The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The Rumors We Probably Shouldn’t Be Discussing

It was one of those afternoons when I had absolutely no reason to be interested in what was happening at the front of the classroom.

The instructor was explaining the history of the ancient kingdoms, and judging by the way his voice continued at a steady pace, we were probably going to spend the next hour hearing about people who had been dead for several centuries.

I rested my cheek against one hand and looked toward the window.

Outside, the academy grounds were unusually quiet.

My thoughts, however, were somewhere else entirely.

The ruins we had investigated recently had left me with several questions, especially after we discovered those old records hidden beneath the underground chamber. Some of the information in them matched what the instructor had been teaching, but other parts were completely different.

The strange organization we had encountered there was another matter entirely.

I still didn’t know what they were trying to accomplish, but the fact that they had been conducting some kind of experiment beneath an abandoned ruin was enough to keep my interest.

And then there was that strange creature they had created.

I still hadn’t decided whether it was more interesting as an experiment or as evidence.

"Now then," the instructor said, turning away from the blackboard, "let us move on to the heroes of the old era."

My attention remained outside the window.

"The three heroes who defeated the Demon King are among the most important figures in our recorded history. The elven hero, the beastman hero, and the human hero..."

I had heard this story before.

Actually, I had read far more than what was written in the academy textbooks.

The records we found in the ruins had contained fragments of information that didn’t appear in the commonly accepted version of history. Some of it was incomplete, while some of it seemed deliberately written in a way that made it difficult to understand.

Still, there were enough similarities to suggest that the ancient records and the modern historical accounts were describing the same events.

Interesting.

The instructor continued explaining the achievements of the three heroes, and I absentmindedly watched a bird land on the branch outside.

Then I heard a voice from the front.

"Can anyone tell me what happened to the three heroes after the Demon King was defeated?"

A student near the front raised his hand.

The instructor nodded.

"They returned to their respective kingdoms, didn’t they?"

"Correct. More specifically, each of them returned to their people and became important figures in the reconstruction that followed the war."

The student nodded proudly and sat down.

A few classmates whispered to each other.

I wasn’t particularly interested.

The answer was obvious enough.

Then the instructor looked across the classroom again.

"But that isn’t the whole story."

The atmosphere changed slightly.

I turned my eyes away from the window.

"The records from that period contain several contradictions regarding the heroes’ later years. Some historical accounts claim that they lived peacefully until their deaths, while others suggest that they disappeared from public life."

A student raised his hand.

"Professor, isn’t that because the records were simply lost?"

"That is one possibility."

The instructor paused.

"However, several recently discovered documents suggest otherwise."

My eyes narrowed slightly.

Recently discovered?

That was interesting.

The instructor picked up a thin book from his desk.

"According to these records, there were several incidents involving descendants of the heroes long after the Demon King’s defeat. Unfortunately, the information is incomplete, so historians have yet to determine exactly what occurred."

I leaned back in my chair.

So the academy had found those records too?

That was convenient.

Or perhaps not.

There was still a lot we didn’t know about the ruins, and if more ancient records were beginning to surface elsewhere, then perhaps our discovery wasn’t an isolated incident.

The instructor looked toward the class.

"Does anyone know why the descendants of the heroes were considered important to the kingdoms that followed?"

A few students exchanged glances.

Nobody answered.

I quietly looked back toward the window.

Please don’t call on me.

I’ve already had enough trouble lately.

"Ares."

...Of course.

I slowly turned my head.

The instructor was looking directly at me.

"Yes, Professor?"

"You seem rather distracted today. Since you appear to have been listening, perhaps you can answer the question."

Several classmates immediately looked toward me.

I could already hear a few suppressed laughs.

Rhal, who was sitting nearby, glanced at me with an expression that seemed to say, Good luck.

I sighed inwardly.

Well, I’ve read a lot more about this subject than what is written in the academy’s textbooks, so it’s really not that difficult.

I stood up.

"They were considered important because their descendants were believed to have inherited a portion of the heroes’ abilities, particularly their magical potential. Several noble families therefore attempted to preserve those bloodlines, either through marriage or by placing their descendants in positions where their abilities could be properly developed."

The classroom became quiet.

I continued before anyone could interrupt.

"However, the records aren’t completely reliable. Some accounts describe the descendants as honored figures, while others suggest that their status gradually declined. There are also records indicating that several descendants disappeared without explanation."

The instructor stared at me.

"That is..."

He looked down at his book.

"...correct."

A few students turned toward each other.

One of them whispered, "He actually knew that?"

Another quietly replied, "I thought he wasn’t even listening."

Rhal looked at me as though he had just discovered something completely unexpected.

"Since when did you know all that?"

I glanced at him.

"Since before today."

"...That’s not what I meant."

A few students laughed.

The instructor cleared his throat, apparently trying to regain control of the classroom.

"Very well. You may sit down."

"Yes, Professor."

I returned to my seat without another word.

The instructor continued the lesson, although I noticed that he occasionally glanced in my direction.

I ignored him.

My attention had already returned to the ruins.

The records we discovered had mentioned something that sounded remarkably similar to what he had just described.

But there was one important difference.

The ancient records didn’t describe the descendants as merely disappearing.

They mentioned something being done to them.

And that was the part I hadn’t been able to understand yet.

I rested my chin against my hand and looked toward the window again.

Maybe those records weren’t simply fragments of history.

Maybe they were fragments of a much larger story.

Well, I suppose I’ll have to investigate a little more.

After all, I had already found one interesting organization beneath those ruins.

It would be a shame to stop there.

"Man, you were surprisingly impressive back there."

Rhal says it while we walk toward our respective dormitories.

"I didn’t expect you to answer the instructor’s question, especially with that much detail. The way you explained it made you sound like someone who spends his free time buried in history books."

I glance at him.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Of course it is."

He looks genuinely serious about it.

"Honestly, I thought you were going to ignore the question like you usually do. When the instructor asked again and you suddenly answered, even I was surprised."

"I just happened to know the answer."

"That’s exactly what I’m talking about."

He shakes his head.

I let out a small sigh.

Well, I’ve read considerably more about that subject than most people here, so answering a question about it isn’t particularly difficult.

Besides, the ancient records we’ve found recently have made me more interested in history than I originally expected.

Not that I’m going to tell Rhal that.

"Anyway, now that I think about it..."

Rhal suddenly changes the subject.

"Do you remember Starlight?"

"Starlight?"

"That place we talked about before."

"Oh, that."

"Yeah. Apparently, there are more rumors about it now."

I glance at him.

"Such as?"

Rhal lowers his voice slightly, as though he’s about to reveal some great secret.

"They say the owner is a foreign high-ranking noble. Some people believe the entire place belongs to a wealthy family that moved here from another country. Others say it’s actually being used as a residence for someone important who’s hiding their identity."

"Hiding their identity?"

"That’s one of the rumors."

He pauses.

"There’s another one saying that several influential people have been seen visiting the place at night. And apparently, nobody knows exactly what they do there."

I think about that for a moment.

"That’s quite a lot of rumors."

"Exactly."

Rhal looks pleased.

"Which is why I find it interesting."

"So?"

"So?"

He stares at me.

"That’s all you have to say?"

"What else should I say?"

Rhal looks genuinely baffled.

"You’re really not interested, are you?"

"Not particularly."

"You’re impossible to read sometimes."

I shrug.

"It’s just a collection of rumors. Unless there’s something concrete behind them, there’s not much point in worrying about it."

Rhal becomes quiet for a moment.

Then his expression suddenly changes.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Didn’t you ask me about rumors the other day?"

I stop walking for half a second.

"...What rumors?"

Rhal gives me a serious look.

"The rumors about that viscount who was caught with another woman."

My expression stiffens.

I slowly look away.

"When did I ask you that?"

"See?."

"Ahahaha, I was merely asking for information is that a problem?."

"About a viscount’s affair?"

Rhal’s face slowly breaks into a grin.

I sigh.

This conversation is becoming considerably more troublesome than the history lesson.

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