Chapter 93
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 93
After exchanging a silent nod with Ciel, Freya turned her frigid gaze toward me.
“Roen, what brings you here?”
Her voice was ice, laced with a deep, unmistakable hostility. I didn’t need to guess why; she likely thought I’d come to gloat—to watch her struggle after she’d so stubbornly rejected my offer.
I let out a small sigh and met her eyes.
“What do you think? I’m a member of the Sports Festival executive committee as well. I’m simply here to check on the progress of the preparations.”
When I gestured to the nameplate hanging from my neck, Freya’s knuckles whitened as she clenched her fists.
“To check, you say… It looks more like you’ve come to watch me flounder because I couldn't prepare for the festival properly.”
“What a harsh thing to say. What do you take me for? Besides, you were the one who rejected my proposal in the first place. You should have been prepared for the consequences.”
“…”
I hadn’t come with such petty intentions, but even if I had, it was a price Freya deserved to pay for her pride.
Her eyebrows twitched, but she eventually let out a weary sigh.
“No, even if I had accepted your deal, the situation wouldn’t have changed. In fact, it probably would have been worse.”
“Worse?”
“Yes. There’s no way you could have easily obtained supplies that even the academy couldn't secure. I would have ended up signing away my voting rights for nothing. I couldn't accept such an uncertain gamble.”
“…So you rejected me based on mere speculation?”
“Yes. And I don’t regret it.”
She bit her lip, her expression hardening with resolve. It was clear that arguing about the past would get us nowhere.
“Well, fine. Let’s drop it.”
I wasn’t here to bicker. I was here for an inspection.
I looked around the empty grounds. “What about the tents for the spectator stands? And the temporary desks and chairs? I don’t see them anywhere.”
The main athletic field was encircled by tiered stands. For the Sports Festival, we needed custom-ordered tents to fit the specific dimensions of those tiers. Of course, the items Freya had ordered had been cancelled due to the merchant guild’s ‘circumstances.’
At my question, Freya bit her lower lip again. “…I couldn’t secure them. Instead, I’ve hastily acquired mats to distribute to each group.”
“Mats on a cement floor? That’ll be rough on the backside. Oh, but I assume I’ll still be provided with a proper chair?”
“…”
I might have imagined it, but I could have sworn I heard Freya click her tongue as she looked away.
I shielded my eyes and glanced up at the sky.
“Besides, even though it’s only spring, the sun is quite strong. It’ll be difficult for students to sit out here for hours without any shade.”
“…During the peak heat, they can rest in the all-weather training facility. Most of them will head to the nearby cafeterias for lunch around that time anyway.”
“I see.”
She was making do with what she had. It was a far cry from the original plan, but she had at least scrambled to find alternatives.
“The designated seats for faculty and external guests will be placed near the main platform, I assume?”
“…”
I scanned the field, mentally mapping out the logistics—where the entrances should be, where the equipment would go, and the volume of supplies needed.
A few days ago, the supplies for the Sports Festival arrived via the Bellatea Merchant Guild’s ship.
Since then, the cargo had been cleared through customs. My contacts were currently checking for defects and assembling the tents. If they finished today, installation could begin tomorrow.
Inevitably, the supplies would have to be delivered on the very day of the festival.
It’ll draw a lot of eyes, but it can’t be helped.
It was a razor-thin schedule, but as long as everything was set up before the opening ceremony, it would be a success. The spectacle of a last-minute delivery would certainly attract attention, but perhaps that wasn't a bad thing. It was a perfect opportunity to let the students know exactly who had saved the day.
Having finished my assessment, I spoke again.
“Freya.”
“What now?”
“If I were to offer my help—not as a deal, but out of pure goodwill—would you accept it?”
“…?”
Freya tilted her head, looking at me as if I’d grown a second head. But soon, her expression softened into one of desperate exhaustion, and she nodded.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but pure goodwill is always welcome. I’m so desperate right now I’d take help from a devil.”
I offered a faint smile and a nod.
“Good. Then look forward to tomorrow. A gift you’ll be quite pleased with is on its way.”
*
It was a deep, suffocating night. The clouds were so thick that not a single ray of moonlight could pierce the veil.
Rustle—.
Several shadows moved through the darkness of the harbor’s warehouse district. After ensuring the coast was clear, they exchanged silent signals and crept toward their target.
Like most royalty, Jeremy possessed a personal unit under his direct command: the Shadows.
To put it politely, they were specialists in confidential missions—espionage, infiltration, and the silent elimination of traitors. To put it bluntly, they were his loyal hounds, used for every piece of dirty work that needed to stay hidden.
Their mission tonight: raid the warehouse of a specific merchant guild.
The Bellatea Merchant Guild, a company specializing in the spice trade.
The order was simple: burn every single item stored inside. Furthermore, they were to use ‘this’ to deal a catastrophic blow to the guild’s reputation.
“…”
Mora, the field commander of the Shadows, tightened his grip on the glass bottle Jeremy had given him. Inside, a jet-black crystal pulsed with a dark, hazy aura. Beside him, a bound prisoner from Alakat slumped, unconscious.
The plan was to turn the man into a demon, trigger an uncontrollable massacre in the harbor, and vanish.
Hardly an honorable task.
But a Shadow did not question. They were merely extensions of their master’s will.
As Mora finalized the plan in his head, a scout returned.
“Captain, the warehouse guards have been neutralized.”
“Good. Move in.”
Swish—.
The Shadows prepared to breach the warehouse in perfect, silent unison.
Whoosh—.
“!”
Suddenly, an unfathomable pressure erupted from the darkness. A chill raced down Mora’s spine, and a sensation like invisible coils tightening around his throat seized him.
Dangerous.
He had survived countless blood-soaked battlefields, but he had never felt an omen this terrifying. Mora realized instantly that something was horribly wrong.
“Wait—!” he hissed to his men.
But he was too late.
“Bang.”
A clear, melodic voice rang out from the shadows.
Splat—!
With the grotesque sound of tearing meat, the subordinate walking right next to him simply… vanished.
“…?”
It was as if the man had been hit by a heavy-caliber magic cannon. There was no body left—only a spray of crimson mist and wet fragments scattered across the cobblestones. In a heartbeat, a trained assassin had been reduced to a stain.
“…”
Even these hardened killers froze, paralyzed by the surreal horror. Mora stood rooted to the spot, staring at the blood on his boots before slowly looking toward the source of the voice.
Click-clack. Click-clack.
The sharp rhythm of high heels echoed through the silent warehouse district. A woman stepped out of the gloom.
Her red eyes glowed with an predatory light beneath the overcast sky. Her skin was as pale as marble, and her black hair flowed like ink. She was a beauty so profound it felt like she could steal one's soul with a single glance.
But she was the very definition of ‘ominous.’
“I thought I smelled fresh blood~” she purred, her voice like velvet. “What a lucky find for a midnight stroll, hmm?”
“…”
She beckoned with a single finger. The glass bottle Mora had been clutching ripped itself from his hand, soaring through the air until it landed delicately in her palm.
“!”
Worse yet, the blood and gore on the ground began to vanish, melting into her own shadow as if they were being consumed.
Mora’s voice trembled as he finally found it. “Who… Who are you?”
“Why bother asking? You’ll be a puddle of blood in a moment anyway.”
Mora looked at the red stains on the ground and swallowed hard.
“Still~ I’m in a good mood today, so I’ll make a special exception.” She tossed her hair over her shoulder, her crimson eyes flashing with amusement. “You humans have a name for us, don’t you? A name that must not be spoken… the Twelve Honored Ones. Or was it the Twelve Disciples of the Demon God?”
“!”
The Twelve Honored Ones.
They weren't the enlightened seekers of legend, but the twelve traitors of humanity—a dark cabal dedicated to shattering the ancient covenant between the first emperor and the gods.
To encounter such a mythical calamity in a place like this… it was a cruelty of fate beyond comprehension.
The being of darkness smiled. “I’ll put your blood and this little toy to a much more entertaining use, so don’t feel too bad.”
Swoosh—.
She slowly raised her hand from the darkness. She formed a mock gun with her fingers—index finger forward, thumb up.
“Well then, bye-bye~”
Bang—.
As she mimicked the recoil, a shockwave reeking of iron and death washed over the alley.
Splat—!
With the sickening sound of rending flesh, Mora’s world turned to black.
*
The next morning.
Despite it being the day of the Sports Festival, my routine remained unchanged.
“Hoo.”
I threw the window wide, sat cross-legged, and drew the mana of nature into my lungs. Thanks to my consistent breathing exercises, my mana stat was showing a slow but steady climb.
Next came a light workout. The strength-enhancing artifact made me look a bit ridiculous during the process, but the results were undeniable.
I had also added a new step to my morning: increasing the synchronization rate of Bell’s magic orb, which was now housed within my body. A few Fire Bolts against the training wall would drain my mana, and the synchronization would tick up ever so slightly. The conversion efficiency was still abysmal, but time would fix that.
Finally, I summoned Kabeltar’s egg and gave the shell a gentle tap.
Thump.
I thought I heard a faint, low growl from within. It hadn't hatched yet, but I already suspected its temperament was going to be a handful.
After a quick shower, I found Ciel waiting. She had already ironed my uniform and prepared a fresh pot of tea. I sat down and opened the letter waiting on the table.
“…”
It contained news of an ‘incident’ near the Stella Harbor warehouses last night. There were no casualties on the merchant guild’s side, but the authorities were still investigating the carnage left behind. And more importantly…
“They say the preparations are complete.”
The supplies for the Sports Festival were assembled and ready for delivery.
Ciel looked at me. “All that’s left is for you to make your grand entrance.”
“It’s not like I planned for it to be this dramatic,” I replied with a shrug.
I hadn’t known Freya would be so stubborn, nor that the supplies would be ready at the literal eleventh hour. It was a string of coincidences, but the stage was set. All that remained was to deliver the gift before the opening ceremony began.
“Let’s go.”
Flutter—.
I donned my school uniform jacket, straightened my collar, and stepped out of the student council president’s office with Ciel at my side.