The Flower Behind the Shield — Sefia & Naofumi's Untaken Path - Episode 6

The committee's morning began with a gray sky. Outside the window, the cobblestones of Castle Town were still wet. It must have rained before dawn. The magical lanterns were extinguishing one by one. Morning had come. Iwatani Naofumi sat in a chair at the inn, having not slept all night. On the table lay a stack of documents that Celia had brought last night. A copy of the replaced lecture record book. The forgery that Adel had planted. And the authentic backup documents he'd obtained after pushing into the Royal Academy in the dead of night and rousing Academy Director Leonard Falken from his bed—or more precisely, after Celia had politely knocked on the door several times while Naofumi waited outside with his arms crossed, resulting in the director appearing bleary-eyed—all of it was there. When he placed the two sheets side by side, the differences were clear. The date numerals were off in three places, the position of the official seal was subtly misaligned. Two weeks' worth of attendance records had been completely rewritten with different content. (Adel. She really did put in the effort.) Naofumi narrowed his eyes. It wasn't just a simple rewrite. The overall flow was made to look natural, with only the details altered. She'd set it up so that the committee could claim "this is authentic," and later insist "no, this is the official document," with excuses available for either side. But— (The finish is sloppy.) Knock, knock. A knock at the door. It opened immediately. He hadn't locked it. Same as last night. Celia Claire entered. Her chestnut hair was neatly arranged, and her glasses caught the morning light. She wore the official robes of a Royal Academy teacher—a deep blue robe with silver trim—proper attire for a committee day. "Good morning. ...Did you sleep?" "Doesn't matter. Sit." Celia sat in the chair across from him with a slight wry smile. "I checked those two sheets again. Besides the seal position being off, there's one more thing that bothers me." "Tell me." "The ink used on this document—official Academy documents use a specific ink blend. The Manuscript Tower's copyists manage it. But this replacement version has a subtly different color. You can tell when you hold it up to light." Celia took the documents to the window. When she held them up to the morning light—indeed. The authentic one was deep black, the forgery slightly brownish. (That's it.) "Will that serve as evidence?" "The ink blend records are kept by the copyists. I can call them." "Call them right now." "The committee is in two hours, though?" "That's why it's right now." Celia was about to stand—when a voice came from outside the inn. "Miss Celia Claire! Are you here?!" A man's voice. Young. Urgent. Naofumi opened the door first. In the hallway stood a young Academy staff member, breathless, his face pale as he clutched documents. Early twenties, holding papers with a terrified expression. "Thank goodness you're here...! Teacher, it's terrible. People have been gathering at the committee venue since this morning—Lady Adel Volnhite is distributing additional statements to the committee members. A new accusation that you've been teaching magic to the Shield Hero!" Silence fell. Celia's expression froze. Her eyes behind her glasses wavered for just a moment. But then her face returned to its calm state. "...What's the content?" "That you cooperated in the Shield Hero's combat, they're saying. Eyewitness testimony from when we dealt with the wave at Liuute Grassland—" "Is that true?" He looked at Celia. After a brief pause, she nodded. "...Yes. During the wave, I used support magic from behind Iwatani. There was civilian response involved, and it wasn't formal cooperation, but I was certainly on the same battlefield." "Then you can't deny it." "It's not that I can't deny it—rather, that itself shouldn't be a problem. Dealing with waves is a national duty. But if you rephrase it as 'complicity with the Shield Hero'..." "It sounds bad." "...Yes." Naofumi stood up. He grabbed his cloak. He put both documents in his pocket. "Let's go." "Eh—to the committee? But you're an outsider, and I'm not sure if you can even enter the venue..." "If I can't enter, I'll wait outside. If I can, I'll go in." "...That's not really a contingency plan for if you can't enter." "Shut up and walk." --- The Royal Academy—eight hundred meters southwest of the royal castle—had its examination building as a small stone structure set slightly apart from the main building. People had already gathered in front of the conference room where the committee would convene. Several teachers stood talking in the hallway. Among them—Adel Volnhite. He saw her for the first time. A refined face. A dark jacket with the armband of the Document Management Bureau. Early thirties, perhaps. Shadows of fatigue around her eyes. But her smile hadn't wavered. She was carefully handing documents to what appeared to be committee members while explaining something. That smile—he could tell it was constructed through calculation. Adel spotted Naofumi and Celia at the end of the hallway. Her smile remained, but her eyes narrowed. "Well... the teacher has arrived. And even the Shield Hero himself." The atmosphere in the hallway changed. One of the committee members looked their way. The teachers stepped back. "Do you intend to stay by the teacher's side all day? It's almost as if you're advertising to everyone whose side the teacher is on—truly, how considerate of you." Sarcasm. But skillful sarcasm. She was speaking for the benefit of those around her, trying to damage Celia's position. Celia was about to say something—Naofumi spoke first. "The Volnhite family—they had their peerage stripped twelve years ago for embezzlement, didn't they?" Adel's smile stopped abruptly. "Non-regular staff at the Document Management Bureau. Working your way into the anti-Shield faction at court, trying to restore your family name—am I right?" "...What are you getting at?" Her smile was gone. Her eyes were measuring him. "The accusation you made, the one from earlier. About teaching magic to the Shield Hero. That's true. I won't deny it." Celia's face went blank. The committee members stirred. "But the lecture record book that Celia Claire submitted—I have proof that your hand is in this one." He pulled out the documents from his pocket. Two sheets. He laid them out and handed them to the nearest committee member. "Look. The ink is different. The authentic one uses the specific ink managed by the copyists. The forgery is commercial ink. The color is different—hold it up to light and you'll see. And the official seal position is off in three places. I obtained the authentic backup from the Academy Director last night." One of the committee members took the documents to the window. He held them up to the light. "...The color really is different..." "One more thing. This accusation—there's a witness's name on it. Can that person be here today? I'd like to hear directly from them." Adel took a small step back. "If they can't come, the credibility of the testimony becomes questionable. That's a standard procedural confirmation for a committee, isn't it?" Silence. Adel tried to recover her smile—and couldn't. Her eyes were wavering. The witness's name was probably fabricated. If called, contradictions would emerge. If not called, the testimony would lose all value. "...The witness is in a distant location." "Then a later date is fine. We can postpone the committee and confirm then." The committee members exchanged glances. Academy Director Falken appeared at the end of the hallway—he must have come after last night's polite visit, though he looked sleep-deprived. "...If confirmation is necessary, a temporary suspension of today's review would be appropriate." "That can't be—!" Adel raised her voice. The first moment her calculation cracked. "The documents are complete! We should review today—" "You're going to review when we don't even know which documents are authentic? Is that how a fair committee operates?" He spoke in a quiet voice. But it carried clearly through the hallway. Adel closed her mouth. One of the committee members cleared his throat. "...Today's review is suspended. Once the ink authentication and witness confirmation are complete, we will reschedule." The hallway fell silent. Adel stared at Naofumi for a while. In her eyes was anger, and something else—an emotion he'd never seen before. The face of someone whose calculations had failed. She said nothing and left. Still clutching the documents, she disappeared down the hallway. Naofumi watched her go. (It's not over. She'll try something again.) He knew that. But—he'd stopped her today. That was enough. Celia stood beside him. Neither said anything. Naofumi said nothing either. After a moment, Celia spoke quietly. "...Thank you." "Don't thank me." "But I have to." "Fine, do what you want." Celia laughed. This time it was a genuine laugh, with the tension gone. Her glasses caught the light and gleamed. "...Iwatani, you've been up all night, haven't you? Your eyes look terrible." "Shut up." "Please get some sleep." "...Understood." He answered curtly. He said nothing more. Morning light streamed through the hallway. The committee members dispersed. Director Falken left, saying "Thank you for your efforts." The bustle from moments before seemed like a lie as quiet returned. (Sleep, huh.) Naofumi looked at the sky outside the window. The gray clouds had thinned slightly. The damp air after rain. A bell rang in the distance. The morning bell of Castle Town. (But...) Some part of his mind was still working. Adel had retreated. But she hadn't given up. That look in her eyes. If the witness fabrication fell apart, she'd think of another move. That was her way. The committee was suspended. But that wasn't the "end." It was still continuing.

日本語

What is Novelia? →

Episode 6

Name: The Flower Behind the Shield — Sefia & Naofumi's Untaken Path
Author: Novelia

What is Novelia?

Novelia is an AI-powered platform to read original light novels and fan fiction, create your own in just a few taps, and chat with the characters. New, illustrated episodes arrive daily — free to start.

Learn more about Novelia →New sign-ups get 5,000pt