Table of Contents

Prologue - The Darkness Lurking In The School, The Case Of The Missing Students!

Chapter 1 - Nee-san’s Return And The Progressing Illness

Chapter 2 - A Shocking Morning And The Campus Murder Case!!

Chapter 3: The Case Is Closed, That's Right, Let's Talk Old Tales!

Chapter 4 - The World's Peaceful as well Today!

Chapter 5 - An Unexpected School Terrorist Attack Again!

Epilogue - I Wouldn't Mind Destroying The World If It Meant I Could Obtain It!

ETA'S RESEARCH DIARY

Afterword

Prologue - The Darkness Lurking In The School, The Case Of The Missing Students!

“I managed to make it somehow…”

I breathed a sigh of relief after exiting the lecture theater for the Midgar Magic Swordsman’s Academy. The plume of white breath soon vanished into the morning sky.

The opening ceremony for the third school term had just finished.

“Honestly, where did you go all winter break long, Cid?”

“Yeah, didn’t we agree to go hit on the cute girls working at Mitsugoshi?”

Hyoro and Jaga’s mobbish faces filled me with nostalgia.

“Sorry, sorry, I had some urgent business to take care of.”

Considering the Oriana Kingdom’s succession crisis and my unexpected return to Japan, one could say that my winter break had been quite eventful.

“All kinds of crazy stuff happened while you were gone…”

“Yeah, your big sis was questioning everyone in class, Cid-kun…”

There was a resentful note to the way Hyoro and Jaga said this.

“Claire-neesan did that?”

“I think she was looking for you. I told her I didn’t know, but she still jabbed her sword into my neck anyway…”

“I told her how cute she was and asked if she wanted to go out with me and she poked my ass with her sword…”

“Ah, I see. Sorry, guys.”

Perhaps it might not be wise to go near Nee-san for the time being.

“Oh yeah, speaking of crazy stuff, you know Class Prez Rose who went missing? She ended up becoming Queen of Oriana and it caused a huge storm all over the country.”

“Yeah, I know about that.”

Hehehe, I bet none of them have any idea that I was the one who put her on the throne.

To think a tyrant would be born the secret intervention of a “Shadow Eminence” - and one whose true identity was an ordinary student you could see anywhere.

That was where the true joy of being a shadow eminence lay.

“And that’s not all. It looks like tons of monsters appeared in the Oriana Kingdom and took it over.”

Of course I knew that.

As for why, it was because the person who orchestrated and resolved the entire thing was none other than the Shadow Eminence himself. There’s no way they could know that the person standing before them was the person at the heart of all this.

“Looks like the alliance between Midgar and Oriana will be dissolved.”

Hm?

They’re going to cancel the alliance?

“Yeah, nobody expected Class Prez Rose to fall to the path of evil… Public opinion isn’t going to tolerate this.”

“The path of evil? Huh? What’s going on?”

“You see, Class Prez Rose summoned monsters and killed the heir to the throne to seize the crown to the Oriana Kingdom. She’ll be going down in the history books as an utterly depraved villainess.”

“And she was so nice when she was in school. I can’t believe she’d actually do something like that. She even killed her own father at the Bushin Festival. I guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover. That said, I wouldn’t mind marrying her.”

“W-when you put it that way, she really does seem like a villain.”

This story was supposed to be about the birth of a historic conqueror, but it ended up on the villain route instead.

Meh, that’s fine too.

A wicked tyrant that shakes the world and the shadow eminence pulling her strings from the darkness… It might be a weird turn of events, but it was still awesome.

“There’s another rumor surrounding Class Prez Rose.”

“Yeah, she seems to be secretly linked to that Shadow Garden organization-”

“Oi, Jaga, it’ll be bad if you say any more about it.”

Hyoro interrupts Jaga before he can finish.

“Whoops, you’re right. If you mention this topic, you’ll disappear.”

“Hm? What do you mean by”disappeared”?

“Four students went missing in the school during winter break. Rumor has it that it might be due to that organization which invaded the school some time back.”

Hyoro said all this with a straight face, and Jaga followed up in a somewhat fearful tone.

“Supposedly, those guys buried the students looking into their organization in the darkness…”

“Hm, do they now?”

“Meh, I doubt it.”

Jaga’s face suddenly changed to one of perfect calm.

“My guess is that everyone’s started talking about conspiracy theories because the students suddenly vanished. The knights seem to have looked into this for safety’s sake, but it seems they couldn’t find traces of intruders.”

“My guess is that those guys who lost their places in the academy are trying to escape reality. Maybe they didn’t disappear, they just ran off. How are your grades, Jaga?”

“Meh, I’ll make it somehow. How about you, Hyoro-kun?”

“I’ll make it. And you, Cid?”

“I should be able to figure something out… I guess?”

“Ah, I see. Well, as long as we can all make it to the next term successfully.”

“Y-Yeah, that’s right.”

“Yup.”

“Speaking of which, what’s after this?”

“The only thing we have today is the opening ceremony, there aren’t any lessons lined up. Let’s go play cards in the dorm.”

“Huh? Cards?”

“I mean these. Mitsugoshi just started selling them!”

Hyoro smugly pulled a deck of cards from his pocket, the kind that were commonly seen in my previous world. To think they’d even turn such things into merchandise…

“Nina-sempai gave these to me. Let’s play Daifugo or poker!” (TL Note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daifug%C5%8D⁾

“This is your first time playing poker, right Cid? Let me show you how cruel this world of winner takes all can be.”

“Ufufu… In that case, poker it is. Let’s win all his money away.”

Poker, you say.

Probably Texas Hold’Em, I guess. I once taught the Seven Shades the rules of poker.

Fleecing them of all their money until they were on the verge of tears was a good memory.

Given that it was to teach these kids the cruelty of the world, collecting some tuition fees from them was only to be expected… That said, once they got stronger I ran off once I won.

This was an excellent opportunity to collect tuition fees from Hyoro and Jaga too.

My fingers began to creak.

“I’ll just have to accept, then. Please show me just how cruel the world of winner takes all can be.”

“We’ll be playing for 10 times the usual stakes. This supplementary income’s in the bag.”

“Yet another fool, begging to be parted from his money.”

“Whew…”

Oh my, that was close. I quickly hid my mouth with my hand.

The poker game went down in my room.

By the time the sun went down, Jaga had lost all his money and was staring up at the ceiling like he had lost his soul too.

Now I had an adequate stake.

“I raise.”

“Ugh… All, all in.”

Hyoro put what few chips he had left into the pot.

Naturally, I chose to hit.

“Kukuku, you’ve completely fallen for my trap.”

Hyoro grinned evilly as he showed me his cards.

“I see. Not a bad hand.”

“Sorry Cid, but I now know every single move of yours. Things are going to turn around from now on-”

“-No, actually. It’s over.”

“Huh?”

I showed him my hand.

“Impossible… Three of a kind… All those poker techniques that I honed with Jaga were so easily…”

“I can still fight on if I borrow a little money, but if I don’t win back this month’s living expenses… I’m dead…”

Jaga was muttering something to himself.

“Pay up, pay up.”

After extracting my winnings from the despondent duo, I kicked them out into the corridor.

“Sorry, but I have nothing to say to the penniless.”

With that, I closed the door.

Various shouts along the lines of “Damn you! I’ll remember this!” and “Next time, I’ll cheat and avenge this defeat!” came from the corridor.

Well, if they were going to cheat, then so would I. When I got serious, not even Alpha could see through my cheating.

I placed my winnings in the Shadow Eminence War Chest and then dimmed the lights slightly.

For a moment, I strained to listen to the sounds of the rain at night coming from outside.

And then, I turned to address a patch of darkness beyond the window.

“Sorry to keep you waiting - Please come in.”

“…Yeah.”

Following that quiet answer, a girl appeared out of nowhere.

Her stealth skills were quite impressive. You’ve improved, Zeta.

She was a slender beastwoman in a tight black catsuit. Her cold feline eyes that were the color of amethysts were fixed on me.

“It has been a long time, Master.”

“Yeah, it’s been a while.”

“It seems you have grown a little.”

“Have I now?”

“Yeah.”

She nodded slightly before offering me a dried fish.

“This is a souvenir.”

“A souvenir, you say…?”

“It’s a horse mackerel.”

“I caught it at sea.”

“That must have been hard.”

“It’s full of fat. It’s the best horse mackerel I found all season.”

“I see.”

She was a feline beastwoman and the sixth of the Seven Shades.

Zeta was exceptionally intelligent for a beastwoman. She was also the cool, reserved type who spoke rarely.

In other words, the polar opposite of a certain canine I knew.

Zeta kept staring at me after I accepted the dried mackerel from her.

It looked just like a kitty waiting to be fed.

“Thank you. I’ll grill it afterwards.”

“Kay.”

Zeta swished her golden tail, looking a little happy.

“Now then…”

I suddenly put on a stern face.

“So - how is that matter progressing?”

After that question, her feline eyes immediately turned smug.

“The Cult is acting as we predicted.”

“-Hm.”

I stood before the window, a wine glass in hand.

With swift movements, Zeta stepped forward to fill it.

She moved as quickly as ever. Zeta loved playing spy games best. She’d always been very good at stealth and infiltration.

“They are bringing forward the revival of the Right Arm.”

“-Are they now?”

“All this is because the Drops of Diabolos are about to run out.”

“-Are they?”

“The sealed Right Arm is within the relic site within the Academy.”

“-As I thought.”

“They are desperate. They fear our intervention.”

“-That much could be expected.”

“There is little time. They will surely make their move now.”

At this point, Zeta looked up to me, as though requesting further instructions.

A document covered in ancient characters had been laid open on the desk at some point… Although I couldn’t make head or tail of it.

“What about the missing students?”

“Not found yet.”

“And there are four of them…”

“Yes.”

“That should be enough, no?”

“Probably.”

Our eyes narrowed as we looked toward the light coming from the girls’ dorm, as though we had sensed something.

“–Do not let there be a fifth.”

“Um… How should I do it?”

Zeta looked up at me.

“…It doesn’t matter.”

“Really?”

“Zeta, look closely.”

“Um… What are you pointing at?”

“At the future… At what lies ahead of us, at what is necessary.”

“…If that is what my Master wishes.”

There was a sternness in the air between us.

Bringing the missing students into the matter had been something I had concocted on the spot to add a tinge of verisimilitude to the matter, but even I had to admit that it had been cleverly played.

A great scheme of the Diabolos’ Cult was in progress behind the backdrop of a peaceful school life – Zeta and I stared at each other, as though our souls were in communion.

After I nodded, so did Zeta.

“Please leave it to me, Master. I will see through everything.”

Right after that, she vanished into the darkness of the night amidst a gust of wind.

However, I had spotted that little gesture of Zeta’s. She had rubbed her golden tail over my bed.

“I told you not to mark my things like that.”

After plucking the fur from the sheets, I looked up at the night sky outside.

“Will it be an endless darkness or an eternal awakening–”

I murmured to myself while thinking that it was late and I ought to sleep in order to wake up in good spirits tomorrow.

“I’ll never forgive him again!”

Claire Kagenou puffed up her cheeks in her dorm room.

“How many times is Cid going to break his promises? He even said he’d go home with me over winter break…”

The lamplight illuminated the side of her pouty face.

For some reason, she was holding a steel collar right now.

“That’s right, I won’t allow it again. I’m bringing him home with me during spring break even if I have to drag him.”

There was a clack-clack sound as she played with the collar, and after ensuring that it could close properly, she smiled.

“You won’t get away next time.”

Just then, she suddenly frowned.

“-”

The collar fell to the ground with a dull, very heavy sound.

“My right hand… It hurts…”

She grabbed her right hand as the expression on her face twisted up.

“But why… It was getting better recently…”

Ever since the magic circle had been drawn on her right hand, she had felt it ache many times.

However, it had calmed down recently.

“What’s going on… Answer me, Aurora.”

Despite her question, Aurora had never responded to her again since that day.

She even began to wonder if she had dreamt the whole thing up.

However, there was a magic circle on her right hand, under the bandages covering it.

Claire opened her desk drawer and laid the documents within on her table.

“I looked into it, you know. The files on the Demon Diablos depict a magic circle similar to the one inscribed on me.”

The magic circle shown in the spread-out documents was very similar to the one on her right hand.

“What on earth is going on… What connection do I have with Diablos? What’s going to happen to me? Come on, please, answer me…”

Just then, she imagined she could hear something.

Claire looked up and around herself.

“Huh, what was that just now…”

…there…

“Hey! Aurora!? IS that you, Aurora?”

A voice spoke directly into her mind.

…Get…of…there…

Slowly, the voice started to become clearer.

Run…danger…

“Huh? …You want me to run?”

Just as a look of confusion crossed Claire’s face, there was the sound of cracking as something broke open.

“What the hell is this…!”

The scene before her eyes splintered.

The world began to collapse, like fragments of a shattered mirror.

The desk she suddenly lunged for also went to pieces.

And then, in front of these fragments, a brand new world extended before her.

“This is my room, right…”

There was no doubt that this was her room.

However, there was a mysterious white fog floating here.

The sounds here also seemed very distant. The only Claire could hear was the sound of her own breathing.

No – there was a slight rustling of cloth from behind her.”

“–Pathetic.”

In the next moment, Claire launched an elbow strike as she turned, shattering the jaw of her would-be attacker.

“Guwaargh.”

The attacker sagged at the knees, but somehow managed to keep standing.

However, that only led to further suffering.

Claire’s knee was in the right position to smash into her opponent’s face.

“Cid taught me that personally, you know.”

Her uniform skirt fluttered with a whoosh.

The man collapsed on the ground and his eyes rolled up to show their whites.

His face was unfamiliar.

“Who is this guy, anyway?”

Claire bent down to investigate the man.

However, hsi body suddenly shattered into falling pieces.

“What, that was like just now…!”

All traces of the man vanished.

“What the hell is this… Is anyone there! Is anyone out there!?”

Claire stepped out onto the corridor and opened the door to the neighboring room.

However, there were no signs of the schoolmates that should have been there.

She looked in the rooms further down the hallway, and beyond that.

Nobody was there.

Claire was the only one left in this world.

“What the hell is going on… Hey, Aurora, you’re there, right?”

No.

She heard a very annoyed-sounding voice.

“Well, you’re right there, aren’t you? This is no time for fooling around.”

I TOLD you to get out of there.

“It’s not my fault, how could I act when I was thrown into a situation like that all of a sudden?”

Meh, I’m not interested.

“I’ve got an emergency on my side, you know!”

I have problems of my own too.

“What problems?”

I can’t get you involved.

“-! Are you saying that at a time like this? You already carved this magic circle onto me!”

Claire looks down at the magic circle on her right hand.

I did that to protect you.

“I know that… But could you tell me why you did it?”

I was going to. But I can’t tell you now.

“What’s up with that?”

It’s because he wants to protect you.

“He…?”

He wants to protect you. He wants to keep you out of danger. That’s why I can’t tell you.

“Like I said before, who is this guy, anyway? I don’t need someone to protect me.”

No. You have ALWAYS been protected by him. Then, now and forever. He has guarded you so well that I’m starting to get envious.

“…Look, I’ll say this again. I don’t know who you’re talking about, but I don’t intend to be protected by someone else.”

A hint of anger crept into Claire’s voice.

You just need to stay like this. Remain in a safe place while knowing nothing. I’m sure that’s his wish-

“-That’s enough! I never wanted to be like that!”

I will never tell, because I owe him a great deal.

Aurora’s voice sounded a little unhappy.

“Oh, I’ll make sure you talk.”

What do you plan to do?

“Ah…”

Claire suddenly calmed down.

What COULD she do to a voice that only spoke in her head?

“Ah… er. I’ll shout and scream until you talk, Aurora.”

You are certainly free to try..

“…I’ll never speak to you again.”

By all means.

“…I’ll randomly badmouth you.”

And then what?

Claire pouted.

Have you settled down now?

“You’re just making me more and more annoyed.”

Relax, I’ll tell you how to get out of this place.

“Tell me what this place is.”

I can’t tell you that.

“Ahhhh, seriously, you are really pissing me off.”

In any case, start by moving forward in a straight line.

“I don’t wanna.”

If you won’t move forward, you’ll be stuck here forever.

“Okay, okay, I got it. I just have to head forward, right?”

Yes, yes, yes, keep going forward and then turn around three times.

“Three times!?”

Just kidding.

“I am going to knock your block off one day.”

The black-haired girl stepped out of the white, misty world.

Behind her was the vague silhouette of a woman with violet eyes.

Classes for the third school term would be starting today.

Perhaps it was because final exams were drawing close, but my classmates were all in a serious mood.

“It seems the contents of today’s mana manipulation class come up in the exams every year.”

“Well done, Jaga, you really are well-informed.”

“I’d better get serious or else I’ll be screwed. My parents will kill me if I’m held back for a year.”

“I ought to show what I can really do too. It seems I’ve been slacking off before.”

“It’d be easy if you were serious, hm?”

“Of course it’d be a piece of cake if I were serious.”

Hyoro and Jaga’s eyes were bloodshot at this point.

“Cid, your grades are kind of borderline too, right? You’d best get serious yourself.”

“Oh yeah. I’ll show my true colors too.”

I had always maintained my grades at a slightly below average level.

That was because I had been training my mana control during lessons, so I had no idea what would come out on the exams.

Still, once I got serious I could cheat with incredible ease, so there were no issues.

Although I had no idea what was going on in today’s class, my training today was still to prove the “Theory of Mana Potency Thousandfold Amplification Through Compression”.

It was also my training to become an Eminence in the Shadows.

As usual, I secretly practiced my mana control during the lesson.

-Just then.

Someone suddenly flung open the door to the classroom and a silver-haired girl appeared.

It was Alexia.

“Nice weather we’re having today.”

I looked out at the sky outside the window as I said this.

It was overcast.

I sensed every eye in class looking at me.

Alexia was the one who had come in, yet everyone was staring at me instead, even though I was merely a perfectly ordinary background character who was no different from anyone else.

“You know–”

“Ah, there are birds flying through the sky.”

The sky was as ordinary as you could get.

“Look here, Poochie.”

“The wind’s blowing the clouds away.”

Today would probably go by as though nothing had ever happened.

“Stop ignoring me.”

Something grabbed my chin.

Creeeeaaaakk went my neck, making very unpleasant sounds as my face was forcibly wrenched around.

Alexia’s crimson pupils appeared before me.

“Yo, Princess Alexia.”

I attempted a very mobbish and ordinary greeting.

“Hello, Cid Kagenou.”

“Are you in the wrong class by any chance, Princess Alexia?”

“Oh no, I’m in the right place. I have business with you, Cid Kagenou.”

“Ah, but it’s almost time for class to start. Unfortunately, we’ll have to talk about the rest some other day.”

“That’s fine. I’ll be borrowing this guy for a bit.”

Alexia addressed this to Hyoro and Jaga while grabbing me by the beck.

“G-g-go ahead!”

“P-p-please, by all means!”

And so I was dragged away to the sound of their uncaring voices.

For some reason, she brought me to the girls’ dorm.

“Is it really okay for me to go in like this?”

“I’ve gotten permission.”

“But I’m a guy.”

“It’s related to you, so it’s okay.”

“It’s related to me?”

Alexia stops in front of a door.

If I’m not wrong, this should be Claire-neesan’s room.

“It seems your sister did not show up for breakfast this morning.”

“Hmm.”

“Some students who were concerned about her went to her room and found the lock had been opened.”

Saying so, Alexia opened the door and showed that there was nobody in there after all.

“We checked all the places where she might have gone but we couldn’t find anything.”

“Oho.”

“Do you have any clues as to where she might have gone?”

“Nope.”

After saying that, Alexia looked at me with an expression that seemed to say “Is this guy okay?”

“Are you not worried?”

“This happens often.”

“Often?”

“She often went missing as a kid.”

“That would be a clue.”

“So it is, you’re right.”

“Where did your sister go after she went missing?”

“Who knows? She always came back shortly afterwards.”

Once the Seven Shades were around, they brought Neesan back.

Zeta ought to be nearby this time. Zeta was very capable, so since she didn’t do anything, she should be fine.

“It feels like she’s running away from home.”

“I guess.”

“And it would be one thing if she had just run away from home, but there’s something else that bothers me.”

“What is it?”

“Look at this.”

After entering the room, Alexia picked up a collar from the ground.

“Is that a collar? It looks pretty sturdy.”

“It also has an anti-magic effect. It doesn’t look like the sort of thing you’d find in a normal female student’s room.”

“Whether Neesan counts as normal is still up for debate.”

“Perhaps someone broke into her room and tried to use this collar to kidnap her.”

“But the collar’s right there.”

“Maybe she dropped it while they were struggling with each other. Also, there’s another thing which bothers me.”

With that, Alexia’s eyes fell on the documents lying on her table.

At that moment, I realized something.

“That’s…”

Ancient script, a cool magic circle, and incantations which seemed profound but which actually meant nothing.

This must be it.

Her secret chuuni diary.

“So, anything you want to say?”

“Nope, nothing, not at all.”

“Really? Because if I’m not wrong, you seemed to be averting your eyes.”

“Well, you were wrong.”

“Good.”

Once again, Alexia’s gaze turns to the chuuni diary.

“While I don’t think there’s anything meaningful written in this…”

“I guess.”

Alexia carefully examined the diary.

Unfortunately, the only thing in there would be chuuni nonsense.

Come to think about it, that collar was probably a chuuni prop too. Neesan was also playing at drawing some chuuni magic circle on her right hand and covering it up with bandages.

Perhaps Neesan was finally in her chuuni phase.

Suddenly going missing was a common symptom of chuuni-ness.

“I’m sure Neesan is fine.”

“You certainly have a lot of faith in her…”

“Is it faith… I guess.”

Rather, I should have said “since it’s acting up, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“My… my onee-sama…”

Alexia narrows her eyes, like she’s looking at something far, far away.

“Recently, I haven’t been able to figure out what’s been going through Onee-sama’s head.”

“Mhm.”

“Have you ever felt this way, Poochie?”

“I have never understood what went through Nee-san’s mind.”

“Really now… So I guess that sort of thing is a mystery to everyone.”

“Well, she’s just a bystander who happens to be related to me by blood.”

“That’s pretty cold.”

“Is it now?”

“I want to figure it out.”

“I see.”

Alexia quietly sighs.

“…You can go. I’ll hang around a little more to investigate.”

“Mm.”

And so, as Alexia earnestly studied the chuuni diary, I left.

In the end, it seems Neesan didn’t come back even after school had ended.

Oh well, with Zeta around, it should be alright even if something happened to her.

Right now, I was grilling that mackerel Zeta got me. It was past lights-out, so my surroundings were all dark.

“It ought to be done by now.”

The oil dropped from the mackerel over the fire, and its crackling made it sound very delicious.

“Should I grill it a little longer?”

I liked this feeling of grilling stuff over a fire by myself.

My soul felt purified. As long as humans lived, their souls would eventually go rotten.

Just as I was staring idly at the fire, I suddenly sensed a presence approaching at incredible speed.

“Bossu!! I found you at last!!”

The pair of twitching dog ears that showed up belonged to Delta.

“Yo. Remember to keep quiet, it’s late at night.”

“Delta hunted that black Jugger guy!”

“Did you now? Remember to keep quiet, it’s late at night.”

“And then Alpha-sama praised me!!”

“I see. Remember to keep quiet, it’s late at night.”

“I want you to praise me too, Bossu!”

“Yes, yes yes, you’ve been a good girl.”

As I ruffled her hair and patted her head, Delta swished her tail in delight.

“Remember to keep quiet, it’s late at night.”

“I will!!”

After that boisterous answer, Delta quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

“Delta will be very very quiet.”

She said this in a whisper.

“Yes, just like that.”

“Okie. Delta dug that hole you asked me to, Bossu.”

Her voice slowly grew louder.

“A hole? Did I ask you to do that?”

“You did!”

And she was back to normal.

“I see. Well, that’s alright, then.”

“And then I found this! It’s just like what you said, Bossu! You’re amazing!”

Delta smiled happily as she gnawed at the red, gemstone-like object she was holding.

“Why are you biting it?”

“So I don’t lose it!”

“What a genius move.”

“Nihihi~”

I took the gemstone that was covered in Delta’s slobber. It was very pretty and shone with a crimson glow.

“This… Hm. It might be worth a lot.”

While it was only the size of a marble, its glow was very unusual.

“Delta worked really hard!!”

“Yes, yes yes, you’ve been a good girl.”

I totally mussed up Delta’s hair with my patting.

Delta smiled like she was going to melt.

“I want a reward!”

“Hm, that makes sense.”

“Mm, that smells delicious!”

I looked at the flame and saw that the mackerel was missing.

“Is this Delta’s reward!?”

Delta was holding it.”

“No, that’s a souvenir from Zeta…”

“Thanks!”

She wasn’t listening.

“Mmmm yummy~”

Delta looked really happy as she took big mouthfuls out of it.

Meh, she DID work hard, after all.

“Is it good?”

Just as I was thinking that, I heard the sound of a crack as a branch snapped.

“Puppy… What’s that you’re eating?”

I looked back and saw Zeta. Her eyes were so cold that they looked frozen.

“Hm, you molly? Delta’s having my reward.” (TL Note: ãƒ¡ã‚¹çŒ« ⁼ lit. female cat, the equivalent of “bitch” for catgirls. They don’t like each other.)

Grrr, Delta’s throat went as she made a quiet, intimidating growl.

“That mackerel was for Master, not a pup like you.”

“Get lost! This is Delta’s reward!”

And with that, Delta swallowed the entire fish up.

“Ah…”

Zeta’s groan came out like a sigh.

“Mmm, yummy~”

And opposite her was the happy-go-lucky Delta.

“Why you…”

Kuu - Zeta was also growling from deep inside her throat.

“You’re being a pain in the ass, you molly. If you don’t get lost I’ll kick your ass!”

“That was the tastiest mackerel which I prepared for Master… This is unforgivable.”

“Alright, alright.”

After sensing the annoying mood in the air, I stepped between them and separated them.

Both of them looked at me.

“Ah… I was just grilling that mackerel, I didn’t intend to give it to anyone else-”

At annoying times like this, one’s first priority ought to be covering your own ass.

In order to not get involved and prove I did nothing wrong, it was important to state that this was none of my business.

“-So, like I said, I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Yeah, you did nothing wrong, Master.”

“It’s not your fault, Bossu!”

“Yes, yes, yes, I’m not at fault.”

I took good care of the mackerel. It’s just that it was unfortunately devoured by someone else.

“So like I was saying-”

Zeta and Delta both pointed at each other.

“-It’s all her fault!!”

And said that.

“Hm?”

The next moment, their mana exploded forth.

I was sent flying in a graceful arc by the storm which ensued.

By the time I landed after negating the impact, Zeta and Delta had landed some distance away.

“You stupid mutt who stole the tribute I offered to Master… I’ll never forgive you…”

“You molly trying to get in the way of praising Delta… I’ll never forgive you!”

“Ah, er. Although I have no idea what’s going on, it’s still not my fault.”

I made a discreet exit.

The two of them had always been at odds with each other from the start and they squabbled all the time, messing up the room and everything else until Alpha couldn’t stand it any more.

“Don’t go overboard, remember to rein yourselves in.”

The fact that this furball was taking place some distance from the dorms was the sole silver lining in this dark cloud.

“I’ll kick your ass.”

Delta raised her sword and took a fighting stance.

“Time to punish you.”

Zeta narrowed her ice-cold eyes - and then she vanished.

Her form suddenly disappeared with no warning or announcement.

“Did she run away?”

Delta tilted her head.

Just then, a gleaming black blade appeared behind Delta.

“-”

But before it could strike home, Delta evaded it.

Having dodged the attack in a very outrageous fashion, she rolled along the ground.

After that, more black blades began falling from the sky at her.

“…Whew.”

Delta dodged them all.

She dropped flat, rolled around, and bounced around with movements that humans could not possibly match.

“…Where are you…”

She could not find any sign of Zeta.

The only thing she saw were countless black blades floating in the darkness.

-That was it. The Blood Queen’s move.

Although I didn’t expect Zeta to be able to do it, upon second thought, I mused that if it were her, she might actually be able to pull it off.

Zeta was one of the most skilful people I had ever met.

No matter the task assigned to her, even if she was doing it for the first time, she could skilfully accomplish it. She grew very fast and was very talented. One could say she was the ultimate natural-born genius.

By her abilities alone, she would be absolutely top-class.

However, Zeta the Talented had a massive flaw.

“…Huh?”

That was Zeta’s voice.

Her tail appeared in the darkness.

Still the same as always.

Since she was the mercurial sort who picked up and got sick of things quickly, she never managed to fully master any one technique.

“Crap, I didn’t practice it enough.”

“-There you are!”

Just as Delta’s greatsword was about to cleave it in half, her tail turned into black smoke again and vanished into the darkness.

“Ah, that was close.”

The only thing I could hear was Zeta’s voice.

“…Time to get a little serious, I guess.”

And with that, the black mist in the air solidified into over 10’000 little sharp blades.

They all flew at Delta.

“Hissatsu - Senmaiha”

Despite there being well over ten thousand blades in the air, she chose to name it rather conservatively.

That said, it still possessed massive destructive power.

Well over 10’000 blades slashed down at Delta while she was floating in mid-air.

“Gah… Guh… urgh…”

Delta endured a one-sided barrage of slashes while suspended in the night sky.

While she barely managed to protect her vitals with her limbs, it was still a little dangerous for her.

Zeta was stronger than I had expected.

While she was one of the latecomers among the Seven Shades, she was a monster who had grown with extraordinary speed.

“Gugaaahhhhhh!”

Delta roared like thunder.

A startling amount of mana rushed out from her like a shockwave.

And then, those ten thousand blades all vanished.

“Eh… No way…”

Zeta’s mouth gaped open as she fell out of the fog.

Delta landed in front of her, dropping with blood.

“Ptoo”, she spat.

Delta coughed up a mouthful of blood before glaring at Zeta.

There was no sign of fooling around in her eyes.

“…”

The hairs on Zeta’s body all stood up.

Delta summoned up a black greatsword from her slime suit.

No, that thing was too big, too heavy and too crude to be called a greatsword. We called that weapon of Delta’s the “Lump of Iron”.

Normally, Delta would imitate us and fight with the same weapons as us.

However, that was not her true state.

That coarse lump of iron was her real weapon, the proof that Delta the “Tyrant” had gotten serious.

“Grrrr…”

A low growl rumbled from the depths of Delta’s throat.

I looked over at the dorm, a little worried.

What should I do? At this rate it felt like it would be blown away.

But anyone would get mad if they were made to stop halfway during a serious fight.

Don’t do unto others as you wouldn’t want others to do unto you.

Therefore, farewell, Midgar Academy. May you rest in peace, Hyoro and Jaga.

I put my hands together in my heart.

“Kill you”

Serious now, Delta gathered her mana into the Lump of Iron.

I, on the other hand, elected to use a somewhat serious backstep to give myself some space.

As for Zeta… She flew into the sky.

This wasn’t metaphorical or anything. She simply flew into the sky.

After enhancing my vision and examining her, I detected a faint black mist surrounding her.

So you could use it that way too?

“Byebye, puppy.”

And with that, she vanished into the clouds.

After a brief silence, Delta, who was shaking with fury, bellowed into the air.

“GET BACK HERE YOU MOLLYYYYYYYYYY!!”

And so, Delta vanished, leaving a storm in her wake.

“So it was the same as usual in the end.”

Their feud had never reached a conclusion.

Either Zeta would slink away or Alpha would get mad. Incidentally, I was a silent observer.

Oh well, time to sleep.

“Hm?”

I sensed many presences approaching me.

Well, it was only to be expected after such a huge commotion.

“These people… They’re Alexia and her guards?”

I decided to hide my presence and see what was going on.

Alexia was running around the dorm’s rear garden.

Well, it was called a “garden” but it was overgrown with trees and other vegetation. One could say it was more like an untamed jungle. The evening mist soaked her boots.

“Faster, I said!”

Alexia looked behind her as she ran.

“Alexia-sama, that mana’s too dangerous! We should wait for backup!”

The guards were running behind Alexia and doing their best to catch up with her.

“We don’t have the luxury of that. If you want to run, then focus on fleeing.”

“Please wait, Alexia-sama!”

She ignored the guards and cleared a way through the woods in front of her.

There, she found signs of a battle.

“This is…”

The ground and vegetation were laxed with scars.

Traces of powerful mana use had been left behind.

Who could possess such powerful mana…”

“Alexia-sana! Ugh, this is…!”

The mana was so chokingly potent that the guards behind her could not speak.

“This is too dangerous. The criminal might still be around.”

“Isn’t catching him your job?”

“Ah, that’s… er…”

The guards averted their eyes and exchanged glances with their colleagues.

Alexia sighed when nobody was looking.

“These are bloodstains.”

She continued forward, following the stains on the grass.

“This person bled a lot. They might have been badly hurt. They might be the culprit of this case…!”

This was referring to the serial disappearances of students that had made its way around the camps.

The knights had handled the investigation very sloppily and ignored several pieces of evidence before declaring that there was no possibility of wrongdoing.

Alexia began to suspect that someone behind the scenes was involved in this case.

“A first-rate magic swordsman fought here… But why, in a place like this?”

This was not a battlefield. This was merely the rear garden of the student dorm.

“It’s only natural to wonder who might be involved with this case. What kind of massive power is behind all this…”

“Ah, Alexia-sama.”

A panicked guard interrupted her train of thought.

What is it?

“O-over there…!”

A figure in a black coat was standing there.

“When did he…”

The fact that nobody had detected his presence at all filled everyone with terror.

“You, you’re…”

The man in a long hood dragged his fingertip over the bloodstains on the vegetation.

And then, he muttered to himself in a voice that sounded like it came from the depths of an abyss.

“So this is the price of battle-”

“Shadow…”

The way he looked almost sorrowful kept Alexia from speaking.

“Were the lives lost here a necessary sacrifice for the world…?”

“What is your connection to this, Shadow?”

Shadow did not pay particular attention to the presence of Alexia and the others. Instead, he was lost in deep reflection.

“A-A-Alexia-sama, be careful! We need to fall back now and call for the knights-!”

The guards drew their swords with trembling hands.

“There’s no point. Leave, all of you. There is no way our swords can reach him.”

Despite knowing this, Alexia still pointed her sword at Shadow.

“Answer me, Shadow. What happened here?”

As she infused mana into her sword while saying this, Shadow finally turned toward her.

The glowing red pupils beneath his mask stared directly at Alexia.

“-What could you do even if you knew?”

“I’ll catch you. I won’t let you do as you wish.”

Shadow smiled under his mask.

“It’s useless.”

And with that, he vanished.

No, that wasn’t right.

He appeared directly in front of Alexia.

“Wha-”

Nobody had detected his mana or presence.

By the time she came to, he was standing in front of her with a sword at Alexia’s throat.

It was a familiar sword.

As for why it was so familiar, that was because it was her sword.

“My, my sword…”

She had not even noticed that her sword had been taken.

“-We live in different worlds.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

She grit her teeth.

She had worked hard since then.

She had though she could at least close the gap a little.

“Light and dark, yin and yang - There are things that people who live on the light side of the world should not intervene in.”

And with that, he put his sword down and turned away.

His long black coat fluttered in the wind as he walked away in the darkness of the night.

“-It is time.”

“Time? What do you mean?”

“They’re about to make their move-”

Black fluid oozed out around Shadow’s feet.

It engulfed his body like a vortex.

And then, with a gust of wind, Shadow turned into black mist and vanished.

The only thing left of him was Alexia’s sword, fallen where he had just been standing.

“He disappeared… Who could”they” be referring to?”

There were far too many things she didn’t understand.

Even so, learning that Shadow was somehow related to them was arguably a step forward.

Not a very big one, though.

As she mocked herself, Alexia turned back.

“Isn’t backup here yet? Hurry up and preserve the scene of the…”

She fell silent and stared as her jaw dropped.

“But… But how?”

All the guards had fainted.

Shadow had knocked out all the guards in an instant.

And she had not noticed at all.

“We’re still, still so far apart… Even though… Even though I…”

Alexia lowered her head, and clenched her fists.

Chapter 1 - Nee-san’s Return And The Progressing Illness

The next day, Zeta and Delta’s skirmish had the campus in an uproar.

“They say someone picked up an unbelievable mana signature in the back of the dorm garden.”

“Seems that way, but I was asleep at the time so I don’t know anything about it.”

“I was asleep too, so I don’t know either.”

Hyoro and Jaga had complex looks on their faces as they spoke.

“And apparently they’re collecting evidence from the scene now?”

“Seems like it. Quite a few of the teachers have gone down to help out too.”

“Since the crime scene was behind the dorms, I’m pretty sure whoever did it was trying to sneak into the girls’ dorm. Looks like the perpetrator’s a pervert.”

“No, it was behind the boys’ dorm, it seems.”

“Hm, then the perp must have been trying to sneak into the boys’ dorm.”

“What could their objective be?”

“Well, obviously it’s because there’s a stud like me around.”

Hyoro had a gross smile on his face as he said that.

“That’s true, the dorm has studs like me in it too.”

Jaga also had a gross smile on his face.

“Indeed.”

I replied with a Buddha-esque look on my face.

These two aside, the other students seemed to be discussing last night’s incident in earnest. Theories like the culprit being someone with a grudge against the academy, or the culprit being someone who focused on valuable relics, or how it was related to the prior missing persons cases were all flying around.

Sorry, guys.

The truth is, it was just a cat(and dog) fight. Still, I didn’t mind this mood of “something happening behind the cover of a peaceful school life.”

“Our next lesson’s in the lecture room, we’d better get over there quick.”

“Hold on, Cid, you’ve got some nerve to leave a chad like me behind.”

“Give me a bit, this chad over here isn’t ready yet.”

I left the two of them to their own devices and headed off.

Speaking of last night, that snap decision to move around as the Shadow Eminence and shake up Alexia was simply marvelous.

On the one hand, you had a savage battle taking place in a secret place of the peaceful campus, and on the other you had me, who was worried about the future. Using Delta and Zeta’s battle to add a sense of realism to my ad-hoc performance was truly a work of art.

Plus, there was the way I showed my power and highlighted the different worlds which we lived in.

In the battles of the dark side of the world, those from the light side were nothing but distractions – this was a classic, stylish act that had been in play since well before the birth of Christ.

Just thinking about it made me want to grin like a fool.

The “Eminence In Shadow”, the greatest idea that I had devised, would now be etched in the history of this world.

“Master.”

I wondered if I was imagining things, because I suddenly heard Zeta’s voice out of nowhere.

“Up here, Master.”

“Whoops.”

Looks like it wasn’t my imagination after all.

And here I was wondering who that girl in the cleaner’s outfit was that was tugging on my uniform. As it turned out, it was Zeta.

For some reason, she was in work clothes and hiding her ears with a knitted cap.

“What’s wrong? Why are you dressed like this?”

“A disguise, for infiltration.”

Zeta got straight to the point while she was plastered up against me.

“Don’t mark me, it’s too obvious.”

There were other students in the hallway.

“Master, you smell of dog.”

“After you rub up against me for a while, I’ll smell of cats instead.”

“Mm.”

I pried Zeta off my arm.”

“Speaking of which, where’s Delta?”

“Lost her. She should be at sea.”

“I won’t probe further.”

It was very hard to catch Zeta when she was serious about escaping. That was why she was confident of picking a fight with Delta.

“Mm. Over here.”

Zeta dragged me by the hand into an empty classroom.

Perhaps it was because this room had not been used in a while but the air here was cold and it was quite dusty.

“My next lesson’s going to begin soon.”

“I have a report.”

She suddenly leaned in close and whispered into my ear.

It felt like we were going to continue the spy game from before.

“The attack against her failed.”

“Seems that way.”

“But she is still on the other side.”

“Is she now.”

“The Cult will send more assassins.”

Zeta moved over to the window and looked down from it.

I stood beside her, and together were looked down upon the view outside the window. In the distance, I could see the knights and teacher collecting evidence from the scene of the crime.

Zeta stared at them with her purple eyes.

I copied her and stared in their direction as well.

“It might be him.”

“Him, you say.”

“I’ll step in if there is danger.”

“I’ll let you be the judge of that, then.”

Just then, Zeta quickly crouched down.

I copied her and ducked as well.

“We’ve been spotted.”

“Looks like they’ve got someone with good instincts on their side.”

“Yes, hiding in the shadows.”

After stealthily looking around outside, I sensed a gaze coming from afar.

“Now what are they looking at… Ah, it’s time for me to go.”

The pre-lesson bell rang.

By the time I looked back, Zeta had vanished without a trace.

It was lunchtime.

The three of us, Hyoro, Jaga and I, were queuing up at the school cafeteria.

“So, what are we having for lunch?”

“You’re so lucky, Cid, you’re going to use the money you stole from us to buy yourself a luxury lunch, right?”

“Good for you, Cid-kun, we’ve had to eat the 980 zenny poor noble’s daily set lunch day after day to the point where we can hardly stand it any more.”

“Saying I stole it is going too far. It’s a proper right for me.”

That said, the money I won off them would be going into the activity funds for being a Shadow Eminence. Wasting it here would affect my future activities.

I knew where my priorities lay, after all.

And so, I picked the 980 poor noble’s set lunch too. I firmly believed that everyday savings were linked to future success.

“It’s been a while, otouto-kun.”

Just then, I heard a voice from behind me.

There was only one person in the entire world who would call me “otouto-kun.”

“Indeed it has, Nina-senpai.”

Her wine-red hair was as silky as ever today.

The top button of her blouse was boldly unbuttoned, while her long slender legs descended from her short skirt. There was no way to deny that her sense of fashion was most provocative.

This was Nina-senpai, a third-year student.

“Where did you go for winter break? Claire was looking everywhere for you and she dragged me along too. Gave me quite a hard time, you know.”

“Well, all sorts of things happened.”

“Hm, all sorts of things, you say.”

Nina cut the line and stood in front of me.

She had a very petite build, and her head was only around chest height for me.

“No cutting in line.”

I was planning to shoulder-check her as I said this, but then she nimbly evaded me.

“Looks like you’re going for the 980 zenny poor noble’s daily set lunch as well today, otouto-kun. You must be pretty hard up for cash.”

“I’m not hard up, I’m saving up funds for future ambitions.”

“Alright, alright, my treat then. What’ll it be?”

“I’ll have the most expensive thing on the menu.”

“Sure. I’ll have 2 sets of the 100 ’000 zenny deluxe lunch sets for super-rich nobles.”

Nina-senpai ordered me the highest-end lunch they had.

She always treated me very well, perhaps because she was a close friend of Nee-san’s. Or rather, I should call her a handy sempai who’d listen to any request I made no matter what it was.

Once I jokingly said I wanted to read a restricted book from the library and she actually brought it over. To this day, I have no idea how she did it. She’d also helped me out in many other ways.

Meeting Nina-senpai made me feel that being Nee-san’s little brother was a good thing for the first time in my life.

“H-Hey, treat me too!”

“M-me too!”

Despite being mildly afraid of Nina-senpai’s aura, Hyoro and Jaga chimed in as well.

“I gave you guys poker cards, didn’t I?”

“You, you you have a point!”

“Th-th-thank you very much for giving us those poker cards.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Claire DID cause you guys some trouble after all.”

Oh yeah, I think she did.

And so, we secured a windowside seat, thanks to the authority of Nina-senpai.

“Alright, have a seat.”

“Oh.”

I sat down beside Nina-senpai and dug into the super-rich noble lunch set while Hyoro and Jaga nervously sat opposite us and started on their poor nobles’ lunch set.

The super-rich noble’s lunch set began with an appetizer. One of the maids prepared it for me with practiced skill.

“It seems Claire’s gone missing.”

Sempai said this while eating the carpaccio appetizer.

“Seems that way.”

I started on the carpaccio too. I don’t know what kind of fish they used for it, but it was delicious.

“Princess Alexia asked me if I knew anything about it, but that day was just like any other, so I had nothing to tell her. How about you, otouto-kun?”

“Me neither. Alexia came to look for me too.”

“Something seemed to be bothering her. Apparently some other students went missing too, so I’m a little worried.”

“Well, there WAS a big ruckus last night.”

“It was behind the boys’ dorm, right? Sounds dangerous.”

“I know, right.”

“Speaking of which, I saw the Crimson Knights nearby. Although they seem to have grown in numbers, their quality leaves something to be desired.”

“Huh, you sure know a lot.”

“Sorta~”

Nina-senpai winked smugly at me.

“Are you going to join the knights after you graduate, Nina-senpai?”

“Who knows? Unlike Claire, my grades aren’t fantastic.”

“Hm? I see.”

“That’s quite an interesting face you’re making. My poor grades are quite infamous.”

“Really? I had you pegged for top of the class.”

“Hahaha, Claire should be this year’s valedictorian, no? She’s been leaving everyone awestruck with her growth recently. As for me, I just can’t keep up.”

“Is that how it is?”

Nina leisurely brought a spoonful of soup to her delicate little mouth.

After taking a look at her, Nina-senpai ought to be stronger than Nee-san. Oh well, everyone had their own reasons for hiding their strength, and Nina-senpai was a pretty mysterious person too.

“As for Claire, I’ll tell you about her if anything comes up. You’re very worried too, right?”

“Worried? Not really… Aw, of course I’m kidding, I’m actually really worried.”

“You’re just the same as always. Oh well, since it’s Claire there shouldn’t be too much to worry about. Feel free to let me know if there’s anything bothering you.”

Nina-senpai flashed me an adorable smile.

Meanwhile, Hyoro and Jaga ate their 980-zenny poor nobles’ lunch set in silence

“Can’t I leave this place yet?”

Claire sighed from where she was standing inside a school classroom.

Her surroundings were veiled in white mist and she could not sense the presence of anyone nearby.

Almost there.

“You’ve been saying that for a long time now.”

I told you right, we’re almost there. I’m trying to expand the gap here, but you’ve got too little mana, so it’s taking a long time.

“Okay, okay, okay, I’m sorry for not having enough mana. I may not look it, but in this school, my mana levels are pretty high.”

Big fish, small pond.

“You’re being a real pain in the ass.”

Oops, I accidentally said what I was thinking.

“So what are these gaps you’re talking about?”

They’re the gaps that lead back to the original world, of course.

“What do you mean by”original world”? Come to think of it, what IS this world, anyway?”

Not telling you~

Claire sighed again. There were far too many things she didn’t know.

She was planning to sit down on a table and cross her legs, but then a sense of dread suddenly filled her heart.

“Hm?”

Something was touching her leg.

Looking closer, she saw it was a translucent human arm. It was covered in fresh blood and it was grabbing Claire’s leg.

“What, what the heck is this!”

Claire hurriedly stood up and forcefully kicked the arm, driving it back.

A person covered in blood emerged, as though it had sprouted from the arm which had been kicked away.

His skin was grayish and his eyes were sunken in, and there was a deep wound on his chest.

He looked like a corpse, no matter how you sliced it.

Careful, that’s a ghost.

“A ghost?”

One of the heroes of the past who was bound here. They are imprisoned by mana and they’ve been wandering here since forever. Grant them release.

“Even if you tell me to grant them release… How should I do that?”

“Beating him up should do the trick..”

“Okay.”

Claire infused mana into her fist and dealt a straight punch to the ghost crawling toward her.

The ghost split apart and vanished with a “splat”.

“What a disgusting sensation.”

*The fact that ghosts are showing up is a sign the seal is weakening… This is a little bad.”

“What seal?”

Ah, I was just talking to myself. I messed up; I need to keep her from overhearing me. She’s got pretty sharp ears despite having so little mana.

“I heard all that, you know.”

After that, Aurora fell silent.

Claire, on the other hand, began kicking the ghost that showed up again.

“I feel uneasy without a sword in hand.”

She had left her sword on the other side.

Claire waited for Aurora to finish working while kicking away the reappeared ghosts.

The ghosts began appearing more frequently, and the mist became denser.

“Aurora, are you done yet?”

Just a little more.

“Really?”

Yes, really. But unfortunately… We have a visitor.

“Huh?”

Claire sensed someone and looked back. There she saw a man in a long black robe.

His face was covered with a mask.

“When did he…”

Claire took a fighting stance, but it felt very unnatural, probably because she wasn’t holding her sword.

Opposite her, the robed man raised his sword in a way that suggested it was very familiar to him. In an instant, he closed in on Claire.

“So fast–!?”

Claire barely managed to avoid the first attack and keep her distance from her opponent.

However, the robed man had no intention of letting her go. He pivoted and swung at Claire.

“Guh.”

After being sent flying, Claire shakily rose to her feet.

She had taken a hit from the back of the blade, but she could still fight.

It would seem her opponent had no intention of killing her, so was he trying to take her alive?

You’re going to lose.

Aurora spoke in her head.

“Quiet, you. This is a vital moment.”

Really now? But I can already see how it ends.

“Ah, shut up, if only I had my sword…!”

It wouldn’t matter even if you did.

“I told you, shut up!”

Here he comes.

And with that, the robed man launched himself with a mighty step, closing the distance between them.

I’ll lend you a hand.

“–Huh?”

Everything happened in an instant.

The robed man, who had gotten right into her face, was sent flying by a swat from a red tentacle.

The red tentacle grew out of Claire’s leg, wriggling like a living thing.

“What the heck is this now?”

Blood.

“Blood!?”

You can do it too if you try. After all, you’re…

“…What am I now?”

…It doesn’t matter. We aren’t done here yet.

Claire looked up and saw the black-robed man rising to his feet.

His cheek was bleeding, and his black mask had fallen from his face.

“You’re from the knight order…”

She had seen his face before when enlisting in the knights.”

“It’s been a while, Claire-san.”

He smiled and bowed as her spoke.

“You’re Viscount Jean, leader of the fourth squad of the third knight order.:”

“That is merely an alias. I am one of the Named Children,”Jean of the Dark Smile”.

What the heck was with that naming sense, anyway?

Claire thought that, but she did not say it.

“Although I don’t know what these Named Children are, I didn’t expect you to be moonlighting in such a shady profession.”

“I didn’t expect you to have this power either, Claire-san. How interesting… You didn’t have it yet when we investigated you before.”

“Before?”

“That’s our business. In any case, it seems further investigation will be needed.”

He approached her, raising his sword as he did.

Although Claire’s red tentacle was about to take a fighting stance with her red tentacle, it lost power and melted away for some reason.

Claire, this is bad.

“Huh?”

I’m almost out of mana.

“Are you kidding me…”

Claire’s mouth twitched.

“What marvelous luck. I have a present to offer him now.”

The “Dark Smile” smiled darkly, like his name.

Just then, there was a cracking sound.

It was like glass breaking, and part of this white, misty world began to splinter.

“Wha!?”

Someone dropped down through the fissure that had opened.

She was a beautiful beastwoman girl wearing a tight black bodysuit, with golden ears and tail.

She landed in front of Claire, and knocked the “Dark Smile’s” sword away with a mysterious black mist.

“Guh.”

The “Dark Smile” was sent flying with tremendous force.

It looked like little more than a light tap. Even so, what was with that power…

The girl stood there, wreathed in black mist and looking at her with a cool gaze.

“Who are…?”

“Zeta.”

She replied in a cold voice.

Get away from her, Claire. That girl is unfathomable.

Aurora’s voice spoke in her mind.

She sounded nervous, a rare thing indeed, and Claire was surprised.

She took a step back and continued speaking.

“Can I assume you’re here to save me?”

“I cannot allow the Cult to have you yet.”

“Huh?”

The black mist flickered, and in the next moment Zeta was behind her.

“Bye bye.”

Alexia felt someone grab her neck, and then she was thrown into the fissure in the world.

“Wait, what are you doiiiiing!”

Claire’s wail faded into the distance, and vanished after she entered the fissure.

Now only Zeta and the “Dark Smile” were left in this misty world.

“Tch… How dare you get in my way.”

The “Dark Smile” squared off against Zeta.”

“Mm, greetings.”

“So you showed up in the end, Shadow Garden.”

Saying so, the Dark Smile raised his sword.

Zeta looked very bored, in contrast to “Dark Smile”, who had carefully calculated the distance between them.

“You seem rather confident. Are you part of Shadow Garden’s leadership?”

“You noticed?”

Zeta’s reply was entirely self-centered.

That was because she knew she was the absolute superior here.

“What do you mean?”

“Her secret.”

“You mean that power? What was that all–!?”

At that moment, Zeta’s mana surged.

“Dark Smile’s” knee’s trembled in the face of that power which was about to crush him flat.

“What, what… What the hell, that mana… Were you hiding it before?”

“If only you didn’t know, I could have let you off for a while.”

“What, what are you talking about–”

“Since you know, this is farewell.”

“What did you… Uuuuughhh!?”

Suddenly, the “Dark Smile” shed a black tear.

Right after that, the pores of his body spewed black mist, and his body exploded.

Zeta glanced at his corpse, and then muttered to herself.

“Hm, a new move. Not bad.”

After that, she turned back and continued speaking into empty space.

“It’s over.”

As though in response to those words, a girl appeared through a rift in space.

She was a girl with pink hair, wearing a black bodysuit. It was Victoria.

“Yes, Zeta-sama.”

She knelt before Zeta.

“We’ve confirmed Aurora’s presence inside Claire-sama’s body.”

“As I thought…”

“Mm. It’s all connected now. So that’s why Master…”

“Has the cult noticed?”

“Not yet.”

“In that case, what is our plan?”

“Go to Plan C.”

“Claire-sama will probably become the crux of the plan. But that is also the most ideal future for us.”

“The Master has spoken. He wants us to see the future clearly.”

“So that is Shadow-sama’s will…”

Victoria crosses her hands before her chest in prayer.”

“Also, tell her about the change in plan.”

Zeta vanished into a puff of black smoke, while Victoria smiled thinly as she watched her leave.

The sound of fountain pens writing on paper filled the classroom.

I stared at the exam script in front of me and furrowed my brows.

“…I can’t do this.”

The number of class quizzes had increased as the term-end exams drew closer.

Failing these quizzes would mean being given extra assignments, and these assignments were massive and really annoying to complete.

It would seem the teachers were working really hard to keep the idiots from failing and being held back.

Until now, I had barely managed to avoid failing, like a background character.

Through cheating, of course.

However, my retribution for relying on cheating had finally come due.

–Isaac-kun was absent.

Isaac-kun was the top student in class, and his seat was perfectly positioned for me to see hsi script.

In other words, one could say he was a student who was born to let me cheat off him. Thanks to him, I could keep my scores fine-tuned with divine precision.

But who would have thought that Isaac would be absent!

Thanks to him, I was in danger of failing now.

“Guh…”

Knowing whose scripts to look at was quite important for cheating. There would be no point in looking at an idiot’s answers.

To my right was Hyoro, whose shifty gaze was quite confusing.

He was useless.

To my left was Jaga, who was looking under his table at a strange angle.

He was useless too.

At this rate… The only one I could count on was Christina-san, a duke’s daughter sitting diagonally in front of me..

While she was one of the top 5 students in class, she had a drawback.

Namely, half of her script would be blocked if I tried to look at it from this angle.

I had already copied all the answers I could see.

However, I would only be able to get 40 marks with them, which was still a far cry away from the 60 marks that I needed to pass.

Should I hide my presence and move to a position where I could see the rest of her answers?

Still, I could hide my presence, but not my body. If I were to move around in this bright room with no obstacles, I could still be directly seen even if I was not sensed.

There were many eyes in this classroom, and I would definitely be exposed.

In that case, all I could do was move with speed that nobody could see.

I could do that.

If I got serious, it would be a piece of cake.

However, there was another major drawback to that.

If I moved so fast that people’s eyes couldn’t follow me, the wind pressure it would generate would definitely give me away.

The answer script might be sent flying.

No, Christina-san herself might be sent flying too.

That would be a total loss for me.

In that case, I would have to move with invisible speed while also not generating any wind pressure.

To think I’d have to use such advanced techniques for a mere class quiz.

Could I do it…

I had always trained hard to move quickly, but moving at high speed without disturbing the air was something I had never trained to do before.

The special assignments would mean my two days’ break would be utterly wasted. They were that annoying.

“…Should I do this?”

But giving up here would ruin my reputation as a mob.

I carefully spun up a wisp of mana that nobody would notice.

Time for an improvisation, take this.

At that moment–

“Hey, you over there! What are you doing!?”

“–!?”

Was I spotted!?

Shocked, my mana vanished like mist.

However, the teacher was not looking at me.

The teacher was looking beside me–

“Hyoro Gari!! You’re cheating, aren’t you!”

“I, I I I I, I wasn’t looking at anything!! I totally wasn’t looking at Christina-san’s answers!!”

Hyoro’s face was pale and he was trembling.

“Huh, and you even confessed to it. I’ve been watching you since just now. Get out now, and you’ll be getting twice the normal amount of special assignments.”

“But, but how…”

Hyoro left the classroom, a lifeless expression on his face.

Christina looked at Hyoro like he was a piece of walking garbage.

O-Okay then, time to pull myself together.

I spun up another wisp of mana – and at that moment…

“You over there! What are you doing!?”

Again!?

However, when I looked up, I found that the teacher was not looking at my shocked face.

He was looking beside me again.

“Jaga Imo! What were you looking at under your desk!?”

“I, I I I I, I wasn’t looking at anything!! I totally wasn’t looking at the cheat sheet under my table!!”

Jaga was gushing cold sweat like a waterfall.

“Huh, well done on being so honest. Get out now, and you’ll be getting triple the normal amount of special assignments.”

“How, how come I got more…”

Jaga left the room as well with shaky steps.

“The next person I catch cheating gets four times the amount of special assignments.”

There was vigilance in the teacher’s eyes as he said this.

Damn you for doing unnecessary crap like this, Hyoro and Jaga.

Thanks to them, the risks had spiked. The teacher was watching very closely now.

–However…

“…How could I give up just like that?”

I spun up my mana.

Time seemed to slow down.

Perhaps I might be able to do it now.

This is the Mob Ultimate Technique specialized for cheating – No. 49!!

“Watch this–”

I gathered all my energy, and just then, something fell down with a “thud”.

“…”

Humans would apparently lose the ability to speak for a while if something too unexpected happened.

Suddenly, and for some reason, Claire-neesan fell out of the air from above the teacher. Everyone’s eyes were focused on her and the entire room was silent for a while.

I didn’t expect her to go this far. Did she go missing just to set up a development like this…

“What do you mean you can’t hand me over!?”

Nee-san got to her feet while trampling on the teacher as she shouted into thin air.

“Tell me! What’s this special power that I–!”

And then, Nee-san suddenly looked around the classroom before stiffening up.

“Claire Kageno. This is not your classroom.”

The trampled teacher’s voice sounded like he was suffering very badly as he squeezed those words out.

“Ah, this, er… um.”

Nee-san’s face blushed beet red, and the expression on it was somewhere between laughing and twitching.

“I, I sincerely apologize! Please forgive me!!”

And then with her head still bowed, she turned right and hurriedly left the room.

It would seem she would be called up later.

Falling out of the sky, yelling into thin air, insisting she had some kind of special power – It would seem her condition was worse than I expected.

Still, it had really helped me out this time.

“…Thanks to Nee-san, everyone’s attention was drawn away.”

I smiled as I filled in the blanks on my answer sheet.

Claire sighed quietly as she left the student counseling room.

“What rotten luck.”

The grade supervisor had lectured her for a full hour and the light streaming into the corridor now was a light red.

She could hear the students in the distance.

The sound of Alexia’s footsteps filled the empty corridor.

“And it had to be in Cid’s class too. How am I going to face him tomorrow…”

Her cheeks were a slight pink and she was speaking into empty air.

“It’s all your fault.”

How rude. It clearly wasn’t my fault.

“In that case, just tell me what;s going on. I ended up in some weird place and was attacked by a weird guy and then I fell out of thin air and onto a teacher. Nobody would believe me if I told them all this, right? They nearly sent me to a doctor.”

It’s better that you don’t know. There’s no going back once you find out.

“I say. How can you expect me to be content with being ignorant after encountering stuff like this? I’m really mad now, you know.”

…No. I can’t do anything that would put you in danger.

“Well, I’m already in danger. If you don’t tell me, I’ll go find out for myself. I won’t let things end like this.”

It’s useless.

“I’ll be the judge of that, Witch of Calamity Aurora-san.”

Where did you learn that name…

“That’s just one of the things I found out–”

At this point, Claire suddenly came to a halt.

At some point, a silver-haired girl had appeared in the corridor which she thought had been empty.

“Sorry for interrupting you while you were talking to yourself, Claire Kageno-san. I have something I’d like to talk to you about.”

Her red eyes studied Claire with interest. She was a princess of the Kingdom of Midgar, Alexia Midgar.

Claire’s expression turned grim.

“I was NOT talking to myself.”

“But there’s nobody else here, is there?”

Alexia gestured around herself.

Claire’s expression turned grimmer.

“Princess Alexia, I have no intention of having a friendly chat with you.”

“It seems you do hate me. Is this not my first time meeting you, Claire-san?”

“I don’t want to talk to the shitty princess who deceived Cid.”

Claire’s gaze turned sharp enough that you could almost kill someone with it.

It would seem she was completely hostile now.

“Hah? Look, there were reasons for that, okay? I had no intention of duping him.”

Alexia’s gaze began wandering, like she was panicked.

“Ah? Clearly that got to you. I can smell your lies.”

“Well pardon me, but I did not! In fact, what’s with that attitude of yours!? I was planning to speak with you politely since you were his sister, you know.”

“I knew it, you’re just pretending to be a good little girl.”

After that calm delivery from Claire, Alexia couldn’t help but click her tongue.

“You siblings are one and the same. You’re each as rude as the other.”

“Oh, I’m like Cid, you say?”

“Y-yeah, in terms of rudeness…”

“I see, so we’re alike… Ehehe.”

Claire smiled like a blossoming flower.

“Hang on, what’s with you?”

“You’ve got a good eye, don’t you!”

“Ah…”

Alexia felt a little distressed as the other girl pressed her shoulder up against hers.

“So, you had something you wanted to talk about, yes?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Although I’m very busy right now, I guess it can’t be helped. I guess I’ll hear you out.”

“Thanks…”

“By the way, how else am I similar to Cid?”

“Uh, you both have black hair…?”

And so the two of them walked down the twilit corridor, shoulder to shoulder.

“…Where is this place?”

“It’s a special reception room which only those in power may enter.”

Alexia turned on the lights to the luxurious and gaudy room.

“Those in power?”

“Well, I AM part of the royal household, you know.”

“Ah, that does seem to be the case.”

I can’t believe she actually forgot that, Alexia thought.

“Please have a seat.”

“This is good fabric. The embroidery is beautiful too. What a waste of taxpayers’ money.”

“Say, did anyone ever tell you that you talk too much?”

“Not in as many words, no.”

Alexia and Claire sit down on the soft, fluffy sofas as they trade barbs.

They are the only two in this spacious room.

Alexia once again looks at Claire, who is seated opposite her.

She had black hair and red eyes, and she was an honor student who excelled in both her studies and swordplay.

It was said that her skills had undergone a tremendous improvement recently, and she was a prospective candidate for knighthood.

No wonder. She was nothing at all like her little brother – apart from the fact that they were both incredibly rude.

“Why do you have that serious look on your face?”

“Because I’m going to talk about something serious, of course.”

“I know what you want. I won’t hand Cid over to you.”

“I, I don’t want him.”

Alexia clears her throat to try and cover up the fact that her voice had suddenly risen by a few octaves just now.

“So, about you dropping onto the teacher during class.”

“What about it? Going to lecture me?”

“I just want to ask you what happened.”

“I was using mana to jump outside the classroom and hit the teacher. I’ve apparently started acting strange because of stress. Although I’m not too sure about the circumstances, that’s what happened. I am reflecting on my actions.”

Claire breezily rattles off that rote answer.

“Do you think I want to hear that superficial rubbish?”

“That’s what my self-reflection essay said.”

“But that’s not what really happened, was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you’re looking into the Demon Diablos.”

As she said that, Alexia laid the documents she had taken from Claire’s room on the table.

“Wait, that’s my…”

“I doubt you were researching this for fun, were you?”

“…What do you want to know?”

Claire’s expression turned serious.

“Everything. I want to know what happened on this campus.”

“…You’re not going to treat me like a fool, are you?”

“No. I’ll never do that.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

Claire fell silent and looked away.

She stared into thin air, as though she was talking to someone.

After a short while, she gently shook her head.

“I’m sorry, Aurora.”

“Huh?”

Alexia could not help but tilt her head at that statement of hers which came completely out of left field.

However, Claire was not talking to Alexia. All she did was stare into empty space.

“I’m at my limit. I don’t know anything and I’m feeling really uneasy about all this…”

Claire’s shoulder’s trembled.

“I’m sorry, it’s nothing.”

She smiled as she said that.

“…Are you alright?”

“Not at all… Which is why I’m going to tell you anything. It may sound like nonsense, but you’re free to believe it or not.”

“I believe you.”

To Alexia, Claire did not sound like she was lying at all.

“Really? Then I should introduce her to you.”

“…Her?”

“Her name is Aurora. She’s a ghost, also known as”The Witch of Calamity”. Come on, say hi.”

As expected, there was nobody in the place where Claire was pointing.

Even after squinting and rubbing her eyes, she still saw nothing.

“We met when–”

After watching Claire talk as though there was someone else around, Alexia began to regret her promise to believe her.

“–And that’s what happened.”

By the time Claire had finished speaking, the sun had set.

As the embers in the fireplace crackled, Alexia drank from a cup of coffee before sighing.

“…Well, I think I understand the situation now, for the most part.”

“Are you willing to believe me?”

“Oh yes. It might sound ridiculous, but it all adds up.”

“It adds up?”

“That’s right – everything adds up, be it Shadow Garden, the Diablos Cult and the incidents in this school. Although, I find it a bit hard to believe that part about Ghost-san.”

“Au-Aurora really IS here! She’s sitting beside me and laughing at you!”

Alexia couldn’t help but glance at the empty place on the sofa.

“Let’s put the matter of Ghost-san aside for now.”

“I told you, she really exists!”

“Still, I HAVE heard that name before. Aurora, the Witch of Calamity. One of the higher-ups in the Diablos Cult mentioned her.

“Is the Diablos Cult linked to Aurora?”

“I’m not sure about that. I’ve done some research, but there’s hardly any information left regarding the Witch of Calamity. The only thing I know is that she once caused a huge disaster.

“Aurora, did you cause a big disaster?”

Claire addressed Ghost-san beside her.

They seemed to be having a conversation.

“Yeah, that’s it. Aurora said she exterminated the Pig-Orcs. She said she was physiologically incapable of tolerating them.”

“…Somehow I don’t think that was it.”

“No… Hm, I see. Aurora says she vandalized the Holy Shield Aegis. I didn’t know such a famous shield existed.”

“That’s definitely not it! And besides, the Holy Shield Aegis is missing and nobody’s managed to find it yet…”

“So that’s not it either, huh. Then–”

“–In any case, let’s leave that aside for now! Let’s move on to the next topic.”

“But Aurora has many other tales to tell.”

“Whatever, let’s just get back to the main topic!”

Alexia couldn’t help but cough.

“First, we need to figure out what’s happening in the Academy.”

“Indeed.”

Alexia’s expression turned serious.

“While you claim to have been trapped in a mysterious realm, I’ve also experienced something similar. It was called the Sanctuary–”

Alexia told her about her experiences in the Sanctuary.

“–That does sound quite similar.”

“So perhaps there’s something like the Sanctuary in the Academy. And you say you fought that Dark Smile guy, right? He’s probably involved with the Diablos Cult.”

“He’s Viscount Jean, leader of the Fourth Squad of the Third Knight Order.”

“While I expected that, it seems there really are Diablos Cultists in the knight orders. It seems they cannot be trusted now.”

“How about Iris-sama? Are the Crimson Knights reliable?”

“Onee-sama… is very busy right now. In any case, the Diablos CUltists must be up to something if they’re kidnapping students from the Academy.”

“What does that mean?”

“A phenomenon similar to the Sanctuary has appeared in the Midgar Academy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Demon Diablos was sealed here too.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember hearing a rumor that the right arm of the Demon Diabos was sealed in Midgar Academy… That’s only a rumor, right?”

Alexia slowly shook her head.

“I can’t be certain about that.”

“Eh, really?”

“We don’t have any concrete evidence yet… But there are restricted volumes in the library containing the school’s history. If the right arm of Diablos is sealed within Midgar Academy, I’m sure it would be recorded in them.”

“Surely you can access the restricted archives with your royal authority, right?”

“Doing the paperwork for it will take a long time.”

“Then what should we do?”

“We’ll just have to sneak in there.”

Alexia smiled.

“It’ll be very bad if we’re discovered.”

“Then we just have to not be discovered. We can’t trust the knights, and we can’t trust the teachers either – which means we’ll just have to take care of this by ourselves.”

“You know, they might revoke my knighthood offer if they find me.”

“I’ll hire you, then. I’m used to throwing gold coins around.”

“Do you have to throw them?”

“It’s very important to establish who’s boss, isn’t it?”

“Um–”

“In any case, that’s all we can do. Right now, at this very moment, the Diablos Cult is moving in the shadows and Shadow Garden has gathered as well. At this rate, the number of casualties is only going to increase.”

After hearing Alexia’s words’ Claired lowered her head, as though she was thinking about something. Then she slowly spoke her mind.

“Couldn’t we just ask Shadow Garden to do it?”

Alexia was momentarily at a loss for how to respond to that unexpected statement.

“…Shadow Garden is an organization filled with riddles. While we don’t know why they’re at odds with the Cult, we can’t trust them unconditionally either.”

“Is that so? Apparently they helped me out in the Lawless City.”

“Even so… They’re also very dangerous. When I think about what would happen if they turned their combat strength against this nation, Nee-san’s worries start to make sense to me.”

“I see… Still, I get your meaning. After all, that Shadow completely overwhelmed Elizabeth the Blood Queen by himself. If the Blood Queen was as powerful as the legends said, then Shadow must be truly extraordinary.”

“I do want to believe that she became weaker… Because if she was like the legends said she was, the Kingdom of Midgar will have to worry constantly about Shadow’s intentions.”

“One false step and he could end up a worse threat than the Cult of Diablos.”

“That’s true. Shadow Garden also has his confidantes, known as the Seven Shades. All of them are extremely powerful. Each of them is on par with Iris-neesama, or even stronger than her… Their organization is quite something, even without Shadow.”

“Now that you mention it, that beastwoman called Zeta… Aurora was very wary of her, something she doesn’t do often, and she said she was unfathomable.”

“I hope they’re on our side too. But… we can’t trust them right now. They’re just too dangerous.”

Alexia bit her lip.

“You’ve got a point… As for us, we can only do what’s within our capabilities. I’ll help you, Alexia.”

“Thank you, Claire.”

Claire tightly clenched the hand of hers which had the magic circle inscribed on it.

“Nothing will happen if we just wait. Whether it’s Aurora, this magic circle, or Shadow… I need to figure it all out. Thank you, Alexia.”

“Hm?”

Alexia was surprised to hear those unexpected words.

“I’m very grateful that you heard me out. I couldn’t do anything by myself and I was really uneasy. The fact that you could believe me makes me feel a lot better.”

“…Yeah.”

“That’s why I said I could understand how you felt, Alexia. You must have felt really worried by yourself, right?”

“Not really…”

Alexia’s voice wavered slightly.

Her elder sister was frantically practicing her swordsmanship like she was possessed and hadn’t gone to see Alexia any more.

Rose had abandoned Alexia and run off by herself.

As for Natsume… Well, she had never trusted her in the first place, so there was no problem there.

“Let’s do our best together.”

Alexia found herself reaching out and shaking the hand Claire extended to her. It felt like she was enveloped by warmth.

“Thank you, Claire.”

“It’s nothing. Plus, I’ll be able to keep an eye on you too.”

As Claire muttered to herself, she tightened her grip on Alexia’s hand.

“Huh?”

“Being able to get rid of a harmful pest like this would also be a great bargain.”

“Claire, that hurts.”

“Ara, sorry about that. Let’s get along then, Alexia.”

“Yes, let’s, Claire.”

Alexia returned the forceful squeeze, and they both smiled.

They really are similar, Ghost-san thought.

Claire and Alexia came to a halt outside a certain room in the girls’ dorm.

“Hey, is what you said really true?”

Alexia’s face was full of doubt as she asked Claire that question.

“Yes, it is. We can’t go wrong by asking Nina. Apparently, Cid once told Nina that he wanted to look at a certain book in the restricted archive, and the next day Nina actually got the book for him!”

“Seriously? The more I hear, the more suspicious it sounds.”

“It’s okay. Cid would never lie to me.”

“No no no, he’s a man full of lies and desire.”

“Stop right there. I won’t let you look down on Cid.”

“I’m just telling you the truth.”

Alexia interrupted their conversation by knocking on the door.

“Coming~”

Shortly after that flighty answer, the door opened.

“Yo, Claire. I’m glad you’re fine. I was so worried, you know.”

She was a petite girl with wine-red hair.

“Sorry to make you worry, Nina.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay. Make sure you tell me the next time you go missing, okay?”

“I would if I could.”

“Speaking of which, here’s someone I hardly ever see you with. Greetings, Princess Alexia.”

Nina shifts her gaze to the side and looks at Alexia.

“Salutations, Nina-san.”

“Just call me Nina. Since when did you guys become such good friends?”

“I wouldn’t say we’re friends.”

“More like enemies, actually.”

Alexia and Claire respond almost simultaneously.

“Meh, not like it matters. In any case, come in. You have something to say, right?”

Saying so, she invited them into her room.

Nina sat cross-legged on the bed while Alexia and Claire simply sat on chairs.

“Can I ask you a question before we begin?”

Alexia did not seem to know where to put her eyes as she said that.

“Sure, go ahead. Ask anything you want.”

“Why are you wearing only your underwear?”

For some reason, Nina was wearing nothing but a set of sexy underwear right now.

She might be small, but the body that she was flaunting right now was quite extraordinary. One could say that it was to the point where despite being girls as well, their eyes were reflexively drawn to her as well.

“Because it’s comfy.”

“Do you always dress like this?

“I guess. Mitsugoshi’s underwear both looks and feels great.”

Nina smiled and fiddled with parts of her underclothing that were just barely concealing her naughty bits.

“You know… You have to tell me the product serial number afterwards.”

“Certainly. I could recommend some other items too. Want to take a look?”

“Let me see them too.”

Alexia answered immediately, an earnest look on her face.

“Not like you’ll have the chance to show anyone.”

Claire snorted derisively.

“Quiet, you.”

Alexia glared at her.

“Rather than that, let’s get down to business.”

“That’s true. I ought to be turning in soon, so please cut to the chase. All-nighters are the arch-enemy of my lovely skin.”

“Okay, okay, okay. I was hoping to ask you about how you got that restricted volume, Nina. How did you do it?”

Upon hearing Claire’s question, Nina bats her eyelashes.

“Restricted volume? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You don’t need to hide it. I asked Cid. You brought a book out of the restricted archive, right?”

“Did otouto-kun say that? How could I have done such a thing?”

“Like I said, there’s no need to hide it.”

“I’m not hiding anything. I really don’t know anything about that.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. And besides, how would I sneak into the restricted archive, anyway?”

“I told you before, right? Poochie was lying.”

As Alexia said this, she had an expression on her face that was as though she was looking at an idiot.

“Sh-shut up! Nina, is that true? Are you really not hiding anything from me!?”

“C-Calm down, Claire! It’s true!”

Because Claire was grabbing Nina by the shoulders and shaking her so hard, the clasp of her bra burst open.

“Uuuu~”

Claire bit her lip as her face turned bright red.

“Cid, you dummy! You lied to me again! I’ll never forgive you again!”

“So you were duped after all.”

“Shut up! Shut up shut up shut up! I’ve had it, I’m going back!”

“Back home?”

“Back to my room, of course!”

“I, hey, wait a minute! We still have to discuss tomorrow’s plan…”

Alexia goes after the red-faced Claire as she storms out of Nina’s room.

“Ah, sorry to disturb you.”

“Although I don’t quite get what’s going on, make sure you don’t go too wild, okay?”

After Nina said that, Alexia closed the door with a vague smile on her face.

When the room was quiet again, Nina rose and walked over to the window.

“Now then.”

Her unhooked bra was left to fall on the ground, while her body was reflected on the glass of the window.

There was a deep scar on top of her left breast.

“…It’s about time I made a move.”

She ran her delicate fingers over the wound.

Before her icy gaze was the endless darkness of the night.

I liked taking walks at night.

The moonlit world was very quiet and helped dispel the doubts in my heart.

Although I hadn’t felt many doubts recently, I had once gone through a period in the previous world where I had wavered between my ideals and reality in my quest to become a Shadow Eminence.

While absentmindedly training myself during that period was very handy, going for a night walk and re-evaluating myself was also a good thing.

Just gazing up at the moon in this quiet landscape felt very much like what a Shadow Eminence would do.

If there were any noisy bosozoku around, I would smite them with my crowbars in the name of justice.

Oh well. In any case, I often went for walks at night for this reason after entering the academy.

Recently, I had acquired a hobby of gazing down at the world of night from above.

“Kukuku…”

Laughing boldly like that felt really cool.

The moon looked great tonight.

I held up the crimson gemstone, now free of Delta’s slobber, and held it up before the moon.

Its deep red color was filled with a fantastic feeling. It was lovely.

“Looks like it’s filled with mana. I wonder how much it’ll go for?”

My my, Delta really did a good job.

I was looking forward to its appearance at a Mitsugoshi auction.

If it could sell for a high price, then I could buy up everything I needed for the Shadow Eminence Ensemble that I had in my heart.

Things like a scarf of black lion mane, dining utensils made of dark crystal, and…

“…Hm?”

After looking to the side, I saw an uncle in a dark robe standing on the corner of a rood.

You hardly saw anyone hanging around in places like these.

Hm? Upon closer inspection, wasn’t that robe he was wearing made of dark spider silk!?

There was no doubt about that, given its deep black color and its luster.

That exquisite texture was something you couldn’t find in cheap goods.

“…Truly excellent taste.”

I observed this uncle with excellent taste.

His silver hair descended to his waist.

His face looked sculpted, and his eagle-like eyes looked really cool too.

Upon listening closely, I realized he was muttering under his breath.

“It’s later than the arranged time. After consulting the diagram…”

Looks like he was a thief.

The only people who would have diagrams were people trying to sneak into the Academy.

After all, it would seem the academy had a lot of valuable relics in it.

So basically, he was a stylish thief.

“So they intervened after all. But if they cause trouble… then all we have to do is eliminate them.”

All he did was mumble about deep-sounding stuff. He had no idea that I had spotted him.

His choice of words was pretty tasteful too.

Just then, this stylish thief suddenly turned to look at me.

Our eyes met.

I had hidden my presence, but not my body, so obviously I would be seen.

“What!? You, when did you–”

“Ah, don’t worry, I’m just out for a walk.”

Since I had no intention of interfering with him, I said so up front, to show that I was harmless.

“I don’t see anyone from the knight orders around. Who are you, then?”

“I’m just an ordinary student.”

“A student, are you… Well, judging by your words and actions, you’re probably not lying. I didn’t expect to be spotted by an ordinary student on my first day here.”

“Oh well, these things happen. See you, then.”

“Wait a minute. Since you’ve seen me, you have to be eliminated.”

“Ah, I have no intention of getting in your way. I know nothing about thieves sneaking into Midgar Academy–”

But this stylish thief was not listening to me at all.

“Bad luck for you, kid.”

“Whoops.”

I immediately dodged the twin sickles aimed at my head.

He was pretty fast for a thief.

Well, that was a stylish thief for you.

“What–! You avoided it!?”

He was wary now, and pulled away from me.

“You… Looks like you’re not just an ordinary student.”

The stylish thief’s voice lowered in pitch.

“I don’t plan to interfere with you, though.”

“Given your moves, are you from the special forces of the knight orders? To think you could deceive me; you’re the first one to pull that off.”

“I’m just an ordinary student.”

“Oh please, are you serious? You must have been the one who killed Dark Smile too, right? He was never one to call for help. So it’s obvious why they’d send me, the Dark Spider, over here…”

“Erm, I think you’ve got the wrong person.”

“Still, your luck really is bad.”

“My luck?”

“Because I – I’m stronger than Dark Smile.”

The stylish thief swung his sickles at my arm.

Clang!

My arm made a harsh, clashing sound, and sparks flew.

“What? I couldn’t cut it!?”

I transformed my uniform.

The black slime moved like it was flowing. It covered my arm and transformed into a hooked claw.

“That black outfit, you’re from Shadow Garden…”

The stylish thief hastily backed away from me.

However, nothing he did would change the outcome.

“So fast–!”

I quickly closed the distance to him and ripped his heart out with my claws.

“How could… this, this power…”

“Hm?”

He grabbed the claw with both hands as his face twisted.

“I didn’t think… no, how, in this place… acting like a student… Fen…rir-sama… I’m very…”

At this point, he coughed up vast gouts of blood.

“Good grief. Yet another pointless killing.”

In order to keep his blood from staining it, I stole his dark spidersilk robe before booting him off the roof.

“–Oh dear.”

Looking down, I found that the stylish thief had fallen to his death.

That alone would be fine, but he had fallen right on top of a bronze statue, and he had been unlucky enough to be impaled by its sword.

For some reason it looked like he had been executed.

Now how should I dispose of the body?

“…Meh, I’ll just leave it.”

There was blood everywhere and it looked like it would be a pain to clean up.

I’ll just treat it as a surprise gift for the students living ordinary lives in school. Yeah, that’s right.

“Hm?”

I suddenly noticed a mysterious white mist around me.

But there hadn’t been any mist until just now.

“Mist…?”

But in the blink of an eye, the mist vanished.

“Huh, was I imagining things… No way.”

I could not have gotten it wrong.

It might have only been for a moment, but I did see a white mist.

“…Oh well, it doesn’t matter.”

Seeing that white mist would not affect my life in any way. If you wanted to look at mist, you could go to the mountains and see as much of it as you wanted.

More importantly, I ought to hang up this dark spidersilk robe on my wall before going to sleep.

That place was covered in dim white mist.

The light from four cylindrical pillars illuminated the surroundings.

“Their suitability is really low… I guess these subjects are just too bad. We haven’t been able to obtain any demonic possession victims recently.”

A slender man stood in front of the pillars’ radiance.

He looked at the document in his hands, made some notes there, and sighed.

“Has the subject procurement team reported in yet?”

Upon closer inspection, something seemed to appear within the red radiance.

It was a human being.

Four human beings floated in the light, connected by what looked like tubes.

These tubes extended and shrank like living creatures, as though they were sucking something out. The faces of the four people were lifeless now.

“There’s no time. At this rate…”

He paced around in front of the red light.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the mist.”

“Sairyu-kun. What is the situation like?” (TL Note: ç»†æŸ³/Slender Willow. Since it had kana on it I assumed it wasn’t a nickname like Dark Smile or Dark Spider but intended to be pronounced in the JP way.)

The owner of the choice came to a halt and spoke.

The man called “Sairyu” quickly adjusted his posture.

“We’ve secured four subjects with suitable mana from among the students. Since we’ve successfully begun absorbing their mana, it should only be a matter of time before the seal is opened…”

“A matter of time, hm. As I recall, you had four subjects before this?

“Ah, Shadow Garden intervened and interfered with us…”

Gurgle. Sairyu gulped.

“I have heard something to that effect before.”

“On that note, our opposition seems to be a member of Shadow Garden with leader-class strength.”

“Hm… One of the Seven Shades, then?”

The man whose form was unseen seemed to be interested in this.

“I’m afraid so. It must be one of the Seven Shades who hasn’t shown herself before.”

“In that case, she ought to be Zeta.”

“Yes, she seems very adept at stealth…”

“I hadn’t heard any news of her entering combat, so I thought she was not skilled in battle.”

“Since Dark Smile has been killed, that means she’s stronger than one of the Named Children, at least.”

“Hm. Isn’t that interesting. As I recall, you brought over someone to replace Dark Smile, right?”

“Just in case, I brought over Dark Spider, one of the stronger Named Children. That way, the plan will…”

“If you mean that Dark Spider, he’s already dead.”

“…Huh?”

“He was found impaled in the Academy.”

“That… that’s…”

“It’s true.”

“R-Really? No, of course not, I had no intention of doubting you. In that case, he must have been killed by Zeta, right?”

“Who knows? I have no idea who did it, but Shadow Garden does move quickly. If only I had subordinates like that. I’m quite envious…”

“Haha…”

“So what do you intend to do if the plan is delayed?”

“I intend to call more reinforcements from HQ.”

“The credit crunch from earlier has greatly decreased our funds. We could probably send reinforcements from the 2nd or the 3rds, but do you really think we can deal with them even if we put a bunch of small fry together?”

“Ah, I..”

“Shadow Garden has noticed this relic. That means we have very little time before they break through the defense system.

“We’ve found a suitable subject; Claire Kageno. If it is permissible, there is also Alexia Midgar. With these two, I believe we can complete the plan immediately.

“Alexia Midgar, hm…”

“Will it be difficult, after all?”

“…No, we’ll do as you said. Besides, Zenon already made a move on her, so we can go a little overboard with her. After all, we of the Fenrir Faction have been managing the Kingdom of Midgar for a long time.”

“I will send my men at once.”

“You will go in person, Sairyu.”

“Eh…!”

“You should be missing field work too, right? Since the school found you a position, you should make full use of it.”

“Ah, but my arm…”

Just then, a gust of wind grazes past Sairyu’s neck, leaving a scar there.

“I’m sure that someone in Sairyu’s position ought to make those two careless.”

“…Yes.”

“I’m finetuning the Relic. Make sure you get it done well.”

“Yes.”

Sairyu ran off like he was fleeing.

“…Now then.”

An image was projected in the mist.

It showed two girls; a gold-haired beastwoman and a pink-haired human.

They were from Shadow Garden.

“This is Zeta, and that Saint, hm… I didn’t expect Shadow Garden would grab her. What would the other countries do if they knew?”

The images of Zeta and Victoria moved onward toward the mist.

There was another figure behind them.

That person wore a robe that was not like the attire of Shadow Garden. Their face was covered by a hood.

“So they’ve broken through to the third layer of the defense system. According to Sairyu’s work…”

As he muttered to himself, the man’s presence vanished.

The projection continued in this empty realm.

Within the image, a pair of golden eyes looked toward this place.

Chapter 2 - A Shocking Morning And The Campus Murder Case!!

I felt very refreshed when I woke up.

All that was thanks to the free robe of dark spidersilk I obtained last night. I admired it in the light of the morning sun, then headed over to the Academy slightly earlier than usual.

I hadn’t gone to school by myself for a while.

Hyoro and Jaga were always on the verge of coming late to school.

Going a little early every now and then wasn’t a bad thing.

The faces of the students along the way were also quite novel, and the sensation of bathing in the morning sun as I entered the gates was simply wonderful…

“…This is terrible.”

“What are you doing here, Poochie?”

“What are YOU doing here, Alexia?”

I entered the school gates and found Alexia standing there.

“You ought to be happy to see me bright and early in the morning.”

“Wow, I’m sooooo happy.”

“You should be.”

“Guess I am. Bye then.”

“Hold it, get back here.”

Just as I was about to make a hasty exit, Alexia immediately moved up next to me.

“Why are you following me?”

“That way I can catch up with you immediately if you try to flee.”

“Are you some kind of beast or something?”

“You should feel honored to be able to go to school with me, right?”

“…”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…I was thinking that you must be feeling overjoyed by now.”

“It’s a far cry from you.”

As we talked while we walked, the area in front of the school dorms had mysteriously filled up with people.

I could hear the murmurs of the students from here.

“Someone… Someone died!

“Who could have been so cruel…”

“Hey, don’t get so close! The knights will be coming soon, and until then…”

Alexia and I couldn’t help but exchange looks.

“There’s a corpse!”

“Let’s go take a look.”

This was a long-awaited surprise in our unchanging school life.

The pounding in my heart was thus only to be expected.

In order to see what kind of corpse it was, I peered through the crowd.

And then — it hit me.

“Ah, so that’s what they were talking about.”

Now that I thought about it, I had left that stylish thief’s body there after kicking him off the roof last night.

I had completely forgotten about it.

“How terrible… I can’t believe he was impaled on the statue’s sword. Was it an execution?”

“I think it was just a coincidence.”

“That can’t be. There must have been some reason to kill someone in such a distinctive way.”

“Really now.”

Alexia stared at the body with a serious expression on her face.

“Who is he? He doesn’t look like someone from the Academy.”

“He’s probably a thief.”

“He doesn’t look like he’s from the knights either. He was probably an intruder…”

“I think he was just a thief.”

“Could he be from the cult? Or perhaps…”

“Like I’ve been saying, I think he’s just a thief.”

“You’ve been really noisy since just now. How could he be a mere thief?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Meh, whatever.

The students around us also looked very happy. When thinking about this, I could say that this was just as I had planned back then.

“How scary… Could it be that group from before who did it?”

“They haven’t found those students from before who went missing, have they?”

“And then there was that mana incident from a few days ago. There must be something going on behind the scenes.”

Everyone was happy, so happy.

Granted the truth was just a cat and a dog fighting and a thief falling to his death. But the fact that they had managed to stir things up like this pleased me, the one who had set everything in motion.

Now what should I do… Perhaps I should dress up again as Shadow tonight to add to the excitement.

“Why are you laughing to yourself with such a disgusting expression on your face?”

“Hm? Ah, no, it’s nothing.”

Alexia looked at me in a strange way with those red eyes of hers.

“Excuse me, you two.”

Just then, a male student approached us.

He was a handsome guy with dark green hair… In other words, Isaac-kun.

“Yo, Isaac-kun. How dare you take yesterday off.”

“Ah, I believe you should be Cid-kun, right? I had something to do yesterday. Did something happen?”

“We had a class quiz yesterday.”

“Indeed, we did. What happened?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Never mind, then. More importantly, classes today are canceled.”

“I see.”

“After all, a very serious incident took place. The school’s staff and the knights will begin an investigation, so we’ve received instructions to clear the scene. Since the culprit might still be lurking here, you must be extra careful. You must not leave the dorms.”

“Mhm.”

“Since it’s dangerous, you’d better be careful too, Poochie.”

“Yes, ma’am —”

Just then, I felt something close around my neck with a clack.

Is that a collar?

“Got you at last.”

Looking back, I saw Nee-san standing there with a smile on her face.

“H-hey, it’s been a while, Nee-san.”

“It really has. The last time I saw you was before winter break.”

“S-so it was.”

Crap, I was careless.

I had gone off on my own instead of meeting Nee-san because I thought it would be a pain.”

“Uh, Claire, this collar…”

“What’s the matter with this collar?”

“Is this YOUR collar, Claire?”

“Yup. It should have been in my room, but for some reason the knights were holding on to it. I had to put in a lot of effort to get it back.”

“I, I see. And what is it for?”

“What it’s for… Isn’t that obvious?”

There was a rattling noise as Nee-san smiled while lifting a chain.

“Ah, er, yeah, that makes sense… I see, dogs do need leashes after all.”

“Yup yup, this collar is essential~”

“Ah, but I’m not a dog.”

“What are you talking about, Poochie?”

“You say the strangest things, Cid. Come on, Poochie, let’s go. No wait, that should be Cid.”

Nee-san tugged on the chain and dragged me away in full view of all the spectators.

Since when were these two such good friends?

“You have a lot of nerve standing me up.”

“Ah, ahahaha.”

Nee-san brought me to her room where she got on top of me in a mounted position.

“And you lied to me on top of that.”

“I lied? Which one are you referring to?”

“Did you just say which one?”

She fastened her hands around my neck.

Crap, I screwed myself.

I had lied to Nee-san so many times that I had completely forgotten which lie she was talking about.

“It, it hurts…”

It didn’t hurt at all, though.”

“You didn’t lie to me about other things, did you?”

“Not at all, not at all.”

I sure as hell had.

“Really?”

“Yes, really!”

Nee-san brought her face close, until our noses were almost touching, and looked me in the eye.

“…Your eyes are so clear. That’s the sign of a pure soul. Looks like you weren’t lying.”

Talk about looking but not seeing.

“You know I’d find out soon enough even if you lied to me. Why did you lie?”

“I know now, it was that lie, right? The one from earlier.”

“Yes, it was the one about Nina.”

“About Nina-senpai?”

Huh?

I never lied to her about Nina-senpai.

“You didn’t forget, did you?”

“Of course not. It’s about Nina-senpai, right? If it’s about her, then the situation is very complex and hard to explain…”

“(Sigh) I guess you just lied about it so I’d think you were great.”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“I’ve already anticipated everything you could be thinking.”

“Yes. and I’m reflecting on my actions now.”

“Alright then, I’ll forgive you. But just this once, okay?”

At last, this conversation was over.

Or at least, it should have been, but Nee-san kept staring at me.

“Nee-san, you’re heavy. Shouldn’t you be getting up now… gack.”

My, my neck…

“Cid, did you say something just now?”

“Nee, Nee-san, you’re very light, you have an amazing body, you’re the fairest of them all.”

“That’s true. It’s only to be expected.”

“Yeah, it makes perfect sense.”

“Ufufu. You’re still the same Cid no matter how big you get. I hope you’ll stay like this forever. I…”

For some reason, Nee-san had a severe mood around her.

“Nee-san?”

“As long as you can stay like this, I’ll face any enemy, no matter how strong they are.”

“Ah…”

Was her illness from before still acting up?

“Cid, listen to me. A powerful organization is closing its talons around the school right now.”

“Ah, so you’re going with this pattern.”

“No, listen. I can’t tell you all the details for the sake of your safety… Not even if you look at me with those eyes.”

“I see.”

“I’m going to solve the mystery behind this school. It will be dangerous… But if it’s for your sake, then I’ll do my best.”

“All the best.”

“Please be careful, Cid. You’re my brother, so they might have their eye on you too. But your Nee-san will try had too. I’ll defeat all the bad guys…”

“Yes, defeat them.”

“I’m sorry to worry you, and I’m sorry I can’t tell you about all these important things. However, this is to protect you. I know it sounds like I’m just talking nonsense, but I hope you can understand me.”

“I understand.

“Also… If I don’t make it back… If I die…”

Just as Nee-san was telling me all this with tears streaming down her face, she suddenly looked up and glared into thin air.

“Excuse me, Aurora, but we’re having a moment here, so would you mind piping down a little? Eh, what? You want me to stop because it’s embarrassing? What’s embarrassing about this–”

Then, her eyes met mine as I looked up at her with the utmost sincerity.

“Nee-san…”

“Ah, this, this is, it it it it’s nothing, nothing at all, I was just talking to myself!”

“Nee-san, I understand.”

“Cid… You understand me? But there are very deep reasons for this.”

“Of course I do.”

These were symptoms of chuunibyou, after all.

“Thank you, Cid. You’re wasted on me as my little brother. If… If I die…”

Huge teardrops oozed down Nee-san’s cheeks.

“You’ll be fine, Nee-san. You won’t die.”

“Cid–! I promise, I promise I’ll come back!!”

“There there.”

She hugged me so hard that I thought my spine would snap.

When will this farce end?

At long last, it was nightfall.

I snuck out of the dorm and stood on the campus roof, as usual.

The academy was on high alert and all movement in and out of the dorms was carefully scrutinized. The students all seemed uneasy too.

Who would have thought that thief from last night would have drawn so much attention? That extraordinary feeling was definitely an exciting one.

In my previous life, I was the kind who got excited when a typhoon hit.

A classroom that was gloomy and dark despite being in the middle of the day, the intense wind and rain – it was all just amazing.

For some reason, it felt like something was about to happen, although the truth was that nothing had happened.

Still, wasn’t it my mission to make something happen by using the experience from my past life?

The students were tired of their ordinary school lives, and they craved something that would destroy it.

“Now what should I do?”

First, we had the four missing students. Then the cat and dog fight. Then that thief who fell to his death… What kind of grand event could there be that would link all of them up?

“A gigantic magic circle or something, chanting spells or something… But they all seem pointless too. Hm?”

Just as I was thinking about this, I found that my surroundings were filled with white mist.

“Huh? I saw this yesterday too… Is this some weird weather thing?”

After that, my vision turned white and I was brought to a boundless, white-colored realm.”

“Hm? What is it?”

It was the feeling of an imaginary wind.

I think I’d experienced being suddenly teleported to another dimension before. If I’m not wrong, it was called the Sanctuary or something…

“Who, who’s that?”

There was a little girl in this white-colored domain.”

She was a little younger than me and wore a one-piece dress that was all white. Her eyes were as purple as violets.

“Yo, it’s been a while.”

Although her age was a little different, I could tell at a glance. She was Violet-san.

“Who are you? Are you a new researcher?”

“You mean, you don’t remember?”

“I, I don’t know.”

“Now that you mention it, I think you said something about something happening to your memory.”

“Stay away…”

The young Violet-san seemed to be wary of me.

“You don’t need to be afraid. I might not be a friend of justice, but I’m not a villain who brings despair either.”

“W-why are you here…”

“I wonder. I was already here by the time I realized it. How about you?”

“I… I… ahhhhhhh…”

She grabbed her head.

“Are you alright?”

“I… why… AHHHHHHHHH!”

She grabbed her head and screamed.

It would seem she was in pain.

“Oh, you don’t need to force yourself to recall your memories. I’m a pretty forgetful person myself. I quickly forget irrelevant things so I can focus on what’s important. It’s also to reduce the amount of memory they take up in my brain.”

“I, I am… no… stop, stop… NOOOOOOO!”

As she screamed, she unleashed a fearsome wave of mana.

“Goodness. Like I said, it’s okay if you can’t remember.”

I turned aside the mana coming from Violet-san.

And then I approached her, step by step.

“Stay back aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!”

“What’s with his mana, anyway?”

It startled me.

Although adult Violet-san was amazing too, this was far beyond her.

Still, deflecting a stream of mana that was pouring out in a straight line was simple enough.

I shifted the vector of the oncoming mana as I approached, and then I grabbed her.

“No, no, no, no, doooooooooon’t!”

“There there.”

I grabbed Miss Violet and infused my mana into her.

It followed the same guidelines as healing demonic possession, and full-body contact would improve the efficiency of doing so.

“Leggo… let go… of me…”

“If you can’t remember it, it’s okay to forget.”

After I infused my mana into her, she slowly began to calm down from her berserk state.

Her power began to fade, and the tension dissolved.

“Then… Then what if I can’t forget?”

She said this in a still, small voice.

“Who knows. But if you don’t think about it, you’ll eventually forget about it someday.”

“…I can’t do that.”

“Really now. Are you feeling calmer now?”

“Um… yeah.”

After I let go of Violet-san, she looked down in embarrassment.

“Now then, how should I get out of here?”

“…Are you leaving?”

As she watched me step forward, she padded after me.

“It’s going to happen eventually. Right now, I’m investigating how to leave this place.

This place was nothing but white as far as the eye could see. I couldn’t tell if there was an exit around.

“Everybody’s gone.”

“That might not be the case.”

“Everyone’s dead.”

“Well, that’s definitely possible.”

“Will you die too?”

“I won’t die.”

I could live for at least 600 years, though I was still studying how to go past that.

“You’re lying.”

“Perhaps.”

“Don’t go.”

“…But you can leave too if I find the exit, right? It would be simple enough if I just blew this place to bits.”

After all, that was how the adult Violet-san had vanished too.

“I can’t leave.”

“I see.”

“Don’t go.”

“…We’ll meet again.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not.”

“Then… give that to me.”

Violet-san pointed at my pocket.

I took out the red gem from my pocket.

“Yup. That’s mine.”

“It feels warm for some reason. It calms me down.”

“But it’s just a gemstone, isn’t it?”

“No. It’s more important than that.”

“I know.”

“Mhm.”

Just then, I heard the sound of a door closing.

Violet-san’s body twitched.

There were no doors anywhere in this pure white space, but I definitely heard that sound just now.

“Hey, where did you go!?”

I also heard a voice.

“Are you hiding, No. –!?”

“I, I have to go.”

“Ah, wait.”

A fissure appeared in the white realm.

“You’d better behave, or do you want to suffer–”

“Wait, I’ll give you–”

I reached for her hand, and then this white ream suddenly broke open.

“–this.”

The crimson gem I offered fell to the ground with a clatter.

I was once again on the roof from before.

The white mist, that white-colored realm and that girl in the white dress were all gone.

I picked up the fallen gemstone and put it back in my pocket.

“So you’re nearby, hm, Violet-san.”

I tried dispersing mana particles to sense her presence.

However, I could not find her.

Instead, I found–

“Isn’t this Nee-san and Alexia?”

What were they doing over there?

“It’s open. Over here.”

The moonlight shone on the two figures attempting to break into the library.

They were Alexia and Claire.

Alexia snuck in first,, then attempted to watch her surroundings in a stiff, clumsy manner.

Just then–

“You know, you really are getting in my way.”

“Ouch.”

Claire fell down from above.

What the heck are you doing? I told you I’d make sure everything was safe first, right?

Alexia quashed her anger at being stepped on as she said this.

“You’ll be spotted if you’re slow, you know. Speed is of the essence.”

“Okay, fine. Just get off me already.”

Claire shifted aside and Alexia managed to stand up.

“Let’s move, Alexia. We have to succeed, no matter what.”

“Well, someone’s pretty motivated.”

“That’s because I’ve got a reason why I can’t fail. I’ve got a place to go back to–”

Claire clenched her fist, her eyes filled with determination.

“…Although I don’t know why you’re like this, motivation is good.”

Alexia led the way and opened the lock on a door deep within the library.

“How did you get that key?”

“Royal authority.”

“I see. Is this the restricted archive?”

There were neat rows of towering bookshelves inside the room.

“No, this is just the book vault. The restricted archive should be deeper within–”

Alexia stopped in front of a massive bookcase.

“Well, this is a big one. Are these ancient runes…”

“This bookshelf is an artifact in itself. There was a little incantation in one of the fairy tales Otou-sama told me when I was young.”

“An incantation?”

Alexia took a deep breath.

“Chichin Pui Pui, Open Sesame!”

The silence lasted for a long, long time.

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“No, I’m not joking! I’m serious! That incantation should have worked!”

“What an idiot.”

“Did I get the incantation wrong… Chinchin Pui Pui, was that it–”

Just them.

The massive bookcase opened with a low grinding sound.

“Looks like Chinchin was the answer!” (TL Note: yes, the author was trying to make a dick joke)

Alexia said so with a smug look on her face.

“It probably took a while to open because it was so old.”

Alexia and Claire continued forward.

“This is amazing…”

After entering the restricted archive, all they could do was gasp in awe.

The bright and colorful chandeliers illuminated gigantic bookshelves. The volumes on those shelves were a little faded, but all had a unique style of their own.

“So, which of these books contains the history of the school?

Claire asked as she carefully studied the rows of book spines that extended into parts unknown.

If they had to go book by book, they might still be searching by the time the sun came up.

“We’ll just have to pray.”

“Quit messing around.”

“I told you, I’m not messing around! You do it like this–”

Alexia waggled her arms by the side of her head in a strange way.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Building the mood. School history, school history, school history… Chinchin Pui Pui!”

“You are such a dork.”

However, in the next moment…

There was a flash of light and a book flew over.

The book came to a halt, and hovered in front of Alexia, then opened to its first page.

“No way…”

“See? I told you, right?”

“What a ridiculous artifact. I want to smash it.”

“Aw, don’t be like that. It’s a pretty obedient and cute artifact, don’t you think?”

“So anyway, what does that book say?”

Claire said that with a look of annoyance on her face.

“Er. I can’t read it.”

“These… These are ancient runes.”

“I can still understand the simpler runes, but these are too difficult. What about you, Claire?”

“I only know the basics of ancient runes. It isn’t a very popular topic, so I guess only the more academic types would learn them.”

“That’s true.”

“So what do we do now?”

“At times like these… Chinchin Pui Pui~ Translate it for me!”

Alexia spoke in a cutesy voice and made a heart shape with her hands.

“That’s disgusting, and there’s no way that’d work, right?”

“Well, how do we know if we don’t try? For all we know, it might actually have such a handy function.”

“You, you, you want it translated, right? Dyuhuhuhu…”

A revolting voice echoed through the restricted archive.

“Eh, it spoke!?”

“Is someone there?”

The two of them looked around, but there was no sign of anyone else.

“I, I I, I’m the spirit of the archive. You want me to translate it for you, right?”

“I expected nothing less of an artifact that is this academy’s pride and joy.”

“That’s just gross… It must be the voice of some fatty.”

“Look Claire, you don’t have to go that far.”

“Uh… So, so you don’t need it translated, then…”

“See, now it’s throwing a tantrum.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry.”

“Archive-san, we’ll leave the translation to you.”

“Mufufufu… I, I’ll do my best! Which which which which part do you want translated?”

“Ahm, we’d like to know where the Right Arm of Diablos is sealed.”

“That, that, that would be underneath the Academy. There’s a relic site down there.”

“Ah… I see. Well, that was easy…”

“…You’re surprisingly capable.”

The restricted volume floating in mid-air turned its page and the translated section glowed faintly.

“Long, long ago, the heroes and Diablos fought here. After that, Diablos lost its right arm and it was sealed away. Then all kinds of things happened and it became a relic site.”

“All kinds of things?”

“It seems there was a dispute over the right arm of Diablos. They weren’t recorded in detail, but it ended up being hidden in the underground ruins for various reasons.”

“Is there a way to enter the underground ruins?”

“Yes. There appears to be a chapel of some sort somewhere in school. You can enter it from there.”

“And where is this”somewhere”, then?”

“Dyuhuhu… I can’t tell you what wasn’t written down.”

“Tch. How useless… In any case, we know what the Diablos Cult is up to now. They’re trying to break the seal on the Right Arm.”

“Then why did they kidnap those students?”

“Probably to break the seal, I think. You could easily open the seal by using mana that’s similar to that of the seal.”

“So they went after the students with compatible mana, then. Want to try looking for that sealed chapel?”

“…I should inform onee-sama first.”

Alexia seemed to have made up her mind as she said this.

“Now that you mention it, you ARE a royal, aren’t you? Couldn’t you have done that from the start?”

“Do you think I haven’t been doing anything?

“Huh?”

“I’ve told her many times, about the Academy incident, the Sanctuary incident, and so on…”

“Alexia…”

“But… It should work this time. I have proof this time, and onee-sama will definitely believe me.”

“Do, do your best, Alexia-chan~”

“Shut the fuck up, you disgusting fat pig.”

Alexia glared at it like she was going to kill someone.”

“Aiiieeeee….”

“Alexia… we ought to leave the archive. Someone will find us if we spend too long here.”

“You have a point, But before that, is there a book which contains detailed information about the Diablos Cult?

A short silence followed.

“…It does not exist here.”

“Really now… It can’t be helped, then.”

“See you.”

“Buh, buh-bye… be careful…”

Alexia and Claire were enfolded by mana and by the time they came to, they had returned to the original book vault.

“With this book, I’m sure onee-sama will…”

Alexia clutched the book to her chest and left the vault.

Just then–

“Where are you going with that restricted volume?”

“–!?”

Alexia and Claire simultaneously looked back.

A tall old man was standing in the shadows of the bookshelves.

His face was elongated and his eyes were sunken in. Those round eyes were staring at them.

“You, you’re the Head Librarian…”

Alexia hid the book behind her back, but it was too late.

“Princess Alexia, even for you, taking away a restricted volume without permission is a severe crime, and it is even more so for that ordinary student beside you.”

He shifted his gaze to Claire and narrowed his eyes.

Either she would be disciplined or expelled. That might affect her brother too.

“Should we kill him?”

Claire said so very quietly. Her eyes were fixed on the librarian.

Alexia hurriedly shoved Claire aside.

“Head, Head Librarian! There’s a very good reason for this! Can you please hear me out?”

“Since there is something you wish to say, Princess Alexia, then I must listen to you.”

“Thank you very much.”

“Let’s go somewhere else. Please follow me.”

The Head Librarian left the library as he spoke.

Alexia followed after him while quietly addressing Claire behind her.

“What the hell was that all about just now!?”

“People will look down on Cid if I become a criminal! They’ll say your sis committed a crime and bully him! And he’s so fragile that he might kill himself…”

“He won’t. Trust me on that.”

Alexia couldn’t help but sigh.”

“Please hurry, Princess Alexia.”

“Ah, coming.”

Alexia grabbed Claire’s hand and jogged after the Head Librarian.

“Ah, where are we going?”

Alexia called out to the Head Librarian who was walking in front of her.

They had been following this tall man through a darkened corridor.

“We’re almost there.”

“We could talk in a classroom, right?”

“…In that case, let’s do it here.”

After that, the Head Librarian stopped.

Right there, in the middle of the corridor.

“Here?”

“Ah, yes. The preparations are complete.”

He turned back and smiled.

It was an unlikable smile, and Alexia frowned.

“…Alexia.”

Behind her, Claire patted her shoulder.

“There’s mist…”

“Mist?”

She looked around and discovered that a white mist had sprung up in the corridor at some point.

“Why is there mist here…”

The mist quickly grew thicker.

She heard the sound of splintering from somewhere.

“This was just like when I was attacked…”

“The same?”

And right after that, the world shattered.

The scenery around them fragmented like pieces of a broken mirror.

“What, what is this!?”

They should have been in a campus corridor, but her surroundings were nothing like that now.

This was a world wreathed in white.

She could smell a sweet odor from somewhere.

“Alexia, draw your sword.”

At Claire’s urging, Alexia drew her sword.

“We’ve been surrounded.”

“Hm?”

After sensing for the presence of others, she realized that there were many people in the mist.

They were looking at them and slowly drawing closer. They did not seem friendly.

“Well done on noticing them, Claire.”

“Well, Ghost-san is pretty good herself.”

“I see. So tell me, Head Librarian.”

Alexia turned her sword toward the Head Librarian.

He was standing in the mist, a faint smile on his face.

“What is the matter, Princess Alexia?”

“What on earth is going on?”

Now that things had gotten this far, Alexia wasn’t dumb enough to still be trusting him.

“Good grief, you’re more perceptive than I expected.”

The Head Librarian drew a pair of massive natas.

There was one in each hand.

“My, what dangerous weapons though are. I thought that since you were a librarian, you might fight your bottles with the pen and paper.

“The pen and paper are used to describe one’s ideals. But reality is built with swords.”

And with that, he raised the natas in his hands.

“I’ll handle the Head Librarian. You take care of the enemies around us, Claire.”

“Got it.”

Back to back, the pair took their fighting stances, and then the battle began.

A two-hit nata combo swept out of the white mist.

Alexia stepped back to avoid the first hit, and then swatted the second one aside with her sword.

“Hm.”

As the Head Librarian watched in surprise, Alexia launched a counterattack.

Her strike, which flowed naturally and without hesitation, left a shallow cut on the Head Librarian’s face.

“Well now.”

He immediately pulled back to re-adjust his stance, and then he wiped the blood off his cheek.

“I’m surprised. This is nothing like the Princess Alexia that I know.”

There was sincere praise in the Librarian’s voice.

“I’m still growing, after all.”

“Even so, that was well done. A person’s sword contains the accumulated essence of their being. Before, you were simply imitating Princess Iris. But now, you have been elevated. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that something else was mixed in, and that is what you are expressing.”

“You certainly seem idle enough to analyze me.”

“Ah, but of course.”

“–Even when I do this?”

Claire said this from behind him.

She was surrounded by several fallen foes, who shattered and faded away.

The Head Librarian’s brow twitched in surprise.

“So all seven of the Seconds were wiped out. It seems you were the winner of this year’s Bushin Festival, Claire Kagenou. You should not have become this strong yet. It seems you have employed some kind of strange power.”

“…You can see it?”

“You were using a red tentacle. How interesting.”

He had not missed Claire’s battle while fighting Alexia.

And so, Alexia and Claire faced the Head Librarian together.

“It’s two on one now.”

“Now the tables have turned.”

“Is that how it looks to you?”

Yet, for some reason, he remained as composed as ever.

“You’re strong, but the two of us can beat you.”

“Ah, youth.”

“You seem pretty calm.”

“Because I’ve already given up.”

“You’ve given up?”

“I’ve already given up the sword. This world is broad, and there is always someone better out there. Therefore, I’m not particularly resentful about the fact that the two of you are so talented. I’m sure the two of you will soon surpass someone like me.”

“Since you’ve given up, then hurry up and surrender so I can make you tell me everything you know.”

In response to Alexia’s statement, the Head Librarian laughed.

“You really are too young. Just because I’m not bothering with swords doesn’t mean I can’t fight by other means.”

“Huh?”

A sweet scent washed over them.

After that, a pair of clattering noises filled the air.

They were the sounds of Alexia and Claire’s swords hitting the ground.

“What…”

“My, my strength…”

“This scent belongs to a drug that relaxes the muscles and beguiles one’s mana.”

The Head Librarian looked down at the girls, who were unable to prevent themselves from collapsing to their knees.

“Why you… Didn’t you say you were going to fight with swords?”

“Both of you are very talented and you have bright futures. That is why someone like me could trip you up.”

The Head Librarian took out a rope and tied their arms up.

“Tell me… Why…”

“…Are you doing this?”

“You’re clearly very strong, so why do you still need to do this…”

“…Because there is always someone better. And my sword has already been broken.”

“Broken…? What do you mean?”

His gaze seemed to be staring at a place far into the distance.

“Once, there was a magic swordsman called Fenrir. Have you heard of him?”

“…No.”

“You should have. Anyone who lives in this country should know about him.”

Alexia thought back to the contestants of the Bushin Festival and all the other famous spellswords in other nations, but she had no clue.

“A magic swordsman called Fenrir… Wait, could it be the one from the fairytales!?”

“Yes, that Fenrir. He was once called the mightiest spellsword and was famous throughout the world.”

“Wait a minute! The magic swordsman Fenrir lived several hundred years ago! We don’t even know if he even existed.”

“Oh, he does exist. And he is still alive.”

“You say he’s still alive, but how… Could it be the Drops of Diablos!?”

Alexia recalled the story she heard in the sanctuary.

She also remembered the beings called the Knights of the Round Table, who had gained eternal life through the Drops of Diablos.

“So you even know about the Drops of Diablos. It would seem I can’t let you live after all.”

“What do you plan to do with us…”

“You will be sacrificed, of course. At first. I had no intention of doing anything to you, but recently we’ve had no luck at all recovering subjects of demonic possession.”

He took a bottle containing liquid from his pocket and brought it to Alexia’s mouth.

A strong, sweet scent filled the air.

“Have a nap, then. Enter an eternal slumber from which you will never wake…”

“Kuh…”

Alexia’s face contorted as she struggled to hold her breath. Even so, she felt her consciousness slowly drifting away.

“Alexia!”

“Cl…aire…”

At this moment.

The cracking sound of something being broken by force filled the air.

It was as though the world was being torn open by some tremendous pressure.

And then, the ceiling split open.

“Where… is this place?”

The Head Librarian put down the bottle and looked up.

A black figure descended through the shattered ceiling.

Tap.

With a quiet sound that seemed almost incongruous with this place, the black figure stood up.

“You…”

“You’re…”

A man in black stood tall amidst the white mist.

“Shadow!”

His coat flapped in the wind as he slowly drew his sword.

The Head Librarian’s face was grim as he drew his natas and took his stance.

“I didn’t think Shadow would appear in person… at least, I received no reports of it.”

“–How disgusting.”

Shadow spoke thus after glancing at the Head Librarian.

“Oh? And what exactly do you mean by that?”

“Your very existence.”

“…Indeed.”

The Head Librarian’s face twisted slightly. After that, he smiled, as though he was sick of himself too.

“Many things do not go your way in life. I have wandered for a long time and even had my sword broken. In the end, I was forced to expose myself in this wretched state. Calling that disgusting is, in fact, quite apt.”

The Head Librarian delivered this calmly.

“Still, even there was a point to this miserable life of mine.”

“…Oh?”

“Shadow, my journey’s destination is you. Perhaps that is an appropriate end for a fool whose sword is broken and who betrayed his country.”

“…So you have prepared yourself, then.”

“Ever since Zenon died, I had an inkling that things might end up like this. Therefore, at the very least, permit me, as a swordsman – to have at you.”

The massive natas cleaved through the mist toward Shadow.

–A person’s sword contains the accumulated essence of their being.

The Head Librarian’s words echoed in Alexia’s mind once again.

Indeed, his slash shone beautifully.

“–Well done.”

Shadow and that gleaming slash overlapped.

Just that overlapping was enough.

The hollow, fragile shards of the massive natas fell to the ground.

“So they broke?”

Their hilts, which were all that remained, made lonely-sounding clatters.

Shadow swung his sword.

A moment later, the air pressure of the strike scattered all the white mist.

The world began to break. The surroundings were covered in cracks and fissures as a creaking sound filled the air.

And then, the entire world shattered.

They were back in the real world, as though everything before had been a dream.

No, the Head Librarian, who lay a pool in his own blood, indicated that what happened before had not been an illusion.

“Shadow… So it wasn’t even a contest…”

The Head Librarian coughed and spat out a wad of blood.

“–The pinnacle is not yet in sight.”

Shadow’s black coat fluttered, and then he was gone.

“…So that was Shadow’s sword.”

Claire muttered to herself all of a sudden. The fact that the Head Librarian, whom she knew to be very strong, was so easily defeated without being able to so much as do anything to him made her shudder involuntarily.

“He’s gotten stronger…”

There was some resentment in Alexia’s mumblings.

Claire and Alexia undid their restraints together, and then stood up. Then, they looked down on the Head Librarian.

“Head Librarian…”

“I am… beyond saving.”

His chest had been very badly wounded.

“Were you a famous spellsword once?”

Alexia could not help but ask. That last strike of his was aesthetically pleasing in a way that only a top-grade exponent could perform.

“No… Just a nameless magic swordsman.”

He shook his head and answered.

He was lying. Even Alexia could tell that. After looking at his arms, she realized that there were very old scars there.

“Your arms…?”

“They were cut off… Although the Cult reattached them with their techniques, they could never move like they could before. Perhaps, in the past, I might have been able to use a slimmer blade.”

“Who cut them off?”

“…It was Fenrir. On that day, my sword was broken.”

“May I ask what happened?”

“Very well… I will tell you everything, until my life comes to an end.”

He looked down on the wound on his chest as he spoke.

Alexia and Claire sat down beside him.

“It happened roughly 50 years ago, when I was still among this country’s knights…”

The Head Librarian seemed to have awakened a distant memory as he looked out the window, at the clear night sky which had been revealed once the mist cleared.

“I joined the knight orders after winning the Bushin Festival. There, I exposed injustice and captured the wicked, and it seemed that my future was secure.”

“So you were an excellent spellsword after all.”

“I was simply coasting along. That was why I discovered there was evidence of evil which I could not touch. That there were pests infesting the Kingdom of Midgar… No, the entire world. You should have noticed too, haven’t you, Princess Alexia?”

“…You mean the Diablos Cult, right?”

“Indeed. Back then, I did not know about the existence of the cult, and so I thought they were simply priests who were up to no good. Thus, I entered the church.”

“The church?”

“I was still young then. So I believed that everything was permitted in the name of justice. I planned to smite the corrupt church with the hammer of righteousness.”

My underlings and I searched it, intending to find some decisive evidence that would prove their wicked ways.

However… Those ordinary clerics had nothing to do with their evil. They simply believed in their faith and spread the good word.

It was the same with the believers. No matter how I looked at them, they were simply believers of the church.

The only ones who had performed wrongdoings were a small fraction of the top echelons of the clergy.

I patiently observed those priests, and then found a secret room under the church. After descending a long set of stairs, I found a bone-chilling sight.

Countless rotting victims of demonic possession had been locked up in cells, moaning in misery. All of them were hurt and some of them had unknown things implanted in them.

As we were stunned, the door behind us closed.

It was a trap.

I sensed killing intent and defended myself.

After that, a dreadful impact sent me flying to the ground.

When I stood back up, I saw my severed left arm, as well as the corpses of my decapitated subordinates – and in their midst was that magic swordsman Fenrir.

I picked up my sword with my remaining arm and my anger drove me to swing at him. And in the end, I lost my right arm as well.

The Diablos Cult had become very used to eliminating “friends of justice” like me.

His gaze fell upon the old scars of his arms.

“His strength was overwhelming. Fenrir walked up to my fallen form and brought forward an unconscious woman. She was my wife. As a champion of the Bushin Festival who had risen swiftly through the ranks of the knights, I was probably a useful asset for the Cult. And so, I sold my soul to the Diablos Cult in order to ensure my wife’s safety…”

“…Where’s your wife? If she is safe, I can protect her.”

“Fortunately, she died of old age in her sleep without knowing anything.”

“Didn’t you think of fighting back?”

The Head Librarian shook his head with a deeply sorrowful expression on his face.

“The notion of resistance was cut away along with my arms. Please be careful, Princess Alexia, because you are going to walk upon the same road that I did. What awaits you there is despair and infinite darkness.”

In response to the stern gaze of the Head Librarian, Alexia replies without any hesitation.

“…Even so, I must do this, as a Princess of this country.”

The Head Librarian’s eyes narrowed, as though she were exceedingly bright.

“Magnificent. In that case, let me give you one last suggestion…”

A small trail of fresh blood escaped the Head Librarian’s lips along with a faint breath.

“Princess Alexia… do you know the aim of the Diablos Cult?”

“They want to resurrect the Demon Diablos, right?”

“And why does the Cult want to do that?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Alexia was briefly at a loss for words.

While she knew the Cult’s aim, she had not considered their motives at all.

“There are two reasons for this. One is to obtain greater power. All three heroes were female. All victims of demonic possession are also female. Only females are suitable hosts for Diablos’ cells. Therefore, the Cult can only gain their power through imperfect drugs.”

Saying so, the Head Librarian took several red pills from his pockets.

“Zenon used that medicine before.”

“He was a bad disciple.”

“But you didn’t.”

“That is because it is a disgrace for a magic swordsman… But still, the Cult discovered the possibilities of this drug. THey wanted to develop a perfected version of it, with stronger potency and no side effects. That was why they have been researching the heroes’ blood all this time. If the Demon Diablos was resurrected, they would probably be able to complete it. They would be able to gain an overwhelming power beyond that of the heroes.”

“That would be terrible.”

“However, the second reason is more important to the Cult. You know of the Drops of Diablos, don’t you?”

“They are droplets which can give eternal life, right?”

“Only 12 can be harvested each year, and anyone who drinks the Drops of Diablos will not age for a year. However, the amount of these drops is decreasing.”

“They’re decreasing? Why is that?”

“I do not know the reason why, but if the amount that is produced continues to decrease, they will soon lose their eternal lives. To the highest echelons of the Cult, that is absolutely intolerable. They want the Demon Diablos to be resurrected so the Drops of Diablos can be once again harvested en masse, and thus assure their eternal life. They, who rule the entire world from the shadows, operate unassailably under the leadership of their supreme executives, who enjoy eternal life. But without the Drops of Diablos, all this will be shaken… koff.”

The Head Librarian adjusts his breathing, and then he looks up at the moon floating in the night sky.

“Perhaps the appearance of Shadow Garden in this era was not an accident. This is the beginning of the end of their long rule. Therefore, you must… be careful. Are they truly… allies of justice who wish to protect the peace of the world?”

Alexia could not answer that question.

All she knew about Shadow Garden was that they were opposed to the Diablos Cult. Everything else was shrouded in mystery.

“Or perhaps… they simply wish to take it from the Cult…”

“Take what? What do you mean?”

“Eternal life… and this world… koff, koffkoff!!”

“Head Librarian…”

“Af-after the Cult is defeated… the rulers of the world… will be… Shadow… Garden… koff.”

The Head Librarian coughs up a huge wad of blood.

“Head Librarian–!”

“Pr-Princess Alexia…”

He breathed in painful gasps as he spoke.

“I leave this country’s future… in your hands…”

And then, the Head Librarian’s breathing ceased.

A beautiful girl with hair as red as fire looked down on the Head Librarian’s corpse.

She was the elder sister of Princess Alexia of the Kingdom of Midgar, Iris Midgar. After sending Claire back, Alexia told the knights about the incident.

“Onee-sama, the Head Librarian told me about the Diablos Cult’s plan before he died. They kidnapped students in order to break the seal on the right arm of the demon Diablos that was sealed–”

“Enough.”

Iris crudely interrupted Alexia’s words.

“Huh?”

“I’m tired of hearing this nonsense.”

“Non-nonsense?”

Alexia’s reply came in the form of a stunned question.

“Listen to me, Alexia. The Cult of Diablos does not exist.”

Iris looked Alexia in the eye with a serious expression.

“You say it doesn’t exist… What’s wrong, Onee-sama? Weren’t we going to investigate the Diablos Cult together?”

“The results of the investigation indicate that the Diablos Cult does not exist. That much is clear.”

It was not Iris who said those words.

They came from the tall man beside her. He had serpentine eyes and pale white skin, and they sent a chill down Alexia’s spine.

“And you are?”

“Greetings, Princess Alexia. I am the vice captain of the Crimson Knights, Hab.”

“He is Glen’s successor. He is a very capable man.”

“…It is an honor.”

Hab smiled thinly after being praised by Iris.

“Now then, why do you say that the Diablos Cult doesn’t exist? The evidence we collected should be quite ample.”

“It was all fabricated by Shadow Garden.”

“F-Fabricated, you say?”

“Shadow Garden has done many bad things, from the kidnapping of Princess Alexia to attacking the school and destroying the Sanctuary, as well as the massacre in the Oriana Kingdom. Reports of their crimes are coming in from all around the world.”

“But those are all the world of the Diablos–!”

“–Shadow Garden fabricated an organization called the Cult of Diablos and pinned everything onto them. They created a nonexistent criminal organization to cover up their own crimes.”

“And you think that ridiculous explanation solves everything!?”

“This is the proof.”

“Hm?”

Hab handed a thick dossier to Alexia.

It had “Shadow Garden’s Fabrications About The Cult of Diablos” written on it.

“A 34-year old man confessed to pretending to be a Cultist of Diablos at the orders of Shadow Garden, under duress of having his family taken hostage. A 28-year old woman was kidnapped by Shadow Garden and forced to manufacture evidence of the Cult of Diablos. A 57-year old man–”

“Are you kidding me–!!”

Alexia flung the files away.

How can you believe these scraps of paper!? Isn’t it more likely that THEY’RE the fabrications instead!?”

“Princess Alexia, it would not be good if word got out. Do you mean to say they were perjuring their testimony?”

“Surely you can fake as much of that as you want, right!?”

“Naturally, we have physical evidence. This is Shadow Garden’s…”

“Enough!”

Alexia swatted Hab’s hand away as he was about to hand her something.

Hab’s eyes briefly narrowed.

“Onee-sama, please come to your senses. Why do you believe in a man like him? Please look at me!”

Iris turned to face Alexia, as though in response to her words.

“You are the one who should come to your senses, Alexia.”

“Please, onee-sama, Diablos’ right hand is about to be released!”

“You have been deceived by Shadow Garden. Everyone you thought belonged to the Cult of Diablos was merely a false flag of Shadow Garden.”

“That’s not true, onee-sama! Please, listen to me!!”

Alexia reached a hand out to her Iris.

There was a smack.

That hand had been rejected.

“But how…”

“My enemy is Shadow. You might be my sister, but I will not allow you to get in my way.”

“Saying so, she left.”

“The Crimson Knights are busy dealing with Shadow Garden. I will be off.”

Hab said this with a triumphant look on his face.

Alexia watched in stunned silence as her sister left.

“Princess Alexia.”

Upon hearing the voice, she turned to see a familiar face.

“Marco…”

He had been one of the founding members of the Crimson Knights. Although he was young, Glen had placed a great deal of faith in him, and she had once thought that he would succeed Glen’s position.

“My apologies, Princess Alexia.”

Marco did not look her in the eye as he said this and left quickly.

“You too… Marco?”

He did not answer her question. And so, the knights moved the Head Librarian’s corpse away.

The restricted tome fell from Alexia’s hands.

A golden tail swished in the white mist.

“Doodoodoo~”

One could even hear humming.

Her light, easy steps were like a dance. A pool of bright red blood spread around her with an oozing sound.

“You seem to be in a good mood, Zeta-sama.”

After being addressed thusly, Zeta stopped humming.

“I was just at the good part.”

“My sincerest apologies.”

“Meh.”

Zeta spun a bloodstained chakram around her fingertips.

“Please don’t throw it.”

A hooded girl appeared from the white mist.

“I won’t. Where’s Victoria?”

“She is progressing the plan.”

“Mhm.”

“I have a report from Victoria-sama.”

“Mhm.”

Zeta, who was twirling her chakram around, suddenly threw it into the air.

There was a splitting sound.

A man’s decapitated head fell from above, a stunned expression on his face.

“Truly marvelous.”

“Mhm.”

“I have a report from Victoria-sama.”

“Mm.”

“It seems Shadow-sama has intervened in the matter of Princess Alexia and Claire.”

“That’s Claire-sama to you.”

The chakram sliced through the air again and the girl’s hood swayed slightly.”

“My sincerest apologies.”

“See that you are. How about the Master?”

“He eliminated the Head Librarian and brought the two of them out of the Sanctuary.”

“As expected of him. Now Fenrir will be forced into a corner.”

“Yes. His next moves may be restricted. How are things proceeding on your end, Zeta-sama?”

“Hm?”

“I mean, about analyzing the Sanctuary.”

“Ah, it’s done.”

“Already? But it’s only been a few days…”

“Eta’s artifact is an excellent piece of work.

Saying so, Zeta produced a mysterious palm-sized device.

After infusing her mana into it, it glowed faintly.

“It visualizes mana circuits. Where they flow and what they do becomes immediately obvious.”

Rays of light spread out like fine blood vessels. They pulsed in time with the red radiance of the pillars.

THose four pillars of light contained students linked to the fine tubules.

“They are planning to open the seal using their mana.”

“But there does not seem to be enough mana.”

“Indeed. Therefore, high-quality mana belonging to a descendant of the heroes is required. I have a rough idea of how the Cult sealed Diablos away and built this Sanctuary.”

“That would mean our mission has been accomplished.”

“Mhm.”

“What should we do? If we break these pillars, the seal will be protected.

Zeta briefly considered the hooded girl’s words.

However, there was no need to consider them. The answer had already been decided. She was simply ascertaining the strength of her own convictions.

“There’s no need to break them.”

“Is that alright?”

“It has already been decided.”

After saying that, Zera emerged from the mist.

She walked past the crimson lights and placed a hand on the massive door in front of her.

“This is where the right arm of the Demon Diablos is sealed.”

“What do you intend to do?”

“I want to see it as a memento.”

Will you sign it?”

“That would be a good idea too. Zeta was here.”

Saying so, Zeta channeled her mana into the door.

It was covered in countless ancient runes and swathed in heavy chains.

“Can you open it?”

“Who knows? However, she was the one who sealed the Demon’s right arm here.”

“Her?”

“Therefore, she will respond to me.”

Zeta channeled more mana into it.

After doing so, the door radiated a crimson light. The mana circuits spread throughout this space. The chains began to creak and it was obvious that the door was shaking.

However, the door did not open.

The mana circuits converged in front of the door, and the delicate radiances, as fine as blood vessels, took the form of a human being.

“Step back.”

“Yes.”

At Zeta’s command, the hooded girl backed off.

Soon, the faint light vanished, leaving only a beastwoman standing in its place.

She had blonde hair and golden cat ears, as well as a golden tail and deline eyes. She looked very much like Zeta.

“This is…”

The hooded girl could not help but hold her breath.

“Greetings, Hero of the Beastmen.”

“Zeta-sama, who is…”

“That should be obvious.”

Zeta replied calmly.

In that moment, the Hero of the Beastmen swung her claws at Zeta’s neck.

Zeta’s head flew into the air and evaporated into black mist, which vanished. At the same time, Zeta’s body vanished as well.

Amidst the white mist, black vapor gathered, and Zeta appeared out of it, perfectly unharmed.

She floated in mid-air, looking down on the beastman hero with cold eyes.

“However, I just wanted to confirm one thing.”

Zeta spoke.

The hero of the beastmen did not respond. She simply looked up at Zeta with those empty eyes of hers.

“Do you still remember the day you met the Master?”

Zeta asked the hooded girl, still floating in mid-air.

“Of course. I could never forget.”

The hooded girl grabbed her chest as she replied.

“Me neither. I have never forgotten that day.”

Zeta stared at the hero of the beastmen, completely motionless. She looked beyond her, as though remembering the distant past.

“I was nothing but a pitiful little kitten that the Master rescued.”

That was Zeta’s resolve.

“Farewell, hero. I will be taking a different path from you.”

Zeta turned away.

The petite, hooded girl hurried after her.

“Is that enough? You didn’t even sign it.”

“Yeah. The autograph can wait. The objective for the current phase has been achieved. Now all we have to do is hide in the shadows until the time comes.”

“Let us hide in the shadows, then.”

Saying so, the two girls vanished into the depths of the mist.

Meanwhile, the hero of the beastmen watched them leave with unblinking eyes.

Chapter 3: The Case Is Closed, That's Right, Let's Talk Old Tales!

My oh my, something incredible happened last night.

To think the culprit behind the serial disappearances was actually the school's Head Librarian.

I personally saw him kidnap Nee-sand Alexia and drag them off into that mysterious fog. Pretty twisted, if you ask me.

He was a pervert--

Still, while he was conflicted about being a pervert, he couldn't stop himself from committing crimes in the end.

Everyone has different goals in life, but when such a goal is rejected by society, a man has to make a choice.

Either you live true to yourself, or you kill off that part of yourself.

I chose the former, and so did he.

The culprit behind those disappearances was a pervert. While that was nowhere near enough for a Shadow Eminence, it was the truth, so it couldn't be helped.

People from the knight orders were moving through the campus in the morning. They were probably investigating the situation.

"Hm? That's..."

A black-haired female student walked past the knights.

"It's Nee-san."

Normally, I would have hidden because her finding me would have been very annoying, but right now there was probably no need for that.

Given the state she was in now, she probably wouldn't notice me.

"Hmhmhm~"

I hummed as I bathed in the comfortable morning sunlight.

All around me were mobbish faces.

How would they react after learning the Head Librarian was the culprit? Would they have exaggerated looks of shock on their faces like proper background characters, or would they be trembling in fear...

I walked past Nee-san as such thoughts went through my mind.

"Hold it."

Just then, someone seized me around my neck.

"Y-yo, Nee-san, you noticed me?"

I looked back and saw Nee-san staring at me.

"Of course. Isn't there something else you ought to be saying?"

"Uh, good morning?"

"Good morning, Cid. What else?"

"What else... I think that's it."

I said that after a brief period of thought. I had no idea what else I ought to be telling Nee-san.

"I'm very depressed."

"Huh."

"I'm totally lifeless and my shoulders are drooping."

"Ah."

"Since you're my little brother, what you ought to say next should be obvious, right?"

"Mhm."

I paused for three seconds to think.

"You look down. Did something happen?"

"...That's a pass, if only barely."

"Just barely, hm?"

"You need to be more worried, and then you also need to figure out what happened too."

"That's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Well, I guess I could tell you since you want to know THAT much."

"It's not like I said anything about..."

"--You DO want to know, right?"

"Yes! Very much indeed!"

I replied from where Nee-san had her hands around my neck.

"It's too noisy here, so let's go elsewhere."

"What about classes?"

"They've been canceled for today."

Nee-san looked back at the dorm as she said this.

"--The Head Librarian is dead."

She muttered to herself in a meaningful way, while I put on a mobbish expression of shock.

I elegantly sipped a cup of milk tea in a luxurious receiving room.

This looked like a special lounge that was only for big movers and shakers. It was a mystery why a country noble like Nee-san could come in here.

"I"m sorry, but I can't give you any of the details. I don't want to get you involved..."

Nee-san said this with a serious look on her face.

"But the knight order wants to bury the truth of the Head Librarians' death in the darkness... And I can't do anything about it. I deeply regret that fact..."

"The truth about the Head Librarian, hm..."

I bet they were trying to hide the fact that the Head Librarian was a pervert. I approved of what the knights had done to preserve his reputation.

"I guess in this world, you don't have to always stay on the straight and narrow..."

I muttered to myself."

"Are you saying I'm wrong, then!?"

Nee-san glared at me with a very scary look in her eyes.

"That's not what I said. It's just that..."

"Just what?"

This wasn't something I could settle with a half-assed explanation. I could sense something like that coming from Nee-san.

"The darkness of the world runs very deep. Not everyone can bear the depths of that darkness."

"...Are you saying that discussing it in public would cause a panic?"

"I'm afraid so."

The female students using the library would probably be shocked and dismayed..

"Even so, burying the truth in the darkness isn't a good thing!"

"Of course. That's why you need someone who takes care of matters in the darkness."

"Taking care of things in the darkness..."

"That's right. Even if the truth is hidden in the darkness, it won't be the end of the matter."

"I see... So you're saying that it'll be okay as long as I take care of it."

"No, you don't have to do that, Neesan."

"As someone who knows the truth but who can still act freely... I guess I really am the chosen one after all."

Nee-san tightens her grip around the bandages on her right hand."

"No, you weren't chosen, Nee-san."

"Cid, I'm the only one who can protect you now."

"No, I can protect myself."

"I understand. You don't want me to worry about you, right?"

Nee-san hugged me tightly. There were cracking noises.

"Whether it's Midgar Academy, this country, or even you, Cid... I'll protect them all."

"...Meh, that's alright, I guess."

"I won't let things end like this. I promise."

As Nee-san embraced me, I sipped another mouthful of milk tea.

It really was very good.

Due to classes being canceled today, Hyoro and Jaga swarmed me after I returned to the dorm.

"Aw man, I can't believe something so dangerous happened. The Head Librarian was murdered!"

"I know, right? Maybe it was that group from before that did it."

"It feels like this isn't something we can laugh and joke about any more."

"You guys all look so serious."

Hyoro and Jaga were relaxing here while drinking Mitsugoshi's most expensive coffee.

"Here" was my room.

"Shouldn't you guys be doing your special assignments?"

I tried to say that in a "get out of here" way.

"We'll do it later. We've got loads of free time now that classes are canceled."

"Yeah, exactly. It's over for you when you're so hounded by homework that you can't enjoy the little things in life."

Sluuuuurp, went the pair as they continued sipping the coffee.

"Even so, why did you have to go to my room?

"That's because you've got Mitsugoshi's high-end coffee here, of course."

"And Mitsugoshi's high-end desserts."

Jaga pulled open my drawer to reveal the chocolate wrappers within.

"Those are mine, you know."

"Aw, what's the difference? We're friends, aren't we?"

"And besides, I don't think you could afford them with your pocket money."

"I've been wondering about that for a while myself."

Hyoro and Jaga suddenly looked at me with serious expressions on their faces.

"That, that's..."

They were right.

A single cup of Mitsugoshi's high-grade coffee cost over 2000 zenny. It would be strange for a poor noble like me to have something like that on hand in my room at all times.

Of course, it was only because Gamma kept sending me loads of it.

"Cid, tell me something. Have you been borrowing money?"

"Huh?"

"You should tell us if you have."

"Huh? Nonono, what do you mean by borrowing money?"

"I'm talking about this. I found this flier in your room."

He held up a brochure to show me as he said that."

"This is a new service that Mitsugoshi's bank is offering, the "Mitsugoshi Revolving Credit Service". You should have told us earlier if you had an amazing channel for borrowing money like this."

"Mitsugoshi's Revolving Credit...?"

A split second after a bad feeling bloomed in my heart, I realized that it was describing a financial product identical to the installment payment system from my previous world.

Come to think of it, I think I told Gamma about installment payments before.

"Did you guys take out loans too?"

"Of course. I borrowed 2 million zennies right off the bat."

"I borrowed 1 million. That way I only need to pay a fixed amount of 20'000 zennies a month. It's fantastic!"

"Ah..."

They're screwed, I thought.

"What's wrong, Cid? Why do you look like you've just realized something?"

"What's the interest on the Mitsugoshi plan?"

"I think it's 2% per month."

"So it's 24% a year. Pretty cheap for loans in the capital."

I reflexively looked into the distance.

"So if you borrow 1 million zennies and pay back 20 '000 zennies a month, the interest is 24% per annum, then."

"That's right."

"Yeah, is there a problem?"

"Did you guys think about when you'd be able to finish repaying it?"

The principal was 1 million, while the yearly interest was 24%. That would mean having to pay 240'000 zennies of interest a year.

If you paid back 20'000 zennies a month, you'd have to pay back 240'000 zennies a year.

A year's interest was 240'000 zennies, and a year's payment was also 240'000 zennies.

In other words, they'd only be paying off the interest and they'd never actually repay the loans for the rest of their lives.

"Who knows? Five years, maybe?"

"You don't need to go out of your way to think so much about it. You just need to pay back 20'000 zennies a month."

"Mitsugoshi is a pretty decent place, seeing as they're saving you the trouble of doing all that calculation."

"...I think it would be better if you paid off more with each installment."

"What are you talking about? Mitsugoshi already said 20 '000 zennies is fine, so we don't need to go out of our way to pay them back extra."

"Yeah, I heard there were students who borrowed 10 million zennies. As long as you're a noble, even students can get loans without problems. It's okay as long as you have assets at home."

I looked up to the sky.

"Now then, it's about time things got started."

"Since we've already got money, you should understand what happens next, right?"

After saying this, they took out their poker cards.

"...Poker, is it?"

"What's the matter, you scared?"

"We won't let you run away after winning just like that. We've got lots of funds now, you know."

"No."

I exhaled a long breath.

"--I'll see you and raise."

And so, the stacks of cash on the table grew higher.

"Dammit, I'll remember this!"

"No, it can't be... You, you were cheating! You HAVE to be cheating!"

Hyoro and Jaga took turns whining at me.

"Alright, alright, it's late at night so quiet down."

I grabbed them by the collars and threw them out onto the hallway.

"Wait! Let's have one last showdown!"

"I refuse to accept this! How could we be beaten so badly?"

"Sorry, but I have nothing to say to the penniless. Good luck with paying back your loans."

With a click, I slammed the door shut and locked it.

"But how... Even after we practiced all those ways of cheating."

"It's impossible. Did he see through all of them?"

"How could that possibly happen?"

"But that's the only explanation, though..."

"We'll need to take out another loan from Mitsugoshi again.

I could hear their commotion from the other side of the door.

Of course I'd see through all their cheating. And since they were cheating, I had the right to cheat right back.

I smiled happily at the bundles of cash on the table.

"Hyoro and Jaga are my new piggy banks now. Thank you, Mitsugoshi Revolving Credit."

Mitsugoshi Bank's money would flow into Hyoro and Jaga's pockets, and then I would take it back from them.

Vae victis, as the saying went.

"Hmhmhm~"

I hummed to myself as I placed the money into my war chest.

Then, I turned to the person outside the window and said hello.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Zeta. You can come in now."

And so, the blonde beastwoman appeared without a sound or trace of her presence.

"Happy birthday, Master."

"Hm? Ah, that's true. So I'm already 16."

I had only just noticed, but the date had indeed changed. Today was my birthday.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Still, it wasn't anything to be happy about.

It simply meant one less year remaining on my projected 600-year life.

Considering I hadn't even reached the peak of being a Shadow Eminence yet, it was a truly brief span of life.

"Do you hate birthdays, Master?"

"I don't particularly like them. After all, it means I've got less time to live."

"I understand how you feel."

Zeta smiled faintly. It was an uncommon expression for her.

"A lifetime is too short to achieve my aim."

"Mm. I understand."

Once again, she expressed her agreement.

And then, she looked at me with an earnest expression on her face.

"I have something important to tell you tonight, Master."

"Hmm."

Was it about money?

Zeta HAD taken good care of me. I could consider lending her 1000 zennies or so.

"You want "eternal life", do you not, Master?"

"Of course."

I replied without hesitation.

With eternal life, I could allow myself to be forgotten and then reappear after a hundred years, and then I could do scenes like "Could he actually be the legendary..." over and over again. I could do my Shadow Eminence act over as often as I wanted to long as I was still alive.

While I had plans to live for 600 years with the power of mana, it was nowhere near enough to live a truly fulfilling life.

I wanted to live on forever as an individual. Oh gods, please come up with a system where I can buy extra life from people who don't want to live too long.

"I understand your desire, Master."

"Mhm."

"And that is why I have taken action."

"Mhm?"

"Do you remember what happened on the day we met for the first time?"

"Mmm."

If I wasn't wrong, it should have been a rainy day.

"It was a cold, snowy day."

So it was a snowy day.

"After falling victim to demonic possession, I came to know the ugliness of humanity."

"Hmm."

"After that, I began thinking about those people who had pushed us to our wits' end and this foolish world."

Her eyes grew cold and hard as she said this.

Ever since we met, Zeta's eyes occasionally would occasionally go this way every now and then. It was super cool, so I secretly imitated her from time to time.

"Humans always repeat their mistakes. They do it over and over again, countless times, as though they never get sick of it. And the world remains as foolish as ever and never changes."

"Hmm."

"Once, I thought that it wouldn't matter even if I died. The world wouldn't change whether I was living or dead. But after meeting you, Master, I realized what I ought to do--"

Saying so, Zeta began recalling the past.

She was born in a tribe that was prestigious even among the beastkin.

The Golden Leopard Tribe.

Even the king of the beastkin would have to show deference to someone who named themselves as such.

Many settlements followed the Golden Leopard Tribe, and she was the eldest daughter of the chieftain who had ruled the tribe for time immemorial. There, she was given the name "Lilim".

Lilim had been outstanding from a young age. She had been painstakingly nurtured and raised, because it was considered better to keep her in the family than to marry her off.

The chieftain had imported books for her in order to further her education. That was a rarity even among the comparatively more intelligent Golden Leopard Tribe.

She loved reading books too, and she looked forward to using her knowledge for the sake of the tribe in the future.

And so, Lilim grew rapidly as she basked in the love of her tribe.

The first change began when she was 12.

Something like a black splotch appeared on her belly. It was very small at first and went unnoticed. However, it began to spread, and a worried Lilim went to consult her mother about it.

Her mother's face turned pale.

After that, she said nothing but called her father over.

When her father came, his face was pale too.

At this point, Lilim finally realized that this was not a small matter.

After checking Lilim's tummy again, he had to force himself to say his next few words.

"...It's demonic possession."

Demonic possession. Those words echoed in Lilim's mind.

She knew about the subject from a technical point of view. She had read many books and even among her tribe, she prided herself on her knowledge.

However, she simply could not connect that knowledge to the splotches on her tummy.

Demonic possession.

She didn't know how many times those words had repeated themselves in her head.

And then, Lilim's tears flowed, as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

She was very smart.

After she accepted this fact, she realized what would happen to her.

Those possessed by the demon were unclean, and the unclean had to be removed. That was the tribe's law.

This was especially true for the high-status Golden Leopard Tribe, and for a case of taint that had appeared in the tribal chief's family. This was no longer a personal issue, but one that could shake the entire tribe.

"Otou-sama, please burn me with fire."

Lilim said this as she wiped her tears away.

"But..."

"The marks on my belly isn't very big and the taint has not spread far. If you burn me now, it will save our family. I'm sure the tribe will be able to accept that."

"But..."

"Please, Otou-sama. This is for our family, and also for my little brother."

Lilim looked at the infant in her mother's arms. He had been born less than half a year ago and would be the one to carry on the family name.

"Please... You have to, no matter what."

Lilim lowered her head and begged him.

"...I cannot."

"Otou-sama!"

"I won't allow it! There are elven books here. They describe how to cure demonic possession."

"You can't believe these things!"

"They also talk about medicines that can cure possession."

Saying so, her father hurriedly began flipping through the books.

He seemed to have shrunken a little in Lilim's eyes.

"What's wrong with you, Otou-sama? Please, pull yourself together. Don't rely on such things. You say something too, Okaa-sama."

However, her mother remained silent.

"Here. It's written here."

"Otou-sama! Please--"

At this point, Lilim's voice trailed off.

There were droplets of moisture on the book her father had handed to her. This was the first time Lilim had seen her father weep.

"Otou-sama..."

"I, I'll find it. So please, have faith in your father and wait a little longer."

"Otou-sama..."

Her father wrapped his warm arms around her.

Her mother joined in too.

"Otou-sama... Okaa-sama..."

The tears which Lilim could not hold back overflowed from her eyes.

The next day, her father set off on a journey.

Her mother bandaged Lilim's tummy and then spoke to her.

"He said he would be back within a month. Until then, you must pretend you were hurt and not step outside for any reason."

"Yes, okaa-sama."

"It's alright. Don't worry. I'll think of something for our home."

Her mother smiled kindly at her.

Lilim touched the bandages her mother had tied on and smiled too. She was certain that everything would go well.

And then, a month passed.

A loud knocking woke Lilim up in the middle of the night.

It was noisy outside, so perhaps her father had returned. Her mother brought Lilin outside.

Her father was there.

He was tied up and kneeling on the ground.

"Otou...sama?"

Her father was surrounded by many people holding torches. His clothes were stained with blood.

"You lot, what is the meaning of this?"

Her mother addressed them boldly.

"We have found taint in the tribe."

A man stepped forward from among the torch-wielding mob. He was the head of a branch family of the Golden Leopard Tribe.

"The taint must be cleansed. This is our law, isn't it?"

"..."

Lilim's mother stood in front of her without a word.

"Where is the taint? Answer me."

The branch head pressed his sword to her father's shoulders.

"...I don't know."

Her father replied in a hoarse voice.

"Really now?"

The branch head stabbed his sword into her father's shoulder.

Fresh blood spurted forth, accompanied by the sound of bones cracking.

Her father did not cry out. He lowered his head and did not move.

"This is boring."

With that, the branch head stabbed again with his sword..

"Halt! It is forbidden to strike your chief--"

"Of course it is permitted. I am the new chief of the Golden Leopard Tribe. He betrayed us all."

"How could that be, you have no proof..."

"A priest of the Church told me that he could smell a victim of demonic possession. The Church from the east apparently gathers them and cleanses them of their impurity."

Another man walked out of the group. He was dressed like a priest, and he had a faint smile on his face.

"The taint must be cleansed immediately. If it is left alone, it will spread until the entire village is doomed--"

"...You're lying."

Her father's voice interrupted the priest's words.

"What did you say, beastman?"

"I said you were a liar, human."

Her father met the priest's mocking gaze and stared at him.

"What part of my words is a lie?"

"All of it. This so-called demonic possession is just rubbish the Church is spouting."

"That's enough nonsense out of you. It seems you've finally gone mad."

The branch head mocked her father.

The people around him broke out in laughter as well. Neither Lilim nor her mother could understand what her father was talking about.

However, the priest and her father never looked away from each other throughout it all.

"Do you have any proof of this, beastman?"

"The Golden Leopard Tribe is one with a long tradition. Its chieftain passes down the heroic saga of one of the Three Heroes who fought the Demon Diablos, the Saga of the Beastkin Hero."

"So a fairytale, then?"

"Indeed, that's the one. But it's not the same as the one that's been passed down in the world. The Three Heroes were not men, but women, and demonic possession is not a curse, but a blessing."

"You blaspheme against the Church."

The priest's eyes turned keen and sharp.

"I've always wondered why the version of the fairytale circulating in the world was different from the one passed down by the Golden Leopard Tribe."

"How utterly boring. Fairytales change as the years go by."

"Really now? But this is the heroic saga that chieftain after chieftain has passed down through the generations. How could it have simply changed? Most importantly, we are the Golden Leopard Tribe. We are the descendants of one of the three people who slew the Demon Diablos, the Hero Lily of the Golden Leopard Tribe. That is my answer."

"...In other words?"

"The saga of the Golden Leopard Tribe is the truth. The Church has distorted this truth."

Her father delivered that statement with determined eyes.

The surroundings went quiet for a moment.

And then, quiet laughter began to spread, until the village rang with it.

"Kuhahahaha! Well, this is interesting! I haven't laughed this hard in a while!!"

The branch head held his belly as he laughed.

"Yes, most interesting."

The priest laughed too, but his eyes did not share that sentiment.

"I see, I see, so that's what you're talking about. So demonic possession is just a joke by the church and those who have it are the descendants of the Heroes. In other words, it doesn't need to be cleansed. Is that it?"

The branch head smiled as he said this.

"...Exactly."

"BULLSHIT!"

Angry shouts filled the air.

"Are you trying to endanger the entire tribe with your pointless delusions!?"

"You might not be able to believe it, but that's the truth...!"

"That's enough nonsense out of you--!"

The branch head balled up his fists and smashed them into her father's face. He beat him, over and over again.

Lilim could not move. Her knees trembled and all she could do was cower where she stood.

"Alright, the sideshow's over."

The branch head wiped off his reddened knuckles.

"Where is the taint?"

"..."

Her father cracked a smile.

"If you don't speak, we'll burn everyone here."

"Even if I tell you, it'll end the same way. You just wanted to toy with me."

The branch head fell silent. Her father was right.

"In that case, I'll grant your wish."

The branch head drew his sword.

"No... Stop!"

Everyone's eyes fell on Lilim.

"I... I... I... I..."

Lilim's knees knocked together.

"I, I am the de, demonic ..."

Lilim forced herself to speak those miserable words.

Tears filled her eyes.

And then, she met her father's gaze as he looked straight at her.

"--Listen to me."

Her father's voice was kinder than it had ever been.

"The Golden Leopard Tribe are the descendants of a hero that saved the world. We are a tribe whose bloodline is one of pride. Why did Lily teach us the saga? Why has only the chieftain inherited this saga? It all makes sense. We have a purpose."

"Otou-sama..."

"The hero's blood runs thicker in your veins than anyone else's. My dear daughter, you are strong and wise, my pride and joy. Run to the east, Lilim. There is someone who can heal demonic possession in the Kingdom of Midgar. Our purpose awaits you there."

"F-Father... I..."

"I know you can do it, Lilim."

Saying so, her father looked at her mother.

"I'll leave the two of them to you."

Her mother gently nodded, then scooped up Lilim.

"Do you think you can run?"

By this time, they had been surrounded by beastmen.

"They will, even if I have to pay with my life for it."

There was a sound of tension, as though something was rubbing against something else.

It was coming from her father. There seemed to be something pulsing inside him.

In the next moment, her father broke free of his restraints and powerful mana flooded out.

"What, what kind of power is this!?"

The branch head cried out loud.

"This is the beast blood that remains within the Golden Leopard Tribe. All this was released merely by controlling the blood."

Her father's blond hair began to grow.

It looked like a mane, as though he had gone from a human to a beast.

"How, how is this possible? Something like this..."

"This skill was only passed down from chieftain to chieftain -- a forbidden art that consumes one's lifespan."

Her father wept tears of blood.

His muscles writhed.

His arteries and veins burst, spraying his blood.

"GUWAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!"

And then, he turned into a frenzied animal that sent the beastmen around him flying.

Her father stood in front of Lilim and her mother, sheltering them.

"Go! Run!"

"Come with us, Otou-sama!!"

"I can't!"

Her father looked back to her, and Lilim could not help being frightened.

"..."

Her father's face was already half-beast.

"Your father is going to become a beast soon. Before that..."

"No... Don't! Otou-sama!"

Lilim tried to touch her father's back, but she could not reach him.

"What an interesting power you have. I didn't think I would find its descendants here."

The priest swung a set of red and black chains which chopped down on them.

"GAAAAAAHHHHH!!"

Her father's right arm batted the chain away.

The spiked weight on its head flew into the distance.

"Well, this is most interesting... I was only planning to recover a possessee, but it seems I'll be making an unexpected gain here."

"Go, Lilim!! Run!!"

Her father clashed with the priest.

Her mother used this opportunity to grab Lilim and run.

"Otou-sama... No, NOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

Lilim's last glimpse of her father from behind showed that he had grown to incredible size.

Lilim's mother ran through the dense jungle, holding her in her arms.

Her footsteps made no sound, because her mother was a master of stealth.

However, their pursuers continued pressing closer.

Certain members of the Golden Leopard Tribe had especially keen noses. They were probably part of the pursuers.

"Let's split up."

Her mother stopped in front of a river and put Lilim down. The forest at night was icy cold, and the snow flew thick and fast.

"I'll move southeast along the river. You cross the river and head east, Lilim."

Saying so, her mother handed Lilim's little brother to her from his place on her back.

"Take care of your little brother. Lilim."

"No...! I want to be with you, Okaa-sama!"

"Don't be so selfish. Bear with this for a bit. We'll meet again in the Kingdom of Midgar."

Lilim's mother hugged her tightly.

"In that case... Why did you hand my little brother over to me?"

"Lilim..."

"I can't fight, and I can't run away like you, okaa-sama."

"Lilim, listen to me."

"He should be with you, Okaa-sama!"

"Listen to me, Lilim!!"

"I don't want this..."

Lilim buried her face in her mother's chest and shook it vigorously.

"Lilim..."

"If I hadn't been possessed by the demon, if I had been burned beforehand... Then Otou-sama... It's all my fault...!!"

"He changed after you were born. He was always swinging a sword around, but when he saw you reading to others, he got the shock of his life. He always used to say "that girl is a genius."

"Otou-sama..."

"Nothing delighted us more than watching you grow up. Lilim... it's true that you can't fight. But you're a very bright girl. You're smart enough to overcome this difficulty. So don't worry."

"Okaa-sama..."

"Lilim. I'll leave this child to you."

Her mother handed her tiny little brother over to her. The innocent little infant opened his eyes and looked up at Lilim.

Lilim's tears fell like rain as she took the baby.

"Thank you, Lilim. We were both very happy ever since you were born."

"Okaa-sama... You have to come to Midgar..."

"Go, Lilim. Once you cross the river, it'll hide your scent."

Lilim washed away her scent in the shallow parts of the river, and after looking back several times, she entered the depths of the eastern forest.

After her mother watched her go, she began running southeast along the river.

Her ponderous footsteps echoed through the nighttime forest.

Eastward.

All she did was run eastward with all her might.

Lilim ran through the dark forest. The winter nights were very cold and her limbs felt like they were frozen.

And then, just as night was about to give way to day, she exited the forest.

"This is..."

It was her first time seeing a beach, as well as the water that stretched on without limit. However, Lilim knew of this place.

"...It's the ocean."

She tasted the water to make sure.

"So salty."

It would seem she was right.

"Otou-sama... There's nothing here."

She exhaled a plume of white breath into the air. Snowflakes fell from the sky.

She sat on the icy-cold beach and lowered her head.

"There's nothing... to the east. Where is our purpose... and where is the Kingdom of Midgar... Okaa-sama."

Her feet were like logs. She could not move another step.

The splotches had spread to her chest. That part of her hurt very much.

Her little brother was still in the crook of her arm. Lilim had to protect the little life that had been entrusted to her.

"Let's go then... across the ocean."

There must be countries on the other side of the sea. She was sure of that. Although she didn't know if there was a Kingdom of Midgar out there, judging by the way he had spoken of it, Father must have been right.

Her mother would be waiting for her there. Perhaps her father might be there too.

There ought to be a fishing village if she followed the coast. She had to board a boat there, no matter what.

Lilim set forth again.

--Just then.

"My oh my, so that's where you were."

The priest stood in front of Lilim, his bloodstained chains clinking.

"Stay... Stay away..."

She backed away on her trembling legs.

"Now then, a question. Where is the demonic possessee?"

The priest held up a severed head.

"It wasn't him."

"O...-OTOU-SAMAAAAAAAAA!!"

It was her father's head.

One could imagine his glorious last stand from the blood soaking it.

"It wasn't this woman either."

After saying that, the priest raised another head.

"OKAA-SAMAAAAAAAAAA!"

It was her mother's head.

Her mother's eyes were wide open, as though she had died while looking at something.

"Why... why."

"And now there are two."

The priest threw the heads away and walked toward her."

"No... otou-sama... okaa-sama..."

"Male victims of possession are extremely rare, but they do exist."

"...Don't, don't lay a hand on my brother."

Lilim's face was a mess of tears as she hugged her little brother.

"So, which of you was possessed?"

"It... It's me. So please, spare my..."

"Good girl. Your honesty is to be commended."

Saying so, the priest bent down and patted Lilim's head.

"Aiiiee..."

"We might end up getting to know each other for a good long time, so allow me to introduce myself. I am High Priest Petos, and you will be a valuable test subject."

(TL Note: ãƒšãƒˆã‚¹)

"My... my brother..."

"Don't worry. Non-possessed children are useless to us."

Right after that, Petos looped the chain around her brother's neck.

"Which is why I will kill him without any pain."

Blood splattered all around.

Lilim's brother's head fell from her arms.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!"

"Kuku, kukukuku. Alright, let us rejoice."

As he looked down on Lilim while she screamed, Petos laughed like he was having a fit.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH! Why, why!"

"What a wonderful day this is. Thanks to you, my path toward the Round Table has begun."

Lilim picked up the three heads on the ground.

Her father's, her mother's and her little brother's.

"Ahhhhhh... I'll kill you... I swear I'll kill you!!"

Lilim yelled at him, her eyes stained with hatred.

However, Petos ignored Lilim and turned around.

"--Is it over?"

He called out to the forest. In response, a group of strange, robed men appeared.

"Yes. We left no-one."

"Show me."

Countless heads rolled onto the beach. All of them belonged to the Golden Leopard Tribe.

"The Golden Leopard Tribe has been wiped out. Now nobody will leak the news."

"Really now? How wonderful."

He was speaking to Lilim.

"Your father's murderers are dead."

Petos tossed a head over. It belonged to the branch head.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!"

Lilim pounced at Petos.

However, Petos swatted her away with his chain.

"Koff... Kill... you... kill you..."

Her body lost its strength and her mind began to blur.

"Bind her and send her to Variola's lab. I'm going to lay the groundwork for the faction--"

(TL Note: possible chicken pox connection? )

And then, Lilim lost consciousness.

When Lilim came to, she was in a wagon.

Her hands and feet were tied. There was a taste of blood in her mouth.

"I'll kill you... all of you, I swear."

The men watching her merely snorted as they heard her mumble to herself.

"Kill you..."

Her tears were long since dry.

The only thing keeping her going was hate.

She needed more power.

Knowledge was useless. It couldn't protect anything. Only pure power could open the way for her.

"I want power..."

Lilim made a wish.

She wished for power to break her bonds, to kill that priest, and--

"--So, you want power?"

It was a voice that came from nowhere.

"Huh...?"

She looked around. There was nobody else around but the man who was watching her.

"Do you want power--?"

This time, she heard it loud and clear. It was a low, bass voice that sounded like it was echoing in the abyss.

"Yes...! If I had power... If only I had power!!"

"Haha, the brat's gone crazy."

Her guard didn't seem to have heard it, but that voice was definitely speaking into Lilim's ears.

Even if it was an auditory hallucination or the whispers of a demon, it didn't matter.

All she wanted was more power.

"Since you want power -- I shall give it to you."

And then, bluish-purple mana filled the wagon.

"What, what the hell is this light...!?"

The wagon stopped and the men from outside rushed in.

"What's happening? What's this mana?"

The bluish-purple mana transformed into a tiny spiral.

At its heart was a figure, a young man in a jet-black coat.

"You, how did you get inside the wagon?"

"Grab him! Drag him out of the wagon!"

"I AM..."

The boy raised an ebon sword at the heart of the mana vortex.

The air around him trembled from the massive amounts of mana that had been unleashed.

It all condensed onto the jet-black sword, and Lilim beheld overwhelming power.

This was what she wanted.

A power that could destroy everything.

"--ATOMIC - Imitation."

The mana erupted.

All sound vanished and the world was dyed a brilliant bluish-purple.

"...I'd give that 60 points. It's still incomplete."

Lilim awoke to the sound of the boy's voice. It would seem she had passed out.

"This much isn't enough. My aim is..."

He muttered to himself from inside a large crater.

The wagon had been blown away and that scary group had vanished.

Lilim trembled.

However, she was not shaking from fear.

"Ah, er..."

"Hm? You're awake? Well, let's start by curing your demonic possession."

Saying so, he bathed her in bluish-purple mana.

The mana enveloped the black patches on Lilim's body with warm radiance.

It seemed to be turning back time as it regenerated her skin.

"No way... this is impossible."

By the time the radiance was gone, the black splotches had vanished with it.

The demonic possession which had tormented Lilim so had been easily cured.

"Now I'd give this 95 points. The control is almost perfect. It's tiring as hell, though."

"He was right..."

She wept from the bottom of her heart.

"He was right... Otou-sama was right..."

"Hm?"

He was right about the demonic possessees being children of the heroes... and the person in the east who could heal possession... He was right about it all."

"Did that story make it all the way here already..."

"But why... Why did otou-sama, okaa-sama... Why... Even though they did nothing wrong...!"

The boy scratched his head.

"...It's because of the DIablos Cult. It's all because of the Diablos Cult."

"The Diablos Cult...?"

"That's right. Those men weren't from the Church. They were actually members of the Diablos Cult. They hid the truth and buried the heroes' descendants in the darkness so they could resurrect the demon Diablos. To them, the children of the heroes are a bothersome lot--"

Saying so, he flourished his black coat.

"We are Shadow Garden. We are those who lurk in the shadows and hunt the shadows--"

"Lurking in the shadows, and hunting the shadows..."

Lilim's heart trembled.

It felt as though everything had linked up.

"As I thought, otou-sama was right."

"Indeed."

"There was someone who could cure demonic possession in the Kingdom of Midgar, and a purpose waiting for me. That was what otou-sama said."

"Hm? Really now?"

"You are my purpose."

Indeed, this was her purpose.

Her father had died, her mother had died, and her little brother had died.

They had sacrificed themselves so Lilim could live.

"I want power... Please give me the power to hunt them!"

"Alright then. She should be here soon."

"She...?"

And then, the darkness of the night rippled.

She was a lovely elf with blonde hair, wearing a skin-tight black bodysuit.

"I told you to wait, didn't I? We can't keep up with your speed."

She seemed a little unhappy.

"However, the mission is over."

"That much was obvious. Looks like it was the cult after all, although everything's in pieces now. I told you to leave some evidence."

The girl looked at the boy with mild resentment.

The boy scratched his head.

Then, the elf girl sighed, as though giving up.

"So, she's the one this time..."

She looked at Lilim.

"Yup. I'll leave the rest to you."

"Huh? Wait!"

"You can ask Alpha about the rest."

After saying that, he suddenly vanished.

"Honestly, he disappeared right away."

"Ah... You are...?"

After Lilim asked her that question, she smiled gently to her.

"Sorry, it seems we scared you. I am Alpha, the first seat of Shadow Garden. Nice to meet you."

"Alpha... I'm..."

Alpha stopped Lilim before she could state her name.

"Hang on. From now on, you must live under a different name."

"Huh?"

"We lurk in the shadows and hunt the shadows. For us, our surface appearances are only temporary. The shadows are our true form, and we might never be able to return to the light side of the world..."

Saying so, Alpha took out a mask.

She fixed Lilim with her clear blue eyes.

"Take it, if you are prepared to do so. You will be the sixth seat of Shadow Garden, Zeta."

"Zeta... I am Zeta..."

She muttered the name to herself, as though she was tasting it.

"It seems you've made up your mind. You have strength in your eyes, but..."

"...I need more power."

"You have excellent talent. Someday, you will become very powerful. However, that hatred will ultimately...:

Alpha looked like she was going to say something, but then she stopped herself.

She studied Lilim with her blue eyes, and then--

"No, it's nothing."

There was a sadness in her voice. The snow continued falling quietly from the night sky.

"Hm, that was pretty bad."

Ater Zeta finished her story, he muttered to himself while staring out the window.

It was quite a cold statement to make.

However, Zeta felt that the statement encompassed everything. She did not seek something as shallow as sympathy.

"Yes, it was."

And so, Zeta replied with an equally cold answer.

Her hatred from that day had long since been buried in the depths of her heart. Unnecessary emotions would only interfere with her plans.

In order to keep from accidentally revealing her emotions, she had gotten into the habit of speaking little.

Zeta felt that this was a good change for her. That was because as her emotions and body changed, she began to feel like she was getting closer to her aim.

"I am just a stray cat, an insignificant kitten that you picked up, Master. So all this while, I have been thinking about the kind of world you want. You have not told me too much, so it has been a little difficult for me."

"Really now."

"Mm. Yes."

He swirled his wine in his glass.

Zeta immediately prepared the bottle and filled his glass. After that, she rubbed up against him.

"You wish for eternal life. Even I can understand what you mean by that, Master."

"Well done."

"What you see is the distant future, and so do I."

"Indeed..."

He looked out at the darkness beyond the window. Zeta also gazed into its fathomless depths.

"I will resurrect the Demon Diablos."

"...Will you now?"

"As I thought, you didn't stop me."

"I do not wish to deny that choice you have made."

"You are too kind, Master. Which is why I said you would not have chosen this."

"Really now?""

"The world does not run on kindness. This kindness has become a shackle for you, Master."

"...Has it now?"

"Yes. I, on the other hand, am not kind, so I will resurrect it even if it plunges the world into danger."

"...People will hate you, you know."

"I don't mind. It is necessary for this world--"

Zeta carefully leaned against his shoulder.

"--I will take all the hatred of this world onto myself for your sake, Master. That is my purpose."

"I see..."

Zeta slipped away from his body and left, but then she turned around.

"When the time comes, please discard me..."

And with that, she vanished into the darkness of the night.

Zeta stood on the night-time roof, looking down on the campus. Her gold-furred tail swished in the wind.

"--It is time."

Zeta muttered to herself.

"At long last, hm?"

"It seems you've made up your mind."

There were two shadows behind Zeta.

One was Victoria, and the other was the hooded girl.

"We shall resurrect Diablos."

Zeta spoke thus.

"What did Shadow-sama say?"

Victoria asked.

"We discussed it. That was all."

"Did he not approve?"

"I never intended to seek his approval. But if he stopped me, then I would have given up on it."

"Which is to say he didn't stop you."

Victoria smiled.

"Yes. From now on, I will be acting entirely on my own initiative."

"That would imply betraying Shadow Garden."

"That's alright. Alpha is too kind. She has not thought of what she will do after defeating the Cult. But I am different.

She narrowed her cold, violet eyes.

"I will resurrect the Demon Diablos and obtain eternal life. And then I will manage the world forever."

"And at that time, Shadow-sama will become a god."

Victoria's face flushed pink, as though she were spellbound.

"...People will hate you for it."

The silent, hooded girl spoke up.

"The Master seeks eternal life. I will bear all the blame."

"Let us go then, for the glory of Shadow-sama."

"...I will continue advancing the plan."

Victoria and the hooded girl vanished without a trace.

Zeta was the only one left on the roof.

She looked down on the academy's lights without moving.

"I'll seize everything, whether it's eternal life or taking over the world. And then... the perfect world where there are no mistakes will come about."

The lights of the academy flickered in the darkness of the night. They awakened Zeta's memories, like the torches from that day.

"This is my purpose..."

She hugged herself, as though to confirm that point.

It was fine. Her knees were not shaking.

Her heart was calm.

She looked to the night sky and exhaled a plume of white breath.

"Father... Master... I've grown stronger."

She muttered to herself, all alone.

Chapter 4 - The world's peaceful as well today!

"So they've gotten into the deepest reaches, then..."

Fenrir muttered to himself amidst the white mist.

There was a puddle of blood and two sets of footprints in front of the intact device.

"They should have been able to destroy it. Did they realize that there wasn't enough mana... No, even if they had, they should have destroyed it anyway."

The bloody footprints led past the room containing the device to the door in the depths.

"The door won't open as long as the seal isn't opened. In that case, why did they break in..."

Fenrir approached the door which sealed the Right Arm of Diablos.

And then, he noticed that the defense mechanism had been activated.

"Did Lily fight them off?"

That was the only reason that came to mind.

In any case, Shadow Garden would probably show up again. There was very little time left for them.

"...You seem quite vexed."

Just then, a voice spoke from within the mists.

Fenrir immediately drew his sword. The mists were split apart by the force of his sword's pressure.

A priest stood there.

"Oh my, how scary."

There was a thin smile on his face."

"Petos, is it... You should have said something. I nearly killed you."

"It's been a while, Fenrir-sama, Fifth Seat of the Knights of the Round Table. Indeed, I'd expect nothing less of your swordsmanship. It sent a chill down my spine."

"...Hmph."

Fenrir had delivered that strike just now with the intent to kill. Petos should not have been able to defend against it with his original strength.

However, Petos had not been hurt. What an unpleasant man.

"I couldn't have won in a serious fight."

"Are you really a man who fights seriously, Petos-kun of the Tenth Seat?"

Fenrir delivered that line like he was mocking him.

"So, is something the matter?"

"You seem to be in quite the pickle. Therefore, I came to lend you a hand."

"Do you think I'd accept the aid of a fiend like you?"

Fenrir snorted at him.

"My, what a surprise, to think you'd call me a heretic. I am simply loyal to the Cult."

Petos said this was a smile.

"...I'll ask you again. Why are you here, Petos? We aren't close enough to be chatting casually."

Petos smile vanished in the face of Fenrir's murderous intent.

"The repeated blunders of the Fenrir faction have become problematic for the Round Table. The release of the Right Arm has also been delayed."

Petos glanced over to the cylindrical pillar-like mechanisms.

"You're only about 60% or so through, right?"

"60%... I guess you know that the Left Arm was released due to the destruction of the Sanctuary. It's plain to see that the amount of Drops produced this year will decrease further."

"Aurora's resisting us, isn't she?"

"Oh yes, more than in previous years. She's always been resisting us. And her ego is recovering, probably because she's been released."

"This is troublesome... So, how many can we make?"

"Nine... Or at least, that's what I want to say. Currently, it looks like we might only be able to expect eight. Fortunately, the number of people at the Round Table have also decreased thanks to Shadow Garden... Oh dear, it seems I let my tongue get away from me."

Petos sniggered, as though he had thought of something amusing.

"If the number of Drops decreases below expectation... Or rather, if a new Seat is appointed... Then you won't be getting your Drop this year, Fenrir-sama."

"It seems you've become quite full of yourself, Petos."

Fenrir levied a stroke that was full of killing intent.

It sliced through Petos' tunic and left a thin trail of blood on his neck.

"Oh my..."

"You're merely a newcomer; did you think you could address me as an equal?"

"That's the decision of the Round Table. I'm simply here to relay it. That's just how gravely the Round Table views the Fenrir Faction's mistakes."

Fenrir quietly clicked his tongue and damped down his bloodlust.

"...Did Loki instigate this?"

Loki was the leader of the faction that had long been at odds with Fenrir.

"Loki-sama... was present at the meeting."

"And you approved of it too, didn't you, Petos? After all, you might have lost your Drop too."

"Oh no, I've always been a friend of yours, Fenrir-sama."

Fenrir could not help but laugh as he heard Petos' words.

"Ultimately, it was the fault of the Cult for underestimating Shadow Garden. We received our first reports about them around five years ago, when caravans containing victims of demonic possession were attacked by an unknown organization. If we had dealt with them appropriately at the time, they would not have grown to this extent."

"...Indeed, something like that took place."

"After gaining eternal life and becoming content with the present circumstances, the Cult has become as slow and dimwitted as fattened pigs. Other than the 12th Seat, which was originally vacant, Nilsson and Mordred have fallen as well. Honestly, the quality of the Round Table really has declined greatly. You are nothing more than the substitute for the Tenth Seat, who was killed by Shadow two years ago. Normally, the likes of you would never have been able to ascend to the Round Table."

"To some extent, it is thanks to Shadow Garden that I managed to reach the Round Table. I am most grateful to them."

Petos said this in a mocking tone.

"Pardon me, that was a slip of the tongue... But the Round Table has to deal with this now. This time, they are serious."

"That plan... "Shadow-Hunting Fangs", I believe it was called?"

"I wonder how well it will go?"

"While it greatly displeases me to have Loki be our leader, this might end up becoming an excellent opportunity. We must see if Shadow's strength is the real deal..."

"...You believe he is a fake?"

"I never said that. However, if he truly is that strong, then it would be far too unrealistic. Is he using some kind of legendary artifact, or is he from the Demon World, or does he use the same technology as the Cult..."

"And what if he was an ordinary human being?"

"Then he would truly stand at the pinnacle of martial skill. If that really is the case, I'd like to take a look for myself. After all, this is the first time the Cult has joined forces in centuries. You'll understand the meaning of that sooner or later--"

Fenrir smiled fearlessly.

"I see... In that case, I should obey quietly, as a newcomer. After all, I bear responsibility for part of the plan."

"Don't get careless, Petos-kun."

"You too, Fenrir-sama. If the unsealing of the Right Arm fails and the relic site falls into the hands of Shadow Garden..."

Petos cut himself off and took a fighting stance.

Malevolent mana erupted from Fenrir.

"Who do you think you're talking to, Petos? I am Fenrir, and I have long held the Fifth Seat of the Round Table. It is a matter of pride for me. I WILL unseal the Right Arm of Diablos."

"...That's the Fenrir-sama I know."

"I will resurrect and restore Diablos to complete health. I will stop at nothing to do it. Even if it means this nation should be destroyed..."

"...The ends justify the means. I came here to help you, Fenrir-sama."

"I believe I told you before. I don't need your help."

"This is the decision of the Round Table. Please, use this artifact as you see fit."

It was a twisted-looking collar with what looked like a clock attached to it.

"...And this is?"

"This is the latest artifact developed by the Cult. You seem to have trouble gathering mana, Fenrir-sama. I believe this will be useful."

".. I'll use it when I have to. Speaking of which, I didn't expect you to actually come all the way here. What manner of ill wind brought you over?"

"I was simply following orders. After all, I am a loyal servant of the Cult. On another note... It seems a gold-furred beastkin visited this relic site."

Petos let that slip out in a casual tone.

However, Fenrir surmised from his voice that this was what he had actually come here for.

"A gold-furred beastkin, hm. Who knows..."

The memory of that golden member of the Seven Shades remained in Fenrir's memory.

However, he had no intention of personally informing the other party about it.

Fenrir's gaze met Petos'.

"Please let me know if you run into her."

Petos was the first to avert his eyes.

"What business do you have with that beastkin?"

"Oh no, it's nothing important. Pardon me."

After saying that, he vanished into the mists."

"A gold-furred beastkin... Petos once exterminated the entire Golden Leopard Tribe to obtain a sample. That was why he was promoted to the Round Table. Could she be... a survivor of the Golden Leopard Tribe?"

Before him was the cylindrical pillar-shaped device that was 60% full. By any means necessary; an interesting turn of phrase.

"It seems I overheard something interesting."

Fenrir bared his canines in a smile.

The Kingdom of Oriana which had been despoiled by the black beasts was recovering swiftly with the help of Shadow Garden.

Alpha stood in the royal castle and her eyes narrowed as she looked upon the setting sun.

"Have you prepared yourself, then?"

She addressed this question to the girl behind her.

The girl in question was lovely, with fine blonde hair. She was Rose Oriana.

"Will I be forgiven?"

Rose's eyes wavered as she asked that question.

"Probably not. Many of the people hate you."

":As I thought... I can't be Queen. That would only bring chaos to this country."

"Normally, you would be correct. However, things are different now. If you knew what would become of this nation, you would know that you have no other choice."

Alpha looked back and glared sternly at Rose.

"You probably know that the alliance between the Kingdoms of Midgar and Oriana has been annulled. The Church has officially designated the Kingdom of Oriana as heretics. Trade with Oriana has been severely curtailed and will soon be cut off entirely. Eventually the surrounding countries will give the order to conquer Oriana. Although we can't tell how many countries will take part in that, a country with no proper fighting strength is powerless and will be destroyed."

"Heretics... How did things end up like this."

Rose clenched her fists and lowered her head.

"The Cult fears us. This country..."

"Why do they fear such a small country?"

"They are merely a bunch of frightened sheep. That is why they fear the sunlight."

"What does that mean?"

"Eternal life is a symbol of mankind's desire. Those who have it fear losing it more than anything else. Anyone who rules this world openly will surely attract those who wish to take it from them. That is why they hide. In order to ensure others do not gang up on them, they have hidden the secret of eternal life and use the Church to control the world behind the scenes. That is why they fear the light."

"Frightened sheep..."

"But now that the Kingdom of Oriana is at odds with the Cult of Diablos, the light and dark sides of the world have been connected. If Oriana is left alone, the Cult of Diablos will eventually be brought into the light. The thought of it terrifies them."

"...And Shadow Garden intends to take advantage of that, then."

Rose looks at Alpha with a stern expression in her eyes.

"Indeed. We are using Oriana. That is also why we are helping you."

"Shadow Garden ought to be able to defeat the Cult with its power. In that case, why are you still helping Oriana..."

"If we did that, we could not ensure that the Cult of Diablos was thoroughly annihilated."

"...Huh?"

"People will die. Countries will fall. But religions will never be destroyed. Things will not end even if we defeat the Cult. That's what religions are. They will exist forever as long as someone believes in them."

"But how..."

"Do not underestimate the cult. Anyone who opposes the cult will be stabbed in the back by the people. The commoners who believe in the Church and even most of the clergy are good-hearted folk. The Cult uses the Church to incite the people to kill their enemies. However large Shadow Garden might become, they cannot massacre every last believer in the Church. That is why Oriana is necessary, in order to bring the wicked entity known as the Cult under the spotlight and to sever the link between the Church and the Cult."

"But how will we sever the connection?"

""We must have the Church cast off and abandon the Cult. The people believe in the Church and not the Cult of Diablos. As long as we make this clear, we can turn the Cult of Diablos into a common enemy of the world. Therefore, we must win. Someday, the neighboring countries will come to conquer Oriana. At that time, we will win. We will win, and then announce to the world that their enemy is the Cult of Diablos."

"And you need me to be Queen for that, is that it?"

"In order to wipe out the cult, we require a country that will stand on the light side of the world in place of us. The war between Oriana and the Church will be a proxy for the war between Shadow Garden and the Cult of Diablos. If you are prepared to become Queen, we will aid you from the shadows."

"...But can I truly become a good Queen?"

Rose lowered her head and forced those words out.

"You are not a peacetime Queen, but one in special circumstances. A monarch in times of peace needs the kindness to win the admiration of the people and to bring the prosperity of the nation. This is not true in times of emergency. What is needed is strength. Even if you must suffer, even if you must sacrifice, even if the people hate you, you must be strong enough to reach your goals--"

Alpha looked at Rose with her beautiful eyes.

"Rose Oriana. You must become a mighty Queen."

"A mighty Queen..."

Rose carefully savored the taste of those words.

She did not speak, merely mouthed it and got the feel of it. After that, all she saw was her own weakness.

"But I am weak..."

"Only those who know their own weakness can become strong."

A hot tear flowed down Rose's cheek."

"For the sake of the Kingdom of Oriana and the people that Otou-sana left behind, if there is anything I can do... I wish to protect this country, no matter how it may cause me to be reviled. I..."

Rose wiped her tears away and raised her head.

Right after that, she drew her slender blade and touched it to her thick, rich curls.

"I... I no longer wish to meet my end while I am still so weak."

Saying so, she moved the blade.

The severed strands of her flaxen hair danced in the wind.

"I will become a mighty Queen."

Rose's hair was shortened to the length of her shoulder."

"As long as you are so determined, Shadow Garden will never betray you."

Alpha smiled kindly.

Then she called over No. 664 and No. 665. They were both dressed as maids for some reason.

"I will leave these two by your side. It's better to have familiar people around, no?"

"Thank you very much."

"There's no need to stand on ceremony. We are equal entities. You WILL become a mighty Queen, will you not?"

"Yes... Ah, yes, I will become a mighty Queen."

Rose seemed a little unfamiliar with the words that she spoke.

"Pffft... No.666-chan is so cute."

"Hey, isn't that a good thing? If she had consulted with us first, things would have been wrapped up sooner."

No. 664 and 665 whispered to each other.

"Thank you to the both of you as well."

"Aw, it's nothing~"

"I, I'm still your squad leader, you know. Don't forget that."

"Understood, Leader."

Rose smiled kindly at them.

"No. 664 and 665 will relay the plan from now on. Prepare cover identities and jobs for them. It is better to hide the relationship between Oriana and Shadow Garden for the time being."

"I will take them on as their maids and arrange for family registers to be drawn up."

"Do so, then... Alright, it seems we have a visitor."

Just then the door to the room opened and a blue-haired girl entered.

It was the Third Seat of the Seven Shades, Gamma.

For some reason, she was dragging another girl behind her."

"Oh, were you here, Alpha-sama?"

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to come to Oriana too, Gamma."

"After considering the circumstances, we have shut down the Mitsugoshi branch in Oriana. In its place, we have prepared to establish a complete base for Shadow Garden."

Gamma said this in a quiet voice.

"Well done, Gamma. Your quick work is a great help to us all."

"What about Rose-hime?"

Gamma glanced aside at Rose.

"She has resolved herself to stand and fall with us."

Alpha looked at Rose while saying this.

"I will be in your care."

Gamme bowed her head in response to Rose.

"Alpha-sama, I have two things to report; may I do so here?"

Gamma seemed bothered by the fact that Rose was present.

Rose had also realized that she did not yet have their full trust.

"I will prepare another room--"

"--Never mind."

Alpha interrupted Rose.

"Is it really alright?"

"Yes. I don't mind."

Alpha looked at Rose and Gamma.

I am alright with this. What about you?

Alpha seemed to be asking them that.

"...I'm fine too."

"So am I."

Gamma and Rose answered thus.

"The first matter concerns the items that Beta recovered from the Demon World."

"By which you mean the "Notebook Computer" and the "Tablet", is that right?"

"Eta has taken a look at them. Eta, please explain."

After saying this, Gamma called out to the girl she had dragged over.

"Zzzzzz."

The girl snored in a very adorable way.

"I say, Eta, wake up already!"

Gamma grabbed Eta's shoulders and shook her hard.

Eta's head bobbed back and forth and hit Gamma on the nose.

"Pegyah!"

Eta woke up from the impact.

"Hm?"

This was Eta, the seventh of the Seven Shades. She was primarily responsible for researching Shadow Wisdom.

"...Where are we?"

Eta lazily looked around herself.

She was a petite elf.

Her dark-colored hair was sticking up in places due to her poor sleeping posture.

"Come, report on that matter to Alpha-sama!"

Gamma was pressing her nosebleed as she said this.

"Report? ...Ah yeah, about the notebook."

"That, that's right."

"Ah, here's my report."

Eta was still a little sleepy-eyed as she looked over at Alpha.

"The Notebook Computer and the other items that need electricity are all broken. I took them apart to investigate and it's probably because they were affected by electromagnetic radiation while passing through the Gate."

"Can you fix them?"

"Not at the moment. But I'll be able to figure it out soon enough."

"Is that so... It can't be helped then. We'll just have to wait patiently. After all, all the things Beta brought back need electricity to work."

"All isn't lost. These things use pretty advanced technology. Even if we can't get them to work, we can learn a lot from them."

"Is that so? Very well, then. But I guess Beta must have been very sad."

"Oh, she was bawling."

"Was it really worth crying over?"

"No, because she was so depressed, I mixed some happy pills into her tea."

"...And then?"

"She suddenly tore her clothes off and started wailing. The reason is unclear, but it was very interesting."

The corner of Eta's mouth turned up in amusement.

Alpha sighed heavily.

"...There will be major cuts in your research budget next month."

"Eh!? But why!"

"I told you, didn't I? You are NOT to conduct human experimentation without permission. Reflect on what you've done."

"Ehhhhh~ But sacrifices are necessary to develop Shadow Wisdom."

"Don't ehhhh~ me. Also, report to me again when you figure out some way to apply that technology in this world."

"Kay~"

"Also, there's the other thing she brought back, right?"

Alpha narrowed her eyes.

"The other thing... Ah, if you mean that otherworlder, she just woke up. She doesn't know the language, so Beta is talking to her now. Her name is Akane."

"Akane... What else have you learned about her?"

"I think her bodily makeup should be the same as a human's, but I don't know the details yet. I could clear that up right away if I were allowed to perform human experimentation, though."

"Let Beta handle her until she calms down. Don't do anything weird to her. I absolutely forbid it."

"Ehhhh~"

Eta nodded reluctantly.

"I know what's happening on Eta's side now. What about the second matter?"

Alpha addressed Gamma.

"The second thing concerns Zeta in the Kingdom of Midgar. Has Zeta reported in?"

"No. Honestly... That girl hasn't made any reports at all."

Alpha sighed again.

"I saw some things before I came to the Kingdom of Oriana, so I'll report to you."

"You're a great help, Gamma."

"The Fenrir Faction has made their move. They seem to have kidnapped students from Midgar Academy. Since we've recovered pretty much all the victims of demonic possession, they seem to be having a pretty hard time undoing the seal."

"What about Zeta, then?"

"As for her... She hasn't started working yet."

"She hasn't made a move?"

"Yes. She ought to be aware of the Fenrir Faction's movements, though.

"That girl is always doing her own thing, but she's always been very capable. Did something happen?"

Alpha sounded quite surprised as she said this.

"The Fenrir Faction has withered, but he has always been pulling the strings of the Kingdom of Midgar behind the scenes. Also, Fenrir was one of the earliest members of the Round Table. We must not underestimate him."

"The credit crash should have caused severe losses to the Fenrir Faction. I thought they would be out of manpower and funds by now... Are these the reserves left over from the first generation of the Round Table?"

"Should we send some help over? Delta is also in Midgar, but I don't think the two of them will work together."

"You have a point..."

Alpha spoke vaguely as she looked at the scenery outside.

"I'm busy with preparing the base and Eta can't leave because of her research. Beta needs to handle the otherworlder and take care of business... Which leaves Epsilon free, along with some of the Numbers..."

"There's no need for that."

Alpha looked into the distance as she said those words.

"But... Is it really alright?"

"There's no need to worry. She'll be fine. She's always been like this."

Gamma felt that this optimistic point of view was uncharacteristic of Alpha.

"I just have a bad feeling about this."

"...I remember the first time I met that girl. I had never seen someone with eyes as sad as hers that hated the world so much. I welcomed Zeta as a member of the family to help mend the wounds in her heart... And she has changed."

Alpha turns back and looks at Gamme with her blue eyes.

"So it's fine... We're family, after all."

Alpha smiled. It was a gentle smile, one that seemed like it could encompass everything.

Chapter 5 - An Unexpected School Terrorist Attack Again!

Alexia looked up at the Midgar Academy campus, which had been dyed red by the setting sun.

Now that class was dismissed, the students filed past her.

"I can't trust the knights and onee-sama's also..."

She muttered to herself as she thought about the conversation she had had with Iris several days ago.

Her sister had changed, and she wouldn't listen to a word Alexia said.

"I need to think of a way..."

The Cult was planning to resurrect the Right Arm of Diablos somewhere on this campus.

Since she couldn't trust anyone, she would have to rely on herself. Everyone would believe her once she managed to stop the revival of the Right Arm and obtained irrefutable proof.

"Oi, you're being a nuisance."

"Ack."

A massive force shoved Alexia from behind and she hurried turned back to see who it was.

A beautiful black-haired girl stood there, folding her arms as the setting sun shone behind her.

"Claire..."

"You're blocking my attack by standing there."

"Your, your assault?"

It was totally incomprehensible.

Claire looked at Alexia, her eyes filled with a mysterious confidence.

"What happened? You're looking pretty depressed, Alexia."

"I'm... I'm thinking about the future."

"Oh my, what a coincidence. So am I."

"You too, Claire?"

"Yup. Even if the truth really is buried in the darkness, things won't end just like that. Someone needs to take care of things in the darkness."

"...?"

"And I haven't told you this, Alexia, but... I'm actually a chosen one."

Claire raised that hand of hers which was inscribed with a magic circle.

"Saving the world and protecting Cid is my calling. Thus, I was given this power."

"Hah...?"

"Since our aims coincide, then obviously we're going to work together. Let's go."

"Ah, w-wait!"

Before Alexia could even figure out what was going on, Claire had already grabbed her arm.

Strangely enough, it did not make her unhappy.

"Where on earth are you going!?"

"To the chapel."

"Do you even know where it is!?"

"I do -- by following the ache in my right hand."

Claire stopped. Her face was stern and serious.

"Although Aurora isn't saying anything, I still understand. This pain in my hand will guide me to the truth about what she's hiding--"

Saying so, Claire undid the bandage on her right hand

The magic circle inscribed there glowed faintly.

"It all seems pretty suspicious..."

"The light's been growing brighter -- the time is almost at hand."

RIght after that, the magic circle flared especially brightly.

"--Here it comes!"

In the next moment, the world shattered into bits, like glass.

"Eh? Seriously!?"

Alexia remembered this scenery. It was just like when the Head Librarian had captured them.

Right after that, the campus was wreathed in white mist.

"What, what on earth is this!?"

"Why is there mist in the academy..."

The students heading home had been caught up in it as well and the mist filled the entire school.

Standing on the roofs, I looked down upon Midgar Academy, which had been dyed red by the evening.

"I don't mind. It is necessary for this worldâ€“ I will take all the hatred of this world onto myself. That is my purpose--"

After editing Zeta's words from last night and muttering them to myself, I felt a strange restlessness in my heart.

"...This is a pretty good way to progress things."

Shadow, the man who sold the world.

In order to protect the world, he took all its sins onto himself -- yeah, that was pretty badass.

"Well done, Zeta. I can't believe she managed to develop the premise so well..."

As the saying went, imitation was the highest form of flattery.

No, wait. Come to think of it, I think I had said something like this before.

"We are not those who walk the path of righteousness or that of evil. We simply travel our own way--"

I struck a stylish pose while standing on the peak of the roof.

And then, my uniform fluttered in the world.

"Bring on all the evils of the world with you, if you can. We will shoulder it all--"

It really WAS badass.

I definitely said those lines before, and they felt quite appropriate for being spoken on a roof at sunset.

"That would mean that I was first, chronologically. Which means there's no problem copying it. Rather, SHE was the one who was copying me."

Which is why I had to give it a try if I had the opportunity.

No, this was an excellent opportunity too.

I had been slacking off on practicing my lines recently, so returning to my roots after a while by trying them out sounded like a good idea."

"--That was an afterimage."

"Shadows -- consume them."

"The wind is trembling -- it is the keening of the soul."

As I recited each line, I struck a pose in turn.

It recalled nostalgic memories in my mind, of how I had practiced on the roof in secret in the previous world.

"A schoolyard painted red by the setting sun... Alone on the roof... Looking down on the students leaving school as I smile meaningfully... A sense that something's about to happen..."

The scene was set pretty well.

I raised my right hand and spoke in low, thrilling tones.

"--Here it comes."

In the next moment, the entire world shattered.

And then, white mist filled the air.

"...Wha?"

The white mist spread out, as though to separate the campus from the outside world.

The mist grew heavier by the moment, and soon even the afterglow of the sunset was gone.

"..."

I blinked, and then looked around again.

"...Eh?"

Although I said that I had the feeling that something was about to happen, I didn't expect something to actually happen.

Cries of confusion came from the school yard.

"What, what's going on!?"

"We, we need to tell the teachers!"

"The teachers are all outside holding a staff conference, there's nobody here!"

The students remaining in school gathered together.

"Hmm... The mysterious white mist, a sealed-off campus... and then me, smiling from the roof... That's pretty good."

Although I wasn't too sure what was going on, this was definitely the hallmark of something big happening."

"This mist... It'll probably engulf the entire world in silence soon."

As I muttered to myself with profound significance, I left the roof.

By the time I had descended the stairs and arrived in the campus corridors, it had grown dark from the mists.

It appeared more than half of the students had already left.

"What's with this mist?"

At first, I thought the Head Librarian had used some kind of artifact, but now the Head Librarian was no longer around.

I tried probing the mist with mana, but all that told me was that it was a mysterious mist.

"...Meh, whatever."

Ultimately, It was more important to enjoy myself in this mist rather than figuring out what it was.

Should I meet up with the other students first, or suddenly turn up as Shadow?

"What should I do~"

I dashed quickly down the corridor when I heard a scream from far away.

"Is there some kind of event taking place?"

I ran over toward the source of the sound.

"If I'm not wrong, that voice should have come from around here..."

There were many doors and many cramped cubicles here. This was the self-study room.

Most of them were empty, probably because it was almost dismissal time. Only one door was locked, and the voice came from within.

"Hmm!"

I twisted the lock off the handle and nimbly entered the room.

"What, what the heck is this?"

There was a male student inside the room.

He was groaning and rubbing his nose. I recognized his face.

"If I'm not wrong, you're from my class... ah... You're Suzuki-kun, right?"

That's right, he was a student whose presence was as faint as mine. I was quite in awe of how well he blended in and had used him as a reference many times in the past.

According to my list of background characters, he ought to be the scion of a branch house of the Hope Dukedom and thus a distant relative of Christina's.

"You, you're Kageno-kun, aren't you? Please help me, I can't take this collar off!"

"Collar...?"

Suzuki-kun had a very deviant-looking collar around his neck. This was not at all suited for a mob character.

"Wow, that's pretty twisted. It doesn't suit your style at all."

"Someone put it on me! Now I can't get it off and it's been making a weird noise since just now..."

Come to think of it, I could hear a faint beeping noise.

There was a timer on the collar, and it had reached zero just as I found it.

Beeeeeep, went the long alert.

"Ah."

"Ah..."

And then, Suzuki-kun's head flew off his shoulders.

A cloud of blood filled the air. In order to keep myself from getting dirty, I shielded myself with my slime.

Suzuki-kun's head rolled to the ground. My gaze met his hate-filled eyes.

"...I had the feeling it was going to explode."

Guess I was a little too late.

Rest in peace.

(TL Note: Literally putting one's hands together in prayer.)

"Now then... What IS this collar, anyway?"

I picked up Suzuki-kun's collar.

The disgusting-looking collar had been charred black and the timer had stopped at zero.

"Hmmm..."

I infused mana into the collar to investigate it.

Then, I used my knowledge from the previous world to perform a highly-exacting hypothesis.

And the conclusion was--

"This is a collar-shaped bomb that explodes when the timer reaches zero!"

I pondered the matter further.

"Hm hm... Normal timers only count down as time passes, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Its display fluctuates with mana levels. I could feel my mana being absorbed when I touched the collar. In other words -- once you put this collar on, your mana will be constantly sucked away, and once your mana reaches zero, it explodes!"

In our class, Suzuki-kun had a hard time because of his low mana capacity. He was training his mana capacity in the self-study rooms and got caught up in this situation just as his mana levels were close to zero, and in the end he had gotten blown up.

"...There is only ever one truth."

I smiled in satisfaction.

The question now was when and where this collar had been out on him.

"Usually, people would notice if a collar like this was put on them. If he didn't, then they would truly be idiots..."

I suddenly had a bad feeling about this and quickly felt my neck.

There was a collar there.

When did it...

"...Someone must have put it on incredibly skilfully in a way that normal people wouldn't have noticed."

When you thought about it, it was probably when the mist appeared.

I shaped my slime into a mirror and examined my collar.

It was the same kind as Suzuki-kun's.

The mana remaining meter showed 9999. It had bugged out due to an integer overflow. While there was a faint sensation of my mana being sucked away, it was far too insignificant compared to the overall quantity and my natural recovery rate far exceeded it.

"Hmm."

Frankly speaking, I could have easily removed it, but I decided not to.

Now that a "Bomb Collar Event" had turned up, there was no way I wouldn't take part in it.

In any case, I temporarily cut off the mana circuits in my body and adjusted the remaining quantity.

"Suzuki-kun's mana levels were very low, so... Right, that should be it."

I adjusted my mana levels so the display would read 600.

It would decrease every 10 seconds or so from the mana being sucked away.

I had about one hour and 40 minutes left to live.

As for why I wanted to adjust my remaining mana to match Suzuki-kun's, that was because...

"...The Shadow Eminence disguises himself as an ordinary student who has already died and infiltrates the scene to investigate. Fufufu, that's so cool."

For some reason, Suzuki-kun, who originally had almost no presence, would begin muttering meaningfully to himself because of this incident.

And then, as his hidden power slowly revealed itself during the course of the incident, he would finally reveal his true form...!

Things were getting exciting.

"First we use the Slime Makeup techniques stolen from Nu... then the Slime Makeover techniques stolen from Epsilon... And that should do it."

I looked in the mirror. Anyone who saw the image there would say it was Suzuki-kun.

Just in case, I also had his student handbook and some other personal items of his.

"Now then, let's go!"

I ran out of the self-study room at a slightly slower pace than I used when going in.

Alexia and Claire were talking in the hall.

"That's got to be it. This collar absorbs mana. And once it reaches zero..."

The corpse of a student who had died from a neck injury lay in front of Alexia."

"Trying to remove it is dangerous too."

Claire had infused her mana into the collar many times to verify this. However, all she got was a foreboding resistance.

If she applied more pressure, it might just explode.

"In any case, don't squander your mana. This goes double for people with low mana levels."

Alexia called out to the students around her.

The hall was filled with a group of students who had been caught up in the white mist. Although many students had left the school, the number of students rushing into the hall were steadily increasing.

They all had those disgusting collars on their necks.

Alexia's collar read 1303, while Claire's read 1917.

"Hmm... I looked around, but there doesn't seem to be a single reliable teacher around here."

The person who said this was the petite, short-skirted Nina.

"That's right. Looks like we'll have to depend on ourselves now."

"Nina, where is Cid?"

"Otouto-kun isn't here. I guess he headed back to his dorm first."

"Thank goodness."

Claire breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come to think of it, why did this happen? There's this mysterious white mist, these perverted-looking collars, and we can't contact the outside. It's pretty bad no matter how you look at it."

"..It's because of Shadow Garden."

The person who murmured thus was a male student with dark green hair.

"There's a rumor going around that the students going missing and the mysterious deaths of the Head Librarian were related to Shadow Garden. My dad works as a knight and I learned a lot from him."

"...Your name is Isaac-kun, right? I hear you're a magic swordsman with a promising future. But do you have proof that Shadow Garden are the culprits?"

"Proof? You're saying something very strange, Alexia-sama. They've got a past record of taking over the school, don't they?"

"...And what is their motive for this?"

"They're a wicked and depraved criminal organization. They don't need a motive. They just kill people to satisfy their desires like it's a game."

The surrounding students who heard this were shaken.

"Is, is it Shadow Garden again..."

"I nearly got killed during that incident... Aieee..."

"What the hell... Why did we get caught up in this..."

"Calm down, everyone! And you, Isaac-kun, stop stirring up everyone's unease."

"Pardon me."

Isaac shrugged, but it didn't do anything to ease the students' unease.

"Assigning blame with minimal evidence is very dangerous. What we should do now is figure our how to remove these collars and escape, isn't it?"

"But I think escaping should be very difficult."

The person who said this was Nina.

"I was going to investigate how far this mist extended, but it seems we can't leave the school grounds. There appears to be an invisible wall there."

"Then how about removing the collars...?"

"I think that would be very difficult too. It looks like a very complex artifact. There's no telling what will happen if you mess around with it carelessly.

"That's true..."

A gloomy silence spread throughout the hall.

"Nooo... I, I don't want to die!"

A male student who was trembling beside the wall suddenly got to his feet and started running.

"Me neither!! Who would... who would want to die in a place like this!?"

Many others followed behind him and ran out of the hall entrance.

"W-wait!"

Alexia frantically tried to stop them.

However, just as they were about to leave the hall, a spray of blood filled the air.

"What--!"

Translucent swords scythed through the students.

The people holding those swords were lifeless-looking warriors.

"They're... they're ghosts."

"What the hell is that!? Did you call them ghosts!?"

"I don't quite get it, but that's what Aurora called them!"

Claire and Alexia drew their swords and rushed over.

Isaac and Nina followed behind them.

"Haaap!"

"Tyeah!"

Several ghosts vanished under the flashing arcs of Alexia and Claire's swords.

However, many ghosts were still wandering around outside the hall.

"These numbers... When did they..."

"There's too many of them. This is annoying."

"You two, keep an eye on your remaining mana levels."

Nina warned them from behind.

The two of them suddenly checked their collars.

"Pull hard!"

"Close the hall doors!"

Just as Alexia and Claire beat back the ghosts, Nina and Isaac began closing the doors.

"You two, hurry up!

A moment before the doors closed shut, the two of them slid inside the hall.

The two of them panted and checked their collars. Alexia's read 1238 and Claire's read 1825.

"This is bad... At this rate it'll go down quicker than expected."

"You're right. Nina, how much do you have left?"

"Uh... Me? I guess."

For some reason, Nina was hiding her display.

"I can't see it that way."

"Ah. Er, I guess."

Nina slowly revealed her display. It was a pretty average number.

"784, hm? That's less than I thought."

"At this rate, I'll have around two hours to live, huh? How about Isaac-kun..."

"I'm 1367."

"Well, that's an honor student for you. Let's check how much everyone has left."

Alexia and the others quickly checked the amount of mana everyone had remaining.

"So the student with the lowest amount of mana remaining has 300, hm..."

Alexia quietly said this after finishing the check.

"It seems they depleted their mana while training on their own after school. If we can't think of something within an hour..."

Alexia was looking at a female student. She was pale and shaking violently.

"There are a lot of students who are almost out of mana. There's no telling how much longer this place can hold."

The ghosts pounded on the door to the hall. The students piled up chairs and tables as obstacles.

"What should we do, Alexia-hime?"

Isaac asked Alexia.

"What should we do? Even if you ask me..."

Being caught in the mist was completely unexpected, and naturally she didn't know how to remove the collar either.

Alexia's gaze began to wander, as though she was looking for an answer.

--And just then.

"At this rate we'll just be waiting here to die..."

That voice was not particularly loud.

Yet it had a sense of surprising power to it as it echoed through the hall.

"...I have an idea."

A male student was leaning against the wall of the hall. He lazily ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and slowly walked up to Alexia and the others.

"You're...?"

"I'm Suzuki."

He looked straight at Alexia. Although he had a somewhat bad look in his eyes, he was an ordinary student you could find anywhere.

"...He's a classmate."

Isaac added.

"Suzuki-kun, is it? You said you had an idea, right? Mind telling us about it?"

"That's right..."

Suzuki slowly looked around at the students before speaking.

"First off, our fighting power is highly limited. Most of the students here have very little mana remaining. They'd probably use it up very quickly in combat. If a battle breaks out, we will quite literally be burning our lives to fight. It's also going to place a major psychological burden on the students, so I don't think they will fight in earnest."

"...That's true."

That analysis was quite spot on.

To think he could evaluate the situation so calmly under such pressing circumstances.

"There are several people here with an ample supply of mana. In other words, they're the only ones we can consider fighters. Therefore, I suggest splitting the students up into two groups.

He looked at the students making obstacles.

"The first group will be the defense team. Students with less mana should stay in the hall, conserving their mana while defending themselves. As for the other team--"

Suzuki looked at Alexia and the others.

"They'll be the suicide squad--"

"--Wait a minute, what are you doing?"

Just then, a female student's voice interrupted Suzuki.

Alexia and the others, who had been holding their breath in anticipation, felt the tension within them vanish in an instant.

"You're just a scion of a branch house, so don't go saying such crazy things to Alexia-hime. Just stay there and build roadblocks with the others. There'll be hell to pay if you do unnecessary things and damage the reputation of the main family in the eyes of others."

A girl with light pink hair was standing beside him.

"Ah, if I'm not wrong, you're..."

"I'm Christina Hope. I'm a distant relative of Suzuki's."

"...She's also a classmate of mine. A very capable one too."

Isaac supplemented her remark.

"It seems Suzuki's caused you some trouble... He normally has better manners."

Christina grabs Suzuki's uniform to pull him away.

However, Alexia stops her.

"Hang on. He has a point."

Christina reluctantly let go of Suzuki.

"Good grief. You're the same as ever, Christina-neesan."

"That's quite an attitude to have when speaking to someone from the main house."

"This is an emergency, so please allow me to be a little less straitlaced."

"What do you have in mind?"

Suzuki sighed quietly as Christina glared at him.

"Back on point. The elites who have enough mana left should be a suicide squad. They'll break through the ghosts and cut off the source of this phenomenon -- that's our job."

"And what is this source?"

"These collars are sucking away our mana. Have you thought about where that mana is going?"

"That's--"

Alexia focused her senses on her mana.

She then sensed a thin stream of mana flowing out of the collar.

"If we follow that mana... I guess you realized it."

"Suzuki, you..."

Christina looked a little taken aback.

"This is elementary reasoning. Anyone would understand if they just thought about it."

HE said all this nonchalantly.

"...Indeed. Well done. But can we really trace this mana back to its source?"

Isaac was the one who spoke.

"Faint traces of mana can be easily disturbed. I'm against Suzuki-kun's plan. He isn't a good student by any means. No, in fact, he's a terrible student."

He looked at Suzuki with doubtful eyes.

"That's true."

Christina nodded as well.

"I'll be honest. Suzuki-kun isn't worth your trust."

Isaac glared sternly at Suzuki.

Everyone else looked at Suzuki as well.

"Trust, you say... Heh."

Suzuki chuckled.

"...What's so funny?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Just that... I didn't expect the least trustworthy person here to say that about me."

"What do you mean by that..."

Just then, Claire spoke up.

"I approve of Suzuki-kun's plan."

Claire...?"

"My right hand hurts... It's pointing the way to where the mana is going. Therefore, I can sense where it's going. I don't think I'll get it wrong... so let me follow the mana."

Claire had a forceful look in her eyes as she turned to face them.

"Claire... I see. Let's follow Suzuki-kun's plan, then."

Claire added."

"Please hold on! I can't trust him."

"We don't have time for this. We can't sit around to hold a war council."

"But..."

"Isaac-kun, even if you don't approve, we'll still go by ourselves."

"I approve of Suzuki-kun's plan too."

Nina raised her hand as well, and Isaac had to give way.

"Kuh... Alright, I get it, I'll go with it as well."

"Then let's decide who'll be in the suicide squad. First there'll be me, Claire and Isaac. Nobody objects to these members, right?"

Claire and Isaac nodded in response to Alexia's question.

"In addition, we hope you can help us out too, Christina-san."

Christina's remaining mana read 1179.

"Since it is your request, Alexia-hime, I will help."

"Thank you very much. In any case, the four of us will--"

"I'll go too."

Nina raised her hand.

"But your remaining mana..."

A worried look crossed Alexia's face.

Nina's remaining mana read 784. That was not a generous amount by any means.

"Nina should be fine. Her mana is average, but she's quite reliable."

"...I understand. I'll be counting on you then, Nina-sempai."

"I'll do my best not to be a stumbling block for you."

"More importantly, I seem to recall yours was 784 as well just now?"

"Huh? What?"

At that moment, Nina's expression froze.

"Your remaining mana. Why do I have the feeling that it hasn't decreased since just now?"

"Really? It was 794 just now, so it went down by 10 points."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. You're too forgetful, Alexia."

As she said that, Nina lightly touched the counter on her neck.

Right after that, the number went down by 1 point.

"Ah, it's 783 now."

"See? It's going down properly."

"What the heck, I thought there was a way to keep your mana from diminishing."

"Surely there's no such way, right?"

Nina sighed in exasperation.

"Right, then the suicide squad will be composed of us five--"

"--Let me go too."

Suzuki was the one who spoke up.

"Surely not, right? You only have 541 mana left."

"I'm against it too. He'll only become a burden."

Both Christina and Isaac were opposed to it.

"If I become a burden to you, then abandon me. I don't plan on asking for your help."

Suzuki replied frankly.

"I approve too. If he really does end up slowing us down, we can ditch him and use him as bait."

Nina interrupted Alexia as she was about to speak.

"I say, isn't this a bit irresponsible?"

Claire seemed a little bothered by it as well.

"He himself said it would be fine. And besides, his analytical ability could be useful."

"--I guess we should take him along after all."

Surprisingly enough, it was Christina who said that.

"If you do become a burden, I'll take responsibility as part of the main branch. That should do, right?"

Christina glared at Suzuki.

"...That's fine."

He nodded quietly.

The group, with Alexia at their center, explained the plan to everyone.

Although some of the students protested "so you're abandoning us!?" there was no time to persuade them.

The six of them left through the back door of the hall so as not to be discovered. Alexia and Claire quickly disposed of the ghosts before they could become an obstacle and then they hurried on their way.

During this time, Christina observed Suzuki when she was sure she would not be noticed.

Even in the white mist, faced with ghosts that could attack from any direction, he could hold his own against them calmly.

"...That's strange."

Christina muttered to herself, quietly so nobody else could hear.

She was a distant relative of Suzuki as well as his classmate. There was nothing more or less to it and they had not had much in the way of dealings.

Even so, she knew what kind of person Suzuki was.

He was not the kind of person who could act so naturally and forthrightly in front of Princess Alexia or face live battle calmly.

It was as though he was another person... The change in him was enough to warrant that description.

However, Suzuki's face and voice was his own. There was no doubt about that.

"...Could he have been hiding his true strength?"

Perhaps it was because he didn't want to get drawn into disputes between the main and the branch family. While such a motive wasn't very likely, it wasn't impossible either.

"...Maybe it's because of a relic or a drug."

Those were the only other explanations that came to mind, but they didn't seem correct either.

Still, there was no doubt that he had changed.

If Suzuki turned out to be a danger to the main family, Christina would deal with him without any hesitation.

That was what Christina was thinking, when suddenly--

"Careful."

Someone pulled lightly on Christina's shoulder.

In the very next moment, a ghostly sword cut through the air in front of Christina's eyes.

"Why you!"

She responded in the end and cut the ghost in half at the waist.

The ghost disintegrated and vanished.

"Well done, Christina-neesan."

"...Thank you."

She addressed that to Suzuki. If not for him, she might have been hit just now.

"I simply did what a member of the branch family should."

After delivering that calm reply, he continued running forward. She could not read anything from his receding back.

"Looks like it's this way."

Claire followed the faint traces of mana through the campus. From time to time she would press the bandages on her right hand, as though she was bothered about something.

"What's with her right hand?"

"She has a special constitution. She can sense it because she's very sensitive to mana."

Alexia gave an appropriate answer to Isaac's query. She couldn't possibly tell anyone that she was possessed by some spirit called Aurora.

"Is that the secret of your victory at the Bushin Festival?"

"You could say that."

"The mist's getting heavier. Now we can't tell where they'll be coming from."

"Indeed."

"Still, there is no need to worry. I will ensure the safety of your person, Alexia-hime--"

Just then Alexia suddenly drew her sword.

She then severed the ghostly arm reaching out from below her feet. After glancing at the vanishing ghost, Alexia put her sword away.

"--You were saying?"

"No... it's nothing."

The six of them proceeded silently onward for a while.

"Did you hear that?"

Nina was the one who stopped and said so.

"I do... What is that, a scream?!"

As Alexia and the others turned to listen, they heard a scream.

"Might be a student who didn't escape in time. What should we do?"

Claire, who was at the head of the group, came back.

"We don't have time to spare, though."

Like Isaac said, their journey from the hall had expended close to 20% of their mana.

"...Let's go help them."

After hesitating for a moment, Alexia made a decision.

Everyone ran through the campus. Countless ghosts were shambling around ahead of them.

"The ghosts... They've surrounded the classroom."

"There seem to be students in there!"

Claire shouted.

"No, they're outside too."

Nina found countless corpses that had been hacked apart.

And then, they found a female student who was about to be run through.

"Aiieee... Help, help meeee!!"

--It was too late.

That was what everyone thought.

However, a blood-red tentacle reached out, ripping apart the ghosts surrounding the student and rescuing her.

"Now--!"

As Claire shouted, the six of them plunged into the ghostly horde.

Claire used her red tentacle to open up a breach in the ghostly ranks, while Alexia cut them down one after another with efficient strikes that did not waste any movement, while Isaac used his mana-infused blade to blow his opposition away.

The three of them were the main force.

Nina, Christina and Suzuki simply fought carefully from behind them.

Nina took care of the ghosts that got past Isaac while Christina fought as she kept an eye on Suzuki.

As for Suzuki... He just stood there.

He didn't even draw his sword.

He leaned against the wall and watched the fight. His very existence was extremely abnormal.

Through the efforts of the other five, the ghosts were wiped out.

Christina was the first to speak after the battle ended.

"You're just going to get in our way if you don't intend to fight."

"Well, I've got very little mana left, so I simply avoided unnecessary combat. After all, you were doing fine without me... Or are you saying you need to press me into service too?"

"There's no need for that. Just cower in the back like always."

"That certainly puts me at ease."

The two of them coolly bantered in this way.

It felt as though they were more distant than classmates or relatives ought to be.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Claire observed the girl she had rescued.

"My, my arm..."

The girl's face was a little twisted.

"It's broken, hm. If you're not quiet..."

Claire checked the girl's remaining mana. She was down to 100.

"This place is very dangerous. Let's get you inside the classroom first."

Alexia prepared to open the classroom door.

"P-please wait! Please help me, if I go back into the classroom, I'll..."

The girl screamed at the top of her voice.

Just then, the classroom door behind her opened.

"If it isn't Princess Alexia? Please, come in."

"You're... the Vice-President."

She was a bewitchingly beautiful female student -- the student council vice-president Eliza.

"Alright, you're fine now."

Eliza had a smile on her face as she treated the wounded girl.

"Th-thank you very much... Eliza-sama..."

The girl's voice trembled. It was definitely not from pain. Beside Eliza, the big student who served as her attendant stood beside her with arms folded.

"So there were so many more left behind."

Alexia looked around the classroom.

Apart from Alexia and Eliza's group, there were eight more students, as well as four corpses.

"When the white mist suddenly rolled in I was wondering what was going on. Then we ended up being attacked by strange monsters out of nowhere... Despite how I look, I'm still the vice-president, so I fought alongside everyone."

The exits to the classroom were blocked with obstacles.

The obstacles were stained red with fresh bloodstains. There were similar bloodstains on the walls.

Alexia glanced at Elisa's remaining mana. Her collar read 1971.

"You've got quite a lot of mana left, Vice-President."

"I'm from an outstanding bloodline, after all. My parents are my pride."

Elisa said smugly.

"I see... Then what will you do next? There are many students at the hall, so I think moving there might be safer."

"Much as I'd like to do so, I'm very uneasy about moving. After all, everyone's mana is almost gone."

All the other people in the classroom apart from Eliza and her minion had less than 300 mana remaining.

"Then go with us part of the way."

"That would be very reassuring."

Once their preparations were complete, Alexia and the others left the classroom. The girl was still trembling until the very end.

As the group moved along, Alexia, Claire and Isaac led the way.

This was to reduce the consumption of mana among the students who had less of it.

However, Alexia didn't have much remaining mana either.

"I'm down to 1000..."

Alexia muttered to herself.

As her remaining mana dwindled, her impending death became that much more real to her.

"I have 1100."

"I still have 1300. If you can't handle it, leave it to me."

Isaac and Claire responded to her.

Although they were slightly better off than Alexia, the situation was still wearing down on them.

Still, the one who was worse off than anyone else was the female student they had just helped.

"Ah, ah, nooo..."

She looked at her dwindling numbers as she trembled.

Her remaining mana was down to 59 now.

That meant she had around 10 minutes left, but that couldn't be helped.

"Uuu... uuu..."

Nobody knew what to say in response to her sobbing.

Just then, they sensed multiple mana reactions from around them.

"Be careful."

After looking around, they found that the place was shrouded in white mist and nothing was visible.

No, it would seem the white mist was gathering mana and forming them into ghosts. One could say that the mist was spawning the ghosts.

"Take this!"

Alexia began slashing before the enemy could act.

But there were far too many ghosts being generated.

Christina, Nina and the students in the back joined the fight too. The cramped confines of the campus became the site of a chaotic melee between man and ghost.

"Dammit, they're behind us too!"

"You son of a bitch!"

"Aiiieee, stay away!"

However, there were people among them who were not skilled at fighting.

"Aren't you going to fight, Eliza-sempai?"

Suzuki asked her.

"That's Eliza-sama to you. It's not yet my time to fight. Shouldn't YOU be fighting?"

Eliza evaded the ghosts' swords with an icy smile as she replied.

"I have much less mana than you, Eliza-sama, so I thought you should be fighting before me, Eliza-sama."

"Oi, shut your trap, first-year."

The big male student who was her follower glared at Suzuki, He too was only using the bare minimum of mana needed to protect Eliza.

Suzuki smiled as Eliza and her follower glared at him.

"Oh what a shame. She only just got healed, but now she's about to die."

Suzuki said this as he looked at the female student, whose remaining mana had dropped below 10 points.

She was frantically fighting the ghosts with her injured arm.

"It can't be helped. There's nothing I can do."

Her current mana level was still decreasing.

6, 5, 4...

"Well, that's not the end of things. I did a little checking and found that this collar has a pretty interesting feature."

Saying so, Suzuki approached the fighting girl.

As a ghost's sword chopped down on the girl, he smacked it away with a mana-infused palm.

There was a crack as the sword was pulverized by the blow.

"Huh?"

The girl looked at Suzuki with a surprised look on her face.

Once again, there was another cracking sound.

By the time she realized what was going on, the ghost's jaw had been crushed to powder. Suzuki slowly lowered the palm he had raised.

"You, what did you just do?"

Eliza asked sternly.

"It was simple martial arts. Nothing to make a fuss about."

Suzuki smiled thinly, and then he touched the girl's collar.

3,2,1... the numbers were still decreasing.

It was plain to see that she was beyond help.

"Ah, ah... no, I don't want to die... save me, please..."

She begged him.

"It's alright."

Saying so, Suzuki infused his mana into the collar.

In the next moment, the remaining mana rose. 50, 100, 150...

"Th-thank you..."

In the end, the remaining mana level was at 250.

She finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Suzuki... What have you done?"

The person who said this was Christina, who had finished fighting.

Most of the ghosts had been slain. Claire was finishing off the last one.

Seeing as the battle was over, Suzuki spoke.

"I checked the collars of the stranded students when I was in the classroom. I tried infusing mana into them, and it built up inside the collar. Therefore, I thought that this might work."

Everyone was listening intently to Suzuki's words.

"These collars can absorb and transport mana. Said mana comes from the pool inside the collars -- in other words, as long as we transfer mana into the students with less of it, we can delay the explosion."

"I'm impressed that you noticed that..."

Alexia replied with some respect in her voice.

"That might cut down on the number of deaths."

Claire said.

"Now, the person with the most remaining mana... should be Eliza-sama, right? Surely you'll help the others out, no?"

Suzuki smiled as he said this.

Eliza smiled as well.

"We'll discuss it once we reach the hall."

"How wonderful. Speaking of which... When I was checking the bodies of the students in the classroom, I found something that bothered me."

"Something that bothered you...?"

"The corpses' limbs showed signs of being bound."

"...Are you sure you weren't imagining things?"

Eliza's eyes flickered briefly.

"There was another strange thing, which was that all their collars exploded."

"So what? It's only natural that their collars would explode once they ran out of mana."

"That's true. But it's really quite strange when you picture it in your mind. Not only were they tied up, they died because their collars exploded. What on earth was going on?"

"...What are you trying to say?"

"Perhaps someone was trying to do something like I did to a live subject, namely infusing mana into and using mana on them. This was to investigate the activation conditions of the collars, and to see if they could be removed... And then, she was the decisive piece of evidence."

Suzuki pointed at the female student from before.

"She thanked me when I infused mana into her. But that's quite strange. Normally, you'd be surprised, because you wouldn't know that mana could be transferred in that way... But it seems you DO know about it, don't you?"

The girl's face turned pale and she trembled.

"I. I..."

"You knew, right?"

"...I'm sorry, Eliza-sama was a great noble, so I couldn't defy her... the students who defied her were tied up and had their collars pulled off, or their mana was depleted to zero... That's how we realized mana could be transferred."

"I was quite surprised that only Eliza-sama had such an unusual amount of mana left. All the other students had less than 300 mana. It's almost as though it had been deliberately manipulated."

"...Everyone transferred their mana to Eliza-sama. But I had very little mana and couldn't transfer it to her, so I was chased out into the corridor..."

The girl then burst into tears.

"If that is true, then this is quite a severe situation."

Alexia glared at Eliza.

"So... What are you going to do, then?"

Eliza sighed as she replied.

"That sounds like an admission of guilt to me."

"Guilt? I was merely helping the students as the Vice-President. At the time, I didn't know the collars would explode when taken off or when their mana reached zero.:

"You're certainly thick-skinned... So, how do you explain taking the students' mana, then?"

"I didn't take it, I was safekeeping it. I was planning to redistribute it fairly to them afterwards."

"Do you think anyone would accept an excuse like that?"

"Surely they would under normal circumstances... Still, since you're Alexia-sama, that might not work out too well. Right, let's make a deal."

"A deal?"

"I have 1900 mana left. If you let me off, I can share some of it with you, you know?"

Alexia clicked her tongue.

The students had all lost a fair bit of mana during the fighting just now. Accepting her mana would be helpful.

But if they made the trade, it would be letting her off the hook.

Even for someone like Alexia, breaking a deal between great nobles was a big deal.

"...Will you really give it to us?"

"Ah, of course. Depending on the conditions, it could be a lot of mana too."

Eliza smiled smugly.

She knew Alexia could not refuse.

Alexia looked at the students. They looked frail and fatigued. Their lives were being burned away, moment by moment.

She had no choice but to accept the deal in order to help them.

"Alright, then I accept..."

Just as Alexia said that--

"It seems you don't understand the circumstances, do you?"

Suzuki spoke like he was drowning out Alexia's words.

At that moment, he was standing behind Eliza.

"When -- when did you!"

"--Freeze."

Suzuki's quiet voice stopped Eliza and her minion just as they were about to turn around.

His hand was on Eliza's neck... No, it was touching her collar.

"If I break this collar right now, I'm sure you know what will happen, Eliza-sama."

"...What's the meaning of this? Do you know what the consequences will be if you do this to me?"

A savage look crossed Eliza's face.

"Suzuki, stop. Even the Hopes have no intention of opposing her right now."

Christina added.

"Good grief. It seems none of you realize what's going on, do you?"

Suzuki sighed loudly enough that everyone could hear.

"What do you mean..."

"Eliza-sama, all the things that always protected you are useless here. Be it your status as a great noble or your factional authority or your great piles of wealth, they are ALL useless in this mist."

"I am Eliza. I can speak for the Kingdom of Midgar--"

"So what? Can that protect you right now, in this very moment? What kind of testimony will everyone give if I were to kill Eliza-sama in this white mist? Would the people whose mana you stole testify for you?"

Eliza looked around at the students.

None of them met her gaze.

"Do you understand your situation now?"

Suzuki whispered into her ear.

And then, he exerted a bit of force on her collar.

"...I understand. I'm sorry."

Eliza said quietly.

"I don't need your apology, but please distribute your mana to the students."

"...Of course."

As Eliza said this, there was a look of hatred in her eyes, as though she was trying to kill someone by staring them to death.

"Will this do, Princess Alexia? These are desperate times, so Eliza-sama's punishment will have to be delayed until everything is over and she can stand trial. Of course, you may punish me as well if needed when the time comes."

"Is this alright? The punishment for threatening a great noble is most severe, Suzuki-kun."

"I'm prepared for that."

"Are you now... What about the Hope family?"

Alexia addressed this question to Christina.

"If you will provide us with your testimony in court, then we will have just cause, Alexia-sama. I doubt things will go too badly."

Christina coolly replied.

"Thank you very much."

Suzuki bowed his head.

"It's nothing... I just, I just had my own opinion on the matter."

Christina suddenly turned away after saying so.

Following that, the mana transfer went smoothly.

Eliza had 400 mana left. The other 1500 was distributed among the students.

"I trust you understand that stealing their mana again is strictly forbidden?"

"Hurry back to the hall. It would be bad if you were attacked by the ghosts."

After the mana transfer was completed, the group split into two.

Eliza and the students headed to the hall, while Alexia and company continued in search of the mana.

"I won't forget this..."

Before she left, Eliza glared at Suzuki and muttered those words.

However, he merely glanced at Eliza like he would at a pebble by the roadside.

"All is but an illusion... Merely a trick of the mists..."

And then he turned away while muttering meaningfully to himself.

Alexia followed the trail of the collars' mana away from the campus.

The ghostly attacks had calmed down since then and there were only a few scattered fights here and there.

"Who IS he, anyway...?"

Alexia moved up to Christina's side and whispered into her ear.

"He's a distant relative of the Hope family. He shouldn't have had any abilities worth mentioning, but..."

Christina glanced back at Suzuki, who was at the end of the group.

"He's no ordinary person. The courage to stand off against a great noble isn't something that's easily acquired."

"He also used martial arts in combat that I've never seen before. He might have been hiding his strength."

"But why..."

"I don't know. But after this, I'll be handing him over to the main family so they can watch over him."

"That would be for the best..."

Letting someone like him go free would be a terrible waste, as well as being very dangerous.

"You'd best be careful of him. He's too familiar with all of this. It's as though he's become a completely different person."

The person saying this was Isaac, who had sidled over at some point.

"What do you mean?"

"He says he investigated the collars himself, but I don't think he could have learned that much from our brief stop in the classroom. He was the one who noticed mana flowing out of the collars. Perhaps he knew about all this from the beginning. When you think about it that way, it all makes sense."

As he said this, Isaac narrowed his eyes and a sharpness entered his gaze.

"Both his ability to calmly assess the situation and how he seemed to be a different person after the mist appeared... they're all because he's in on this."

"...Do you have proof?"

"I don't have anything decisive yet. But I'll catch him for sure. Be careful, Alexia-hime."

After saying this, he quickened his pace.

The truth is, Isaac had a point.

Suzuki had changed after the mist had appeared. It would make sense if he was from the Cult.

But in that case, then Suzuki would have been leading her and the others around by the nose.

"...What a shallow man."

Christina suddenly piped up out of nowhere.

She was looking at Isaac, who was walking ahead of them.

"Shallow?"

"No, it's nothing."

Christina merely shook her head in response to Alexia's query.

"...The mana seems to reach all the way here."

Claire came to a half in front of a small chapel near the school grounds.

"So there was a chapel in a place like this."

"No, there isn't."

Nina answered Christina's question.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I said. There was no chapel here originally, not until the mists appeared."

Saying so, she opened the door and entered.

There was a silence in here, as though it had been long forgotten by people. The pews were covered in dust.

Alexia remained on guard as she approached the pedestal in its depths.

"It's under this place."

Claire said so. THey could sense the air moving faintly below the pedestal.

"Yeeart!"

Claire kicked the pedestal without any hesitation, but it was followed by a dull thud.

"Owww! What is this thing?"

"A magical barrier... Looks like it's an artifact. It seems you'll need a key to activate it."

Nina said that after touching the pedestal.

"What key? Where is it?"

"I don't know either. It would be good if it was nearby."

"Let's look."

Everyone began searching the surroundings, but nobody could find any clues.

"This is no good. There's nothing here,"

Alexia said.

"Same here. Is there really a clue around here?"

Isaac seemed a little unhappy too.

"There's no time. If we don't hurry..."

Alexia had 500 mana remaining. Even though they had fought along the way, this rate of depletion was still worse than expected.

The mana of the students in the chapel was gradually decreasing too.

"I'm having some trouble understanding these artifacts. After all, it's not my major."

It was Nina who said that.

"There's nothing here either."

Christina and Suzuki did not seem to have turned up anything either.

And so, a melancholy mood settled over them.

All they could do was stare at the pedestal. They were at a dead end.

Just then, they heard a quiet knocking. Its source was Claire, who was punching the pedestal with her right hand.

"It's no use, Claire."

Alexia tried to stop her.

However, Claire punched it again. A louder thud than just now rang out.

"Please... lend me your strength. I still have things I need to do. I can't let things end here..."

Then, Claire undid the bandages on her right hand. As they saw the ominous magic circle carved there, Isaac and Christina both held their breath.

"That's..."

"Come on, Aurora, lend me your strength. I know you've been quiet all this time, but I know you've got a way to deal with this."

Claire continued muttering to her right hand.

"What's she doing?"

"Who's she talking to?"

"Shh, be quiet."

Alexia shut Christina and Isaac up.

"Come on... please, Aurora, answer me... Listen to me!!"

And then, the magic circle on Claire's hand lit up.

It dyed the surroundings red with its brilliance and inscribed countless ancient runs on the pedestal.

"This, what is this power--!!"

Isaac exclaimed in surprise.

"Open up! OPEN UP!"

The red light engulfed the entire pedestal, and then it shattered.

After that -- the pedestal was gone. Below it was a flight of steps leading down.

"Amazing..."

Christina muttered to herself in shock. The powerful mana that Claire had displayed could be said to be beyond the ken of normal men.

"You answered me, Aurora... Guh. My right hand hurts... So this is the price of that power..."

Claire winced in pain as she grabbed her right hand.

"Claire, are you okay?"

Alexia put a hand on Claire's shoulder.

"I'm fine. Hurry, let's move on, there's no time."

Claire got her breathing under control. She looked very determined.

"Let's go -- for the sake of saving everyone."

After that, they descended the stairs, with Claire leading the way.

It was a very long flight of stairs.

Due to the darkness and the mist, there was practically no visibility in all directions. Everyone continued onward in silence. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed in the air.

Soon, when they arrived at the foot of the stairs, Alexia's mana, which originally read 500, had diminished to 450.

"That's a big door."

A massive door came into view in the dark underground.

Alexia and company pushed it open and entered.

The chamber ahead was slightly more open. There were damaged cells on both sides, but they were all empty.

"Is this... a dungeon?"

Claire and the others advanced cautiously. After moving ahead for a bit, they heard something like a heavy object moving around.

"What IS all this..."

Claire muttered in surprise.

It was impossible to see what had happened behind them in the darkness. Alexia had the feeling that they had forgotten something important, and then she turned back.

"Under the chapel... A secret room after going down a long staircase... And then, the door shut behind them."

Alexia recalled the Head Librarian's words. That situation seemed very similar to their current one.

"--! Head back, it's a trap!!"

Alexia frantically turned around and ran. However, the huge door closed with a crash.

At the same time, a gas spewed from the ceiling. The sweet scent soon filled their surroundings.

"Stop breathing!"

But it was too late.

Everyone lost consciousness one after another. In the end, only Alexia was left.

"How, in a place like this..."

As her consciousness faded away, Alexia saw a boy who had donned a gas mask beforehand.

"Good grief. I didn't expect you to actually make it all the way in here, Princess Alexia."

"Wait, so you..."

"Yes, I am the insider."

Isaac chuckled under his mask. Alexia reached for her sword, and then she completely lost consciousness.

Epilogue - I Wouldn't Mind Destroying The World If It Meant I Could Obtain It!

"Ngh..."

Christina woke from a deep sleep.

Her body felt heavy and her mind was foggy. Her last memory was of collapsing in the dungeon.

"This is..."

Her limbs were secured to the wall.

Though she tried to free herself, she could not exert her strength. It would seem her mana had been sealed.

"Oh my, you seem to have woken up. Well done."

She turned to the source of the voice and found that the speaker was Isaac.

"Why... I've been bound."

Christina said.

"I tied you up."

"Did you?"

"You don't seem very surprised."

"That's because I've always felt that you were a shallow person. People like that usually have something to hide."

"I'll take that into consideration for next time."

"What about the others?"

"Princess Alexia and Claire-san are with my master."

"My master?"

"Yes, they're with my master."

He repeated his lines from before. It looked like he did not intend to reveal more.

"As for Suzuki-kun, he's sleeping over there."

Isaac pointed to a wall slightly further away.

Suzuki was there too, bound like Christina.

"Suzuki..."

Christina breathed a sigh of relief.

"Unfortunately, he probably won't be waking up again."

"What, what do you mean by that?"

"The gas that put you to sleep could be considered a strong poison to those with poor mana reserves. I wouldn't be surprised if he never woke up."

"Suzuki..."

"This really isn't like you, Christina-san. He's simply a lesser noble of a branch family. There's no need to feel sad."

"That... While that's true..."

Christina realized how shaken she was after Isaac pointed it out.

Just like he said, Suzuki was merely a lesser noble of a branch family. For a duke's daughter like Christina, he was an eminently replaceable article.

"I simply thought he could be helpful to the Hope family... that's all."

"Really now. Well, it doesn't matter whether he lives or dies."

"It doesn't matter..."

Christina glared at Isaac.

"Oh yes, it doesn't matter. I'm just finishing up my work..."

"What are you up to?"

"There is great potential in your body, Christina-san. Our organization will make good use of it."

"What organization? Is it Shadow Garden like everyone is talking about?"

"Shadow Garden? Please don't compare that group with hardly any history behind it to us. We have ruled the world from time immemorial... Never mind, it would be wasted on you. Besides, you'll end up as a mindless puppet soon enough."

As he said this, Isaac took out a syringe containing a red liquid.

"I should hurry up and finish working. The revival of the Right Arm is a memorable occasion and I'll miss it if I'm too slow. You could probably become one of the Second Children. But unfortunately, Suzuki-kun probably wouldn't even qualify as a Third Child."

Isaac placed the tip of the syringe against Christina's arm.

"Stop! Wait, where's Nina-sempai?!"

"...That woman is gone."

Isaac frowned.

"Gone?"

"I should have knocked everyone out, but she disappeared at some point. Well, it's not as though she can escape the Sanctuary alive anyway. Honestly, I'll have to write a report on this..."

Isaac applied pressure onto the plunger as he said this.

"Noooo--!"

"Time to say goodbye--"

Just then, something moved at the edge of her vision.

"Wow, you're so noisy... It's been a while since I've been able to have a good rest."

The voice came from Suzuki, who ought to have been unconscious.

"Su-Suzuki..."

"What -- you're awake?"

"That should be obvious at a glance, right? Why do you look so surprised?"

He yawned lazily after saying so.

"It, it doesn't matter anyway. Nothing is going to change even if you wake up. I'll just deal with you first."

Isaac headed over to where Suzuki was bound, syringe in hand.

"Deal with me, you say."

"Humph, I'll turn you into a mute puppet."

The syringe's needle descended toward Suzuki's neck.

"So you want to deal with me--"

As he coped Isaac's words, the corner of his mouth turned up in a smile.

"--Well, we can't be having that."

In the next moment, Isaac's body trembled and the syringe of red fluid rolled to the ground.

"What... Guh... koff off."

Suzuki's right hand was resting against Isaac's belly.

--It was a palm strike.

The powerful blow had hit Isaac in the guy.

"But how... your shackles are loose... your mana should have been sealed!"

Isaac staggered back while clutching his belly, and blood trickled down from his mouth.

"Simple. I just dislocated my joints."

As Suzuki said this, he slipped free of the shackle on his left arm. He moved his joints in ways that were frankly impossible for a human being, and after escaping his bonds, he reversed the change, as though he had regenerated.

He neutralized his leg shackles in the same way too.

"That's impossible..."

"Well then, what shall we do? Weren't you going to deal with me?"

"...Don't look down on me."

A hint of anger filled Isaac's eyes.

"You're nothing but a failing student but you still dare to mock me..."

He drew his sword and took a fighting stance.

Suzuki reached to his waist for his sword, and then he tilted his head.

"Where's my sword...?"

The only thing at Suzuki's waist was his scabbard.

"Unfortunately, I've already disposed of your weapon."

"Really now."

Suzuki produced a fountain pen from his pocket. He then removed the cap and pointed it at Isaac.

"In that case... This will do."

"You, you're using a pen... Are you kidding me!?"

Isaac's mana flooded out.

He stepped in in an instant, bringing his sword around in a sweeping cut. The arc of the blade should have cut Suzuki in half...

...If that fountain pen had not gotten in the way.

Suzuki blocked the sword with the tip of his fountain pen.

A keen sound like shattering glass filled the air, and Isaac's sword crumbled to bits.

And then, Suzuki thrust his pen.

"What -- Gaahhhh!!"

The pen stabbed into Isaac.

One step, two steps, Isaac slowly stumbled back.

His eyes seemed to have seen something unbelievable and he reached for the fountain pen stuck in his neck.

"Koff koff... but how, with only a pen..."

The sentence ended with a splash.

Red ink dripped from the pen.

"You know, I'll be in trouble if you don't give that back. I can't write my diary without it."

Suzuki grabbed the pen that was stuck in Isaac's neck.

"Wait a... stop, stooooppp!"

Huge gouts of fresh blood sprayed out as the fountain pen was extracted.

It dyed the floor red, like ink.

"Ah... Aiieee..."

Isaac collapsed to the ground, a stunned expression on his face.

Then, he opened his eyes to look at Suzuki.

He was looking at Suzuki's collar. The mana remaining gauge was displaying a frankly unbelievable figure.

"What... That mana... koff."

Isaac collapsed after vomiting more blood.

"I.. hah... in a place like this... koff... ah..."

Blood poured from his neck. His breathing grew more and more faint, until it vanished at last.

Suzuki looked at the pen that was stained with Isaac's blood with a look of boredom on his face.

"Wow, it's filthy. I don't think I want it after all."

He simply tossed it onto Isaac's corpse.

Then, he looked back towards Christina and approached her.

Christina felt herself begin to panic a little as Suzuki's somewhat nasty gaze swept over her.

"Ah... er..."

Her heart was pounding like a drum. She had no idea what to say. All she could do was look up at Suzuki without moving.

"I'm glad you're alright."

Suzuki helped free Christina.

"Th-thank you, Suzuki."

Her voice was faint, almost like it was going to disappear.

"I simply did what I ought to do. Right, let's go. I'm worried about the other students."

"A-Ah, please wait, Suzuki!"

Christina called out to Suzuki just as he was about to leave.

"Ah... It seems I misunderstood you. I used to think you were nothing but an incompetent bum... But it seems that wasn't the case."

Christina lowered her head in embarrassment.

"If you'd like, I can move you to the main family once everything is over--"

"--You didn't get anything wrong, Christina-neesan. Suzuki IS an incompetent bum."

Suzuki said as he turned around.

"Huh? But, that..."

"You're right. You didn't misunderstand anything."

There was a coldness in Suzuki's voice that Christina had never heard before.

"Ah... I, did I say something which made you unhappy..."

"No, not at all. It's just... You shouldn't get too close to me. The path I must walk down is one that drips with blood... I belong to a world which cannot exist under the light of the sun."

Suzuki's words were determined, and he did not turn around. He spoke to her with his back turned, as though he were rejecting the entire world.

"What kind of burden are you bearing..."

"I still have a mission, one which I must accomplish even if I must shoulder all the sins of the world... If you get close to me, you too will be hurt and drenched in blood."

And then, Suzuki finally turned around.

Christina's breath caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes. They were glassy and inorganic, as though they had lost all emotions.

No, there was something else different about them.

In the depths of those glassy orbs was a vortex, formed from an emotion that burned like a black flame.

Suzuki gently reached toward Christina's neck.

He lifted her delicate chin, and Suzuki brought his face close to hers.

"Suzuki..."

Her voice escaped her lips like a gentle breath.

Christina was mesmerized by his fathomless eyes and then she closed hers.

And then, a dull click reached her ears.

"Huh?"

When she opened her eyes again, her collar had vanished.

"Ah... the collar... How did you do it?"

He did not answer Christina's question. His own collar had vanished at some point.

"There's no time. I need to hurry."

Suzuki turned his back on her and walked off. His receding figure seemed incredibly forlorn.

"Wait... wait for me, Suzuki!"

Christina ran after him, in order to not be left behind.

++It's about time you woke up. Things are pretty bad now.++

As she sensed the voice in her head, Claire came to.

"This is..."

They were in the white mist. She was secured to a thoroughly unpleasant-looking place that looked like a medical slab.

Alexia was similarly bound beside her.

"Alexia, are you alright?! Wake up!"

"Ugh... Where is this place...?"

Alexia woke up as well. The two of them surveyed their surroundings and as one, they held their breath.

"This is..."

"What IS this place..."

There were four cylindrical capsules there. There was a red-colored liquid and a person inside each one.

"Could those be the missing students..."

"That's right. Those students were all on the list."

"But why would they do that..."

"They must be absorbing their mana, in order to resurrect the Demon Diablos... We'd best hurry and free ourselves, or else we'll end up like them."

Alexia tried to undo her bindings, but they would not budge. Claire tried it too, but ended up with the same result.

"It seems our mana's been sealed off."

"That bastard Isaac, I can't believe he did this."

Alexia spat unhappily.

Just then, the cylindrical capsules moved. There was a dull thud and the red liquid drained out of two of the capsules.

"What, what's going on?"

"I have no idea..."

Just then, a voice spoke from behind them.

"So you're awake now? Just in time. The capsules are ready... there's only about 10% left now."

The person who said this was a silver-haired boy.

He looked as lovely as though he had escaped from a book of fairytales, and both Alexia and Claire were briefly at a loss for words.

"You're...?"

"I am Fenrir, Fifth Seat of the Round Table."

"You... YOU'RE Fenrir!?"

The boy who called himself Fenrir seemed young enough to be Alexia's age, or possibly even younger.

"With eternal life, one's external age ceases to be of any importance."

Saying so, Fenrir walked up to the two capsules that were now empty of red liquid.

"What do you plan to do?"

"I will place you in the capsules in order to revive the Right Arm of Diablos. I was originally planning to use the collars to obtain the necessary mana, but since you came all the way to my doorstep, that simplifies things. You've both saved me quite a lot of effort."

Fenrir laughed coldly.

"The academy is in chaos now. Don't think it'll end so simply."

Alexia replied.

"So someone will pass judgement on me? Who is it? The knights? Or you, perhaps?"

"I, that..."

"We live on the dark side of the world. Those on the light side can never touch us."

"There's still Shadow Garden..."

Fenrir froze as Alexia whispered that name.

"So you say Shadow Garden will punish us, then... Kuku."

He sniggered.

"What's so funny?"

"I didn't think a proud princess would have to rely on a bunch of nobodies. How pathetic..."

"Ugh..."

Alexia's face turned bright red. She ground her teeth audibly.

"Frankly speaking, does Shadow Garden even intend to punish us? You know nothing about what this Shadow Garden organization is."

Saying so, he grabbed a lump of meat that had once been a student from inside the capsule and threw it away.

"They live on the dark side of the world, just like us. They won't pass judgement on us. Even if one of us fails, the survivors will rule the world once again. That is all."

Fenrir looks back. His eyes were red.

"Now then, the preparations are complete. The time of revival is now--"

Fenrir walked toward Claire.

"Claire Kagenou. The reports say you used a very strange power."

Fenrir stood beside her slab and lifted her chin.

"...Let go of me!"

"Your bloodline is potent, but that is not unusual. A quick investigation should reveal the truth."

Saying so, he pressed a syringe with red fluid toward Claire's neck.

Claire shook her head to fight him off, but Fenrir was very strong.

"It's useless."

The needle descended on her neck.

Just then--

++Honestly, I was wondering how long you were going to take.++

Aurora's voice filled Claire's mind. Potent mana erupted forth.

The syringe broke, and the bindings sprang open.

"What -- this mana is!?"

Fenrir backed away from her.

++I'll lend you just a bit of my strength.++

"Thank you, Aurora."

As Claire said this, she shattered Alexia's bonds with her sword.

"Nice work, Claire."

Alexia drew her sword and took a fighting stance.

"Aurora... Was that what you said, Claire Kagenou?"

Fenrir looked Claire in the eye.

"Indeed, it was. Do you know Aurora?"

"Kuku... I see. Well, let's see if you're the real deal or not. Bloodfang... Heed my call."

Fenrir drew a sword out of the void.

It was longer than he was, a crimson blade the color of dried blood.

"Bloodfang... The magic sword that was said to have been wielded by the mightiest magic swordsman in history. Could it be true..."

As Alexia muttered this, she could feel a tremendous pressure from the blade which made her spine tremble.

++Be careful, Claire.++

"I will. Aren't you going to fight too, Aurora?"

"You're almost out of mana, aren't you? If I use your body, it'll put a huge drain on you. Also, it's probably time you learned how to use your strength."

"...Indeed."

Claire gathered mana within herself. She was slowly beginning to master the secret of blending two different kinds of power.

And then, Claire closed the distance to her opponent in an instant.

However, Fenrir easily blocked her sword.

"Is that all... What?"

The red tentacle wrapped around Bloodfang. The tentacle from Claire's right arm had seized it under her direction.

"With this strength--!"

"Don't look down on me."

Fenrir swung Bloodfang. Just that motion was enough to dislodge the tentacle.

Claire proceeded to her next move.

She stepped inside his range and avoided Bloodfang, then swung at Fenrir's body.

There was a dull clang.

Fenrir had blocked Claire's sweep with Bloodfang's hilt.

"What? With the hilt?"

"All you did was win the Bushin Festival... But in the end, yours is just a child's sword."

Fenrir whirled Bloodfang around, batting Claire's sword away and using the revolution to bring the hilt up at her chin.

"Ugh."

The hit was light. Claire had suddenly jumped back to lessen the force of the blow.

However, it had still drawn blood inside her mouth, which trickled out from between her lips. Fenrir took advantage of her broken posture and pressed the attack.

But just then, Fenrir stopped.

A sword had pierced his left shoulder.

"Well done. If you had followed through, you would have struck my heart."

It was Alexia.

"I knew you were waiting for me to expose myself. But when did you..."

Fenrir fell back with Bloodfang in hand. He paid no heed at all the the blood spurting from his left shoulder.

"Hah."

With that exhalation, Fenrir swung Bloodfang again. This strike was sharp and contained incredible mana.

Alexia tried to block the attack. Her movements were not quick and there was very little mana in her sword.

She could not stop it.

Bloodfang was going to shatter Alexia's sword. Right before that happened, Alexia took half a step back, then changed the angle of her sword to deflect the strike.

"Heh."

And just like that, the tables hard turned.

She stabbed at Fenrir's vitals with a minimum of movement or mana.

Fenrir was done for.

It seemed as though all he could do was wait to be run through by Alexia's thrust while he was still halfway through swinging Bloodfang.

However, Fenrir stomped the ground hard with his leading foot.

The tremendous force of this movement split the ground open, and with movements that would be impossible for a normal human being, he regained his footing.

Alexia's sword cut through the air and left a nick on Fenrir's cheek.

Fenrir then pulled away from her.

"A commoner's sword... One that is scorned by others, compared to Princess Iris..."

"You ignore the commoner at your own peril."

"I do wonder how far you'll grow in a hundred years. A sword must be steeped in your accumulated essence. But that is also why the gap between us is far too great..."

Saying so, Fenrir closed his eyes.

"It's about time I got a little serious..."

The air around him changed.

Tremendous mana welled up from within Fenrir's body.

At the same time, his hair turned white. His face was covered in deep wrinkles and his limbs turned spindly and dried-out.

And then, he slowly opened his eyes.

He had gone from an innocent youth to an withered old man.

"Is this his true form..."

He looked like a frail, elderly man who might keel over at a touch.

However, Alexia and Claire didn't dare take him lightly. That was because in contrast to his appearance, the weight of his oppressive aura had jumped dramatically.

Cold sweat ran down their cheeks.

++I remember now... the Midgar Devil.++

"The Midgar Devil?"

Claire repeated Aurora's whispered words out loud.

++Long, long ago, there was a terrifying mass murderer in the Midgar region. He slaughtered people indiscriminately to increase his strength. He should be very old by now...++

"I can't believe someone actually knows that title. Is it Aurora?"

Fenrir spoke in a hoarse voice.

"The Witch of Calamity... Looks like it's the real deal. So you've decided to possess this girl, then?"

"Aurora, what's going on?"

++Focus, his forte is in distracting people like this.++

"But--"

"Claire!!"

"Huh?"

Fenrir's Bloodfang had grown.

It extended toward Claire's neck like a whip.

All Claire could do was stare dumbly at her impending death.

However, in the next moment, Claire's eyes turned purple. Over a hundred tentacles flew out and lunged at Fenrir.

"Kuku... That's it, that's the power."

Faced with red tentacles raining down on him, Fenrir bent like a reed and evaded them.

The countless tentacles grazed past him and shredded his clothes.

However, none of them inflicted the slightest bit of harm to his body. And then, suddenly, all the blood tentacles vanished.

"...Mana..."

The person panting on her knees was Claire, whose eyes were violet. She only had 36 mana remaining.

"You've gotten weaker, Aurora. Or have I gotten stronger?"

"...It's only because this body has too little mana."

And then, Bloodfang swung at Claire.

"Urgh..."

Although she barely managed to avoid a fatal wound, that was all she could do as she rolled along the ground, unable even to break her fall.

And then, Claire's eyes turned back to their usual red.

"How dare you do that to Claire!!"

Alexia launched an attack.

She made the shortest, smallest movements necessary. However, Fenrir was still far above her.

All Alexia saw was a red afterimage.

And then, her sword shattered.

"Ah, ah..."

"This sword... it contains the pinnacle of over a thousand years of refinement. It is clearly too far away for you to reach."

Saying so, Fenrir raised his sword high above his head.

"My sword..."

The fragments of her sword scattered. The shame of the past was revived in dull.

She had trained diligently to keep from feeling this regret and resentment again. But no matter how hard she tried, the pinnacle of swordsmanship was still too far away.

Tears welled up in the corners of Alexia's eyes.

"--It's over."

Bloodfang cleaved down in an overhead strike.

Just then, a shrill whistling of the wind filled the air. Fenrir ceased his attack and quickly backed away.

There was a thunk as a fountain pen sank into the ground.

"Who is it?"

"You're..."

There stood an ordinary male student with a mean look in his eyes, Suzuki.

"Are you alright?"

He slowly approached them and pulled out the fountain pen that was embedded in the ground.

"Princess Alexia, this way."

Christina was the one who said this as she guided Alexia away.

"I, I can still..."

"Don't push yourself. You're out of mana."

At some point, Alexia's mana had fallen below 100. She bit her lip and looked at Suzuki.

"Fenrir is very strong. He can't do it by himself."

"I don't think Suzuki will lose so easily."

Christina's eyes were clear as she said this. Once again, Suzuki faced off against Fenrir.

"Once again, I ask -- Who are you?"

Fenrir stared at Suzuki.

"I am Suzuki, a first year student at Midgar Academy."

Suzuki spun his fountain pen between his fingers as he said that.

"Just a student, hm..."

Suddenly, Fenrir swung Bloodfang around in a sweeping strike. The crimson blade curved like a whip to graze past Suzuki's bangs.

"You understand attack ranges quite well for an ordinary student."

"Attack range? What are you talking about?"

With a cool expression on his face, Suzuki stepped forward.

He was within Fenrir's attack range. A keen glint filled Fenrir's eyes.

Tap. The echoes of Suzuki's footsteps were exceptionally loud.

Once again, the sound of footsteps filled the air.

In the next moment, Bloodfang began its combo.

Red afterimages poured down from all directions. Each stroke was beautiful, like an eye-catching dance.

And at its heart, Suzuki took a stance with his fountain pens.

He had four in each hand, left and right, held between his fingers like claws.

Their golden nibs gleamed.

And then, the crimson sword dance collided with the golden light.

Shing, shing, shing; the sounds of countless impacts filled the air.

Crimson afterimages and golden light danced through the mist.

"Amazing..."

Alexia murmured in awe.

Fenrir's sword was unquestionably one of the strongest she had ever seen. And Suzuki, who was trading blows with it using fountain pens, had immeasurable strength as well.

Not even the Midgar Empire's Royal Guards or the Seven Swords of the Vegalta Empire could compare to them...

"He's too powerful..."

Christina muttered to herself.

It was as she said. Suzuki's strength was far beyond the realm of a student.

"Who IS he, anyway?"

It was only natural that Alexia would ask that question.

"I don't know either. But he seemed to be carrying a heavy weight. He has a mission to accomplish... or so he said."

"A mission... That's why he's so strong..."

Alexia clenched her fists.

"Claire-san, are you alright?"

Christina hurried to help up Claire, who had collapsed on the ground.

"I, I'm okay, I guess... Suzuki-kun's fighting."

There was a hint of pain in Claire's voice as she said this.

"We can't keep up with his battle, so we should at least witness it."

"Is that so..."

Claire pressed down forcefully on the magic circle inscribed on her hand.

Fenrir and Suzuki continued their battle in the mist.

The situation was slowly tilting toward one side.

The crimson afterimages were overwhelming the golden light. The flashing nibs were slowly retreating in the mist.

The main reason for this was the differences in their respective attack ranges.

Fenrir's Bloodfang was far longer than an ordinary sword, while Suzuki's fountain pens weren't even the length of an ordinary sword.

The result was that Fenrir was the only one attacking, while Suzuki had to go on the defensive.

"The battle is decided. As one who has reached the apex of martial arts as well, you should understand that there's no way to overcome the difference between us."

Fenrir spoke in between his combination attacks.

"Really now? Is that so?"

Suzuki crouched down, and then he leaped.

He readied his pens, and then threw them at him.

The eight fountain pens gleamed with golden light.

"Your resistance is futile--"

Fenrir backed off as he swung Bloodfang at the fountain pens.

Several of them managed to graze him, but that was it. Having thrown his weapons, Suzuki no longer had a way to resist him.

Or at least, that's how it should have been.

"What."

Suzuki once again held eight pens in mid-air.

"Super Move "Golden Storm"!"

And then, he threw his pens one after another.

Countless glints of light rained down on Fenrir's body.

"Petty tricks--"

However, Fenrir's technique was also extraordinary.

He moved like flowing water under the onslaught of fountain pens. When he could not evade them, he deflected them with Bloodfang.

The golden rain littered the ground before it even reached Fenrir.

And then, the rain stopped.

The surroundings were covered in countless fountain pens.

Fenrir stood in their midst. He was motionless. Or rather, he was unable to move.

"Checkmate."

Because Suzuki was standing behind him.

"Were the pens just a diversion?"

"I believe there was a saying, "the pen is mightier than the sword?"

Suzuki pressed a fountain pen to Fenrir's neck.

"I was one move behind, then. It seems I went overboard. After all, I haven't had a proper playmate in so long, so I got a little carried away. I suppose this is a bad habit of the elderly--"

"Cut the crap."

Before Fenrir could finish, Suzuki stabbed his pen into him.

The strike pierced Fenrir's neck and fresh blood spurted forth.

"Koff... youngsters are all so hasty. You should hear your elders out."

Suddenly, Fenrir's eyes turned red.

Massive amounts of mana flowed forth, sending Suzuki flying. The wound on his neck healed over, as though it had regenerated.

"Playtime's over. Now which of these mooks should I dispose of first..."

Fenrir turned to Alexia and the others. His first prey was Christina.

"Ah..."

Christina's back shuddered as the crimson gaze fell upon her. A pressure she had never felt before seemed as though it was going to crush her flat.

"Farewell, Miss."

Then, a crimson slash chopped down on Christina.

Faced with her oncoming death, all she could do was stare blankly.

Right before it was about to chop her in two, a figure suddenly interposed itself in front of her.

The figure grabbed her, taking the blow in her place.

Blood flew everywhere.

"Suzuki... You..."

The figure was Suzuki.

"I'm glad you're okay... koff."

Suzuki coughed up copious amounts of blood.

"Suzuki! Suzuki! Are you alright? Why did you save me..."

"There's something I need to apologize to you for..."

Suzuki's mouth was tinged with red as he spoke those words.

"You don't have to apologize, more importantly, you--"

"No, it has to be now. As for why that is, it's because..."

"--Huh?"

"...I'm not Suzuki."

Suzuki's voice changed.

It was dull and somber, like it was echoing out of an abyss. His eyes turned red.

"He is already dead. My real identity is--"

The countless pens stuck in the blood melted.

They turned into black slime, which engulfed Suzuki's body.

"Su-Suzuki..."

Christina and the others could not help but back off as they witnessed this strange sight.

The slime which enveloped Suzuki writhed and squirmed in a terrifying fashion before finally revealing his true form.

"I am Shadow, he who lurks in the shadows and hunts the shadows..."

The man in the jet-black hooded coat spoke thus as he drew his ebon blade.

"Shadow!?"

Alexia exclaimed in surprise.

"Shadow..."

Christina was surprised too. However, as she looked up at Shadow, she felt a rapid pounding in her chest.

"Shadow, is it. I knew you'd come..."

Fenrir did not seem moved by this. He filled his body with mana before squaring off with Shadow.

"So you disguised yourself as a student to look for an opening? You truly are a man to be careful around."

"Oh it was nothing, just a passing interest."

"Don't play dumb with me. This was too much effort for a mere passing interest. I'm not senile enough to not realize what you have in mind."

"Oho..."

"People lie to hide what they do not wish to be known by others. Which means, the truth is behind the lies."

"That makes sense."

"You were posing as a student to sniff out my weaknesses, hoping to avoid an open clash with me. That shows you are wary of me. You're trying to use this lie to hide your fear of me."

"Humph... Don't make me laugh, old man."

"In that case, it would be a terrible shame. How strong is this man called Shadow? Is he a man who can exceed the expectations of myself, one who has reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship after countless years? Pondering that question has brought me quite some amusement.

Saying so, Fenrir raised Bloodfang.

"Would you like to find out?"

Shadow raised his own black blade.

"That was my intention."

Fenrir lowered his stance. He held Bloodfang out behind him, standing side on towards him.

"Don't disappoint me, Shadow."

In the next moment, the white mist turned into a vortex and Fenrir vanished.

"Ancient Style Succession Technique -- Utsusemi"

Fenrir appeared behind Shadow.

Bloodfang had already swung; he had already followed through with his stroke.

"Ho... So you could defend against it."

There was some delight in Fenrir's voice.

There was a scratch on Shadow's coat. Fenrir had made it.

"I've faced many swift strikes. But this, this sword... it's very slow."

Shadow fixed the rent in his coat and then turned back to face him.

"So you noticed the delay after just one attack?"

The white mist swirled around Fenrir again.

"...Interesting."

Shadow quietly studied the flow of mana.

In the next moment, Fenrir vanished. Once again, there was a mark on Shadow's coat. It was slightly deeper than before.

"So you defended against it again?"

Behind Shadow was Fenrir, who was holding his sword in follow-through position.

"It really is very slow."

Shadow touched the cut on his coat and fixed it.

"So you can see Utsusemi?"

"Almost all of it, though not the very end."

"In that case, how could you defend against it?"

"I simply moved out of the way when I made contact with the blade. That's all."

"You use a soft style, then? I've heard of martial arts who can nullify an opponent's attack like a bending willow reed."

"I never studied those."

"Then was that pure instinct?"

"Nothing as pretentious as that."

"Then what was it?"

"Training."

"Ho... indeed, that is the truth of martial arts."

Then, Fenrir lowered his stance again, preparing Bloodfang to strike.

"Then taste the training this old man has been through."

The white mist became a vortex.

"...I see."

Shadow swung at a place where nobody was.

"--Well done."

After that, Fenrir vanished.

In the next moment, Fenrir appeared behind Shadow. His shoulder was spewing blood.

"...So you saw through me?"

Fenrir grabbed the wound on his shoulder as he said this.

"No, I simply caught up to the movement of the mana."

"I see... So the secret's revealed, then."

"Utsusemi is an after-image of mana. It goes hand in hand with a slow blade whose presence is supremely concealed."

"Indeed. When you see the Utsusemi, I have already swung. Well done on seeing through it; your strength is the real deal."

Fenrir turned around and took a stance once again.

"Do you still wish to continue?"

"Of course. I've been waiting for this day. Nothing is more delightful than tasting the fruits of your training. You can't have a battle by yourself, after all."

And then, Bloodfang extended tremendously.

"This is my own succession technique, a refinement of Utsusemi. Take it, Shadow!"

Fenrir swung Bloodfang.

But Shadow had already evaded it.

The white mist was cut apart, leaving a slash mark on the ground. A moment later, the whip-like Bloodfang arrived.

This reversed exchange of blows was further accelerated by Fenrir's technique.

The number of Bloodfangs grew.

One, two, three... The number of Bloodfangs multiplied with each swing, until there were none of them in total.

Fenrir laughed as he held nine Bloodfangs.

"This is the pinnacle of swordsmanship -- Bloodfang Utsusemi."

The nine keen blades attacked Shadow from all directions.

"Hmm..."

Shadow exhaled.

"All the blades you can see are afterimages, then?"

And then, he closed his eyes, as though he was giving up.

In the next moment, Shadow's body was churned by the nine slashes.

Left, right, up, down -- he was brutally hacked up like a violent puppet play.

"Shadow--!!"

"Shadow-san!"

So terrible was his suffering that both Alexia and Christina cried out to him.

Fenrir looked at Shadow, who was lying powerlessly on the ground.

Twitch. One of Shadow's fingers moved.

"...Are you done?"

Shadow was the one who said this.

"Could I not even leave a wound on you?"

Fenrir replied.

This unbelievable conversation completely reversed the respective positions of victor and loser.

Fenrir swung at the downed Shadow.

Bloodfang easily cut Shadow in half and left a deep cut in the ground. However, Shadow's body did not bleed.

Not just that, even his washed-out looking body had vanished too.

"Was that an afterimage...?"

Fenrir muttered to himself, as though he had given up.

"You have shown me a very valuable lesson in swordplay."

His voice came from the mists.

Tap, tap, tap. The nine sets of footsteps were accompanied by the emergence of nine Shadows.

"After just seeing it once..."

Fenrir sucked in a cold breath.

Nine black swords pointed forward. They swayed like dragons in the mist.

"Magnificent."

There was a hint of joy in Fenrir's voice."

"Super move -- Utsusemi ATOMIC."

(TL Note: Yes, he uses bosozoku-style ateji)

Right after that, these nine dragons descended on Fenrir.

The first chewed his right arm to pieces, the second his left.

The third shredded his right leg and the fourth did likewise to his left.

The fifth and six ripped his body into two. The seventh punched through his chest, while the eight severed his neck.

And finally -- the ninth held its head between its jaws.

"Still alive?"

Shadow addressed the head that was seized in the jaws of the ninth sword-dragon.

"Koff... I witnessed the peak at the very end... you showed me a wonderful thing."

Fenrir's spoke in a hoarse voice.

"There is no peak or whatever."

However, Shadow denied it in a somewhat bored voice.

"What are you saying, you're..."

"Beyond the peak lies a yet higher peak. That is all..."

"To think..."

"Once you decide where you're standing is the peak, you stop moving."

"I see, so that's why I..."

A look of regret crossed Fenrir's face.

"...So I still didn't see the peak in the end."

And then, the ninth dragon's jaws closed.

Fenrir's head was chewed to pieces amidst a crushing sound. Shadow flourished his jet-black coat, planning to vanish into the depths of the mist.

"Wait... Please wait, Shadow!"

Alexia shouted to him. Shadow stopped halfway.

"Please tell me! Who are you? What do you fight for!?"

Alexia was waiting for his answer.

However, Shadow merely turned his back to her without answering.

"I want to protect this country! I don't want the people precious to me to be hurt! That's why I decided to fight! What about you!? Can we trust you!?"

"Do not get involved with me... I believe I told you that before."

"This isn't the time to say such things! Even we are fighting with all our might! Maybe these are trivial problems to one as strong as you. Perhaps we are nothing but insignificant beings to you. But... People as weak as us are still struggling to live!"

Shadow slowly turned around.

He gazed at Alexia with his eyes that were as red as fresh blood.

"We remove all obstacles in the way of our goal. That is all..."

He spoke in a low tone that sounded like it was echoing out of an abyss.

"But what is your goal... Shadow, what do you plan to do to this world!?"

In response to Alexia's question, Shadow changed his expression for the first time.

He smiled.

Then, he slashed his jet-black sword through the air. The bone-chilling machinery in the middle of the mist lay before him.

There was a metallic sound, and it was cleaved in half.

"The collars..."

Upon closer inspection, the collars on Alexia and Claire's neck had split open.

"Shadow!"

By the time they looked back to where he had been standing, Shadow was already gone. There was no trace of him to be found.

"If only... If only I were stronger..."

Alexia clenched her fists tightly.

"Claire-san... Are you alright?"

Christina was supporting Claire beside her.

"H-huh..."

Claire rubbed her tummy as she spoke. It would seem she needed medical treatment.

"Princess Alexia, we should hurry and flee. Where's the exit..."

Just then, the sound of footsteps came through the mist.

"Heeeey, I finally found you guys...!"

There appeared the petite Nina.

"Nina... Thank goodness, where did you go?"

Although she looked like she was in great pain, Claire managed to force a smile to her face.

"Sorry, sorry, It took a lot of doing to escape from Isaac and I got lost. But I found the exit."

Nina pointed toward it with an "ehehe" smile.

"You're reliable as ever. Come on, let's go."

As Alexia said this, she turned to leave. In that moment, Nina quickly made her move.

First. Alexia collapsed. Then, Christina and Claire collapsed almost simultaneously.

It was due to a series of karate chops, executed with frightening speed.

Nina looked down at the three of them and muttered to herself.

"Honestly, I hate having to play the bad guy."

She quietly exhaled, then changed her voice and spoke into the mist.

"Everything is ready... Zeta-sama."

Right after that, a blonde beastwoman and a strawberry blonde girl emerged.

"Thank you. So you joined Shadow Garden as well?"

Victoria addressed this to Nina.

"You could easily make it into the Numbers with your skills..."

Nina looked at Zeta, at a bit of a loss.

"You're better off not joining Shadow Garden for now. That way, we can hide her in secret and have her work independently."

Zeta replied.

"We'll be continuing as usual, then?"

"Yes. Continue being Claire-sama's friend. Until that moment arrives..."

"...Yes."

Nina fashioned a long white robe of slime and pulled its hood over her head. Then, she picked up the fainted Claire and walked over to the door in the depths of the Sanctuary.

Zeta gave some orders, then bound Claire to a pedestal inscribed with ancient runes.

She infused it with mana, and the flames on both sides of the door ignited.

"There is no turning back after this."

Nina said to Zeta.

"Yes."

"But, Alpha-sama's plan..."

"Alpha is too naive. If we did things her way, the wicked would be allowed to roam free and the world will repeat the mistakes it has made before. That's why we must control the world... In order to prevent these mistakes from ever happening again.

Zeta looked at the flames on the pedestal, looked beyond them, as though she was painting a picture of what she imagined.

"With eternal life, Shadow-sama will become a god. This world does not need the Church. We shall spread a new religion."

Victoria's eyes lit us as she said this.

"...Is that really possible?"

"This is our purpose."

As she muttered to herself, Zeta infused mana into the pedestal.

The mystic runes on the pedestal moved and connected to the door that was shut by chains.

The chains sparkled, and then they creaked as they ground against each other.

"Guh-- Gah...!"

Claire shuddered at the pedestal where she was bound.

She opened her blood-red eyes, her face twisted in agony as she screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!

"Claire!"

Nina hurriedly ran over to Claire.

"Zeta-sama, Claire--!"

"It's just a rejection reaction. It will pass soon."

"But..."

"Her body is essential to the resurrection of Diablos."

And then, the chains cracked.

The ominous magic circle on Claire's right hand appeared.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!:

Claire screamed.

At the same time, the chain broke and the door in the depths opened.

There was nothing there, only endless darkness.

"We succeeded."

A bewitching smile appeared on Victoria's face.

"The Left and Right Arms are gathered. Nina, stay by Claire-sama's side and observe her."

Zeta carefully inspected the magic circle on Claire's hand.

"Is this... Zeta-sama's choice..."

Nina muttered those words. She carefully wiped the sweat off the unconscious Claire.

"Alpha and I... someday we'll find out which of us is right."

After saying that, Alpha turned and strode forth.

"Until that time comes, we shall lurk in the shadows..."

And then, she vanished into the endless darkness.

At that moment, I was in a pure white space.

It had been a while since I had had such a good fight and roleplaying session, so I was feeling very pleased.

That terrorist gramp's sword was very interesting. Was that the experience of age at work?

Of course, I copied it because it was cool, but thanks to that I managed to complete my greatest masterpiece.

Learning the enemy's techniques and then paying them back in kind. That was a form of romance, right?

Also, my stint as Suzuki-kun had gone very well.

Because I took his form, Shadow ought to have more depth now. Coming and going like the wind, where there is light, there must be shadow. That's what you call a Shadow Eminence.

While I was thinking about all that, I found myself in this place before I knew it.

"This is..."

I looked around.

It looked familiar. I met Kid Violet-san here before.

"Yo, we meet again."

There was a girl hugging her knees in the center of the white room.

She was covered in injuries.

"...Are you okay?"

I infused mana into her and healed her wounds.

"Ugh..."

The girl raised her head.

Her face was stained red by tears of blood.

"...Thank you."

"No problem. What happened?"

"Nothing happened. All this was perfectly ordinary."

"Was it?"

"Yeah."

She looked up and smiled at me.

"We meet at last, onii-chan."

"At last?"

"I'm very strong in the core."

"Hmm... Oh right, this."

I took out the red gem from my pocket as I said that.

"This is very precious to you, right?"

"...Is it okay?"

"Let's call it 100 million zennies. You can pay me back when you make a name for yourself."

"Thank you."

As she said this the girl took the red gemstone from me.

"I've been waiting for this all this while."

"I see. May I ask what this is?"

"This is..."

The girl giggled.

Her mouth turned up like the crescent of the moon.

"This is... my..."

The girl's face twisted like a monster, and then an ominous mana flowed out of her body.

This pure-white realm was instantly dyed black..

The girl's lips moved, and she whispered.

++Malice.++

I didn't hear her speak, but that was what the girl said.

And then, the dark feelings became a vortex.

Men, woman, old folks and children, they appeared one after another, mocking the girl. But in the next moment, a mysterious monster turned them into chunks of meat.

This scenery repeated several hundred, even several thousand times, but by the time I came to, I was standing on the roof of the Academy.

This was where I had met Kid Violet-san for the first time.

I could still see the setting sun in the distance, about to sink beneath the horizon.

This was still the same boring, peaceful academy as always.

"Hmm... Should I not have given it to her?"

I couldn't help but wonder.

The silver-haired girl looked down on the schoolyard below her.

"The knights only managed to obtain the students' testimony. They couldn't find any evidence..."

The silver-haired girl muttered to herself as she leaned against the window of the empty classroom.

"So why am I here again?"

The only other person in the classroom besides the silver-haired girl was an ordinary, black-haired boy.

"Because you're involved in this."

"I told you, I was sleeping in the dorm, I had nothing to..."

"Claire's the only one who didn't wake up after that. The knights want to ask some questions about it."

"Ah, so it's about Nee-san. Still, I can't tell you anything because I don't know anything."

"That's true. You really don't know anything. Like what's happening in this world, or how deep the darkness of this world runs..."

As she said this, the silver-haired girl smiled.

"Like I said, there's no point asking me about it."

"The knights won't learn anything either. It's just for the sake of formalities."

"...Good."

The black-haired boy seemed somewhat unhappy as he said this.

The cold winds of winter blew in from outside the window, stirring the strands of the girl's lovely silver hair."

"Could you please close the window? It's very cold."

"Say, Poochie."

The silver-haired girl ignored the black-haired boy's request and continued speaking.

"Things on your side really are peaceful. I'm actually envious."

"Do you not like that?"

"No, I'm hoping we can maintain this peace. I'm praying for it."

"I don't quite understand."

The silver-haired girl smiled at the black-haired boy's question.

There were voices shouting for the black-haired boy outside.

"Well, looks like the knights want me to head over."

The black-haired boy put a hand on the door.

"Say, Poochie."

The silver-haired girl stopped him.

"...Have you ever wondered about how much you'd want eternal life?"

"I totally want it."

The boy's head whipped around with frightening speed.

"R-really?"

"I wouldn't mind destroying the world to if it meant I could obtain it."

"Asking you was my mistake."

"Please tell me if you find a way."

The black-haired boy said this with an earnest face before leaving the classroom.

Now the silver-haired girl was the only one left, and she sighed.

"Eternal life, hm... Shadow isn't as shallow as Poochie is. If Shadow is also seeking eternal life, then the world..."

The silver-haired girl looked to the sky.

The dreary grey sky stretched as far as the eye could see.

ETA'S RESEARCH DIARY

Alpha-sama told me to write a research diary to report on my findings.

ALthough it's a pain, I get more research budget if I do, so there's no point hesitating.

Now, what should I write?

I slept 12 hours yesterday and spent 11 hours on research. There was 1 more hour remaining. I guess that's what happened.

In addition... Hm, I think there was the matter about those things Beta brought back from that other world.

All of it was broken. I think it was because of electromagnetic waves.

We can't fix it now with our current technology, but we can do it in the future. In about 20 years' time, I guess?

Rather than going out of our way to fix it, I think it would be faster to use magical technology to make analogues to it. It would also cut down on our expenses. We'll need to discuss that.

More importantly, the materials they use are handier than what we have. After analyzing their metallurgy, it's not only light, but also very strong. We could easily improve it with our technology too. I bet mixing some mithril in would be very fun.

Also, the analysis on certain processed oil and tree resin materials.

We can look forward to yet another technological revolution. That's the kind of feeling I get from this.

Also, there's the lifeform Beta brought back from the other world.

She's more similar to a human than an elf or a beastkin. While she has mana, her mana circuits are not mature. They're similar, but not identical. It's most fascinating.

Beta stopped me before I could dissect her. What a shame. I could have finished the dissection without killing her too.

Some sacrifices are unavoidable for the sake of developing the Shadow Wisdom.

Master must have gone to other worlds to bring this knowledge back. We can't disappoint the Master. Master would surely say "yeah, dissect that otherworldly lifeform" or something like that. Therefore, I asked for permission to dissect her again.

We can see the correctness of Master's words by analyzing this otherworldly knowledge.

All knowledge is the same, Master once said.

As long as technology continues developing in the right direction, all disparate paths will eventually converge into one. Our side developed magical technology, and not the science that the other world has developed. However, perhaps there are many common points between our two sides.

Master noticed all this by himself, and brought us countless pearls of wisdom.

The knowledge that the elves once studied is far too immature compared to the Master's wisdom.

What is the makeup of the Master's brain? Currently, this is the biggest mystery facing me.

I want to cut it open and look inside.

But I can't. Drugs are useless against the Master. Even after I spiked his coffee with enough secret drugs to kill a dragon, he simply said something along the lines of "Wow, this bitter taste is pretty high-class..." He clearly noticed me sneaking them in too.

Compare him to someone like Beta, who starts crying and taking her clothes off after just a bit of drug. She's so weak.

I can't assault him while he's asleep. I can't take him unawares. Master has no weaknesses at all.

Naturally, a frontal assault is completely out of the question.

Ah, what a shame. One day, I'll...

Ah, her report just came over.

Hmm~ looks like the plan is going well. Well, whatever. All I need is the freedom to do my research.

It seems the Master plans to stay in the Kingdom of Midgar for a while. I won't be able to see him for some time. And I wanted to discuss more Shadow Wisdom with him too.

He must be planning how to deal with the corrupt politicians and the rotted knight corps of Midgar.

I wonder what the Master will do? Will he become their savior from evil, or will he destroy everything and build up a new order? While both options are interesting, the Master is very kind. If it were up to me, I'd just level the place because it's a pain.

...I'm getting tired of writing.

Meh, I've written so much already. I'm sure Alpha-sama will greatly increase my research budget.

Zzz... I guess I'll go to sleep.

AFTERWORD

Dear readers who bought volume 5 of "I Want To Be An Eminence In The Shadows", thank you very much. Also, I sincerely apologize for keeping you waiting for so long.

Although the previous volume has been on sale for a year and a half now, all sorts of things were going on in the meantime, such as the TV anime adaptation and the game adaptation.

The TV anime is now screening to rave reviews in December 2022. While I did participate in it as the author of the work, I have to say they really did produce an impressive anime.

I'd like to use this opportunity to thank the various members of the anime staff. Thank you very much.

Also, the game adaptation of the original work "Master of Garden" is going on in secret.

I was fully involved in the "Seven Shade Chronicles", which describe the activities of the Seven Shades.

Also, the main storyline plot is a new way to experience the existing main storyline, with extra content written by me that I insisted that they add.

All of these are currently ongoing.

There are many stories there which I couldn't tell in the main work. I would be glad if you could play it and give it a try.

I'd also like to use this opportunity to thank the various members of the game staff. Thank you very much.

In addition, the plans to make merchandise and figures have already been finalized. I can't believe Alpha and Beta are figures now, and such high-quality ones too.

Many other merchandising plans have received approval. A lot happened in the past year and a half.

Throughout all this, my assistants and editor-san provided help for Volume 5, which was stagnating for a while. Tozai-sensei also drew wonderful insert art and visualized the world of Kagejitsu. Araki-san of Balcolony provided an excellent design for the book, and last but not least, there's everyone who was waiting for this book. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I'm really grateful!

...Also, I'm working hard so Volume 6 comes quicker than volume 5! Till we meet again!

- Aizawa Daisuke