Yigret

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Chapter 2. True Name Ritual

At the Ruvarh, the school compiles a list of students who have signed up for the ceremony and assigns them a date to travel to the Holy See.

They assigned the students to teams of three according to their abilities, so there is no need to organize.

You can’t complain about randomized teams.

The school also encourages students to make new connections and not just stick together.

Some students were disappointed to be separated from their close friends, but for Judas, this was a good thing.

There was nobody close enough to be called a friend, and rather, it was fortunate if no one avoided getting involved with him.”

That’s what he thought until he saw a familiar face at the school office on the day of departure.

“…… Mr. Judas?”

“Huh? What a pleasant coincidence. Ethan.”

Judas, who was waiting, raised his hand in greeting.

Ethan bowed his head in silence and approached.

“I didn’t realize you’d request the ceremony this time of year.”

At 12 years old, Judas still had three more years to go.

He only needed to receive his true name before his 15th birthday. Many people delayed long enough to visit the Holy See.

It was to be expected that he would delay it, especially since he was weak.

Judas understood Ethan’s point and smiled softly.

“When an opportunity presents itself, it’s rather inconvenient not to seize it, you know. Why? Do I seem unreliable?”

“…… I don’t mean that.”

“So?”

Ethan smiled back at him, unable to resist the knowing look in his eyes.

“You look tough.”

“Haha, you too.”

Judas’ strength genuinely impressed Ethan as he participated in the event, despite the physical limitations that plagued him.

Ethan looked forward to seeing the Heron Prince’s recovery.

If he did, no one would not look him down upon, and he could take his place as the First Prince of the Empire with ease.

Since one of their group mate had bot yet arrived, they sat down in the chairs in the lobby of the faculty office and waited.

One by one, the fully assembled teams departed.

There were only a few teams left that departures today. If the last group mate didn’t show up, it would automatically cancel the trip.

The school had no choice, as one requirement to be allowed to visit the Holy See was to maintain a team of three.

As the waiting time for departure was almost over, Ethan stood up first.

“I think…….”

“Hold on to your hats. You’ve got some time to spare.”

“It’s almost over.”

Ethan’s brow narrowed slightly. Raised in a strict martial arts family, he had a knife-like edge to him.

He never spared himself, always did what he was supposed to do, and was a stickler for time management.

Even if the group mate show up when the waiting period was over, they wouldn’t be granted a license, and Ethan didn’t want to think about such insincerity.

Thinking about it, Ethan glanced back at the First prince.

Judas, who had been waiting longer than Ethan, looked rather relaxed.

“There’s still a bit more to go, isn’t there?”

“If …… he was going to come, he should have come by now. I see no point in waiting any longer.”

That was it.

From their behind came the icy voice of a girl.

“Talking out of your ass, uneducated.”

It was Christina Delphia, the last of their group.

She was the queen of the Ruvarh Academy, so to explain.

She had an enormous fan base, thanks to her cold, arrogant attitude, uncommon for a 14-year-old, and her Origin from Duchy of Delphia, aka. the two majestic mountains of Ruvarsan.

The fact that she is an innocent-looking girl with a long, sea-blue hair that gets lighter at the ends also contributed to this.

There were many students in her class who never got to speak to her.

It was unusual for her to appear alone without her followers.

Seeing her, Ethan stiffened.

It wasn’t noticeable because he was usually expressionless, but it was a change that was at least recognizable to the two people here.

His voice was as cold as Christina’s.

“……That doesn’t sound like the kind of thing you’d say, someone who’s been an embarrassment to the entire team.”

“I don’t know if you’re that worthy of my attention.”

Judas was the only one who seemed unperturbed by the team’s atmosphere, seemingly imminently split.

Judas stood up from his seat and burst out laughing.

“Oh dear, Ethan, this child has been waiting long for you to arrive.”

“……you.”

Christina’s stoic expression cracked for a moment at the tone of voice she’d never heard from her peer.

“In that case, why don’t you just be honest and apologize?”

Looking down at him for a moment, she took a small breath and ran a hand through her hair.

“Huh……, yeah. You’re not wrong. I apologize for being late.”

Her neat apology made Ethan stiffen.

“It is okay.”

The combination of two ducal offspring and a prince seemed remarkably unnatural for a random assignment.

Judas knew the pairing was no coincidence. As soon as he saw Ethan, he knew it was by design.

If the first prince is to be the crown prince at the Emperor’s pleasure, the three of them must have a close bond.

Even if he couldn’t act as a prince, Judas was one of the imperial family’s most necessary pieces.

He smiled bitterly, realizing that the academy was also part of human society.

‘What a contradiction, to be told not to form cliques on the outside, but to end up organizing them here.’

Once it was confirmed that the three had gathered, they were issued a confirmation certificate. They were escorted to a portal within the academy for safe travel.

Portals were elemental transportation devices that dotted the vast land mass of the Empire.

They were the greatest invention of the scholars of magic, and without them, the Ruvarsan Empire, with its vast territory, would not have been as united as it was.

They were also useful during territorial wars and were necessary for the children of noble families to travel outside of the academy.

Of course, the portal alone will not allow you to travel from the Ruvarh Academy to the Holy See in the capital in one fell swoop.

As long as the portal is harmless to humans, the maximum distance it can reach is about two thousand kilometers.

A well-trained soldier is said to travel 20,000 kilometers, but students who have not yet reached the age of majority are limited to the safe figure of 2,000.

To reach the Holy See, they had to travel through a specific provincial portal once a day.

It was Yigret who was most responsible for expanding the principles of the portal to allow for longer travel distances.

He added the four elements of nature that he had studied to the portals and designed them to be as harmless as possible to humans.

As a result, the Empire’s portals were renowned for their lack of after-effects.

Standing in front of the portal, Judas scanned the device, which had come a long way from its predecessor.

“Please provide proof of exit.”

“Here it is.”

Ethan held out the confirmation, which the portal administrator checked, then reminded them of the caveats.

“The leave period is ten days. We will reflect unauthorized absence in the academic grades for this period.”

The administrator activated the portal in a businesslike manner.

Like a massive full-body mirror, the portal rippled as if it were waves, then transformed into a deep black, as if soaking into ink.

It was a magical separation of space.

“Minors may use the portal once per day. Your final destination is the Elysium, and you will be traveling to your first, second, and final destination over three days. Your first destination is the Charlo Estate.”

Kuooh.

The portal emitted a sound as if a beast was roaring.

It was a sound that made students and adults alike shudder.

But the expressions of the three remained unchanged.

Seeing Christina’s prying eyes, Ethan’s expressionless face, and Judas’s peaceful expression, the portal manager gestured toward the portal with inward admiration.

It was the signal to depart.

The three stepped through without hesitation, and an inky energy engulfed them.

“I wish you safe travels.”

***

When the black layer dissipated and their vision cleared, they were in front of the portal, just as they had left.

The waiting portal manager of the Charlo estate bowed in greeting.

No one else bowed, as this was not an official visit, but a tour by a student of the Ruvarh Academy.

“Welcome, sir. This is Lord Charlo’s castle. The portal reopens tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., so please stay in the castle until then and have some free time for now. Have a relaxing day in Charlo.”

With that brief explanation, the administrator led them outside.

Outside the portal control room was a staircase and the outskirts of the castle.

Judas had contributed to the development of the portal but had little experience traveling long distances himself, so he looked around the outer hallway in wonder.

He brushed his hand against the open railing and looked down, glimpsing Charlo’s town.

“…… Charlo Manor.”

His silver hair fluttered lightly in the spring breeze.

Behind him, Christina whirled and strode past.

============================ Ending credit

TL by Shir104

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Yigret gave the names of the spirits at the time of the contract. They are nameless by nature, so the others do not know the names of the spirits the spiritualist calls upon.