Chapter 61: Too Weak a Goal, Suspend! (The Failed Knight Chapter is Temporarily Ended)
International Alliance OBranch.
Night fell, and the uniquely designed giant building exuded a sense of eeriness in the darkness.
Kurogane Gen and other high-ranking officials sat in two rows, and the conference room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After listening to the report from Akaza and the others, the atmosphere had become extremely tense.
After an unknown period of silence, Prime Minister Tsukikage Makuga lightly tapped his knuckles on the table, breaking the silence.
"It's clear we greatly underestimated the Alliance Academy's foundation; even with the help of the Rebel Army, we couldn't shake it in the slightest."
Kurogane Gen's brows were tightly furrowed, and his voice was heavy.
"Ouma and the others only need some time to recover, but their spirit, I'm afraid, has been completely shattered."
Tsukikage Makuga sighed: "Even our country's strongest Rank A Knight was no match for him. Who exactly is this person?"
Cold sweat trickled down Akaza's forehead. He hastily wiped it away, then handed over several prepared documents.
"The target's name is Arthur pendragon, a new student at Hagun Academy this year."
"Your subordinate is incompetent; I have yet to ascertain his nationality or background, and furthermore—"
Tsukikage Makuga flipped through the documents, not lifting his head, his tone icy.
"Speak plainly."
"Yes!"
A venomous glint flashed across Akaza's plump face as he immediately embellished and recounted the details of his meeting with Arthur.
Not only did he slander Arthur to the utmost, but he also implied that Arthur was very likely an intelligence operative planted in Japan by the Rebel Army.
"Pfft—!"
A sudden snicker broke the oppressive atmosphere.
"Who!?"
"Who's there!"
"Who's there! Get out!"
Alarms blared, and the Blazers responsible for security drew their various Noble Arts, swiftly guarding the high-ranking officials.
"My apologies, my apologies, I couldn't help myself for a moment."
Arthur slowly walked out of the conference room's shadows, with the increasingly thin Nagi Arisuin following beside him.
"It's truly rare to see someone play the thief crying 'stop thief' so vividly."
His gaze swept over the terrified Akaza, finally settling on Tsukikage Makuga, who was still examining the documents.
"It's him, right?"
Nagi Arisuin stood behind Arthur, nodding calmly.
"It's him, the mastermind behind the Japan Branch's collusion with the Rebel Army."
Arthur raised a hand and lightly tapped his chin, as if in self-reflection.
"Past experience misled me. It turns out that not only powerful individuals, but even decaying scum like you, can attract those monstrous things."
"It really was—a complete waste of my time."
Before he finished speaking, Tsukikage Makuga crushed the folder in his hand with his bare hands, his eyes instantly stained with inky black marks.
Violent energy erupted from his body, his muscles bulging, tearing his expensive suit to shreds. His form was no longer human, but more like a demon.
"Lord Tsukikage?"
"Mr. Prime Minister?"
"What… what's going on?"
"Did the other party do something?"
Kurogane Gen and the others looked surprised and suspicious, involuntarily backing away repeatedly.
They were completely stunned by this sudden turn of events, only able to watch as the cabinet minister, once powerless, transformed into a terrifying monster.
Arthur raised his hand and made a grasping motion, and the Holy Sword answered his call.
He walked towards Tsukikage Makuga through the raging energy storm as if strolling in a garden, shaking his head in disappointment.
This guy looked fierce on the surface, but in reality, he probably couldn't even handle Rimu-chan.
So weak, it seems the host's own influence on these monstrous things is quite significant.
Arthur tilted his head, observing Tsukikage Makuga, a playful smile on his lips.
"Care for a chat?"
The other party looked up blankly, his eyes hollow and numb, like a puppet at someone's mercy.
Seeing this, Arthur gave up on trying to extract information.
The sword light flashed, swift as lightning.
Tsukikage Makuga's head fell to the ground with a thud.
The target, who had not even displayed a fraction of his true strength, had his body, under the horrified gaze of everyone, dissipate inch by inch between heaven and earth, turning into dust.
Crack—!
A crisp sound, like shattering glass, echoed again in the space.
A brand new starlight mark quietly appeared on Arthur's left palm, shining brightly.
Nagi Arisuin took two steps forward, examining the ground, which was more thoroughly incinerated than cremation, his eyes filled with terror and confusion.
"What… what's going on?"
"Could it be that the Prime Minister… isn't human?"
Arthur lightly clenched his left hand, feeling the warmth of the mark on his palm, and casually quipped.
"Have you ever seen a human turn directly into ashes after death?"
"Don't dwell on these things. Let's deal with the aftermath first."
Saying that, he turned his gaze to Kurogane Gen, who was surrounded by layers of Blazers, the mocking smile on his lips becoming even more pronounced.
"Don't worry, Uncle Kurogane, for Ikki and Shizuku's sake, I won't do anything to you."
Kurogane Gen pushed away the guards beside him, took two steps forward, his brows tightly furrowed.
"What exactly is your purpose?"
Arthur pointed to where Tsukikage Makuga had fallen earlier, which was now empty.
"What, haven't I made myself clear enough?"
Kurogane Gen stared at that spot on the floor with a solemn expression, finding it difficult to digest the fact that his colleague of many years was actually a monster.
After a moment, he looked up again and said in a deep voice.
"I understand. For the next period of time, Hagun Academy will no longer be disturbed."
Arthur nodded in satisfaction: "That's right. Neither of us intends to completely fall out, so let's leave it at that. Farewell."
He raised his hand and waved to Nagi Arisuin. The two figures merged into the shadows, quietly departing through a secret passage of light and shadow.
Inside the conference room, there was dead silence.
After a long time, everyone's gaze converged on Kurogane Gen, awaiting his instructions.
"Issue an announcement tomorrow morning: Prime Minister Tsukikage Makuga passed away due to a sudden heart attack. And also—"
Kurogane Gen's voice paused, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.
"Cancel all plans jointly prepared with the Rebel Army."
…
The next day, on the first floor of a department store, inside a dessert shop.
After listening to Arthur's explanation, which omitted some key details, everyone's tense expressions finally relaxed.
Kurogane Ikki, who was most eager to graduate, still had a hint of lingering fear on his face as he sighed.
"That's great! I thought it would escalate into some irreversible serious incident that would affect this year's Seven Star Sword Art Festival!"
Toudou Touka stirred her cold drink, her eyes somewhat unfocused.
"Rebuilding Hagun Academy will take… how long, I wonder?"
Arthur, with a straw in his mouth, waved his hand nonchalantly.
"It won't take too long. The Japan Branch has stated they will provide full support, so it should be done in about a month at most."
Stella secretly glanced at Arthur's bobbing Adam's apple as he drank, her cheeks slightly flushed. She lightly coughed to cover it up.
"Then what should we do for this month? Continue our special training in the mountains?"
This question also lingered in the minds of the others, so everyone turned their gaze to the relaxed Arthur.
He put down his drink, his tone carrying a hint of laziness.
"The originally planned third phase of special training was, by some twist of fate, completed ahead of schedule."
"As for the arrangements for the next month, you'll have to wait for Teacher Saikyou's notification. As for me—"
Arthur paused, dropping a bombshell.
"I'll probably be taking a leave of absence for a while."
"Leave of absence!?"
Stella's gasp was too loud, causing other customers in the dessert shop to turn their heads.
Everyone quickly stood up to apologize. After a small commotion, they all turned their attention to the instigator.
"Arthur , what do you mean by taking a leave of absence?"
"Yeah, this decision is too sudden, isn't it?"
"Could it be… you're planning to leave Hagun Academy?"
"Are you abandoning me?"
Seeing everyone's increasingly outlandish remarks, and Stella even adopting a stance that suggested she'd drag him down with her if he dared to nod, Arthur helplessly rubbed his forehead and quickly explained.
"Please, everyone, calm down."
"I just thought that the academy's reconstruction needs time, so I could take this opportunity to go home for a bit."
Hearing this explanation, everyone's agitated emotions calmed down slightly, and they all looked thoughtful.
Indeed, Hagun Academy couldn't operate normally at the moment. If the upcoming special training schedule wasn't too intense, they also planned to attend to some private matters.
Except for the Kurogane siblings, whose relationship with their family remained strained.
Toudou Touka wanted to visit the children at the orphanage whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
Toutokubara Kanata also had many internal family affairs to hand over and deal with.
Stella, however, did not immediately plan to fly back to her country. She just hesitantly tugged lightly on Arthur's sleeve and asked in a low voice.
"Can I… can I go home with you?"
Arthur pondered for a moment, but ultimately shook his head with an apologetic smile, gently declining the suggestion.
He had completed this mission and was planning to return to Orario during the academy's reconstruction period.
If he brought Stella along, not only would he have to painstakingly explain the issue of other worlds, but it would also mean she would have to live in a completely unfamiliar environment for a considerable amount of time.
In that case, it would be better for him to return alone.
After all, the time flow between the two worlds had a compression ratio of 120:1. Perhaps less than a month would have passed here, and he would already be back.
Arthur reached out and gently brushed aside Stella's long, fiery red hair, leaning close to her ear and softly saying.
"Don't be so sad. After the Seven Star Sword Art Festival is over, I'll go to the Vermillion Kingdom with you."
The warm breath brushed against her ear, Stella's earlobes instantly turned red, and hot steam began to rise from the top of her head again. She hummed a mosquito-like "Mm."
Arthur looked around at his now familiar classmates, his eyes smiling.
For him, who had never received formal education, this relaxed and pleasant time at the academy was indeed quite satisfying.
He raised his drink and nodded slightly.
"Well then, everyone, see you next month."