Upon suggesting we take a look inside the pocket, of course, I was referring to the subspace pocket that Rezé held dear, filled with boxes capable of camouflage.
‘Why is your face turning red?’
Could it be embarrassing to show the box?
Just a moment ago, she had no problem sneakily taking out the box.
She was indeed a strange child.
“Uh, ugh… Ah, no, don’t eat me… I, I taste bad.”
Suddenly, Rezé began to sob.
Eat her? I had no idea what she was talking about.
I’m not some carnivorous animal.
I couldn’t understand where the conversation had gone wrong.
‘I need to reassure her.’
It was a simple matter of proving I was not a bad person.
“Keke, don’t worry. I’ll use it very gently, so it won’t hurt at all.”
Meaning I intended to use the precious box carefully to avoid any harm.
“Of course, I’ll return it clean.”
Meaning I intended to return the box as clean as possible.
“Keke, would you like to be secret friends with me?”
Meaning I wanted to share the box as secret friends.
Shivering-
It was a strange situation.
The more I spoke, the more Rezé seemed to tremble.
Why was that?
“…You pervert. Die!”
Thud, thud!
Luna suddenly rushed at me and started hitting me.
It was unjust. What did I do wrong?
All I wanted was to borrow the camouflage box!
Beep-! Beep beep-!
“Violence is grounds for demerit points!”
The sound of the whistle was music to my ears.
It was Rodelin, come to save me!
“Hmm…”
Rodelin arrived and looked back and forth between us.
Then, she suddenly grabbed one of my arms and twisted it behind my back.
“Zero! I’m arresting you on the spot!”
Ouch! Luna! Rezé! Help!
My pleas for help were met only with contemptuous looks.
What’s wrong with saying I’ll return it clean!
And isn’t it okay for friends to be secret friends?
“Ugh… senior, it’s unfair.”
“Hm? What’s this? Another misunderstanding?”
Rodelin asked Luna and Rezé.
“Yes, senior. No, it’s not.”
That’s our Luna.
Well, it was Luna’s fault I ended up like this in the first place.
Just as Rodelin was about to release my arm, a very, very ominous smile appeared on Luna’s face.
“Arrest for assault would be one thing, but for perverted behavior, that’s another.”
“That, that’s outrageous…! Zero! I’m arresting you on the spot!”
My arm was twisted once again.
Truly, it was unfair. Is borrowing a box a crime now?
“Zero!”
At that moment, someone called my name from afar and came running.
It was Raymon, with a childlike, bright smile on his face as he ran towards me.
Alex was following him.
“Stop! No approaching!”
“Ah! Witch! Today, I will definitely take Zero with me!”
“Who are you calling a witch!”
Luna and Raymon locked hands in a test of strength.
It was a truly heart-stirring confrontation.
If only I weren’t the prize.
“It seems you’re having a good day.”
“Keke, Alex. In such cases, isn’t it more common to say it’s been quite an eventful day?”
“Is that so? It looks fun to me.”
Does Alex not see my arm being twisted?
I wish he could spend a day with our Luna.
That would teach him.
“So, how did this happen?”
I explained everything to Alex.
Naturally, Rodelin, holding my arm firmly, heard it all.
“Hm, I see. It was a misunderstanding.”
“Keke, didn’t I tell you from the start.”
“But the fact remains you used ambiguous expressions. I’ll let it pass with one demerit point. Be careful with your words and actions next time.”
Rodelin’s hand moved quickly with her notebook and pen.
Faster than usual, naturally making the writing messy.
It was a minor mistake, but not one you’d expect from Rodelin, who strives for perfection.
‘It must mean she has something important to deal with.’
Just when Raymon was bending backwards, facing a critical crisis, Rodelin raised her voice slightly.
“Sorry, but we’ll have to leave now. There’s something we need to check on.”
“Ze, Zero! I’ll definitely save you next time! You have to stay healthy until then!”
“Ha-ha, then I’ll be going too.”
And like that, the three of them disappeared.
They came like the wind and vanished just as quickly. All of them.
As expected.
“Keke, let’s follow them quickly.”
“Huh? Why?”
The target of our tailing game today.
“Those friends.”
Plop, plop, plop-.
Hesitation.
Plop, plop, plop-.
Hesitation.
What in the world is that weird noise?
It’s the sound we make when moving inside the box.
The box camouflaged as a huge rock.
The tailing proceeded smoothly.
Thanks to the exceptional camouflage ability of the box Rezé made and the holes in the box that allowed us to see outside.
‘Her ability to sense danger is outstanding.’
Rezé’s danger sensing ability was incredibly impressive.
Not only when she sensed someone’s presence but also stopping when there was no sound at all.
Each time, without fail, someone would appear and pass by us.
Truly, it was a ghost-like ability.
Could this be the power of survival instincts honed to the extreme?
It’s the same now.
“Hm?”
“What’s the matter, senior?”
“No… It seems I was mistaken. I got a bit tense.”
Even Rodelin, with her overall high stats, failed to notice our presence.
As Rodelin’s group moved further away, the box that Rezé was holding began to move again.
Plop, plop, plop-.
‘She’s a brilliant commander.’
If there’s a problem, it’s perhaps that the exterior isn’t much to look at?
Anyway, under the command of Commander Rezé, we moved in an orderly fashion and finally reached the end of our tailing.
We were now in the ‘Blue Forest’ area, located to the northwest of the school.
Rodelin’s party was on guard in front of a small building.
We had arrived at Lérang’s personal training room.
And there was an uninvited guest here.
“Huh? Senior? And even Alex and Raymon?”
Yuridia appeared out of nowhere.
She would occasionally explore the school secretly, away from her guards.
She couldn’t resist her adventurous spirit.
Despite appearances, she was a tomboy at heart.
Alex, Rodelin, Raymon, Yuridia.
The moment when the leading members of the ‘Hero of the Academy’ gathered in one place.
Yes, the last member to join the party before they challenge the first boss, a genius magician.
That would be Yuridia de Rownter.
“Hello! It’s been a long time since we’ve had a conversation like this.”
“Hehe, that’s right, Raymon. You’ve been too busy, haven’t you?”
“No, not busy at all?”
“That, that so? Then you should have started a conversation earlier. I would have welcomed you warmly.”
“Hmm~ I wanted to, but Yuridia was always surrounded by so many servants, I never found the opportunity. But I’m really happy for this chance!”
To include both a greeting and a provocation in one sentence.
That’s so Raymon.
Yuridia’s eyebrows twitched.
“Hehe… Ohohoho! They’re not servants, they’re friends, friends! Are you jealous? Unlike some people, I have many friends?”
“Hmm, I’m both jealous and not. After all, they’re all less than a single Alex.”
“What, what did you say!?”
Yuridia, always careful about her image, was visibly upset by Raymon’s blunt comment.
Raymon, a truly frightening child.
“Let’s calm down. Yuridia, I’m sorry, but could you leave this place right now?”
Rodelin swiftly defused the chaotic situation.
“Why? Why should I?”
“…Because we might encounter a demon. It’s best to leave before you get swept up in it.”
Yuridia’s face turned pale with shock.
Coming from Rodelin, the vice president of the student council, it was a serious warning.
Rodelin is a person who approaches everything with seriousness and a level of cool-headedness that might seem too much at times.
Such a person would never use the word “demon” in jest.
It’s not a bad joke, but the real deal.
“A demon, you say? Senior, what do you mean?”
“There’s no time to explain. Leave now. Leave this place to us.”
Then Yuridia’s hand moved like lightning.
Before anyone knew it, she was holding a small wand in her hand.
“I’ll join you.”
“Miss Yuridia, this is no joke. You could die!”
“I am a noble too. I can’t run away with a demon in front of me. Especially if there are good people trying to fight the demon and prevent harm, I can’t run away even more.”
Rodelin, slightly swallowing her saliva, fell into thought.
She was considering whether to accept Yuridia.
In fact, the school had already been notified.
It meant that instructors and teachers would soon swarm here to deal with Lérang.
They themselves didn’t need to act. It would be enough to prevent Lérang from escaping.
Rodelin was probably thinking this.
‘Remembering Rodelin’s thoughts and lines is easy. Because I’m a veteran.’
Indeed, Rodelin’s handling was excellent, beyond reproach by anyone.
However.
‘Support won’t come until the battle is over.’
Aywin de Herizeus, the president of the Annwood Academy student council and the final mastermind appearing in the graduation episode, had interfered from behind.
Bang! Boom-!
An unknown vibration occurred in Lérang’s personal training room.
It meant something… something was happening inside.
“Senior.”
“Speak, Miss Yuridia.”
“What if, someone is trying to summon a demon using the academy students as sacrifices? Shouldn’t we stop it?”
Annwood Academy is the empire’s top academy.
The campus is too large to be taken in at a glance.
Thus, sacrificing all students as offerings is impossible.
Not only would it require ingredients comparable to their number, but a magic circle would also have to be in place.
But if.
“What if there’s a magic circle drawn beneath the ground we’re standing on?”
Rodelin’s face hardened.
Even though academy teachers have free time during vacations, some prepare for the next semester.
What if Lérang had spent the vacation drawing a magic circle and finishing preparations?
They must stop him. They must thwart Lérang’s actions until reinforcements arrive.
But could they do it by themselves?
In a situation where even a cat’s hand would be needed, the decision was quick.
“I won’t say thank you. It’ll be enough to do so after the fight is over.”
“Yes, senior. Leave the support to me!”
Pa-pam! Yuridia de Rownter has joined the party!
…would be the message if this were a game.
‘Well, in reality, Lérang is rampaging because he can’t control his right arm.’
The plan to sacrifice academy students to summon a demon was just their misunderstanding.
Well, it was inevitable for them to misunderstand in such a way.
“Then, we’re entering!”
Dadadadada-!
Rodelin’s party disappeared inside the building. And at the same time.
Click!
Our commander, Rezé, opened the box lid and came out.
It meant there was no one around.
Click!
Luna and I also came out of the box.
Looking at Lérang’s personal training ground, I thought.
“Kekeke.”
Everything was going according to plan.
–TL Notes–
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