𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭
Early in the morning, a letter arrived for Oswald, which read:
『Urgently withdraw the complaint. This is an order───【masquerade ball】』
Upon seeing this, Oswald’s eyes widened, and he was at a loss for words.
In any case, the orders from the 【masquerade ball】 were absolute. Without even taking the time to eat or change, Oswald headed straight to the courthouse and withdrew his complaint.
Once back home, he began writing a letter without even having breakfast. It was addressed to the 【masquerade ball】. When he sealed the letter in the envelope provided by the 【masquerade ball】, it instantly ignited and the letter disappeared.
ㅤ
“What on earth. . . . . .?!”
ㅤ
He had filed the complaint to discredit the S-class and Albero.
Oswald had always thought it was a bit of a stretch. Being defamed or insulted during combat couldn’t possibly be considered a crime. Yet, for some reason, both the inquisitor and the court accepted the complaint without any issue.
Just when he thought things were going in his favor, he received the order to withdraw. Oswald couldn’t come to terms with it.
ㅤ
“Damn it… what does the 【masquerade ball】 want?”
ㅤ
Oswald paced back and forth in his office as his work hours approached.
Occasionally, he would open the third drawer of his desk. But there was nothing inside.
Whenever there was an instruction from the 【masquerade ball】, there should always be an envelope inside this drawer.
ㅤ
“. . . . . .Darn it!”
ㅤ
The letter hadn’t come yet.
Oswald, having no other choice, went to the academy for work.
ㅤ
◇◇◇◇◇◇
ㅤ
After finishing his classes, he called the Student Council officers to the Student Council Room.
Oswald talked about the letter he received that morning. All members of the Student Council were firm believers in class supremacy and knew about the enigmatic benefactor known as the 【masquerade ball】
They were shocked to learn that the 【masquerade ball】 had ordered the lawsuit against the S-class and Albero to be dropped. If they were sued, their guilt would be confirmed, and the existence of the S-class would vanish, or so they had been told.
Despite their loss in the mock battle, sympathetic articles had been published by the newspaper company, causing the reputation of the S-class to decline while the popularity of the A-class summoner was on the rise. Everything had been proceeding without issues.
Now, they were being told to drop the lawsuit.
Esterize turned to Oswald and asked:
ㅤ
“Can’t we ignore that order?”
“No, we can’t. The instructions from the 【masquerade ball】 are absolute. . . . . .We have many supporters, but even if we gather them all, we cannot expect support surpassing that of the 【masquerade ball】.
“Then. . . . . .”
“The lawsuit has been withdrawn. But the popularity of the S-class is declining, and the A-class summoner’s popularity is rebounding. Currently, the situation is evenly split. . . . . .”
“What will you do next?”
“Wait for further instructions. That’s what I’d like to say, but there might be times when we can’t rely on the 【masquerade ball】. We might need to act independently in preparation for that.”
ㅤ
Then, Rashild raised his hand.
ㅤ
“Do you have a suggestion?”
“Yes, what we lack are achievements. We have no choice but to take action.”
“You don’t mean. . . . . .”
“That’s right. Demon subjugation. There’s no greater accomplishment than that.”
ㅤ
Oswald looked around at the Student Council officers.
ㅤ
“You, the Student Council officers, as well as the B-class and even the A-class summoners. . . . . .We will mobilize all of you for a demon subjugation.”
ㅤ
At this, Esterize raised her hand.
ㅤ
“What happened to the demon?”
“. . . . . .『Jealousy』 and 『Sloth』 are out of reach. The others are 『Greed』 and 『Lust』. . . . . .We’ll mobilize the intelligence unit to search for them. As soon as we find them, we’ll form a demon subjugation team. After the demon subjugation, let’s make it widely known. An A-class summoner achieved the demon subjugation, after all.”
ㅤ
Oswald had a voice like a boy dreaming.
ㅤ
◇◇◇◇◇◇
ㅤ
Yorha came to Albero’s room.
She casually took a seat, facing Albero.
ㅤ
“For now, the lawsuit matter is settled. Your reputation might not fully recover, but you should be able to live normally for a while.”
“Thank you. What did you do?”
“Just played one of my trump cards. Oh dear. Now my uncle and aunt will know my true nature. I wanted to keep them in the dark a bit longer before showing them hell.”
“. . . . . .I see.”
“Well, let’s sum up the current situation.”
ㅤ
Yorha crossed her legs.
ㅤ
“The A-class Summoner. . . . . .or rather, the organization behind the Student Council, the 【masquerade ball】, which is supported by my uncle and aunt. I don’t know when they made contact and received support, but it seems they’re involved in the newspaper company incident and this 【masquerade ball】 is a gathering of class supremacy believers. They’ve always been uncomfortable with the existence of S-class.”
“Such an organization. . . . . .”
“It’s a gathering of some nobles and royals. Well, I was planning to crush them when I become the queen, so I’ve been gathering material to do so for a long time. Sigh. . . . . .I was pretending to be a harmless princess, but now they’ll be on guard.”
“. . . . . .Sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. The 【masquerade ball】 has been around for a long time, and Meteore knew the risks of establishing the S-class. He seemed to have managed somehow, but it looks like the twenty-one 『Judges』 interfered. That led to this commotion.”
“Principal Meteore. . . . . .come to think of it, I haven’t seen him recently.”
“He’s at the royal castle. He seems to be drowning in work. . . . . .”
“Hey, don’t the king or your brother find it suspicious?”
“Not at all. Those naive fools are as they always are. Seriously. . . . . .The reason grandfather chose Otou-sama as the successor was because 『He’s better than Hillclimb and Yeuglena, so let’s hope for the next one』. I had no expectations and had to protect him because he’s easily used.”
“You have it tough too.”
ㅤ
Yorha crossed her legs again.
She folded her arms and sighed, looking exhausted.
ㅤ
“Sigh. . . . . .I just wanted the S-class to handle the demon subjugation, but it seems we have more enemies than allies. . . . . .Hmm, maybe the A-class isn’t our ally either. It’s not that simple, huh.”
“Right. It’s troublesome. . . . . .”
“. . . . . .You know, this might sound insensitive and silly, but.”
“Hmm?”
ㅤ
Yorha seemed hesitant to speak.
It was rare for the straightforward Yorha.
ㅤ
“Otou-sama, he said he wants to call the S-class and host a dinner party. . . . . .”
“. . . . . .Huh?”
ㅤ
━I don’t understand.
Albero, even though he was set up, was being sued just a few days ago. His popularity in the country has decreased, and now the popularity of A-class and S-class is about the same. Given the circumstances, it’s not surprising if there are misunderstandings when the king invites the S-class to a dinner party.
However, Yorha says.
ㅤ
“He’s really clueless. . . . . .He genuinely just wants to have dinner with the S-class summoners who did the demon subjugation. He’s a straightforward king.”
“. . . . . .Well, I guess that’s fine? It’s endearing.”
“Wonder what would happen if the class supremacists found out. . . . . .”
ㅤ
Albero gave a wry smile, and Yorha let out a big sigh.
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