**

The Third Imperial Prince, Ruppel Olfolse.

For a second there, I nearly couldnt remember this dudes name.

Ah, dear brother!

Why does your response seem a little delayed? It cant be that you forgot about me again?

I smiled brightly back at him.

Honestly? I did forget about him. Well, compared to people like Luan or Hilda of the Theocratic Empire, Ruppel was an air-like existence, after all.

Of course thats not true, brother. I do owe you a debt of gratitude, after all.

That claim was true, wasnt it? This punk here was one of the other siblings who disliked the First Imperial Prince Luan. During the Vampire incident a few months ago, he freed me from prison while hoping that Id go on and create some havoc in the palace.

I asked him. But why are you here, third brother?

I have a family residence located in between the border to Aslan and the city of Humite. Wait, have you forgotten about that too?

Oh, so thats how it was?

Now that I thought about it some more, I could faintly recall something about the Third Imperial Princes residence in Humite showing up in the information regarding the city.

Since the information itself was insignificant, I kind of skipped it altogether.

That still doesnt mean youre living in Humite, so what brings you to the academy, brother?

Itll be difficult to converse freely here, so why dont we head out to enjoy some tea elsewhere?

The location Ruppel led me to was an executive office inside the academy.

A maidservant brought some tea and he personally pushed a cup towards me.

While sitting on a couch on the opposite side, I stared at Ruppel, waiting for him to get the conversation going again.

Im not sure if you were aware of it, but Humite is a part of the region that Im in charge of. While sipping on his tea, Ruppel glared straight at me. But then, I hear youve been causing incidents inside my territory without me being aware of it, Allen Olfolse.

It sounded like he was talking about the matter with the Black Order.

I too sipped on the tea and leisurely made my reply. What do you mean by causing incidents? People might misunderstand if they hear you, brother. You should say that Ive been taking care of the situation instead. Besides, all of my actions have been sanctioned by his majesty, anyways.

That matter was mine to resolve.

Ruppel didnt sound happy at all regarding this situation.

But I smiled anyways while replying back to him. If so, why didnt you get on top of it right away? Did you know how frightened the citizens were after the matter was left unattended for over a month? We even have victims now, too. Their pain isnt something that can be erased with financial means. If you find yourself with some free time later, I recommend that you go and visit their graves.

Are you trying to get smart with me?! Did your ego grow too big after causing a scene back in the imperial palace?

Do you even know what I did in the imperial palace, brother? I asked while shooting a glare in Ruppels direction.

He flinched and quickly swallowed back his dry saliva.

From that reaction alone, I could guess that he mustve heard about it by now the details regarding events of the imperial palace and the capital city Laurensis turning into an ocean of blood.

He was actively avoiding meeting my eyes while opening his mouth. Uh, hm, well werent you hunting Vampires?

Ruppels hand lifting the teacup was visibly trembling.

Well, as expected of a dude with the trait of a coward.

Then again, a portion of the rumours incorrectly suggested that I tried to rebel or some such. They said that I led a portion of the Paladins to murder Luan.

If that had been true, then Ruppel wouldve been seen as an accomplice.

What a relief that it was nothing more than your average Vampire hunt. Otherwise, both Ruppel and I would be rotting inside a jail cell for the rest of our lives.

While hoping to somehow disguise his emotions, Ruppel suddenly changed the topic. H-hmm. In any case, after your arrival, the state of Humite has spiralled completely out of control.

Are you talking about the state where people are strolling around late at evenings while the Blue Santas are helping those unfortunate people in need? Where the citizens are enjoying a period of safety and happiness filled with laughter? Well, I wonder. In your view, brother, how do you find the current state of Humite?

I find it very acceptable. As far as public security is concerned, were second only to Laurensis now.

Ruppel replied honestly with a dissatisfied expression filling up his face.

I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly. In that case, whats the problem?

Of course theres a problem, and thats why I came to see you. Ruppel groaned deeply and held his forehead. Those Blue Santas. Arent they the same existence as the Red Devil? How do you even command such creatures in the first place?

Ive tortured a few Necromancers. They seem to be a lot more willing to cooperate with me afterwards.

I had a chance to observe one from close by. I noticed divinity permeating within it. That is such a bizarre existence, one thats truly ominous to behold. Could it be that you have a Necromancer as one of your retainers? That being referred to as an angel or some such?

Ah, you mean the holy undead? Arent they amazing? I acquired this technology after capturing and torturing an alien. Hiya~, did you know that the technological prowess of the Necromancers are easily the best in the world?

Dont try to change the subject.

Ruppels expression was noticeably twitching.

The head of the Imperial Family chose not to say anything about the holy undead. However, news of it was bound to get out sooner or later.

And accordingly, I gotta prepare myself in the heart too. My future actions would depend solely on how the Theocratic Empire decides to respond.

Im aware that the scale of the Black Order hiding in Humite is quite considerable. Also, the Necromancers have currently infiltrated various cities of the empire. Then, Aslan is also gathering their Necromancy Corps too. Ruppel tutted unhappily and continued on. After looking at the current situation, its no wonder that his majesty has begun suspecting that the Black Order is conspiring with Aslan to invade our empire.

Not suspecting, but hes probably convinced of it by now.

That grandpa of ours, the moment he claps his eyes on a piece of evidence that could serve as a pretext, hed lift up a giant hammer or something and while roaring out, Time to loot! Time to massacre some fools!, he would personally jump headfirst into the warzone.

Considering that he was an insane geezer, yeah, hed definitely do something like that, and then some.

Ruppel also knew this, and thats why he was massaging his temples with much anguish. This matter seems to have scared Aslan and they are apparently planning to dispatch an envoy.

I guessed Aslan also got sh*t-scared by the prospect. There was a big difference between waging war inside the Theocratic Empire and inside Aslans borders after all.

The higher-ups of Aslan should be racking their brains for a good idea on how to placate our pissed-off grandpa.

I replied in an unconcerned voice. If an envoy is coming, then he should be bringing gifts, right? Even if they werent planning to invade, there were some signs of that, so Im thinking that the gifts would have to be extra generous to match the circumstances. Heh, will I get some extra pocket money then?

From what I heard, Aslan might be located in the wastelands but their natural resources and wealth were second only to the Theocratic Empire on this continent.

The rich deposits of magic stones and iron ores, plus the slavery system that dealt humans as goods these were the two of the most important drivers of Aslans economic growth.

There was a very good chance of the envoy showing up with gifts this time in order to stop the war. And the value of said gifts should determine whether or not Kelt Olfolse choose to let this matter slide.

Ruppel carried on. Im thinking that in one months time, Aslans envoy would arrive here in Humite.

In a month? Ill still be here by then.

Wait, youre planning to stick around until then?

Well, the imperial palace is a tiring place to stay, you see? And also, Im having a lot of fun researching magic lately, and the work of Santa Claus suits my disposition well, so

Ruppel groaned under his breath. The welcoming ceremony must take place in this city. And Im duty-bound to safely escort the envoy to Laurensis too.

He began fidgeting anxiously. As a matter of fact, he mustve been feeling really anxious since even his legs began trembling while he stared at my face, trying to gauge my mood.

What I want from you is for you to behave yourself until they reach the city. If you cant do that, then seeing as youre nominally a transfer student, live a quiet student life in the academy, at the very least. Isnt that so much better for you?

Whats me behaving nicely got to do with Aslans envoy?

Ruppels expression crumpled. Aslan as a country worships the god of death, Yudai. Their belief system is different from ours, and not only are the Necromancers their version of holy men, they are also the members of the ruling aristocracy, too.

Necromancers were a part of Aslans aristocracy. As for the slaves they possessed, they were considered as a food source that provided vital nutrients, so to speak. The poor suckers were considered as the eternal slaves, meaning they would remain as slaves for the rest of their lives.

Imagine how the envoy would react if he saw Necromancers being oppressed.

Well, some important nobles in his point of view were openly being oppressed, so without a doubt, hed angrily rebuke with the words of, You dare look down on us?!

What I ask of you is your cooperation so that I may successfully deal with the envoy without any hiccups.

Hang on, you arent telling me to participate in the proceedings, now are you?

No, its the exact opposite. All I want is for you to simply keep your head down. If thats too hard for you, just live a normal life as a mere student. Ruppel put his hands together and even bowed his head. I beg of you. Please let me accomplish something this time. It feels like his majesty has forgotten about me lately.

I could sense Ruppels desperation here.

But then again, thats unsurprising. The throne succession order was more or less settled now with Luans sudden revival.

The first spot was no doubt Luans, while Hilda would be the second, and then, Ruppel was probably the third in line.

However, if some scandals broke out in the city he governed and more problems arose during the upcoming diplomatic event, then it was sure as heck that Ruppel would slide down even further in the pecking order.

But even if he was begging me, a lot of Necromancers have been trying to infiltrate the city lately. Even if their aim was to gather information, I couldnt just let them be

If theres anything you want, Ill definitely make it happen.

Well, those words sure perked up my ears.

You mean, literally anything?

T-thats right. What is it that you want? I do have some authority in this place. If theres something you desire, Ill do my best to make it come true.

In that case, Id like to have a gander at the Necromancer King Amons grimoire currently stored in the academy.

I immediately brought up what I wanted.

But Ruppels expression froze up instantly. That tome cannot be viewed without his majestys express consent.

Yeah, I also knew that.