The Monsters' Judgment

I murmured softly, "This should be enough... I've gathered pretty much all the information I needed."

A faint presence stirred at my feet as I brushed the lingering shadows from my palm. I looked down with cold, indifferent eyes. It was a man wearing a robe. The administrator in charge of this Abandoned Laboratory, the demon who would appear as the final villain of this episode. He was also the one who had brought us here.

The man was writhing on the floor as if in convulsions.

"Kkgh, kkeek, uwaaaah..."

His eyes rolled back as he let out groans. His facial muscles twisted grotesquely. Soon, drool began dripping from his mouth. After watching his broken reactions for a while, I let out a chilly breath and muttered. My words were thick with contempt.

"To think you'd crumble from just this much."

Perhaps it was because I had infused my words with emotion. The man couldn't endure it and had lost his mind. He was making only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠animalistic cries, as if he had lost all sense of self. I clicked my tongue quietly.

"I've obtained the most necessary information... but on the other hand, I was hoping for more than that."

Damn wooden bastards. I had wondered if I might learn the whereabouts of the cult leader, but unfortunately, the man was nothing more than an empty shell. He was like a marionette that simply moved according to orders from above.

"He was useless until the very end."

I set aside my disappointment. As I quietly turned to leave, the mutated creatures that had been hiding nearby began to creep out. They were the wolves I had seen in the laboratory. They had been cowering with their tails tucked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠between their legs under the pressure of my killing intent, but now that I was about to depart, they started prowling around me one by one.

I loaded shadows onto my fingertips. However—

"Hmm."

Grrrr—.

The target their fangs sought was not me. It was the man rolling pathetically on the floor. The mutated creatures licked their chops, drool dripping from their mouths.

"Are they hungry, I wonder?"

Their pupils gleamed with bloodlust. Their rough breathing carried a clear will to chew on living flesh. If left like this, they would surely pounce on the man. He wouldn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be able to resist at all. He would be torn apart alive by the test subjects he had managed, meeting the most miserable death imaginable.

Perhaps that was the ending I had hoped for him.

I withdrew the killing intent I had been radiating and quietly stepped aside.

Immediately after—

"Kwaaaaaah!!!"

Crunch. Snap—!

The man's scream, drenched in agony, filled the basement behind the gruesome noises. Flesh was chewed, bones were broken, and blood pooled everywhere. A brutally continuing scene. Yet I simply walked away with a bitter smile.

"This is the judgment handed down by monsters."

Inside, I chewed on a silent prayer that no one could hear.

"Please."

Forgive the world with this. Tear apart the flesh of those who tormented you and soothe the hunger stained with vengeance. Kill as cruelly, viciously, and painfully as possible. And in doing so, even just a little—

Fill the starvation of your twisted souls.

"May God take you."

This was a prayer for the monsters. My lips moved silently. I savored the clear, resounding requiem and walked out of the laboratory. It was truly the moment when everything came to an end.

When I returned to the laboratory after finishing my business, the first thing that caught my eye was several adults standing around the children. People blankly looking around at their surroundings.

"...What exactly is all this?"

"......"

"Just what in the world happened here..."

It seemed that support from Galimar had finally arrived. Realizing anew that this episode had truly ended, I slowly approached them.

I greeted them lightly.

"My, my... it seems everyone arrived a bit late."

The scattered gazes all focused on me at once. The professors stood there in a daze. They appeared quite shaken by the chaotic scene. The shattered ceiling, the corpses of wolves, the stench of blood permeating everywhere... it was an absolute mess, after all.

I smiled brightly.

"I was waiting for you all."

It was a smile that leaked out from genuine relief. My output had been dropping, and the faculty had arrived at just the right time. I approached them with a cheerful demeanor.

Just then, I noticed the children lying on the floor. Pink and blue hair. They were sleeping soundly. Several professors seemed to be examining their condition. I gave a light shrug.

"You're already too late."

I had already checked them once myself. Both of them only showed signs of mild exhaustion, with no noticeable abnormalities.

"Both of them are perfectly healthy."

"......"

"Hm?"

The professors showed no particular reaction. As I began to feel something was odd, adults with grave expressions came into view. The atmosphere was far from ordinary. Perhaps it was because of the ominous setting of the laboratory. The faculty kept their guards up, preparing for any potential enemies that might still be lurking nearby.

I spoke up to indicate there was no need.

"Hmm~ There's really no need for everyone to stay so on edge, you know?"

"......"

"The situation ended quite some time ago. Please, feel free to relax."

I continued my explanation kindly, acting with a sly demeanor. Naturally brushing off their suspicious glances, I subtly moved closer to the children. As if worried for my friends.

"Hehe."

"Student Judah, do you perhaps know what happened in this laboratory..."

"Shh."

One of the professors who had just come to his senses tried to ask a question, but I firmly brought my index finger to my lips. It was a signal to stay silent. So the children wouldn't wake from the noise.

"Could we return to the academy first?"

I asked quietly.

"Everyone seems quite exhausted... rest is desperately needed. The same goes for me."

The children always came first for me. I had no intention of having a conversation while they lay on the cold floor like this. After making my polite request, the professors who had paused for a moment eventually nodded in understanding.

"That would be best."

"Thank you."

"We will return to the academy immediately. The fallen students will be transported straight to the infirmary."

"That's a relief."

Perhaps because of my apparent concern for my friends, the chilly atmosphere softened considerably. We moved to a point where teleportation was possible and immediately began the return procedure.

Right after returning to the academy, we were immediately transported to the infirmary and underwent various examinations. Through more precise diagnostics, they confirmed our physical conditions and prescribed IV fluids to replenish our depleted mana. Contrary to concerns, no abnormalities were found. I was perfectly healthy, without a single word of doubt. After all, I hadn't been injured in the first place. The villainess and the protagonist had simply fainted, and the diagnosis was that they would wake up soon. It was a reassuring statement that eased our worries.

"As for what happened today... we'll hear the full story once the other two wake up."

The professors withdrew for now. The investigation of the basement wasn't finished yet, and since students had been harmed, however slightly, they seemed intent on proceeding with caution. In particular, our homeroom professor, Selena, paid close attention.

"For now, let's make sure we don't burden the students. Haven't they just gone through a terrifying ordeal?"

She calmed her impatient colleagues. I had thought she was only ever seen drunk, but discovering this meticulous side of her was somewhat surprising. She calmly swept back her purple hair. Her red eyes gazed at us without the slightest tremor.

"...For now, please rest well."

Her expression was somehow complicated. As she subtly turned her head, I quietly spoke to her.

"I will stay by their side... until the other two wake up."

"It's admirable that you worry for your friends, but don't forget that you must also take care of your own body."

"Hehe, I'm doing plenty of that already."

"I will be waiting outside the ward. Call me anytime if you need anything."

"Thank you, Professor Selena."

Selena suddenly left the room. In the spacious ward, only three people remained: the snake, the tamer, and the narcissist. On the beds lined up side by side lay only the pink and blue hair. I quietly sat down beside them.

"......"

The children breathed in steady rhythms. I took each of their hands in mine. Our warm body temperatures touched. Given the terrible event they had experienced, I hoped they wouldn't have nightmares. I gently squeezed their hands.

"...I suppose I have to wait too."

I quietly kept my vigil. In the silent infirmary, only the sound of the children's breathing flowed for a long while.

Emilia was dreaming. Or rather, it was closer to a scene from memory than a dream.

The voice was stained with tears. Even at a young age, the girl seemed to have already understood the world. Her life had been one of enduring a brutal winter. A child lost in the snow-covered mountains could only grow colder and colder. She lived filled with poison.

— You must be even more perfect, my lady.

— As the legitimate heir, you must show the proper image.

— Only then can the late Duke and Duchess rest in peace, don't you think?

The hypocritical elders of the family.

— Don't worry, Emilia.

— Since you're still just a student and cannot handle the family's affairs... I shall specially help you.

— We are family, after all. Right?

Her uncle, who always pretended to care for the girl while unable to hide the greed in his eyes.

— B-Big sis... I'm scared.

— I miss Mom and Dad. Where are they?

The younger sibling she had to protect even amid the fierce daily struggles.

'I'm so sick of it.'

In ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the end, Emilia had no choice but to drive herself relentlessly. Solely to survive. Her will eroded her heart. She abandoned altruism, gave up happiness, and laughed at sacrifice. Before she knew it, standing before the mirror was an adult who had forgotten her childhood, perfectly worn down. It was an ugly mask.

'Don't forget.'

There are things I must protect. If I make a mistake, everything ends. For the sake of revenge, for the sake of happiness, I must always run forward. The moment I look back, something terrible will happen.

'The only one I can trust is myself.'

The obsession that had long stained her life. Even as Emilia reminisced about her once purely joyful childhood, she instinctively knew she could never return to those days. Too many things had changed. The girl no longer had the right to be called young. Because she had personally painted her once-pure inner self black, she believed she could never live for anything again.

Yes. She had been certain it would be that way.

"......"

"You've woken up."

She opened her closed eyes. As she blinked her heavy eyelids, a voice came from beside her. Emilia unconsciously shifted her gaze.

"A full day has passed."

A boy with deep golden hair. His blue eyes were blankly staring at the scene.

"......"

"I'm glad you're safe. I was worried the whole time."

The snake smiled gently. Then he raised his hand and softly stroked the disheveled girl's hair. His touch was filled with affection. As if handling someone precious.

"You've worked hard, my lady."

With those kindly whispered words, the boy left a light kiss on the back of her pure white hand. Though startled by the soft sensation, Emilia could only remain frozen in a daze. Because a longed-for sense of fulfillment had bloomed in her chest.

"You did really well."

"......"

The villainess quietly accepted it. The boy's palm, stained with taming.