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227. The Last of the Festival (1)

As the day grew darker, the distinguished guests in the village began to return to their homes one by one.

Fortunately, there were no casualties, but the threat to their lives remained.

It wasn’t just the people in this village, though.

The giant head that Makia had dropped from the sky—had it struck the ground, every citizen of the Empire would have perished.

So by now, it was clear that anger and complaints would be spilling out all across the continent.

Even with Makia captured, the grievances remained, simmering until his clan was destroyed.

“What happened?”

“Everyone is united in shouting that Mirona should be captured and hanged immediately.”

Lyman recounted what had transpired at the gathering of the guests.

Naturally, Princess Mirona was at the center of the storm, and Lyman had to protect her from the nobles, whose eyes were gleaming with rage, ready to grasp their weapons.

“No, the anger is just an excuse. To be precise, the Emperor’s seat has practically vanished. So now we must decide who will fill that empty throne.”

Indeed. The higher the nobility, the more they long for power.

They had climbed their way up to that status with such a mindset, and they wouldn’t just abandon it.

Now that the Emperor’s position had disappeared, they would be eager to scope out who was going to sit on the throne.

“First, to ascend to the throne, one needs political standing. The one who manages this incident most wisely will gain a favorable position. Of course…”

Even superficial wisdom in handling the situation would earn them public support.

By putting forth a key witness to this incident for judgment, they could be praised for their cleverness.

It was only natural to harbor resentment against the royal family now, but they had always been jealous of them.

With the fallen Emperor showing a crack, it was only natural they would rush to devour his corpse.

Princess Mirona, his bloodline, could not escape their fangs either.

Because of their shared blood, if they enforced accountability and executed her, they would gain significant political favor.

“Besides, look at the scale of the disaster caused by that Emperor. If it was merely at the village level, it would be one thing, but he attempted to annihilate the entire continent.”

“I understand the anger, but… looking back, it seems they were just looking for a reason to be mad.”

There are no absolute convictions in the world.

Nothing is perfect, and everything is mediocre, making them just another pack lurking for openings.

From their visible perspective, someone might appear as a pest or seem like garbage.

“Princess Mirona must have fought hard, nearly to the death. How could they treat her that way when she is one of the heroes preserving their lives?”

When I asked that, Lyman sighed heavily.

“That’s humanity for you. To them, Mirona, being blood-related to Makia, is nothing more than a political pawn. They’re the types who live for comparing themselves with others.”

Humans find unhappiness by gazing up at those superior to them.

The reason they’re raising their voices now isn’t necessarily that they see Mirona as a threat, but rather just a desperate attempt to alleviate their lingering inferiority complex.

Otherwise, there is no way they’d exploit someone who fought to protect them like that.

Thus, Lyman seemed to be holding in his rage as he said:

“I must have foolishly stopped that meteor.”

“Don’t joke around. If I had, I’d be dead too.”

“Not joking.”

“….”

I felt chills down my spine from Lyman’s words.

From my perspective, having watched a bad ending, such statements could not be taken lightly.

This came from Lyman, who had lived for three hundred years.

It implied that humanity had not changed at all over that long time.

“But still, no matter what they try, they can’t take Mirona’s head. The highest authority in the Empire right now is Gerard.”

That’s right. The discussions about who the next Emperor would be had already begun.

If a first candidate were to be elected, it would naturally be Gerard Chain Silver, who wouldn’t be out of place atop the throne at this moment.

As long as he is in power, Mirona would not be targeted.

He was also a hero who had protected the village and the nobility, garnering applause, contrary to the dirty blood of Mirona.

“Besides, Mirona herself said this.”

Lyman repeated her words from that moment.

She declared her renunciation of the royal bloodline and expressed her indifference toward the fight over imperial power.

However, when asked by a noble how she would atone for the sins of her father, she responded:

“I will survive, no matter what. I will not flee from anything nor will I leave.”

Memories from her past life as Saint Maria began to resurface.

Eventually, her previous life and memories would begin to awaken gradually.

From the first encounter to the final loop, the moment all those memories flood back, the curse would activate, and she would die from an unknown illness.

“But for now, with Makia in a state of helplessness, no major incidents should occur anymore. All that’s left is to live diligently until next year’s graduation.”

“The hero who saved the continent is merely treated as a student. Isn’t that a little disappointing?”

“Disappointing? What would happen if the rumor spread that Aligieri is connected to demons?”

Even though they saved it from annihilation, it wouldn’t bring about a pleasant wave.

Just look at Chapter 5 of the main story.

Because of Lyman’s identity being revealed, Aligieri suffered severe repercussions, leading him to the brink of school closure.

“Who would take responsibility if I step ahead and step on a landmine?”

“….”

“Still, I’m not the least bit disappointed. I just reconciled with a younger sibling I know.”

I quickly realized that sibling was Gerard.

Having let go of the regret from their split due to an earlier mistake, Lyman appeared light-hearted.

Though it was annoying because of those nobility pricks, it was still a good day.

“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask since earlier…”

“What?”

“Why does your face look like that?”

Lyman questioned the significant bruises swelling on my face.

In fact, these wounds had been there long before our conversation and were all consequences of my own sins.

“You look like you got your face punched in. How did that happen?”

“There’s a reason for that.”

I had gotten caught up in a lie and ended up crossing the line.

It felt too embarrassing to put that into words.

“Anyway, I’m going to see Mirona now. I wonder what she’d say if I asked her to stay by my side like a fool.”

“Ooo~”

Hearing that, I felt inexplicably excited.

Lyman raised his eyebrows at my flirty tone.

“Hey, what does that mean?”

“I’m rooting for you.”

When I grinned, he suddenly raised his fist.

“Should I give you another bruise before you come to your senses?”

“….”

“You’d better stay put them, you scammer.”

And with that, Lyman vanished in an instant.

How cheeky. As if I wouldn’t know he suffered for three hundred years to save that heroine?

Anyway, as dinnertime approached, I headed past the Student Council Building towards the plaza.

When I arrived, I saw a massive mat laid out.

“Welcome, brother-in-law. We just finished preparing a feast.”

There stood Baimon, greeting me as if he were my butler.

A lavish spread was laid out on the mat, and it seemed he had been waiting for me.

His gaze was filled with intense anticipation.

Around the mat, golems stood guard like an iron wall.

“What are you doing?”

It was definitely a hospitable attitude, but I wanted to ask him why.

And of course…

“From now on, as you’ve become my brother-in-law, such treatment is the bare minimum.”

“….”

“Now, sit down quickly. It’ll get cold.”

Could this be the gloomy shell of someone who could barely touch anything other than machines?

When I heard he had fallen for Amy, I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

Amy seemed overjoyed as well, showing a smile.

I never imagined he would like a beefed-up version of Amy.

“But who made this?”

“My golems cooked it! Based on the skills of the Cooking Club members, the taste should be excellent.”

Did he replicate the cooking style and impart it to the golems?

Such skills and alchemy could only belong to an extraordinary talent in the Empire.

Thinking back, he was a valuable asset.

“Then, let’s see…”

I took a bite of the steak packed in the lunch box.

At the moment the flavor of the melting meat spread in my mouth…

“Ooooh… Ooooh!”

“How does it taste?!”

With his eyes sparkling with excitement, Baimon eagerly awaited my response as I smiled and presented the food.

“You should try it too.”

“Yes, then…”

He copied my move and shoved a cube steak down his throat with a fork.

“How is it?”

“Um…”

He quickly gave a simple critique of his own dish.

“Not great.”

“Right?”

With that, I punched Baimon playfully on the back of the head, laughing.

Just going back to eat what Luska made would be much more beneficial.

*

In the yard of the first officer, a girl was swinging a sword.

As usual, Jenny Chain Silver was diligently training, but today it was more about checking her mental state than just exerting herself.

This wasn’t to evaluate how much stronger she had become.

It was more about confirming whether her hesitations had vanished.

Whoosh!—

The blue aura around her sword stirred the wind.

Then, a red energy surrounded the blade, creating a new form.

The power that seemed a mix of blue and red emanated, bringing a smile to Jenny’s face.

It felt as if an invisible person was gripping the sword alongside her.

“You always train here like this.”

Gerard approached to check on his daughter.

Even as she wielded Silver Age magic, he sensed that no fear lingered within her.

“How’s Ray?”

“He’s probably playing with a girl named Amy right now. And we plan to return together tomorrow since there’s more to handle after this incident.”

Jenny smiled brightly at the thought that Radon’s brother was playing with Ray.

Even without that, her heart was light.

“I want to ask you something, Dad.”

What is it, Gerard asked as Jenny removed the pendant hanging from her neck.

Holding it, she began speaking.

“I’ve been haunted by the guilt of my mom dying because of me. Until now, I worried she’d appear in my dreams.”

The pendant, embedded with a blue gemstone, had red stains on it, shimmering in a mixed hue of blue and red.

“But Mom wasn’t clinging to me like a ghost… In fact, I was the one who kept her bound here.”

Would having this necklace allow me to feel less guilty?

So I could live my life remembering her and never forget my mother?

If not, I would become a ugly version of myself, not acknowledging the mistakes I made back then.

Jenny had repeatedly tried to free herself from that darkness, creating a semblance of her mother.

She had consoled herself by holding onto that, but in reality, it was an act of trapping her mother’s soul.

She wanted to be forgiven.

But…

“I want to let Mom go now.”

Upon hearing his daughter’s words, Gerard wore a deep expression laced with bittersweetness.

He didn’t know what had happened during this incident, but he respected his daughter’s choice.

“Then I wish to let go with you.”

Gerard reached out to touch the heirloom of his wife that Jenny held.

It was the pendant gifted to his wife during their wedding long ago. Having been with their daughter till now, it had become quite worn out.

The old appearance resembled the battered body and spirit of his wife after a fierce battle.

Swoosh—

That heirloom from her mother had become frozen in Jenny’s hand, as if the pain of all those past injuries had come to a halt.

Gerard infused mana into the frozen pendant. Suddenly, the snowflakes that had accumulated would scatter, transforming it into granules.

Then, it turned into blue particles that floated toward the sky.

The will of Leila Chain Silver, once bound within the necklace, thus departed from this world.

Yet, there was no regret.

For she had been happy until the very end… and…

“Thank you for loving me until the moment you died.”

Her spirit transcended within the brighter legacy of her child…

Surviving as the Academy Scammer.

 

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