Posts from Sakuramoria
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It was also painful for another reason – she could no longer continue to live as before. She never would be able to. Survival was now the top priority, and, contrary to Futaba's naive attempts to save everyone, it was perfectly clear that, even without the chaos orchestrated by Fortis, blood would soon be shed. The blood of their peers. And it would be shed not by the servants of His Highness, at least not directly. The blood of some students would be spilled by others. NAILS had gathered a diverse group of individuals, many of whom held diametrically opposed views. This fact alone hindered the achievement of unity. This was compounded by the ranking system, where more successful students had a whole range of privileges. But all of this was merely fertile ground. Ever since Alidum's enrollment, they had been actively pitted against each other, incited to conflict. Then they held elections with voting, encouraging particularly bold and ambitious students to seek leadership positions, and demonstrably gave the position to one of them in the most unfair way. They even staged a coronation ceremony to add fuel to the fire. The goal of all this was one: to divide the students of NAILS into many camps and to deliberately cause many of them to feel animosity towards the new "queen." And for every person who openly expressed animosity, there were two more resourceful ones who hid their antagonism. If Leila's assumptions were correct, after some time, particularly ambitious students would have the opportunity to create their own Factions, and Futaba's authority would no longer be so unquestionable. However, this time, the NAILS staff was unlikely to stand up for her – in the new conflict, the strongest of the Factions would win. And therefore, the new "queen," however unpleasant it might be, would have to prepare for bloodshed. She would have to surround herself with loyal, talented, and, most importantly, competent people. Not clowns like Fortis and Vailis, who shout about not wanting to be anyone's pawns, but then, as a flock, go to certain death. They don't want to be cannon fodder, but they are incapable of being anything more. If she wants to survive, she should suppress potential opponents in the bud. However unpleasant this position may be to Futaba, she has no choice. No one does. Either you eat, or you are eaten. Leila quite admitted that for her own survival, she would have to do terrible things. And it would be naive to rely on "comrades" here – half of them had already discredited themselves. That's why it was so painful to look at the portrait of her father – she didn't want him to see what NAILS might turn her into. All that remained was to hope that the image of Lionel looking at her would help her preserve at least a part of her former self.
After that, he sits down with her in the presidential chair.
— Forgive me, you fool, I thought you would enjoy today's ceremony, but it seems that's not the case...
Basically, I'm betting on Alidum's mom.
— Enough with this circus. — The new teacher, whom many had already forgotten, reminded herself of her presence by appearing between Fortis and Duncan. — Sir Duncan, I don’t think His Majesty would approve of what is happening now. Fortis Vir, go where you belong; no one will stop you. Vale Foxtail, Barbara Bellring — immediately return to the others; I won’t repeat myself, and the rules of fair combat will be damned! The rest of you — to your rooms. Your Majesty, — she turns to Futabe, — be reasonable and follow me.
Without wasting any more words, the young man leaves the hall, trying his best to walk steadily and not grimace in pain. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge the appearance of another crazy old man — after all, it wasn’t even his king, and there’s no point in waving your fists after a fight. He couldn’t say that Fortis had fully achieved his goal, but he was now content with a draw.
Initially, Fortis was heading for the exit — at least out of the hall, ideally out of the academy, and eventually out of the country, but now he only had to return to his room to lick his wounds. He limped to room 203 and collapsed onto the bed like a dead weight.
“I wonder,” he thought. — “Is this the bed of the prematurely deceased, or the one next to it?”
In reality, he was really interested in what was actually going on in this academy, but for now, his mind was occupied only with the thought of getting to the infirmary as soon as the others finished their clowning around in the hall, and with all sorts of insignificant nonsense. If it were up to Fortis, he would try not to interact with the teaching staff at all, and it would be better to ask one of his own — surely there are at least a couple of Mana adepts among them, but when you’ve been cut with a claymore, you don’t have a choice. Fortis felt his side again — the general may be a clumsy old geezer, but he hit hard.
“He probably broke my ribs. And now I’ll never be able to get the stain out of my shirt... ugh!”
— It's Duke... — a voice comes from the corridor. — Fortis, are you in there? Listen... Sorry if I'm intruding, but do you happen to need any help?..
Added 6 minutes later
- He doesn't belong here. Let him spend his remaining days in a nursing home, or live off his family, he has one. He never fulfilled his "security" duties. Someone who can inspire trust and respect in children should work with them.