Deep within an upscale restaurant in the Royal Capital, a certain banquet was underway.
The host’s name was Georg von Eldridge—
In the original game, he was the father of Victor, the student who rivaled Hero Leon for the top of the class, and the current head of House Eldridge.
Alongside the prominent politicians of the Kingdom he had summoned, he indulged in fine liquor, exquisite cuisine, and various illicit whispers that could never see the light of day.
This establishment was the perfect venue for conversations that one preferred to keep behind closed doors.
"Ho ho ho, Lord Eldridge. Thank you for today. Until we meet again."
The politicians, having sated their appetites, filed out of the room.
After seeing them off, Georg remained in the room alone.
It wasn't that he was savoring the end of the banquet.
—It was because the true illicit whispers, the ones that truly could never be brought to light, were about to begin.
With a click, the sealed door opened, and someone stepped inside.
"Yoo-hoo, Client-sama! Milia-chan-sama has arrived~!"
She was a short, peculiar girl. Her age appeared to be roughly the same as his son, Victor’s; she had a lovely face framed by short pink hair and purple eyes.
(...Is this child really the strongest assassin?)
Georg was momentarily taken aback by her eccentric behavior.
However, despite her sweet features and flighty way of speaking, her attire was solid black, prioritizing ease of movement above all else. Her presence was also—if one didn't stay focused, it was so thin that one might forget there was anyone else in the room at all.
There was no doubt she was no ordinary girl.
"Sit."
"Aha! It’s not like we're going to have a long talk, so I’ll stay standing, if you please~!"
(She has no intention of sitting, nor does she intend to trust me.)
Because if she wasn't on her feet, there would be a split-second delay in reacting to an emergency.
(The rumor that she was a specialist once considered for the 'Assassination of the Demon King' might not be an exaggeration after all.)
—In the original game lore, she was a candidate to join Hero Leon's party to defeat the Demon King.
However, the task Georg was commissioning now had nothing to do with the Demon King.
"Then, I shall get straight to the point. I want you to assassinate Albert von Kronstadt, a student at the Royal Arcana Academia."
Just speaking the name caused fury to surge from the depths of his gut.
House Eldridge currently enjoyed soaring influence. Their territorial management was flourishing, and their political power within the Kingdom was rock-solid. On the other hand, while the Kronstadt family was also a ducal house, they were already in decline. Their former glory was nothing but a shadow.
The difference between their heirs was just as stark.
His son, Victor, was a prodigy; he was expected to one day carry the weight of both the Kingdom and House Eldridge, and Georg had viewed him as such.
And yet! And yet! And yet!
Why was his pride and joy of a son utterly crushed by that profligate fool of a son from House Kronstadt?!
The rage he had felt upon receiving that report continued to simmer in the pit of Georg's stomach.
(That brat from a failing house...! To insult my son...!)
The manner of the defeat had been truly pathetic.
Cowering, eyes rolled back, fainting with drool leaking from his mouth—that disgrace was nothing short of a stain on the Eldridge name.
In fact, Georg knew it had already spread through the gossip-hungry aristocratic circles. It had become a joke: "House Eldridge is unexpectedly pathetic, isn't it?"
The politicians he had met with earlier were the same.
In the past, they would have praised Victor until it became nauseating, yet today they hadn't even uttered his name.
The condescension in their eyes and the mockery hidden behind their words were unbearable.
(Curse you, Victor! To think you would make me lose face like this!)
It was also a father's duty to scrub away the stain left by an inadequate son.
Therefore, he had made his decision.
To settle this score, Albert would die.
"This is the data on the target."
Milia reached for the envelope he dropped onto the table and skimmed the documents inside.
"How soon can I expect an answer on whether you'll take the job?"
"...Eh? Oh, right now. I'll take it~"
Milia responded with the same casual air as if she were ordering dessert after dinner.
(I don't believe she could have read those documents thoroughly, but did she finish them that quickly?)
Or perhaps—
Was it an absolute confidence that she could complete any contract?
One had to remember: this airheaded girl was the Kingdom's strongest assassin and the primary candidate considered for the assassination of the resurrected Demon King.
"The rest is up to Milia-chan-sama~. Well then, bye-bye~"
Her parting words were playful, but her exit was masterful.
She had simply walked out the door, yet the sensation of her presence vanished instantly. It almost made Georg wonder if he had been alone the entire time, simply talking to himself.
(Hmph! As long as her skill is the real thing, that is all that matters!)
Georg's shoulders shook in a good mood.
(Kronstadt! You can spend your final moments regretting that you ever grew so arrogant!)
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
A week had passed since the day I was worn down by being caught between the dangerous woman Shizel and the dangerous woman Luna.
Man, that was rough...
I never want to experience that kind of stomach-churning stress again.
This past week has been wonderfully quiet and comfortable. I'd really appreciate it if the rest of my student life could be filled with nothing but peace.
In that "normal life" mode, I was currently sitting in the classroom for the Ancient History Class taught by Professor Merlin.
...This Professor Merlin is also a massive headache for me.
He's the one who suspects I'm researching forbidden Ancient Magic and has shut down access to every library except the Central Library.
Thanks to him, my search for books containing sealed Ancient Magic hasn't progressed at all.
From my perspective, it's a huge pain in the neck.
(I wish I could do something about this...)
I think that, but so far, I've got nothing. Well, I guess it wouldn't be that easy...
Do I have to take care of it myself?
Are you serious... I really don't want to stand out anymore. I just want to quietly research Ancient Magic, but things just aren't going my way.
Now then, what's my move...
As I was pondering that—
I suddenly realized the classroom was buzzing with restless energy.
"Isn't Professor Merlin late?"
"It's been over ten minutes already."
...This is incredibly rare. Merlin is a professor who is obsessive about punctuality and always enters the room exactly on the dot.
Losing their patience, students started leaving their seats to chat with their friends.
Amidst the noisy atmosphere, a restless student reached for the classroom door.
"I'm gonna go look for the professor."
He stepped out into the hallway.
Then, it happened.
"W-W-W-Waaaaaaaah!"
The student's blood-curdling scream echoed from the hallway.
The shock silenced the classroom instantly. Everyone reflexively looked at one another.
Eventually, the sound of frantic running thundered down the hall, and the door burst open with violent force.
The student from before shouted, his face deathly pale in a way I'd never seen.
"Professor Merlin is collapsed on the stairs! There's blood everywhere!"
Then, in a trembling voice, he added:
"He... he-he-he might be dead—!"