I Was Reborn in Another World, but Hold On – No Parents? Was I Abandoned? - Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Ominous Premonition

The dormitory echoed with a buzz from the early morning, and I woke up to the commotion.

Mornings had never been this lively before.

After changing clothes hastily, I headed to the communal area, spacious enough to accommodate all dorm residents.

Is there a fire?

The notion briefly crossed my mind, but there was no sign of anyone evacuating, and my sense of unease only deepened.

I approached one of my classmates who was in the common room and asked what was going on.

“Have you not read the newspaper!??”

The student handed me a newspaper casually tucked under their arm.

In this world, newspapers are expensive to produce, and unless there’s a significant national event, they are not published. When they are, the immediate thought is…

A single word: “war.”

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【Rosen Kingdom State Newspaper】

In the early hours of yesterday, within the upscale noble residential area in the capital of the Rosen Kingdom, His Excellency Duke Marcel Leonardo Rosheim was found murdered.

Additionally, a total of 38 individuals, including servants from His Excellency’s residence and the accompanying soldiers, have perished. Two individuals are in critical condition, evacuated to the medical facility and still unconscious.

According to eyewitness accounts, the culprit wore a jet-black mask, donned a black robe from head to toe, and their gender remains unknown. After committing the act, they were observed wielding a scythe of considerable height, presumed to be the murder weapon, before making their escape.

In response, the court is actively collecting information regarding this incident.

Anyone with information or potential leads is urged to visit the nearest military station.

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What?! The Duke’s assassination?

An assassination within the country?

Or, could it be an assassin from another nation?

What’s going on? He’s a Duke!

The security should have been tight.

Moreover, a lone perpetrator?

A lone perpetrator infiltrating the heavily guarded residence of a Duke, attacking 40 people, including the guards, killing 38 of them before assassinating the Duke. Can someone pull off such a feat?

If that’s true, the perpetrator undoubtedly possesses formidable strength.

And they are on the run.

Considering it happened yesterday, there’s a high possibility they are still within the country.

Wait, isn’t this a seriously dangerous incident?

“Is the perpetrator human? Even for a skilled assassin, this seems tough, doesn’t it?”

“Which country’s assassin could it be?”

“Well, maybe from our own…”

“Hey! Don’t say that out loud.”

The common room buzzed with these kinds of discussions.

Ding-dong-ding-dong

The bell signaling the start of classes chimed, putting a halt to the discussions, and everyone departed from the common room in an orderly manner.

Observing their departure, I decided to attend class today and left the dormitory for the time being.

When I stepped outside, Maria, Mira, and Torus, the trio who seemed to be awaiting my arrival, were already there.

“Heard about it? The Duke’s incident.”

Maria promptly brought up the topic.

“Yeah, things have gotten serious. If it’s an assailant from another country, it might lead to war, and even within our own nation, it could spark civil unrest.”

“If it turns into a war, the school might be off.”

“Well, in a significant war, there’s also a possibility of us being summoned. After all, students in this school are treated as military personnel.”

As Mira says, at this Royal Officer Academy, the moment you enroll, you are registered as military personnel. Graduating usually means going out into the field as an officer, but during emergencies, like a war, there’s the possibility of being called up. Typically, only upperclassmen are summoned, but in a major war, even freshmen might be called to the battlefield, especially scholarship students, who have a high chance of being summoned as freshmen.

“I wonder how things will turn out.”

At that moment, I was only vaguely considering this event as something distant. Little did I know that later, this incident would become a significant whirlwind, entangling me as well.

Meanwhile, in the royal castle, officers of the rank of captain or higher and dignitaries of the nation were summoned for a meeting.

“What? It’s not just our country? Is that true, Lord Reistov?”

The Prime Minister, Viscount Strand, a civilian chief, raised his voice.

His emaciated body appeared even thinner, perhaps due to the stress.

“When I had my subordinates investigate, it seems that prominent figures from various countries have been assassinated, including the Prime Minister of the Tyran Empire, the Count of the Mariana Principality, the Vice Chairman of the Royce Federation, the High Priest of the Raimoa Holy Kingdom, and the Left Minister of the Mordna Kingdom.”

One of the generals, Count Reistov, a tall and slender man with long hair that could be mistaken for a woman, smoothly listed the victims from each country.

Having sensed unsettling signs before the incidents occurred, he had his subordinates investigate.

“Are you saying that our country, along with Tyran and Mariana, could pull off something like this? No matter what, it’s impossible for us to wage war simultaneously with those three major nations, right!?”

A towering man, the most senior general resembling a veteran, Longzman Border Count, looked at Count Reistov with suspicion.

“There’s also the possibility of a declaration of war from another continent.”

Arus’s father, General Count Keires Reynard, shared his own speculation.

“No way!? The Eastern Beastman continent? No, there are ongoing civil wars in many countries there. Could it be the work of the Northern Demons?”

Longzman turned his gaze toward Keires.

“There doesn’t appear to be a clear motive. Can they truly orchestrate such chaos to target an entire continent?”

Strand, with a pale face, scanned the faces of the three generals.

“Cough… We are talking about the Demon Continent, perhaps that may be it, Strand.”

The king, who had remained silent, began to speak. Only the three of them comprehended the meaning as they lowered their heads.

“Your Majesty, if I may inquire, what are you referring to?”

“… ”

There was no response to Keires’ question.

“I understand. You hadn’t assumed the position of general back then, so it’s natural you haven’t been informed.”

Longzman made a cryptic remark, casting a glance at the king.

“However, Your Majesty, it’s been almost ten years since that incident. To bring it up now…”

Strand, whose face had turned completely pale, looked at the king, hoping for words of denial, but the king also lowered his head.

“If you think about it that way, it does make sense in the context of this incident. Besides, considering the period the Prime Minister mentioned as a preparation time, it also seems reasonable.”

Reistov turned his contemplative face towards the king. Keires waited, puzzled by what Reistov was talking about.

“Given the situation, I must inform those present here of this matter…”

Saying so, the king began to speak, and his story was so unexpected that it caught Count Keires, the generals, and the civil officials off guard, their faces contorting in seriousness.

A brief overview of the king’s story:

A decade ago, shortly after Keires assumed the role of a general, a significant event unfolded—a war that would be remembered in history. It was the war between the unified northern continent, the Demon Nation (officially recognized as the Belzebute Demon Kingdom), and the alliance of human nations on the southern continent.

The catalyst for this war, which paused the long-standing intercontinental wars, was the existence of a hero from another world that appeared once every few hundred years in this world.

At that time, the hero had appeared.

Perceiving it as an opportunity, the human nations, engaged in ceaseless warfare with the Demon Nation for years, initiated a war to terminate the age-old enmity that had persisted for over a few thousand years.

Amidst this blood-soaked chaos, escalating from hundreds of thousands to several million, the conflict unfolded between the human forces, led by the hero, and the Demon race, inherently skilled in magic and accompanied by diverse creatures like beastmen.

The seemingly eternal one-year war came to an end when the hero was defeated by the Demon King.

Up until this point, the narrative was well-known to all.

What followed was a tale concealed and buried in darkness by the kings and influential figures of each country.

The king continued the story.

The hero, surviving by a thread, returned to the alliance forces and, accompanied by the elite soldiers from various countries, embarked on the final mission. It was a contingency plan in case they couldn’t defeat the Demon King.

If they couldn’t defeat the Demon King… they would steal something crucial to the survival of the Demon Nation and erase it, that was the plan.

Amidst the chaos of the great turmoil, the Demon Nation, intoxicated by their triumph, had slackened their guard.

Taking advantage of this, the heroes brilliantly accomplished their mission.

And what they stole was concealed by the hero himself. Subsequently, to keep this incident a secret, the hero was eliminated by the leaders of the alliance, namely the royal families of each country.

Only the royal families of each country and the high-ranking officials who served them knew about this.

“Your Majesty… What exactly was the crucial item stolen from the Demon King?”

Keires asked fearfully.

“That is………………”

Silence engulfed the surroundings…

The sound of someone swallowing nervously echoed in the room.

Keires finally grasped that this might escalate into something beyond imagination.

Damn it… Why didn’t anyone stop it?

Why did they eliminate the hero afterward?

The Demon King, whom the hero couldn’t defeat, is still alive, you know?

In frustration, he could feel his molars slightly grinding.

The meeting concluded, and Keires quickly left the royal castle.