The Aftermath of Tears

The sound of sobbing echoed through the infirmary like a storm. Legia cried as if the world itself had ended, her wails raw and childlike, the kind of grief that comes from losing one's parents. Her hiccuping sobs were so heartbreaking that even Selena, who had been waiting outside, burst into the room in alarm.

The door flew open with a bang.

"What on earth is happening? I heard someone screaming—!"

"W-wait, commoner! Don't cling to me while you're crying! Your face is covered in tears and snot..."

"Hic... M-Miss Saintess...!"

"Kyaaaaah!!"

"Hehe... What a complete mess."

The scene descended into pure pandemonium. The memories from the laboratory had been so vivid and traumatic that the girl couldn't calm down easily. It took quite a while before Legia finally stopped crying.

"...Sniff."

Sitting on the hospital bed, the girl swallowed her tears. Her green eyes still held a faint tremor. Though she seemed far calmer than before, traces of anxiety lingered in her expression. Her red lips, hesitant at first, finally formed a question.

"S-so... you're saying... no one died?"

"That's correct, Miss Legia."

"How many times do we have to say it before you understand?"

We answered calmly. Since we couldn't tell her the original story, we seasoned our explanation with appropriate embellishments. We claimed they had simply been lucky enough to survive.

"The monster suddenly... r-ran away?"

"Yes! Right after you collapsed, it smashed through the ceiling and disappeared again."

"B-but... w-why...?"

"H-how should I know?! If you're so curious, go ask the monster yourself!!"

"Hiiik! I-I'm s-s-s-sorry...!"

It was a one-hundred-percent pure lie, utterly devoid of conscience. There were a few moments when she tilted her head in suspicion, but thanks to Emilia's forceful momentum, we managed to push through. Good thing we'd coordinated our story in advance. I simply added a light touch here and there.

"I was lucky too. I barely managed to dodge when the monster fell."

"E-even you, Young Master... It really feels like the gods were watching over us."

"I agree."

"T-thank goodness..."

I had worried she might not believe us, but our protagonist trusted the story so completely that my concerns felt ridiculous. Just how pure did someone have to be to react like this?

Thanks to her, my Lie had recovered nicely as well.

After exchanging a few more words, Legia, who had been sitting on the bed, suddenly stood up. Her legs wobbled unsteadily.

"Young Master. Miss Saintess."

"Miss Legia? You should still be resting..."

Before I could finish, a warm presence enveloped us. The timid puppeteer stretched out both arms and pulled the snake and the narcissist—who had been sitting side by side—into a clumsy embrace. A lukewarm hug colored the two of us.

"Hmm?"

"C-commoner...?"

While we blinked in confusion at the sudden action, faint sobs began to spread through the room. As if all her tension had finally unraveled, Legia clung to us.

"Sniff... I'm so, so glad... you're both alive."

"......"

"......"

It was an especially pitiful murmur. Perhaps it was the relief of having fully escaped the nightmare of that laboratory. The girl buried her face in our warmth, still holding us tightly. She seemed so fragile.

Maybe I died too?

What do I do?! Poor Young Master... sniff... and Miss Saintess...!

Despite possessing such a delicate nature, she never stopped worrying about others. It was a glimpse into just how kind her heart truly was. Perhaps these very qualities were what made me grow so fond of the protagonist.

I smiled softly and accepted the crying puppeteer's embrace.

"You've been through a lot, Miss Legia."

Emilia did the same. The girl's restless hands couldn't quite push away the pink creature, so she simply patted our backs awkwardly.

"O-okay, that's enough... s-stop crying already."

"M-Miss Saintess..."

It was a clumsy gesture, but from an outside perspective, it was a heartwarming sight. In the original story, their relationship had been completely broken. Seeing it slowly mend, even a little, filled me with quiet satisfaction. I couldn't wipe the faint smile from my face.

"What are you smiling about?"

"It's nothing. I was simply thinking that the two of you look especially beautiful today."

"...Flattery won't work on me, you know."

"What a shame."

Emilia turned her head away with a huff. We remained in that embrace for quite some time, until Legia's tears finally stopped.

Some time later.

"Hehe, Miss Legia."

"......"

"I had no idea you cared for us this much."

"......"

"Clinging to us like a child and crying your eyes out... It was truly adorable, if I may say so."

"......"

Legia couldn't utter a single word in response. The girl kept her head bowed low. Her once-pale face had turned as red as if it might burst. The embarrassed whimpers that escaped her were nothing short of delightful.

"You... stop teasing her. Are you trying to make her cry again?"

"That would be entertaining too."

"......"

"In that case, we can simply hold her again, can't we?"

"...You're the worst."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Teasing knows no bounds. Following my own ironclad principles, I delivered a cheerful tap dance of mockery upon the protagonist.

We underwent another thorough medical examination. The doctor had already declared us perfectly fine, but Selena insisted on double-checking just to be safe. It seemed that no matter how aloof she appeared, a teacher was still a teacher. With her students' well-being at stake, she became fiercely protective.

After five detailed examinations—internal injuries, external injuries, curses, imprints, and magic—we were finally allowed to begin the discharge process. By then, half the day had already slipped away.

"I'm truly relieved that all three of you are safe."

Of course, leaving the infirmary didn't mean it was over. As both victims and the closest eyewitnesses to the incident, we had to undergo an investigation.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Regarding yesterday's accident, I have no excuses. It was my failure not to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠notice it beforehand."

Selena bowed her head in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠apology. We sat side by side on the sofa, watching her with awkward expressions. We were so used to seeing her either stiff as a statue or drunk that this disciplined, professional demeanor felt strangely unfamiliar. Her red eyes were clouded with shadow.

"Shall we hear your explanation first?"

"The black magic used in this incident deviated from all known methods... It was an entirely new form of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠infiltration spell."

"You're saying it was a spell the academy had never encountered before."

"Correct."

"Hmm."

This matched what had appeared in the original story. The cultists, who had shown no activity for the past several years. The world believed they had been annihilated during the 'Great Subjugation,' but in truth, they had simply been gathering strength in the shadows. All to fulfill their own twisted desires.

"It seems they prepared meticulously. Even experts in the field struggled with it."

"I heard it would take at least a week to decipher this new black magic... How were you able to find us in just two hours?"

"Because we are Galimar, of course."

It was a clear, confident answer. Galimar. The premier educational institution where only the greatest talents of the continent gathered. Heroes who had shone during the Great Subjugation, former imperial knight commanders, elders of the Magic Tower, cardinals of the church... Countless geniuses had come together to create this academy. Its foundations were fundamentally different from those of the cultists, whose roots were soaked in blood and slaughter.

Though an unexpected accident had occurred, they had still responded swiftly. Their future countermeasures would likely be even more thorough.

Of course, there was also an internal traitor leaking information... In many ways, this incident may have been unavoidable.

If anyone had to take responsibility, it would likely be Selena. As the supervisor of the exam, she would probably receive the harshest reprimand as an example. In the original story, the supervising professor had been dismissed. At the very least, her position as head professor would be stripped.

Of course, since there had been no serious casualties and she was the headmaster's direct disciple, she might receive some leniency. Still, it seemed inevitable that she would be demoted to a regular professor. Such was the sorrow of office workers, I supposed.

"......"

Suddenly, the bottle of alcohol in her hand looked pitiful. As if unable to bear the bitterness of life, the woman took a long swig. Her purple hair fell messily across her face.

"Hah... I have no face to show any of you who were caught up in this incident. The academy is preparing compensation for the damages. The headmaster will provide the details later."

"Understood."

The formal preamble was over.

"Then, let us move on to the main topic. We would like to hear the accounts of those directly involved in this event."

"I will speak first."

"Student Judah. Please recount everything from beginning to end in as much detail as possible..."

What followed was a lengthy and meticulous investigation. Perhaps because the cultists had reappeared after several years, the questions came one after another. I repeated the story I had prepared in advance—the same one I had told Legia.

"That is what happened."

"......"

Perhaps because there were quite a few holes in the story, Selena's expression grew complicated. Still, she didn't press or interrogate us. When I explained that the fear had left our memories hazy, she simply nodded in understanding. After all, interrogating us wouldn't look good. In this incident, we were the ones in the position of power.

Even if they searched the laboratory, I had already altered most of the traces. The academy had no choice but to believe our testimony. I smiled brightly at how smoothly everything was proceeding according to plan.

"...I understand for now. We will conclude the investigation here."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"Ah, one last thing."

Selena stopped us as if something had just occurred to her.

"Please return to your dormitories as soon as possible. The atmosphere at the academy isn't very pleasant right now."

"Did something happen?"

"While you were in that basement... there was another incident at the academy."

Her explanation continued in a low voice.

"Several suspicious individuals appeared in the shopping district."

"The shopping district... That's not far from the dormitory area."

"The method was the same—teleportation theft. It seems they were trying to divert attention from the mid-term kidnapping."

"What was the outcome?"

"Thanks to the swift intervention of the faculty, the situation was resolved in just six minutes. They successfully eliminated twenty-eight of the thirty assailants on the spot, but the remaining two escaped immediately using teleportation."

"Were there any casualties...?"

"None have been reported so far."

"That's a relief."

"Well... there may be hidden victims we don't know about yet."

Selena pressed her fingers to her temple as if she had a headache. After taking a deep breath, the woman swept her purple hair back and continued.

"In any case, it would be best to remain cautious, just in case."

"Thank you for your concern."

Well, it was nothing I needed to worry about for now. I slowly rose from my seat. This seemed like a decent enough conclusion. The next episode would begin soon, but for the moment, I simply wanted to rest.

Now that I think about it.

She must be waiting. I hadn't returned to the dormitory for two days straight. She might be worried. Of course, I knew it was probably just a silly delusion.

"Hehe."

When I get back, I should play with her tail a lot. With thoughts of the fox lingering in my mind, I quietly headed toward the dormitory.

At the time, I had no idea.

"......"

The dormitory was empty. A heavy silence had settled over the space, with not even a trace of presence to be felt. The unusually cold air brushed against my cheeks. The shopping basket was nowhere to be seen. The fox was nowhere to be seen either.

The current time was 11 p.m. If she had gone shopping, she should have returned long ago. The shopping district usually closed by evening.

The conversation from earlier was no coincidence as it echoed in my ears. Standing in the sinking darkness, I remained dazed for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh.

"Ha."

Baob. Those damn bastards.