blueteamnovel Chapter 260 : Chapter 260
Chapter 260 : Chapter 260
The person wearing the bear mascot costume was Pirenzo Corva, an agent of the Ability Management Bureau.As neither a student nor a follower—but a professor by status—there was almost no way for him to attend Radel’s followers’ gathering without revealing his identity.
But Pirenzo didn’t give up.
He found a way.
That way was simple: wear a mascot costume and attend anyway.
Beside him, Armandy rubbed his face with an exhausted expression.
What kind of mess is this…
If he really had to infiltrate the followers’ gathering, he could’ve disguised himself as a student, or used a magical artifact to sneak in unnoticed.
Yet here was an Ability Management Bureau agent brazenly showing up like this.
Fine, maybe the costume… but why did you have to follow me all the way here?!
Armandy ground his teeth.
He had clearly told Pirenzo not to come.
And yet, the man actually followed him.
Worse—while dressed like that.
No matter how shameless Pirenzo was, there was no fooling Edward, who had a perfect grasp of all of Radel’s followers.
Radel’s followers’ representative eyed the bear suspiciously.
“Excuse me, but do you have an invitation?”
“I do not.”
Pirenzo answered flatly from inside the bear suit.
Armandy’s face went pale.
You lunatic…!
“Then how did you come here?”
Edward pressed.
Pirenzo replied confidently.
“I am a follower of Prince Radel Silvert Cretian. I wished to share ideals with my comrades, so I came here without anyone knowing. Due to certain circumstances, I cannot reveal my identity, but I am certainly someone within the Academy. You may rest assured.”
…As if that excuse would ever work.
Armandy’s expression twisted.
It was the kind of explanation that deserved to get him dragged out immediately.
But the truly shocking part came next.
Edward calmly extended his hand toward the bear.
“I see. I can feel your sincerity. Welcome. I look forward to working with you… Mr. Bear.”
The one who nearly collapsed wasn’t just Armandy.
Watching everything unfold, Jirko Reb, a second-year Transformation Magic major, stared with his mouth hanging open.
What sincerity did you feel exactly?!
Was this gathering actually okay?
As much as Jirko disliked Radel, seeing something like this happen in his followers’ meeting made him worry about his junior’s future.
***
Despite the confusion caused by the suspicious newcomer, the meeting proceeded as scheduled.
“The reason we gathered you all today,” Edward said solemnly, “is because of strange rumors spreading throughout the Academy.”
While Radel had been away on field training, someone had been circulating disturbing gossip about him.
For Armandy and several other first-years who had been away, this was the first they’d heard of it.
“These are the details we’ve uncovered so far.”
Claims that he exploited friends for personal labor without compensation,
that he threatened classmates and even seniors behind professors’ backs,
and that he was a greedy, immoral student obsessed with money.
The rumors surrounding Radel were numerous and vicious.
“All of them are malicious attempts to smear His Highness.”
Edward clenched his fist in indignation.
Meanwhile, Armandy was utterly bewildered.
…No, but those are all true?
Not just Armandy—every first-year in the Black Hawk Dormitory knew those rumors were factual.
Regardless of his inner turmoil, the meeting continued.
“Take a look at this. It was posted on the Academy’s main building wall.”
At Edward’s signal, his friends unfurled a large poster.
Written in bold letters:
‘We Accuse the Atrocities of the Empire’s 8th Prince, Radel Silvert Cretian!’
“It seems someone is systematically posting these,” Edward said.
“This appears to be political agitation.”
His friends nodded in agreement.
“We’ve already taken down more than ten of them.”
“I’ll bet one gold there’s another royal behind this.”
Another royal.
Armandy’s eyes sharpened.
He recalled the information he’d received from Pirenzo after returning from field training—
that the movements of the royals who stayed behind at the Academy were suspicious.
He had already heard about the posters from Pirenzo as well.
While details were unclear, they were clearly meant to manipulate public opinion against the 8th Prince.
Rumors were one thing.
But systematically posting propaganda was another matter entirely.
“Hm… There’s even mention of the Holy Church here.”
Gusto’s expression grew serious as he read.
“This cannot be ignored.”
Armandy, equally serious, began reading the poster himself.
But the more he read, the stranger his expression became.
Everything written there was… accurate.
Claims that Radel profited exorbitantly from the so-called ‘Undead House’ and disrupted Marcelent’s market economy,
that after becoming a saint of the Holy Church he had designated his private property as a holy site—
a portrait of unmitigated cunning.
It’s biased… but isn’t all of this true?
In reality, the Undead House didn’t have a ghost—it had a house spirit.
Staring at a poster that was far more conscientious than expected, Armandy was left speechless.
***
Meanwhile, Radel, Inette, and Shartea had arrived at the Imperial Palace.
They were escorted straight to the Emperor’s office.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
After guiding them into the reception room, the attendant left.
Someone was already there.
Prince Arteo, the Empire’s Second Prince.
“Thea!”
Arteo sprang up from the sofa when he saw Shartea.
“Do you know how long I’ve wanted to see you? Why didn’t you reply to my letters? Are you eating properly? Studying well? Your brother hasn’t slept a wink from worry!”
His excessiveness made even Inette wince.
She whispered to Radel,
“He’s unbelievable. Every time I see him, I’m shocked.”
“A bit much, yeah.”
Radel quietly agreed.
Arteo glared at the two, then turned back to Shartea with a sorrowful gaze.
But Shartea’s response was ice-cold.
“I believe I told you not to come without notice.”
“I heard you were coming. How could I stay away? You should stop associating with such scheming people. Especially him.”
Arteo shot a glance at Radel.
“If you want to become Emperor, you must manage your surroundings carefully. The rumors at the Academy are dreadful. If you knew how wicked that boy truly is—”
“That’s enough.”
Shartea cut him off sharply.
“What do you think you’re doing, speaking like this in front of people? Do you truly not understand that this is why I don’t contact you?”
Arteo paled at her cold tone, but Shartea didn’t stop.
In hindsight, letting her brother become like this had been her fault.
Treating the idea of a royal not wanting the throne as taboo.
Allowing Arteo’s behavior because she didn’t want to hurt her only brother.
She had never once said she didn’t want to be Emperor in front of others.
Yet in the carriage, the words had come so easily.
Shartea did not want the throne.
The life she dreamed of was one of reaching the pinnacle with nothing but a sword.
But whenever she told her brother, he only laughed at her—never taking her seriously.
It was time to be clear.
“If you want to be Emperor so badly, then you should do it, Brother. I had no intention in the past, I have none now, and I won’t in the future.”
“What nonsense is this, Thea?!”
Arteo froze.
He didn’t mind what she said to him in private.
But saying this here—
in front of that devious 8th Prince and the unpredictable 7th Princess—
“Haha… You must be tired and misspoke. Even as a joke, that’s not something you should say. Let’s talk about this later. Later.”
Arteo tried desperately to smooth things over.
Shartea did not budge.
“I’ve made myself clear. And you should stop treating me like a child in front of others.”
Then, in a voice colder than ice:
“If you continue like this, I’ll have no choice but to contact Grandfather.”
***
“This is outrageous!”
Radel’s followers erupted in anger.
The burly first-years even clutched their chests in frustration.
“Prince Radel was only trying to enlighten us!”
“That’s right! We were immature and picked fights with others—!”
“He merely fulfilled his duties as dormitory representative! These rumors must be corrected immediately!”
Gusto nodded fervently.
“His Highness brings joy to many believers through the Undead House and spreads the will of the Lord. He even sells brooches and donates steadily to the Holy Church. Something is clearly wrong here.”
More testimonies followed.
Only Armandy and a few others who knew the truth felt utterly dumbfounded.
“Actually… we’ve already identified the culprits.”
Edward spoke with grave seriousness.
“The ones posting the posters are followers of the Fourth Princess.”
No matter how carefully one tried to erase traces, something always remained.
Some of Edward’s friends had seen a senior, apparently a follower of the Fourth Princess, posting the posters and fleeing.
The followers groaned.
“I knew it. Another royal faction.”
“Those despicable bastards… making up lies!”
Armandy thought to himself,
But none of it was made up…
Extreme, yes—but all true.
Regardless, the meeting only grew more heated.
Edward shouted,
“We must set the record straight! We must cleanse the Academy of the negative rumors surrounding Prince Radel!”
The followers raised their hands in agreement.
“Hear, hear!”
“Drive out the lies and protect the Prince!”
“Protect him! Uooo!”
And among them were those who raised their hands reluctantly.
“U-uo…!”
As Armandy lifted his hand along with the rest, he thought:
No, really—there aren’t any lies in those rumors…