The students wore different colored ties for the boys or ribbons for the girls, based on their year. First years wore blue, second years wore yellow, and third years wore red.
The third year glared at me as he passed by. I knew who he was. We’d never spoken directly to each other, though, so I ignored him and knocked on the door.
“Arius, you’re here,” greeted Eric with his usual refreshing smile. His two maids were clearing away the teacups from Eric’s last guest.
There was Bela with indigo hair, and Isha with flaxen hair. They came off as two perfectly competent women, but they were in fact more than just maids. They were also secretly his guards.
“What were you talking to Keith Jordan about?” I asked Eric.
He was the eldest son of Duke Jordan, one of the Three Great Dukes of Ronaudia.
“There’s the Combat Tournament in two weeks,” Eric answered. “Keith won the tournament last year, and I asked him to participate again this year.”
Every year in June, the Academy holds a combat tournament for students in all three years. Students with the highest grades in the sword and magic classes were selected from each year and made to battle it out. The conditions were like real combat—all skills and spells were on the table.
In the game Love Academy, the love interests performed well in the tournament despite being only first years because they were all high-specced. It was an event that brought them closer to the heroine, Milia.
But while all three years of students technically participated, most third-year noble students were becoming busy with their family’s duties, meaning most didn’t take part in the tournament even if they were selected. This was particularly true for those who’d performed well as second years. No one would be impressed if they won, and everyone would think less of them if they lost. There was no benefit to taking part. That’s why most participants were first and second years. Even in the game, Keith didn’t participate in this tournament.
“Eric, is getting Keith to participate in the tournament another one of your schemes to put pressure on Duke Jordan?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t really call it a scheme. It’s simply a tactic to create an environment that encourages the duke to make a move.”
The current Duke of Jordan, Duke Victor Jordan, was the head of the anti-royalist faction of nobles. He was the real man behind the curtain of the attack during the dungeon class.
But there was no proof, meaning he couldn’t be arrested. We knew from the nobles who had been taken in after that event that he had provided funding, though he had hidden that fact by doing it indirectly. There was a lot of other circumstantial evidence, but nothing damning.
They couldn’t arrest a high-ranking noble, one of the Three Great Dukes of Ronaudia, without clear evidence. If we could manage to arrest him on something else, however, the Royal Intelligence Ministry could get him to confess since they had experts in mind-control spells.
It was legal in Ronaudia to use mind-control spells on criminals, and the information they provided was usable as evidence.
Eric had gotten permission from his father, King Albert, to put the people from the Intelligence Ministry to good use in trying various plans to push Duke Jordan to commit a crime.
“This year is my only opportunity to fight Keith,” Eric continued. “I told him I wanted to test myself against a stronger opponent, and so I’d appreciate it if he participated. He happily agreed. Arius, I intend to crush Keith in the tournament.”
As far as I could tell from Keith’s expression earlier, he was in no way happy about agreeing.
Keith had been the champion of last year’s tournament, and his grades were at the top of his class. However, Duke Jordan and King Albert were cousins. In Ronaudia, royals and their children who took on a noble title lost their place in line for the throne.
With strong royal blood and plenty of talent, Keith was the star of hope for the anti-royalists, but his reputation would be in the gutter if he were disgraced in the tournament by losing to a first-year student. Nobles valued reputation, meaning Keith’s loss would have a not insignificant impact on Duke Jordan’s ability to unify the faction. If he attempted to take revenge, it could also serve as a good excuse to arrest him.
“I understand what you’re after, Eric, but do you really have to go to all that trouble? It was Duke Jordan himself behind the attack during dungeon practice, not Keith.”
Honestly, it didn’t sit right with me hurting Keith just to shake up his father.
“Keith’s not coming out unharmed if I take down Duke Jordan anyway,” Eric replied. “And I don’t feel Keith is a person worthy of protection. I’m the one defeating Keith. It’s not something you need to worry about.”
It seemed Eric knew something about Keith. I already figured this was something Eric was going to handle on his own, though, since he had said he was going to crush Keith.
Eric had a reputation as being on the brain side of things rather than the brawn, and I’d never fought Eric myself, but I did know how strong he was because of my Evaluate skill.
“I imagine you can beat Keith,” I said. “Actually, no. I imagine you already know for certain you will beat him, which is why you’re fighting him in the first place.”
Eric was always well prepared. For the attack during dungeon practice, he already had people from the Intelligence Ministry lying in wait. The cleaners would’ve been wiped out even if I hadn’t done anything. Eric said the reason he had me take care of it was so he could keep the Ministry’s involvement a secret, but I think he just wanted to gauge how strong I was.
“Of course I’ll win,” he replied simply. “And it’s not just Keith I’ll defeat. I’ll also take down Duke Jordan. Myself. I have no intention of relying on you this time. If I can’t handle this much, I can’t possibly expect to stand side by side with you.”
His smile wasn’t his usual refreshing one, but something with more power. This was Eric when he showed his true self.
“Oh,” he continued, “and I’m sorry, but I had my people look into you. I believe I now know how strong you actually are.”
Eric probably knew I was Arius, the SSS-rank adventurer.
“I believe you’re going to grow even stronger. What’s more, you understand the value of information. Your strength hasn’t swollen your head either. Your father, Chief Minister Darius, has a reputation for being a warrior of information, but I think you may be even more talented than he is. Because of that, the world will not let you be. I have a suspicion you’ll get dragged into all sorts of things.”
This conversation had gone seriously off the rails. Who cared about the world? If this were anyone but Eric, I’d be starting to question what the hell they were talking about.
“You overestimate me, Eric. I don’t think of anything but getting stronger,” I said.
“That’s not true. I know you seek strength, but you also know how and when to apply that strength. You fight for others’ benefit. You’re more than just strength.” He looked straight into my eyes. “I haven’t given up on having you as my chief minister when I’m king of Ronaudia. Even if you won’t take the position, I want our relationship to be one of equals. Before I can make that happen, however, I need to prove myself. I don’t mind if you think of this issue with Duke Jordan as a test of my strength.”
I didn’t care what others thought about me, but it did honestly make me happy to have Eric acknowledge me like that.
“I understand, Eric,” I responded. “I’ll leave everything to do with Duke Jordan to you. But there’s still the question of what it means to be equal. I don’t think strength is everything, and if my getting involved results in less damage, then use me as you see fit.”
Eric and I were different types. Maybe it would be good to fight as he did.
“Thank you, Arius. If it comes to that, I’ll rely on you.”
There was a chance we were having this conversation so Eric could get me ready to do something. He was a strong person, and that, along with many other things, was why I kind of liked him.
I decided to let Eric handle Duke Jordan. There was another problem to deal with after all.
“On a different topic,” I began, “have you learned anything new about the hero or demon king?”
About three months ago, a hero awakened for the first time in 300 years, and a demon king was revived.
Outside of the Kingdom of Ronaudia, which was the setting for Love Academy, this world was an RPG world. That’s why it wasn’t weird for there to be heroes and demon kings. And I was certain they existed; I’d confirmed the information.
“It seems the countries that are members of the Hero’s Alliance have begun to move in earnest,” acknowledged Eric. “But it may take some time before they actually make an attack on demon territory.”
Ronaudia and the Great Granbride Empire had taken a wait-and-see attitude toward the hero and demon king since they knew the real reason the Hero’s Alliance wanted to attack the monster territory.
“I’d thought Ronaudia might want to join the war since the country still has ill will toward the demons after the Crisis of Ronaudia, but waiting to see what happens is the right decision,” I noted.
Eighteen years ago, demons led hordes of tens of thousands of monsters in an attack on Ronaudia. My father, Darius, pulled the kingdom’s military together when it was on the brink of collapse and repelled the invading demons, but many Ronaudians were lost.
“Because this revived demon king had nothing to do with the Crisis,” stated Eric. “And we’re not fools enough to assume they’re automatically our enemy just because they’re a demon king.”
The various countries in the Hero’s Alliance claimed they were going to “defeat the demon king who is attempting to wipe out humanity.” But the demon king hadn’t done anything yet. The Alliance was just going to make an unprovoked attack on demon territory.
“If you learn anything about this, Arius, tell me, won’t you? There’s a good chance the kingdom will end up dragged into the conflict.”
“I will. Not that I think I’ll get any information before you do.”
In addition to the Royal Intelligence Ministry, Eric used his own people to source information. There weren’t many who could rival him in his ability to gather intel.
“I think you might. There are some pieces of information only you can get,” he said with a powerful grin. I had a pretty good idea what Eric was expecting of me. If necessary, I’d do it, even if he didn’t ask me to.