Chapter 90: Butterfly Effect (1)
March 18th, Friday, 6 a.m.
Two carriages heading for Karbenna were waiting in front of the dormitory.
Those who had finished preparing were standing by the front gate, waiting for the coachman to return after his inspection.
The last to co out, Rubia, grabbed my forearm and asked quietly.
“Sir Eugene, no matter how much I look, I can’t find Cadet Lea anywhere! She must’ve known we were leaving today….”
“She won’t be coming back.”
“What? What do you an—”
“I’ll explain on the way.”
My mind was already too cluttered with deductions from the events of the previous day.
Excluding Lea Bronte, the remaining ten of us split into two groups of five and boarded the carriages.
As before, our carriage held Michel, Rubia, Francia, Eric, and .
I openly revealed that Lea had been one of Edel’s pawns.
‘It’s not like I could’ve hidden it forever, anyway.’
The four who were deeply involved in the Hokhma Incident didn’t seem particularly shocked.
“So that’s what happened….”
“No wonder she always seed too aware of what was going on.”
“Especially at the banquet.”
As they each made their comnts, I spoke again, making sure Michel heard.
“I’ll discuss her expulsion with the Dean soon, Chairwoman.”
Michel Bernhardt’s reply was… to hold off.
“Let’s just watch the situation for a bit longer. The Faculty handles cadet managent anyway, and we’ve got that under control now.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?”
“If she becos a liability, of course we’ll cut her off. But for now, we don’t know whether she’ll be an asset or a risk, do we?”
“…Yes, understood.”
When the brief conversation ended, I quickly returned to my train of thought.
The results of this summit were by no ans small.
We had identified the Empire’s key issues and successfully appealed for Karbenna’s reform to major figures.
Before long, news articles about the summit would spread across all of Ribenia.
‘Feels like an early declaration of war… but it can’t be helped.’
From the mont I possessed the body of Eugene Carter, I had foreseen this possibility.
Despite the significant influence he had exerted over the Empire, there were barely any proper records left of him—an inherently dual-natured character.
That was why I had no choice but to control him directly.
There were things I brought upon myself, but many incidents also occurred beyond my will.
For every one of them, I had always acted with the best possible move in mind.
Of course, not all results were satisfactory—
…but up to this point, I could call it a passing grade.
‘At least this much is necessary. To overco this damned Apocalypse Mode.’
What encouraged most was that Francia Brida had already achieved her second awakening.
It hadn’t even been a month since my direct involvent, and she had already blood both the Aura Blade and the Demon-Slaying Sword.
Even in my ten years of MAGA experience, that was unprecedented.
‘To think her relationship with Eric Halenber would conclude like this….’
Back when the corrupt Jeff ruled Halenber, the aggressive distribution of Hokhma had been possible.
Because Michel Bernhardt’s influence wasn’t yet significant, Hokhma could be smuggled into Karbenna.
Because Eric felt guilty toward Francia, he could reform and beco an ally.
And because she shared that desperate sense of sympathy with another fallen noble, Francia could awaken.
All those unlikely chances aligned to create the present result.
I didn’t see that as re coincidence.
If coincidences repeat, they beco fate—Edel said that too.
However—
Even though this outco couldn’t be better, that didn’t an there were no sources of anxiety.
The awakenings and achievents were great, sure.
But in the process, we’d drawn far too much attention.
‘If it were only , I could’ve managed the burden sohow….’
Francia Brida, who stole the spotlight with her overwhelming performance of “cutting through curses.”
Rubia Magnus, who boldly used taboo holy magic right in front of the Archbishop of the Ribenian Orthodox Faith.
And Michel Bernhardt, who, through his report, predicted Karbenna’s upheaval—provoking the Imperial Court, nobility, army, and Church alike.
Countless people would soon be trying to approach them.
Just imagining managing all that coordination already made my head throb.
‘…Well, no need to panic from the start.’
There’s no point in fussing over things that haven’t happened yet.
I’d already made the minimum preparations, and I had plans to counter those people if needed.
So for now—
Let’s just see what kind of storm this butterfly effect we caused will bring.
With a satisfied smile, I looked out the window.
The carriage had already left the city and was crossing the Ardens River bridge.
It was just past 8:30.
The summit attendees had safely arrived in Karbenna.
About thirty staff mbers surrounded the main gate.
When the returning heroes stepped down from the carriages, thunderous applause erupted.
“I read all about the summit in the papers! Truly amazing!”
“You’ve got nerves of steel, you know that? Pulling off that kind of performance in the Empire’s most watched venue!”
“I look forward to your continued success, Instructor Carter. Or should I say, it’s us who should be saying that? Haha.”
Eugene returned their greetings with a polite smile while murmuring inwardly.
‘They’re probably all still trying to decide which side to bet on.’
Even so, he made sure to rember every one of their faces.
Those who intended to oppose them wouldn’t have shown up here anyway.
After a brief mont of welco, people had to return to their duties.
Michel addressed the gathered crowd with instructions.
“The regular Faculty eting will start at 10 a.m.”
“…….”
“…Today?”
“I know it’s sudden for those who attended the summit, but please bear with . See you in the eting room.”
The Chairwoman, whom everyone assud would take the day off, was moving busily—so the others couldn’t just stay idle.
When the departnt heads urged dismissal, the teachers began scattering to prepare for the eting.
“I’ll see you later, Sir Eugene!”
“Sure.”
After sending Rubia off, Eugene turned toward the dormitory.
As he walked, he gave final instructions to the two cadets following behind.
“You both did well. Don’t worry about anything today—rest in your private rooms. I’ll mark your attendance for you.”
"Understood."
"You’ve worked really hard too, Instructor."
“Mm.”
Francia and Eric headed straight to their individual dorm rooms as instructed.
There wasn’t much conversation between them during the walk.
They had never been particularly talkative to begin with, and after all that happened at the summit, there wasn’t much left to say.
Too much had occurred — they were both, frankly, exhausted.
The dormitory for Class 3 of the second year was completely empty.
“Is it the Military Studies period right now?”
“Yeah.”
Without needing to say who first, the two each took a seat in the common room.
“……”
“……”
The silence that lasted just over twenty minutes was broken by Francia.
“What are you going to do from now on?”
“…Who knows.”
Eric pressed his throbbing temples and sighed.
“I’ll have to find sowhere to stay. I can’t stay under Halenber anymore.”
“…Right.”
“A typical line from an internal whistleblower, huh.”
“Do you… regret it?”
“What’s there to regret? Back then or now, I’ve just been struggling to survive.”
This ti, Eric threw the question back at Francia.
“What about you?”
“What about ?”
“How do you feel? You’ll soon get to see the downfall of the Halenber family you hated so much.”
“…Yeah.”
Francia leaned back against the sofa and slowly closed her eyes.
“During that sparring match, Instructor Eugene said sothing to — that killing you wouldn’t be the end of revenge, that it wasn’t the final stop of vengeance.”
“……”
“But behind you, there was your father. You were forced to act that way — to survive.”
“Even so, what I did can’t be justified. Hokhma trafficking is undeniably illegal.”
“Yeah. If punishnt’s necessary, you should take it. But that punishnt doesn’t co from — it cos from the law.”
Then—
Should that sa standard apply to those who had driven her family to ruin?
That was a question she still hadn’t found an answer for.
And yet—
Francia Brida had no intention of stopping.
She opened her eyes wide and spoke with determination.
“I don’t know what true revenge is, or how far I’ll have to go to feel satisfied.”
“So, I’ll just keep going — as far as I can.”
“Because whatever waits at the end… that’s the answer I truly wanted to find.”
At her resolute answer, Eric shook his head with a laugh.
“Now that’s an answer that fits you perfectly.”
“Yeah.”
“…Then I can’t just sit around either.”
He suddenly stood up and extended his hand to the red-eyed girl.
“I’m really curious about what kind of answer you’ll find.”
After exchanging their resolutions, the two decided to spend the rest of the day resting in their private rooms.
Once their classmates returned, it would surely get noisy again — in more ways than one.
As soon as Eric entered his room, he let out a deep sigh.
Too many things had happened in such a short ti; his mind was spinning.
“I’ll think again after so sleep….”
He set his belongings down, and as he approached his desk out of habit, his eyes caught sothing unfamiliar.
“…What’s this?”
A crumpled note, sender unknown.
To Mr. Eric Halenber,
The courageous figure you displayed at the Imperial Summit was truly moving.
Your past, being a foster son bound by the leash of life to your father, was also deeply impressive.
You’ve carried out a heavy role no young boy should’ve had to bear.
Even though you could’ve simply turned away and continued your peaceful life, you chose instead to abandon it all.
I applaud your efforts and actions, and I wish to make a proposal.
Don’t you wish to reform this rotten Empire?
Don’t you wish to overturn this miserable world, where you must obey those who destroyed your own family?
Our revolutionary organization, the Ribenia Resistance, operates in secret throughout the Empire, continuing our preparations for an imperial revolution.
You too are a Code Holder of the Platinum Dawn, albeit for different reasons.
Since you revealed it publicly at the summit, once the major events settle, you’ll inevitably beco a target. You won’t be able to remain in Karbenna for long.
Before the Imperial Court and the noble factions act, we must move first.
Let’s discuss the details in person — Monday at midnight.
Destroy this letter afterward.
Wishing you good fortune, Mr. Eric Halenber.
— The One Who Manages Nas
5, 10, 16, 23, C
Beneath the ssage was a short combination of numbers and a single letter.
It was the sa format as the coded ssages he used to receive when acting as a broker.
“E, J, P, W… and sowhere between them.”
Eric imdiately pulled out an old map of Karbenna’s districts.
“E and J stand for Arje, P and W for Fromwork, so between those would be….”
He compared it with the current city layout.
“No way… this place is—”
After double-checking the spot he had marked, Eric silently took a few steps back.
The location indicated by the code—
was the Small Conference Room on the 4th floor of Building C.
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