Requeim of Reverence

Markov - IMEMR

"The princess is so beautiful."

"Lord Harold has such broad shoulders! Wish I could hug him!"

"Check out that baddi—"

"Shush! Watch your tone!"

It had been thirty minutes since the tournament announcement. The event was set to take place in a week.

Yet, as I moved through the dense crowd, trailing behind the royal members, I realized something odd.

No one was talking about the tournament.

Instead, they were busy swooning over Lord Harold's physique and whispering about Princess Hera's beauty.

I resisted the urge to groan.

"I am surrounded by idiots," I nearly muttered aloud.

Exhaling sharply, I suppressed my mana presence and continued weaving through the crowd. A pointless effort, really—against her.

Princess Hera.

She possessed the rare Bat No Eyes technique, a blessing passed down from their ancestor, the Diviner of All-Seer, Lady Lyra. Though the existence of diviners remained a mystery to the public, the mere presence of royalty like Harold and Hera served as undeniable proof of their lineage.

With Bat No Eyes, Lady Hera could hear every conversation within a 20-meter radius—even whispers.

So I kept my mana signature low, careful not to attract any attention.

The last thing I needed was an unnecessary conversation.

As expected, the prince parted ways with the princess. She had classes to attend, while he had far more pressing matters.

That left me with a choice.

Follow the prince or the princess?

Of course, I'd pick the latter—if I were a degenerate.

Instead, I took an alternate, narrow passage parallel to the one Harold walked down, activating my mana to enhance my hearing. The hall was nearly empty, save for the echo of his footsteps. Mine were silent.

Then, he met someone.

Mr. Hydron. The principal.

That man had always intrigued me. I'd suspected for a while that he had political connections, and now, seeing him interact with Harold, my theory was all but confirmed.

I leaned closer. Their hushed voices barely carried through the air.

"-The army—They'll recruit—from the tournament."

"-Is war—inevitable?"

"Better—to be—ready and armed."

War?

I held my breath, pressing in further.

"Should we notify the nobles?" Mr. Hydron's voice wavered, thick with unease.

"Not all," Harold responded, his tone as sharp as a blade. "Only those who will sponsor our invasion of the north."

North?

"May I ask you something, my lord?" Hydron hesitated. "Why the north? I thought the capital in the north—"

Harold cut him off. "Vestiron. It's him. He's taken control of a northern city. I'll explain later. For now, convene the meeting as soon as possible."

"Yes, my lord." The principal bowed.

I was already grinning.

Then Harold added something that sent a thrill through me.

"Don't inform Professor Williams. The Council suspects him of treason. He may be aiding Vestiron behind our backs. Keep a close eye on him—but don't make it obvious."

Treason.

Now, this was getting interesting.

The principal bowed again, lower this time. "Yes, my lord."

I curled my lips into a smirk.

"Looks like something is about to go down."

"What could possibly go down?"

A voice.

A lady's voice.

I nearly jumped out of my skin but spun around instead.

Lady Hera.

Her piercing gaze locked onto me like a predator sizing up its prey.

"Explain yourself, Markov Hyrphonus."

I was cooked. Beyond cooked.

Mary Emporio - IMEMR

Since coming to the academy, I couldn't shake the worry gnawing at my mind. Was my brother okay? The paranoia had nearly swallowed me whole, leaving me hunched over my desk, head resting against the cold surface.

Then, a warm hand touched my back.

"Anything wrong, Saint Mary?"

I lifted my head slightly, already knowing who it was. Myre—my best friend, my closest confidante.

"I—I'm fine," I stammered, forcing the conversation elsewhere. "And for the Diviner's sake, stop calling me a saint."

She leaned closer, the legs of her chair scraping against the floor with an audible screech. It didn't matter. Myre never cared about things like that.

She reached out, pressing the back of her hand against my forehead. Checking for a fever.

I jolted up, pulling away.

"I don't have a fever, Myre. You can stop worrying."

Even to my own ears, my voice was dry. Hollow.

She frowned, her sharp gaze slicing through my weak attempt at a lie.

"It's about your brother, isn't it?"

I blinked, startled.

"How'd you know?"

She smirked. "Would you be surprised if I told you I was a seer?" Then she waved her hand dismissively. "Never mind. Jokes aside—which brother?"

"Audel," I admitted with a sigh. "He cried. I don't know why."

Myre tilted her head in thought before responding. "Well, he's in his early twenties now, right? Probably got dumped and had a breakdown. Happens to weak men all the time."

"That's what worries me," I muttered. "He's neither weak nor interested in the girls on campus."

She shot me a teasing look. "What? So does he have a thing for bo—"

"No." I shut that down immediately. "That's not the issue. I just... don't understand why he cried."

Myre hummed, tapping her chin. Then, as if struck by a thought, she said, "Wait—weren't your parents martyred in the last war? Maybe he was mourning them."

I exhaled. "Could be... but we got out of that. I don't think that's it—"

Before I could finish, I felt it.

A presence behind me.

I saw it first in Myre's face—the way her expression froze, her eyes widening in horror.

I knew I was done for.

"Sorry, Profess—" I started, whipping around.

But instead of a stern face or harsh reprimand, I was met with a weary smile.

"Uriel has called for you," the professor said gently. "She's waiting outside the classroom."

Relief washed over me. No detention. No punishment. Just Uriel.

I grabbed my things and waved goodbye to Myre before stepping into the hallway.

And there she was.

Uriel, auburn hair slightly disheveled, standing just outside the hall.

She looked like she had been running.

My stomach twisted.

"Wh—what happened?" I asked, paranoia already tightening its grip on my heart.

Uriel met my gaze, breathless. Then, she spoke:

"Audel is missing."

Her words struck me like an arrow.

Straight through the heart.