Chapter 143 December 16, 2022
C143: Preparations for the Festival (2)
Initiator, Hugo Burtag.
As soon as I saw the name, I could feel his plot in the event of a public match between teachers.
‘You say that we should hold a unique event, but in reality, you intend to further solidify the position of the aristocratic forces you lead?’
Perhaps Hugo found fault with the president’s arbitrary change of schedule. Not long ago, Hugo and other teachers from the noble faction went to protest against the president. I wasn’t there at the time, so I don’t know the exact situation, but this proposal was probably their suggestion.
‘It seems that the duel will be between aristocratic teachers and commoner teachers. The main target is, of course, the teachers who teach the first and second years.’
On the festival day, guests from outside will also visit, so they will fight with a smile. However, behind the scenes, was Hugo Burtag calculation that he would take this opportunity to solidify the position of aristocratic teachers in Theon.
‘This is going to be a bit of a headache.’
Usually, when such events are held, it is natural for new teachers to attend. No matter which organization you go to, the first thing the youngest members have to do is unchanged. Perhaps in the case of this event, newly appointed teachers must attend.
‘I don’t know if Esmeralda, the first order, will move during the festival, but I have to participate in an event like this?’
To be honest, I don’t want to waste my time. However, I cannot force out events that have already been decided. That’s the youngest sadness.
‘It would be best to fight moderately in the beginning and lose.’
When the festival begins in earnest, it will be difficult to make time since teachers have to patrol regularly in pairs.
‘Because we don’t know when or where an incident will happen.’
As Theon is an academy that fosters wizards, the frequency of events occurring there when the festival is held is incomparable to usual.
If an incident related to various magic experiments happens many people might lose their lives. There is a protective magic and safety magic in place to prevent it, but in this situation we must always assume the worst.
‘Since we are given free time, I should try to stop Esmeralda somehow by aiming for that time.’
The festival is one week away so I must be fully prepared.
* * *
“So you don’t have memories related to your parents in the past, do you?”
In Freuden’s secret spot that became a regular eating place Erendir wrinkled her forehead as if she was seriously troubled.
“It’s strange, but what I saw was definitely you from the past.”
“Are you sure I’m the one you saw?”
“Of course. I can’t mistake the color of your hair and memory streaming is based on the person’s magic. I saw it with your magic, so of course it’s your past.”
“But my…… Well, I heard you saw it from the perspective of my mother’s point of view, not my eyes.”
“Yeah. That’s why it’s weird. It’s normal to see it from the point of view of the mana owner.”
“First of all, in my case, I saw your past, so the Talisman it’s working properly.”
When the story of Erendir’s first year was about to come out, she hurriedly changed the subject.
“Anyway! I think what I saw is quite different from the usual case. You feel the same way, don’t you?”
“Well, I’m sure it is, but I don’t think I’m sure of this either. The phenomenon of memory streaming is not well known yet, so there may be an exceptional situation.”
Rene retorted because she had no memories related to her parents.
“Rene, you really don’t remember anything from the past?”
“Yes. All I remember is that when I was young, I came to my senses and my teacher brought me up.”
“Teacher?”
“Yes. He taught me magic before I entered Theon.”
“What kind of person was he?”
“He’s like a grandfather. He was small and frivolous, but he was still a good person. He treated me like his granddaughter.”
“Hmm.”
Erendir stroked her chin.
There was something strange about Rene’s inability to remember her past. She can’t make a person remember all their past since humans are creatures of oblivion.
She doesn’t understand why Rene can’t remember what happened when she was a child. Even so, when it comes to remembering childhood, it is common to vaguely recall it. Even a small memory was good but Rene didn’t remember anything.
To be exact, it would be right to say that her memory was forcibly cut off by someone.
“It’s weird no matter how much I think about it. You can’t remember your parents? There’s no way you didn’t have parents.”
“Before I grew up, maybe it was sold. In fact, such things are common.”
Ordinary people without money sold their magic-talented children to wizards.
“No. Even considering that, it’s strange that you don’t remember a thing.”
“That’s true.”
“And in the past, you seemed to be very happy with your mother. You only looked about nine years old then.”
“Nine years old…”
“Rene, what is the oldest memory you remember?”
“Well, I think it was when I was about 10 years old.”
“Don’t you think it’s weird? How can you not remember anything before you were 10 years old?”
“……Yes.”
So far, Rene hasn’t been very curious about her past. It’s obviously a strange thing if you think about it rationally.
She has no memories before being 10 years old and her teacher raised it after that. What’s surprising is that until Erendir pointed it out, Rene herself didn’t feel it was strange at all but her expression hardened as she recognized the seriousness of the situation.
“You said that you remember when you were with your teacher, right?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then I think the teacher might have something to do with it.”
“What? My teacher?”
“Rene, even if he was your teacher you shouldn’t believe him so easily. The situation is so suspicious in the first place and maybe he’s been nice to you in your understanding but that might’ve been acting.”
“…….”
Rene could not answer because as Erendir said, her teacher may be related to her erased past.
Has her teacher erased her memory? Or is it related to someone else who erased the memory? Then why did he do his best to teach her magic and raise her?
“I don’t know.”
There are a lot of unknowns. All the memories of her past that disappeared and the mother Erendir talked about.
“The only way to check right now is to try memory streaming again.”
“But haven’t we used the talisman already?”
“That’s why it’s not even possible but as Miss Marie Ross said if the talisman is released on the market, it will be possible to check then.”
Erendir held Rene’s hand as she looked at her, whose expression became sullen while talking.
“Don’t worry too much. I’m sure it’ll work out. And you know what? Maybe your parents are alive somewhere.”
“I guess so”
“Of course.”
Rene’s expression brightened a little as if her sincere consolation helped but Erendir couldn’t get rid of some anxiety while looking at her.
‘It’s definitely strange that Rene’s memories were erased. There was definitely some sort of incident there, besides that, there are more strange things.’
Erendir looked at Rene’s past through her magic but what she actually saw was not the past from Rene’s point of view, but from her mother’s.
‘How could I see her mother’s memory, through her magic?’
Is that really possible? Mana belongs solely to the individual and it was basic common sense that no one else could replace the magic of others.
But now the common sense was destroyed and at the same time, she felt that Rene had a huge secret that she didn’t know.
‘I think I’ll be able to figure it out if I dig a little more.’
Why don’t we go see Miss Marie Ross now and ask for more talismans? But even if we use it, there is no certainty that I can clearly see the memories of the past that have disappeared.
‘What do I do?’
This is the first friend she made since she came to Theon and Erendir wanted to do her best to help Rene regain her memory.
‘I can’t believe you erased the memory of such a good child. I don’t know who you are, but I’m sure you’ll pay for it!’
As Erendir was burning inside a new guest appeared in the secret spot.
“You’re here again Third Princess.”
It was Freuden Ulburg.
He suddenly noticed that Rene and Erendir’s expressions were unusually serious.
“Rene, what happened?”
“Oh, that’s….”
“Nothing happened.”
It was Erendir who cut off Rene.
She immediately winked at Rene telling her not to speak about what happened.
Rene also noticed the gaze and shut up.
“……Is that so?”
Freuden wondered at the behavior of the two women, but did not dig deeper because a bothersome person followed him.
“Wow. What? The Third Princess is here? What a strange combination.”
A fine-eyed man with long scarlet hair tied to his tail, Henry Presto appeared pitifully behind Freuden.
“Senior Henry?”
“Rene, nice to meet you. Long time no see.”
“Henry Presto, what are you doing here?”
Erendir stared at Henry and said.
Henry’s family, the Presto family, was a long-established family who had served the Ulburgs, one of the three great dukes.
The three dukes of the Exilion Empire have their own vassal families. Such a family has a presence above its original position among nobles.
The Wagner family serves Lumos, the symbol of the eagle.
The Deville family serves Kadushan, the symbol of the mountain goat.
And finally, the Presto family serves Ulburg, the symbol of the wolf.
“A frivolous and light-spoken person like you.”
Of course, Erendir would not be too wary of being a simple vassal but Henry was a particularly nasty person among them.
Unlike Cheryl, who goes with Flora, everything that happened in Theon had to do with Henry. He also saw all the events in Theon as if he had put them on his palm.
As a model student, Erendir had no choice but to be wary.
“You speak ill of me. What have I done so wrong?”
“……I should set boundaries in the first place.”
There was another reason why Erendir was especially wary of Henry.
“Do you still have the incident from when you were a freshman in mind? I told you then, but I’m not the one who started the rumor.”
“Be quiet!”
This was because Henry was the one who spread Erendir’s dark history in the first grade.
Henry smiled embarrassingly and scratched his cheek with his index finger.
“Oh, my. I can’t prove my innocence.”
“Even if you didn’t make the rumor you can’t say you didn’t fuel it!”
To inform others of the dark history that could be called a lady’s wounds. How can she not say that he lacks manners and consideration?
Henry is Freuden’s friend, this was the reason why Erendir hated Freuden. If the two are friends, then Freuden must be a similar person!
“……Was that why you were wary of me?”
In fact, Freuden realized the reason why Erendir hated him, and he was rarely embarrassed.
“Anyway! This is between women, so don’t interrupt.”
“……I wasn’t even interested in the first place.”
“Oh, I’m a little curious. Can you tell me what you talked about?”
“Shaak!”
At the sight of Erendir threatening him like a stray cat, Henry shuddered! Then he raised his hands and stepped back and waved to Rene, who looked at him curiously.
“Hi, Rene. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
“What? Oh, yes.”
“Hold on, Rene! Don’t tell me you know that t cunning snake-like man?”
“What do you mean a cunning snake? Even if you’re a princess you’re being too harsh.”
“Be quiet!”
Rene nodded with a puzzled face.
“Yes, I just happened to meet him and got some help.”
“You got help? He didn’t ask for conditions using that as an excuse, did he?”
“Excuse me, princess. No matter how much I say that, it hurts. I didn’t ask for any conditions in the first place.”
“Is that true?”
“Henry is right. I was just recommended a good part-time job.”
It was a part-time job with a very good allowance. All she had to do was go to the banquet hall and serve quietly.
“Come to think of it, the banquet hall where I went to work at that time was the place where the terrorist attack occurred.”
Rene words were said casually because it was already in the past but Erendir’s eyebrows watered over the bombshell.
“Nothing happened! As expected, you’re an incredible person!”
“Oh? What?”
Henry broke out in a cold at Erendir’s gaze and asked Freuden for help.
“Let’s stop there. I don’t think Henry had any bad intentions. Maybe.”
“Are you going to do that too Freuden?”
As if this is all he can do, Freuden did not bring it up anymore.
“Oh, my. There’s no one on my side here.”
Henry shook his head helplessly. On the surface, he looked embarrassed, but his sharp gaze was already shining like a snake searching for its prey.
“Oh, right. Junior Rene you know the festival is soon, right?”
“What? Oh, yes.”
At Henry’s question, which suddenly changed the subject, Rene suddenly nodded.
“Since you’re a freshman, this is your first magic festival, right? Then should I give you some good information?”
“Good information?”
Rene had a slightly wary reaction.
That’s right. Didn’t she almost died after going to a part-time job that Henry recommended?
When Henry saw her reaction, he waved his hand.
“I really didn’t know that at the time. I swear, but this time it’s Theon’s festival, so there’s nothing too dangerous. Really.”
“Still…”
“Hmm. I can’t help it if you don’t want my help but it’s about a part-time job that pays more than three times more than back then.”
“I’ll go!”
Rene shrieked, her eyes shining. She no longer cared about the past.
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