novelraw Chapter 108 : State of the School (4)
Chapter 108 : State of the School (4)
State of the School (4)
Do you think a special task force on par with the royal family could realistically exist?
'Honestly, it makes no sense.'
The answer was, of course, 'No.'
Even according to the common sense of the world Louis originally lived in, such a thing was impossible.
'It would mean that a single unit has the same say as the president. Is that even feasible?'
While a high-ranking officer in the military might be considered privileged, possessing power equivalent to the nation's leader was far-fetched.
That wouldn't be much different in this world either.
What head of state would be crazy enough to grant a unit power equal to their own?
What if that unit started a coup?
'Unless the leader is out of their mind, it's an impossible idea.'
It was an absurd thought even by Louis's standards, yet Louis himself was a member of that unit.
"Elder Sister. In the four years you've spent in the special task force, what have you thought?"
When the incident at the academy had ended and the Imperial Court's knight order had come to handle the aftermath, Louis asked Silia.
"For example?"
"Do you think there could be another unit in any country with as much influence as the royal family?"
"There's no way such a ridiculous unit could exist in this world!"
Since it was such an insane idea, Silia spoke incredulously.
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she corrected herself.
"Actually, there is—right here."
She, like Louis, was a member of that very unit.
The two of them were dizzy just thinking about how they'd said such a thing was impossible, yet belonged to that group themselves.
"What do you think is the reason?"
"Is there any need to look far for the cause?"
Silia turned to Louis as she spoke.
Reflected in Silia's eyes was the boy himself—the very reason this unit had been established.
"Ah, so it's because of me."
"You're the hero who saved His Majesty. It wouldn't be weird for you to have a private audience for life."
"But did they really have to grant this much power?"
"That's true, but only if you'd just been a 'normal human'."
Not only had this boy saved him, but he also held the power of the Chaos Dragon, an ancient beast of destruction.
In such a situation, what would have gone through the Emperor's mind?
"And that's not all. Ever since the prophesied Hero died, someone was needed to take his place."
The vacant position of the Hero. To fill that gap, the Emperor could never turn Louis into an enemy.
He believed only Louis could fill that role.
"So, rather than antagonize you, he decided to give you every benefit. Same for the squad members."
Right then, among their squad was a girl destined to become the Demon King—the very antithesis to the Hero.
They'd reached a situation where, rather than eliminate such a being on the spot, they had to keep her alive and look after her.
"Of course, such perks come with side effects. Just look over there."
Silia pointed to where the squad members were arguing with someone.
From Louis's hearing, the opponent was a noble, demanding to know why the squad members had allowed his son to get hurt.
When the squad members responded that they'd done their best, the noble only got angrier.
'Huh? Isn't that the Moon Goddess Pendant?'
At that moment, the noble set his eyes on the pendant hanging from Pram's neck.
He demanded it, saying his daughter wanted one too, and reached his hand out.
'Kyaaaaak!!'
'How dare this wrinkled bastard lay a hand on my treasure?!'
Even from a distance, Louis could clearly hear the conversation.
Suddenly, Pram's expression turned brutal as she corroded the noble's hand!
Pram was normally a rebellious girl who often got annoyed, but this was the first time Louis had seen her this furious.
'You touched something as precious to me as my own life. So I'll take your life in return.'
Saying this, Pram rolled up her sleeve.
On her arm was a tattoo symbolizing membership in the special task force, just like the other squad members had.
The moment she revealed it, the noble went completely silent.
'I'm sorry! I'm sorr... Kyaaaaak!!'
Even after the noble surrendered, Pram kept showing off her strength.
She even threatened the noble, demanding he kneel.
Pram, who had fought to protect the people, was not really at fault.
The noble had been wrong to look down on a squad that had gone to such effort.
But if taken too far, things become toxic.
If unchecked, the squad members might abuse their authority and create unjust victims.
Just like the highest-ranking nobles in a certain pirate comic.
"That's why I tried not to bring them out in public too often."
"But that way is reaching its limit. For their sake, too."
Just looking at Pram, it was obvious she was intoxicated with the outside world.
It had already been four years since they'd become a special task force. They couldn't keep treating them like children.
"Of course, we can't just give them complete freedom, either."
Louis looked at the squad members who had been harassing the noble.
"Everyone! Gather up now."
The squad members, forced by Louis's order, stopped and gathered.
"No matter how thoughtless someone acts, is it right to bully them like that?"
"Young master. Did you call us over just to say that?"
"If something unjust happens, we punish them so they can't misbehave again! That's the creed you taught us, young master."
Simon spoke the truth—they'd really been taught that way.
Given the harsh environment of the 7th Legion, that kind of strict education was unavoidable.
"And he even tried to take the pendant you gave me. Of course I should kill him!!"
"Pram, killing recklessly is an abuse of power."
"So what! We're the special task force—nobody can touch us anyway."
Yes, this was exactly the problem.
Now that they held such high status, they could get away with anything.
This was the side effect of the special task force that Louis had always been wary of.
"Is that really so? Will it really go your way?"
So Louis had always thought up countermeasures just in case.
"Guess what this is?"
When Louis showed them a crystal orb, the squad members responded knowingly.
"Huh? Isn't that an image magitech device?"
"Why are you bringing that out now?"
Instead of answering, Louis activated the orb.
Various images floated in the air above the orb.
The clips showed all the things the squad members had done at the academy behind Louis's back.
"Huh?"
"What's this?!"
"Y-Young master!!"
Victor and Rozen were shown beating up people who'd picked a fight, and Simon was caught stealthily stealing a student's lunch with his unique agility.
And then Pram....
[You stupid Young master! Try confessing to me! I'll just dump you!~]
She was muttering strange things where no one else was around.
"Uh......"
"Hiii!"
"Ah....!"
"......."
Having seen the footage, the squad members had no choice but to fall silent.
"How did I record this? Simple. Headmaster Ferus made a new surveillance magitech device for me."
Tiny artificial spirits had been scattered throughout the academy at Louis's command.
Those spirits recorded everything that happened on the academy grounds.
"Controlling those spirits is a strain on my brain, but I can manage it. What do you think would happen if these images reached His Majesty?"
The person who created the special task force was none other than the Emperor.
Of course, disbanding the force or kicking out members would be entirely his decision.
"So, stop causing trouble. Understood?"
With one warning from Louis, the squad members grudgingly agreed.
But then—
"Oh! Young master, you're public urinating!"
There was one last clip left.
It showed Louis in an empty alleyway, pants down, peeing in full view.
"Young master, it looks like it's gotten even smaller since before...."
"Damn it!!"
As Rozen made a suggestive remark, Louis immediately turned off the recording orb.
"Wow...."
"Oooh...."
Rio and Pram stared into space with curious expressions, having just watched the scene.
"Did you see, everyone?"
To prevent the mood from getting any weirder, Louis spoke up.
"I'm a target of surveillance too. So no claims of unfairness."
It was an awkward way to smooth things over, but this wasn't something Louis had expected, either.
Why? He'd never ordered the spirits to record him.
Why on earth...
"Ahem..."
Suddenly, Silia chuckled beside him.
Noticing her strange laughter, Louis asked suspiciously,
"Was it you, elder sister?"
After a moment of sheepishness, Silia answered nonchalantly.
"This makes things fair. Is there a problem?"
"The spirits shouldn't be controllable unless it's me, though?"
"I could manage just one. Plus, the spirit was so small it wouldn't trigger your senses, and that was a big advantage."
At Silia's triumphant confidence, Louis bit his lip.
"Never thought that old man would stab me in the back like this."
As he recalled Headmaster Ferus, Louis swore to get to the bottom of this someday.
"In any case, thanks to those spirits, things wrapped up smoothly."
Silia pointed in a direction as she spoke.
There, nobles who had tried to kill others inside the barrier were being arrested and dragged away by knights of the Imperial Court.
Normally, people would struggle as they were taken away, but for some reason, these nobles were obedient.
They simply wore vacant expressions, as if all hope had been lost.
"Let me say this one more time!"
Rubik, the knight captain leading the arrests, declared loudly.
He held up a crystal orb.
"The records inside this magitech device will be shown directly to His Majesty. I don't have to explain what kind of judgment he will make after seeing these, do I?"
The nobles' faces turned to utter despair.
Just like the previous video, all the atrocities they'd committed during this incident were recorded within that orb.
Murdering people and monopolizing the barrier simply because there were no witnesses—
The moment the Emperor saw it, there would be hell to pay.
"And Principal Rogis, vice-Principal Tedron. You are both dismissed from your positions. Any objections?"
Among the arrested nobles were the principal and vice-principal.
Evidence had surfaced that they'd taken bribes and ignored problems between students.
"......."
"......."
The principal and vice-principal locked eyes with Silia.
Both of them had contributed to her younger brother's death, so she watched with satisfaction as they were dragged off to the prison carriage.
"And Lymond Presho. You even cut off someone's arm."
"Hiii!!"
"You also bullied many commoner students with your friends, even resorting to threats."
The gravity of their crimes had become overwhelming.
If someone else had discovered them, it might have been hushed up, but it had been the special task force who caught them.
"Ah...ahaha...."
Ultimately, Lymond and his father entered the cell in utter despair.
Once all the other criminals had been locked up, only one person remained.
"Selion... Selion..."
It was Lisele, who kept murmuring her dead child's name.
At a glance, she appeared to be a grieving mother.
"You have no reason to feel wronged. Your son brought his death upon himself."
"Sel... Seli..."
At Rubik's words, Lisele looked at Silia with a wounded expression.
"That woman's looking at our squad leader."
"Do you know her?"
When Rozen and Pram asked, Silia smiled as she replied,
"No, she's just a stranger now."
Seeing Silia smile brightly at the squad members, Lisele's eyes turned bloodshot.
Normally, she might have charged in, ready to fight to the death—
"Take her away!"
But now that her will was broken, she had no energy left.
In the end, she too was locked in the prison carriage.
As the knights managed the prisoners, a priest approached Louis.
"Thank you so much! If it hadn't been for you, I..."
It was the priest who had been treating people inside the barrier.
Fortunately, the spot where he'd been stabbed by a monster's poisoned barb had fully healed.
"Others who lost their arms are probably recovered by now as well."
"That's good to hear."
"Thank you again. In the name of our Holy Nation, I'll never forget your kindness."
"So, you're from the Holy Nation."
No wonder he'd been able to use healing magic for so long without issue, Louis thought.
Healing magic there was enhanced by holy power for exceptional efficacy.
"But there's one thing I'd like to ask."
The priest then gestured toward Rio and Pram.
"Those two friends. I watched them fighting in secret..."
The priest's face was full of suspicion.
"Are they perhaps the Hero or the Saint?"
Right then, Pram was emitting a holy light, purging remnants of the demon realm, and Rio was letting out a golden aura as she cut down demon realm trees and cleaned up the aftermath.
-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
What a twist, the Hero and the Saint are secretly the future Demon King and a Dark Mage...
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