Five years ago.
The Imperial Army’s special forces suddenly began kidnapping children within the Grand Duchy. No one knew why they started doing this.
At that time, I was away from the mansion, training with my master, so RENA was also taken by them.
The total number of kidnapped children exceeded a hundred. The special forces intended to take the children back to the Empire by ship, but things didn’t go as planned.
Suddenly, a beam of light shot up into the sky, annihilating the special forces. The light was so massive that it could be seen from other countries, prompting the Kingdom and the Empire to inquire about it from the Grand Duchy. However, even the Grand Duchy couldn’t grasp the full details.
The truth was that RENA, by unleashing her power as an “Apostle of the Star Spirit,” had launched a large-scale attack.
When I arrived, all the children, including RENA, were unconscious. Only the shadows of the special forces remained around them.
The elite special forces were completely obliterated, leaving nothing but shadows behind.
Everyone realized it was an extraordinary event. Therefore, I only took RENA back from the scene. Later, with the help of my master’s magic, RENA’s memories of being kidnapped were erased.
Thus, it was as if RENA had never been among the kidnapped children.
However, the Empire then launched a full-scale invasion of the three nations. The reason is clear.
Of course, it was partly to conquer the continent, but also…
The pillar of light piercing the sky. They are searching for the one responsible for it.
The Emperor of the Empire is looking for RENA’s hidden, extraordinary power.
■■■
The academy is the place with the most concentrated military power within the Grand Duchy, boasting even stronger defenses than the royal castle.
While inside the academy, I don’t worry much about RENA’s protection.
However.
“Wind from the east! Swirl with the power of magic! 【Storm Edge】”
A high-level wind spell. It was cast in the academy’s training ground, blowing away several training dummies.
In a real battle, enemies won’t wait for you to chant. Unless there’s time or the enemy is restrained, you prioritize casting quickly with “shortened chants.”
Even so, casting a high-level spell with proper power is impressive.
Moreover,
“Amazing…”
“Is she really in the same junior division as us…?”
The one who cast it was RENA from the junior division. From an ordinary perspective, she is undoubtedly exceptional.
“As expected of RENA Luvel. She really deserves to be the junior division’s second rank.”
“Yeah, and she’s not just talented, she’s got a great personality and top grades in every class. Plus… she’s incredibly cute… Lucky, right?”
“I wonder if she has a boyfriend or fiancé… Maybe I should ask my family to propose a match…”
“Don’t. No matter how cute she is, she’s from the Luvel Baron family. Getting involved with that ‘Gray Fox’ is asking for trouble.”
“True, if only she wasn’t from the Luvel Baron family…”
“But a girl that talented and beautiful is rare. We should try to get close to her while we’re still at the academy.”
Although they were initially impressed by her magic, their conversation quickly shifted to how they could get closer to RENA, typical of adolescent boys.
Well, even without my bias as her older brother, RENA is indeed talented and beautiful. However, the bad reputation of our family holds her back. Despite this, there are those brave enough to propose, but Father turns them all down.
Father’s standards are high.
Watching RENA’s training and hearing the boys’ chatter, I scouted the area around the training ground.
There were five of them. Each one completely concealed their presence.
Even with the academy’s strict security, it’s not perfect. Sometimes, rats sneak in.
“They must have infiltrated by mingling with the merchants who came for trade.”
The academy is adjacent to Undertale, so merchants occasionally come and go.
By blending in with the merchants, people from the Empire can sneak in. The tricky part is that they integrate so well into the Grand Duchy, appearing entirely unremarkable.
Some even marry and live for the Grand Duchy. The Imperial spies are that well-integrated.
Even so, such deeply embedded agents must be precious to the Empire. Yet, they’ve deployed five to scout the academy. It seems they’re analyzing the junior division’s combat capabilities.
It’s unlikely they’ve identified RENA as the child from five years ago. Still, if they gather and relay information, RENA might attract attention.
Therefore, they cannot be allowed to live.
Silently, I moved and snapped the neck of one from behind. No screams, minimal blood.
Nothing must appear to have happened here.
I continued breaking their necks, one by one, killing them without a sound.
When the last one fell, I checked the surroundings for any more intruders.
None. This was the last one.
They would realize the operation had failed when their comrades didn’t return, but it’s nothing new. I’ve been eliminating all the rats so far.
The Empire would just see the academy’s security as exceedingly troublesome.
Now, I just need to erase any evidence of their deaths here.
I incinerated the bodies instantly and created shikigami to mimic their appearances.
The associated merchants would look for them, regardless of whether they knew their true identities.
So, I directed the shikigami to make it appear they left the academy.
This way, investigations would only show they left the academy.
A disappearance in Undertale wouldn’t cause as much commotion as one within the academy.
Such meticulous tasks are surprisingly important.
But the fact that the Empire sent five valuable agents suggests they’re plotting something again.
