studiobondurri Chapter 202
Chapter 202
Chapter 202
Lysquare Academy was an extremely old school.
As one of the first academies established in the Arium Empire, its history was very long.
And as long as that history was, Lysquare Academy held countless secrets.
Secrets that were never recorded in history.
“Wow, it’s been forever since we came here.”
“Yeah, hasn’t it been about three months since the last time?”
“Well, we don’t usually come down here.”
Beneath Lysquare Academy.
No—far deeper than the underground lay a tunnel.
Through that tunnel, Andrew and Kafka were moving.
“Dilug and Nazar-oppa said they’d arrive first, right?”
“Yeah, they should be waiting for us.”
Andrew replied, lighting the way ahead with a small torch.
Kafka followed behind him with a soft chuckle.
“Still, it’s impressive how you even found out this place existed. You said you discovered it while rummaging through your family’s documents out of boredom, right?”
“That’s right. But honestly, I think you’re the amazing one.”
Andrew let out a short laugh and glanced back at Kafka.
“The moment you heard there was a secret place hidden beneath Lysquare Academy… you grabbed a shovel and started digging all the way down here. I didn’t see that coming.”
“Come on, how could I possibly hold myself back after hearing there was a hidden underground spot? And it’s not like I was the only one! We all dug together.”
“Yeah, it actually seemed fun. Even Nazar-hyung looked like he was enjoying himself.”
“Nazar-oppa enjoyed it the most. I just… have good execution skills, that’s all.”
Talking and laughing, Kafka and Andrew continued walking through the tunnel.
Before long, a deep underground space appeared before them.
It was a large room, piled high with everything from treasures to random junk.
“You’re here? What took you so long?”
“I was late because I brought snacks. We’re gonna talk late into the night again, right? We’ll need something to eat.”
“As expected of Andrew. You know what’s important.”
Nazar grinned with satisfaction.
Beside him, Dilug sighed with a faint, exasperated laugh.
“Those snacks—you stole them from the cafeteria again, didn’t you?”
“Of course.”
“A guy like you being a duke’s son… the Empire’s future sure looks grim.”
“Hey, look who’s talking. You came here too, so you’re an accomplice. And you’re the next head of the house, remember? We already gave up on high positions, but you haven’t.”
“…What’s this? You’re being unusually logical today.”
“Hey, I’m always logical. The only one who isn’t is this maniac next to me.”
“What?! Why am I getting hit when I didn’t even say anything?!”
Kafka shouted, sounding unjustly accused.
Andrew ignored her and plopped down beside Nazar and Dilug.
“When did you guys get here?”
“About an hour ago. But since it’s been a while, the air down here was pretty stuffy. We were purifying it with magic.”
“No wonder. It felt surprisingly fresh when we came in.”
“Right? Anyway, what were you two talking about on the way here? I could hear your chatter echoing from all the way over here.”
“Oh, nothing big. Just reminiscing about when we first found this place—digging through the ground and all that.”
Andrew smirked and glanced at Nazar.
“We were just saying how you were the one who enjoyed it the most.”
“I really did. Think about it—I’d been stuck in the Imperial Palace with nothing but silence. Doing something like that was actually fun.”
“Now that I think about it, it really was a rare sight. You don’t see an Imperial Prince laughing while digging holes every day.”
“Yeah, and from my perspective, it was just as rare seeing you and Kafka—two heirs of ducal houses—covered in dirt and digging alongside us.”
“Heh, that’s true. But come to think of it…”
Andrew glanced at Dilug.
“While we were all digging, you didn’t do anything, did you? Even the Prince helped, and you just—”
“Did you forget I was keeping watch? I made sure the teachers didn’t get suspicious.”
“Ha, this goody-two-shoes.”
Kafka snorted and sat down beside Dilug.
“Still, thanks to this goody-two-shoes, we didn’t get caught.”
“He’s the next Student Council President candidate, after all. One word from him and poof—our crimes disappear.”
“You guys drag me into your messes every time. I’m basically an accomplice now…”
“Come on, Dilug. You had fun too.”
“Yeah, admit it.”
Andrew and Kafka’s teasing made Dilug sigh deeply.
Nazar burst out laughing at the sight, then handed Dilug a chicken leg Andrew had brought.
“Still, thanks for always being on our side, Dilug.”
“For His Highness, this much is nothing.”
Dilug chuckled faintly and accepted the chicken leg from Nazar.
Then, tilting his head slightly, he asked,
“By the way, hyung, why did you suddenly call us here today? And specifically, here of all places?”
“Yeah, we haven’t used this hideout since our second year.”
“Right, right. Since then, we’ve been using the Student Council Room instead—”
“Hey, now that I think about it, I’m kinda mad. You guys always use the Student Council Room without me, even though I’m the Vice President—”
“Alright, alright, Dilug. Calm down.”
Nazar stretched his arms out and pulled Dilug, Andrew, and Kafka closer.
The four of them huddled together, heads nearly touching.
“The reason I called you here… Remember how we used this as our hideout all last year? Like you said, we don’t come here often anymore, but this was our first base. I figured it’d be nice to revisit it for old times’ sake.”
He looked at each of the three heirs in turn before continuing.
“And this semester’s my last. I’m graduating soon. Before I do, I wanted to spend some time with you like this.”
“…Didn’t know you were the sentimental type, hyung.”
“Shut it, Andrew. Just go along with it for once, yeah?”
“Ow?”
Nazar lightly headbutted Andrew’s forehead.
Then he smiled brightly, his expression full of warmth.
“The time I spent with you guys at the academy… might’ve been the happiest moments of my life. The memories we made—”
“Hold it. Oppa, wait. You’re wrong about that part. The time you spent with us isn’t the happiest time of your life.”
“…It’s not?”
“Of course not! Because we’re gonna give you even happier memories from now on. You can’t call your academy days the ‘happiest’ yet—it’s too soon for that.”
“……”
Nazar stared at Kafka for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“You’re right, Kafka. We’re not parting ways after graduation anyway. Isn’t that right?”
“Obviously. You think I’d ever give up a connection like you, oppa? You’re an Imperial Prince. I’m keeping that for life.”
“Kafka, you don’t even attend social gatherings. Since when do you care about connections? You’re too simple-minded for that—”
“Shut it, Andrew.”
“Gah?!”
Kafka slammed her fist onto Andrew’s head, and he collapsed backward clutching his scalp.
Dilug sighed at the sight, then turned to Nazar.
“I hereby swear that I will always stand by Your Highness’s side.”
“Wow, the head of the Isrinbloom Family pledging his loyalty to me—now that’s reassuring. At this rate, maybe I’ll become Emperor.”
“…Hyung, do you even want to be Emperor?”
“Hm? Nah, I was just joking. Don’t take it seriously.”
Nazar shook his head with a soft laugh.
“Becoming Emperor isn’t easy. The Crown Prince’s position is practically set for my brother or my older sister. I’m just the youngest—not particularly talented. I should be content with what I have.”
“Hmm, but I think you could aim for it if you wanted.”
“No, it’d be impossible. Unless all three heads of the ducal houses support me, the Crown Prince’s seat will never be mine.”
“All three ducal heads, huh…”
Dilug looked thoughtful for a moment.
“Come to think of it, Andrew and I made a bet earlier today. Whether Kafka could ever become head of her house because of Kale’s influence. We wagered twenty gold coins.”
“What?! When did you make that bet?”
“When you tried to assault Kale earlier, Dilug and I— Gahk?!”
“Shut it, Andrew.”
Struck on the head again by Kafka, Andrew collapsed on the spot.
“Ugh, that green-haired guy never learns… Anyway, whether I can become the Head of House or not? Hmm… well, it’d probably be difficult.”
“What if Kale wanted you to become the Head?”
“In that case… I’d have to try my best.”
“Hm.”
Dilug watched Kafka’s eyes intently for a moment, then let out a small laugh and looked down at the fallen Andrew.
“I bet twenty gold coins earlier that Kafka couldn’t become the Head, right?”
“Uh? Yeah, you did.”
“Now I think you’re going to win. Judging from that look in her eyes, she just might pull it off.”
“See? I told you I had a good eye. So then, about those twenty gold coins…”
“Of course, I’ll pay after she actually becomes Head. Until then, who knows?”
“Hey, you two. Last time you bet on whether I was dating Kale or not, and now this—”
Kafka raised her fist threateningly, but Dilug’s expression didn’t change at all.
He turned his head and asked Andrew next,
“Don’t you have any thoughts of becoming Head?”
“What? Me? Nah, impossible. My family selects successors purely based on ability, and unfortunately, I’m not particularly outstanding among my siblings.”
“That’s surprising. You look like the most capable one to me.”
“Then your eyes must be broken.”
“Then let’s bet on this too. I’ll wager a hundred gold coins that you will become Head.”
“…Do you have that much money to throw around?”
“It just means I think the odds are in your favor. Trust me on this one, Andrew. At least from what I see, you’re the most talented among your brothers.”
“……”
Andrew fell silent at Dilug’s sincere words.
After a moment of thought, he nodded, a faint realization flickering in his eyes.
“Alright. I’ll try doing things my way for once. But hey, if all three of us end up becoming Heads… wouldn’t that make Nazar-hyung becoming Emperor pretty likely too?”
“Whoa, me as Emperor? That’s… exciting but also terrifying. Me, the Emperor who leaves his name in the Empire’s history? Do you think that could really happen?”
“You never know what life will bring.”
Dilug pulled out a drink flask and poured each of them a cup.
“But if the three of us really do become Heads, and hyung becomes Emperor… I promise this— for the Empire, and for you, Nazar-hyung, I’ll give everything I have.”
“That’s not a promise. That’s something you swear.”
“Then me too! I swear as well.”
Following Dilug, Andrew and Kafka raised their cups high.
Smiling at them, Nazar raised his cup too.
“Then I swear too… If you all become Heads, and I rise to Emperor with your support, I’ll dedicate myself wholly to the Empire.”
“Sounds good. Alright then, enough talk—let’s eat. I’m starving.”
Andrew spread out the food he’d brought on the table, and the four of them kept talking late into the evening.
“But seriously, if we all really become Heads someday and Oppa becomes Emperor… it’ll be like a story from a history textbook—powerful figures of the Empire once gathered in a secret underground hideout, talking like this.”
“Yeah, it would be. Oh! Then if that actually happens, how about we meet here again in a few decades?”
Nazar’s eyes lit up at Andrew’s suggestion.
“That sounds fun. Twenty years from now, if we sit here again and talk like this… it’d be pretty romantic, in a way.”
“Hyung, but it won’t be easy. How would an Emperor and three Dukes sneak into the Academy and crawl into a tunnel? People would lose their minds if they saw that.”
“Hm, true. It’d be tough.”
Scratching his head with mild regret, Nazar soon shifted the conversation.
Then came another topic—
“Hey, when Nazar-oppa graduates, there’ll be an empty spot, right? Should we recruit someone new to tag along?”
“Got anyone in mind?”
“Of course I do, or I wouldn’t bring it up. You know that guy, Luke?”
“The junior who beat you in that sparring match?”
“H-he didn’t win! That match isn’t over yet—!”
Kafka snapped at Andrew’s words, but Dilug cut in calmly.
“I don’t think that’s a bad idea. Having one more sane person to keep you two in check would make my life easier.”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean? You calling me and Andrew insane?”
“Are you saying you’re not?”
Chatting and laughing about all sorts of things, the group spent the night together like that.
And then, decades later—
Inside the Emperor’s office.
“Oh, right. Do you remember that underground hideout from our Academy days? The one nobles supposedly dug out hundreds of years ago.”
“Hm? Oh, that place? Yeah, I remember. Why?”
“Don’t you remember our promise? We said if we all became Heads and Nazar-oppa became Emperor, we’d go back there together.”
“Right, we did.”
Dilug answered half-heartedly, clearly uninterested.
To him, it was an absurd idea, but—
“Yeah! Nazar-hyung, you remember too, right?”
“Of course I do.”
Andrew and Nazar both looked intrigued.
Then Nazar suggested without hesitation,
“How about we go tonight?”
“Shall we?”
“Let’s do it!”
Kafka exclaimed with excitement.
Dilug looked dumbfounded and opened his mouth to protest, but the three were already deep in planning.
“Should I contact Luke and have him prepare in advance? He knows where the hideout is.”
“Good. And let’s bring Luke along this time too—he’s been through plenty with us.”
Andrew nodded at Kafka’s words, pulling a Crystal Sphere from his pocket.
“I’ll take care of the food again, and as for you, hyung…”
“Andrew, can the Hawkbat Family’s power get me there secretly?”
“No problem at all.”
At year’s end, inside the Emperor’s office, the Emperor and the three Dukes—supposedly in a meeting—were instead gleefully plotting their secret adventure.
Dilug sighed, then gave a small, helpless laugh.
“This is why being the only sane one is exhausting.”
But even so, before long, he too joined in, helping them carefully finalize their plan.
And that night, the Emperor and the Dukes secretly headed toward Lysquare Academy.