So I'm a Snake, Who Cares?

Prince Leon's handsome face turned ashen.

"Next are joint 2nd place, Phili Aden Solian and Amain Riddle with 105 points! You two are good friends, ahahaha!"

Amain held out his hand to Phili, and Phili clapped hands with him while making a shy expression.

A heartwarming sight.

And finally...

"The honorable 1st place goes to Rania Martein! An overwhelming victory with 167 points!"

My original plan was to give Amain and Phili's points to Rania to make her first place.

However, thanks to the Chancellor putting 300 points in one pouch, there was no need for that.

My three disciples proudly received the grand prize, and two excellence awards.

Of course, there were no special rewards except for first place.

But isn't the feeling what's important?

"Everyone worked hard! The 24 who passed should rest well to prepare for the upcoming main competition... And first place Rania, please come this way."

Quick and decisive.

The opportunity to visit the palace and enter the Room of Mirrors...

Was given the very next day.

==

'Oh, so this is the palace.'

The first impression of Solion Kingdom's palace.

It was 'white.'

Perhaps the material of the bricks used to build the castle walls was somewhat special.

Maybe something like marble.

It sparkled in the sunlight.

"Miss Rania, is this your first time at the palace?"

"Yes, it is."

Rania answered the Chancellor's question properly and dignifiedly.

The Chancellor, who was shorter than Rania, looked at her with approval.

"You know what? The professors placed bets on who would get first place."

"Is that so?"

Was that really the case?

"Want to guess who was the most popular pick?"

"Um, the Second Prince, perhaps?"

"Correct. Then guess who I picked."

"Well..."

"I chose Prince Phili. Just had a feeling about him."

Fool.

Rania is first.

"But I didn't expect Obern professor to pick Rania."

As expected of Obern.

He saw through my decision.

"So Rania really won. Did Professor Obern secretly help you? Through magic or other means?"

Suddenly hitting with a direct question.

"...No."

"Haha, don't be nervous. The Second Prince probably received even more obvious assistance."

Is it okay to say such things to students?

The Chancellor said he would personally escort Rania and entered the palace interior with her.

"Congratulations again. I hope you see something good in the Room of Mirrors. This is as far as I can go. The Lily Palace is restricted."

It seems the guidance ended here.

He stopped in front of a somewhat isolated separate palace.

Rania, who was about to bow and leave, suddenly stopped.

"...Chancellor, have you ever seen the mirror?"

The Chancellor laughed.

What's so funny, it's not funny at all.

"No, I have no need to see the mirror."

"...?"

"Because I know my essence."

What a confident gnome. Enjoy new chapters from empire

Rania's curiosity wasn't fully satisfied.

"Does the mirror really show a person's essence? Some say it's a mirror that shows the future."

"Well. It probably doesn't show different things to different people for no reason. However, calling it 'a mirror that shows the future' is the expression of someone who completely misunderstood its function."

"Then what is it?"

"Hmm, to explain it in simple terms that Miss Rania would understand..."

"..."

"You could say it shows highlights of influential world lines."

Though I don't understand what that means, the Chancellor didn't seem to want to explain further.

He waved lightly and quickly disappeared.

Rania entered the place called the Lily Palace.

"You must not make loud noises in the Lily Palace. You must not run either."

Someone who appeared to be a maid whispered these instructions to Rania.

She was explaining the precautions to be followed in this palace.

"In the corridors, please walk with your head slightly bowed, looking down. If you happen to meet someone wearing white shoes, please don't raise your head immediately. Even when you do raise your head, please try not to be surprised or show signs of surprise."

What, is there some Neapolitan ghost story living in the Lily Palace?

It seemed like excessive precautions, but the maid asked so politely and kindly that there was nothing to say about it.

Rania nodded and followed those instructions.

She walked with her head bowed, but I didn't need to do the same.

I looked around through the gap in her sleeve.

Well, it wasn't particularly special.

Just that soft carpets covered the floor and it had an elegant feel to it.

The place the maid guided us to was a room at the end of the corridor.

"This is the Room of Mirrors. When the sand in this hourglass runs out, I will knock on the door, and then you may come out."

"Thank you."

"Then, I hope you see something beautiful."

Both the palace and the maid.

There's somehow a mysterious atmosphere.

Rania hesitated for a moment, then soon opened the door and entered.

Creeak.

The room was well-organized.

Though they say even maids can't enter here, who cleaned the interior? Inside was quite clean.

"Ah."

But Rania immediately had her attention captured.

It was a massive mirror.

As expected of a palace, the ceiling was high. Naturally, the wall area was also large.

And one mirror filled almost the entire wall on one side.

'Hey, let me see too!'

Rania stood before the mirror as if enchanted.

And I could see what Rania was seeing.

'Wow, that's amazing.'

'Is that... me?'

If we hadn't been told it was a mirror, we might not have known.

It looks like a moving painting, or even like a TV.

The background was in the middle of a battlefield.

Armored knights lay fallen here and there.

In the distance, soldiers could be seen fighting in tangles.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Arrows flew through the gloomy sky, and siege weapons shot burning rocks.

You could almost hear the shouts and clashing of metal.

A female knight stood in the middle of that battlefield.

She wore plate mail over her entire body except her right arm, which was dyed pitch black.

As if the Black Scales skill was used only on the right arm.

"That's the ultimate form of the Martein Explosive Fighting Style..."

Someday Rania would inherit all the martial legacy of the deceased Tiger Marquis.

What she held in that right arm was a huge flag.

It was a battle standard so large that it would take three or four soldiers together to raise it.

The adult Rania was holding a flag with torn and burnt marks.

It wasn't the kingdom's flag, nor the empire's flag.

It was a flag of a style I'd never seen before.

"...Looks like I become a hero."

Rania was startled by her own words.

Yes, that's right.

That was undoubtedly the appearance of a hero.

The girl from a frontier territory who once dreamed of becoming a hero was truly born with the destiny to become one.

Suddenly tears welled up in Rania's eyes.

"Oh, why am I like this."

It's not sad, she said.

It's definitely not sad, but somehow the tears come, Rania said so.

"It's amazing. Really."

And Rania admired her appearance.

Inwardly, quietly.

Though I couldn't say it, I thought to myself.

'I want to see too...'

My image wasn't even reflected in the mirror.

It seems Rania would need to step aside.

"Tell her to move quickly."

'No matter what, to someone who's moved to tears...'

Fortunately, Rania remembered me.

'Ah, Snake Teacher, you should look too.'

'Th-thank you.'

However, I made a request to Rania.

'You need to stay over there with your eyes closed. You absolutely must not look.'

'I understand.'

'You've read many fairy tales, right? In places like this, curiosity leading to a peek can cause big trouble.'

'I really promise.'

Rania went to a corner and crouched down covering her eyes.

What if my previous life is reflected in the mirror?

After confirming Rania was at an angle where she couldn't see the mirror, I stood before it.

Whew, deep breath.

My head that was looking at the floor.

'Hup!'

I raised it!

'Aaaah?!'

And I saw something completely unexpected.