The Bait Has Been Taken
The magi that had stained the sky a deep, bloody crimson vanished completely. All that remained was a pristine, endless blue. Carried on the gentle sea breeze, a perfect summer scene rolled in like a wave, pure and luminous. The girl stood amid those peaceful waters. Occasional splashes licked at her toes. Shaaah—. Only a refreshing echo lingered in the broken foam.
Charlotte stared blankly at the landscape. A trace of vivid crimson still clung to her silent lips, refusing to fade. “······.”
It was a domain of strange beauty. Like a dream given form. Only moments earlier, everything had been shrouded in scarlet fog, with blood-red tides crashing down like tears while hideous dissonances screamed through the crimson haze. Yet the instant she regained her senses, the world had flipped into something entirely different.
-Just a moment. If you could look away, I’d appreciate it.
-I’ll signal you.
It happened in the space of a single blink. A complete reversal in the span of a heartbeat.
-Now.
The boy clapped once and leapt. In an instant he seized the sinner from behind, snatching the woman by the nape without the slightest hesitation. What followed was the simplest of gestures.
-Shatter.
But it was enough.
Cracks spiderwebbed through the air along every knuckle of his gripping hand. The red world shattered into fragments, and through the fissures, layer after layer of blue sky revealed itself. Red and blue bled together in a sight too sublime for words.
Splash. Splash.
The boy approached in silence. His calm steps strode across the open sea. In his arms he carried a woman who slept with peaceful, even breaths. Not a single shadow clung to her now; every trace of corruption had vanished as though it had never existed. Charlotte watched the pair in a daze.
How.
How had he done it? To purify a being drenched in magi—it shattered every law she knew. She had chased cultists for years and witnessed countless horrors, yet never once had she heard of such a thing being possible. It belonged in scripture, not reality.
I was wrong.
Charlotte realized her mistake. The back alleys. The placement test. The power she had glimpsed in the boy back then had been only the smallest fraction of what he could do.
The snake radiated an overwhelming presence. As a princess, she had stood before professors, deans, Sword Saints, and countless other mighty figures, yet never before had she felt so utterly powerless. Perhaps this was how the first creatures felt when they looked upon their creator.
It’s strange.
Fear surged for a moment, but curiosity burned brighter. Charlotte did not think the boy was evil. After watching him all this time, that was the conclusion she had reached. He showed no greed, for he desired nothing. He was not cruel, for mercy flowed from him. He was not selfish, for he never mistreated others. Nor did he carry the foul stench so common among adults.
Only—
I simply… didn’t want you to get hurt.
That clean, radiant smile. The refreshing scent of winter. He carried nothing but pure intent. Others might not see it, but with her special sight, Charlotte understood completely. She recognized those rare souls who had never forgotten the innocence of childhood.
“······.”
Charlotte continued to watch in silence. Whether he sensed her swirling thoughts or not, the snake simply walked forward with measured steps, cradling the unconscious woman with care.
Perhaps.
The thought escaped her before she could stop it. Perhaps it really was possible. She had only observed until now because she lacked conviction, but seeing a miracle with her own eyes changed everything. A single ray of hope had pierced the darkness of despair.
Maybe he could heal her.
The brief thought carried a desperate prayer. As she turned the possibility over and over like a talisman, a pained voice suddenly reached her ear.
-Sister.
The girl’s expression wavered—something that rarely happened. Amid the gentle breeze, Charlotte simply stood there.
The performance ended just like that.
With the clear condition fulfilled—suppressing the Conductor’s thought-form—and the magi that had swallowed the area completely shattered, no further threats remained. I carried the limp woman in my arms and began walking.
“······.”
The rescued Medro remained unconscious. It wasn’t that anything had gone wrong; she had simply exhausted every last ounce of her strength. She would likely wake once she recovered.
Step. Step.
I crossed the silent sea and stepped once more onto the warm sand. Someone was waiting there. A girl with distant, unfocused eyes. Charlotte only snapped back to the present after I spoke.
“Your Highness.”
“Ah.”
“Let’s go back.”
“······Yeah.”
She nodded quietly. We headed toward the door we had entered through. The girl had been walking with a complicated expression, but soon she seemed to reach a decision and asked a question. Her blue eyes were fixed on the woman sleeping in my arms.
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
“That… how exactly did you do it?”
“You’re asking about Miss Medro.”
She looked genuinely shaken. Understandable. This would be anyone’s first time seeing something like that. Anyone who had studied magi even a little would know how absurd the idea of purifying a thought-form was. It was theoretically impossible. What I had just done was a miracle that defied every law and concept. Not being surprised would have been the strange reaction.
“I don’t understand. What just happened?”
Charlotte’s murmur was soft. She rarely showed emotion, but this time her agitation was obvious. I kept my tone perfectly calm.
“Let’s talk about it later. Right now, getting out of here should be our priority.”
I had destroyed the Conductor’s thought-form and shattered the core of his domain. The space would collapse soon. My output was already scraping the bottom; getting trapped inside a collapsing domain would cause all sorts of headaches. Explanation could wait until we were safely outside.
Charlotte seemed to think I was dodging the question. She nodded obediently.
“Fine… if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t ask.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Don’t worry. I have no desire to get on your bad side for no reason.”
“Hmm.”
There seemed to be a misunderstanding, but her clean retreat was convenient. After all, it wasn’t something I could explain properly anyway.
The snake and the young princess simply walked side by side across the sand. When we reached the threshold leading out of the domain, the first to greet us was none other than Irene.
The girl had been squatting nearby, waiting. “Ah.”
When our eyes met, the fox’s ears perked up. Light flooded back into her previously dull pupils. She ran over immediately and took the unconscious Medro from my arms. Even then, she checked on me.
“You’re not hurt?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“You didn’t push yourself again, did you?”
“Not this time. It was a comfortable success. Nothing particularly dangerous, so there’s no need to worry.”
“That’s a relief.”
She must have been anxious while waiting. Even as she nodded, the fox kept circling me, inspecting for injuries. Her concern was rather endearing. As I quietly stroked her head, the other members approached.
Neria spoke first, as expected.
“You’ve worked hard, Master.”
“Vice-commander.”
“The basement has been cleaned up. All survivors were transported to the hospital under Astro’s direct jurisdiction. The young mutants you ordered isolated have been sent to headquarters.”
“Have the casualties been tallied?”
“Of course. One hundred and twenty-eight priests died in this attack. Thirty-seven survived. Twenty-three mutants were isolated.”
“So many… died.”
I clicked my tongue bitterly. A brief wave of melancholy washed over me, but I shook it off and issued orders. This was no time to lower my guard.
“Let’s finish cleaning up the area. Sunrise is approaching. We should leave before anyone outside notices anything strange.”
“As you command.”
The members immediately sprang into action. I steadied my breathing and walked out of the basement.
Saying we would “clean up” didn’t carry any special meaning. The cultists’ raid had already turned the place into a ruin. There was no need to erase our footprints. The heavy residual magi would make proper investigation nearly impossible anyway.
What we actually organized were the bodies.
“······.”
At the cathedral’s center, beneath the upright cross, the dead lay in silent repose. White sheets covered the neatly arranged victims. One by one, someone’s life was put in order.
I stood there in a daze, watching.
So many.
So many I couldn’t save. One hundred and twenty-eight. Feeling the crushing weight of that number, I finally released the sigh I had been holding back. The calm breath flowed outward, carrying the metallic scent of blood.
It’s always like this.
The same thoughts every time. I saved people. I prevented tragedies. I acted like a hero saving the world. Yet the ones I failed to save always lingered in my heart.
Perhaps it was foolish greed.
I can’t save everyone.
I knew that. I wasn’t a god. I wasn’t omniscient enough to see through everything, nor omnipotent enough to accomplish everything. The only future I could glimpse was what I knew from the original story. The miracles I could perform were limited by my available output. That was why I couldn’t prevent every tragedy. No matter how exceptional, a human cannot exceed their own limits.
Then—
Next time.
I simply resolved to do better. To notice sooner, move more precisely, respond more wisely, and save even more people. It was the same this time.
“······.”
I stood silently, lost in thought. That was when a girl approached from the side. Platinum hair swayed with her steps. Blue eyes gazed at me quietly. It was Charlotte.
“······Your Highness.”
“Yeah.”
She took her place beside me. She had said she wanted to inspect the basement a little longer and must have just come back up.
After a brief silence, she spoke.
“I owe you. Thanks to you, we were able to find the missing people.”
“It was nothing.”
“I’ll handle the aftermath here. The incident may be over, but there are still many annoying procedures left. With my authority, I can resolve them quickly.”
“We plan to protect the surviving priests ourselves for the time being.”
“Yeah. That would be best. If survivors appear in a branch everyone thought was wiped out, the cultists will definitely grow suspicious.”
“They really are nothing but nuisances.”
“Indeed.”
Charlotte gave her usual dry reply. As we exchanged opinions on post-incident procedures, the sun began to rise outside the window. It was time to return to headquarters.
“Then… I’ll take my leave.”
I offered a light greeting and turned. The members had finished their tasks and were waiting. Just as I stepped toward them, Charlotte’s hand suddenly caught my sleeve. I looked back.
“Um.”
“Your Highness?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
It felt somewhat sudden, but I listened quietly. She had been watching me carefully for a while now. It seemed she had something important to say.
Charlotte hesitated for a long moment, then finally opened her mouth. Her voice trembled in a way it rarely did.
“I need your help.”
“Hm?”
“You… might be able to save me.”
Her blue eyes blinked. Within those clear pupils, only my reflection shone back. Her crimson lips pleaded softly.
“Please… save us.”
“······.”
After hearing her words, I remained frozen for a while. My lips twitched faintly. I covered my mouth with my palm. Then, with a smile that split my face like a tearing wound, I thought—savoring the electric thrill racing down my spine.
As expected.
She’s taken the bait.