Kingdom of Lies

by Yuri Kitayama

  After class...

  “That was wonderful, Professor Celia! It’s no wonder they call you the ‘Genius of the Royal Academy.’ Your profound opinions greatly moved me!” Stewart breathed, approaching Celia after class to offer his emotionally-charged opinion.

  “Ahaha... Thank you,” Celia said with a forced laugh. Meanwhile, Rio was trying to pack up his things as quickly as possible to leave the room, but...

  “Oh! Rio—” Celia attempted to call out to him, but Stewart rudely interrupted her.

  “Hey, commoner. Why are you taking this class when you can’t even use magic? The only thing you have going for your is that silver tongue and brute strength.”

  Rio stopped and turned around to face Stewart. “I may be unable to acquire magic, but I am still capable of sorcery.” This kind of conflict was a daily occurrence for Rio; as usual, he simply shrugged it off.

  “That’s not what I mean. I’m referring to the fact that having despicable filth like you in the room poses a danger to the young women here,” Stewart expressed in clear disdain.

  “I haven’t the faintest intentions of attempting such befouling actions...” Rio shook his head flatly.

  Status, lineage, honor, income: those were the factors that noble daughters considered when seeking a marriage partner. Their entire purpose, one forced onto the girls since birth, was to marry a socially distinguished partner. However, a noble twelve-year-old girl was still just a twelve-year-old girl, so the reality was that many of them were simply more interested in outward appearances than matters of matrimony.

  As far as Rio was concerned, he still had a youthful innocence left in his naturally androgynous appearance that had only grown more prominent with the passage of time. Now that he had reached his senior school years, female students would approach him because of his alluring appearance and the sense of rebellion that he seemed to exude. Rio ignored each and every one of those advances, which resulted in unfounded rumors being spread out of resentment. Stewart most likely ate those rumors up with enthusiasm when they were being spread, but they had eventually died down. Or so Rio thought...

  “Do not deceive us. There have been recent rumors that you’ve been tricking the girls in my grade,” Stewart said clearly. Rio looked at him in confusion.

  “Trick them? I haven’t the slightest recollection of such things...”

  Could he be referring to the letter he received from that female student the other day? But he hadn’t tricked her at all... Rio firmly shook his head.

  “Hmph. Don’t get full of yourself. You may have been the only one to triumph against a knight during the tournament, but that was just a fluke. You got lucky.” Stewart continued to argue against Rio, who easily shrugged the statements off.

  The truth was that recently, unbeknownst to Rio, female underclassmen were starting to hold him in a higher regard — all because of his tournament match.

  “I am more than aware of that fact.”

  “Then don’t step out of line, especially in front of me. Commoners should know their place. You’re an eyesore.”

  “I understand. Then I shall endeavor to remain inconspicuous during my classes with you.” Rio bowed to please Stewart, but he remained irritated nonetheless.

  “Hmph. You should stop attending the classes that we share altogether,” Stewart said, causing the room to fall silent.

  “Mr. Stewart, that’s enough!” Celia interrupted in an angry voice. She had been holding back from intervening out of caution over the possible consequences, but it had escalated to a degree she could no longer overlook.

  “Are you siding with him, Professor?” Stewart asked with a sullen expression.

  “You are a noble, are you not? Then you must know not to attack others without conclusive evidence. What you are doing now is bullying the weak, plain and simple,” Celia reprimanded firmly.

  “Once something happens it will be too late! There are even rumors he’s been making passes at you, Professor,” Stewart insisted.

  “Nothing of the sort has ever happened, and as a teacher I would never allow such indecent relations to happen in my classroom anyway,” Celia stated resolutely. Her intensity made Stewart reluctantly back off.

  “...If you insist, Professor.”

  He shot Rio a glare and left... but not without a final comment to keep him in check.

  “Remember this, commoner. If you mess up, you’ll be making an enemy of my family — the House of Duke Huguenot.”

  “I shall keep that in mind,” Rio replied. He bowed once to Celia, then left the room.

  ◇◇◇

  The morning of the outdoor drill.

  Armed students clad in the uniform of the Royal Academy of Beltrum gathered in a mountain forest area northeast of the capital, two hours away via enchanted airship. There were ten people to a squad, and Rio’s squad was currently holding their pre-drill briefing.

  “I will now read out the drill details.”

  Alphonse Rodan was the commander and leader of Rio’s squad. Other notable members included Christina, Roanna, Flora, and Stewart.

  “This drill takes place during a hypothetical war where an enemy has invaded our kingdom. Our small squad was dispatched to stop the enemy’s troops, but we must retreat from the battlefield by making our way through the mountain forest. In order to avoid our pursuers, speed and covertness is of the utmost importance.” Alphonse opened the map in his hands as he explained.

  “The time limit is until sunset today. If we miss that deadline, we’ll lose a lot of points. It goes without saying, then, that the faster we arrive the better.” The drill results had no effect on graduation itself, but receiving good grades for it would be beneficial to those entering the military afterwards.

  “And so, ladies and gentlemen, we will be arriving just after noon,” Alphonse announced confidently.

  “Just a moment, please,” Roanna objected with a clouded expression. “That might be possible if we assumed a straight route. However, this is the mountain forest — it should take much longer to traverse. Arrival after noon shouldn’t be possible.”

  “Worry not, Lady Roanna. I have already plotted out the shortest route using the old roads.” The confident smile on Alphonse’s face did not waver.

  “...What are you implying? The exam location was only announced yesterday,” Roanna said with a doubtful expression.

  “One of my family’s private soldiers is a former adventurer, you see. He just so happened to know this area well. There were several old shortcuts that I simply informed Alphonse of.” Stewart, who had been listening silently until now, spoke up with a triumphant look.

  “That’s how it is... You could say information is everything in a war. Our grades have been essentially guaranteed with this,” Alphonse said with a cheerful grin.

  “Well, my personal belief is that this is underhanded and shameful.” Roanna maintained her stern expression.

  “I also find it unwise to trust information from such unknown sources,” Christina added curtly. The words of the princess herself caused Alphonse’s mood to darken slightly. “You needn’t worry about that, Your Highness. Comparing my map with this map here shows that my information is indeed authentic and very reliable,” Stewart responded calmly in place of Alphonse, who had grown somewhat nervous. Christina narrowed her eyes.

  “...If we wander onto the older roads, there will be a greater chance of encountering monsters and savage beasts. What are your thoughts on that?” she asked Alphonse.

  “This area has undergone a safety check beforehand. The drill requires us to escape our enemy pursuers, so choosing to travel along the older roads makes sense,” Alphonse offered hesitantly.

  “I see. Fine. You’re the commander of this squad, after all — I shall defer to you.” Contrary to expectations, Christina backed down easily. She may have had her own opinions, but she wasn’t about to challenge the decision of the commander.

  “Leave it to me, Your Highness. I promise, we shall obta
in the highest score in our year,” Alphonse stated respectfully with a sigh of relief.

  After that, they moved onto the final checks of their formations and attack plans for monster encounters.

  “Hey, Rio — you should feel honored. We’ve prepared a way for you to be useful despite your inability to use magic. You’re in charge of carrying the supplies for our squad,” Alphonse said. He directed his gaze towards the bags left a short distance away from them. Two extremely large packs stuffed with supplies were lying on the floor: a backpack and a shoulder bag. They most likely held all the supplies necessary for the drill. There was far too much for a single person to realistically carry, but there was no point in arguing, Rio deduced.

  “I understand,” he replied, and nodded without objection.

  He tentatively tried to lift the backpack and immediately realized it wouldn’t take long for his stamina to drain away... But it wouldn’t be a problem if he enhanced his strength.

  Rio quietly enchanted his physical body. No magic activation formula appeared, which meant that no one realized Rio had strengthened his body.

  A girl suddenly appeared next to him. “U-Umm, are you all right? It must be heavy having to carry all that by yourself...”

  It was Flora.

  She was in the year below Rio and Christina, but in all his time in the academy, Rio had only spoken to her once. Several days after Flora’s enrollment, she thanked him for his help in the kidnapping case. Ever since then, he could feel her looking at him on several occasions, but she had never spoken to him again — until today. It was truly a surprise to Rio to have her speak to him now. His eyes widened subtly.

  “Umm. Shall I carry some too...?” Flora offered her help as Rio struggled to react.

  “No, it’s fine. Thank you for your concern.” Rio immediately pasted a smile on his face as he gently rejected her.

  Flora wasn’t a bad person — she had an unusually gentle personality for a member of the highly prejudiced royalty and nobility of Beltrum. But because she had been raised like a princess in a glass palace, her natural disposition was far too soft. She was ignorant of how her actions could affect her surroundings. In this situation, there was no possible way for Rio to accept Flora’s offer. If he did, they’d be subjected to the criticisms of those around them. In any case, the bags weren’t even a weight Flora could have carried to begin with. Still, Rio did thank her for her good intention.

  “Princess Flora, you should not be exchanging words with the commoner,” Alphonse suddenly interrupted, meaning to disparage Rio with his words. “Associating yourself with filth like that will only place your image in a negative light.”

  “That’s right, Your Highness. This barbarian has more than enough strength to spare anyway,” Stewart chimed in. He stepped between Rio and Flora to increase the distance between them.

  Rio bowed once toward them before he walked away to wait for the signal of their departure.

  Later, Rio’s squad marched along an old road that stretched deep into the forest. No matter how far they walked, there was nothing to see but dense, overgrown vegetation. It was still before noon, but the air was dark and chilly against their skin, filled with high-pitched bird chirps and beastly roars heard in the distance. They startled Flora every time.

  Every member of the squad was dressed in their uniform and armed with a weapon, with the exception of Rio, who also carried two additional packs. His burden was incomparably greater than theirs, yet they continued to walk onwards without any consideration for him. Flora would occasionally turn back to look worriedly at him — he took up the rear of the march — but Rio showed no sign of fatigue in his expression.

  “Eyes ahead, Flora. Worry about your own stamina,” Christina warned Flora, who was fidgeting restlessly. She kept her voice low and true to the concealment required for the drill.

  “B-But sister, this is wrong. Why is he the only one...” Flora said with a look of sadness. Christina’s eyes widened by a fraction at the sight of her timid sister raising an objection.

  “He should be equipped with an artifact that enhances his physical abilities.”

  “But his essence and stamina can’t last if he keeps it constantly activated. We need to take more breaks, or take turns carrying the supplies...” Flora’s concern over Rio’s burden made Christina’s expression darken.

  “Have you forgotten what I told you before you enrolled into the academy? To refrain from associating with him?”

  “...I remember. That is why I have followed your words this entire time. But, sister... I don’t understand. Why is he always alone?”

  “It is what it is,” Christina replied simply.

  “How can you...” Flora was taken aback.

  Roanna, who had been listening to their conversation as she walked alongside them, appeared troubled. “In an environment like the Academy, needless association with him will not be of any benefit to either party. This, I am sure he is aware of.”

  “W-What are you saying, that can’t be—”

  “It is. Now stop this mindless chatter,” Christina spoke over Flora. “We’re meant to be withdrawing from a war right now, so—”

  “Monster!” Alphonse suddenly yelled. The entire squad tensed up.

  Monsters. The ecological details of these supernatural creatures were shrouded in mystery. They possessed a certain level of intelligence, but they were hostile towards everything except their kind. Their defining trait was the way their bodies disappeared upon death, leaving behind only a gemstone filled with magic essence — an enchanted gem. The male students — all except Rio — reached for their swords at once and assumed their battle positions. The female students raised their staves, primed and alert. Although they were in the middle of a drill exercise, the battle about to begin was not an exercise.

  It was undeniably real.

  Monster encounters were an expected part of outdoor drills, however, so the students remained calm and composed.

  “No one panic! They’re goblins, and there aren’t many of them. Once the four of you in the front guard raise your physical abilities with your artifacts, we’ll charge forward and crush the enemy.” At Alphonse’s order, the four boys in the front started to chant at once.

  “Augendae Corporis!”

  The bracelet underneath their uniforms started to glow as the sorcery to enchant their physical abilities was activated. The bracelets were a magical artifact that acted as a starting point for the geometric spell formulae to appear and wrap itself around the students.

  Artifacts were activated by chanting the spell name in a similar way to magic, but unlike the human body, which could store multiple formulae for magic, artifacts were typically restricted to a single formula. This allowed incompatible people who failed to form a formula contract the ability to use the artifact, but the sorcery could only activate the way the bracelet was set to.

  The four boys took off and closed in on the group of goblins — monsters that took on the shape of small, hideous people. In no time at all, they had been defeated.

  Goblins were among the weakest monsters that existed; though the students were only around twelve years old, the legitimate combat training they received at the Academy, coupled with their ability-strengthening artifacts, meant the goblins stood no chance. As the bodies of the goblins vanished, an enchanted gem the size of a pebble was left behind.

  “Well, that was nothing. It’d take a more formidable monster to stand a chance against us,” Stewart said proudly. The easy victory seemed to have lifted his mood.

  “As expected, you can always rely on Stewart. Unlike the useless thing over there.” Alphonse praised Stewart pleasantly before turning his gaze to Rio.

  But Rio was staring deeper into the forest and paying absolutely no attention to Alphonse’s words. That seemed to strike a nerve.

  “Hey, Rio! The battle’s over. Stop daydreaming or we’ll leave you behind!” Alphonse yelled.

  “My sincere apologies,” Rio replied, te
aring his eyes away from the forest depths. They immediately resumed their march.

  Meanwhile, deep within the forest where Rio had been staring, a lone man was hidden amongst the plant life.

  It was Reiss.

  He wore a black robe that covered his entire body as he moved as silently as the dead.

  “Oh my, that was close. To think he would notice me at this distance... What a child,” Reiss muttered in awe. He actually wanted to draw a little closer than this, but deemed it too risky to do so.

  “He might actually be the one who defeated my subordinate five years ago. The secret agent I sent to the House of Duke Huguenot has been working well, so I suppose I could use this chance to test his true strength...” Reiss muttered in delight, his mouth turning up in an eerie, devilish smile.

  ◇◇◇

  Their march progressed smoothly after that. The only monsters they came across were goblins, which posed no real threat; male students vied to show off in front of Christina and the other girls, and would compete with each other over who could defeat the goblins.

  The information Stewart had procured turned out to be accurate, making their early afternoon arrival seem more and more realistic with each passing moment.

  Unbeknownst to them, however, the seams of their successful afternoon were just waiting to come undone.

  The students had grown fatigued from walking around unfamiliar mountain forest terrain, and the goblin eradications they had been so enthusiastic about at first eventually wore down to monotonous chores to deal with. Rio — the one who should have succumbed to exhaustion first — continued to keep a cool, unwavering expression, which prevented the competitive male students from voicing their complaints.

  “More goblins. Is it just me, or have their numbers increased?”

  “It’s just you. You know the saying: seeing one goblin is a sign of thirty more.” Stewart and Alphonse continued to sound optimistic.