EIS V5 Prologue - The Darkness Lurking In The School, The Case Of The Missing Students!

Translated from the CN here: https://www.wenku8.net/novel/2/2542/139162.htm
Checked against the JP here: https://files.catbox.moe/s1owqo.epub

JP > CN > EN by The Stylish EIS Translator

"I managed to make it somehow…"

I breathed a sigh of relief after exiting the auditorium of 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: メス猫 = 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.