Chapter 279: War (3)
Lionel Ryu, so dignified and composed that people in the Republic had taken to calling him a Taoist Immortal, stood there with his mouth hanging wide open. He was so stunned that he wouldn’t notice even if a fly flew straight inside his mouth. He had completely forgotten that, as the headmaster, he was supposed to maintain decorum and authority.
His eyes trembled as he stared at the cadet before him. “You... Just what exactly are you?” What in the world is this?”
Lionel had long known that, despite his academic standing within the Hero Academy, Dale Han’s true strength far surpassed that of an ordinary cadet. He also knew that Dale had never once revealed the full extent of his power.
But there was a limit to everything. The amount of mana Dale was displaying now far exceeded even that of a Master. No, “exceeded” didn’t even begin to cover it. Even the Empress, regarded as a demigod, could not hope to match such a vast reserve of power. The sheer scale of it felt like standing before the boundless majesty of nature itself, overwhelming, awe-inspiring, and almost incomprehensible.
* * *
“With war against the demons right around the corner, does it really matter what my identity is?” I said.
This was hardly the moment to start explaining that I was a regressor, that the power of the Primordial Flame and the Tree of Creation dwelled within me, and so on. Even if there were time, it was not information I could reveal carelessly, and even if I were willing to tell Empress Camellia or Headmaster Ryu, there were others present.
I couldn’t announce in front of the Pope of the Seven Star Church that I possessed the power of the Primordial Flame. Unless it was someone I trusted completely, like Iris, revealing that I carried the power of the Demon God, especially before someone like Pope Marianne, would invite only unnecessary suspicion.
However, Headmaster Ryu fixed me with a gaze so resolute it was clear he would not back down until he uncovered the truth. “In the current situation, perhaps it’s not the most important matter. I can concede that much. But the power you possess, Dale, lies far beyond common sense. Explain yourself. How did you come to possess such an immense amount of mana? Depending on your answer, I may have no choice but to exclude you from this operation.”
As expected, I had shown far too much to brush this aside with a few words. I kept quiet at this moment, wondering what to do.
Suddenly, Camellia’s mocking voice echoed through the room. “Exclude him from the operation, you say. What an amusing thing to say, Lionel.”
Headmaster Ryu was surprised. “What?”
She continued, “This entire operation is impossible without Dale. And yet you speak of excluding him? Can you activate the Warp Gate in his place?”
Headmaster Ryu’s expression stiffened, as if she had struck him squarely in a sore spot. “But we cannot entrust such a critical mission to someone whose identity remains unverified.”
The safety of thousands of cadets was at stake. It seemed that unless they understood who I truly was and how I possessed such staggering mana, they could not proceed with a plan that involved luring the demons into the Hero Academy and activating the Warp Gate at the last moment to evacuate the cadets.
Camellia announced, “I will vouch for Dale’s identity.”
Lionel was surprised. “You will vouch for him?”
“If, due to Dale’s mistake or a change of heart, the cadets are sacrificed during this operation, I shall bear the responsibility in his stead,” she explained.
“Hah. Bear responsibility? What, will you step down from the throne?”
“If necessary, I will.”
Headmaster Ryu’s eyes flew open. On the surface, Camellia often spoke and acted as though all the world lay beneath her feet, as though others were no more than insects. But Headmaster Ryu, who had known her for many years, definitely understood better than anyone else how much she had sacrificed to protect the Empire’s citizens. He knew how much effort it had taken to sit upon the throne of Empress, shouldering the lives of thousands, tens of thousands, upon her back. And yet, she was willing to stake even that position for the sake of a single cadet?
Headmaster Ryu looked at me with complicated eyes. “I can’t make sense of what’s happening anymore.”
Marianne also spoke up. “Lionel. I agree with Camellia.”
“Marianne, even you?”
She continued, “Iris told me, you see. Dale, well, he is still a cadet for now, isn’t he? He is a hero blessed by the Seven Gods. I do not possess the Seven Eyes, so I cannot verify the truth of that claim myself. But if the Saintess vouches for him, perhaps we can afford to trust him, just this once?”
The Empress and even the Pope had vouched for me.
Headmaster Ryu let out a long sigh and nodded. “Haa! Very well. For now, we will set aside the matter of Dale’s identity. In that case, we will prepare to activate the Warp Gate before the demons begin their assault.”
Rising from his seat, he walked toward me. “Dale.”
He stopped in front of me and extended his hand. Perhaps it was because he understood that this plan involved using the cadets as bait to gather the demons. Perhaps he feared that, through his own decision, those very cadets might be sacrificed. The hand he held out trembled faintly. And yet, he did not withdraw it. “Please. I entrust the cadets to you.”
Taking his weathered hand in mine, I nodded. “You can leave it to me.”
* * *
Elisha turned to me. “I still have matters to discuss with the headmaster regarding this operation. Dale, you may return first.”
After parting ways with Elisha, I headed back to my room. My vision swayed. Staggering, I collapsed onto the bed. “Ugh.”
As expected, using Flame Body had drained me rapidly. Well, it was only natural. Combining the power of the Tree of Creation and the Primordial Flame, forces that belonged in myth, was never going to be without consequences.
I was sprawled across the bed, rolling lazily from side to side, when the Hero Watch on my wrist began to vibrate. “Hm? A video call?”
When I powered it on, a holographic window flickered into view. Camellia appeared on the screen, reclining on what looked like a sofa, gazing straight at me.
“Can you spare a moment to talk? Ah, though even if you have other matters to attend to, you must speak with me regardless,” she said.
No. If that’s the case, don’t bother asking in the first place.
I replied, “I’m available.”
“That is a relief.” She leaned closer to the screen, her face drawing near as she stared at me through the projection.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No. It has simply been some time since I properly beheld your face. I was indulging in the sight.”
“Didn’t you just see me in the meeting room?”
“Hmm. That was hardly a situation where one could admire you at leisure, was it?” A faint smile curved her lips as her eyes traced over my face, as though savoring it.
No. If you keep staring like that, it’s a bit much.
I hurriedly tried to change the subject, trying to hide the heat creeping up my cheeks. “Ah! Come to think of it, thank you for earlier.”
She seemed surprised. “Hm? Thank me?”
“You vouched for my identity, didn’t you?”
I had heard before that she trusted me, but even so, I never imagined she would stake her position as the empress to defend me.
Camellia shrugged. “Hehe. I did not step forward solely for your sake. It is also true that without you, no one is capable of carrying out this operation.”
“That may be so, but...”
“I acted for the greater good.”
For the greater good, she says.
“I don’t think that’s something you can dismiss so lightly. I know very well how much responsibility you carry as the empress, Lady Camellia.”
What she had risked this time was far too great to brush aside. One could even say she had wagered her entire life on it.
“I see. Yes, you sure do know me well.”
Camellia hastily turned her Hero Watch away. The rotated screen revealed a modest room, far too simple for someone bearing the title of Empress. Meanwhile, her laughter filtered through the device, distracted and oddly giddy, nothing like her usual composed self.
The screen shifted back. I could see the faint flush tinting her cheeks.
She then said, “Ahem! If you insist, I shall ask for one reward.”
“A reward?”
“Yes.”
Because of what happened before, all sorts of inappropriate thoughts began filling my head when she said the word “reward.”
“What kind of reward are you asking for?” I asked.
“When this is all over...” Camellia hesitated for a moment, then drew in a short breath.
“Ah, if it’s something like licking your feet again or getting stepped on, that’s a bit...” I replied.
“I would like you to tell me about yourself.”
“Huh?”
“I wish to know more about you. Unlike those who stand close to you, I do not truly know who you are or what sort of life you have lived to possess such strength.”
No. If you say it like that, what does that make me for jumping to conclusions about foot-licking and stepping, Your Majesty?
She looked at me with a faintly anxious expression, as though worried I would refuse. “Will you tell me?”
It was an expression utterly unfitting for someone called an Empress, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“W-why are you laughing?” she asked.
“Haha. It’s nothing.” I nodded. “All right. When this is over, I’ll tell you everything about myself.”
She exhaled softly, then her expression stiffened.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No, it’s just... The way you phrased that just now, it sounded somewhat ominous.”
Ominous? Why?
Now that I thought about it, it did sound a bit like a death flag. “Ah! There’s no need to worry about that.”
A death flag? At least for me, that term didn’t apply.
“Hmm. I do not know where such confidence comes from, but very well.” Camellia smiled gently and nodded. “I shall await the day I learn everything about you.”
She rose from her seat. “For now, we must focus on preparing for war.”
“Yes.”
“Ah, and separate from the reward I mentioned earlier, if you distinguish yourself sufficiently in this war, I shall grant you a proper reward as the empress. You may look forward to it.”
No. That’s really not necessary.
* * *
Only a few days after we began quietly preparing for war beneath the surface, the bad news that we expected finally arrived.
“D-demons! A massive number of demons are gathering in front of the Hero Academy!”
The war against the demons had begun.