C271: Black Lion (2)
My cold is almost gone so I'll be back to the regular schedule.
'The Nightcrawler Knights.'
Rudger was watching them, and Veronica next to him said as if asking for his understanding.
"I'll go over there for a moment. I know someone."
"Yes, of course. It was a pleasure to meet you."
"It was nice to meet you, too. I'll see you later if I have a chance."
Veronica said so and stepped towards the Nightcrawler Knights.
At that time, one of the teachers who was looking around approached Rudger and asked.
"Mr. Rudger, do you happen to know why the Knights are here? Did the president say something else…….?"
"I've never heard that this will happen to the president. But just a moment ago, Deputy Veronica told me that an order had been issued from the Imperial family."
"From the Imperial family? Why the hell…?"
"I don't know more than that."
It was not just empty words, it was the truth.
'Veronica said that the knights from the Imperial Family were called.'
She said that they acted as security but was that necessary with so many mentors gathered here?
The students were also very talented, so it was difficult to regard them as ordinary children of their age.
It was logical to say that they acted as security for such individuals.
'No matter how stable the Kingdom of Utah is, the Knights of Cold Steel leaving the borders is weird.'
Rudger's eyes turned to the Knights in black uniform.
'Even more so if the Nightcrawler appeared.'
The reason why they moved is probably because orders were issued from the imperial family but not for protecting the students.
Rudger saw some kind of flow in this strange situation but he didn't know exactly what it was.
It was as blurry as a mirage spread over the desert, and he didn't know where he was, but he was sure there was something he didn't know.
'There's something. Is something about to happen in the capital?'
As far as he knew, there were no reports that the Black Dawn Society was moving.
Then it means something else.
"Those who can move in this situation are most likely to be the Liberation Army. Of course, I don't know anything yet, so I'll have to wait and see.'
If he went around trying to find out something, he could have been suspected so he had no choice but to watch.
Of course, that did not mean that he would not take any action.
Rudger immediately whistled.
This whistling sound using mana produced an ultra-high frequency range that humans could not hear but Sedina, a half-elf, could hear it and her ears, hidden in a rich brown bob, jumbled.
Sedina looked back at Rudger, who stared suspiciously at the Nightcrawler Knights.
'Send the news, Sedina.'
'Yes.'
Rudger gave a moderate wink, and the quick-witted Sedina nodded her head small as she understood.
After a while a tiny worm made of paper that no one noticed flew out of the square.
* * *
"Long time no see captain Trina."
"Deputy Veronica?"
It was the Knights of Cold Steel who welcomed the Nightcrawler Knights inside the square.
Black and white, the two groups of completely opposite colors stared at each other silently, facing each other.
Even though it was just that, the tension ate into the surrounding space.
There was a lot of noise when people gathered.
One talked about who was better, the Old Tower, the New Tower, or the School Association.
The other about which of the three Knight Orders of the Empire was the strongest.
Whenever that happens, people's reactions are always divided.
Someone said Nightcrawler Knights.
Moving in the dark, they are ruthless and cruel to their enemies, so they are stronger than anyone else.
On the contrary, a supporter of the Knights of Cold Steel brought up another argument.
The Knights of Cold Steel usually stay in the northern Arete Mountains, which are rumored to have a harsh environment where there are few days without snow in a year.
The Knights of Cold Steel are said to be more disciplined than any other knights.
Of course, there were people who supported the Sea Keepers.
Perhaps because of the aftermath, the psychology of considering each other as competitors naturally played a strong role among the knights.
Just like now.
The two knight orders didn't pull out their swords, but they glared at each other with force.
Perhaps because of the completely opposite colors of the uniform, the confrontation seemed to be more prominent.
Veronica and Trina, the heads of such groups, stared at each other with expressionless faces.
With how tense the atmosphere was there was nothing strange if they would attack each other but after a while Veronica and Trina started laughing almost at the same time.
"How have you been Captain Trina?"
"And how is Vice-Captain Veronica doing these days?"
"That can't be right, we've been so busy lately, we're just now finding the time."
"Alas. The civil war has left the northern regions rampant with marauders. There were some train bombings by the Liberation Army."
"It decreased a lot now but I've heard the rumors. The Nightcrawler Knights seem to be busier these days."
At that, Trina smirked and shook her head.
"Don't tell me. There's been so much weird shit going on lately, my kids are tired as it is."
"You said a huge mafia organization evaporated overnight, didn't you?"
"That's right, because a giant monster appeared in the middle of the city."
"You're talking about the Beast of Gévaudan? I know about it because I read in the newspaper."
"Seems like when one case is over, another one comes along with its tail between its legs."
"Well, I guess that's just the way it goes."
Veronica replied with a bitter laugh and raised her hand.
The Knights of Cold Steel, who were lining up behind her, turned their heads with momentum. It was the same with the Nightcrawler Knights.
They disapproved but did not reject orders from their superiors.
At the sight, Trina smiled weakly as if she had given up halfway now.
"How much longer are we going to play this childish game?"
"That's right. But isn't it a relief that the Sea Keepers aren't here?"
"Alas, I have to agree. It's a good thing they're not here because they're busy."
It's hard enough to get two groups of people together, but the thought of adding another one to the mix is enough to make her head hurt.
Especially since the leader of the Sea Keepers is such a weirdo, he's the kind of guy that would rather put gasoline on a fire than put it out.
"More than that, Deputy Veronica. How's your leader doing?
"He's the same as always."
"He seems to be bothered by everything, but he does his job. Is that why he's not here?"
"Yes."
"I see. No matter how stable the North is, it would not be good to see the Cold Steel Knights greatest power gone."
"Actually, it's because he can't be bothered to travel to the capital. You know how lazy he is."
"I guess he's still the same."
Veronica and Trina chatted like old friends.
Trina was the idol of all the women here, and Veronica had risen through the ranks to become the Knights' deputy leader, so they had a lot in common.
Their Orders were in competition with each other, so their relationship was only going to become more prominent.
Then Veronica lowered her voice and asked.
"More than that, the fact that me and you are here, does that mean there's something going on in the capital?"
Finally, to the point.
With that, Trina told her what she knew.
"I haven't heard much about that either."
"Isn't this an order from above?"
"From the First Princess, to be exact."
"And you don't know about it?"
"The Princess only told me to patrol the capital for now."
At the mention of the First Princess, Veronica nodded in understanding.
"Well, if it's the First Princess, that's good enough for me."
"I don't know what you're thinking, but the First Princess isn't one to give orders on a whim."
Veronica shook her head with a heavy expression.
"You mean something might happen?"
"Let's hope not."
"You mean to tell me that the Nightcrawler Knights who are the best at gathering information don't know about this?"
"My pride is hurt, but I should say so."
"But the Empress First Princess knows."
"She has a lot of hands and feet besides us. In particular, there are people who move separately for the First Princess."
"Ah, the Shadow Blade."
"It's a dagger to be exact, but the blade is not wrong either. However, it is not that we cannot guess. The movement of the Liberation Army is unusual these days."
"So they've gathered near the capital after not being seen in the north, and we're here just in case."
Trina nodded in agreement, but honestly, she didn't like the situation. If they walked around openly like this, their enemies would only hide deeper.
In the end, they were just delaying the inevitable rather than solving the underlying problem.
"Part of me wants to nuke the whole thing."
"Whatever it is, it's better than nothing at all."
"I guess that's true."
"Anyway, now that we've exchanged pleasantries we'll be on our way, so we don't have to tell Theon?"
At Veronica's words, Trina thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"It's a field trip, and I don't want to ruin it."
"But don't you think we should tell the teachers?"
"This is an imperial assignment. It has nothing to do with Theon."
"Of course," Trina said.
"Unless they're fools, they'll see us gathered and assume something is up. It's enough to make them wary. The teachers of Theon are a talented bunch."
"I see."
Thus, the Knights of Cold Steel left, and Trina, who was left in the square, looked at the students of the Academy.
"The Theon Academy.'
She had visited once before, to investigate a case, but it had been fruitless because Elisa, the president, stepped forward and blocked her.
Even Trina couldn't take on the President of Theon, so she had to back down.
It was then that a figure caught Trina's eye.
'That man.'
At a glance, he was an eye-catching person.
Long black hair tied back to the back, blue eyes that were somewhat decadent, but never lost their sharpness, a sharp nose, and a tightly closed mouth.
He was literally the sculpture of a handsome man.
The finishing touch to his look was the clothing he wore.
The black, silver-lined frock coat had no wrinkles and further doubled his antiquity. This is the kind of beauty a sculptor painstakingly chisels out.
The other Theon teachers had their own distinctive aura, but this one stood out from the rest because of his peculiar air and old-fashioned nobleman-like appearance.
"He must be Rudger Chelici."
Then Trina's deputy, Lloyd, approached and said.
"Is it him?"
"Yes. Recently, he released to everyone a study that increases mana emissions in the Arcane Chamber. Perhaps because of that, he has risen to the position of head of the planning department in Theon."
"That's enough with such an excellent ability. The president of Theon cares about talented people."
Trina stared at Rudger as she said so.
It was certainly the first time she had seen him today. Still, a strange feeling of déjà vu clung to her like humid air and wouldn't let go.
'What is it?'
Had they met before?
No matter how hard she searched Rudger's face, she couldn't remember seeing him before. Then, as if sensing her gaze, Rudger looked back to where Trina was.
"……."
"……."
For a moment, the eyes of the two met.
In that moment, Trina's senses were heightened to the extreme, and she made a judgment based on feeling.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl, and at the same time, her vision cleared and she could see Rudger's figure in the distance, magnified.
If Rudger were to look this way, if he were to react in any way suspiciously, she would know at once.
"……."
Surprisingly, however, Rudger glanced at Trina, and then turned his head without much response.
Trina did not detect any abnormal reactions in the slow unfolding process, as if moving underwater.
'What? Was it just my imagination?'
She watched, intent on catching even his slightest pupil movement, but saw nothing. He literally looked away, as if he were looking at someone else.
"Sir, is there a problem?"
"……No, nothing."
On second thought, she thought it was a useless concern.
Rudger is a man who rose to the position of director of planning department in Theon at a young age.
There is no way that a suspicious person with an unclear background could rise to such a position since Elisa Willow was in Theon.
With a keen eye for people and a mind that mesmerizes them, there's no way she wouldn't recognize someone suspicious.
'I'm getting a little too sensitive these days.'
Trina tore her attention away from Rudger and looked back at the Nightcrawler Knights.
They had their own work to do.
* * *
'I was surprised.'
Rudger, who caught Trina Ryanhowl's eye, had to calm down his nervousness.
Imagine his surprise when their gazes met.
'What the hell, why is she looking at me?'
Rudger had no idea why Trina would be interested in him.
He hadn't realized that he had become famous among the knights.
Luckily, he dismissed her suspicions by looking away without a second thought.
Rudger shook his head.
'I can't stay here, I have somewhere to be right now.'
Rudger's next stop was the Imperial Palace.