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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The Assassination Enigma
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Nia Cynthia died by assassination.
This is a detail revealed during Act 3, Chapter 4 of the Flame Butterfly Arc.
Act 3, Chapter 4 is a transitional episode, primarily featuring lighthearted incidents with the heroines and connections to various characters.
And this is where the problem arises.
The method of Nia's death is not recorded anywhere in the game.
Naturally so.
The fact and reason for Nia's assassination were important.
How he was assassinated was not important at all.
And that meant…
'I don't know how Nia is assassinated.'
If an assassin was simply sent, poisoning could be considered.
But Nia is skilled enough to be an active Imperial Arch-Knight.
It was hard to imagine him being taken down by an assassin.
He would know his position was dangerous and would always be prepared.
He'd always have protective magic cast on himself.
If such a person were assassinated,
By what method could he possibly be taken down?
It had already been two weeks since Nia arrived at the academy.
I was still completely in the dark regarding his assassination.
I needed to know how he'd be assassinated to stop it.
What could I do when I knew nothing at all?
Moreover, Nia holds the position of Associate Professor of Arcane Arts.
As a martial arts student, I rarely have occasion to meet him face-to-face.
'But why?'
Why did Iris tell me that Nia would be assassinated?
'What did she trust me with?'
Iris and I had only spoken that one time in the infirmary.
Iris is positioned as the final boss.
For now, I was far too lacking to get involved with her.
'If she said it considering Hanon's circumstances…'
This makes even less sense.
Hanon belongs to the First Prince's faction, for one.
If Iris knew this, it would be akin to revealing a weakness of the Third Princess's faction.
It would be a bad move for Iris.
'Then she must have told me after observing my actions so far.'
The more I thought about it, the less I understood.
I wanted to just go and ask Iris directly.
But Iris is not someone easily approached.
It was even questionable if she would answer in the first place.
'Iris must have calculated that I could prevent the assassination.'
I had no idea what that calculation could be.
Perhaps among the actions I'd shown at the academy,
Was there something related to Nia's assassination?
'She could at least give me a hint about *when* he'll be assassinated.'
Being told so vaguely made my head ache even more.
*Whoosh!*
At that moment, a wooden sword struck up at my chin.
As I quickly tilted my head back and retreated, the boy in front of me let out a wide yawn.
"You'll get hit if you're spaced out."
The lazy genius, Ban.
Ban was my sparring partner today.
Today was free sparring training.
If you requested a spar, you had to accept whoever challenged you.
That was the lesson for today.
I challenged Ban to a spar.
Ban's fierce swordsmanship was worth experiencing repeatedly, building up my skills.
That's why I challenged Ban.
"Sorry, I had something on my mind. I couldn't focus."
"Hmm, but you're usually serious in training. It must be something big."
Ban kindly understood my situation.
He's a generous guy in many ways.
"Speaking of which, Ban, I heard you've been training with Isabella recently."
I properly adjusted my stance and thrust a hand-blade at Ban.
Ban skillfully parried my hand-blade with his wooden sword.
"Yeah, she asked me herself."
"How is it? Does it seem like there's progress?"
"Isabella was already skilled. She had a few bad habits, but she's corrected most of them recently."
That meant Isabella was also getting much stronger.
"And her will is different."
Ban stared at me intently.
It seemed like he was indicating who the cause was.
"I've been thinking lately."
My hand-blade and Ban's wooden sword clashed once more.
"That what you said to Isabella might have been intentional."
"I just said it because I was annoyed."
"Even considering that, you were unusually harsh to Isabella."
Why are geniuses so quick-witted?
It seemed like a conclusion Ban reached by observing from a step back, unlike others.
"Were you and Isabella originally acquainted?"
Ban thought there was no reason for me to provoke Isabella's anger when I had no connection to her.
"Not at all."
Well, there *is* a connection.
A long connection built through the game.
But I can't explain that.
"I see."
Ban and I distanced ourselves from each other.
Since the fight with the Forest Keeper the other day,
I'd become more accustomed to using my body.
I'm increasingly surprised by Vikamon's innate talent as each day passes.
If Vikamon had never touched magic and only used his body from the start, wouldn't he have achieved great success?
It also meant that I myself had become more accustomed to using my body.
Now, I've far surpassed my peak.
I don't even know how much more I can grow.
'To lead the story instead of Lucas, I need to get stronger.'
I'll have to keep striving diligently.
"Isabella will become very strong in the future."
And so will the characters who will play major roles in the story.
"I'm sorry for Isabella, but in a way, her talent was overshadowed because Lucas existed.
Now, it's finally blooming in earnest."
Isabella had so much potential that even Ban highly rated her.
As expected, she's one of the main heroines of the Flame Butterfly Arc.
I hope she continues to grow without any major problems.
"You'll have to be prepared not to lose."
Isabella lives with the sole purpose of defeating me and making me apologize for insulting Lucas.
As such, I could absolutely not lose to Isabella.
No matter what, I must win and fully ignite the source of her anger.
"I'll keep that in mind."
My spar with Ban ended.
Many children continued to request spars with Ban afterwards.
Ban had recently started wielding a sword seriously again.
For students of Jerion Academy, where getting stronger is paramount, there's no better opponent.
So, everyone was taking this opportunity to challenge Ban to a spar.
Among them was Isabella.
Lately, she hadn't met my gaze once, and she challenged Ban to a spar.
"Don't they look good together?"
"Isabella might be getting a new spring in her life."
I heard girls whispering in the distance.
As Sharin said, Ban and Isabella seemed to be frequently associated lately.
'Spring, huh.'
If Isabella liked Ban, would things get a little better?
As long as she found a reason to live, for whatever reason, I'd be relieved.
"Princess Priss, let's fight. Today, I'll definitely show you who's superior."
Just then, Seron charged in.
My head was complicated in many ways.
Let's clear it by beating up Seron.
***
After disciplining Seron until he cried, I left school feeling refreshed.
Seeing Seron run off, vowing revenge next time, made me feel at ease.
For my mental health, how about making Seron cry once a day from now on?
It seemed pretty good.
I walked familiar steps and found the student council room.
I slid the door open and entered, finding two familiar faces.
"Junior, you're here."
Vice President Nikita greeted me with a gentle smile.
In front of Nikita was another face.
And that face frowned as soon as it saw me.
Nia Cynthia.
He was Nikita's older brother.
My senior is quite harsh.
"Associate Professor Nia Cynthia, are you joining the student council this time too?"
I asked casually, as he seemed to visit the student council room almost every day recently.
"I just came to see Nikita."
To say so boldly that he came to see his younger sister.
His sisterly love was immense.
I went to Nikita and took the day's tasks from her.
Nikita now habitually handed me tasks.
Nia's eyes bored into me.
He seemed displeased that Nikita and I acted so naturally, without needing words.
"If you stare like that, my face will be pierced."
"Being pierced might be fine."
He still seemed to dislike me.
"Speaking of which, Professor, have you recently felt like someone was watching you, or felt threatened?"
I subtly probed about the assassination, and Nia tilted his head.
"Being watched is always happening, and if you mean recent threats, it's just love letters and dolls made of hair."
I heard something I shouldn't have.
Love is a terrifying thing. Is this what noblemen experience?
"And there's always one guy who makes me feel threatened."
Nia smiled sweetly and looked at me.
Was the assassin actually me?
"Brother, why are you so mean whenever you see Junior?"
Nikita then admonished Nia.
No matter what, he found fault with everything I said, so she couldn't just stand by.
"Ni, Nikita?"
Nia parted his lips as if shocked that she defended me instead of him.
"Junior always helps me with my work. He must be busy with his own training, but he still makes an effort to come."
It was her way of telling him to stop being so grumpy.
But Nia couldn't erase his shocked expression.
Nia looked back at me with a trembling face.
"Th-that guy harbors ulterior motives for you."
Nia said grudgingly.
Nikita blinked her large eyes and looked back at me.
When our eyes met, I gave a thumbs-up.
"Yes, I still do."
"See!"
Nia shouted indignantly, and Nikita let out a long sigh.
"Junior always says things like that, but he doesn't mean it. And most importantly, Junior isn't my ideal type.
Though if Junior grew a bit taller, I might consider it."
Two confessions, four rejections.
"Con, sider?"
But Nia mumbled blankly, fixated on something else.
I politely bowed my head towards Nia.
"Brother, please give me Senior Nikita."
"Shut up!"
I got yelled at.
Nia stood up from his seat.
He seemed to not want to leave me and Nikita alone.
But his face showed he was too shocked to stay there any longer.
"I, I'll be going now."
Nia stumbled out of the room.
Nikita sighed briefly as she watched his retreating back.
"He was always such a wonderful older brother. But lately, he's become quite strange."
"Isn't that just how much he cares for you, Senior Nikita?"
"That's right. My family didn't think highly of me, but I could do what I wanted largely thanks to my brother."
Nikita was originally meant to be raised as a puppet for a political marriage.
But Nia, the heir who would later lead the ducal family, always looked out for Nikita.
Nia even went so far as to directly confront the ducal family elders.
He threatened to overturn everything, heir or not, if they didn't let his younger sister do what she wanted.
To that extent, Nia cherished Nikita immensely.
Nikita smiled slightly, reminiscing about the past.
"It was probably because of the sense of responsibility Mother had instilled in him before she passed away."
Nikita's mother passed away shortly after giving birth to her.
That's why, at that time, her mother told Nia.
To take good care of Nikita.
Nia promised to uphold this vow for life and became utterly devoted to Nikita.
"He's a good brother."
"Yes, though sometimes he goes too far."
Nikita said that and started moving her hands again.
Just as Nia cherished Nikita,
I could also see how much Nikita cherished Nia.
Seeing that, I recalled Nikita's inevitable fall into despair due to Nia's death.
Could I remain silent witnessing that?
It was impossible to tell.