People often envy those who wield power over them and wish to become like them.

In this sense, the imperial family is the most envied group in the world. They rule and regulate everything.

...But can people still maintain their illusions about the imperial family after seeing this?

The nameless imperial guard bowed his head even lower, hoping that the trouble would not spill over to him.

“Your Highness.”

“...Repeat that. What did you just say to me?”

“I said we’ve been unable to contact the Bright Moon Society.”

“How are you handling this mess?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”

Crash.

The sound of something shattering filled the large room, and shards of a presumably expensive vase flew at the feet of the guard, who had his head bowed.

...I’ve seen that object before. It was the vase my senior had warned us never to break, no matter what. It was so expensive that even if we saved for years, we wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Can someone really throw such a valuable item around in anger?

I bit my lip, feeling a complex mix of emotions.

“However, please listen. The Bright Moon Society has disappeared without leaving a trace. It’s as if the organization never existed.”

“Disappeared?”

“Yes. It’s presumed that they were attacked by someone.”

“...Didn’t you just say they vanished without a trace? How can you then say it was an attack?”

“I understand it sounds absurd, but Your Highness, there’s something troubling me.”

“Troubling you?”

Even though I knew I should never speak out during a guard duty, I almost let it slip.

The guards, bound by numerous restrictions to prevent problems from arising, had seen things that would be hard to believe if they were told.

Therefore, I was certain. The Bright Moon Society was a criminal organization, but its members weren’t incompetent.

It was impossible for them all to disappear without a trace. If it was an attack, it was even less plausible.

“Do you remember the criminal organizations that thrived in the slums created by the war?”

“Yes. The dregs. Why are you bringing them up?”

“Recently, all the criminal organizations around the capital’s slums have disappeared, except for one.”

“What? Why was this not reported?”

“Your Highness, you had the troops for maintaining order in the slums withdrawn to the imperial family. Our information network disappeared, so we only recently received this news.”

It must have been to solidify his power.

To maintain an advantage in the chaotic internal politics of the imperial family, one needed to be stronger.

I didn’t like the idea of sacrificing national security for power struggles, but there was nothing I could do.

Decisions are the privilege of those in power.

“Tsk, I see. And? There must be a reason for mentioning this now.”

“Yes. The organizations also vanished in the same manner. It’s said they evaporated without leaving a trace.”

“...You’re suggesting that it’s the work of the same person?”

“It’s just a guess, but yes. It seems quite likely.”

All the criminal organizations in the slums had disappeared without a trace, all within a short period.

It was evident that everyone present felt uneasy, even though they couldn’t express it.

“So, the remaining organization is the culprit?”

“That’s... It’s rumored that the work was done alone, not by an organization.”

“...Alone?”

“It’s said that the boss of the organization was someone else a few months ago. The timing of when the surrounding organizations began to disappear matches the timing of the boss’s replacement.”

The voice of the guard reporting to the prince was trembling slightly.

No matter how you looked at it, it was an absurd story. It was as if a false report could get one purged.

But fortunately for the guard, the prince’s eyes showed a glimmer of interest.

“Interesting. Continue.”

“Yes. The identity of the organization’s boss is unknown. They’re referred to as a ghost because no one outside the organization has seen their face.”

“And?”

“No one knows why they cleaned up the surrounding organizations, why they became the boss of that organization, or why they refuse to reveal their face.”

“...Can’t they be forced to speak?”

“Well... It’s said that one of the organizations kidnapped a member, but they didn’t speak until their death.”

“And that organization?”

“It has long since disappeared.”

The guard didn’t want to believe the story being told.

Even with severe training and coercive contracts, sometimes information leaks out.

But to think that a mere criminal from the slums wouldn’t open their mouth?

It was utterly unbelievable.

“Unknown identity, unknown actions, unknown motives... They’re truly a ghost.”

“What will you do?”

“Let it be. It can be dealt with after becoming the emperor. For now, it’s time to clean up the internal mess.”

“...Understood.”

The prince muttered as he poured wine into his glass.

“By the way, those people were less impressive than I thought. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up.”

“Forgive me, Your Highness, but their disappearance might be beneficial to the imperial family. Their eyes were filled with malice. They would have stabbed a knife in the back of the imperial family someday.”

“I know. They were audacious hunting dogs always eyeing their master’s throat.”

The guard could clearly see that they harbored ill intentions.

Whether they didn’t bother to hide it or they were just bad at hiding it, they all seemed to hate the imperial family.

“But even such hunting dogs can be useful if properly restrained. There’s no need to shoot arrows to hunt a deer. If the hunting dogs bring it down, that’s sufficient.”

“Your Highness, hunting deer is legally prohibited.”

“And that’s what I’m saying. If a deer happens to be mauled by the hunting dogs while accidentally passing through their area, it’s the deer’s own negligence, not my responsibility. Isn’t that right?”

“...Yes, that’s correct.”

“It’s a pity. I was going to release the hunting dogs because my beloved sister seems to be making a mess.”

The prince had even considered using terrorists to eliminate his own sister, who was already sidelined due to power struggles.

...The nameless guard thought that one could hardly find any positive aspects of the imperial family outside of movies.

“Well, I’d like to see the face of this ghost someday.”

“If you become the emperor, anything is possible.”

“Right, right. For now, let’s trample on that beloved sister who dares to rise from the garbage.”

“Thank you so much for your help...!”

“It’s really no problem. I’ve lost count of how many times this has happened. Really, you can get up now...”

“No! No matter how many times I say it, it’s not enough! Thank you, teacher!”

...This is troublesome.

Leo absolutely refuses to get up.

When he came to his senses and realized what had happened to him, he turned pale, and after I hurriedly explained the situation, he’s been like this for a while.

At this rate, he’ll fall into an endless pit of gratitude.

I guess there’s nothing for it. I’m sorry, Orca.

“I’m really okay, so please thank Orca as well. If it hadn’t been for her, I might have been in trouble too. She dealt with everyone who tricked you.”

“Wait a moment, teacher, what are you suddenly...!”

“...!”

“Ah! Get off, you crazy kid! It’s hot!”

“Thank you so much! I treated you so poorly during our first meeting...! I’m so touched!”

“I said, get off!”

Alright. I attached Leo, who seemed intent on thanking me all day, to Orca.

Even though he keeps running away, feeling awkward about it, I doubt Orca had received such thanks before.

If Leo gains experience in receiving gratitude this way, Orca might also come to enjoy helping others.

It’s not that I’m annoyed by Leo. Really.

“...Amazing, just amazing.”

“Oh, Principal. Thank you for agreeing to my unreasonable request.”

“It’s nothing. If a student is kidnapped and misses classes, it’s only natural to process it as an excused absence, isn’t it?”

The principal winked cutely.

She must be aware of the illegal dealings with the tavern, but her silence likely means she’s turning a blind eye.

It was a typical softhearted action from the principal, who was endlessly lenient with students.

“Still, there’s no need to be too happy. That time is approaching.”

“That time?”

“It’s been quite a while since the midterms ended. The final exams are approaching, so you should start preparing.”

“Ah.”

Now that I think about it, that’s true. It’s been quite some time since the midterms ended.

The scarecrow rampage incident is still occasionally in the news, so I had completely forgotten about it.

“What about the exam content?”

“I’m sorry, but we’ve decided not to leak the content of this exam. I apologize, but please look forward to it on the day.”

“Hmm... I see. I hope it’s not too dangerous.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not too dangerous.”

I awkwardly smiled at the principal, who was beaming as she said she had devised the safest exam content possible for the students.

I knew exactly how the final exams would be conducted.

Yes, it shouldn’t be dangerous.

If anything, it was likely that they had removed all practical exams to show a commitment to avoiding controversy.

What I worried about was whether the students could achieve good scores.

Since the written exams were all mini-games, the scores of playable characters depended entirely on the players.

But now, with no players present, how will the students’ scores turn out?

It was something even I couldn’t predict.

However, I had a feeling about one particular student, so I sighed deeply.