[639] Those Who Leave (2)
Personal greetings finished, Reina formally clasped her hands on behalf of the Ozent house and spoke.
"Congratulations, Shirone. I knew you'd do it."
"Thank you."
Shirone bowed his head.
Without the Ozent family's patronage, achieving his dream of becoming a mage would have been much harder.
"Hohoho! Don't thank me. Thanks to you, the Ozent name is now known across the world. Don't pretend you don't know me later on."
"Of course. After graduation I'll go pay my respects to the head of the house."
Having taken top honors, it was obvious many organizations would reach out; wherever the offers came from, he'd be going with Rian.
"You're here."
When Iruki's father Albino approached, Shirone greeted him with a nervous demeanour.
"Hello. I'm Shirone Arian, Iruki's friend."
"Shirone, don't be so formal. Think of me as air."
Iruki had grown uneasy when Albino insisted on meeting Shirone before leaving.
"I've heard a lot about Iruki. Please take good care of my son going forward."
"It's not a favour. He's my friend."
Albino reached out his hand; Shirone startled but took it.
"When you enter society, things aren't always that simple. Diplomatic issues can come up, you know."
"Oh, that may be, but…."
"Today's a grand occasion. Work hard for the Tormia Kingdom from now on."
Albino's words were thick with intent to fold Shirone into his country's sphere of influence.
"Why are you deciding someone else's future? It's Shirone's life—leave him to it."
Contracts were handled by the department of magic, but as head of Yongrae he couldn't allow such talent to be taken by another nation.
"That doesn't mean it's your life either. I'd like to hear Shirone's own thoughts."
It was an awkward thing to say outright, but Shirone answered plainly.
"Nothing's decided yet. I'll make the choice that's best for me."
Relief washed across Iruki's face.
"Did you think that would work? Are you really that dense?"
'So you still have a long way to go, little one.'
Iruki would follow Albino into Yongrae. As the brain that would oversee the kingdom's policies, placing Shirone where Albino could move him would make all the difference. That was why he wanted Shirone near his son from the start.
'Still, if he's truly just a friend, no need to make things awkward.'
Putting his ambitions aside, Albino moved to ease the stiff atmosphere and came over to Vincent.
"Congratulations. You raised an excellent son."
The noble's courtesy left Vincent at a loss for words.
"No, we did nothing of the sort."
"Of course you'd say that."
When Vincent looked up, Albino gave him a kindly half-smile.
"The best parents are those who trust and watch over their children."
"Oh, is that so?"
With the mood relaxed, Albino turned to Shirone.
"If you have the chance, come visit us anytime. You'll be more useful than my stupid son."
"Yes. Thank you."
This time Shirone accepted readily.
Iruki, following his father as he moved away, looked back and asked, "You'll come later, right?"
"Of course. See you at the party."
The tradition of a small celebration for the graduates on the night after the exams held this year too.
"When are you leaving, Shirone?"
Amy, who had sent her family away, approached.
"Now."
She brushed past Shirone and bowed to Vincent and Olina.
"Hello. You've been well, right?"
"Heh heh, well…."
Vincent laughed off the awkwardness of social rank, while Olina, setting aside her shyness, took Amy's hand.
"You really worked hard."
"Hehe, Shirone was with me, after all."
A woman's intuition had kicked in; Reina watched the exchange with a sting of jealousy.
Rian, apparently unconcerned with his sister's feelings, greeted Amy warmly.
"Amy, you were awesome."
"Riaaan."
Rian pulled Amy into a tight embrace as she ran up, lifting her so hard her shoulder blades protested.
"Ugh!"
Amy let out a playful cry and stamped her feet when she was set down. Kaiden approached.
"You going to the party?"
While the joy of passing was plain, meeting those who had failed would be painful.
"Yeah. Of course. Want to come with?"
Etiquette said failures usually didn't attend to avoid spoiling the mood, but for Kaiden it would be his last chance to confess to Maya.
"No. What right have I to go? But pass on my congratulations."
"If that's the case, then come along. By now Maya probably knows everything."
There might have been chaos during the exams, but once it was over, Maya couldn't have missed that Kaiden had been protecting her.
"Still, I don't want to go. I just hope Maya isn't hurt."
"She won't be. This is the graduation she wanted so desperately. She'll probably have a lot to say to you instead."
Kaiden shook his head.
"I'd rather she forget even that."
"Always so stubborn."
Amy put a hand on her hip and snorted.
"What will you do now? I hate to say it, but I think you can pass next year."
Because Maya isn't here.
When someone truly doesn't want something, the Crimson Star will do whatever it takes.
"No. I'll return to my family. If it weren't for Maya, I would have left this school long ago."
"Hmm, so what then?"
"I'll think about it. And—"
Kaiden looked over at Shirone.
"I won't meddle in your life, but Maya did everything she could for you. Don't hurt her. If you make her cry, I won't forgive you."
"You won't forgive?"
Rian's temper flared at that last remark.
"That I cannot allow. I don't know the circumstances, but it's Shirone's business to handle."
"If you don't know, stay out of it. Who are you anyway?"
A vein throbbed at Rian's temple.
"Ozent Rian. Shirone's blade."
"Shirone's blade?"
Only then, remembering the knightly oaths, did Kaiden study Rian's features.
"Oh, an Ozent."
He'd heard of the famous sword family before entering the academy.
"So you're that blue-haired fellow in the Ozent household who supposedly has zero talent, huh? That must be you."
In a few words, Rian figured it out.
There are people you come to dislike for no reason, and this pale, wiry fellow before him would be one of them. Like his brother Lai.
"Yes, I'm that blue-haired one. But perhaps you don't know—none of those who boasted about talent in front of me ever left without kneeling. Shall I make you kneel right here?"
Kaiden let out a hollow laugh.
"Showing off because of your size…."
Even if he were an Ozent, the Cross family—the kingdom's foremost sword house—wouldn't bow to just anyone.
Kaiden executed a light press technique. Rian felt his body buckle inward and his eyes widened.
As the technique was parried, a cold shiver ran up Kaiden's spine.
'What is this?'
Though he'd experienced countless killing auras in sword school, he'd never felt his body split so sharply into two.
'This guy… is a ghost.'
It felt as if the lives of all those he'd ever cut down were surging through him.
'I've gotten dull myself.'
In other words, he realized he'd been away from the battlefield for some time.
'A sword, huh.'
How long it took to reach that level didn't matter to him—the Crimson Star—so he felt no urgent impatience.
"Remember this, Ozent Rian."
When Kaiden left, Shirone turned to Rian and said, "We're heading to the graduation party now. Rian, want to come? I'll introduce you to my friends."
"No. I'll enjoy tonight with my school friends. After graduation, come to the Ozent main house. My parents will be staying there for a while."
The Ozent family had already grasped that outside attention might come with Shirone's graduation.
"Alright, thanks."
Their consideration was warm and their thorough thinking reassuring.
As Rian and his family rode off in a carriage, Amy grabbed Shirone's arm and pulled him along.
"Let's go too. We should have a blast."
"Yeah, let's go!"
It was the first and last graduation exam; tonight they intended to drink until they were truly drunk.
Truly drunk.
* * *
With a bang, seven fingers slammed down on the piano keys.
A wild melody rushed out; the performer Prings rolled his eyes and convulsed as he sang.
"Sweet lover! Oh! My love!"
Beside him, Fjord played the violin like a man poisoned.
Their cracking voices and grotesque dissonance only added to the fun, and a raucous drinking party erupted among the graduates and acquaintances gathered.
"Toasts!"
Shirone, Iruki, and Nade sat at a table, clinking beer mugs.
They'd fought from morning till night and were exhausted, but inside they felt they could fly.
"Ah! So refreshing~!"
Nade wiped his mouth and looked around the hall.
"Come to think of it, Maya doesn't seem to be here."
Kaiden had asked Amy to pass along a message, but Shirone had already guessed to some extent.
'The farewells are done.'
Iruki said.
"Raiken isn't here either."
"He probably had his pride hurt. He was completely overwhelmed by Nade, his peer."
"That's not the full story. I expected a big fight with Fermi, but they were surprisingly calm."
"Anyway, since they passed, it's technically a win?"
"Not coming to the graduation party means taking the Black Line. Seen that way, entangling with us won't do them any good."
"Well, his father's a hitman."
"Ahahahaha! Ahahahahahaha!"
At that moment Amy's laughter rang out from the center of the hall.
"Oh? Amy's dancing."
Amy spun hand in hand with Seriel, her cheeks flushed.
"I passed! Kyaaa! Seriel! I passed!"
"Congratulations! Congratulations!"
The three who had been staring in disbelief slowly turned their faces away.
"She's drunk, isn't she? Isn't that dangerous?"
"Aren't we drunk too? Leave her be. If her face is flushed, she'll manage."
At least for tonight, everything they did was forgiven.
Meanwhile, Dante was outside the hall meeting Closer and Sabina.
"Really not coming in?"
"No. We can't break tradition. And… I want to taste it when it's truly joyful. Next year."
Dante fully understood.
"Anyway, sorry it turned out like this."
"Those who were meant to pass did. I'm starting to understand," Sabina said.
Everyone had potential, but the smallest difference could be the dividing line between pass and fail.
Closer looked at Sabina. "Won't you see Nade? At least ask Dante to pass on a word."
She knew Sabina's feelings for Nade, but Sabina shook her head.
"No. I still can't go to Nade."
Like Nade once said, those who remain at the academy can't hold back those who go out into the world.
"Excuse me. May I come in?"
At that moment Liz asked the group blocking the entrance for permission.
"Oh, sure."
It was nearing midnight, so Dante stepped aside and looked Liz over.
She was beautiful, with a maturity that made it hard to believe she was merely an acquaintance of a graduate.
"Wow, she's pretty. Whose girlfriend is she?" Sabina asked, but Dante and Closer had no idea.
'Haah, what should I do? Just go home?'
Down the stairs, Liz's heart began to pound harder.
'No matter how I think about it, it's strange. He'll think I'm crazy.'
If she'd come for the exams and then barged into the party, what would Nade think?
Yet after hours of hesitation, she couldn't bring herself to turn back.
Listening to the grotesque music inside, Liz took a deep breath.
'I'll count to ten and decide again. One. Two.'
At that moment the door clattered open and Nade, turning to look behind him, appeared.
"Puhahaha! Hey! That's too much, even for you! Right?"
His face, as he stepped out for some air with his friends, fell on a strangely familiar one.
'What is this? Is she drunk?'
Pale with fear, Liz raised a stiff hand and greeted him.
"Ah—hi, Nade?"