漫画大王

Chapter 242 [Illustration]

It’s said that you understand the significance of someone only when they’re gone.

After I’d gained enough stamina to keep up with Adriana, we had always trained together without much conversation. But now that she was gone, the void felt quite large.

I realized just how important she was to me.

I wanted to bring Rudina along to go see her sometime soon. It seemed that the people from Grace and some other second-year students had been agitated by Adriana’s sudden withdrawal, but I did not care that much about them.

Would they go to meet Adriana? Would Adriana agree to see them?

Since it was out of my hands, I decided not to think about it.

I considered dealing with those who spread malicious rumors about Adriana to make them pay a deserving price, but I didn’t. Adriana wouldn’t want something like that.

Not taking any action when it came to this matter would be the last way I could be considerate of Adriana. Also, it seemed like the misunderstanding with the ducal family was resolved.

In the end, my training and classes continued as usual.

I was not sure how the issue with the Orbis Class was progressing, but it seemed clear that the emergency suspension was dragging on.

If they were trying to tackle the source of the problem, they would need to uproot the whole thing entirely. And if they did uproot it, it would be tantamount to dismantling and restructuring the Orbis Class.

Many students would be expelled, and many teachers would be dismissed.

“Are you ready, Reinhart? You don’t have to come, you know. I can do it alone,” Olivia said.

Olivia seemed a little hesitant, but I couldn’t let her go alone. After all, she was going to this event because of a problem I had, so I couldn’t pretend it had nothing to do with me.

Still, she kept insisting that she could go alone, and I kept insisting that I would go with her. In the end, I won.

I was grateful.

Olivia seemed to have her own concerns about Adriana’s withdrawal, but she still cared about my issue.

“Well, I don’t know what I need to prepare, but I’m ready.”

“Hmph, you seem quite reliable.”

Olivia Lanche was fully dressed up.

“Oh my, look at you. You’re not even able to meet my eyes. Am I that beautiful?”

“Yes, you are. You’re beautiful.”

“... Oh, my. I didn’t expect you to say that...”

This outrageous flirt always acted shy when spoken to straightforwardly, but it was true. Olivia Lanche looked even more radiant in her off-shoulder dress than usual.

My bold-faced compliment made Olivia’s face turn red, and she fanned herself with her hand.

Olivia was in a dress, while I was just in my Royal Class uniform.

We were going to the sponsorship gathering, and it was a good opportunity to secure funding for the Magic Research Club.

I felt as though I was going to some party.

“Will you escort me?” Olivia said as she held out her hand to me.

“Just this once.”

I took Olivia’s outstretched hand.

“Th-That’s not how you escort someone!”

Drag.

Olivia let out a startled exclamation as I dragged her along behind me.

***

The main purpose of the sponsorship gathering was to give an opportunity to interested students from the fourth-year and above to mingle with significant figures and subtly discuss sponsorships.

The sponsorship gathering was an official Temple event, so it was held in the banquet hall of the Temple’s main building.

The hall was usually restricted to only those with Temple access cards, but in this case, it seemed that entry was further limited to those attending the sponsorship gathering.

I considered bringing along the other members of the Magic Research Club, especially Harriet. She was the Grand Duchess of Saint-Ouen and possessed outstanding talent, so securing sponsorship would be exceedingly easy for her.

In the end, after much deliberation, I went to the sponsorship gathering alone.

I could speak about the members of the Magic Research Club myself, and I didn’t want to put Harriet in this kind of situation. It wasn’t a terrible place, but ultimately, I was there to grovel for money, and I didn’t want Harriet to go through that experience.

Everyone else seemed to be making their way there in their own groups. I headed to the sponsorship venue with Ceres and Olivia.

“Actually, it’s supposed to be a sponsorship gathering for the special classes, so the Orbis Class students should be here as well. But given the current situation...”

“It’s just the Royal Class students, then?”

“Yes.”

Usually, sponsors would evaluate students from the two special classes and invest in the ones that seemed more promising, but the Orbis Class was still suspended.

I didn’t know how things would pan out, but it appeared some students might lose an entire semester.

Ceres van Owenne was also in a dress. Though she was quite impressive, Olivia Lanche stood out even more.

“W-Will you s-stop staring...?”

Instead of acting all clingy, she seemed embarrassed by my constant glances and avoided eye contact. Olivia twiddled her fingers, unable to look at me.

‘This woman... What exactly is she? She’s bold yet timid.’

Ceres observed Olivia quietly. She’d probably had tremendous respect for her senior before, but after the turn of events, I could sense Ceres occasionally looking at Olivia with pity.

‘Hmm. I guess I understand that somewhat.’

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Sometimes, I was baffled by Olivia too. Then again, she was kind enough to go out of her way to help secure sponsorships for a junior club like the Magic Research Club, which had nothing to do with her.

No matter how she behaved outwardly, I was still grateful to have her.

Olivia did not need a sponsorship for herself, so she didn’t attend these events, but she was making an exception this time.

And of course, there was Ceres van Owenne, who didn’t need it either but had to attend as the student council president.

She skimmed through the list she was holding.

“The sponsors vary. Nobles, merchant magnates, and leaders of the knightly orders or those affiliated with the Magic Tower or the Magic Association,” Ceres said.

“That makes sense,” I responded.

“Among them, the organizations most likely to sponsor your Magic Research Club are probably the Magic Tower or the magic associations, right?”

“Probably.”

“It doesn’t always have to be organizations directly related to magic, though,” said Olivia, giving a different perspective. “Some knight orders have mages affiliated with them, don’t they?”

That also seemed plausible. Groups not directly connected to magic could still show interest in the Magic Research Club.

“In that case, I’ll list out the four most prominent figures among the attendees for this sponsorship gathering.

“Commander Illeion Volten of the Order of the Holy Knights.

“Vice President Santriden of the Magic Association.

“Captain Sabioleen Tana of the First Imperial Knights Shanapell.

“Guildmaster Owen de Getmora of the Merchants’ Guild.

“There are many others, but these four are the most significant.”

The former Commander of the Order of the Holy Knights, Leverier Lanche, had been dismissed, and his successor was attending. I didn’t know who Illeion Volten was.

Olivia’s reluctance was evident.

Given the problematic issues that surrounded the former Commander Leverier Lanche, Olivia probably despised the Order of the Holy Knights entirely. She would probably hate having to attend an event where they had some presence, even if it was their new leader.

“I can go alone,” I said.

I didn’t want to drag Olivia to a place where she would feel uncomfortable, but she shook her head.

“It’s fine. I expected they’d come.”

She seemed to have anticipated that a group like the Order of the Holy Knights would send a representative, and had prepared herself for that possibility.

Olivia Lanche was genuinely kind-hearted, perhaps overly so.

Commander, Vice President of the Magic Association, Captain of the First Imperial Knights, and Guildmaster of the Merchants’ Guild...

Securing a sponsorship from any one of these four would bring an enormous amount of funding.

But I detested the concept of the Order of the Holy Knights, and even the Merchants’ Guild rubbed me the wrong way.

While I didn’t know much about the Magic Association, they would likely be interested in sponsoring a magic-related endeavor.

The First Imperial Knights seemed unrelated to magic, so I wondered if they would sponsor us.

Despite not knowing all the details, there was one name I recognized clearly:

Captain of the First Imperial Knights, Shanapell, Sabioleen Tana. Naturally, she was a Swordmaster. Or perhaps, even more than that.

***

When the Gate Incident erupted, the Temple students were enlisted to fight battles, but naturally, the combat forces were made up of more than just students. The prominent combatants came from the knightly orders, and the continent’s most prestigious order, Shanapell, achieved many accolades in combat.

The knightly orders taught students who were inexperienced in combat about warfare amidst actual battles.

Sabioleen Tana provided Ludwig with numerous lessons during this period. At that point, Ludwig already had Alsbringer, which made him an exceptionally significant individual.

Ludwig and Ellen Artorius both joined Sabioleen Tana’s unit and fought in various battles.

It was only natural for the empire’s best knight to mentor the inexperienced wielders of Alsbringer and the holy sword Lament.

She was cold and resolute, and treated Ludwig very harshly. She often compared him with the ever-competent Ellen and drove him hard.

In such a perilous situation, Sabioleen Tana had no choice but to treat Ludwig harshly.

It was better to survive than to die, and with a weak body and mind, one would only meet the worst end—death.

She had nothing to teach Ellen, who excelled in everything, but there was much to teach Ludwig.

In battle, Sabioleen Tana taught Ludwig countless things, and near the final stage, she gave her life to save him.

That ordeal was what led Ludwig to eventually become a Swordmaster.

Sabioleen Tana was a very crucial character in the post-Gate Incident era. I hadn’t expected to see that person at such an event.

“Shall we go in then?” Olivia suggested.

I also did not expect to meet her in the company of Olivia Lanche, instead of Ludwig or Ellen.

We arrived at the banquet hall in the main Temple building.

***

“There sure are a lot of people here,” I said.

“That’s right.”

Though there were only about sixty Royal Class students from the fourth year and above, not all of them were attending.

However, excluding those who looked like students, the remaining number of people easily exceeded a hundred.

“If everyone who wanted to come did, there would be over a thousand attendees,” said Ceres.

Apparently, this was already the result of careful selection. The best students from the empire’s prized educational institution, the Temple, were practically the future of the empire.

There were many people seeking to invest in them or establish connections, or even scout them after graduation. Talented knights or those with promising business acumen would surely find uses somewhere.

Some students appeared to be familiar with certain sponsors, greeting them as though it was not their first meeting.

Then, all eyes turned towards us as we made our entrance. More precisely, towards Olivia Lanche.

Though she had abandoned her faith, she had been famous as the Saintess of Eredian.

Once a promising holy knight, she was now attending an event where the Commander was present. Her very presence subdued the atmosphere.

Then again, it might just have been that Olivia Lanche looked stunning in her dress, making it hard to look away.

Olivia, used to such attention, wore a faint smile.

‘She can’t stand me looking at her for a few seconds but is totally unfazed by something like this? What a peculiar person.’

“Is there anything official that needs to be done or said?” I asked.

“Hmm, not really. Just relax and mingle.”

‘Thank goodness there wasn’t any need for formal self-introductions.’

I was worried I’d have to get on stage and say, “Ah, I am so-and-so, please give me some money.”

But without that, how was one supposed to open a conversation with sponsors? Just approach a stranger and say, “I have this business idea, can you fund it?”

That would make me come off like a con artist. Wasn’t there a proper process?

Contrary to my worries, someone approached us first.

“I’m surprised to see you here.”

“It’s not as if I’m not allowed here, right?”

“That’s true.”

I didn’t recognize his face, but his ceremonial attire gave him away.

It was Commander Illeion Volten.

Olivia picked up a glass of champagne from a passing tray, took a light sip, and smiled.

‘Isn’t that alcohol? Oh right. Olivia is an adult.’

“Is there no chance you’d change your mind?” the Commander asked.

“Of course not,” Olivia replied.

The current Commander seemed to deeply regret Olivia Lanche’s departure. Sensing her firm resolve, he refrained from pressing her further and left after a brief exchange.

Olivia Lanche was too valuable a talent to let go. Leverier Lanche had believed Olivia met all the criteria to be considered a top talent.

She had been carefully handpicked to eventually take charge of the Order of the Holy Knights, but now, she could no longer return.

Ceres looked at Olivia with pity. Although she did not have the talent to be a holy knight, she lived with a strong faith in the Five Great Gods.

It seemed Ceres felt deeply sorry that Olivia had abandoned her faith.

“Some things become more certain as time goes on,” Olivia said.

“... Yes,” Ceres replied, and Olivia favored her with a smile.

It wasn’t just her disappointment in the Order of the Holy Knights.

The Tiamata incident had showed Olivia the truth about the faith and the essence of the gods. She learned that demon gods did not exist, that the great gods and the demon gods were essentially the same entities, and that the power of gods was determined by the nature of one’s faith.

Now that she knew the gods were impartial, Olivia Lanche found it impossible to rekindle her faith.

She gave up her faith because of human failings, but then discovered that the gods themselves were not what she believed them to be.

Olivia would never again pledge her faith and loyalty to a god. She appeared to have no interest in joining the Order of the Holy Knights.

Many older students of the Royal Class were engaged in conversations with various sponsors.

As a student council president, Ceres had separate duties to take care of and left, leaving only Olivia beside me.

“The seniors here are mostly those who need funding for their magic studies, right?”

Olivia nodded. “That’s part of it, but some are also here to decide on their career paths after graduation.”

“Hmm... waiting for better offers or something like that?”

“Yes. Sometimes even commoners are promised titles.”

It was just as the Grand Duke of Saint-Ouen had said.

In order to secure exceptional talents from the Royal Class, some places even promised students titles. That meant that in addition to the four main groups, there could also be representatives from various fiefdoms.

For the current students, it was a place to form connections under the guise of securing sponsorship, and for those who were about to graduate and had no plans for further studies, it was a place to find jobs.

While I couldn’t gauge the exact worth of a Royal Class graduate, it had to be enormous.

I wondered what my own value might be. Though I didn’t entirely agree, Mr. Effenhauser had once said I was Temple’s best talent.

“... Oh.”

To my surprise, I saw, in the back of the banquet hall, a man with a cold demeanor engaged in a conversation with someone.

It was Mr. Effenhauser.

It made sense for a Royal Class professor to attend a sponsorship gathering, but seeing him at this type of party was unexpected.

Of course, he wasn’t in a flashy ceremonial outfit but his usual stiff, formal attire, which was very Effenhauser-like.

I couldn’t hear their conversation, but judging by his stern expression, it didn’t seem pleasant. I couldn’t even imagine him having a friendly chat with anyone.

“Alright. Shall we go reel in some funds?” Olivia said with a bright smile.

“... You shouldn’t put it like that.”

It sounded like we were here to extort money from gullible people. Which, in a way, was somewhat accurate.

“Don’t get too disappointed, Reinhart.”

Olivia did not seem too optimistic.

‘Wait, isn’t this supposed to be the place to easily secure funds?’