The academy was engulfed in chaos.
Three students had vanished.
Ex, notorious as the academy's weed.
Elia, famous for her genius.
And Hilde Borson, daughter of a Merchant Magnate.
Circe was the one who revealed what had happened.
“It was a demon attack.”
Circe gave her answer before Darius, the Chairman, the Headmaster, and every other faculty member present.
The room fell deathly silent.
There was no way to hide what had happened.
Especially not with the forty-two magic devices Darius had brought with him.
“Explain. Precisely. Leave nothing out. I want everything.”
Darius gave the order with more severity than anyone else in the room.
The last incident had been quietly buried because there had been no victims, and because it had coincided with the birth of the Hero.
This time was different.
There were actual victims now, and one of them was Hilde Borson, the daughter of a Merchant Magnate who wielded enormous political influence and financial power.
“Is my daughter safe?!! What demon attacked my daughter?!!! Tell me right now!!!”
Hilde Borson's father, the Merchant Magnate Gurten Borson, roared in a voice twisted with despair and fury.
Everyone there could understand his anguish.
Hilde was his only child.
He would gladly spend every coin he possessed if it meant confirming that his daughter was safe.
After a long, agonizing hesitation, Circe finally answered.
“The demon that attacked us was…”
‘You can change my epithet if you'd like~ Instead of the Demon of Mimicry, you can call me the Demon of Space.’
“…Hilde Borson.”
Every single magic device judged Circe's statement to be true.
Gurten Borson broke down in a wail that no longer sounded human.
***
Several people gathered in the Chairman's office.
The Chairman, the Headmaster, Darius and Milia, and Beatrice.
They began discussing the recent disappearances.
Darius was the first to speak, his words sounding less like an opinion and more like an order.
“Cancel every class and every scheduled event at the academy. They will remain suspended until every demon that has infiltrated the Empire has been found and rooted out. I don't care if it takes years.”
The sheer extremity of the declaration horrified the others.
“Notify the parents of every student. The students are to remain confined here for the time being, and every one of them will undergo a thorough examination to determine whether they are demons. There will be no exceptions. That includes Leon, the Chosen One.”
Darius cast a cold glance at Beatrice.
“The Imperial Princess and I will be the first to undergo the examination. So make this equally clear. Anyone who dares complain about these measures will be punished immediately.”
The Headmaster broke into a cold sweat at Darius's uncompromising decision.
“Y-Your Highness, don't you think that may be going a little too far…?”
“Too far? Three students have disappeared, and we have testimony that one of them was a demon. Unless all the magic devices I brought happened to malfunction at precisely the same moment, then she truly was a demon.”
“But you should at least consider the possibility that the student may have seen something incorrectly…”
“Headmaster. Listen to me carefully.”
Darius glared fiercely at the Headmaster as he delivered his warning.
“If she didn't see it incorrectly, you'll be next.”
Understanding exactly what those words meant, the Headmaster simply lowered his head.
This was the decision of the Imperial Prince, the highest authority currently exercising power within the Empire.
He also had more than enough justification, between the appearance of a demon and the disappearance of three students.
It would be difficult for anyone to openly object.
“This matter doesn't involve only us.”
But there was someone who couldn't allow that decision to stand.
Darius's cold gaze shifted toward Beatrice, who had just spoken.
“What are you trying to say, Imperial Princess?”
“The approaching Grand Festival is not an event the Empire may simply cancel on its own. It requires proper consultation with the Theocracy. This discussion should be held in the presence of a representative from the Theocracy.”
Beatrice was in no position to let the Grand Festival and Tournament be canceled.
Too many of her plans depended on those events.
If this opportunity disappeared, there was no telling how long she would have to wait for another.
Darius seemed to roughly understand her intentions, and his eyes narrowed.
“Since when has the Empire needed to concern itself with the Theocracy's approval? The event isn't important enough to justify tolerating demonic infiltration and attacks. His Majesty the Emperor would have made the same decision.”
“But His Majesty is in no position to give his opinion, is he?”
The Chairman's office instantly turned frigid at Beatrice's words.
That statement was nothing less than an insult to the Imperial Family itself.
Had anyone other than an Imperial Princess said it, there would already have been a corpse on the floor.
Beatrice merely covered her mouth and laughed.
“Why are you getting so worked up? We are the ones who must make the decision. Wouldn't it be terribly disrespectful to presume His Majesty's intentions without his permission?”
“Watch your tongue, Imperial Princess. The Sword of the Empire stands before you.”
Milia, a 7-Star martial artist, quietly released her presence.
If Darius gave the command, she was prepared to cut off Imperial Princess Beatrice's head without a moment's hesitation.
After what Ex had told her, Milia could no longer bring herself to see the woman before her as an Imperial Princess.
Darius felt the same.
He was almost beside himself with the urge to cut Beatrice's head off in a single stroke and mount it above the city gates.
‘The moment will come when we can turn everything around.’
“…This discussion has become overly heated. We'll take a short recess.”
But he endured.
Ex's disappearance alone was enough to drive him insane. He couldn't afford to lose control over something like this as well.
While the Headmaster nervously wiped away his cold sweat, the atmosphere in the room gradually settled.
Once everyone had sufficiently calmed down, the Chairman finally spoke for the first time.
“I will now state the academy's official position as its Chairman.”
The Chairman was clearly tense, but he continued in a measured voice.
“First, the academy will continue operating as normal. The Grand Festival will also proceed as scheduled. There will likewise be no comprehensive examination of the entire student body.”
It was an extraordinarily bold declaration.
He had just rejected Darius's orders outright.
“Chairman, do you understand the situation we're facing?”
Darius's sharp gaze bored into him.
The Chairman remained unfazed.
“The disappearance of students from the academy is deeply distressing. However, I find it difficult to accept that the academy's entire operation should be brought to a halt because of it.”
“Didn't I make myself clear that this is necessary to root out the demons? How many more victims do you intend to wait for before suspending operations? Every student in the academy?”
“Your Highness, we don't even have confirmation that the missing students are dead. If we respond to a crisis like this with excessive measures, we may only cause greater turmoil throughout the Empire.”
“…If you're willing to go that far, I assume you have something in mind.”
Having seen through the Chairman's intentions, Darius suppressed the anger boiling inside him and waited for an answer.
The Chairman calmly spread his hands.
“We cannot stop rumors from spreading throughout the academy. Anxiety among the students will inevitably rise. So I have two proposals. The first is to seek assistance from the Theocracy.”
“What an excellent idea.”
Beatrice covered her mouth and laughed.
Darius ground his teeth once and forced himself to endure.
“Tell me exactly what sort of assistance you intend to request.”
“I plan to invite an Inquisitor to serve as a special professor.”
Both Darius and the Headmaster's eyes widened.
Inquisitors were judges responsible for administering punishment on behalf of the Church.
They were blessed with the ability to pierce through falsehoods and discern the true nature of things. They were also powerful figures who wielded immense political influence within the Church itself.
No one could casually disregard the word of an Inquisitor.
Especially not within an Empire where the Church of Deuslute was the state religion.
“Chairman, you've taken that joke too far.”
Allowing an Inquisitor from the Theocracy to come here would unquestionably weaken the Imperial Family's influence over the academy.
The Chairman had just made it clear that he intended to side with neither the Imperial Family nor the nobility, but with the Theocracy.
“If you're doing this because Imperial funding was cut off five years ago, then you're making the wrong choice. It is the Imperial Family that has continued to overlook the academy's extraterritorial administration all these years. You do understand that, don't you?”
“Of course, Your Highness. I am also aware that if even that administration is turned against the academy, our operations will be placed in serious jeopardy. Eventually, the academy may be forced to close its doors. However.”
At that moment, the Chairman revealed another answer with his own two hands.
Internal energy gathered in his right hand.
Magic power gathered in his left.
Everyone stared at him in shock.
A cautious smile of triumph appeared on the Chairman's face.
“A new curriculum is scheduled to be introduced. It will teach the simultaneous use of internal energy and magic power. And it will be something that can only be learned here at Elyon Academy.”
The Chairman interlaced his fingers and declared,
“As of this moment, Elyon Academy will no longer wait for the Hero to be chosen. We will create Heroes ourselves. Any student who enters this academy will have the potential to become one.”
The Chairman's office fell silent once again.
Darius had no immediate rebuttal.
If it truly became possible to teach people to wield internal energy and magic power simultaneously, then pressure from the Imperial Family would cease to mean anything.
It already appeared that Beatrice and the Theocracy had established ties with one another.
Even if the academy were shut down, all they would have to do was take that technique to the Theocracy.
The result would be an enormous loss for the Empire.
Threatening them into surrendering the technique would be even more pointless.
They would obviously flee before it ever came to that.
Besides…
‘…That should be enough by now.’
“…We'll end today's discussion here.”
Darius declared his surrender.
Beatrice smiled faintly at his concession.
“Then I will take my leave…”
The Headmaster hurried out of the room, still drenched in cold sweat.
“The Chairman will submit a detailed report on these plans to the Imperial Family by the end of this week. And make certain the academy's students keep their mouths shut. If unnecessary rumors spread, I will hold you responsible.”
Darius left behind one final, cutting warning before departing with Milia.
Beatrice had been about to leave as well when she turned around and spoke.
“That technique wasn't part of the plan. You startled me. For a moment, I thought you had suddenly become a Hero yourself.”
The Chairman shrugged at her words.
“His Highness Darius didn't seem inclined to back down easily. In the end, I believe it worked out rather well. Of course, that is all thanks to Your Highness's grace. Or perhaps…”
The Chairman carefully lowered his voice.
“Would you prefer that I address you as Her Majesty the Empress Regnant?”
The Chairman and Beatrice had already joined hands behind the scenes.
Beatrice had tempted the Chairman with promises of complete extraterritorial autonomy and massive Imperial funding once she became Empress Regnant.
She had exploited his resentment toward the current Imperial Family.
It was a negotiation made possible because she knew how much the academy had struggled after Imperial funding was cut off five years ago.
‘Just as I thought. Foolish humans, forever clinging to petty gains.’
The sudden revelation of technique that allowed the simultaneous use of magic power and internal energy had been unexpected, but Darius backing down so readily was still a major gain.
All that remained was to prepare for the final plan.
“Hehe, I do like a man who knows when to bow his head.”
“Then please take care on your way out.”
With those words, Beatrice left the Chairman's office.
Only after he was alone did the Chairman release a deep sigh.
“I really don't know if this is the right thing to do…”
Then he immediately pulled out his Mana Phone.
He contacted someone, and it wasn't long before the other person answered.
「How did it go?」
“She fell for it completely.”
「I see. Damn it… To think he even anticipated something like this. At this point, I'd be a fool not to believe him.」
It was Darius's voice.
He let out a sigh that sounded equal parts frustration and anger.
「Ex was right. He said that if he ever disappeared, the Imperial Princess would finally start making her move in earnest…」
“He told me the same thing. If that day ever came, I was supposed to pretend I'd sided with the Imperial Princess while secretly helping Your Highness. It's almost unsettling how accurately he predicted it.”
That was what had truly happened.
The Chairman and Darius had been in agreement from the start.
The confrontation they had staged in the Chairman's office had been nothing but an act for Beatrice's benefit.
The Chairman needed to appear as though he had turned against Darius and joined Beatrice's side.
And all of it had been arranged because of something Ex had told them before leaving for the Ancient Ruins.
‘If I ever disappear or go missing, the Imperial Princess will probably try to gain control of the academy with the Theocracy's help. Don't trust either the Imperial Princess or the Theocracy.’
Ex had never trusted Andras from the beginning.
He hadn't even entertained the idea that Andras might genuinely trust him.
A demon as consumed by suspicion as Andras would never truly trust anyone.
That meant Ex had been forced to prepare for the worst possible scenario.
The possibility that ‘Ex himself might disappear.’
‘The Imperial Princess's ultimate goal is to become Empress Regnant. She's preparing a massive act of treason to make that happen. For now, use her misunderstanding against her. Pretend to go along with what she wants for a while, and use that time to dig a trap so enormous she'll never see it coming.’
Ex's meticulous preparations had finally paid off.
Without Ex's warning, the Chairman would have been manipulated by Beatrice, and Darius would have found it extremely difficult to regain control of the situation.
That single warning had completely changed everything.
The Chairman and Darius, who had never joined forces in the original story, were now working together.
It was nothing short of a dramatic change.
「Chairman, make as much noise as possible. Make your movements flashy enough to blind the Imperial Princess's eyes and deafen her ears to everything else. I will spare no expense in supporting you.」
“Leave it to me. I'll put up the biggest smokescreen I can manage. I may not look it, but I've got quite a few things prepared.”
「Thank you for helping me. Ah, and one more thing…」
After a brief silence, Darius spoke again.
「I'm sorry about what happened five years ago, when I cut off the academy's funding. I was inexperienced and overwhelmed at the time. It was one of my greatest mistakes.」
The Chairman felt as if he had been struck over the head by Darius's sincere apology.
He had never imagined those words would come from the mouth of that cold-blooded, calculating Imperial Prince.
But once he thought about it more carefully, he found himself nodding.
“…I suppose that's true. You were incredibly young at the time. Governing the Empire at only twelve years old couldn't possibly have been easy.”
The Chairman imagined what it would have been like if he had suddenly been forced to run an Empire at the age of twelve.
He couldn't even begin to imagine managing it.
No matter how talented someone was, there was no possibility of avoiding every mistake.
And with nobles like starving hyenas undoubtedly rushing in from every direction, the astonishing part was that Darius had survived at all.
Looking back on it that way, it was entirely understandable.
“It doesn't bother me anymore, Your Highness Darius.”
「Thank you for understanding… Truly.」
That brief exchange was enough for the two men to finally understand one another and untangle the resentment that had remained between them.
Both of them were able to put down an enormous burden they had carried in their hearts for years.
Even Ex hadn't predicted that.
***
Circe remained busy even after the interrogation ended.
“Student Circe. Do you truly intend to transfer to Class F?”
“Yes. If you won't allow it, I'll refuse to attend classes.”
Circe informed the professor in charge of Class A that she was applying for a transfer.
The professor studied the determination on Circe's face, then sighed.
“…All right. I'll ask the professor in charge of Class F for approval.”
Circe had already received permission long ago.
She had asked Roxwell while he was brooding with a troubled expression.
‘…Do whatever you want.’
That had been the end of it.
Unless some major issue arose, her transfer request would be accepted.
“Circe!”
When Circe stepped out of the faculty office, Leon's party was waiting for her.
Leon couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes.
Neither could Rosaria or Diana.
Only Frey stepped forward to speak on behalf of the party.
“Circe, are you really going to Class F?”
“I am. There's nothing more to discuss.”
She needed to look after Lola anyway.
Lola's current mental state was dangerously unstable.
“Circe, please reconsider. Why do you think all of us were reincarnated and brought together again? This is all the Goddess's will.”
“…Frey.”
Circe's voice sharpened as she confronted her.
“Have you ever made a decision because it was what you wanted, and not because of the Goddess?”
“Ugh…”
“As the Sage, I'll give you one final warning. If all you ever do is obsess over the Goddess's will, one day the Goddess herself is going to turn away from you.”
Frey couldn't answer.
She had been questioning whether any of this was truly right herself.
Circe had struck precisely at that uncertainty, leaving Frey with nothing to say.
“Then take care. And don't act like we know each other anymore.”
Ironically, not a single member of the group shared any classes with Circe.
They were all either martial artists or members of the clergy.
Once Circe transferred to Class F, the last remaining point of contact between them would disappear completely.
They all knew that.
Even so, not one of them could bring themselves to speak.
Circe walked past Leon's party.
No one was able to stop her.
“I… I don't think I was wrong.”
As she passed Leon, he finally spoke.
Circe stopped for a moment and waited for the rest of what he had to say.
“But…”
Leon's lips trembled as he hesitated, then he squeezed his eyes shut.
“…I don't know. I still don't think I was wrong.”
“Then I have nothing to say to you either.”
Circe answered coldly and started walking again.
Leon was still Leon after all.
And with that, she had severed herself from Leon's party completely.
***
Lola was waiting in her dormitory room.
“Young Lady Lemercier, I'm coming in.”
Circe opened the door and entered.
Lola was simply lying on the bed, staring blankly into space.
“How are you feeling?”
“…Not great.”
Lola believed Ex was dead.
Of course she did.
She had seen Ex's corpse with her own eyes.
“…Liar.”
Lola curled in on herself as she remembered that cold, lifeless sensation.
“He said demons don't die…”
“You knew he was a demon?”
“Kind of… The mana warned me the day his hair turned white. He was probably carrying around a Demonization Accelerator, broke it somehow, and got it all over himself. He got lucky and only his body turned into a demon…”
“Ah…”
Only then did Circe manage to piece together a rough explanation for what had happened.
Even so, one question remained.
“I still can't stop thinking about what the demon possessing Hilde said.”
‘That must mean his soul isn't a demon~?’
“His soul isn't a demon? What in the world is that supposed to…”
“Ex was probably still Ex.”
Lola gave the answer flatly, her voice dry.
It made no logical sense whatsoever.
But there was no other explanation.
Then where had they gone?
The demon possessing Hilde had appeared to be trying to kill Ex, Lola, and Elia.
If Ex and Elia's disappearances meant they were dead, then why was Lola still alive?
‘…Did someone interfere?’
Everything had changed the moment that finger snapped.
When Lola regained consciousness, she had assumed Hilde was responsible.
But if that were true, there was no explanation for why Lola had survived.
For someone who bore the name of Sage, Circe was painfully aware of just how much she still didn't understand.
“Circe. You're good at magic, right?”
As Circe was struggling with thoughts that only made her head hurt more, Lola spoke.
“It is one of my stronger areas, but…”
“Teach me magic.”
“What?”
“There's someone I absolutely have to kill now.”
Her words were saturated with a deep, black hatred.
“Elia. She killed Ex, so I'm going to avenge him.”
“Young Lady Lemercier…”
“House Lemercier…”
Lola looked directly into Circe's eyes.
Her gaze was so cold that simply meeting it sent a chill down Circe's spine.
“Is always ready for war.”
It was the blood-soaked will to fight that someone had once tried to lull to sleep.
Unfortunately, there was no deceiving the instincts written into her blood.
–TL Notes–
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