Chapter 181: For a Story Not Yet Known (12)
Chapter 181: For a Story Not Yet Known (12)
Six mages were hovering behind Ayla—who knew how long they had been there?
Clad in robes and masks, they exuded a suspicious, overbearing pressure... yet they looked strangely familiar.
"Ah."
Had Iris arrived?
While I was lost in hallucinations, the Archbishop of Meandering Leisure must have died, causing the barrier blocking spatial movement in the area to dissipate.
Sensing this, they must have teleported in immediately.
The other five with her were likely Carla, Elisha, and the elf family who had been at the mansion.
Seeing Ayla preparing something the moment they arrived, they had naturally readied themselves for an immediate interception.
Wooooong—
A massive amount of mana surged from where Iris and her group stood. Shortly after, a bombardment of magic poured forth.
Boom! Crash! Bang!
Advanced, intermediate, and basic spells—regardless of rank—were fired at Ayla all at once.
Bolts of fire rained from the sky, icy storms raged, and massive boulders plummeted downward.
The eyes that had been multiplying and covering Ayla’s body were incinerated and blown apart in an instant.
As if trying to resist, she made her eyes glow green and deployed her magic eyes haphazardly... but perhaps because she was still mid-mutation, the power and direction of the magic eyes were all over the place.
As Ayla emitted magic eyes in every direction, looking like a bomb on the verge of exploding, Iona gave a slightly bitter smile.
"I don't know who they are, but they won't be able to take her down in time. I'll have to be the one to finish this."
She began a high-speed chant that sounded like a mere murmur. An immense amount of mana, enough to make the heart tremble, surged as a large quantity of blood flowed from Iona’s wrist.
Unlike before, this blood didn't just blindly increase in volume; it clumped together, increasing in density.
The result was a sphere of red so dark it was nearly black.
When Iona reached toward it, the sphere stretched out as if pulled by an invisible hand, becoming the perfect size to grip.
It was a crude-looking weapon, somewhere between a skewer and a spear. However, the tip was terrifyingly sharp.
The density of the blood was unnervingly high for a weapon created simply through blood manipulation. And the threatening aura radiating from the spear was something else entirely.
Even at a glance, it was a spell that seemed just as powerful as the high-level magic she had been firing off at the start of the battle.
Just as the spells prepared by Iris’s group were beginning to run dry and the intervals between castings grew longer...
Iona, having finished her chant, pulled me into one arm and gripped the skewer-spear in the other before reciting the activation word.
"...Pierce. Tepes."
My vision accelerated instantly. The skewer-spear called Tepes flew first, and we were pulled along behind it.
Several magic eyes struck us, but Iona stepped forward as if to protect me, silently taking the hits as she broke through.
And a moment later.
Before we knew it, we had arrived in front of Ayla, whose entire body—save for her upper torso—had been consumed.
"Cough...!"
Ayla, her heart pierced by Tepes, spat out black blood.
Was that some kind of signal? The green light in her eyes, which had been flickering erratically like a broken machine, began to go out one by one.
Iona watched her own magic—the dark red energy spreading from the wound—and slowly raised her head.
"Ayla. It's over now."
"Sister... Sister..."
"Do you have something to say?"
"Yes..."
Swallowing a mouthful of blood, Ayla pulled the corners of her trembling mouth upward.
In that moment... she looked uncannily like Iona.
"I... I want you to die... like me... no, I want you to suffer even more than I did..."
"......"
Even after more than three hundred years, even facing death, a younger sister's curse spilled out naturally.
Faced with that, Iona smiled faintly.
"Me too."
Thuck.
The skewer-spear was driven even deeper. As if on cue, the dark red energy burrowing into Ayla’s body changed shape all at once.
Spla-aaaaash!
Blood-red thorns erupted from inside Ayla’s barely remaining upper torso.
They crushed the flickering, glowing eyeballs, tore apart her still-intact torso, and finally covered the face that bore Iona’s likeness and expression.
All that remained was a single, giant, jagged ball of thorns.
Only then did Iona let go of the spear and slowly descend to the ground.
The moment Iona’s feet touched the earth.
Pop.
With a small muffled explosion, the thing that used to be Ayla, floating above us, burst.
Pitter-patter.
Iona stared blankly up at the sky as droplets of blood rained down like water.
What was she thinking right now?
Was she simply in shock? Perhaps she was recalling the faces of her fallen clan members. Or maybe she was mourning Ayla’s death.
I didn't know the feeling of achieving vengeance. I didn't know the feeling of killing a family member with my own hands.
But what was certain was that Iona’s story had reached a conclusion here.
In H&A, there was no story after this.
The protagonist's party would defeat the final boss immediately after Iona achieved her revenge and reach the ending.
So, while I knew the staff credits, I had no idea what kind of life Iona would lead from now on.
...A sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.
Now that she had her revenge, didn't that mean she had no reason to remain a professor at the Academy?
There was nothing left to bind Iona. Whether it was to rebuild her clan or to sort out her own feelings, she could leave the Academy whenever she wished.
As those thoughts swirled, my mouth moved on its own.
"Professor."
"...Yes."
"Shall we kiss?"
"Huh?!"
I chuckled at the flustered Iona and replied.
"I'm joking."
"Ah, haha... Student Yandel, really. You shouldn't make jokes like that."
"Instead, please drink my blood."
"What? Right now?"
"Yes. Right now. You used quite a bit of energy with that last spell, didn't you?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
"Hurry."
I wrapped my arms around her trembling shoulders and pulled her toward me.
Then, I rested my chin on her shoulder, offering my neck at the perfect height for her to bite.
"W-wait. Student Yandel? This is probably just a side effect of the charm or bloodlust I let slip while fighting..."
"Just do it, quickly."
"Ugh..."
Iona’s lips twitched as she hesitated, but then she suddenly flinched and stared blankly at my neck.
Opening her mouth wide as if she had made a decision.
Crunch.
The sensation of fangs piercing my skin. The act of blood-sucking, which I’d lost count of today, continued.
A searing heat rose from the bite.
Soft lips, ticklish breath, and a pleasure that even her cool body temperature couldn't hide began to melt my reason.
In that way, we became one.
Just as I had strongly felt Iona’s presence even while hallucinating.
Iona must be feeling my presence just as strongly.
The thrill and emptiness after revenge. Plans for the future. Mourning for the dead.
All of those things would be pushed aside, and only I would fill her mind.
"Haaa... ahh..."
Iona’s breathy moans reached my ears.
As we blended together, we softly stirred each other's sanity.
With this, I would be the most deeply imprinted thing in Iona’s mind.
Since she owed me her life, she wouldn't be able to just vanish. This would surely be a great help for the journey ahead...
...No, enough with the excuses.
I simply didn't want Iona to die. I wanted her to stay by my side.
I wanted to be a part of the story I didn't know yet.
Perhaps, as I said before, I had succumbed to her charm in my weakened state.
But what did it matter?
I wanted Iona. And Iona wanted me.
Wasn't that enough?
With my head pleasantly hazy, I tightened my arms around her.
I'll never let go—
"Aaaaah!! Get away from my master, you wicked vampire! Get away, I say...!"
A familiar voice snapped my melting brain back to reality.
Right. There were other people here.
I glanced down and saw Iris, looking incredibly frantic, patting Iona’s side.
Since Iona was still biting me, Iris didn't seem to have the heart to hit her hard.
...Did I overdo it?
Thinking it was about time, I lightly patted Iona’s back.
"Um, Professor? Could you stop now?"
"Mmm..."
Iona nodded, answering with a hum, and slowly withdrew her fangs.
Something lukewarm trickled down my neck.
It was either my blood or Iona’s saliva.
As I thought about that with a slightly dazed head—likely from the blood loss—
Lick.
"H-hyah?!"
Iona began to gently lick my neck like a cat.
"W-w-what is this?! Get away! I won't acknowledge something like a master's master!"
Iris jumped up and down, looking like she was about to cast an attack spell.
At the unexpectedly violent reaction, Iona hurriedly waved her hands and pulled away from me.
"It's just to stop the bleeding! I didn't even try to turn him into a kin, so don't worry!"
"Uuuugh... if that's the case... fine."
Iris puffed out her cheeks as if she couldn't quite accept it, but seeing that I looked unharmed, she canceled her spell.
I couldn't help but let out a laugh at the familiar sight.
Peck.
Iona, who had swooped in for a surprise kiss, whispered playfully.
"That's punishment for constantly trying to tease your professor."
"Uh, well..."
Iona pulled back and said with a bright smile.
"With this, let's call everything that happened today even!"
"......"
It was a bit late, but only then did I realize what I had just done with Iona.
And right next to us, Iris, along with the arriving Carla and Elisha, stood there with their mouths agape in shock.
...It'll be fine, right?