The Academy's Puppets
Hephaestus and Kayness, having fled far from the Puppet Academy, paused when they realized Kyle wasn't pursuing them. Hephaestus, wounded by an Aura Blade, clutched his injury and groaned in pain. "Ugh… I got careless thinking he was just some brat."
"Careless, my ass. He looked dead serious to me."
"Kayness. Even in this state, I could probably smash your skull in."
"Want to test that theory?"
While the two men bickered over pointless pride, Aruki—who had run ahead—reappeared. The pair stared at the Hecate slung over her shoulder, silently asking why she'd bothered bringing it along.
"Why'd you grab that corpse?"
"Felt like I should take something. And it's not a corpse."
"Not a corpse?"
Without a word, Aruki dropped Hecate in front of them. The impact jolted Hecate awake, her face twisting in pain. Damn humans…
"Oh, a talking monster. That'd fetch a nice price…"
"It wasn't just talking."
"What, then? This thing can use an Aura Blade too?"
"Yep. It did."
When Kayness gave her an incredulous look, he began to chase after them as if confirming her words. "When Schwarz came looking for me last time, this one got the better of him."
"So what, it talks and uses Aura Blades?"
"…The 'Sword' seat in the Holy Weapons is probably vacant right now."
Hephaestus, grasping the implication of her words, stared at her in disbelief. It sounded as if she wanted to recruit Hecate into their organization.
"You're suggesting we bring a monster into the group?"
"It meets the requirements, doesn't it?"
"…True. Our organization is rather lenient."
The entry condition for the Holy Weapons was simple: only one. You had to be someone who could shine on your own. Any Aura Master could join without restrictions. Of course, each weapon had a limited number of seats, so claiming an occupied position required defeating the current member…
"Even so, a monster is a bit… much, isn't it?"
"Let's just ask it."
Aruki shrugged, glancing down at Hecate as if to say, What do you think? Hecate looked up at the three of them and spoke cautiously. …K-Kyle. Can it be done?
"Hm?"
If I join… can I get revenge?
Aruki grinned, clearly amused. "If that's what you want, anything's possible."
Then I'll join. For revenge.
And so, Hecate's recruitment was decided.
Kyle opened his eyes to find himself lying in the Academy's infirmary—a familiar place where he'd often brought classmates who'd collapsed from training mishaps. Turning his head, he saw the Saintess beside him, eyes closed in prayer. He gazed at her cascading pink hair before carefully reaching out to touch it.
"—You've awakened."
Saintess Lagrisha smiled brightly down at him. Kyle studied her sun-like smile for a moment before slowly sitting up. "How long has it been?"
"About three hours since you were brought here, Hero. Ah, your injuries have all been treated, so don't worry."
"Of course they have. With you here."
The Saintess, blessed directly by the gods. With her Holy Power, even severed limbs could be restored in an instant. Kyle gave a wry smile as he stood. Though his wounds were perfectly healed, the fatigue from the fight remained. That was inevitable—Holy Power could mend injuries, but it couldn't replenish lost blood or muscle.
"You could stay lying down a bit longer."
"What's the point of lying around?"
"If you stayed in bed, I was going to feed you myself."
At that, Kyle immediately flopped back onto the bed. As he'd said many times before, his weakness for well-endowed women was a problem. Lagrisha chuckled at how quickly he'd moved. Soon after, an apprentice priest arrived with a patient's meal—clearly prepared in advance. Taking the tray, the Saintess picked up a spoon and began stirring the porridge.
"Ah, open wide, Hero."
"Aah—"
Propped up against the pillows, Kyle accepted the spoonfuls while quietly observing her. Every time she smiled and leaned forward, her upper body swayed noticeably. Distracted by the gentle waves only the Saintess could create, he finished the meal without noticing whether it went into his mouth or nose. When she wiped his lips, he thanked her. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it. By the way, did something happen? You appeared covered in blood—do you know how startled I was?"
"Just had a little fight."
"There was someone who could injure you this badly?"
"Surprisingly, yes."
As he muttered about how vast the world was, Lagrisha's expression hardened. She nodded as if reaching a decision. "Hero. I don't think I've ever explained why I call you 'Hero.'"
"Huh? Well, wasn't it because I defeated a demon that might've killed tens of thousands?"
"Many have slain demons. The Holy Kingdom's paladins are quite capable demon hunters themselves. Yet we don't call them all Heroes."
Thinking about it, she was right. If slaying demons alone made one a Hero, then the paladins who hunted them constantly should all be called the same. But they were known only as demon hunters, not Heroes.
"The reason is simple. Hero, it's because that fate has been prepared for you."
"…What fate are we talking about?"
"It means you're destined to face severe trials and hardships."
In other words, Lagrisha didn't call him Hero because of past achievements. She called him that because he was someone who would achieve great things in the future. Realizing this, Kyle frowned. "So what, you're calling me that because you know I'm gonna suffer like a dog from now on?"
"That's not incorrect."
"What if I refuse?"
"I'm sorry, Hero, but fate isn't something you can reject just because you don't want it."
She reached out and gently stroked the area where he'd been injured. As her soft hand brushed over his clothes, Kyle shuddered and looked at her. Seeing his reaction, she burst into quiet laughter.
"Just like how you got hurt today."
"…If there hadn't been three of them, I wouldn't have gotten hurt."
"But even if you'd known there were three, you still would've gone, wouldn't you?"
Kyle fell silent at the pointed remark. She was right. Even if he'd known three Masters were waiting, he would've gone anyway. He wouldn't have avoided the fight—he would've charged straight in. Of course, knowing versus not knowing made a huge difference, so he wouldn't have been caught off guard like this. He might've even toyed with them from afar without them realizing a thing.
"Because that is your fate."
Kyle couldn't deny her words.
* * *
Deep beneath the Academy lay a laboratory. A shared space for the Academy's mages, it also contained a private lab accessible only to the principal. He often used this place—essentially a mage's workshop—as an interrogation room. Since no one else ever came here, it was perfect for methods that skirted the law.
Inside, the principal listened to the brainwashed cultist's muttering and let out a low hum. "The organization's name is… the goal is…"
The madmen who worshipped dragons, a group thought to have vanished centuries ago. The Forgotten Worshippers. Having uncovered their identity, scale, and objectives, the principal fell into deep thought. This isn't something I can handle alone.
Learning that fanatics hiding in the Empire's shadows were plotting its overthrow wasn't a matter for the principal to deal with solo. He needed to report it officially and request the dispatch of imperial inspectors or knights. The Emperor would gladly lend troops once he learned of a religious group trying to steal everything he possessed and return it to oversized lizards. The man was obsessively protective of his own power.
"That's enough, Aria. Stop."
"Ah, should I stop?"
At the principal's command, Aria ceased brainwashing the man and put him to sleep. Watching the cultist collapse instantly, the principal once again felt grateful he'd kept her alive. Right after the incident, he'd wanted nothing more than to kill her, but holding back and thinking rationally had paid off. An ability that could brainwash anyone below the Master rank? Where else in the world could such an absurd power exist? If the Emperor ever learned of it, he might set aside the lizard fanatics and try to eliminate her first. She was that dangerous.
"Having you around certainly makes things easier, Aria."
"Ehehe, then can't you take this off?"
"Not a chance."
The principal scolded her as she pointed at the bomb collar around her neck. "You're a criminal. A dangerous individual. The only reason you're still alive is because of that collar—don't forget it."
"Yeees, I understand…"
Aria lowered her head, realizing there were still a few things she hadn't mentioned. How the cultists had eaten some kind of fruit and used Aura Blades. How Kyle had been injured fighting not just them, but a six-armed monster and a Master who'd appeared out of nowhere. …Well, it probably doesn't matter.
Her job wasn't to feed the principal every scrap of information. She only did what he ordered. That was enough. To him, she was nothing more than a puppet. If she was treated like a puppet, then acting like one shouldn't be a problem.