Chapter 7: Truth of the Lie
On the evening of the outdoor drill, Celia was walking through the Academy grounds.
“Good grief! What am I, a slave? Do your own research! Just because I’m the lowest ranked professor here doesn’t mean I’m a secretary! And it isn’t exactly easy to find information about monsters from the Divine War...” Celia grumbled under her breath as she headed for the director’s office.
Her bitterness was due to the order she’d received from her superior to investigate a certain monster while she was doing her own research in the library.
“I was even told to go to the director’s office... What’s the rush?”
She briefly considered the possibility of the monster in question appearing somewhere, but dismissed the thought immediately.
The monster Celia had researched was a minotaur, a monster shaped like a person with a bull’s head. It had played a large role in the Divine War, a great war that had occurred over a thousand years ago. The Divine War was a conflict that had spread between the humans, who were led by the Six Wise Gods, and the demons, who were led by the Demon King. Minotaurs were said to have drastically decreased in population towards the end of the Divine War. They were very rarely spotted in the kingdoms towards the north and west, but there had been no sightings in Beltrum for the last several hundred years.
Celia contemplated such things as she arrived at the director’s office. She stopped before the door, noticing that it was slightly ajar. The voice of the director, Garcia Fontaine, could be heard talking to the superior who had given her the order. She peeked through the gap to check if she could go inside.
“But the matter of Her Highness being pushed off the cliff cannot be so peacefully resolved. I suppose some form of punishment will be necessary?” Garcia asked with a hint of annoyance.
Celia leaned in at the mention of something so serious.
“I’m afraid it cannot be avoided. However, there is also a conflict in the facts presented... It seems there is no mistaking that Duke Huguenot’s son was the one who collided with Her Highness, but...”
“But?”
“Over half the students are testifying that the one who pushed Duke Huguenot’s son in the first place was a student named Rio. On the other hand, the Second Princess herself is insistent that that cannot be possible...”
Huh? Rio? What was going on? Celia gulped nervously at the unexpected mention of Rio’s name.
“And why is that?” Garcia asked.
“Because this Rio was also the student that saved her from falling off the cliff. At the cost of falling off himself.”
He fell off a cliff? Was Rio still alive...? A chill suddenly ran down Celia’s spine.
“Then where is this Rio now?”
“Missing. After falling off the cliff, he appeared once more while the aforementioned monster was attacking the Second Princess, who had been separated from the others. But he immediately disappeared again after defeating the creature.”
Thank goodness. He was alive — while his missing status intrigued Celia, that alone was a relief to hear.
“That would certainly imply he had no intention of harming Her Highness. Does he have a motive for pushing the son of Duke Huguenot?”
“According to the students, he panicked when the group of monsters attacked.”
Rio, panicking over a few monsters? ...Something didn’t sound right to Celia.
“I see... Then is there any testimony that disproves that majority opinion?”
“No, no one including the Second Princess witnessed anything contradictory.”
“Hmm...”
“The fact that he hid himself afterwards is proof of his guilt. Otherwise, he would have stepped forward and explained himself,” the elderly professor declared boldly to Garcia, who appeared contemplative.
“If it were possible to completely prove his innocence, perhaps,” Garcia murmured quietly.
“Huh?”
“Mmm, it’s nothing.”
“Very well... Then what shall be done about the report to the castle? Duke Huguenot is pressing for it to be written immediately.”
“Hm. If we were to disappoint Duke Huguenot here, that dissatisfaction would surely reach His Majesty. We conveniently have a scapegoat at the ready... It would be unwise to thoughtlessly make a bigger deal of these matters.”
“Then shall I consolidate it as an issue caused by a student named Rio in the report to submit to the royal court?”
What was that...? So they weren’t even going to give Rio the chance to explain himself? Anger surged within Celia as the conversation turned towards abandoning Rio.
“That’s right. The majority of students testified to the same story. The rest we can leave to Duke Huguenot in the royal court — he should be able to take care of that much himself.”
Honestly speaking, Garcia couldn’t care less what the truth was. Whichever option was the most convenient and least messy would be his version of the truth.
“Then I shall proceed to report that to the court.”
“I leave it to you. I shall bring the report to His Majesty and await his judgment. Inform all the teachers that the child is to be apprehended if he returns to the academy.”
“Understood.”
Celia trembled with worry as she eavesdropped on their business-like exchange. What should she do? Rio was in danger at this rate... and Celia believed in him. She couldn’t quite figure out the sequence of events from the conversation just now, but she was certain that Rio would never push Stewart out of panic.
...Although she could definitely imagine the reverse happening.
Rio had probably disappeared because he knew he would be placed under suspicion. It was quite easy to say he hadn’t done it, but to prove it would require the devil’s proof. Rather than having to jump through hoops to disprove these false accusations, it’d be easier to get a running start from the beginning.
With that realization on Celia’s mind, she took a deep breath to calm herself and knocked on the door.
◇◇◇
That night, Rio returned to the capital and snuck into his bedroom in the Academy dormitory.
The city gates were normally closed at night, making it impossible to enter the walls, but Rio had enhanced his physical body and abilities to gain the power to leap over the walls entirely, successfully sneaking in. Once inside the walls, there was nothing he had to fear. Similarly, he jumped over the wall into the nobles’ inner city and headed for the academy.
With most of the students back at home, the security at night was much weaker than during the daytime. Rio used his extensive knowledge of the academy grounds to easily walk around without being discovered by the patrols. Eventually, Rio opened the door to his now-familiar bedroom, noting that there was no sign of anyone else having entered his room yet... Though he didn’t have very many belongings to begin with. Once he had confirmed the state of his effects, he removed the bag hidden beneath his bed. Inside was nearly all the reward money he had received from saving Flora five years ago. It was more than enough to live off from now on.
Next, Rio took out a change of clothes from his drawer and placed the money in the bag attached to his belt. While the academy uniform was excellent in combat, it unfortunately stood out too much.
Once he was done preparing, Rio left his room. He headed towards the only person in the academy he could trust — Celia.
I hope she’s still around...
Celia often holed herself up in her research laboratory until late in the evening. Praying she hadn’t headed home yet, Rio traversed down the familiar underground corridor below the library tower. Most of the professors had left for the day, making the silence in the corridor more prominent than usual. Keeping an eye out for others, he eventually arrived at Celia’s research laboratory to see the light from a lamp shining from the gap beneath the door.
It seemed like Celia was still inside, so Rio knocked quietly on the door.
“Who’s knocking so late—”
Celia opened the door with a little pout, but her eyes widened dramatically at the sight of Rio. She was almost about to shout when he gently covered her mouth with a finger.
“Shh. I apologize for the disturbance. If possible, I wish to speak with you,” Rio said in a low voice.
Celia couldn’t help but blush before she glanced up and down the corridor.
“Come in,” she whispered, inviting Rio into the room. Once both of them were inside, the door shut with a click. Rio was agonizing over where to start his explanation when Celia moved in for a tight hug.
“P-Professor?” Rio asked in confusion. He could feel Celia’s warmth through his clothing; it felt like her heart was thumping loudly, too.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
After a moment, Celia touched his body as if to check for injuries.
“That tickles... But I’m fine,” Rio said, smiling at the ticklish feeling.
“Thank goodness...” With tears in her eyes, Celia smiled in relief.
Ah, it’s Rio... He’s safe — she was overjoyed. Released from her worries, the tight feeling in her chest finally loosened up.
“Did you hear anything about the drill yet?”
“Yes. They said you pushed Stewart and placed Princess Flora in danger... And that you defeated a minotaur by yourself...”
“Second part of that aside, the first part is a completely false accusation,” Rio stated with a tinge of exasperation.
“I knew it! There was no way you’d do such a thing.”
“Thank you for believing in me...”
“That should be obvious!” Celia asserted immediately.
“But that isn’t the case for everyone else. I really appreciate it,” Rio said with a shy smile. Celia hugged Rio once more.
“...It’s all right. I believe you. I know you, after all.”
I have no allies in this academy — Rio might have been thinking.
You have an ally here in me — that was what Celia wanted to tell him.
“Professor...”
Warm.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt warmth from another person. Unable to resist that comfort, Rio allowed Celia to cling to him for a while.
“Hey, will you tell me what happened? I’m not quite sure if I have the story right...” Celia eventually asked.
“Sure, I guess. It all started during the drill...”
“How could they say that?! It clearly wasn’t your fault!”
After Rio finished speaking, Celia released all her pent-up anger.
“Those with power have the right to decide whose fault it is,” Rio said in a sage voice, as though he had given up from the start. In a society structured around social status, justice was a fluid concept decided by the powerful.
That was why justice would never befall the weak. Justice existed for the strong.
“Maybe, but... Rio, you’re being falsely accused when you’ve done nothing wrong!” Rio’s words, steeped in realism, made Celia shout with a pained look.
“But even if I came forward with the truth, the powerful ones of this kingdom would never take my side. If anything, they’d persecute me further because the son of Duke Huguenot was involved in this incident.”
The current Great Lord of Beltrum was Duke Huguenot. In contrast, Rio was just a commoner with no status nor support.
If the truth behind this case were to be exposed, Duke Huguenot would suffer greatly on the political front. While the incident itself was an accident, his son had nearly killed a member of the royal family. Considering the current political status of Beltrum, that wouldn’t be a desirable situation for the powers of both the royalty and nobility of the kingdom. That was because of Duke Arbor, who — after losing much of his power in his failure five years ago — had regained a somewhat significant portion of his influence within the royal court.
Recently, the Huguenot and Arbor factions had been butting heads behind-the-scenes over diplomatic relations with a hostile kingdom. That hostile kingdom was the Proxia Empire — an emerging nation to the north that had invaded many of the smaller kingdoms in the region, causing tensions to run high with Beltrum. The king and Duke Huguenot’s faction supported peaceful discussions to curtail the tense relations, while Duke Arbor’s faction supported a more aggressive approach that required military expansion. Duke Huguenot’s faction was still winning out at the moment, but any failure now would be sure to tip the scales in Duke Arbor’s favor.
If that happened, it would only be a matter of time before war was declared.
That was an undesirable outcome for many of the royalty and nobility, including the king himself.
Against that kind of political backdrop, would the other royalty and nobility desire to see failure from Duke Huguenot’s family? If Stewart’s foolish indignation was dragged out into the open, would they refrain from pointlessly stirring up a confrontation?
Indeed, if everything could be solved by pushing all the blame onto a commoner, then it would be a cheap price to pay. Even Rio and Celia could understand that reasoning when they calmly thought about it.
“I’m sorry. I really wish I could do something for you, but...” Celia bit her lip and apologized in frustration. Even if she wanted to prove Rio’s innocence, she clearly lacked the power to do so. There was no point in being idealistic or enraged without the power to change his reality. It was almost too frustrating to bear.
“Please don’t apologize,” Rio said in a gentle voice. “It’s all thanks to you, Professor. I was only able to go on until now because you were here. I’m glad to have met you... I truly think that.”
“Rio...” Celia’s face distorted with sadness. She had an idea of what he was going to say next.
“That’s why I came to say goodbye, Professor. I am leaving this kingdom.”
The brutally heartrending farewell was exactly what Celia expected.
“...Do you know where you’re going?”
“I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m thinking of visiting my parents’ hometown.”
“Your parents’ hometown... Are you really going to the Yagumo region? Will you be all right?”
“Well, I’m sure it’ll work out. Probably.” Rio answered as brightly as he could to ease Celia’s worries.
“...Shall I go with you? Do you have money?” Celia asked after thinking hard for a moment.
“It’d be a huge crisis if you disappeared, Professor. I’ll be fine. I still have a lot of money left from my reward. I know — I’ll send you a letter while I’m on the road. Under an alias, of course.”
“...You absolutely have to, okay? I won’t forgive you if you forget.”
“Yes ma’am.” Rio nodded with a smile.
“What name will you send it as?
“Right, let’s see... How about... Haruto.” Rio briefly hesitated before giving her his pen name. It was Rio’s name in his past life.
“Haruto, got it.” Celia murmured the name to herself, as though carving it into her mind.
“Then... I’ll be off now.”
With those words to mark his departure, Rio gently pushed Celia’s body away from him.
“Ah...” Celia let out a hoarse voice as Rio’s warmth left her. “I’ll see you again, right?”
She put on the biggest smile she could manage as she asked with a trembling voice.
“...Yes, we’ll definitely meet again.” Rio thought a moment before nodding, showing her his gentle smile.
“Then take care of yourself, and come back safely. See you later.” Celia stifled the anxieties whirling in her chest and gave a sad smile.
“Yes... see you later,” Rio replied, then slowly turned on his heel. He took one step, then two, away from Celia.
She felt as though her heart would burst as she watched his retreating back. If she let her guard down, even a little, she would probably end up clinging to his back in tears.
But she couldn’t. She couldn’t cry right now. She had to see Rio off with her head held high, so that she wouldn’t hold him back. Celia chewed at her lip.
Without another word, Rio silently left the room. The door shut quietly behind him.
The dam broke instantly as her tears spilled from her eyes.
Looking back on it now, the one being saved by their time together was Celia, not Rio.
From infancy, she had been pushed to move forward, much to the envy of her surroundings. She had no intimate friends close to her, so having someone to talk to without reservation was both new and precious to her. The time she spent with Rio every day was fun, and she had been overjoyed to hear that Rio considered her a friend.
“I’m sorry, Rio... I couldn’t help you...”
The sounds of Celia’s sniffles continued to echo from her room for a while longer.
◇◇◇
“Excuse me.”
Flora was paying a visit to her father’s suite. Once she was granted permission, she entered to find herself in the presence of not only Phillip III, but Garcia as well. She was surprised, but having the academy director here was actually more convenient for her. She hardened the resolve within her, clutching at the hem of her dress as she bowed in greeting.
“What is the matter, my dearest Flora?” Phillip III asked brazenly, thought he had an idea.
“I have come to speak with you with regards to the drill, Father. There is something I wish to say,” Flora declared rather stiffly with a determined expression.
Phillip III’s eyes widened slightly at a glimpse of his daughter’s strong determination, something he had rarely seen, until now.
“...Worry not. I have already heard the details of this case from Garcia.”
“Then surely that person — Rio — will not be subjected to any blame... Is that correct?” Flora inquired directly, after the result she desired.
“Unfortunately, that cannot be.”
“...But why, Father?” Flora sent an admonishing gaze towards the king, who shook his head with a frown.
“It is not that I am overlooking your testimony. The reality is, several students witnessed the eldest son of the House of Huguenot being pushed. As a result, you — a member of the royal family — were put in danger. That is more than enough reason to enact punishment.”
“But he was the one who saved me! There’s no way he would do such a thing!”
“Then why did the boy disappear afterwards? I am grateful to him for saving you on numerous occasions... But there is no doubt that his actions this time are suspicious.”
“That’s... that’s because everyone treats him badly! Because we don’t believe in him, he...”
“Ah, youth.” Garcia chuckled in amusement at Flora’s appeal.
“What do you mean by that, Director Garcia?” Flora asked with a pout.
“Ideals and reality may not always coincide. As one who lives among the privileged, it would do you well to learn that, Princess.”
“...Please don’t change the topic. What kind of report did you give my father? I await your satisfactory answer,” Flora demanded, refusing to be fooled easily.
“My dear, I simply collected the testimonies of the students.” Contrary to his biting tone, Garcia smiled like a good-natured old man.
“Do try not tease my adorable daughter too much, Garcia.”
“Ahem. Please accept my apologies,” Garcia offered at Phillip III’s warning, keeping his thoughts about overly-doting parents to himself.
“Flora, my dear. As long as there is a reason for prosecution, any exceptions would cause great unrest within the nobility class. However, it is true that the boy saved you from danger. He will be charged with the crime, but I am thinking of granting him reprieve. Will that ease your woes?” the king asked.
“How lenient,” Garcia muttered under his breath. The king silenced him with a glare.
“Even with reprieve from the sentence, the crime will still be on his record...” Flora said with a pout. In other words, Rio would be treated as a criminal no matter what.
With an official charge of guilt and a criminal record, any hopes for a bright future would be dashed. Even if Rio were to remain in Beltrum, his door to success was as good as closed and locked tight.
“I understand. However...” Phillip trailed off. Garcia watched their conversation with a pleasant smile, as though it was none of his business. The king’s troubled gaze wandered, seeking Garcia for help.
“Princess, please calm yourself,” Garcia interjected in exasperation. “We are far too busy to entertain the every whim of a child.”
Flora closed her mouth grumpily. “I just cannot forgive wrongdoings.”
“And that is why I am calling you a child. Detach your emotions from your actions. As royalty, you will have many experiences where your emotions and actions won’t meet in the middle.” Garcia didn’t even think the incident this time was worth becoming emotional over in the first place — but he didn’t say that out loud.
Flora had been completely silenced. Tears welled in her eyes. She came to the painful realization that they would treat her like a spoiled child regardless of what she said.
It was incredibly frustrating.
Flora had always quietly obeyed her father and sister. There was no offense in their words, so she usually believed that it was the right thing to do...
But this time, she couldn’t believe them.
“Very well.”
She mumbled the words she didn’t believe herself, as she understood now that her words had no power. She couldn’t do anything on her own — her heart felt like it was splitting from the pain.
The only thing she could do was pray for Rio’s safety.
Flora cursed her own helplessness.
The year was 996 of the Holy Era — over five years had passed since Rio regained his memories of another world.
