I Became the Golden Sun That Steals the Academy’s Aircraft

59. The Lion King’s Birthday

The Lion King’s Birthday celebration was held over a total of three days. The commemorative event, which started two days before the Lion King’s birthday, was literally the equivalent of a festival for the people of the empire.

Demeia Academy, which is normally inaccessible, was open to the general public, but one of the biggest reasons was that you could see the famous Lion King Parade on the eve of Birthday.

Even at the academy where the best talents gather, the best cadet who won the overall competition takes on the role of the lion king and takes the lead as if holding a triumphal ceremony, and the other cadets line up and march behind him. This is the lion king of Demeia Academy. It was a parade.

At first glance, it seemed no different from any other parade, but its scale and grandeur were enough to attract people. Thanks to this, Demeia Academy’s Lion King Parade became one of the empire’s specialties.

In particular, because the person who served as the Lion King the previous year was Serafina, who is said to be the next successor to the throne, the parade was the largest in history. Princess Serafina’s natural dignity matched well with that of the Lion King, and she was evaluated as the greatest Lion King of all time.

Because of that, people expected Princess Seraphina to take on her role as the Lion King again. There was no cadet who could surpass her in the first place, and the overall victory in this competition was also hers.

But people’s expectations were spectacularly wrong. There was an official announcement that Seraphina will not be the star of this year’s Lion King Parade. People naturally showed curiosity about the person who beat Serafina to play the role of the Lion King.

Some said he was the son of a high-ranking duke, while others said he was the son of a prestigious marquess.

As the debate continued, someone mentioned one person’s name. A name that no one expected.

A man who was evaluated as the worst idiot since the founding of the empire.

A man who received a knighthood as an unusual academy cadet.

A man who single-handedly destroyed many resistance giants.

Gilbert Lionheart.

The name of Gilbert, the eldest son of the Hart family and called a disgrace to the Hart family, began to creep in.

When people heard his name, they refuted. Although his recent actions were unconventional, those who still could not accept the fact that he had changed thought that he did not deserve to sit in that honorable position.

Even those who saw him in person unanimously said that there was no disagreement about his skill in controlling the giant soldiers, but since everyone was skeptical about the fact that his behavior had changed, the prevailing opinion was that someone else would be the Lion King this year.

But unfortunately, their predictions were wrong this time too. Marquis Lucas, the head of Demeia Academy, announced that this Lion King would be Gilbert.

People protested against this shocking announcement, but only after the academy director, Marquis Lucas, declared it. There were only a handful of people in the empire who had a position where they could speak directly to the head of Lucas Academy. At most, she was only Princess Serafina, who should have been the Lion King, but even she kept her silence.

In this situation, there was no one who could stand in the way of Marquis Lucas’s actions, and only cast a suspicious eye on Gilbert, who had become the Lion King. Along with the question of whether he is truly worthy of that glorious position.

But they didn’t know. The fact is that the person who took on the role of the Lion King really hates that role.

***

“Priest. You don’t look good. What’s going on? Please tell her.”

“Seraphina Hwang…”

“Big.”

“Did your sister-in-law plan this?”

“I don’t know what you’re saying. If you cut off every word, she won’t be able to understand, no matter how intelligent she is.”

As Gilbert watched Seraphina fooling around in front of him, he unconsciously felt the urge to hit her. Seeing that her face color did not change and her eyes were smiling, it was clear that this Lion King incident was Seraphina’s work.

Even though she was a cadet at Demia Academy, her status as a princess did not go anywhere. Wasn’t she the person known to be closest to the throne?

Not only that, but Marquis Lucas considered Princess Serafina almost like a granddaughter, so he did not refuse most of her requests. If she thought about it, she had enough reasons to change, so it wasn’t something she couldn’t change.

“Hasn’t your sister changed the conditions for selecting the Lion King?”

“It feels good to think highly of a priest, but she is, at best, a cadet at the academy. How can she do such a high-stakes thing?”

“Isn’t that quite possible?”

Seeing her smile brightly and with amusement, her feelings became certain and her convictions were confirmed. Surely she must have intervened.

“hehehe. Priest. Even so, there is nothing bad about it. It is a golden opportunity to take on the role of the Lion King of the Lion King Parade, one of the great events of the empire. Who wouldn’t like this glorious position?”

She elegantly lifted the teacup in front of her and savored the scent of the tea. His red eyes, like Gilbert’s, sparkled like stars. She looked like a child who had been given an interesting toy as a gift.

“Even so, was there a need to break tradition?”

“Hmm. The tea tastes good.”

“Sister. I think you’re changing your mind now.”

Gilbert frowned and spoke strongly. Normally, it would have been uncomfortable to charge him with lese majeste, but given the special nature of his status as a cadet and the fact that Gilbert was an alumnus like Seraphina, it was an action that did not cross the line.

Even so, the only person who can do this is probably a priest.

Seraphina, who drank the Horok tea, enjoyed the exquisite flavor. Perhaps because it was selected as a special product among the teas supplied to the imperial family, the taste was excellent.

“Priest. There is only one reason why Yeo changed a long-standing tradition. She stands for the new students who will come in the future.”

“Are you a freshman?”

“Yes, that honor is given to the winner of the first-year competition. Think about it. If the overall winner of the competition is selected as before, there is a risk that the same person will hold the position until the moment he or she graduates from the academy. “At least, it can be said that there are no other Lion Kings as long as they are at the Leisure Academy.”

Gilbert nodded inwardly as he watched Seraphina savoring the taste of tea.

Certainly, even in her Tactical Combat, she never once gave up her position as the Lion King unless the user defeated her with her skills. Her Seraphina pride did not allow it.

But now, somehow, she coolly gave up the position. I thought about what her purpose was, but she didn’t really see anything that would benefit her. The concerns she had mentioned earlier were not something she would bother to change her rules about.

“You still look unconvinced.”

“I think he wants me to be in trouble.”

“Oh my. This is why I don’t like priests who are quick to notice. Wouldn’t it be fun if they noticed already?”

Is it really true?

She thought that if there was no gain, the only thing she could do was make fun of herself, but she didn’t know that it was real. I couldn’t believe that they changed the selection method just to make fun of the priest when the Lion King Parade was an important festival even within the empire.

Of course, fun may not be the only reason for changing the selection method, but I couldn’t help but think that it had a huge impact. Looking at that funny expression, I couldn’t confidently say no.

“This is the first time I’ve seen the priest in trouble. This alone proves that Yeo’s intention was successful.”

“Sister’s residence.”

“There is no need to look at it that way. It could have been changed with the intention of making fun of the priest of leisure. Of course, there was no such intention at all. But there was just a need to change it. The symbolism of the role of the lion king of the parade is certainly not small. Therefore, “I wanted to select the Lion King among the new talents that enter the Academy every year. I wanted to show that the Academy’s talent is endless, like the Lion King, who continues his conquest without stopping.”

“Did she want to emphasize more symbolism?”

“That’s right. Meanwhile, she also had the heart to make fun of the priest. She doesn’t do things that are inefficient. Even the priest knows that well.”

Gilbert, who saw Seraphina looking beautiful even when she put down her teacup, agreed with her words. Seraphina from Tactical Combat was definitely the type that valued efficiency. Even talking to them was not easy due to their basic dignity as members of the royal family.

Just being an alumnus lowered the hurdle, but it wasn’t as formal as it is now. I thought this was also something that changed as it became reality.

“In that sense, this Lion King must be performed by a priest. Even though only about half a year has passed, the priest’s actions have left a deeper mark than any other academy cadet.”

“This… I guess there’s nothing we can do about it.”

The Academy attack occurred on the very day of the Lion King’s birthday. Before that, I tried to preview the attackers’ infiltration route, but the whole plan went awry.

There is no choice.

If I didn’t have time, I had no choice but to make it in pieces. As he prepared for the parade, he decided he had to make time somehow.

“So, please take good care of me in this role of the Lion King. Of course, I believe that a priest will do an excellent job without any problems.”

“I follow your orders.”

“As expected, priests are strict about everything.”

Watching Seraphina shake her head, this time Gilbert raised his teacup. Although it cooled down a bit, the scent remained.