by Yuu Miyazaki
“Well, the most notable players are assigned to matches here at the Sirius Dome, so those at the other venues will probably be somewhat less exciting,” Nicholas commented.
“Hmm. That reminds me, there’s supposed to be a promising young talent from Seidoukan coming up in the next match,” Isabella remarked.
Claudia’s parents, sitting on either side of her, looked like they had come to watch the Festa several times before. That said, neither seemed to be particularly interested. As Galaxy executives, their attendance was more a matter of courtesy than anything else.
“A promising talent?” Claudia asked.
“He defeated a Page One in a recent official ranking match, taking their place. And it looks like he got his hands on a particularly powerful Orga Lux recently, too,” Nicholas answered, consulting a small air-window.
“What kind of Orga Lux?”
Claudia wasn’t completely ignorant when it came to Asterisk. If that student had acquired it just recently, then they had probably put in an application for it after becoming a Page One.
“I think it’s called the Pan-Dora or something like that,” her father answered, seemingly disinterested. “It seems to have some sort of precognition ability…”
“Oh? That sounds rather extraordinary.”
If that was true, someone with that kind of ability would be all but sure to win unless their opponent’s skills considerably outpaced their own.
“It sounds like it demands a high cost, however. That would explain why no one’s been able to use it properly until now. I wonder how this newcomer will fare?”
“…I expect he’ll have a hard time. That professor’s creations all have their own little quirks.”
“Hmm?” Claudia wondered, looking toward her mother. Isabella’s manner of speaking had seemed to contain a hint of prophecy.
At that moment, however, the announcer’s voice echoed across the arena, and the contestants began to enter the stage from the gates at either side.
According to the data in the air-window beside her, the one who entered from the west gate was from Queenvale. She seemed to be ranked, but to Claudia, at least, she didn’t look like the kind of contestant who could hope to make it very far. The student entering from the east gate, on the other hand, was the promising young talent from Seidoukan—but no sooner had he entered the stage than a disquieting murmur ran through the crowd.
“Ah, just as I thought.” Isabella, seemingly disappointed, put a hand against her cheek.
The young man was clearly in a poor state. He proceeded onto the stage with weak, tottering steps, and his face projected in the huge air-windows that ringed the stadium seemed sapped of energy. His eyes were hollow, his cheeks sunken like those of an invalid. It was obvious enough that he was in no condition to put forth a satisfactory effort.
Perhaps spurred on by nothing more than a will to fight, he advanced slowly onto the stage, activating the Orga Lux he held in his hands. The twin blades, decorated with designs that looked unsettlingly like moving eyeballs, began to let out a vaguely ominous aura.
“—?!”
At that moment, a shock ran through Claudia’s body, as if she had been struck by a bolt of lightning.
She felt as if the eyes engraved in the hilts of those twin blades had fixed her with a piercing glare. But it wasn’t only that. The swords, of course, had no moving parts capable of forming expressions, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that they had somehow broken into a wide smirk.
“…!”
Before she knew it, she had jumped to her feet.
“What is it, Claudia?” Nicholas asked with a quizzical look.
Claudia, still reeling from whatever it was that had come upon her, hesitated for a brief moment but soon regained her composure, shaking her head gently. “No, I’m sorry. It’s nothing…”
Isabella, however, fixed her with a faint smile, as if seeing right through her. “Maybe you felt something, from the Orga Lux, perhaps?”
“…What do you mean?”
“That kind of thing happens sometimes with Orga Luxes. They choose their users, not the other way around… And apparently, at such times, one can feel as if the Orga Lux is smiling at them.”
“…”
Claudia stared back at her mother in silence, before breaking her gaze and heading toward the door.
“H-hey, Claudia…?” came Nicholas’s perplexed voice.
“I’m going to get some fresh air,” Claudia responded as she stepped out of the VIP room.
She heard later that the young man from Seidoukan suffered an overwhelming defeat.
“…I see. Good work.” Having listened to their report, Ernest Fairclough thanked the three men standing before him and then let out a deep sigh.
The three men each wore the white gilded robes and geometrical masks of Inquisitors from Sinodomius, Saint Gallardworth Academy’s intelligence organization.
Sinodomius was said to be the only intelligence organization associated with Asterisk’s six schools that concerned itself purely with collecting information, while refraining from all other kinds of clandestine activity. As student council president, however, Ernest was well aware that that was merely the group’s public face. It was precisely through his use of them, and because they were willing to do what had to be done, that he was able to hold sway over all of Gallardworth, the good and the bad.
However, that often wasn’t an easy thing to reconcile with the cost demanded by his Orga Lux, the Lei-Glems.
But now, after hearing the Inquisitors’ report, he couldn’t help worrying about what kind of effect it could have on his blade.
“Good morning,” a voice said, followed by three knocks on the door to his office. “I’m coming in, Ernest.”
Laetitia Blanchard, the student council vice president, entered the room. Behind her was the other vice president, Kevin Holst; the student council secretary, Percival Gardner; and the student council treasurer, Lionel Karsch.
These five individuals, Ernest included, formed Saint Gallardworth Academy’s student council, in addition to the academy’s top five Page Ones.
While there were also, of course, support staff that handled much of the necessary administrative work, Gallardworth was essentially governed by these five individuals.
“Come on, Ernest, you could have just left it to us and taken a day off for once. What do you think you’re doing, working this early in the morning? You should try looking after yourself—” Laetitia, known for her charitableness and refined character, swallowed her words upon setting eyes on the three robed men, her face twisting in a deep frown. Her hatred for the Inquisitors knew no bounds.
She looked away from the three figures as they filed out of the room, before finally turning to Ernest once they had closed the door behind them. “…Something must have happened for three of them to come here at this time of day. What is it?”
It was no exaggeration to call the hour early. The morning sun had only just begun to peek through the window on the room’s east side, accompanied by the chirps of birds announcing the beginning of a new day.
“Let’s not worry about that now,” Ernest said, dodging the question and turning to the beautiful young woman dressed in a boy’s uniform. “More importantly, your report, Percival.”
“Understood,” she began, before reading out the list of the day’s tasks. “On this morning’s schedule, the first task is to look over several documents, confirm the next official ranking-match pairings, address the supplementary budget of the Association of Humanities Clubs, evaluate and respond to the requests carried over from yesterday, and…”
“…Looks like today’s gonna be another long one. If only I’d been able to get some proper sleep,” Kevin said, putting his hands behind his head and letting out an exaggerated yawn while Percival continued with her report.
Kevin was a slim, handsome man, and, unusually for one of Gallardworth’s knights, of somewhat frivolous character. Moreover, he was invol
ved in a seemingly endless litany of stories involving romances with women both within and outside of the academy. But historically speaking, at least, that sort of thing went hand in hand with knighthood, so it couldn’t exactly be said that he was unworthy of the title.
Moreover, Ernest couldn’t deny that there was a part of him that liked Kevin’s lighthearted approach to life.
That personality was a stark contrast to that of the large man standing next to him. “…You shameless fool. Can’t you hold yourself straight in the mornings at least?” Lionel scoffed, looking down at him sternly.
Lionel, in sharp contrast to Kevin, was serious to a fault, the epitome of the kind of person who forever remained sober and honest. Graced with a gallant fighting style that had earned him the alias of Royal Spear, he paid such meticulous attention to form and strategy, even in every aspect of his own daily life, that he could well be called the cornerstone of the student council.
“What do you expect? I had to go to three separate parties yesterday, so of course, I’m exhausted.”
“I don’t have the slightest interest in your obscene private life, but it will reflect on all of us if it interferes with your duties.”
“As a knight, I have a responsibility to answer when called on by a lady. Aren’t you the one who’s taking that a little lightly, Leo?”
“Are you trying to talk your way out of things again?”
“Not really. I’m just saying it like it is.”
Just as the two men were about to truly start quarreling, the sound of a gunshot suddenly rang out.
“…Did either of you hear a single thing I just said?” Percival had activated her pistol-type Lux, firing it directly into the ceiling. “Next time, I’ll be aiming at you,” she warned them both coldly.
Kevin and Lionel fell silent, waving their hands in surrender. They knew full well just how serious she was when it came to her reports.
“…Got it, Percy. My—our bad, right, Leo?”
“…Exactly. Sorry about that, Gardner.”
“Then I shall continue,” Percival replied, returning to her list of tasks as if nothing had happened. Her Lux, however, remained activated and ready for use.
Laetitia, on the other hand, glanced up at the fresh hole in the ceiling tiredly. “…Why on earth does she have to be so quick to pull the trigger…?” she murmured under her breath.
“Ha-ha… Well, that’s just how she is,” Ernest replied with a quiet laugh.
And it was no doubt precisely because that was how she was that the Holy Grail had chosen her as its user.
With the day’s work finally apportioned between them, and after hearing each of the other members’ own reports, they hurried to their respective offices.
That is, everyone except Laetitia, who remained where she was, glaring at Ernest.
“Come now, why are you making such a face, Laetitia?”
“Don’t play dumb,” she said brusquely. “You were going to tell me about the Inquisitors.”
Was I, now? Ernest wondered, before folding his hands behind his head and sinking deep into thought. Realizing that there was probably no getting out of it, he decided, albeit reluctantly, to confide in her: “You’re the person I least wanted to tell, but all right… It looks like Galaxy is making their play. It’s been confirmed by Sinodomius’s highest sources.”
“They are…?”
“Yes. Their operations unit seems to have already entered the city.”
At this, Laetitia’s expression turned pale. “They wouldn’t…!”
“Judging by the situation, it looks like they would. Their target is undoubtedly Miss Enfield.”
“But now, after all that…?” Laetitia’s voice trembled in disbelief.
Ernest could understand her shock.
He didn’t know precisely why, but it was clear that Claudia was trying to antagonize Galaxy. Whatever the issue was, it had to have something to do with that professor she had mentioned during her interview several days prior, Ladislav Bartošik with the Jade Twilight Incident.
But Ernest hadn’t expected Galaxy to resort to such measures over that. They obviously didn’t want Ladislav’s relationship with them to become common knowledge, but even so, all that was in the past now. On the contrary, dealing with Claudia in such an extreme fashion, just when the other five integrated enterprise foundations had begun to be extra vigilant toward them, was all but guaranteed to act against their interests.
If they were to delay things, even just for a little while, they would be able to deal with her quietly, without exacerbating the matter. And yet, they had chosen such a drastic approach.
Ernest sat with his hands folded, deep in thought. Perhaps she knows more than she’s letting on…? Something that Galaxy can’t afford to overlook…?
In any event, now that it had come to this, it could be assumed that Gallardworth’s parent organization, the IEF Elliott-Pound, would be watching carefully. With Galaxy moving against the leader of their own academy’s star team right in the middle of the Gryps, Elliott-Pound would be observing them with the highest vigilance. The same would apply, no doubt, to the other foundations, too.
Eliminating Claudia was a sudden change in policy, considering how much effort Galaxy had put into protecting her up till now, but it was the most plausible theory.
Even putting the Gryps aside, if Galaxy was to carry out such a plot, that would still provide their competitors with other opportunities to take advantage of. After all, the assassination of the student council president of one’s own school right in the middle of the Festa was unprecedented. Of course, they wouldn’t be so sloppy as to leave any obvious evidence leading back to them, but they wouldn’t be able to completely conceal what had happened, either, and that alone would be enough for the other foundations to act upon. It would be a particularly advantageous card to hold against Galaxy should anything pop up in the future.
And if, by chance, Claudia was to survive, and go on to win the Festa, and meet with Ladislav as per her wish, that, too, would likely reveal new weaknesses that could be manipulated in turn.
No matter how one looked at it, as far as the other foundations were concerned, the best thing to do would be to wait it out and do nothing.
However—
“I… I won’t let them…!” Laetitia piped up, her fists clenched. She was biting her lip so hard that she looked as if she might draw blood.
She pulled her mobile out of her pocket, her trembling fingers initiating a call.
“…Agh! Why won’t it connect?!”
She must have tried to contact Claudia, but the call hadn’t gone through. Or perhaps, Ernest wondered, Claudia was no longer able to answer.
“It’s highly likely that Sinodomius will have taken note of that. If you’re going to contact her, you need to do so properly and refrain from doing anything that might compromise you both.”
“Ugh…!” Laetitia fretted, chewing her nails in worry.
Her eyes were burning with anger, but Ernest couldn’t tell whether it was directed at Galaxy or Claudia.
Or perhaps both of them.
“Is that righteous indignation at Galaxy’s disreputable course of action, Laetitia?” Ernest pressed. “Or is it due to your own prideful quest for revenge?”
“Th-that’s…,” Laetitia stammered.
He didn’t know exactly what kind of relationship the two had, but it was clear enough that, for Laetitia, Claudia occupied a very special place in her heart.
Laetitia didn’t seem willing to disclose it, however.
“Very well. I will try to look into this myself, as well.”
“Huh?” Laetitia looked up at him in surprise. “B-but if you do that, given your position…”
Laetitia seemed to have already understood that Elliott-Pound would adopt a wait-and-see attitude. As the student council president, Ernest was, of course, unable to act against the interests of the school’s parent organization. If he did and was found out, he would be
unable to avoid disciplinary action.
And yet—
“He who holds the title of Pendragon cannot turn a blind eye to a lady in need. Of course, that goes for my personal feelings, too.”
“…Do you have a plan?”
“I’m afraid that, just like you said, my position doesn’t afford me many options.”
Laetitia pursed her lips in annoyance. “What on earth are you saying?”
“Now, now, let me finish. I might not have a plan or any real options, but I do have an idea.”
“Go on.”
“I’ll need someone else to make the first move.”
Laetitia cocked her head to one side.
She didn’t appear to have made the connection.
“You’ve been dying to have a rematch against Miss Enfield, but there’s someone else who has also been looking forward to a match against her team, isn’t there, now?”
“Ah…!” As he had expected, that hint had been enough for her to connect the dots. “R-right, she might just be willing to ignore the foundations… But are you sure she’ll do what you’re thinking?”
“Come now, I myself offered her no small amount of assistance during the school fair. It’s about time she returned the favor. I’m sure she’ll have no complaints,” he said with a light smile as he reached for the device on his desk. “And besides, if I use the hotline, not even Sinodomius will have an easy time listening in.”
“Oh-ho, so you want to use me, do you? You’ve more gall than I thought, Pendragon.” Xinglou Fan let out a dry laugh as she gazed at the handsome face projected in the air-window.
“My apologies if I offended you, princess.”
In the audience chamber of Jie Long Seventh Institute’s Hall of the Yellow Dragon, Xinglou, having just finished her morning training, was sitting on a chair that was unnaturally large, especially in proportion to her small body.
Hufeng, crouching down beside her with a hand on his knee, found himself praying that his impulsive and uninhibited master wouldn’t stick her nose into something that didn’t concern them.
