Vice President Rubin, while impersonating the Black Knight, pursued nothing but his own gains, without the slightest hint of responsibility.
“At least it’s fortunate that Vice President Rubin isn’t the Black Knight himself.”
Princess Arlhardt silently nodded in agreement with his words.
As Ren continued to read the documents, a thought suddenly struck him, and he spoke.
“By the way, who sent this information? Was it Sir Curio?”
At his question, the Princess shook her head.
“……It was sent by the Black Knight.”
“Ah.”
Of course.
With the Black Knight’s ability, it would’ve been possible to instantly expose the truth of Rubin that had been hidden all this time.
“If he collected all this evidence and sent it to us……”
“He wanted us to attempt impeachment.”
“I feel the same way.”
As Ren nodded in agreement with the Princess’s words, she continued her response.
“If I, as the Princess, accept the Vice President’s impeachment, I suppose he judged the process would proceed faster.”
After placing the documents into an envelope, Ren handed it over to the Princess.
Receiving it, the Princess stood up.
“This should be more than enough evidence. Let’s go.”
“Right now?”
“Yes. After all, both you and I are witnesses who have met the real Black Knight.”
Indeed.
There was never any sense of the Black Knight’s presence from Vice President Rubin.
It was something I could tell, having faced the Black Knight directly.
“I already contacted the Chancellor’s Office. I believe we’ll be discussing future plans with Chancellor Tot.”
“Chancellor Tot……. Yes, though it is a little sudden, I shall follow.”
Ren and the Princess boarded the carriage waiting at the villa.
Royal Academy Yggdrasil Main Building.
The Princess held the documents tightly in her arms as she entered the building, with Ren following behind.
The squinty-eyed Luga sat on a bench a little distance away, watching as the Princess and Ren went inside.
Since the Victory Festival incident during the summer, security and surveillance had only been reinforced.
It was now natural for the Princess’s bodyguards to follow her like shadows wherever she went.
“Hm?”
His eyes briefly met those of a young janitor in shabby clothes, who was cleaning in front of the Main Building.
Though there was quite a distance between them, the janitor stared intently at Luga for a while before turning back to his cleaning.
“Hmm……”
Luga continued to look at the janitor but soon shifted his gaze elsewhere, as if uninterested.
From the shade beneath the bench, Curio’s voice was heard.
“……Lord Luga, is that someone you know?”
At her question, Luga smiled faintly.
“No. It just felt like a familiar face. Must have been my imagination.”
Meanwhile.
The Princess and Ren reached the top floor of the Main Building and paused.
A massive double door loomed imposingly before them.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of knocking, the door slowly opened, as if it had been waiting.
The two exchanged only a glance, then silently stepped into the Chancellor’s Office.
It was their first time here.
The office was large and spacious.
Huge windows stretched up to the ceiling along the walls, sunlight flooding the room brightly.
Marble flooring, antique bookshelves, a neatly arranged desk.
Old paintings lined the walls, giving the impression this was far more than just a workspace.
……And on a black leather sofa, a man was seated.
“I have been waiting, Your Highness.”
Chancellor Tot Rahel Lloyd.
An old man with eyes like the deep sea.
His hair, pure white and slicked back, and his physique gave him more the image of a warrior than a mage.
Normally, he should have greeted the Princess by bowing on one knee with utmost courtesy.
But the Chancellor did not.
“Chancellor Tot. Thank you for making time.”
“Not at all, please have a seat.”
At his gesture toward the sofa, Ren and the Princess sat down.
“Chancellor Tot. As I mentioned in my message, I’ve come to submit the documents on Vice President Rubin’s corruption and the impeachment proposal.”
As if it were a precious treasure, the Princess took the documents from her arms and spread them out on the table.
The Chancellor pulled out his glasses from his pocket and quietly examined them in detail.
“……”
He stroked his short beard.
Once finished, he removed his glasses and met the Princess’s gaze.
“Princess Arlhardt, I have read the documents. However, coincidentally, a similar report has reached me.”
“……What?”
A ‘similar’ report?
The Princess blinked and waited for the Chancellor’s next words.
“It carries a claim contrary to this. That it was not Lord Rubin but Lady Klein Adin who committed the embezzlement.”
“……Not Rubin, but President Adin?”
The Princess widened her eyes and couldn’t continue speaking.
“Would you like to see for yourself.”
The Chancellor pulled out a file from beneath the table and handed it over.
Ren and the Princess read it, their eyes widening.
“……This. How, this can’t be.”
It was exactly the same information the Black Knight had sent.
The only difference was one detail.
The accused was different.
“The documents you brought hold merit, and so too do the anonymous reports. Neither can be ignored.”
“……”
The Princess closed her mouth and stared firmly into the Chancellor’s eyes.
“Of course, we must be cautious and judge carefully to determine the truth.”
“That’s too late. As you can see from the documents, Vice President Rubin is planning a terror attack soon. We must stop it at once.”
The Princess’s voice was resolute.
Only two days remained until Vice President Rubin’s planned terror attack using Bomb Beetles.
Following administrative procedures would be far too slow.
“These facts remain unverified. No matter Your Highness’s request, I cannot comply.”
At Tot’s words, the Princess shook her head fiercely.
“This is wrong, Chancellor Tot. That decision is unlike you! The students’ lives are in danger!”
“Your Highness. Forgive me, but regardless of what you say, my stance remains the same.”
Princess Arlhardt held her breath.
Then, clenching her fists, she shouted.
“In the name of the Princess of the Empire, I order you, Chancellor Tot! Impeach Rubin this instant…….”
“Your Highness.”
The Chancellor cut her off.
His voice was quiet, but carried firm weight.
Feeling that, the Princess froze, her mouth open yet unable to speak further.
“With all due respect, I must ask that you withdraw that command.”
The Chancellor’s eyes sharpened.
No matter how high her status as Princess, things were different within the Academy.
“This place, Royal Academy Yggdrasil, is the world’s only international neutral ground, founded three hundred years ago.”
The Princess, meeting the Chancellor’s gaze, broke into a cold sweat.
“Before learning, all are equal. Though this school belongs to the Empire, it is a place where not only the Empire’s talents, but also those from foreign nations, come to study and grow together.
The same applies even to those of low birth.”
In learning, there was no distinction of rank or status.
The Academy was a cradle of learning where talents from all over the world gathered.
“Yggdrasil is also…… a representative symbol of peace that brought an end to wars with neighboring nations.”
Of course, even within Yggdrasil, there had been small disputes with factions harboring grudges against the Empire.
But it had never been to the point of being called a war.
“In such a meaningful place, if imperial power were wielded, would that not tarnish the significance preserved for over three hundred years, in accordance with the will of its founder, Gilley?”
“……”
Arlhardt closed her mouth.
Chancellor Tot’s words held reason.
This was a place of learning where people of the world gathered.
If she wielded the Empire’s authority for her own purposes, peace and coexistence would shatter.
“……I was out of line.”
The Princess let out a soft breath, then spoke again.
“I apologize for showing such a disgraceful side, Chancellor Tot.”
“Not at all. Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness.”
“Then, I’ll ask you to proceed according to due process.”
Ren and the Princess gave a polite bow to the Chancellor, then exited the office.
Top floor of the Main Building.
“Remina, we’ll need to find another way.”
“Yes. I feel the same. First, we should somehow contact the Black Knight……”
“……”
The janitor sweeping the corridor with a broom.
After confirming that Ren and the Princess had come out of the Chancellor’s Office and gone downstairs, he stood before the door.
The janitor turned his head from side to side, scanning the corridor.
Only after confirming once more that no one was there did he force the Chancellor’s door open.
“Heh.”
The janitor let out a sound of amazement.
Blue mana, red mana, black mana.
Dozens of other wards overlapped, forming a barrier that looked like a rainbow across the Chancellor’s door.
Just as he pushed his hand recklessly into the barrier.
Crackle!
A sharp spark burst violently.
Startled, the janitor quickly pulled his hand back.
A bitter taste and the acrid smell of burning spread in his mouth.
The hand he had pushed into the barrier was charred black, like coal.
……He clenched and unclenched his hand, but felt no sensation.
The nerves had all been destroyed.
Yet the janitor gave no further attention to his injury, as if it didn’t matter.
Instead, he inspected the barrier closely.
“……Shit, how the hell am I supposed to break through this?”
Just as he was about to stretch his hand into the air.
Vrrrm―!
The dozens of layers of barriers all vanished.
The door to the Chancellor’s Office stood open, defenseless.
“……Tch.”
The janitor spat, his expression openly displeased, and stepped into the Chancellor’s Office.
Chancellor Tot still sat on the sofa.
“Hey, I don’t recall asking you to open the door for me…… well, whatever.”
The janitor sprawled onto a nearby sofa as if it were a bed.
He kicked off his shoes, propped his bare feet on the nearby table, and gazed out the window.
“Nice view, here.”
“……”
Chancellor Tot simply watched the janitor’s frivolous behavior with eyes like the deep sea.