TEIS Volume 5

Eminence in Shadow Volume 5 Translations
Latest Update :
25-01-2023 Added Chapter 5 & end by 4chan anon
23-01-2023 Added Chapter 3 & 4 by 4chan anon
22-01-2023 Added missings illustrations in color and taikutsutl chapter 2
Credits :
Creator: u/Snowad14 or Raphael#7943
RAW: u/dragont16
Trad: taikutsutl (For Spanish translation Prologue-Chapter 3), 4chan anon (JP>CN>EN
translation)
ProofRead/Editor : Ulas#3122, Woosh#7474, Kryyto#9635
( Epub and PDF MAY NOT have the latest modifications / last update : 22/01/2022 -
15h)
Epub :
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MaMiY2T0sDuXND2NqRzb6QtBWK16kQh-/view?
usp=share_link
PDF :
TEIS Volume 5.pdf
Temp epub (no illustration) but updated with all translation :
https://files.catbox.moe/niyedo.epub
Table of contents:
( You can access each chapters using the summary on the left side ( However, I have no idea how
this works on phones ). )
Prologue: The Darkness lurking in the Peaceful Academy, the Student Missing Case!
- Proofreading progress: 100% complete.
Chapter 1 : Nee-san's Return and the Progress of the 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!
End : I Wouldn't Mind Destroying The World If It Meant I Could Obtain It!
Postscript
:
:
:
thx u/tuwamono for the translation
Others illustrations if I don't have time to put them all : https://imgur.com/a/9flXF3e
Prologue: The Darkness lurking in the Peaceful Academy,
the Student Missing Case!
*** Cid POV ***
"I just barely made it..."
I breathed a sigh of relief as I left the Midgar Spell Swordsman Academy auditorium. My white
breath disappeared into the morning sky.
The opening ceremony for the third term had just ended.
"Geez, where did you go during winter break, Cid?"
"That's right. Didn't we all promise to hit on the ladies at Mitsugoshi?”
There was something nostalgic about the mob faces of Skel and Po.
"Sorry, sorry. I had important things to do"
With the Oriana Kingdom’s succession battle and my return to Japan, my winter break was full of
fun events.
"I've been through a lot while you were gone..."
"That's right. your sister almost choked me to death..."
Skel and Po spoke reproachfully.
"Claire?"
:
"Looks like she was looking for you. I told her I didn't know, but she threatened me with her
sword."
"When I told her she was cute and asked if she wanted to go out with me, she tried to stab me."
"She did..."
"Oh, I see. Sorry, sorry."
I should probably stay away from Nee-san for a while.
"You know how the former Student Council President Rose, who had disappeared, became
princess of the kingdom of Oriana and there was a big upheaval in the whole country?"
"There was a huge commotion."
"I know."
Hehehe, no one would think I was the one who led her to the throne.
There was the secret intervention of the ‘Eminence in Shadow’ behind the throning of the new
monarch of the kingdom of Oriana and this person is actually just an ordinary student who can be
found anywhere.
This is the true joy of being an Eminence in Shadow.
"That's not all. There were a lot of monsters in the Oriana Kingdom, and the country was taken
over."
"Or something like that."
Of course I know.
After all, it was Shadow Garden that directed and resolved everything. You would never know that
the main puppeteer is standing right before you.
"It seems that the alliance with the Oriana kingdom suffered a blow."
"Looks like this will break the alliance with the Kingdom of Oriana."
Hmm?
Break the alliance?
"Indeed. To think that former President Rose would walk down the path of evil... Public opinion
about her is very bad."
"The path of evil? Huh? What do you mean?"
"That's why former Student Council President Rose summoned demons, slaughtered the heir to
the throne, and took over the Oriana Kingdom"
"She really is a wicked woman who will go down in history as a tyrant who killed her own father
:
"She really is a wicked woman who will go down in history as a tyrant who killed her own father
and summoned the demon army."
"She was such a good person at school. I never thought she would do something like this."
"C-Come to think of it, she's definitely a bad girl..."
The story of the change of monarchs, which had entered the history books, has been seasoned
with some villainous acts.
Well, I guess this is how it is.
The evil hegemon who shakes the world, and the powerful man who controls her from the
shadows... I have to admit, I'm changing my plans on the fly.
It's wonderful.
"There are some weird rumors about Former President Rose."
"That's right, that's right. It’s rumored she’s connected behind the scenes to that evil Shadow
Garden organization."
"Hey, Po, if you say any more, it'll be dangerous."
Skel interrupted Po.
"Oh, that's right. When people talk about this, they go missing."
"Hmm? What do you mean by they go missing?"
"Four students went missing from the academy. There are rumors that this was the work of the
organization who took over the academy and killed the former assistant principal of the academy."
"It's rumored to be the work of the same organization."
When Skel, who had made a serious face, spoke, Po also spoke in a frightened voice.
"They're burying the students who tried to investigate the organization..."
"Hmm, I wonder if she'd do something like that."
"Well, I don't think so."
In a complete turnaround, Po pretended to be composed.
"The students suddenly disappeared, so everyone's playing with conspiracy theories and there
are dark knights keeping a watch, just in case."
"It seems there was an investigation, but there were no signs of intruders anywhere."
"It's time for those who lose flunk to run away from reality. They didn't disappear, they ran away."
"Ugh. Do you think you passed all your classes, Po?"

:
"Ugh, well, just barely. What about you, Skel kun?"
"I-I'm pretty beat. How about you, Cid?"
"Do you think I am any different than you guys...?"
"I-I see. I'm glad it looks like we'll all be able to advance to the next grade."
"Y-Y-Y-You're right."
"Yeah."
"By the way, what should we do after this?"
"Today's just the opening ceremony, so there won't be any classes. Why don't we play cards at
the dorm?"
"Huh? Cards?"
"This is the new product of the Mitsugoshi Corporation!"
The smug-looking Skel pulled out of his pocket the very same deck of cards I often saw in my
past life.
Well...I didn't think they'd even commercialize something like this.
"I got it from Nina-senpai. Let's play Who wants to be a millionaire or poker!"
"This is Cid's first deck of cards, isn't it? Let’s show him how tough the world is."
"Let's do this."
"Fufufu... In that case, let's play poker. Bring all your money."
Poker, huh?
It's probably the Texas Hold 'Em variant. It's the variant I taught the girls a long time ago.
It was a good memory that made the girls withdraw their money and half cry.
He’d taught his children the harshness of society, so it was only natural that he’d be heavily
compensated for his tuition
I... got stronger right away, so I won and ran away.
This is a good opportunity to make money and show them how an Eminence handles his cards.
I snapped my fingers.
"I accept your challenge. Let's see how harsh the world can get."
"Lets increase the rates by ten folds.."

:
"Deal the cards."
"Heh..."
Whoops, that was close. I hid my mouth with my hand.
We decided to play poker in my room.
The sun had already set, and Po had lost all his money and was looking at the ceiling with a
soulless face.
I picked up a rich chip.
"Your turn."
"Grrr... O-Okay, all in."
Skel bet all of its remaining chips.
Naturally, I called.
"Kukuku... You've fallen right into a trap."
With a chuckle, Skel showed the cards in his hand.
"I see. That's a good move."
"Sorry, Cid, but I've learned all of your moves. This is where the comeback begins."
"―No, it's over."
"Huh?"
I showed him my hand.
"Impossible... Three cards...! It's so easy to play a game of poker with Po..."
"If I borrow money, I can still fight but If I don't get my living expenses back for this month... I'll
die..."
Po was muttering something delirious.
"Let's collect the money."
I retrieved the money from the two in despair and kicked them out into the hallway.
"Sorry, but I don't have any business with people who don't have money."
Saying that, I closed the door.
From the hallway, voices shouted, “Dammit, I will remember this!” and “Next time, let’s set him up
with cheats!”
:
If you feel like it, I'll welcome you with my own cheats.
Even the girls weren't able to see through it when they were young.
I put the money I’d wrapped up into the “Yin’s Powerful People’s War Fund Box” and dimmed the
lamp’s light.
Finally a moment of peace.
I listen to the sounds of the night for a while.
Then, I called out to the darkness outside the window.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. You can come in."
"...Mm."
With a small reply, a girl appeared from somewhere.
Quite the stealth skill. You've improved, Zeta.
She's a slender beastman in a jet-black bodysuit. A catlike figure.
She stared at me with her shiny eyes.
"Long time no see, Master."
"Yeah, it's been a while."
"I see you've grown a bit."
"Really?"
"Mm."
She nodded slightly.
After that, she offered me a fish.
"A souvenir."
"A souvenir...?"
"A horse mackerel."
"A horse mackerel."
"I went out to sea to catch it."
"That must be have been hard."
"It's greasy. This season's best horse mackerel."
"I see."
:
"I see."
She's a cat beastman, the sixth of the seven shades.
For a beastman, zeta is smart.

TEIS Volume 5 And she's cool and quiet.
She's the polar opposite of a certain beastman who is also a shade.
Zeta stares at me after handing me the fish.
She's like a cat waiting to be fed.
"Thank you. I'll cook it and eat it later."
"Mm."
Zeta then happily wagged her golden tail.
"Now then..."
I suddenly made a serious face.
"So... have you made any progress on that matter?"
When I asked her, her cat-like eyes grew smug.
"The cult's movements are as expected."
"――Hmm."
I stood by the window, holding a wine glass in one hand.
Zeta moved quickly, pouring wine into my glass.
Nice moves as always. This is Zeta's favorite spy game. She's always been stealthy and diving.
She was good at camouflage.
"They're reviving the right arm."
"---I see."
"The drops of Diabolos are about to wither. That's the cause of everything."
"――So, isEdit
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ruins of the share with
others to edit at the same time.
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NO, THANKS
"They're panicking. They're afraid of our GET
intervention."
THE APP
"――It's within expectations."

:
"We don't have much time left. We'll definitely start moving."
Having said that much, Zeta looked up at me as if asking for directions.
Before I knew it, the documents written in ancient script had been spread out on the desk... I
couldn't read them, though.
"What about the missing student?"
"Not yet."
"Four, huh..."
"I see."
"It's not enough, is it?"
"Probably."
We squinted at each other, giving off the impression that we were sensing something, and the
lights of the girls' dorm outside the window.
I stare at her.
"―――There'll be a fifth victim."
"Yeah... What should we do?"
Zeta looked up at me.
"...I don't mind."
"Are you sure?"
"Zeta, figure it out."
"Hm... What will you be doing?"
"What needs to be done."
"...If that's what the master wants."
A solemn atmosphere hung between us.
It was nice, if I do say so myself, the way we ad-libbed and connected it to the missing student
incident.
Behind our peaceful school life, the Diabolos Cult's grand plan is in motion -- nicely planned Zeta.
We stare at each other with the gaze of the wind.
I nodded, and Zeta nodded.

:
"Leave it to me, Master. I'll find out for sure."
And with a gust of wind, she vanished into the night.
But I didn't miss Zeta's unnecessary actions. She rubbed her golden tail against the bed.
"I told you to stop marking me like that."
I brushed off the fur and looked up at the night sky.
"Eternal darkness, or an eternal awakening." Nailed it.
*** Claire POV ***
It's already late, I should sleep so I can wake up tomorrow fully refreshed, she thought.
"I'll never forgive you again!"
Claire Kageno puffed out her cheeks in her room in the girls’ dorm.
"How many times do you have to break your promise, Cid? We swore to go home together during
winter break."
"Ni..."
The lamplight illuminated her somewhat sulky profile.
She held a steel collar for some reason.
"I'll never, ever forgive you. I'll drag you home for spring break."
She fiddled with the collar, made sure it was properly locked, and laughed.
"You won't be able to escape next time." she scowled.
"――!"
A heavy thud rang out, and the collar fell to the floor.
"My right hand... is throbbing...!"
She clutched her right hand and twisted her face.
"Why...? It's been going away recently."
Ever since the day the magic circle had been carved into her right hand, it had throbbed several
times.
However, it should have calmed down by now.
"What the hell is this... Aurora, answer me."
Even when I asked, Aurora never responded to me since that day.

:
Even when I asked, Aurora never responded to me since that day.
I also thought that maybe that was a dream when I was unconscious during the fight in the
lawless city. .
But under the bandage wrapped around her right hand, a magic circle was definitely carved into it.
Claire opens the desk drawer and spreads out the documents on the desk.
"I looked into it. The same thing as my magic circle is engraved in the documents of the demon
Diabolos."
"And..."
The magic circle drawn on the spread-out documents and the magic circle engraved on her right
hand were very similar.
"What does that mean...? What does it have to do with me and Diabolos? What will happen to
me?"
"Please, answer me..."
Just then, I thought I heard something.
Claire looks up and surveys the area.
"Heh, just now..."
“...Huh.”
"Aurora?! Is that you?!"
A voice that seemed to echo directly in my head.
“...Ru… aw… y...”
Little by little, I could hear it clearly.
“Run away... That’s dangerous...”
"Huh...? Run away?"
The moment Claire made a bewildered expression, there was a cracking sound.
"What is this...!?"
The scenery reflected in her eyes was cracked.
Like a broken mirror shattering, the world began to collapse.
The desk I tried to grab shattered immediately.
And then, after everything shattered, a new world opened up.

:
"My room... right?"
Without a doubt, that was her room.
But for some reason, a strange white mist hung in the air.
The sound was also somewhat distant, and she could only hear her breathing.
No――I hear the faint sound of clothes rustling behind me.
"――Sweet."
The next moment, Claire’s magic infused elbow, which she’d fired as she turned around, shattered
the attacker’s jaw.
"Gugah!"
The assailant nearly crumpled to his knees, but barely managed to hold his ground.
Claire’s knee slammed into the attacker’s face and took the full force.
"It's a direct line from Cid, right?"
The skirt of her uniform fluttered.
The man on the floor is unconscious, his eyes rolling back in his head.
I don't recognize his face.
"I wonder who he is."
Claire crouched down to examine the man.
But suddenly, the man’s body cracked and shattered.
"Same as before...!"
All traces of the man had disappeared.
"What the hell... Hey, someone! Is anyone here!?"
Claire stepped out into the hallway and opened the door to the next room.
However, there were no living beings anywhere.
She checked the whole lobby.
There was no one.
Claire was the only one brought to this world.
"What's going on... Hey, Aurora, you're here, aren't you?"

:
“She’s not here.”
She sounds annoyed.
"You're here. This isn't the time to be joking."
“I told you to run away didn't I?”
"There was no way I could move in that situation."
“hrm...”
"This is an emergency!"
“I’ve got my reasons, too.”
"What's going on?"
“I didn’t want to get you involved.”
"----! It's too late for that! you should have considered it before carving a magic circle on my hand!"
Claire glared at the magic circle on her right hand.
“That was to protect you.”
"I know, but... can't you at least tell me why?"
“I was going to tell you. But now I can’t.”
"What do you mean?"
“Because he’s trying to protect you.”
"He...?"
“He’s trying to protect you. He’s trying to keep you out of danger. That’s why I can't talk about it.
"That's what you said last time. Who the hell are you talking about? I don't remember being
protected by anyone."
"You are wrong. He is protecting you, always has protected you and always will protect you. I
must confess that I am a little envious."
"... I'll say this one more time. I don't know who you're talking about, but I'm sure there is no one,
absolutely no one who is protecting me." Claire repeated her words, this time angrily.
"If that's the way you want to think, that's fine. Surely this is what he wants too. To keep you away
from everything."
"... If you're going to say something then say it all once and for all! Besides, I don't want any of it!"
"I'm not going to say anything to you, no matter what. This is my way of repaying the great favor I
:
"I'm not going to say anything to you, no matter what. This is my way of repaying the great favor I
owe him." Aurora said that, though with a somewhat disgruntled tone as well.
"I'll make you tell me."
"How?"
"Hmm..."
Claire thought carefully.
What could she do to get someone who only communicates through a voice in her head to listen
to her? "Well... I will scream non-stop, very very loudly until you tell me everything."
"Go ahead."
"I won't listen to you anymore."
"As you wish."
"... I'm going to spread bad rumors about you."
"And then?"
Claire puckered her cheeks into a pout.
"Are you satisfied yet?"
"If by satisfied you mean annoyed, yes."
"Calm down. I'll tell you how to get out of this place."
"First of all, where the hell am I?"
"I can't tell you that either."
"God, you get on my nerves."
"First walk straight ahead."
"I don't want to."
"If you don't walk you'll be locked in here forever."
"Do I just have to walk to get out of there?"
"Okay, like this. Now go around three times."
"Three laps?!"
"Just kidding."
"Someday I swear I'll give you a good whack." And so the black-haired girl walked on in a world
full of clouds.
:
full of clouds.
And behind her, the figure of a woman could be faintly glimpsed, staring at her with violet eyes.
*** Cid POV ***
Today was the beginning of the third period at the school.
As the end-of-year exams were approaching, everyone in the class was looking very serious.
"Hey, I heard the same questions from today's magic control theory class always come up on the
yearly exams."
"Well done Agent Po, as always you are a pro at information gathering."
"It's just that I already have to act more responsibly. If I repeat the year, my parents will kill me."
"Yes, I think I need to get a little more serious myself. I've slacked off too much so far."
"But if we study seriously it will be a piece of cake." "Of course, it'll be a piece of cake."
Skel and Po's eyes were filled with despair.
"Cid, your grades are low too, aren't they? You should get more serious from now on." "Aah,
you're right. I think I should do that."
The truth is that my grades are below average.
That's because in classes I'm always practicing my magic control, so in exams I don't understand
anything at all.
But I'm not too worried about it either. I can cheat whenever I want and copy the answers if I really
put my mind to it.
I also don't know what they taught in class today, but I know that the theory of magic power
control is the explanation to my theory that compressing magic power increases its potency
x1000.
This is just another part of my training to be the perfect eminence in shadow.
And again today, as always, I went to train.
The classroom door suddenly opened, and from the other side a silver-haired girl appeared.
It’s Alexia.
"Ah, how beautiful the weather is today."
I said, looking away from the window.
It was cloudy.
I felt everyone's gaze go straight to me.
This is something that always happened. For some reason everyone looked at me when Alexia
:
This is something that always happened. For some reason everyone looked at me when Alexia
came to the classroom, and I was just a simple mob.
"Oi"
"Ah, a little bird."
In the window was an everyday landscape.
"Look at me when I talk to you, Pooch."
"The wind is blowing the clouds away."
I wonder if this day could go on without anything happening.
"Don’t ignore me."
She grabbed my chin.
Then, she slowly began to turn my head as my neck squeaked with an unpleasant sound.
Alexia was staring at me with her crimson eyes.
"How are you doing, Princess Alexia?"
I tried to greet her in the most mob-like way possible.
"Good morning, Cid Kagenou-kun."
"Pardon my boldness Princess Alexia, but aren't you in the wrong class?"
"No, I'm in the right one. I came because I have business with you, Cid Kageno-kun."
"Ah, but the next class is about to start. Could we save it for later?"
"Don't worry about that. I'll be borrowing him for a while."
Alexia said that to Skel and Po and then grabbed me by the neck.
"B-B-But of course you can!"
"F-F-F-Feel free!"
And she dragged me away, as I listened to the cheeky response of my two friends.
For some reason, the place she took me was the girls' dormitory.
"And I can just walk in just like that?"
"I already got a permit."
"But I'm a boy."
"I told them you were a collaborator."

:
"I told them you were a collaborator."
"Collaborator?"
Alexia stood in front of a door.
It was the door to my sister Claire’s room.
"No one has seen your sister since yesterday after dinner."
"Fuum."
"That made me curious, so I asked one of the students and she said the room was locked."
Alexia knocked on the door but no one answered.
"I tried to look for her in the places she usually frequents but she was nowhere to be found."
“Hooom.”
"Don't you know anything?"
"Nothing." I answered honestly, but Alexia looked at me as if to say, "Are you out of your mind?"
"Don't you care about her?"
"Well, it's not like it's the first time."
"Does it happen often?"
"She always tends to disappear for a few days since we were kids."
"Well then you do know something about those case."
"Now that you mention it, it's true."
"And where was your sister on those occasions when she disappeared?"
"No idea, she just came back on her own and that was it."
Although in reality she was always sought and found by the 7 shades.
Zeta was supposed to be watching her this time. Zeta is very good at what she does, so if she
hasn't made a move it's because everything is fine.
"Is it like running away from home?"
"Sort of."
"Well, hopefully that's all it is, because there's actually something else that catches my eye."
"What is it?"
"Check this out."

:
"Check this out."
We entered the room and Alexia picks up a metal necklace off the floor.
"A necklace? It does look sturdy."
"And that's not all, it actually has a magical effect. It's not something an ordinary student would
have in her room."
"I can assure you that my sister is far from ordinary."
"It's likely that someone broke into her room, then tried to put this on her to kidnap her."
"But the necklace was dropped right here."
"It probably fell during the struggle. Besides, there's something else that puzzles me."
Alexia looks at some documents lying on a desk.
At the sight of them, I was struck by a flash of enlightenment.
"But if this is...!" Ancient letters, cool magic signs, complex words that seem to have a meaning
but really don't.
Yes, I am sure.
It is a chuunibyou notebook.
"Do you know what this is?"
"Nope, not at all, I've never seen this in my life."
"Really, why are you averting your eyes?"
"Y-You're imagining things."
"Fine, then."
Alexia looked at the chuunibyou notebook again.
"I really doubt that anything written here makes sense."
"Are you sure?"
Alexia said that and looked at the notebook again.
I feel sorry for her, but that is nothing more than a notebook of a person's embarrassing stage in
life.
Come to think of it, that necklace thing also seems to be a chuuni object, and now that I
remember, until recently she was playing make believe and had a magic mark on her hand and
she was also trying to hide it with bandages.
Maybe my sister's chuuni state has finally gotten out of control.

:
Maybe my sister's chuuni state has finally gotten out of control.
Moreover, disappearing suddenly is another element of chuunibyou.
"I’m sure she’s fine."
"You do trust her..."
"Trust? ... Well, sort of."
Rather, he was just saying that there was no point in getting upset.
"Instead I... my sister and I..." Alexia narrowed her eyes, as if remembering the days of a distant
past.
"We don't understand each other lately. I don't know what she’s thinking..."
"Fuum."
"Have you ever thought like that, Pooch?"
"The truth is, I hardly ever understand what my sister is thinking either."
"I see... I guess only they themselves can understand each other."
"Siblings are strangers bound by blood, that’s all."
"What a cruel way to put it."
"You think so?"
"At least I want to understand her."
"I see."
Alexia let out a small sigh.
"... You can go back to class now if you want. I'll stay here and do some more research."
"Bueh."
I left the place, leaving Alexia alone, who was reviewing in great detail the chuuni notebook that
contained a sultry stage of my older sister.
Finally today's classes ended and my sister was nowhere to be seen.
But hey, Zeta is with her so I doubt anything happened to her.
Right now I was behind the school building preparing the fish Zeta had given me. It was past time
to turn off the lights so everything was dark around here.
"I think it's almost ready."
Sparks from the fire fell on the fish, raising a rich aroma and a sweet sound of the meat cooking.
:
"Or should I let them cook some more?"
Being here alone, cooking fish is not bad at all.
Peaceful times. People can enjoy great peace simply by living day to day in this way.
As I watched the flame, I noticed someone approaching at a high speed.
"Bossman!!! I finally found you!!!" That someone was Delta, who suddenly appeared in front of
me, wagging her tail and ears.
"Hello Delta. It's already dark so don't make so much noise."
"Bossman, I already hunted down that bad guy you ordered me to hunt!!!"
"I see. It's already night so don't make so much noise."
"And Alpha-sama told me I did a good job!!!"
"Good for you. But it's already dark so don't make so much noise."
"Bossman, I want you to praise me too!!!"
"Ohh, yeah yeah, good girl."
I stroked Delta's head and she wagged her tail back and forth in complete bliss.
"But it's already night so don't make so much noise."
"Okay, I won't make any noise!!!"
She responded forcefully and then covered her mouth.
"Now I'll speak softly." says Delta, this time murmuring.
"Okay, that’s how it's done."
"Thanks bossman. By the way, I've finished digging the hole you ordered me to dig."
"Hole? Did I order you to dig a hole?"
"Yes you ordered me to!" Again she returned to her usual tone.
"Ah, well. Never mind."
"And then I found it! It was just like you told me, boss!" Delta smiled and then bit into a red jewel
she was carrying.
"And what are you biting it for?"
"So I don't lose it!"
"You are the embodiment of intelligence."

:
"You are the embodiment of intelligence."
"Kukuku..."
I took the jewel covered with Delta's saliva. It was a jewel with a beautiful shine.
"Oh... it looks like it can be sold at a very good price." It was the same size as a small pellet, but
its luster was not normal.
"I did my best!!!"
"Oh, yeah yeah, good girl."
Again I stroked her head.
And again Delta's expression dissolved into a smile.
"I want a reward!"
"Hmm, well..."
"Hm...something smells really good around here!" Delta already had the fish in her hand.
"Ah, that's a gift Zeta brought me-"
"Thanks for the food!" and she ignored me.
"How yummy it is~" She took a bite and then smiled happily.
Well, it's true that she did a good job, so....
"Actually, it doesn't matter."
At the same time, I heard the sound of the grass behind me moving.
"Doggy...what are you eating?" I turned around and there stood Zeta, looking as cold as ice.
"Hmm, what are you doing here stray cat, this is my prize, this food!" Delta began to growl.
"That fish was given to my master, not to you, little bitch." (T/N: Damn, Zeta has no chills)
"Get out of here, this fish is mine!" After saying that, Delta swallowed the fish whole.
"Ah..."
Zeta let out a sigh mixed with anguish.
"It was delicious~"
While Delta was completely oblivious.
"You're a..." With a "fuuuh," Zeta took a breath.
"You're not welcome here, you stray cat! If you don't leave right now I'll make you leave by force!"
:
"You're not welcome here, you stray cat! If you don't leave right now I'll make you leave by force!"
"That fish was the most delicious I had ever found, just for my master... I won't forgive you."
"There, there, take it easy." Things were already getting a bit annoying, so I decided to intervene.
Then, I was in the middle of both of them looking at me.
"Ehmm... I mean, I was just here preparing the fish, although I didn't give her permission to eat it
either, what I'm saying is that-"
When the going gets tough, the first thing to do is to make excuses.
Basically to say and make it clear that the problem is not with oneself and that nothing that
happened is one's own responsibility.
"- In short, I am not to blame for anything."
"Hmm, it's true. You are not to blame for anything, master."
"It's obvious that the boss is not to blame!"
"Exactly, I'm not to blame."
I was preparing my fish as I should have been, so if someone else took the opportunity to eat it, it
was not my responsibility.
"It's clear that-"
Zeta and Delta pointed at each other.
"-This one is to blame!"
They both said.
"Huh?" Immediately the magical power in them exploded.
And that shockwave literally sent me flying.
After blocking that attack and landing on the ground, I saw that Zeta and Delta were standing a bit
away from me.
"I won't forgive you for stealing the present I so lovingly brought my master...you silly dog."
"I'll never forgive you for interrupting me while I was enjoying my prize… back alley cat!"
"Aah, I really don't understand anything, but I hope we've made it clear that I'm not to blame." I
slowly walked away.
These two have never gotten along and always like fighting, and those fights can destroy homes
and fields if Alpha doesn't arrive to stop them.
"May you enjoy your fight, but be careful not to blow up all the ground."
:
Good thing that shockwave sent me flying away from them.
:
:
:
:
"I'll tear you apart!"
Delta picked up her sword and took up a battle stance.
"I'll teach you some manners." Zeta meanwhile narrowed her eyes... and disappeared, leaving not
a single trace.
:
a single trace.
"Did she run away?" Delta wondered.
But quickly a black sword appeared from behind.
"Eek!" She managed to dodge the attack at the last second.
But because it was so sudden, her position snapped and she rolled on the floor.
But the attacks did not stop, you could hear the blade slicing through air.
But Delta dodged each of these attacks.
She rolled on the floor, propelled herself, did a half-turn, all moves that would be impossible for a
human to accomplish.
"- Where are you hiding?"
Zeta was nowhere to be found.
Only a bunch of black swords appeared from the darkness.
This was equal to that technique... yes, to the blood queen's skill.
I didn't imagine she could use it, but now that I think about it, it's not that strange either.
She of all people is the most skilled girl I have ever come across.
She manages to do anything perfectly, no matter what it is and no matter if she has done it before
or not. That's why her development has been faster than all the others, and with that good style
she has I dare say she is the most talented girl I know.
Yes, in talent, there’s no one like her.
But even the talented Zeta has a weak spot.
"...Hm?"
Her tail could be seen even in the darkness.
And she did it again.
Her weak point is that she gets carried away by her emotions, she tends to get bored very quickly
and therefore fails to concentrate on a single technique.
"Dang, I'm lacking training."
"-I found you!"
Within a millisecond of Delta's attack hitting it, her tail turned back into black smoke and
disappeared.
"That was close."

:
"That was close."
Again her voice was heard.
"... I will be more serious."
After saying that, out of the black smoke appeared an incalculable number of black swords.
The swords were all around Delta.
"Ultimate Technique - A Thousand Swords."
A rather coy name considering there are clearly more than a thousand.
However, the power of that technique was brutal.
The blades impacted Delta's body, throwing her into the air.
"Gah, gaah, guuh."
The blades kept cutting Delta even while she was flying in the air.
Although her limbs were protecting her vitals, it looked somewhat dangerous.
It seems that Zeta has become stronger than I thought....
And she is one of the newest in the 7 shades, but now she is a monster because of this
excessively fast growth...
"Gaaaa, aaaaaaaaaah."
Delta's cry echoed in the sky.
She quickly exploded a large amount of magical power from her body and the black backs
disappeared without a trace.
"Huh...? No way."
Zeta, with surprise, fell from the black smoke.
She landed like a cat, right in front of Delta who was all covered in blood.
*poof*
Delta spat bloody spittle and then looked directly at Zeta.
Her demeanor was no longer the same as before; the game were over for her.
"...!" all of Zeta's hairs stood up.
Delta then used the slime suit to create a giant black sword.
No, in fact, the shape was too distorted and large to call it a sword, that's why we called it "Iron
Slab".
:
Slab".
Delta usually tries to imitate us, creating swords like the one we use.
But that's not the real Delta.
The real Delta wears this giant iron slab, the sign that she means business and the reason they
call her Delta the "Tyrant".
“Grrrruh.”
Delta began to growl.
As sweat ran down Zeta's cheek.
I meanwhile, was praying for the poor dormitory and school building.
What's next? At this rate they're really going to blow up the whole school.
Although I wouldn't want to stop a serious fight either, that would make them angry.
And unfortunately, my code prevents me from doing something I wouldn't want to be done.
So, goodbye Midgar Academy, it was a pleasure. Farewell Skel and Po, I will pray for your souls.
I prayed.
"You're dead."
The slab of iron was consuming Delta's true magical power.
This time I did step back a little more seriously.
While Zeta... flew through the sky.
It's not a metaphor or anything, she just jumped up and flew through the sky.
I used my enhanced eyesight to get a better look at her and noticed that she was surrounded by
some of the black smoke from earlier.
Ah, it can also be used that way.
"Bye-bye, puppy." She said and quickly disappeared amidst the black smoke.
After being stunned for a moment, Delta shouted angrily.
"Where do you think you're going stray caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!!!"
Then she too disappeared into the sky.
"Well, in the end it ended as usual." The fights of those two always end like that without a result.
Zeta almost always ends up running away, or with Alpha getting angry at both.
As for me? I just watch.

:
As for me? I just watch.
Well, I can go to sleep now.
"Hmm?" I noticed some people approaching.
And well, it would be strange if nobody reacted to all the fuss that was made here.
"Although these presences are... Yes, I suppose one is Alexia and the others are the guards'."
I erased my presence and decided to stay and watch.
*** Alexia POV ***
Alexia ran through the backyard of the school building.
Although more than a backyard , it was a small forest full of trees and uncut brush, so her boots
got dirty with every step she took.
"You two, hurry up!"
Alexia kept running while talking to the people who were following her.
"Alexia-sama, it's too dangerous to approach that magic power! Let's wait for reinforcements!"
The guards were giving their all to keep up with her.
"If we take too long they're going to get away from us!"
"Wait a moment please, Alexia-sama!" She ignored the guards and kept running.
Then upon arriving at the site, they encountered traces of a battle.
"What...?"
There were several broken tracks, trees and undergrowth.
There was also a trace of magical power in the air.
"Who could unleash such magical power in this place...!"
"Alexia-sama! Uhh...! What happened here!" Finally arriving, the guards were speechless as they
noticed the trace of magical power.
"It's dangerous to be here, those responsible may still be nearby!"
"Yes, and it's your job to catch those responsible, isn't it?"
"W-Well, you're right, but..."
The guards sighed and looked at each other for mutual support.
Alexia meanwhile sighed unnoticed.

:
"There is some blood."
Then she found a trail of blood in the brush.
"There's a lot of it, actually. The person who was here must have been seriously injured. Also, it is
likely that they’re the person responsible for the disappearances..."
She was referring to the case of the students' disappearances.
The case had been investigated by the guards, but in the absence of evidence and by ignorance,
the case was closed..
But Alexia suspected that there was something hidden in all this.
"What is certain is that a very powerful dark knight fought here... But why here...?" This wasn't a
coliseum or anything, it was the school grounds.
"This almost certainly has to do with the disappearances. Probably something very powerful is
hidden in-"
"A-Alexia-sama."
Suddenly, the voices of the guards interrupted her reasoning.
"Now what happened?"
"L-Look over there!" The guards pointed to the figure of someone wearing a jet black coat.
"At what point did he appear!" none of them had noticed this person's presence.
“Y-You are…”
The person dressed in black bent down and dipped his finger in the pool of blood on the ground.
Then he spoke, in a voice that seemed to come straight from the dark abyss.
"So this was the sacrifice of your fight..."
"Shadow..." Alexia was speechless, while Shadow admired the blood on his finger with
fascination.
"But what about the life that was lost here, will it have been a necessary sacrifice to the world...?"
"Shadow, do you have anything to do with this?" Shadow paid no attention to Alexia or the guards
and simply continued to be immersed in his thoughts.
"Alexia-sama, it's dangerous to come any closer! We must call the knights-!" One of the guards
shouted nervously, drawing his sword.
"There's no point in doing so. And back off, not even our swords combined could touch him."
And even knowing that, Alexia pointed her sword at Shadow.

:
"Answer me, Shadow, what happened here?"
She says while releasing more magical power from her body towards shadow.
His deep red colored eyes stared at her.
"-What will you do after you find out?"
"I will get you. I won't let you do as you please in this place."
Shadow flashed a faint smile on the other side of his mask.
"Don't waste your time."
He disappears after saying that.
No, he did not disappear. He appeared right in front of Alexia.
"What the-!" She wasn't able to feel anything; she didn't sense his magical power, nor did she
sense his presence.
He simply appeared out of nowhere in front of Alexia and pressed his sword against her throat.
His sword? Shadow's? No, but a sword she knew well.
After all, it was her own sword.
"My sword..." She didn’t even realize he'd taken it from her.
"We live in totally different worlds."
"And what do you mean by that!" She said that, gritting her teeth hard.
She had trained hard and she thought that now, just maybe, she had closed the gap a little
between her strength and his strength.
"Just as a coin has two sides, just as there is light and darkness...there is also a world with which
you should not get involved."
After saying that, he put the sword away and turned around.
He began to walk, leaving as the wind swayed his black coat.
"-The time is nigh."
"The time? The time for what?"
"Time for them to start acting-"
Suddenly, some kind of black liquid gushed from Shadow's feet.
The liquid rose all over his body, enveloping him like a whirlpool.
:
And after a blizzard, the liquid turned into a black smoke that made Shadow disappear.
The only thing left in that place where he was standing was Alexia's sword.
"He's gone... But who the heck are ‘they’?"
There are many things I still don't understand.
But it was already a breakthrough to know that Shadow was involved.
A small one, just like a small step.
Alexia thought that way, mocking herself as she turned away.
"Still no reinforcements arriving? We must hurry and secure the sce-"
Alexia stood there unable to finish her words.
"It can't... be..." All the guards were fainting.
In that one move Shadow had made, he had not only taken the sword from her, but also knocked
all the guards unconscious.
And of course, she hadn't noticed anything.
"There's still, there's still a very big gap between our powers... but someday... someday I'll..."
Alexia looked down as she clenched her fists tightly.
Chapter 1: Nee-san's Return and the Progress of the Illness...!

*** Cid POV ***
The next day, everyone was talking about yesterday's commotion, Zeta and Delta's fight near the
school.
"I heard that last night some people were using a huge magic power in the back of the school."
"That's what I heard too. Although I was sleeping by that time so I don't know much more."
Skel and Po put on a doubtful expression.
"Are they already securing the scene?" "It looks like it. I saw several teachers and others helping."
"But if all that happened in the back of the school, then the culprit sure tried to get into the girls'
dorm. I'm pretty sure it's some stalker."
"That's the weird thing. It looks like it happened near the men's dorms."
"Hm? So they tried to infiltrate the boys' dorms?"
"What do you think that person's goal was?"

:
"What do you think that person's goal was?"
"Isn't it obvious? They were probably looking for handsome guys."
Skel said with a disgusted smile.
"Ah, that's right. There are a couple of handsome ones here too."
Po replied with another disgusted smile.
"Uh-huh, maybe."
And I played along and nodded.
These two aside, it was true that many of the students were talking seriously about this issue.
Some assumed it was the actions of someone who had a grudge against the school, others said
someone wanted to steal the artifacts from the labs, and still others believed it had something to
do with the case of the missing students.
Sorry guys.
The truth is that it was just about the fight between a dog and a cat. I like the feel of the
atmosphere here feel tough, with everyone thinking something evil is going on behind the
shadows.
"We'd better get going. We have seminar in the next class."
"Wait a minute Cid, don't you dare leave this handsome guy behind."
"Wait for me a moment~ This handsome boy has to get ready for the next class."
I walked ahead of the two idiots and started walking.
Come to think of it, yesterday after the fight, my scene as an eminence in the shadows with Alexia
sure was amazing.
Yesterday I was literally an eminence in the shadows concerned about the cruel battle raging in
the shadows of the world and its outcome. I must say that my realistic acting skills created a work
of art.
Not to mention the part where I tell herher that we live in different worlds and show herer a bit of
my power.
A person who lives on the peaceful side of the world is not prepared to enter the cruel and dark
side of it - I always wanted to play such an elegant scene that has existed even before the time of
Christ.
Just remembering it brings a smile to my face.
At this rate, I will go down in history as the perfect Eminence in Shadow.
"Master."
:
Strange, I thought I heard Zeta's voice.
"Master, this way."
"Oh." I was confused.
Suddenly a girl dressed in janitorial clothes grabbed me by the sleeve of my uniform. It was Zeta.
She was wearing the uniform of the school cleaning staff and hiding her ears with a cap.
"What are you doing dressed like that?"
"I'm infiltrating." Zeta answers me matter-of-factly, all while gluing her body to mine.
"Stop dialing me, you'll draw attention to yourself."
There were still many students in the hallway.
"It's just that, master, you still smell like dog."
"But if you rub me too much I'll smell like a cat."
"Hm."
I pushed Zeta away from me.
"And what happened to Delta?"
"I threw her off. She should be at sea right now." "Good. I won't ask for details on that."
When Zeta wants to run away, no one can catch her, so she did not hesitate to pick a fight with
Delta.
"Hm, this way."
Zeta grabbed my hand and led me to an empty room.
Apparently it was a room that had not been used in quite some time, the air felt cold and smelled
dusty.
"Make it quick, my next class is almost starting."
"I have a report."
She said, perking her ears up firmly.
Apparently she still wanted to continue playing spies.
"The attack on her failed."
"Yeah, I figured."
"But she's still on the other side."

:
"Got it."
"But the cult will send another assassin."
Zeta moved to the window and looked down.
I played along and stood beside him. Down there at the scene of yesterday's fight were several
gentlemen and teachers.
I imitated her and stared at them.
"It's probably him."
"Oh, so him."
"If he makes dangerous actions, I will intervene."
"I leave that decision to you."
Then Zeta quickly moved away from the window.
I also imitated her.
"Someone was watching us."
"There seems to be someone very perceptive among them."
"Hm, it's hidden in the dark."
I looked slightly out, and I could feel someone's gaze.
"What are you watching...? Ah, I must be going now."
The bell rang.
When I turned around, Zeta was nowhere to be seen.
It was recess.
I was with Skel and Po in the school canteen.
"Well, what should I eat today?"
"Lucky some people, aren't they, Cid-kun? You can eat whatever you want with the money you
stole from me." He had a point, but the money I earned from them I put into my funds to be an
eminence in the shadows. I wouldn't waste it on this kind of thing because it would affect my
upcoming activities.
I am a man who has very clear priorities.
I think today I will choose the 980 Zenis lunch, a poor combo for nobles. I'm sure this kind of
saving will help me in the future.
:
"Long time no see, little brother."
Suddenly someone spoke to me from behind. There is only one person in the world who calls me
"little brother".
"Hello again, Nina-senpai."
Her wine-red hair today was as silky as ever.
Her blouse was slightly open at the top, revealing voluptuous breasts, and her mini-skirt exposed
her slender legs. A modern style, but quite daring.
:
:
:
:
:
She is Nina-senpai, a third-year student.
"Where did you go all winter break? Claire was looking for you every day, and even forced me to
help her. It sure was tiring huh."
"I had several matters on my hands."
"Oh, so business eh."
Nina-senpai came close to me.
To tell the truth, she is quite small.
His total height is only as tall as my chest.
"It's forbidden to get in line." I said, trying to stop her, but she passed easily.
"Little brother, are you going to eat 980 Zenis' poor nobles' lunch again? How sad~"
"It's not sad. This savings will help me accomplish my big goal in life."
"Ya ya, whatever you say. But let me buy you something today, what do you want to eat?"
"The most expensive thing on the menu."
"Good. In that case it will be the deluxe lunch for super rich names of 100 thousand Zenis."
Nina-senpai ordered me the most expensive lunch of all.
She is my sister's best friend, and because of that she always treats me well. In fact, she is a
great senpai who does whatever I ask her to do.
The other time I told her I wanted to read a forbidden grimoire and she quickly brought it to me.
It's still a mystery how she got it, but the fact is that she behaves very well with me.
When I met Nina-senpai, that time and for the first time, I was glad to be my older sister's younger
brother.
"I-Invite me too please!"
"Y-Yes, I want too!"
Skel and Po said, although very nervous about being close to Nina-senpai.
"But I already gave you guys a set of cards."
"Th-That's-That's right!" "Th-Th-Thank you so much for the letters, senpai!"

:
"Relax. It was my way of apologizing for the trouble Claire caused them."
Apparently she gave them the cards for that reason.
Thanks to Nina-senpai's influence we were able to get a first-class table by the window.
"Sit down."
"Yeah."
I sat down next to Nina-senpai and began to taste my rich lunch, while Po and Skel were on the
other side of the table eating their poor lunch.
The rich lunch was on another level. Everything was prepared and served to you by maids.
"Claire seems to be missing."
Said senpai while eating a carpacho.
"So it seems~"
I ate it too. I really didn't know what kind of fish this was, but it was very good.
"A while ago Princess Alexia asked me if I didn't know anything about her, but it's just that in the
first place, that day was like any other day. Don't you know anything, little brother?" "I don't know
anything either really. But it seems she's still looking for clues."
"Yes, there seems to be something that doesn't add up for her. And it's that there are also other
students missing. I'm already starting to worry."
"It's true, it's worrisome. And more so with all the hustle and bustle last night."
"You mean what happened behind the boys' dormitories? Yeah, what savagery." "Uh-huh~" "Now
that I remember, I saw the scarlet knights at the place. There seem to be more members now, but
most of them seem to be wimps."
"Ohh, you're well aware."
"I have my sources~" Nina-senpai replied with a wink.
"Will you also join the knights when you graduate, Nina-senpai?"
"I don't know. My grades aren't as good as Claire's."
"Huh? Really?"
"Are you surprised? I'm pretty famous for my bad grades."
"Ahh, and here I thought you were going to be this year's star student."
"Hahaha, that position is sure to go to Claire. She improves so fast that it's complicated to keep
up with her. And me, well I'm just a retrograde."
:
Nina-senpai replied as she happily spooned a spoonful of soup into her mouth.
The truth is that Nina-senpai has always seemed to me to be stronger than my sister, but well,
people have their reasons for hiding their true strength. Besides, Nina-senpai is a person full of
mysteries.
"If I hear anything about Claire I'll tell you. You sure are worried about her, aren't you?"
"Worried? No, not at all... I mean, okay, I'm worried to death."
"You sure don't change at all... But well, it's true that there's no point worrying about Claire. If you
need anything from me don't hesitate to look me up."
Nina-senpai said it with a cute smile.
Meanwhile Skel and Po remained speechless as they ate their meager lunch of 980 Zenis.
*** 3rd Person POV ***
"Hey, is it still a long way to go before we can leave?" (Claire)
Claire sighed in one of the school's classrooms.
Everything around her was surrounded by white clouds, without a single soul besides her.
"It won't be long now." (Aurora)
"How long do you think you've been saying that?"
"I told you it's almost over. I'm trying to expand the gap, but it takes time because your magic
power is not enough to do it."
"Ah, yes, well I'm sorry for having little magic power. Even though I don't look like it, I'm one of the
ones with the most magic power in the school."
"What a poor standard that school is."
"Will you stop annoying me?"
"I'm sorry, I told the truth without meaning to."
"Anyway, what's this about the gap?"
"A gap so you can return to your world."
"My world? First of all, where the heck am I?"
"Oops sorry, I can't tell you~" Claire again sighed. There were many things she didn't understand.
In the classroom, sitting cross-legged, she noticed an incongruity.

:
In the classroom, sitting cross-legged, she noticed an incongruity.
"Heh?"
Something was touching her legs.
As she looked more closely, she realized it was someone's half-transparent arm, a human arm full
of blood, clinging to one of her feet.
"W-What the heck is this thing!"
Claire stood up and began to shake her foot to free herself from the grip of that hand.
After she pulled her arm free, it fell to the ground, but as if growing out of it, a person bathed in
blood appeared.
He was a dark-skinned man with sunken eyes and a large wound on his chest.
He was clearly a deadman.
"Be careful. It's a wraith."
"Wraith?"
"One of the heroes who were trapped in the eternity of this place, in the past. Please release him."
"Release him...? How?"
"I don't know, how about punching it, for example?"
"Ha." Claire put some of her magic power into her fist and punched the specter.
In doing so, it was shattered by the blow.
"That was disgusting."
"If the wraiths are already around, it means the seal is weakening... I think, this is bad."
"What seal?"
"Ah, forget what I said. Too bad, next time I have to say these things without you around to hear.
Although you should concentrate more on your magic power than your ears."
"I'm listening to you." After that Aurora went quiet again.
Claire continued to fight with the wraiths.
"How I wish I had my sword." Claire had left her sword on the other side.
So, she simply waited for Aurora to finish whatever she was doing while she defeated the
occasional wraith.
The wraiths were becoming more frequent and the white clouds were increasing.
:
"Aurora, is it gonna be long?"
"A little more."
"Really?"
"Really. Too bad, though...we have a special guest."
"Huh?" Claire felt a presence behind her, and as she turned, there stood a man in a black robe.
His face was covered with a mask.
"At what point did he appear...!" Claire stepped back a little and stood at attention, but her stance
was somewhat awkward for her because she didn't have her sword.
While the man, who did have a sword and seemed to be accustomed to using it, was in front of
Claire in the blink of an eye.
"He's fast-!" Claire dodged the attack at the last instant and tried to get more distance.
However, the man in the black robe did not allow her to do so. He continued to attack.
"Guh."
After receiving the blow, Claire tried to get up, her feet shaking.
Although she took a good hit, apparently she could still fight.
Besides, it didn't look like the man wanted to kill her, so he probably wanted to capture her.
"You seem to be losing."
Aurora spoke to Claire inside her head.
"Keep quiet, the fight is just beginning."
"Really? Well, I can see how it's going to end."
"Shut your mouth! If only I had my sword...!"
"I don't think a sword will help you much in this case."
"Shut the fuck up!"
"Here he comes again."
Quickly the man pushed himself forward and closed the distance between them.
"Heh!?"
Everything happened very fast.
The man, who was already face to face with Claire, was suddenly sent flying by red tentacles.
:
The man, who was already face to face with Claire, was suddenly sent flying by red tentacles.
Red tentacles appeared under Claire's feet, moving as if alive.
"W-what are these things?"
"Blood."
"Blood?!" "If you tried a little harder you could also activate this technique. After all you are-"
"...I am what?"
"... Nothing. Concentrate, the fight isn't over yet." Claire looked up. The robed, black-masked man
was still standing.
Blood rolled down his cheek and his mask was broken.
"You're from the knights..." It was someone she had seen when she was in her probationary
period within the knights.
"It's nice to see you again, Claire-san." The man said, waving with a smile.
"Viscount Jean. The commander of the fourth division of the third group of knights..."
"That is a false identity. I'm actually a Named Children, Jean ‘DarkSmile’."
Wasn't there a worse name? Claire thought, but didn't say it.
"I don't know what a named children is, but I didn't think you were the type to do this kind of act."
"To be honest, I didn't imagine you had this much power either. In fact, it's fascinating... you didn't
have that last time we did some research on you."
"Last time?"
"Don't worry, it's our business. In any case, it looks like it will be necessary to go back and
investigate further about you." After saying that, he took a stance with his sword.
Claire's tentacles also went into a battle mode, but for some reason, they lacked the strength they
had shown a while ago.
"Claire, this is bad."
"Heh?"
"I think I'm out of magic power now."
"You're a..." Claire said that as one of her eyelashes quivered.
"Looks like it's my lucky day. I'll be able to bring a great gift to my lord."
And then the one with the dark smile, just as his name said, put a grim smile on his face.
It was then that something resonated.

:
The sound of shattering glass was heard, and a part of the world surrounded by clouds broke.
"Heh?!"
From that place someone appeared.
She was a beautiful beast woman dressed in a jet black outfit, with a beautiful tail and golden
colored ears.
She landed in front of Claire and deflected the dark smile sword's attack with a strange black mist.
"Guhh!"
The impact was so strong that it sent the dark smile flying.
Although the movement itself seemed slight, its force for some reason was overwhelming....
The woman shrouded in black mist had a calm, cool gaze.
"Who are you...?"
"Zeta."
She replied in a cold tone of voice.
"Walk away Claire, I don't know if she's an ally or an enemy."
Aurora told me that.
Claire was surprised at how unexpected it was to hear her speak nervously.
So she stepped back, keeping her distance.
"May I interpret your actions to ask if you have come to save me?"
"For now. I can't let the cult capture you yet."
"Huh?" The black mist shimmered for an instant and the next, Zeta was already behind her.
"Farewell."
Then she grabbed Claire by the collar of her shirt and threw her into the breach.
"Huh? What are you doin'!"
Claire raised a scream, but that scream along with herself was absorbed by the gap and
disappeared.
Thus, only Zeta and the dark smile were left in this world.
"Tch... How dare you interrupt my mission." Jean ’DarkSmile’ face to face with Zeta.
"Hmm, nice to meet you."

:
"Hmm, nice to meet you."
"I already figured you'd come, Shadow Garden."
After saying that, he took a stance with his sword, while Zeta just stared at him without much
interest.
"You seem pretty confident - are you one of the generals in Shadow Garden?"
"Did you notice?" Zeta's response was full of self-confidence.
After all, she knew she was the most powerful here.
"Of what?”
"My secret."
"You mean your power? I don't know what-"
At that moment, Zeta's magical power burst forth.
The power was so great and dense that it made the dark smile fall to its knees.
"W-what is this power...? Did you have this magic power hidden...?"
"Too bad. I could have left you alive if you hadn't noticed."
"W-W-What the hell are you talking about-"
"But now that you know, this is goodbye."
"What the fuck are you... huhhhh?!"
Suddenly, black tears sprang from the dark smile's eyes.
Then, from each of his orifices, a black mist came out, until finally his body exploded.
Zeta looked at his corpse and muttered.
"Hmm, the new technique is not bad."
Then she turned around and spoke to an empty space, where there was nothing in sight.
"We are done."
In response to that voice, the space there began to distort and from it, a beautiful woman with
pinkish blonde hair, dressed in a jet black suit clinging to her body, emerged. It was Victoria.
"Yes, Zeta-sama."
She knelt in reverence to Zeta.
"I confirmed Aurora's presence inside Claire-sama."

:
"Looks like we were right..."
"Hmm, now everything is connected."
"Do you think the cult has figured it out yet?"
"Not yet."
"So what do we do about the plan?"
"We will change it to plan C."
"Claire-sama will be the key to successfully realizing our plan. But that is, for us, our ideal future."
"My master told me to look into the future."
"Then that is our master's will..." Victoria clasped both hands together in front of her chest, as if
praying.
"Let her know too that we will change the plan."
Zeta turned to black smoke and disappeared, while Victoria stood there, waving goodbye with a
smile.
*** Cid POV ***
All that could be heard in the classroom was the sound of answer sheet paper and pens.
I looked around a bit and then at my test sheet.
"... I don't understand anything."
Now that the end-of-year exams were approaching, in-class pop quizzes were on the rise.
Those who scored poorly were sent reinforcement assignments, but these reinforcement
assignments were too much of a nuisance, too much.
You could tell that the teachers were desperate to try to keep the more idiotic ones from staying
for the year.
So far I have followed my mob role, barely avoiding bad scores.
Of course, I cane copy other.
But the more you copy, the easier it becomes to get caught.
Issac-kun did not come to class today.
He was the model student in our class, and his seat was next to mine, in a perfect position where
I could always see his sheet on exams.
:
In other words, a student who was only born with the goal of taking tests for me to copy answers
from, and thanks to him I had always maintained an unnatural balance in my scores.
But I didn't think I would miss classes!
At this rate I was close to getting a bad grade.
"Kuh...!"
The most important thing about cheating on an exam is not the cheating, but who you copy.
There is no point in copying from the dumbest person.
I looked to my right and saw Skel shifting his gaze suspiciously from side to side.
This guy is no good to me.
I looked to my left and saw Po looking suspiciously toward the bottom of his desk.
This one doesn't work for me either.
The only choice I have left is... the student in front of me, the daughter of a duke, Christina-san.
She is one of the top five students in the classroom, but there is one point against it.
Because of the position of her seat, I can only see half of her page.
I already copied all the answers I could see in the middle of her sheet.
The problem is that at this rate I will only get 40 points, and you have to get 60 to avoid a bad
grade.
Should I erase my presence and move so I can copy better? The problem is that even if I erase
my presence, it's not like I make myself invisible. And since we were in the middle of the day, in a
wide space, if I move, they will obviously see me even if I erase my presence.
I don't think it's hard to figure out that I'm copying and even more so when there were a lot of
stares in the classroom.
The other option was to move so fast that no one can tell I'm moving.
This, I can do.
If I do it with all my speed, it's a piece of cake.
But here comes another problem.
If I move at a speed where no one notices me, they will still notice the rush of air created by my
movement.
It is likely that the test sheets will fly away.
No, in fact, I think Christina-san will fly away too.

:
No, in fact, I think Christina-san will fly away too.
But, I don’t have a choice.
I had no choice, but to be so careful as to not create a single gust of wind, and so fast that no one
would notice when I was moving.
I never thought that a simple surprise exam would force me to use my most powerful arts...
What's more, now I'm wondering if I can really do it...
So far I have trained to move very fast, but I have not trained to do it without releasing any bursts
of air.
But if I get extra homework I will surely spend 2 whole days, that would really be a hassle.
"... I have no choice."
If I get caught here, I will lose my honor as a mob.
I increased my magical power without anyone noticing.
This is my true power, here I come.
And, at that very moment-
"You there! What do you think you're doing?!"
"What?!"
You found me out?!
I quickly reduced my magic power.
But, the teacher wasn't really looking at me.
He was looking at-
"Skel Etal!!! Were you copying!?!"
"C-Cla-Clearly not sir, I swear I wasn't looking at Christina-san's answers!!!"
Skel said trembling with a pale face.
"Oh, thank you for confessing it yourself. I had already seen you from the beginning of the exam.
Get out of the class, you're going to get double the extra homework."
"I-It can't be..."
Skel's face looked like a dead man's as he walked out of class.
And as he did so, Christina-san saw him as one would see a pile of garbage piled up in the street.
W-Well, let's go ahead with the plan.

:
Again I raised my magic power - and then.
"You there! What are you doing?!"
Again?!
Surprised, I raised my face but the professor was not looking at me.
He was looking at the person sitting next to me.
"Po Tato!!! What do you have under your desk!?!"
"N-No-nothing sir, I swear! I swear I don't have any notes to copy under the desk!!!!"
Po said this while sweating profusely.
"Oh, good thing you confessed it yourself too. Get out of class, I'll give you triple the homework."
"W-weren't there only 2...?" Po walked out of the class almost dragging his feet on the floor.
"The next person who tries to copy will have quadruple the homework."
Said the professor with a tenacious look.
Damn Po and Skel, they ruined my plan.
Because of them it was now more difficult to copy, because the teacher was now more attentive to
all the students.
"... I will not accept that threat."
I raised my magic power.
I felt time begin to slow down.
I think I will be able to do it now.
This is my mob-fu style technique for cheating on exams... Technique number 49!!!!
"Admire the-"
I concentrated fully, and at that very moment, I heard something falling from the ceiling.
"..." It was all so sudden that all the students were totally speechless.
Suddenly Claire nee-san appeared and fell on the teacher, stealing the attention of all the
students.
To tell you the truth, I didn't think my sister would pretend to be missing just to do this, I didn't think
it would get to this point....
"What did she mean ‘she won't let them catch me for now’...!?"
:
My sister stood up, stepping on the teacher as she yelled at nothing.
"Just tell me everything already! What is this special power I have!?" It was then that she reacted
and began to look to all sides of the classroom.
"Claire Kagenou, this is not your class." Said the teacher sore from the footsteps.
"Ah, huh? I... Hehe."
Then her face turned red, and I couldn't tell if she was laughing or scared, it was a weird grimace.
"E-Excuse me! I'm so sorry!!!" She then apologized with a bow, turned around and ran out of the
classroom.
She will definitely be called for disciplinary action later, for sure.
First she appears out of nowhere, shouts at an empty space and exclaims to have a special
power... it seems that the chuunibyou disease is still progressing.
But that was a great help to me.
"... How fortunate that my sister came along and attracted attention."
Thanks to that I found myself smiling at having filled in all the blanks on my test.
*** Claire POV ***
Claire walked out of the teachers' lounge and sighed.
"What a lousy day I've had."
The evening light was filling the hallway. She had been at least an hour non-stop receiving
lectures from one of her teachers.
I could hear the voices of students in the distance, but there was no one in the hallway, only their
footsteps could be heard.
"Why of all places did I have to land in Cid's class? Now how will I look him in the face tomorrow?"
With flushed cheeks, she spoke to nothingness.
"It's all your fault." (Claire)
"How cruel. I didn't do anything." (Aurora)
"So tell me what that was all about. I told the professor about being in a strange space, about the
people who attacked me and that I then escaped and landed on top of him and he didn't believe
me at all. What's more, he came close to calling a psychologist."
"It's more if you don't know. If you knew, you couldn't go back to how you are now."
:
"But let's see, do you really want me not to say anything after everything I just went through? I'm
angry, you know?"
"...I still can't say anything to you. I can't put you in danger."
"Too late, I just escaped from one. But that's fine, if you don't want to tell me anything, then I'll
investigate on my own, I won't let it end just like that."
"There's no point."
"Whether or not, this is case is for me to decide, not you, calamity witch, Aurora-san."
"Where did you hear that name...!"
"I told you, I can look into-" Claire didn't finish her words.
In the hallway where she thought there was no one else besides her, a silver-haired girl appeared.
"I'm sorry for interrupting you while you're talking to yourself, Claire Kagenou-san, could we talk?"
She was the princess of the kingdom of Midgar, Alexia Midgar, watching Claire with interest with
her deep red eyes.
Claire's expression stiffened.
"I'm not talking to myself."
"Well, at least I don't see anyone else."
Alexia said that while pretending to look around for someone.
That made Claire's face stiffer than it already was.
"I'm sorry princess, but I have no interest whatsoever in having a friendly chat with you."
"Wow, is that hate I feel? But it's weird, this is supposed to be the first time we've talked."
"Do you have sand in your ears? I'm saying I have nothing to talk to the bitch princess who played
with Cid." Claire's gaze changed to that of an assassin.
No, literally her eyes widened in anger.
"E-Excuse me? You may not know it, but there's a reason behind everything that happened!
Besides, I never played with him."
While Alexia averted her gaze slightly, rather uncomfortably.
"Aaah? And why so nervous? From here I smell that you're lying."
"Speak for yourself, I'm not lying! What's more, why are you behaving like this? And I was trying to
be as respectful as possible to you just because you're his older sister."
"I knew it, you're an ugly, lying cat."

:
"I knew it, you're an ugly, lying cat."
Claire responded instantly, and this time Alexia clicked her tongue.
"Like brother, like sister, I guess. I can tell that you are siblings. You're both equally disrespectful."
"Huh? Do you really think we are alike?"
"Th-That's what I said. You're both equally irrespe-"
"Ahh, I see~ You're right, we are the same… Hehe."
Claire smiled as vividly as a flower.
"What's wrong with you now?"
"You seem to be very perceptive!"
"Hmm...?" Claire grabbed Alexia by the shoulders and Alexia was taken aback.
"Well, did you want to talk about something?"
"Yes..."
"The truth is, I'm really busy right now, but that's okay. I'll make an exception for you."
"Thanks, I guess..."
"By the way, how else do you think Cid and I are similar?"
"I-In that you both have black hair...?"
And so, the two of them walked shoulder to shoulder down the corridor lit by the evening light.
"... What is this place?"
"A special room where only people with influence can enter."
Alexia turned on the lamp to illuminate an elegant room.
"Influence?"
"I think you're forgetting that I'm royalty."
"Ahh, that's right." This damned really forgot about that; Alexia thought.
"Go ahead and sit down."
"What a beautiful chair, and the embroidery is also very elegant. What a waste of money."
"Tell me, don't they tell you that sometimes you talk too much?"
"No, never." Alexia and Claire were sitting in fluffy armchairs across from each other.
:
The two were alone in a huge room.
Alexia again looked at Claire.
She was a beautiful woman with red eyes, black hair, good at studies and fencing.
Moreover, it was said that her ability had grown so much that she was already in a probationary
period to become a knight.
Putting aside how disrespectful she was, she was both like and unlike her younger brother.
"Why so serious?"
"Because I want to talk about something very serious."
"I know. But I'm sorry, I won't give you Cid."
"I-I don't want it!" Alexia responded in a high-pitch voice and then coughed to change the subject.
"I want to talk about what happened this afternoon, when you fell on top of the teacher."
"What, are you going to scold me?"
"I just want to know what happened."
"I used all my magic power to jump up and enter the classroom and attack the teacher~ I think it's
stress, but I got out of control~ I really have no idea what I'm saying but that's the way things
stood~ I already reflected~" Claire said, repeating those memorized words.
“I'm not interested in that misleading explanation."
"I only told you what they made me write in my letter of reflection."
"But the truth is, something different happened, didn't it?"
"What are you getting at?"
"I know very well that you've been doing research on the Diabolos demon." Accompanied by
those words, Alexia dropped the documents she found in Claire's room on the table in the room.
"Hey, that's mine...!"
"I highly doubt you've been researching all this just out of mere curiosity."
"... What do you want to know?" Claire this time became serious.
"Everything. I want to know everything that's going on in this school."
"... You're not going to make fun of me?"
"I swear."
"Really?"
:
"Really?"
"Really."
Claire was silent and then averted her gaze.
She stared into nothingness, as if she was talking to someone who wasn't really there.
After a while, she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Aurora."
"Heh?"
Alexia was surprised by those words, she didn't understand her.
But it didn't look like Claire was talking to her, because she was still staring into an empty space in
the room.
"I can't take this anymore. I don't know what to do, I don't understand anything-" Claire said that
with her shoulders shaking slightly.
"Sorry, it's nothing." Claire said that, smiling slightly.
"... Are you okay?"
"I'm not well at all, but that's exactly why I'll tell you everything. The truth is, I myself think it's
ridiculous, so you're free to believe me or not."
"I'll believe you."
Claire looked Alexia in the eye, she didn't seem to be lying.
"In that case, I'll start by introducing you to her."
"...Who?"
"It's a spirit named Aurora, though she's also known as ‘the witch of calamity’. Say hello Aurora."
Claire said that pointing to a place where there was nothing.
Alexia tried to pay more attention, to open and close her eyes, but she couldn't see anything.
"She's the one I met when-"
Watching Claire talking while appearing to see someone who was nowhere to be seen, Alexia
began to regret a bit that she had told her that she would believe her.
"-And that was all that happened."
By the time Claire finished telling everything that had happened to her, it was already dark
outside.
:
Only the sound of the lamp fire could be heard in the room, and after taking a sip from her coffee
cup, Alexia sighed.
"... I understood more or less everything."
"Do you believe me?"
"Yes. The truth is that it all sounds crazy, but it's undeniable that it all fits together now."
"Fits?"
"Yes. It all fits, the shadow garden thing, the Diabolos cult, what's going on at the school,
everything. Although I actually have a hard time believing the ghost thing."
"I-I told you Aurora really exists! She's sitting there laughing right now."
Alexia looked at the couch where no one was there.
"Well, leaving aside the ghost thing..."
"I tell you she does exist!"
"I do recognize her name. The witch of calamity, Aurora. I believe one of the cult generals
mentioned that name."
"Does the Diabolos cult have any relation to her?"
"I'm not sure. I tried to do some research, but I didn't find too much information about her. The
only thing left in the records is that she was a woman who caused a great disaster in the world."
"Aurora, what kind of mess did you make?" Claire asked the ghost next to her.
Apparently they were having a conversation.
"Oh, right, right. I see. Well, Aurora says she exterminated a race called ‘orcs’. Apparently it made
her very sick to her stomach just to look at them."
"...I doubt very much that that was the reason."
"Isn't it...? Oh, right, right. Aurora says she was the one who scribbled on the sacred shield of
Aegis. Apparently she didn't know it was such a famous shield."
"That too! Besides, the sacred shield of Aegis is lost and no one has found it..."
"I see, that's not why either. So..."
"-Let's leave the subject of the ghost for another day. Let's better get on with what matters to us."
"But Aurora says she still has many anecdotes from her legend that she wants to tell."
"Another day I said! Let's get back to the main topic!"
Alexia coughed and changed the subject.

:
Alexia coughed and changed the subject.
"First we have to unravel the mystery of the case going on at the school."
"It's true."
Claire finally got serious again.
"And about that space where you were locked up, the truth is that I also experienced something
like that before, in the ‘Sanctuary’-"
Alexia explained everything she experienced at the sanctuary.
"... True, it sounds just like the space I was in."
"In other words, something similar to what happened at the shrine is going on at this school. And
that guy you fought with, the one with the dark smile or something, he's a cult member for sure."
"It was Viscount Jean of the third division of the knights."
"Yes, to tell you the truth I was already expecting cult members to have infiltrated the knights
order. Now all the more reason to be wary of them."
"And Iris-sama? She's the commander of the scarlet knights, can't she help us?"
"My sister... right now she's busy. In any case, there's no doubt that the cult is kidnapping the
students and planning to do something with them."
"Plan what?"
"Think about it. The same thing is happening in this school that happened in the sanctuary, that
means the situation could also be the same. In other words, it's likely that the demon Diabolos is
sealed here in the school."
"Now that you mention it, I heard a rumor that Diabolos Demon's arm was sealed here... But
wasn't it just a rumor?"
Alexia shook her head.
"The truth is, I'm not so sure anymore."
"Huh? Are you kidding?"
"I can't say for sure... But in the school there are forbidden books that talk about the history of this
place. If the arm of dominion really is sealed here, that information should come out in one of
those books."
"And that book can't be obtained with the influence of royalty?"
"I could, but it will take time."
"Ahh, then what will we do?"
"Well, there's nothing left to do but steal it." Alexia put a smile on her face.
:
"Well, there's nothing left to do but steal it." Alexia put a smile on her face.
"If we get caught we'll be in big trouble."
"We just have to make sure we don't get caught. This is something only we can do, because now
we can no longer trust the knights, nor the teachers."
"But if I get caught I'm going to be out of a job for the rest of my life."
"Don't worry, I'll hire you for the rest of your life. I'm used to throwing money at people."
"And is it necessary to ‘throw’ the money?"
"It is important to make it clear who is up and who is down."
"Hmmm."
"Anyway, we have to act now. Even as we speak, the cult is acting from the shadows and the
Shadow Garden must also be scheming something. We have to do something before more
victims continue to appear."
After hearing Alexia's words, Claire thought for a moment and then said.
"What if we leave it all to the Shadow Garden?"
"... There's still a lot I don't know about them. I don't even know why they're fighting the cult, but
as long as I don't know everything, I can't totally trust them."
"Really? Well, I say that because they saved me that one time in the lawless city."
"Still... they're too dangerous. With the strength they have, we would be lost if they decided to go
against this kingdom. That's why I understand my sister's concern."
"Yeah... I'll give you that one. I still remember how that Shadow guy single-handedly took down
the blood queen. If the blood queen's power was as the legends said, then Shadow's power is
beyond our comprehension."
"I really want to believe that the blood queen was too weak after awakening to fight... Because
otherwise, I'm afraid this kingdom will have to lick Shadow's boots to earn his favor."
"I mean, if we get careless, they could be a much worse threat than the cult."
"Exactly. Also within the Shadow Garden, there is a group called the 7 shades. Each of them has
great power, equal to or even greater than my sister's... that is to say that the only power is not
Shadow's but that of his entire organization."
"You reminded me of that beast woman named Zeta... I was surprised to see Aurora so nervous
when she saw her. She said she didn't know if she was an ally or an enemy."
"I really hope they are allies, but at least for now... I still can't quite trust them, they are too
dangerous."
Alexia pressed her lips together tightly.

:
Alexia pressed her lips together tightly.
"It's true... that's why we have to act on our own. Okay Alexia, I'll help you."
"Thank you, Claire." Claire squeezed tightly the hand on which the magic seal was engraved.
"Nothing will start if I don't make it start. And I need to know more about Aurora, about this magic
seal and about Shadow. Thank you, Alexia."
"Heh?"
Alexia did not expect such words from Claire.
"Thank you for listening to my story. I couldn't take much more of being alone in all this, but when
you listened to me and said you believed me, I felt a little better."
"...Well."
"That's why I understand how you feel. It's hard to be alone."
"... It's not that I feel lonely really."
Alexia's voice trembled for an instant.
She simply did not want to see her sister swinging her sword as if possessed by something.
Rose went her own way leaving her alone.
And she never trusted in Natsume so she didn't count on her.
"Let's do this together." Claire held out her hand and Alexia reflexively took it. She could feel a
welcoming warmth coming from her.
"Thank you, Claire."
"You're welcome. Besides, with this I'll already have an excuse to keep an eye on you." Claire
nodded and suddenly squeezed Alexia's hand much tighter.
"Huh?"
"It's worth helping you out on this if it'll keep a little dead fly away from him."
"C-Claire, you're hurting me."
"Oh, really? Forgive me Alexia. I'm happy to be able to work with you."
"Y-Yes, it would be my pleasure, Claire." Alexia squeezed back just as hard, and the two smiled
together.
While a certain ghost looked at them thinking how alike they were.
:
:
:
:
:
Claire and Alexia stood in front of the door of a certain room in the girls' dormitory.
"Claire, are you sure?"
Alexia said hesitantly.
"I'm serious. I'll ask Nina so you can see that I'm telling the truth. Cid once told me that he had told
Nina that he wanted to read a forbidden grimoire, and the next day Nina brought it to him!"
"Really~? I'm actually starting to doubt it more."

:
"Really~? I'm actually starting to doubt it more."
"Relax. Cid would be incapable of telling me a lie."
"Nah, I don't believe that. That guy is a man full of lies and ambition."
"Hey, don't say that about Cid."
"I just told the truth."
Alexia said that and then knocked on the door.
"I'm coming~"
Nina replied casually and then opened the door.
"Oh, Claire. That's good, I was already worried about you."
She was a small girl with wine-red hair.
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Nina."
"Well, the important thing is that you're okay. But next time you're going to disappear tell me
ahead of time."
"If I can, I will."
"That aside, how odd to see you two together heh. Nice to meet you, Princess Alexia." Nina said
looking at Alexia.
"Hello, nice to meet you Nina-san."
"Just tell me Alexia, at what point did you two become friends?"
"We're still not friends."
"In fact, I would say enemies."
Alexia and Claire gave almost the same answer.
"Oh well. Anyway, do you guys want to come in? I guess you came to talk to me about
something."
She invited the two of them into her room.
Nina sat on the bed, and the two sat on a plush couch.
"Before we get into the subject at hand, could I ask you a question?"
Said Alexia who apparently didn't know which way to look.
"Sure, if it's something I can answer."
"Why are you in your underwear?"

:
"Why are you in your underwear?"
Nina was actually in her underwear, a very sexy one in fact.
Despite being small in height, her figure was amazing, with voluptuous parts that could steal the
glances of even women.
"Because it's more comfortable."
"Do you always walk around like this?"
"The truth is, yes. It's just that the feel of the underwear they sell at Mitsugoshi is amazing, the
best ever."
Nina said that with a smile as she showed off her underwear covering her curves.
"I can't believe it... By the way, you tell me the model number later."
"Sure. If you want I can also recommend some."
"Let's see." Alexia replied with a very serious expression.
"What's the point? If you're never going to show it to anyone." Claire said laughing at her.
"Silence." And Alexia looked at her angrily.
"We'd better get into the main topic quickly."
"It's true. It's almost time for me to go to sleep, so keep it short as not sleeping hurts the skin."
"Yes, whatever you say. The only thing we want to ask you about is the grimoire. How did you get
it?"
"Grimoire? I don't know what you're talking about."
"You don't have to lie, Cid told me so himself. He said you got him a grimoire."
"Your little brother? No way, I would never do that."
"I told you, you don't need to lie."
"I'm seriously not lying. I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Really?"
"Seriously. Besides, how am I supposed to infiltrate those warehouses?"
"You see? I told you pooch lied to you." Alexia said in a mocking tone.
"Sh-Shut your mouth! N-Nina, are you serious, you're not hiding something from me!?"
"Calm down Claire, I'm telling you the truth!" Claire began to shake Nina by her shoulders, so hard
that it made the clasps of her bra come loose.
"Huhhhh~!"
:
"Huhhhh~!"
While Claire all red, bit her lips hard.
"Silly Cid!!! He lied to me again! This time I really won't forgive him!"
"Now even you admit that he lied."
"Quiet, quiet, quiet, quiet! I've had enough, I'm going home!"
"To your real home?" Alexia asked, confused.
"To my room!"
"W-Wait, hey! We haven't planned anything for tomorrow yet..."
Claire all red with anger left the room while Alexia chased after her.
"Ah, sorry to have bothered you~"
"I don't really understand anything, but good luck."
After Nina said that, Alexia closed the door with a forced smile.
The room fell completely silent, and it was then that Nina got up and walked to the window.
"Good."
The already unfastened bra fell to the floor and her figure was reflected in the window glass.
There, on her left breast, she had a scar.
"... It's about time to act." She stroked that wound with one of her slender fingers.
And that gaze, a gaze as cold as ice, was peering deep into the darkness.
*** Cid POV ***
I like to walk at night.
I like how the moonlight illuminates the world and takes away all my worries.
Nowadays I have no worries anymore, but in my past life, I remember that I used to worry a lot
when I had to separate fact from fiction from an eminence in the shadows.
At those times I used to clear those doubts by training, but I realized that walking at night, being
illuminated by the moon, was a good way to reform myself.
Just by standing in this silent world and looking up at the moon, I could already feel like an
Eminence in the Shadows.
Sometimes there was the occasional motorcycle gang making noise, but at those times I could
:
Sometimes there was the occasional motorcycle gang making noise, but at those times I could
pick up a metal bar and use it in the name of justice.
In any case, as I was saying, since I entered school, I almost always go out for a walk in the
evenings.
My favorite part is climbing to the top of the school buildings and observing everything from
above.
"Kukuku..."
And laughing in this suspicious way only makes me look cooler.
The moon today was more beautiful than usual.
I took out the red jewel that I had already cleaned because it was with Delta's saliva, and then
raised it towards the moon.
Its color was a deep red, fantastic, and very beautiful.
"It looks like it has magic power inside. I wonder how much I'll get for this thing."
God, Delta sure did a good job this time.
I can't wait to see how much I get in Mitsugoshi for this thing.
If I get a good amount I think I will be able to buy the set to be an Eminence in the Shadows, a list
of items I hold dear to my heart.
For example, a black lion's mane, a dark vase, and also a...
"...Hmm?"
Suddenly I looked to my side, and there on the roof of the school, right next to me, was an old
man in a black robe.
What is he doing here? How strange...
Hmm? Wait, isn't that a tunic made from the threads of a black spider?! Yes it sure is, I would
never mistake that deep black color.
It is a garment made of the finest fabric of all.
"The old man certainly has an eye for style." I was admiring the good taste he displayed.
His hair was down to his waist.
His face was deep, with a look as sharp as an eagle's, which made him look that much cooler.
I tried to listen to what he was mumbling.
"The plan is behind schedule..." Ah, he's a thief.
With that being the plan and being in this place, I can't think of anything more than that.
:
With that being the plan and being in this place, I can't think of anything more than that.
I guess it comes from the famous rare objects in this school.
In other words, he is an elegant thief.
"I already knew they were going to meddle. But it's okay...I just have to eliminate them."
He was saying all that without even knowing I was seeing him.
But I like him, his words have style.
Suddenly, the elegant thief turned around.
And our eyes met.
I had erased my presence, but my body remained visible, so it was evident that he saw me.
"Huh?! Since when are you there?!"
"Ah, easy easy easy. I was just taking a walk." I tried to tell him I wasn't planning to interrupt him.
"You don't look like a gentleman, who the hell are you?"
"A simple student."
"So a student... by the way you look, it seems to be true. Who would have thought that on my first
day, I would be discovered by a mere student ?"
"These things happen buddy. Well, I'm off."
"Wait. Now that you've seen me, I must kill you."
"Ah, chill, I wasn't thinking of arresting you or anything. I actually don't really care whether or not
you steal anything from this academy-"
I tried to tell him that but the elegant thief paid no attention to my words.
"Looks like it's not your lucky day, kid."
"Oh."
I dodged two scythes that were aimed at my neck by moving to the side.
It was pretty fast, and seemed pretty strong for a thief.
I would expect nothing less from an elegant thief.
"What, how could you possibly dodge it!"
The thief was cautious and kept his distance.
"Who the heck are you...? You don't look like an ordinary student."
:
The elegant thief asked in a low tone of voice.
"I really didn't mean to interrupt you."
"You sure are from the knight's special forces. You're the first to dodge one of my attacks."
"I'm just an ordinary student."
"Don't talk nonsense. Surely it was you who finished off the dark smile. No wonder my lord asked
me to come, me, the ‘dark spider’."
"Ya, I think you have the wrong person."
"But how unlucky you are."
"Bad luck?"
"I am... stronger than the ‘dark smile’." The elegant thief this time lunged to cut off my arm.
“Trck!” But when the scythes hit my arm, there was a thud and sparks flew.
"W-Why couldn't I cut it?!"
I made the slime that was covering my clothes move across my arm to create claws.
"Those black clothes...you are from the garden of shadows..."
The sleek thief quickly took distance.
But, no matter how much distance it takes, the result is the same.
"How fast-!" I closed the distance between us and buried my claws in his heart.
"I-Impossible... this power is..."
"Hmm?" He clenched my claws in his hands as he furrowed his eyebrows.
"It can't be... right here... disguising himself as a student... I'm sorry... so sorry... Fen... rir...
sama..."
After saying that, the man spat out a large amount of blood.
"Good heavens. I really didn't want to kill him." I took his robe made of black spider web so it
wouldn't get stained with his blood and then I threw him off the building.
"- Ah, shit."
I looked down but it was too late, the elegant thief had died when he fell.
I mean, it would have been nice if he had died when he fell to the ground, but to his very bad luck
he landed right on the school statue's sword.
And well, now it looked as if someone had executed him.

:
And well, now it looked as if someone had executed him.
And now what do I do with his corpse? "... Well, whatever."
There was a lot of blood and I was too lazy to clean it all up.
I will leave it there as a surprise gift for students who live a normal and peaceful life.
"Hmm?"
Then I noticed how a white-colored fog was enveloping everything around.
It was strange. A while ago there was no trace of fog.
"Is it fog...?"
But before I could get a good look at it, that white mist disappeared without a trace.
"Huh? Did I imagine that...? Nah."
I didn't imagine it, I was sure I saw a white fog.
"... Well, not that it matters either."
My life wasn't going to change just because I saw a trail of white fog, and in fact if I wanted to see
fog, I could go to the mountain and see it at any time.
Besides, I have something more important to do now; go to my room, hang on the wall this tunic
made with spider webs from a black spider and finally go to sleep.
This place was covered by a deep white fog.
And only four round lights were illuminating the place.
"The accuracy rate is very low... is it because the specimen is not the right one? But there's not
much we can do... It's been very difficult to find possessed ones lately."
In front of the lights, there was a thin man standing.
The man sighed as he wrote letters on a file in his hands.
"Still no word from the specimen search squad?" Closer, amid the red lights, was something else.
One person.
It wasn't one, it was four. The four people were floating in the middle of the red light, connected by
what appeared to be thin tubes.
The tubes were absorbing something from them, as if they were living beings, which made those
people's faces lack vitality.
"There's no more time... at this rate we're going to..."
The man circled around the red lights.

:
The man circled around the red lights.
At that moment, he heard footsteps coming from the fog.
"How's it going, ‘Willow’?"
The person who said that stood in the middle of the fog.
And then, the man he called ’Willow’ quickly turned around and fixed his posture.
"We have captured four students with a compatible type of magic. We keep missing their magic
power, so we believe the seal will sooner or later be broken-"
"Sooner or later? Also, are those four the same four from last time?"
"I-if you'll excuse me, it's just that the Shadow Garden hasn't stopped interrupting us..." ’Willow'
swallowed his saliva, nervously.
"I heard that."
"Yes, and so, it seems that the ones that are getting in our way are generals from the Shadow
Garden..."
"Ohh... The famous 7 shades?" The man whose face could not yet be seen said with interest.
"It is likely. However, even if it is one of the 7 shades, we have no information about them."
"In that case it's probably Zeta."
"Yes, I heard that the person in question is good at hiding and running, so..."
"I've never heard any reports of her fighting, that's why I thought she wasn't the fighting type."
"That's right. besides, since she was probably the one who eliminated the dark smile, she must be
much stronger than a Named Children."
"Ohh, interesting, and who did you call in as a replacement for the dark smile?"
"I wanted to be cautious so this time I called in one of the most powerful named childrens we
have, the ‘dark spider’. I think with him our plan this time will-"
"Ah, speaking of the ‘dark spider’, he just died."
"... Huh?"
"He was impaled in front of the school."
"Excuse me sir... really?"
"Really."
"R-Really? Ah, excuse me, it's not that I'm doubting you. I imagine it was Zeta who eliminated
him."
:
"That I don't know. But wow, they work fast in Shadow Garden, how I envy them. I too would like
to have subordinates that efficient."
"Haha..."
"How do you plan to compensate us for the delay in this plan?"
"I will ask for more support from headquarters."
"You know, our funds have been greatly reduced due to the problem with the credit crunch last
time. I imagine they can give you a 2nd and 3rd Children, but I wonder how you're going to deal
with this with a staff as weak as they are, hm?"
"W-Well, I..."
"Shadow Garden already knows about the existence of these ruins. I don't think it won't be too
long before they get through the security system."
"We've already identified the perfect subjects. One is Claire Kagenou, and the other is Alexia
Midgar. If you grant me permission, I'll order them captured and we'll end the plan immediately."
"So Alexia Midgar..."
"Shouldn't I capture her?"
"... No, it's okay. Anyway Zenon already captured her once, I don't think there's a problem with
trying again. Anyway, we the Fenrir faction have been controlling the Midgar realm for a long time
already."
"In that case I will give the order to my subordinates."
"No, the one to go will be you personally, Willow."
"Heh?"
"Come on, I imagine you must miss that place. Besides we went to the trouble of preparing a
place and role for you at the school, so you should take advantage of it."
"B-But with all due respect, I don't think I have the strength to..." No sooner had he said that than
a gust of wind crossed the side of Willow's neck, leaving a small wound.
"If you use your position for sure you can manage to catch them."
"... Yes sir."
"I don't have much free time now that I'm investigating the ruins. Don't fail me."
"Yes sir."
Willow left the place as fast as she could.
"... Good."
:
And there in the middle of the fog something was being projected.
The image of two girls. One was a golden-haired beast woman and the other a pinkish-blonde-
haired human.
Both were from Shadow Garden.
"This is Zeta, and I guess the other one is the famous 'saint'... So the Shadow Garden took her in.
I wonder what the people in that country will do when they find out." At the screening, Zeta and
Victoria were walking in a haze.
And behind them, there was one more woman.
Her clothing was different from that of the members of Shadow Garden and she also wore a robe
covering her face.
"They have already passed the third level of the security system. Now everything depends on the
results of Willow..."
After muttering that, the man disappeared.
But the projection was still running in this empty room, so no one noticed that the woman with
golden eyes inside the projection was looking right in this direction.
Chapter 2 - A heart-stopping morning: The case of murder by impalement!!!!
I woke up full of life.
Probably thanks to the silk cloak woven with threads from the dark spiders. When I got up, I
admired that beautiful cloak, shining in the morning sun rays, and then I headed to the academy, a
little earlier than usual.
Today, unlike previous days, I was alone.
That's because Hyoro and Jaga usually left with the required amount of time.
But it's in me that, going a little earlier than usual is not a bad thing once in a while.
Seeing the faces of the other students on their way to the academy was not an everyday
occurrence, and the feeling of the morning sunlight as they walked through the school gate felt
amazing....
"... Incredible."
"What are you doing here, Pocchi?"
"Lo mismo te pregunto, Alexia."
As soon as I walked through the door I met Alexia.
"Are you complaining? You should be happy to be able to see me this early in the morning." "Ohh,
I'm happy as a worm."
:
"And no wonder."
"Uh-huh. Well, bye."
"Stop right there, where do you think you're going?" I hurried away, but Alexia chased after me
and quickly fell in beside me.
"Why are you following me?"
"It makes me want to follow you when you run away from me like that."
"So are you a predator now or what?"
"You should feel a little more honored to be able to walk to school next to me."
"..."
"And now why don't you say anything?" "... Nothing, it's just that, how strange to see you so
happy."
"The same could be said of you."
We continued talking in this way until we reached the school building, where for some reason
there were a lot of people crowded together.
From here you could hear the murmurs of the other students.
"H-He's dead...!"
"Who could do such a terrible thing to him...?"
"Hey, get away from there! We have to wait for the gentlemen to arrive..."
Alexia and I looked at each other quizzically.
"Apparently they found a dead body!"
"Vayamos a ver."
A big surprise had occurred at the academy, a place where normally every day is the same.
But that's why I was so excited.
I pushed my way through the crowd of people, eager to see what kind of corpse they had found.
And when I arrived... I was speechless.
"Ah, it's just this guy."
Now that I remember, yesterday after it went down I didn't even peek in to see it.
I completely forgot that he had died.

:
"How horrible... He was impaled on the statue's sword. It's as if someone had executed him."
"You think? I think he just fell."
"Are you stupid, don't you see the strange way he died? Surely there's someone behind this."
"Hm, I don't know."
Alexia stared at the corpse.
"Do you recognize him? He doesn't look like someone from the academy..."
"Well, I think he's just a thief."
"I don't remember seeing him among the gentlemen either. Could it be some infiltrator...?"
"To me he's a thief."
"What if it's from the cult? Or is it..."
"I see the face of a thief."
"You're still saying that? There's no way he's a mere thief."
"Good."
Da equal.
It seems like the students are pretty lively, so let's just say that everything went just as I planned.
"How scary...could it be the work of the secret organization they talk so much about?"
"I don't know, and I also heard that there are still no leads on the missing students."
"And let's not forget about the magic power case the other day. I'm sure it's all connected."
Oh, they're really enjoying it.
The reality is that the magic power thing was just a little fight between a dog and a cat, and the
corpse this one was just a thief who fell down and died. But if they are enjoying it, then I as the
organizer of it all, should too.
Oh man, what a thrill, how about tonight I dress up as Shadow and liven up the mood even more
with some other event?
"Why are you laughing so unpleasantly?" "Hm? Ah, no reason." Alexia looked at me quizzically
with those red eyes of hers.
"You two, may I?" Suddenly, a male student came up to speak to us.
He was a handsome black-haired boy... Isaac-kun.
"Oh, but it is you, Issac-kun, why didn't you come to class yesterday?"
:
"Oh, but it is you, Issac-kun, why didn't you come to class yesterday?"
"Hmm, you're Cid-kun, aren't you? I had a predicament yesterday, did something happen while I
was gone?"
"There was an evaluation."
"An evaluation? And what else?"
"Well, that's all." "I'm glad then. By the way, they said there will be no classes today."
"Ya veo."
"What a horrible scenario, don't you think? A while ago they gave the order for us to move away
so that the academy staff and the gentlemen can go in to investigate. Incidentally we were also
advised not to leave our dormitories."
"Oh, yes, yes."
"It seems that the danger has not completely passed. Be careful, Pocchi."
"It's okay-"
And before I finished saying that, I felt something close around my neck.
A collar ?
"I finally got you."
As I turned around, I found my sister, looking at me with a smile covering her whole face.
"H-Hello nee-san. It's been a while, huh."
"You're telling me. The last time we saw each other was before winter break, wasn't it?"
"A-Aha, I think so."
Crap. I let my guard down too much.
I forgot that I was trying to avoid my sister to avoid this kind of trouble.
"O-Hey Claire, what about that necklace?" "What about the necklace?"
"Is it yours?" "Exactly. I had left it in my room and when I returned it had been taken by the
gentlemen. It sure was hard to get it back."
"I-I see. And what's it for?"
"Huh? Why are you asking me something so obvious?" my sister replied between smiles, tugging
at the chains at the same time.
"Ah, yes, I see... what with it being a dog collar."
"Exactly. Every dog needs a collar."

:
"Exactly. Every dog needs a collar."
"Excuse me, I'm not a dog." "What are you saying, Pocchi, if you're not a dog then what are you?"
"What strange things you say, Cid. Well, let's go, Pocchi. I mean, Cid." And so, my sister began to
drag me by the chain in front of the whole mob.
But my question is: at what point did these two become so close?
"How dare you break your promise?"
"A-ajaja."
After my sister forcibly carried me to her room, she laid me down and got on top of me.
"And that's not all, but you also lied to me."
"Lie to you? About what?"
"And you still dare to ask?" She squeezed my neck tightly.
Shit, I guess I shouldn't have said that.
But I was asking seriously. I have lied to you so many times that I don't know which of all the lies
you are referring to.
"I-I can't breathe..."
Yes, I could.
"Or are you telling me that you have lied to me about other things?"
"No, no, I would never do that."
Yes, I would.
"Really?"
"Very serious."
My sister brought her face so close to me, a short distance between our noses, all the while
looking me straight in the eyes.
"... Your eyes are beautiful, and that tells me how pure your heart is right now. Well, I believe you
in that you are not lying to me."
My sister is blind.
"You know well that no lie of yours lasts long with me - why then did you decide to lie to me like
that?"
"Ah I remember, yes, you mean that, that lie." "Exactly. I mean about Nina."
Huh? When have I ever lied about anything about Nina-senpai? "Or have you already forgotten?"
:
Huh? When have I ever lied about anything about Nina-senpai? "Or have you already forgotten?"
"No, I could never forget it. Yes, you're talking about that lie I told about Nina-senpai. There
happens to be a big motive behind it...."
"Haah... I know. You sure just wanted to show off in front of me, didn't you?"
"Yes, that's what you say."
"You see? I always find out what you're thinking."
"Uh-huh. Sorry."
"Okay. I'll forgive you, but just this once."
And so the conversation ended.
Or so I thought, but for some reason my sister kept staring.
"Nee-san, can you take off now? You're kind of heavy... Uggh."
M-My neck...!
"Cid, what did you just say?"
"D-Did I say, did you take off already? Because I can't even feel you from how light you are. By
the way, have I said how beautiful and attractive you are yet?"
"Yes, I thought I heard that."
"Of course, that's what I said."
"Ufufu. You'll never change, will you? And I want you to always be like that. So I..."
Suddenly my sister went into serious mode.
"Nee-san?"
"As long as you remain like this, yourself, I'm sure I can take on any enemy, no matter how
strong."
"Ehmm..."
Could it be that this disease he has is still progressing? "Cid, listen to me well. Right now the
academy is in the hands of an evil organization."
"Oh ya..."
"But I will go and uncover the secrets hidden here. It's a dangerous mission, but for you... I think I
can make it."
"Good luck~" "Just be very careful, Cid. Being my brother, it's likely that some will try to go after
you. But don't worry, I'll try my best for you, and finish off anyone who tries to harm you...!" "Yes
sister, finish them off~" "I'm sorry if this makes you worry. I'm sorry for not telling you too much,
:
sister, finish them off~" "I'm sorry if this makes you worry. I'm sorry for not telling you too much,
but I'm doing this to protect you. I know I have no right to ask you, but understand."
"I understand~"
"Finally... if I don't make it back... if I die-"
My sister was talking to me between drops, and then, just like that she stared into an empty
space.
"Aurora, we're trying to get sentimental here, could you be quiet? Huh? Huh? Stop me because
I'm embarrassing you? Nothing I'm saying is embarrassing!"
I stared at her with a serious face and then our gazes met.
"Nee-san..." "Ah. I-it's nothing, really, nothing at all. You know, I was just talking to myself a little!"
"Nee-san. I understand you."
"Cid... do you really understand? There's a very complex reason behind this."
"Of course."
Chuuni disease.
"Thank you, Cid. You are the best brother I could have. If I, if I were to die..."
A large number of drops run down my sister's cheeks.
"I know you'll be fine, nee-san. It's impossible for you to die."
"Ciiiiiiid!!! Yes, you're right!!! I'll be back, I swear I'll be back alive!" "Uh-huh."
She hugged me with such force that it almost broke my bones.
How much longer do I have to play along?
Then, the night I was looking forward to arrived.
I sneaked out of the dormitory and as had become a habit, I infiltrated the roof of the academy.
Now as the academy was in a state of alert, all places, including the dormitories, were being
heavily guarded. Because of this the other students were nervous.
To be honest I didn't expect the thief issue to escalate to this point. But events like this, days out
of the daily routine made everything exciting.
From my past life I was always the type of person who would get excited about the arrival of a big
storm, for example.
And the atmosphere inside a room full of darkness even in the middle of the afternoon, with a
heavy rain and wind was just... amazing.
It seemed as if anything was about to happen. In the end, though, nothing ever happened.
:
It seemed as if anything was about to happen. In the end, though, nothing ever happened.
But that made me think: what if it's my duty to make something happen, here, drawing on my
experience from my past life?
The students were living a monotonous, boring and overly peaceful life. So they were surely
waiting for an event to break the monotony.
"What should I do...?" Isn't there a good event plan I can use to make everyone think that the
case of the four missing students, the cat and dog fight and the death of the burglar are
connected...?
"How about if I draw a huge magic circle? Or should I just recite some spell? No, it doesn't make
much sense. hm?"
As I was thinking that, I suddenly began to be surrounded by a dense fog.
"Hm? I think it was foggy out yesterday too... Will the weather have gone crazy?"
Then, as the fog finished gathering around me, I suddenly found myself in a completely white
space.
"Hmm? What's this?" Wow, what a fantastic tone.
I had been transported to another kind of dimension. Although this had happened before, I think in
the sanctuary?
"Who are you?"
Asked a girl inside that white space.
She was a little younger than me, wore a white one-piece outfit and her eyes were a beautiful
violet color.
"Hey, we meet again." The age she looked now was different from that time, but I recognized her
instantly. She was Violet-san.
"Who are you, another researcher?"
"Don't you remember me?"
"I-I don't know you."
"Ah. Now that I remember you did say something about your memories."
"Don't come near...!" Apparently little Violet-san was scared.
"Don't be afraid of me. I'm no vigilante, but I'm no absolute badass either."
"W-what are you doing here...?"
"Well, that's a good question. I was brought here without realizing it. Rather, what are you doing
here?" "I... I just... aaaaaaaaaaah!"
:
She began to moan as she gripped his head tightly.
"Are you in pain?"
"I...I...I, why...aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah."
She kept rubbing her head while screaming.
Apparently he was in a lot of pain.
"If you can't remember something, you don't have to. In fact, I tend to be quite forgetful. Because I
like to focus only on things I consider important, I often delete a lot of memories in my brain."
"I-I, I don't, I don't anymore... I don't want this... stop, make it stop...
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
At the same time she let out that scream, she released a great magical power.
"Oof. See? That's why I told you that you didn't have to go out of your way to remember it." I
dodged Violet-san's magical power punch, then stepped closer.
"Don't geteeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
"What a magical power."
I was speechless.
The adult Violet-san had great magical power, but the little girl even surpassed her.
But a magic power that shoots straight ahead is very easy to dodge.
I changed the direction of that magical power as I approached, until I finally caught it.
"No, no, noo, noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!" "There, there. Easy." I took her in my

arms and then introduced some of my magic power into her.
It was enough to enter the same amount that he used to cure the possessed, and if he could do it
by covering a large part of his body as he was doing now, it was more affective.
"Suéltame... suél... tame..."
"It's okay to forget the things you don't want to remember." So and so, little by little, the more I
introduced magical power into it, the more I was regaining control.
Finally, she lost all her strength and from nervousness she dropped to the floor.
"And-And what do I do with...the things I can't forget?"
She asked lightly.
"Well, I don't know. Try not to remember them, so someday I guess they'll slip your mind without
you even realizing it."
:
"... I can't."
"I see. Well, are you better now?"
"Yes... Yes."
I let go of Violet-san and she kept her eyes down, embarrassed.
"Good. Now the issue is how to get out of here."
"... You're leaving already?"
I started to walk, but with a few small steps, she followed me.
"Soon, but yes. I'm looking into how to do it now."
This space was just a blank dimension, there was no entrance, no exit.
".. Everyone who says that disappears."
"No será mi caso."
"Everybody, they always die."
"Well, people die, it's natural."
"Will you die too?" "Nah, I won't die."
I will live at least 600 years, but I am still looking for ways to live longer.
"You are a liar."
"That's right."
"Don't go." "...How about you come with me when I find the exit? Though the truth would be
simple if I just send this whole space flying." Though the time I did that, the adult Violet-san
disappeared.
"I can't go out."
"Too bad."
"Don't leave me."
"...We will meet again."
"Liar."
"I'm not lying." "Well... then give me that." Violet-san pointed to my pocket.
I reached in and pulled out the red jewel I found the other day.
"Hmm, but this is mine."

:
"Hmm, but this is mine."
"Something about her feels very warm. It makes me feel at peace."
"But it's just a jewel."
"It's not just that. It's something much more valuable."
"Can you feel that?"
"Síp."
Then, the sound of a door closing was heard.
Violet-san shuddered at hearing that.
But the odd thing was, in this blank space there was no door in sight.
"Where did you go!"
Suddenly voices were heard.
"Stop hiding, number-!"
"I-I have to go!"
"Ah, wait." The white dimension began to crack.
"Just show up already!!! Or do you want us to hurt you again?" "Wait. Here-"
I took his hand and then the blank space shattered.
"-This."
The red jewel he was going to give her simply fell to the ground.
He had returned to the rooftop.
The white dimension, the fog, and the girl in a white outfit had disappeared.
I picked up the red jewel that had fallen to the ground and put it back in my pocket.
"Could it be that Violet-san is around here somewhere?" I extended my range of magical power to
search for her presence.
But, I did not find it.
What I did find, though, was-
"These presences are from my sister and Alexia." What could they be doing in that place?
"It's already open. Come."
Under the moonlight, two shadows were infiltrating the library through the window.
:
Under the moonlight, two shadows were infiltrating the library through the window.
They were Alexia and Claire.
Alexia came in first; as soon as she entered she began to look from side to side in a strange way.
Then-
"Quítate."
"Ouch!" Claire walked in as well.
"What are you doing, we agreed that first I would see if the coast was clear!" Alexia fumed under
her breath as she was stepped on.
"We'll be discovered if we act too cautiously.It'll be faster if we move at full speed." "Yeah,
whatever but get out of the way."
Claire removed herself and Alexia stood up.
"Alexia, let's go. We have to make this work any way we can."
"How strange. A few days ago you weren't too motivated by this plan."
"Now I have a reason to do it. and also a place to go back to!" Claire said clenching her fists with
a look full of resolve.
Alexia advanced to the front, walking to the door at the back of the library and then opening it.
"How did you get the key?"
"Blackmail."
"Understandable. And well, is this the forbidden book warehouse?"
Inside the room were huge bookshelves lined up side by side.
"Not yet. Normal books are still shelved here. The forbidden book storage is further in the back."
Alexia stood in front of one of the huge shelves.
"It's huge. And this writing is ancient letters?" "This bookshelf itself is a huge magical artifact. But
it can be opened by reciting a spell my father used to say when he told me stories as a child."
"Spell?" Alexia took a breath of air.
"Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, open sesame!"
A silence fell over the place for a few seconds.
"This is no time to be playing games." "I-I'm not playing! I'm serious, it should open with this spell!"
"That's silly." "Did I make a mistake? What if it was pittoo instead of bibboo?"
And, in that instant.
The huge shelf began to open with a big sound.

:
The huge shelf began to open with a big sound.
"Huh? Did he really open with that?"
"See, it was Pittoo instead of Bibboo!"
Alexia said with a winning face.
"It sure just took a while to respond because it's an old door."
Alexia and Claire moved to the other side of the shelf.
"Wow..."
Then the two let out a sound of astonishment as they entered the forbidden book store.
The room had beautiful glowing chandeliers, which illuminated the shelves that touched the
ceiling, where in turn were the books that, although faded by the years, kept a certain unique
style.
"Well, and are you sure we'll find the book here that has the history of the academy?"
Claire said as she chased her eyes around the pile of books on the shelves.
If they started looking book by book it would take all night.
"We have to call it with the mind."
"Stop joking."
"I told you I'm not kidding! Look, it's done like this-"
Alexia oddly moved her arms and placed them beside her head.
"What do you do now?"
"Get me in the mood. Come to me academy history book, oh academy history book, book, history,
academy... Pippipi-Tottoo!"
"What nonsense."
But, then.
A light appeared in the room and then a book began to float.
The book was placed in front of Alexia's face and then automatically opened.
"You've got to be kidding me..."
"Do you see it? Here you go."
"What a silly contraption. It even makes me want to break it." "Don't even think about it. If you
think about it, it's pretty cute and obedient."
"Whatever. What does the book say?"

:
"Whatever. What does the book say?"
Claire said with an expression of not being able to take any more of this.
"Hmm, I don't know. I can't read it."
"Hm... They're old letters."
"I can only read very basic words, can you Claire?"
"I only know the basics. And since it's not a popular subject of study, I think only those in the
academic class would be able to read it."
"It's true~"
"So what do we do now?"
"Well say the magic word... Pipippi-Tottoo! Translate the book for me!" Alexia said in a pleased
tone as she formed a heart with her hands.
"God, that's disgusting. Stop doing that, you're not going to get it."
"Well, we don't lose anything by trying. It might have a function like that built in."
"Ho, ho, ho. So they want a translation, eh. Dufufu."
Suddenly an unpleasant voice was heard around the forbidden book warehouse.
"Huh? Did he speak?!" "Who's there?"
The two looked everywhere but found no one else.
"I-I am the core of the forbidden book store. I-if you want I can translate the text for you." "I would
expect nothing less from the great artifact of academia."
"Guacala... He has a fat voice."
"Claire, stop bothering him."
"Uuhhh...-then I don't translate anything for you..." "You see? You made him mad."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm sorry." "Mr. forbidden book store, translation please."
"Mufufufufu... O-Okay, I'll make an exception and translate this for you! W-What part do you want
me to translate for you?"
"Well... we want to know where the arm of the demon Diabolos is sealed."
"Th-That's easy. It's underneath the school, in the subway ruins." "Hmm... I see. Now that was
easy..."
"... Yeah, I didn't think this thing was that useful."
The floating book began to turn pages and then the translated parts began to glow.
:
The floating book began to turn pages and then the translated parts began to glow.
"H-Long, long, long ago, the hero and the demon Diabolos fought in this place. I-In that battle the
demon lost an arm and that arm was sealed. Then a lot of things happened and that place ended
up in ruins."
"What pile of stuff are you referring to?" "A lot of people fought over control of Diabolos' arm. No
one wrote much detail about it. But apparently the arm was hidden in those ruins."
"And how will we get to those ruins?"
"H-There's a hidden church somewhere in the academy. That's the way they can get there."
"Which part?"
"Dufufu... I-I can only tell you about the things that are written here."
"Tch, useless garbage. But hey, at least we found out the target of the Diabolos cult. Most likely
they want to break the arm seal."
"But what does that have to do with kidnapping the students?" "Well, it's probably to break the
seal. It would most likely be easier to do with similar magical power nearby."
"I see. That would explain why they only choose a specific type of student, because of their
magical power. Do you want us to look for that hidden church?" "...I'd like to talk it over with my
sister first."
Alexia said, making her decision.
"That's right, I just remembered you're royalty. But hey, why didn't you do that from the start?" "Do
you really think I didn't try?"
"Eh?"
"I told him a lot of times. I told him everything about what's going on at the academy, about what
happened at the shrine, and yet..."
"Alexia..."
"But this time it will be different. This time I have proof, so I'm sure my sister will believe me."
"A-Alexia-chan, good luck~"
"You shut up you fat creep."
Alexia said with the look of a deranged woman.
"H-Heeh...!" "Alexia... We'd better get out of this place fast. They'll find us if we stay any longer."
"You're right. But before that, isn't there anything written about the Diabolos cult?" A hush fell over
the place.
"... Here at least, no." "I see... It's okay."

:
"Goodbye."
"A-Adiosito... Be careful on your way back..."
Alexia and Claire increased their physical capacity using their magical power and in the blink of an
eye they arrived at the warehouse from earlier.
"I'm sure that with this book my sister is going to..."
Alexia came out of the warehouse with the forbidden book in her arms.
But-
"Where do you think you're taking that forbidden book without permission?"
"?!" Alexia and Claire turned at the same time.
In one of the corners of the shelves was hidden an old but tall man.
A sunken gaze, and long limbs; he was directing those eyes toward the girls.
"Y-You are...the director of the library."
Alexia tried to hide the book behind her back, but it was too late.
"Princess Alexia, you know very well that taking a forbidden book without permission is a very
serious crime even for a member of royalty. And not to mention the student next to her." He said
looking towards Claire, who furrowed her eyebrows.
Would she be suspended, or perhaps expelled? Whatever the decision, it could affect her brother.
"What are the visible...?"
Claire said quietly, in a very serious manner.
But Alexia quickly pushed Claire back.
"I-I'm so sorry, sir! There is a very complex reason behind all this, could you please give us a
chance to explain it to you?"
"Since you are the one asking me, I will make an exception."
"Thank you very much." "Let's change places. Follow me please." Said the director, leaving the
place.
Alexia followed him as he spoke softly to Claire who came up behind.
"What on earth were you planning to do!"
"What do you think! If I get caught everyone will start picking on Cid! They'll tell him he's the
brother of a criminal! He's very sensitive, he might end up committing suicide..."
"Creme, I wouldn't."
:
"Creme, I wouldn't."
Alexia said between a sigh.
"Princess Alexia, please desepress."
"Ah, here I come~" Alexia pulled Claire by the arm and they both walked out of the warehouse.
"Excuse me, where exactly are we going?"
Alexia asked the director who was walking ahead of them.
His big back was walking through a dark hallway.
"We're almost there."
"But we could have talked in some classroom."
"... Okay. Here's good." The man stopped, right in the middle of the hallway.
"Here?"
"Yes. I've finished the preparations."
The man turned and smiled.
It was an unpleasant smile, one that made Alexia furrow her eyebrows.
“… Alexia.”
Claire from behind touched Alexia's shoulder.
"It's foggy..."
"Fog?"
Suddenly they realized that the hallway had filled with a white mist from one moment to the next.
"Why is there fog in this place...?"
The fog continued to increase rapidly.
But they could not see where it came from; it did not come from the floor, nor from the walls.
"It's the same fog I saw when I was attacked...!"
"The same one?"
And then, the world shattered into a thousand pieces.
The whole landscape shattered, as if it were glass shattering.
"W-What's going on!" They were in the hallway of the academy, but the space they now saw was
totally different.
:
It was a world full of white mist.
And from everywhere came a sweet scent.
"Alexia, draw your sword."
Claire said, and Alexia listened.
"We seem to be surrounded."
"Eh?"
She sharpened her senses and then felt the presence of several people hidden in the mist.
They were all approaching slowly, cautiously. They did not seem to have good intentions.
"How did you figure it out, Claire?"
"The ghost that haunts me is very good."
"Ah, right. So, do you have anything to say, sir?" Alexia lowered her tone of voice and pointed her
sword at the headmaster.
He just continued to stand in the fog, with that little smile on his face.
"What do you mean, princess?" "I mean what is all this?"
Alexia was not foolish enough to trust him after this.
"My goodness. And here I thought I'd be a little dumber." The director then pulled a large machete
from his clothes.
There were actually two; one machete for the left hand and one for the right.
"What lethal weapons. And here I thought I would fight using paper and pen."
"Paper and pen are used to create ideals, but reality can only be created with a sword."
Said the director, taking a stance with machetes in both hands.
"I'll take care of him. Claire, you take care of the rest of the enemies."
"All right."
They both turned their backs on each other and began to fight.
The attack of the two machetes came from the fog.
Alexia stepped back to dodge the first attack and then to catch the second.
"Oh." The director was taken aback, while Alexia took the opportunity to counterattack.
The very natural movement of his sword managed to leave a small scratch on the man's cheek.
:
The very natural movement of his sword managed to leave a small scratch on the man's cheek.
"Vaya, vaya."
The man took some distance to reposition himself and wipe away the blood running down his
cheek.
"It blows me away. It seems she's no longer the same princess Alexia she used to be." Said the
director, praising in a sincere manner.
"I'm in my developmental stage."
"That makes it even better. A person's experience lies in his sword. Before it was just a mere
imitation of Princess Iris' style. But now she has surpassed that. No, it's a mixture of several
styles, that would be the most correct way to describe it."
"Do you think you have time to set out to evaluate me?"
"Of course."
"- Really?"
The one who said that was Claire behind her back.
Most of the enemies around were now on the ground, and they kept falling one after another.
The director waggled his eyebrows in surprise.
"Wow, you completely defeated 7 2nd. Claire Kagenou, you won this year's Bushin Festival, didn't
you? I was watching it and it didn't look like you had the ability you have now. Or maybe you're
using some kind of special power?"
"... Were you watching me?"
"I just saw that you used some red tentacles. How intriguing."
He hadn't taken his eye off Claire even though she was fighting Alexia.
Realizing this, both girls took a stance toward the man.
"Now you'll have to fight us all by yourself."
"Quite a turn of events, don't you think?"
"Oh, really?"
But he remained calm.
"I admit you are strong. But you won't be able to beat us in a two-on-one."
"Qué ingenuas son."
"And you seem to be very calm, eh."

:
"Because I've already given up."
"What do you mean?"
"I've already given up on following the way of the sword. This world is huge, and there is always
someone superior somewhere. But that's exactly why I'm glad to see a couple of young girls full of
talent with the sword like you. No doubt you will soon reach my level."
"If you gave up then stop resisting and spit out everything you know."
Alexia said, but the director just smiled.
"How naive, and how young. What I meant was, if they weren't so obsessed with the sword, they
could learn other ways of fighting." "Huh?"
A sweet aroma reached Alexia's nose.
And then, two metallic sounds were heard from the ground.
Alexia and Claire had dropped their swords.
"Wha...!"
"I can't move...!" "This aroma is a drug that alters magical power and causes a relaxing effect on
the muscles."
The two girls couldn't hold on any longer and fell to the floor as the man watched them stand.
"You said we would fight with our swords...!"
"You two are brimming with talent, and you have a more than bright future. But that's exactly why
you crossed paths with someone like me."
The director pulled out a rope and tied them both by the arms.
"Why...! Tell me why you're doing this!"
"... I wonder the same thing."
"You're strong, but that's exactly why I don't understand why you're doing this."
"... Because when someone is strong, there is always someone who is stronger. And for that
reason my sword broke long ago."
"It broke...what are you talking about?"
Asking that question, the man put on a nostalgic look.
"Long ago there was a magical swordsman they called "Fenrir". Have you heard of him?"
"... Not at all." "They had to have heard it at least once. It's a name that every person in this
country should know."
:
Alexia tried to remember the participants of the Bushin festival and magical swordsmen from
elsewhere but did not recall any by that name.
"A magical swordsman named Fenrir... You mean the same Fenrir from the legends!"
"Himself. Fenrir was considered the most powerful magical swordsman in the world, and his name
resounded across the face of this land."
"Wait a minute! Fenrir was supposed to have lived hundreds of years ago. What's more, it's not
even certain that he really existed." "Well, let me tell you that he really did exist. What's more, he
still exists to this day."
"That's impossible, unless... he used Diabolos' tear!"
Alexia then remembered something she had heard in the sanctuary.
The existence of the "Rounds"; people who obtained eternal life thanks to the tears of Diabolos.
"So you also know of the existence of the Diabolos tear. All the more reason I can't leave her
alive."
"What do you plan to do with us...!"
"They will become a sacrifice. The truth is, I wasn't planning to do anything to them, but lately it's
become complicated to find possessed ones."
The director then pulled a bottle with a strange liquid from his chest and brought it close to
Alexia's mouth.
It was a liquid with a very sweet aroma.
"Now please rest in an eternal sleep, from which you will never awaken..."
"Kuhh..."
Alexia clenched her face tightly, trying to hold her breath but her consciousness was slowly fading.
"Alexia!"
"Cla...ire."
Suddenly, the sound of something being forcibly torn apart began to be heard.
It was as if an enormous pressure was shaking the entire dimension they were in.
And suddenly, the roof shattered.
"What... what is this?"
The director looked in that direction with caution.
And from there a shadow descended.

:
A single sound.
With a single sound, and a very delicate one at that, the shadow landed on its feet.
"Tú..."
"Tú eres..."
A man wearing a black suit and tunic stood out in the white fog.
"Shadow....!" He delicately moved his robe and from there drew his sword.
In response, the other man made a grim face as he took a stance with his machetes.
"I didn't think Shadow came in person... At least no one reported it to me."
"-Unpleasant." Was what Shadow said to the director.
"Oh? What do you mean?" "Your way of doing things."
"Tch... And you're right!"
Replied the director with a grimace, a mocking smile but not at Shadow, but at himself.
"Things in life don't go the way you expect them to go. It's like a whirlpool, and I got into it and
lost. And now look at me, I'm still living carrying that shame. So yes, you're right to call me nasty."
And then, he went on talking quietly.
"But it was worth it to endure all this embarrassment."
"Oh..."
"Shadow, you are the goal, the end point of this journey I call life. There can be no better end for a
fool like me, who lost his sword and betrayed his own country."
"... Are you ready yet?"

:
:
:
"I already knew this moment would come since the day you killed Zenon. That's why, at least for
this last occasion... I want to fight like a true swordsman!" The man dispersed the mist with a
swing of his machetes and ran towards Shadow.
-The sword possesses people's experiences.
Alexia remembered those words as she watched that attack.
It was a beautiful and dazzling attack.
"-Amazing." Shadow blocked that dazzling attack.
Yes, but not only that.
But in the next instant, the two machetes shattered into pieces.
"... They broke, as I imagined."
Pieces of the machetes began to fall to the ground.
And then Shadow swung his sword, and that attack released a blast that blew away all the mist.
The world began to crack along with a lonely sound.
Until finally, the whole world broke apart.
And, as if it had all been an illusion, they suddenly found themselves back in their original world.
But, the man lying on the floor in a pool of blood, the body of the director, made it clear to them
that it had all been real.
"Shadow...Looks like I wasn't even a match for you...."
Said the library director, spitting blood from his mouth.
"-There are still heights to be discovered."
Shadow moved his long black coat and disappeared.
"...So that's Shadow's sword."
Claire muttered. Her body shuddered at how with a single blow she had finished off someone as
strong as the director.
"Again, it's getting strong again..."

:
"Again, it's getting strong again..."
Alexia murmured with regret...
Claire and Alexia helped each other to untie themselves and then looked at the director who was
on the floor.
"Director..."
"It looks like... this is the end of me."
He had very deep wounds.
"You were some swordsman of renown long ago, weren't you?"
Alexia couldn't help but ask him that, and more so when she saw how beautiful his last attack had
been.
"No... he was just a wandering, nameless swordsman."
He replied, shaking his head.
Alexia knew well that he was lying, and she could tell by looking at the old scars on both his arms.
"And those scars on your arms...?" "I had them cut off... they were able to reattach them to my
body using the cult's technology, but I can't move them the same as before. Believe it or not, I
used to be able to use more sophisticated techniques."
"Who cut them off?"
"... It was Fenrir. The same day my sword broke." "Can you tell me what happened?"
"Well... then let's talk before my life disappears completely."
He said looking at the wound on his chest
Claire and Alexia sat next to her.
"That was 50 years ago, when I was still a knight of this realm..."
The library director looked up at the sky on the other side of the window, recalling a past memory.
"After winning the Bushin festival, I joined the knights. I had a great future ahead of me; I used to
catch bad guys, and punish them in the name of justice."
"As I thought. He was indeed a swordsman of renown."
"The only thing reputable about me was my passion for my work. But that passion led me to touch
a truth I should never have touched. I learned of the existence of parasites dominating the
kingdom of Midgar... no, dominating almost everyone. I think you must know them well by now."
"... The cult of Diabolos."
"Exactly. At that time I didn't know them very well, so I thought the high priest of the church had
:
"Exactly. At that time I didn't know them very well, so I thought the high priest of the church had
something to do with their mischief, and I infiltrated that place."
"In church?"
"I was very young. I thought everything was allowed if it was done in the name of justice. So I tried
to punish them. I took my subordinates to the church, and together we tried to get evidence to
prove their evil deeds. But, the ordinary clergymen were not doing anything wrong. They faithfully
believed in their god and spread his word throughout the world. The believers were the same.
They believed in the church, in their faith and spread it. The only ones who were committing evil
acts were only a small group, those at the top. We were patient. We watched the high priest in
detail, until one day we found a secret door in the church. And as we descended the stairs, we
came upon a terrifying scene. Dozens and dozens of possessed women with their bodies almost
putrefied, locked in cages being wounded, while others were injected with a mysterious liquid. We
were speechless, and didn't notice when the door behind us closed.
It was a trampa.
I felt a great murderous intent and did my best to cover my body. But then, I was hit by an attack
so violent that I crashed to the ground. When I got up, all I saw was my severed arm, the severed
head of one of my subordinates, and in the center of it all... Fenrir.
Apparently the Diabolos cult was already well accustomed to taking down ''vigilantes'' like me."
The man looked down at the old wounds on both arms.
"Fenrir's power is overwhelming. When he got rid of both my arms, he brought with him an
unconscious woman, and placed her in front of me. That woman was my wife. Probably for them,
having won the Bushin festival and entered the knights, that made me a person they could use.
That's why I sold my soul to them, in exchange for them sparing my wife's life..."
"... And what happened to your wife? If she is still alive I will do my best to protect her."
"Luckily she passed away naturally without knowing anything."
"And you never tried to oppose them?" The director shook his head sadly.
"My intention to reveal myself fell to the floor at the same time as my arms. Princess Alexia,
please be very careful. The path you intend to follow is the same path I once traveled. It is a path
that leads only to despair, and deep darkness."
The director told her that with a somber look, a look that Alexia couldn't help but stare at.
"... I know, but I still must do it. It is my duty as princess of this kingdom."
The director narrowed his eyes in amusement.
"You have become a wonderful young lady. In that case, this is the last thing I'll say to her..."
The director took a big breath and then coughed blood from his mouth.
"Princess Alexia...do you know the target of the Diabolos cult?"

:
"The resurrection of the demon Diabolos, isn't it?" "In that case, why do you think they are trying
to resurrect him?" "Hmm, I'm not sure..."
Alexia didn't know what else to say.
She knew the ultimate goal of the cult, but not the reason behind that goal.
"There are two reasons: the first is simply to gain more power. The three heroes in the story were
women, and all the possessed are also women. Since Diabolos cells are only compatible with
women, the people in the cult have only been able to get their power from imperfect drugs."
After saying that, the director pulled out a red pill.
"It's the same drug Zenon used."
"Sí. Mi incompetente disciple."
"But you didn't use it."
"Yes, using it is an embarrassment for every swordsman... But those in the cult found a great
possibility in this drug. That's why they began to develop one with better results, a complete drug
with no side effects. That's why they dedicated so many years to obtain blood from the
descendants of the heroes, and if they manage to resurrect Diabolos, they will probably be able to
complete their drug. If they do, they will gain a power far superior to that of the heroes of legend
themselves."
"That sounds pretty ugly." "However, for the cult the second reason is the most important. You
know the Diabolos tear, right?" "The one that grants you eternal life?"
"The maximum number of drops that can be produced per year is 12. But one drop can only stop
aging for 1 year. The problem is that now the number of drops being collected has decreased."
"Decreased? Why?"
"I don't know the exact reason. But if the drops stop being produced, then everyone will lose their
eternal life. And for the cult's top brass, that is something to be avoided at all costs. That is the
most important reason behind their ambition to want to resurrect the demon Diabolos, so that in
that way they can get a large amount of drops and become completely immortal. The higher-ups
who have achieved eternal life because of that, have been able to rule the world from the
shadows continuously. But if they lose the drops, that order will be broken and... coff coff."
The director coughed, then looked up at the moon in the night sky.
"The appearance of the garden of shadows may not have been a mere coincidence. Perpetual
governments are indeed always destined to fall. But for that very reason, you must be... careful.
Nothing assures us that... they want justice... and peace in this world."
Alexia could not respond to that.
The only thing she knew about the garden of shadows was that they are the enemies of the cult
and nothing more. Everything else was shrouded in mystery.
"They may... be trying to steal that from the cult..."

:
"They may... be trying to steal that from the cult..."
"Steal? Steal what?"
"Eternal life...and dominion...over the world...coff coff."
The director coughed up a large amount of blood.
"Director-!"
"Q-Princess Alexia..."
But even in the midst of his suffering, he was able to connect a few last words.
"The future of this kingdom... is in your hands...!"
And finally, the man stopped breathing.
A beautiful woman with incandescent red hair was investigating the dead body of the library
director.
She was Iris Midgar, the first princess of the kingdom of Midgar and Alexia's older sister. Alexia
had had Claire return to the dormitories first while she stayed behind explaining the situation to
the knights.
"Onee-sama, the director told me about the Diabolos cult's plans before he died. He also talked
about the missing students. And it seems that an arm of Diabolos is sealed in the academy-"
"Enough was enough."
Iris refused to listen to any more of Alexia's words.
"Eh?"
"I've had enough of listening to that nonsense."
"Nonsense?"
Alexia couldn't believe it.
"Listen Alexia, this Diabolos cult doesn't exist." Iris told her that, looking at Alexia very seriously.
"That it doesn't exist...? What are you saying? Didn't we promise to investigate together about the
cult of Diabolos...?"
"And that's why I say so. We came to the conclusion that this cult is fictitious." The person who
said that had not been Iris, but the man next to her.
He was an unpleasant man, tall, with the look of a snake and very white skin.
"And you are?"
"Yes, my name is Hub, and I am the vice commander of the Crimson Knights."
:
"He's Glen's successor. He's a pretty skilled and reliable guy."
"... We're halaga."
Hub smiled at Iris's praise.
"And so, what do you mean by there being no such thing as the cult of Diabolos? There was
already plenty of evidence proving its existence."
"It's all a montage of the garden of shadows."
"A-a montage?"
"Everything was caused by the garden of shadows. Starting with his kidnapping, the incident at
the academy, the destruction of the sanctuary, the great massacre in Oriana's kingdom and many
other things reported to us from other countries around the world."
"But that's all the fault of the cult of Diabolos-!" "-It was the garden of shadows who created that
organization to cover up their crimes. In other words, they created a criminal organization to cover
up their own misdeeds."
"Do they really think I'm going to swallow such a poor reason!"
"Here's the evidence."
"Eh?"
Hub handed a thick document to Alexia.
The title was: the creation of the cult of Diabolos at the hands of the garden of shadows.
"A 34-year-old man confessed to acting as a cult follower on orders from the garden of shadows.
Apparently he had no choice since the garden of shadows was holding his family hostage. Next, a
24-year-old woman was kidnapped to create materials for the Diabolos cult. There is also a 57-
year-old man who claims-"
"Don't talk stupid-!!!" Alexia threw the papers on the floor.
"Do you really expect them to believe in these cheap papers! This does look like factories and
nothing else!"
"Alexia-sama, you shouldn't say such things - are you suggesting that they lie?"
"I'm saying it's all too planned!"
"If this doesn't please her, we also have physical evidence. For example, this is something left by
those in the garden of shadows-"
"That's enough!"
Alexia rejected Hub's hand who was trying to give her something.
"Onee-sama, please open your eyes! Why do you trust a man like this! Please look at me!"
:
"Onee-sama, please open your eyes! Why do you trust a man like this! Please look at me!"
Alexia said pleading for her sister, but she simply averted her gaze.
"The only one who needs to open her eyes here is you, Alexia."
"Please creme, onee-sama! We must not let them release that right arm!"
"You have been fooled by the garden of shadows game. That organization you call the cult of
Diabolos are just other members of the garden of shadows."
"That's not true!!! Onee-sama, please listen to me!"
Alexia extended her hand toward Iris.
But...
With a muffled sound, she rejected his hand.
"Why..." "My only enemy is Shadow. And I will show no mercy to those who try to interfere, even if
it's my own sister."
After saying that, she left.
"Here at the crimson knights we are very busy countering the garden of shadows. So, if I may."
While Hub, with a winning expression, also left.
Alexia simply stood silently looking at her sister's back.
"Princess Alexia." Suddenly someone spoke to her from behind; a familiar face.
"Marco..."
He was one of the first crimson knights. A young knight who had Glen's confidence, and who was
thought to be his successor.
"I'm so sorry, princess."
Marco couldn't look her in the eye, he simply apologized and walked away.
"Marco... you too?"
He did not answer that question. The gentlemen began to carry away the body of the library
director.
And then, Alexia dropped the forbidden book she was holding.
A golden tail swished back and forth amidst a white haze.
"Lalalalalan~"
A cheerful humming was also heard.

:
Every step he took was so joyful that he seemed to be dancing. While all around him, everything
was full of red blood, dripping from one side or the other.
"Zeta-sama, I see you are in a very good mood."
Hearing that voice, Zeta stopped humming.
"Oh come on, don't ruin the moment for me."
"I'm so sorry."
"Hm."
Zeta twirled a blood-filled chakram with her fingertips.
"Don't go throwing it at me, eh."
Then, out of the same fog appeared a small girl in a black robe.
"I won't, don't worry. What about Victoria?"
"Progressing with the plan."
"Hm."
"I have a report on her."
"Hmm."
After spinning it a couple of times, Zeta threw the chakram into the air.
Afterwards, it had an impact on something.
From above, a man's head fell to the ground, still with a surprised expression on his face.
"Magnificent." "Hm."
"I have a report from Victoria-sama."
"Hmm."
"Apparently Shadow-sama got involved in the matter of Princess Alexia and Claire."
"Se dice ''Claire-sama''."
The chakram cut the wind and moved the girl's robe.
"I'm so sorry."
"Be more careful. So, what did my master do?"
"He executed the library director and let the two of them escape from the sanctuary."
:
"Excellent. Now we have Fenrir more cornered."
"Yes. We think he doesn't have many cards left to play. Zeta-sama, and how is your work going?"
"Hm?"
"The Sanctuary Investigation."
"Ah, that's already done." "So fast? If it's only been a few days..."
"Well, Eta's artifacts are very convenient." Zeta said that and then showed a strange device she
was carrying in her hand.
By putting some magical power into it, the device began to glow brightly.
"This thing allows you to visualize the magic circuits. That is, where and to where they flow and
the meaning behind it."
The device released lights resembling thin veins, then began to pulsate and merge into a red light
in the shape of a circle.
Inside those four lights were the missing students who were connected by thin tubes.
"They're trying to break the seal using those guys' magic power." "It doesn't look like it's not
enough, though."
"Yes. That's why they need a more compatible power, the power of the heroes' descendants. But
well, thanks to this I know more or less in what way the cult sealed the demon Diabolos and how
they built the shrine."
"So we don't need them anymore?" "Hm."
"What do we do? I think if we destroy these tubes we can keep the seal from breaking."
Zeta thought for a moment when she heard the girl's question.
But, she was not thinking about whether or not to destroy the tubes, but about her own resolve.
"No los destruiremos."
"Are you sure?"
"I've already made up my mind."
Zeta said that and then walked through the fog.
He passed through a red light and put his hand on a huge door.
"Diabolos' right arm is sealed behind this door."
"What do you plan to do?"
"Let's take the opportunity and take a look at it."

:
"Let's take the opportunity and take a look at it."
"What if we leave our signature?"
"That would be good. Okay, Zeta to action."
Zeta put magic power on the door.
The door was engraved with ancient lettering and locked with huge, heavy chains.
"Will it be possible to open?"
"I don't know. But we do know that she was the one who sealed the demon in this room."
"She?"
"I am sure he will answer our call."
Zeta used more magic power.
As it did so, the door began to glow red, and a bunch of magic circuits appeared on it. The chains
began to rattle and you could see the door slowly begin to shudder.
But it did not open.
The magic circuits concentrated in front of the door, but gradually took the shape of a person.
"Back up."
"Sí."
The girl obeyed Zeta's order and kept her distance.
After the red lights disappeared, a beast woman appeared.
Her hair was golden, her cat ears were golden, her tail was golden and her eyes were cat-like. His
whole appearance was similar to Zeta's.
"But what..."
The girl in the robe was speechless.
"It's a pleasure to have the hero of the beastmen in front of us."
"Zeta-sama, what's going on?"
"I already knew this would happen."
Zeta began to speak without making a big deal out of it.
At that moment, the hero of the beastmen pulled out her claws and tried to reach Zeta's neck.
Zeta's head flew through the air, turning into a black mist, and then so did her whole body.
:
The black mist mingled with the white mist all around and from there Zeta appeared without a
scratch.
She was hovering, looking indifferently at the hero.
"I just wanted to confirm."
Dijo Zeta.
The hero said nothing. He simply stared at her with a look that harbored no feeling whatsoever.
"Do you remember the first time you saw my master?"
Zeta asked from the air to the robed girl.
"Of course I would. I would never forget." The girl put her hand against her breast and replied.
"I'll never forget that day either."
Zeta stared at the hero, as if beyond, inside her eyes, she was remembering a distant past.
"I... I am but a poor cat adopted by my master."
But that was the basis of Zeta's decision.
"Farewell, hero. I will not walk a path equal to yours." Zeta turned away.
The girl in robes also hurried after her.
"Are you sure? We haven't left our firm yet."
"Hmm. We'll get it another time. We've advanced as far as we needed to advance. Now all that's
left is to wait in the shadows for everything to progress."
"In that case, it's time to return to the shadows." The two girls exchanged those words as they
disappeared into the fog.
Meanwhile, the hero of the men's dresses simply stood there, watching them from behind.
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 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..."
:
"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?"

:
"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.

:
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".
(TL Note: ãƒªãƒªãƒ )
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.
:
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--"
:
"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.

:
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!!"

:
"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.

:
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
:
"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 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.

:
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.

:
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.
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--"
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.
:
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
:
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."

:
"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.

:
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
:
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.
:
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?"

:
"...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
:
"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!"
:
"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
:
"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.
:
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."
:
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!?"

:
"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."

:
"--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."
:
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
:
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 åˆæŽŒ, or 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--

:
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."
:
"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.
:
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."
:
"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..."
:
"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.

:
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.

:
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."
:
"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.
:
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."
:
"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
:
"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."
:
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.
:
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.

:
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.

:
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.

:
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.
End :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
:
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."

:
"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 boudn 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."
:
"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.
:
two different kinds of power.
And then, Claire closed the distance to her opponent in an instant.

:
:
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 hisi footing.
:
impossible for a normal human being, he regained hisi 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?"

:
"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?"

:
"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.

:
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.
"Checkmater."
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.
:
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.

:
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."

:
"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.

:
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 afterimage 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."
:
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 whiplike
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.

:
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."
"Hidden technique... Utsusemi no Atomic."

:
:
:
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!"

:
"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.

:
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,
:
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.

:
:
:
:
:
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
:
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 Log:
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.
:
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
:

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Eminence in Shadow Volume 5 Translations

Chapter 1 : Nee-san's Return and the Progress of the Illness...!

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

Chapter 4 : The world's peaceful as well today!

Prologue: The Darkness lurking in the Peaceful Academy,

the Student Missing Case!

*** Cid POV ***

"I just barely made it..."

"Geez, where did you go during winter break, Cid?"

"That's right. Didn't we all promise to hit on the ladies at Mitsugoshi?”

"Sorry, sorry. I had important things to do"

"I've been through a lot while you were gone..."

"That's right. your sister almost choked me to death..."

Skel and Po spoke reproachfully.

"Oh, I see. Sorry, sorry."

I should probably stay away from Nee-san for a while.

"There was a huge commotion."

This is the true joy of being an Eminence in Shadow.

"Or something like that."

Break the alliance?

"The path of evil? Huh? What do you mean?"

"C-Come to think of it, she's definitely a bad girl..."

Well, I guess this is how it is.

"There are some weird rumors about Former President Rose."

"Hey, Po, if you say any more, it'll be dangerous."

Skel interrupted Po.

"Hmm? What do you mean by they go missing?"

"It's rumored to be the work of the same organization."

"They're burying the students who tried to investigate the organization..."

"Hmm, I wonder if she'd do something like that."

"Well, I don't think so."

In a complete turnaround, Po pretended to be composed.

"Ugh. Do you think you passed all your classes, Po?"

"I-I'm pretty beat. How about you, Cid?"

"Do you think I am any different than you guys...?"

"By the way, what should we do after this?"

"This is the new product of the Mitsugoshi Corporation!"

Well...I didn't think they'd even commercialize something like this.

I... got stronger right away, so I won and ran away.

"Lets increase the rates by ten folds.."

Whoops, that was close. I hid my mouth with my hand.

We decided to play poker in my room.

I picked up a rich chip.

"Grrr... O-Okay, all in."

Skel bet all of its remaining chips.

"Kukuku... You've fallen right into a trap."

With a chuckle, Skel showed the cards in his hand.

"I see. That's a good move."

"―No, it's over."

I showed him my hand.

Po was muttering something delirious.

"Let's collect the money."

Saying that, I closed the door.

Finally a moment of peace.

I listen to the sounds of the night for a while.

Then, I called out to the darkness outside the window.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. You can come in."

With a small reply, a girl appeared from somewhere.

Quite the stealth skill. You've improved, Zeta.

She's a slender beastman in a jet-black bodysuit. A catlike figure.

She stared at me with her shiny eyes.

"Long time no see, Master."

"Yeah, it's been a while."

* Cid POV *

* Claire POV *