Public questioning.
The moment I heard those words, I sincerely wanted to find a staircase.
Not because I wanted to jump down it.
Nor because I wanted to run away.
I simply wanted to get out of the central corridor, if only for a moment.
But this world was not so kind.
Especially when a prince created a test with a smile on his face.
Kaiden Astrea stood in the middle of the central corridor.
The candidates naturally formed a circle around him.
Noble candidates.
Scholarship candidates.
Knight candidates.
Mage candidates.
Cathedral candidates.
And at the center of them all stood a notice board.
`Preliminary Candidate Dialogue Principles — Temporary Observation Criteria`
`1. No one speaks in another person's place. However, if the person explicitly requests help, it shall be recorded.`
`2. Unwanted conversations may be stopped. Disadvantage, ridicule, or pressure in response to a request to stop a conversation will be subject to observation.`
`3. Protection cannot be a reason to erase the wishes of the person concerned.`
Three lines.
Only moments ago, they had been temporary principles made to twist the rumor slightly.
Now they had become the standard for a public test created by the prince.
The scale of this was growing too quickly.
Far too quickly.
I stood behind the three girls.
Half a step behind again.
Clarisse handed me a new card.
`Speech Restriction.`
This time, it was not zero times.
But it felt worse.
There was fine print beneath the card.
`One sentence only, and only when a candidate explicitly requests assistance.`
Ah.
Worse.
Being able to speak but being almost forbidden from doing so tormented a person more than being unable to speak at all.
I looked at the card.
Clarisse looked at me.
"Do you understand the conditions?"
"Yes."
"That answer will be recorded as a response confirming the conditions."
Thorough as ever.
Eveline looked over the card and spoke.
"So now you can only speak if we call on you?"
"That is correct."
"Then I won't call on you."
I looked at Eveline.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
I said nothing.
Eveline covered her mouth with her handkerchief.
She seemed to be smiling.
Seria spoke quietly.
"That is a fine attitude. You do not intend to use the teacher as a weapon."
"Did you just mock me?"
"About halfway."
"Lady Seria."
Before I could speak, Seria immediately said,
"Understood. I will cut down on the jokes."
Good.
I still had not spoken.
Liana was reading the three lines on the notice board.
Again and again.
She was probably memorizing them.
She spoke softly.
"Questions have owners, don't they?"
I heard those words.
Questions have owners.
Good words.
The person who asks the question must bear responsibility for it.
The person answering should not bear the entire burden.
I wanted to say it.
That is a good sentence.
I did not.
Clarisse wrote it down in my place.
"Lady Liana Bell, statement interpreting principles before public questioning: Questions have owners."
Liana's ears turned a little red.
Kaiden gave a light clap.
Clap.
The corridor fell silent.
"The rules are simple," he said.
"The questioner states their name and the target of their question. The target may answer, defer their answer, or request a stop. For another person to answer in their place, the person concerned must explicitly request it."
He looked at the notice board.
"In other words, we will apply those three lines you have just read exactly as written."
Good.
Very public.
And very dangerous.
Kaiden smiled.
"I will take the first question from a volunteer."
The corridor was quiet for a moment.
People waited for someone else to get hurt first.
Noble society was particularly like that.
The first person to raise his hand was the scholarship candidate in the gray vest from earlier.
The boy with the merchant guild's recommendation attached to his documents.
He stepped forward with a tense expression.
"Martin Gray, scholarship candidate recommended by a merchant guild."
So his name was Martin.
It was not a name I remembered from the original story.
He had likely been a nameless background candidate.
Yet now he had a name.
I felt as though this world was gradually moving beyond a game screen.
Martin looked at Liana.
"My question is for Lady Liana Bell."
Liana raised her head.
"Yes."
Martin clenched his hand tightly.
"When a higher-ranking candidate tries to answer for me, I am told I am being rude if I ask them to stop. In that situation, may I invoke these principles?"
The corridor fell quiet.
A good question.
Too good a question, which made it dangerous.
It was not a question addressed to Liana alone.
It questioned the entire corridor.
Was it natural for those above to speak in place of those below?
Liana took a moment to steady her breath.
"May I give my opinion?"
Clarisse answered.
"You are the target of the question. You may."
Liana looked at Martin.
"I think you may say so. But rather than words that criticize the other person, I think it would be better to say first, 'I will answer for myself.'"
Martin nodded quickly.
Liana added,
"And if they keep speaking for you anyway... you can request that it be recorded."
Clarisse's pen moved.
"Lady Liana Bell proposes using the principles by centering one's own speech rather than criticism."
Good.
Martin's shoulders lowered slightly.
"Thank you."
Liana paused briefly.
"I am... practicing the same thing myself."
At that, several scholarship candidates looked at one another.
The Saint Candidate had said she was not perfect.
She said she was still practicing.
For some reason, that lowered the tension in the corridor a little.
She no longer looked like a Saint Candidate standing upon a lofty platform, but like another candidate taking the same test.
A system window appeared.
`[Liana Bell: First Public Questioning Response Successful]`
`[Resistance to Being Turned into a Shield Increased]`
`[Influence of the Preliminary Candidate Dialogue Principles Slightly Increased]`
Good.
The first question had passed.
The second person to raise his hand was a knight candidate.
The large boy who had asked Eveline earlier whether she had intimidated the Saint Candidate.
He looked somewhat uncomfortable.
But this time, he stated his name first.
"Gerard Bastin, knight candidate."
He looked at Eveline.
"My question is for Lady Eveline Rosette."
Eveline's handkerchief moved.
"Speak."
Clarisse immediately said,
"For an official question, 'Please speak' would be appropriate."
Eveline's face twisted.
"Please speak."
Gerard cleared his throat.
"If my question earlier was rude, I apologize."
Oh.
I was a little surprised inwardly.
An apology.
A knight candidate had apologized in a public corridor.
Of course, it was not a complete apology.
There was an escape route in the phrase, `if it was rude.`
Still, a beginning was a beginning.
Gerard continued.
"But I was genuinely curious. When there is a rumor disadvantageous to you, Lady Rosette, why do you not deny it directly? If you remain silent, could it not appear as though you are admitting it?"
A good question.
And a dangerous one.
Eveline had originally been someone who denied things directly.
She would deny them, then draw her sword, and then the incident would grow larger.
To her, silence would feel like defeat.
Eveline gripped her handkerchief tightly.
"I am angry."
A tiny tension spread through the corridor.
But people were becoming somewhat accustomed to it now.
Lady Rosette saying she was angry.
And no one getting hit yet.
Eveline continued.
"And I will answer."
Good.
"In the past, I denied things immediately. I shouted, and if necessary, I drew my sword."
The corridor stirred.
She had publicly admitted a fact unfavorable to herself.
"But then people remembered only that I became angry, rather than what I said."
Good.
Exactly.
"So now, I first choose words that can be recorded. It is not that I am refusing to deny it. I am choosing the order in which I deny it."
Gerard's expression changed slightly.
Eveline looked him directly in the eye.
"And it may be recorded that your question is better than the one you asked earlier."
Gerard looked flustered.
"Pardon?"
"This time, you did not speak for anyone else."
Blunt.
But good.
Clarisse wrote.
"Lady Eveline Rosette: Public statement of disadvantageous fact. Explanation of choosing the order of denial. Mentioned the questioner's improvement. Low aggression."
A system window appeared.
`[Eveline Rosette: Public Questioning Response Successful]`
`[Resistance to Being Provoked into a Rampage Increased]`
`[Risk of Public Emotional Rampage Reduced]`
Gerard bowed his head.
"Thank you for your answer."
"Fine."
Clarisse's pen was about to move.
Eveline hurriedly said,
"'Thank you' would be appropriate, right?"
Clarisse nodded.
"Yes."
Eveline gritted her teeth and spoke.
"Thank you for the question."
Laughter spread through the corridor.
This laughter was not mocking Eveline.
It was a slightly awkward laugh, one that eased the tension.
Eveline's face reddened, but she did not crumple her handkerchief.
Good.
The third questioner faced Seria.
She was a young lady in a pale pink dress.
The young lady who had told Liana to get away from dangerous people.
She gave her name.
"Melissa Round. Social Studies Preparatory Class candidate."
The Social Studies Preparatory Class.
The academy did not have combat alone.
There was also social studies, recordkeeping, diplomacy, and protocol.
And that side was often crueler.
Melissa looked at Seria.
"My question is for Lady Seria Blanc."
Seria dipped her head.
"Please speak."
"Lady Blanc, you said just now that you would stop your cutting remarks. But is it not the listener who determines whether Lady Blanc's words are cutting remarks or not? Even if you believe you have stopped, what if the other person is hurt?"
Very sharp.
And exactly the question Seria needed.
Seria did not smile.
Her fingertips moved slightly.
She stopped the habitual motion of pressing down the corners of her lips.
"Let me organize my thoughts before answering."
Good.
Close to a sentence of deferral.
Clarisse said,
"Permitted."
Seria drew a short breath.
"That is correct. Even if I decide something is not a cutting remark, the other person may hear it as an attack."
Good.
"I ignored that for a long time. Because I believed it was enough for my words to be accurate."
Clarisse's pen moved.
Seria's voice lowered slightly.
"But even accurate words can wound. I must acknowledge that."
The corridor grew quiet.
Seria Blanc had acknowledged her own words.
The young lady who used words like blades at social gatherings had said it publicly.
My words can wound.
Seria looked at Melissa.
"So this is my answer. It is not enough for me merely to insist that I have stopped. If the other person asks me to stop, I will stop. And I will examine, sentence by sentence, which words of mine sounded like an attack."
Melissa was silent for a moment.
Seria added,
"However, I do not want that examination to be used as a tool to make me unable to speak forever. Silence and an apology are not the same thing."
Good.
Very good.
Melissa's eyes wavered slightly.
"That is... a reasonable answer."
The corners of Seria's mouth tried to rise.
She stopped them.
"Thank you. I will not retract it this time."
Clarisse wrote.
"Lady Seria Blanc acknowledges that the recipient may judge a statement to be a cutting remark. Accepts requests to stop conversation. Distinguishes forced silence from apology."
A system window appeared.
`[Seria Blanc: Public Questioning Response Successful]`
`[Dependence on Cutting-Remark Responses Reduced]`
`[Trust Recovery Training Progress: 25% -> 30%]`
Thirty percent.
Finally, thirty.
There was still a long way to go.
But Seria had given that answer publicly.
That alone was significant.
Three questions had ended.
I felt a little relieved.
That was a mistake.
Kaiden was still smiling.
"Excellent," he said.
"Then this time, rather than a questioner, let us have a candidate who wishes to be protected by these principles step forward."
Again?
The corridor stirred.
Kaiden pointed to the notice board.
"If these principles are truly public rules, they cannot apply only to the three candidates. Who would like to test them?"
Silence fell.
Even in moments like this, people watched for cues.
The person who raised her hand then was unexpected.
Not Martin.
Not Gerard.
Not Melissa.
It was one of the Cathedral candidates.
She was short, with neatly tied brown hair.
She stepped forward.
"Ellen Vile. Cathedral aide candidate."
Her voice was small.
"I... want certain questions to stop."
The corridor went silent.
Kaiden's eyes narrowed slightly.
Clarisse's pen immediately began to move.
Ellen folded her hands together.
"Cathedral candidates are often asked about the Saint Candidate. What kind of person Lady Liana Bell is, who she is close to, what she has said. I do not know Lady Liana Bell well. But if I say I do not know, they say that I am irresponsible for a Cathedral candidate."
Liana's expression stiffened.
Ellen continued.
"Starting today, I want those questions to stop. I will not speak in place of someone I do not know. May I say that?"
Silence.
This was an important question for Liana, for the three candidates, and for the entire corridor.
Liana cautiously raised her hand.
Kaiden spoke.
"Lady Liana Bell."
Liana looked at Ellen.
"I would... like you to do that as well."
Ellen's eyes widened slightly.
Liana continued.
"If you do not know what kind of person I am, please say you do not know. You do not have to speak for me."
Good.
Ellen let out a quiet breath.
"Thank you."
Clarisse wrote.
"Example of principle expansion. Cathedral candidate requests refusal of proxy speech regarding the Saint Candidate. Person concerned accepts."
A system window appeared.
`[Preliminary Candidate Dialogue Principles: Scope of Application Expanded]`
`[Private Classroom Frame Weakened]`
`[Public Rule Influence Increased]`
Good.
Really good.
But then Kaiden smiled again.
That smile was truly not good.
"Splendid," he said.
"Then I shall ask the final question."
The central corridor froze over.
A question from the prince.
That was difficult to avoid.
Kaiden looked at the three candidates.
Then he looked at me.
"The target of my question is Leon Cart."
Me?
I froze for a moment.
The speech restriction card felt heavy.
Clarisse looked at Kaiden.
"Your Highness. Leon Cart is currently the person in charge of education, not a primary candidate in this public questioning."
"I know."
Kaiden smiled.
"But if this principle is a public rule rather than a private classroom, should not the person suspected of creating it also be questioned?"
Good.
He was pulling me out into the open.
Arsene had accused me of running a private organization.
Kaiden was placing me in the center again under the name of verifying a public rule.
The methods differed, but the result was similar.
Clarisse considered it for a moment.
"The question is permitted. However, Leon Cart will answer in one sentence."
One sentence.
One sentence again.
Kaiden spoke.
"Very well."
He looked at me.
"Leon Cart. Did you create these principles to protect the candidates, or did you create them so that you could remain by their side?"
The corridor fell silent.
The question ran deep.
Too deep.
Both.
I wanted to protect the candidates.
And to survive, I had to remain at their side.
Also, if I wanted to block this world's routes, I needed to remain in charge of their education.
It was not goodwill alone.
My survival was part of it too.
Kaiden had struck at that point.
Protection and self-interest.
Education and survival.
Principles and preserving my position.
To answer that in one sentence.
What royally cruel behavior.
I drew in a breath.
Eveline looked at me.
So did Seria.
So did Liana.
This time, they could not speak in my place.
I was the target of the question.
I spoke.
"Both. That is why my self-interest must also be placed on the record, so that these principles do not become an excuse to take away someone else's voice."
Silence.
One sentence.
A little long, but one sentence.
Probably.
Clarisse's pen stopped.
Kaiden looked at me.
Then he smiled very slowly.
"A fine answer. Uncomfortable because it is honest."
Clarisse wrote.
"Leon Cart acknowledges that his self-interest is included in his proposal of the principles. States the necessity of keeping a record."
A system window appeared.
`[Leon Cart: Public Questioning Response]`
`[Private Classroom Frame Further Weakened]`
`[However, the education officer's self-interest will be included in the official record.]`
Good.
It hurt.
But good.
Kaiden clapped again.
"That will be all for today."
At those words, the tension in the corridor loosened.
The candidates began to murmur.
This murmur was different from the first one.
"Can we really use those principles?"
"The Archives Office put them up."
"And His Highness the prince said they were good."
"Then we should state our names first when we ask questions."
"Not speaking for others is rather inconvenient."
"Isn't that why it is necessary?"
The rumor still existed.
But other words had mixed into it.
Principles.
Records.
No proxy speech.
Conversations that could be stopped.
The phrase Leon Cart's classroom had not disappeared completely.
But it could no longer walk alone.
A system window appeared.
`[Event: The Classroom Without a Nameplate]`
`[First Result: Passed]`
`[The Preliminary Candidate Dialogue Principles have been publicly applied in the Academy Central Corridor.]`
`[Private Classroom Frame: Moderately Weakened]`
`[Public Rule Influence: Increased]`
`[Warning]`
`[Arsene Berhardt may exploit the public principles in reverse.]`
As expected.
It was always tacked on at the end.
I closed my eyes, then opened them.
Arsene would hate these principles.
But at the same time, he could use them.
`I request a stop.`
`Do not speak in my place.`
`Protection must not erase my wishes.`
Even bad people could use good rules.
That was why rules were difficult.
Eveline came to stand beside me.
"That answer just now bothered me."
"Which part do you mean?"
"The part where you said it was both."
I nodded.
"It is true."
"I know. That is why it bothers me."
Seria spoke quietly.
"An honest discomfort."
Liana thought for a moment before speaking.
"Still... I was glad you told us."
I looked at Liana.
She was trembling slightly, but she did not avert her eyes.
"Because you said that you have your own self-interest too, Teacher, we can be careful as well."
Good.
Very good.
It was not a bad thing for students to be wary of their teacher.
Rather, it was necessary.
Especially when I was a possessor of game knowledge.
I spoke.
"That is right."
Clarisse wrote.
"Confirmation of the need for mutual wariness between the education officer and candidates."
Eveline asked,
"So now we have to monitor each other too?"
Seria answered.
"Rather than monitoring, it would be confirmation."
Liana cautiously added,
"Not distrusting one another, but confirming before we trust."
Seria looked at Liana.
Those were words Seria needed as well.
Without smiling, Seria nodded.
"Yes. That sounds good."
A system window quietly appeared.
`[Seria Blanc: Concept of Trust Updated]`
`[Not trusting -> Confirming before trusting]`
`[Trust Recovery Training Progress: 30% -> 34%]`
Thirty-four percent.
Good.
It was moving forward, little by little.
At some point, Kaiden had approached our side.
He truly moved without footsteps.
Was his route not royalty, but assassin?
He looked at the notice board and said,
"Leon Cart."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"You keep trying to make the board smaller, yet you end up making it bigger."
"I do not want that either."
"That is difficult to believe."
Kaiden smiled.
"You hate danger, but when danger gathers, you begin calculating."
I did not answer.
It bothered me because it was accurate.
Kaiden spoke very quietly.
"Arsene will attack these principles. He will not break them directly. He will likely use them very politely."
As expected, he knew.
I asked,
"Why did you help us, Your Highness?"
Kaiden's eyes smiled just a little.
"Do you think I helped?"
Damn it.
He smiled.
"I merely wished to see how long a good rule could endure before people. And if you endure, the academy becomes a little more interesting."
This man was not a good person either.
Not yet.
Kaiden turned away.
"Next time, Arsene himself will enter the public questioning. It will be more difficult than today."
He left.
Leaving only a warning behind.
What a royally troublesome thing to do.
I looked at the notice board.
Three lines.
Now, those three lines were no longer mere temporary principles.
They had passed public questioning.
Several candidates had actually used them.
The prince had tested them.
Clarisse had recorded them.
And Arsene would exploit them.
I looked down at my wrist.
It hurt.
But today, my wrist was not what I had used most.
People spoke their own words.
That was a good thing.
At the same time, it was a more dangerous thing.
Because the more words there were, the more likely they were to become someone's weapon.
Eveline looked at the notice board and said,
"They will not take that down, will they?"
Clarisse answered.
"It will remain today."
"And tomorrow?"
"It will be reviewed."
"I really hate the word 'review.'"
"Impression confirmed."
Seria gave a very small laugh, then stopped.
Liana looked at the notice board.
"Still, today... I hope it stays posted."
Clarisse looked at Liana.
"Reason?"
Liana answered.
"Because I can read it again."
Silence.
Good.
Clarisse stopped her pen for a moment.
Then she wrote.
"Lady Liana Bell states the need to repeatedly confirm the principles."
Eveline said quietly,
"Then leave it up until tomorrow."
Seria spoke as well.
"I agree. So I can look at it before I speak."
Clarisse looked at me.
I said,
"I agree as well. So I can look at it before I interrupt."
The three girls looked at me at once.
Eveline said,
"You need it too."
"Yes."
Seria said,
"The teacher becomes a subject of education as well."
"I hear that often."
Eveline immediately said,
"That was my line."
Liana laughed.
In the central corridor.
Before the notice board.
Where many candidates could see.
Once again, it was not a loud laugh.
But it did not hide.
And beside that laughter hung three lines of rules.
There was no nameplate.
Yet somehow, it felt like a classroom.
No.
Not a classroom, but a beginning.
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