Chapter 305: Academy Clash — Interlude (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 305: Academy Clash — Interlude (2)
Dorothy and Kaya both frowned simultaneously.
“Wait a second. Let’s clear the air. You—can’t you use proper titles? What, did you marry the President when I wasn't looking?”
“Baby and I share a very deep history. Oh, I suppose Dorothy wouldn’t know anything about that. My apologies.”
Alice answered slyly, covering her mouth with a playful smirk.
“A history?”
“Sir Isaac?”
Dorothy’s burning gaze and Kaya’s questioning eyes snapped toward me. They were radiating a thick aura of suspicion, clearly wondering what kind of 'history' justified the title “Darling.”
As expected of my favorite characters. They’re cute.
“It’s nothing serious. It’s from when we went undercover a while back. I’ll explain later.”
“No… if it’s something like that, I don’t think you need to explain it at all.”
Dorothy gave a sinister smile and shifted her glare back to Alice.
“Is it just in your nature to act so childish over trivial things, Alice?”
“Heh. Our Dorothy really knows how to pick the most pleasant things to say, doesn't she?”
Alice responded with a gentle, hollow smile.
While the two were locked in a silent stare-down, Kaya and I approached Methel Valencia.
“She’s in a dream right now, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She’s been trapped in a nightmare. It seems she’s having a particularly terrifying one.”
The power of Alice’s Vorpal Sword was to plunge its victims into an eternal nightmare. The only way to escape was for the caster to personally pull them out. The truly malicious aspect of that power was that it didn’t just show random frightening images; it repeatedly stimulated the target’s deepest traumas.
I knew this thanks to the bad ending 「Nightmare」, which triggered if the player was defeated by the Vorpal Sword during the 「Alice Subjugation」 arc in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
Right now, the Heavenly Being, Methel, was likely drowning in her own sorrowful past.
“Hilde, Alice. Good job.”
[As a reward, I wish for you to pet me to your heart’s content!]
“Good girl. You did well.”
As I showered her with praise and stroked Hilde’s head, her expression melted into pure bliss.
[Mmm… Will you not pet other places like you usually do?]
“That’ll be for later.”
Hilde looked no different from a human woman right now. I couldn’t exactly pet her chest or belly like I did when she was in her small dragon form. I had at least some sense of decency.
By the way…
She’s definitely gotten stronger.
The reason a dangerous enemy like Methel, a Level 185, fell so easily to Alice was simple: it was all thanks to Hilde.
*
[Familiar]
• Name: Frost Dragon Hilde (Lv. 195)
• Grade: ★8
• Species: Magic Beast
• Element: Ice
• Bond: 100
• Synchronization: 95%
• Summoning Mana Consumption: 95,000
• Skill Tree: ❰❰Details❱❱
*
Hilde had become incredibly powerful. It looked like she had leveled up again. Soon, she would likely be reclassified as a 9-star, the highest possible grade.
In any case, Hilde had first subdued Methel, and then Alice had struck her with the power of the Vorpal Sword, leaving her in this vegetative state.
I relayed my next command through Hilde’s mind.
The Vorpal Sword is truly terrifying.
Once again, I realized the sheer weight of Alice's power. Just imagining what would have happened if I had fallen to this ability back when Alice was an enemy sent chills down my spine.
“I can invite her into my labyrinth. We don’t have to wake her up; we can talk there. What do you think, Baby? Do you want to come inside me?”
Alice stared intently into my eyes as she asked.
At that moment, Vuel was being monitored by the Phantom Cat, Cheshire. It was currently blending in among the academy staff, pretending it had nothing to do with the chaos and helping to manage the aftermath with feigned calm.
That means he has no intention of running away yet.
So, I decided to put off dealing with Vuel until after I spoke with Methel, since she was undoubtedly one of his subordinates.
“I have a request.”
“Baby, I’m yours, aren’t I?”
“Huh?”
“It’s not a request. You can simply order me to do anything.”
Alice pointed to the black choker around her neck. The symbol of our master-servant relationship was hidden beneath it. It seemed she was making a point of that.
“Well… alright. But can you tell what kind of dream she’s having right now?”
“Yes, I can even peek into it.”
“Show me. Then lead me to the labyrinth.”
“As you wish. Come here.”
As I approached, Alice spread her arms wide.
“A little closer.”
“…?”
“Come, hug me. Only then can you enter within me.”
No matter how much I thought about it, that didn't seem like a mechanical necessity.
“No matter how I look at it, there’s no way that’s a requirement!” Dorothy shouted.
“Exactly! Something feels off! Aren’t you revealing your personal desires a bit too blatantly?” Kaya added.
They fiercely protested, sharing my skepticism, but Alice merely shook her head.
“If someone wants to enter my labyrinth, they must fulfill the conditions I set. I simply made something as innocent as holding Baby in my arms a requirement. So why the complaints?”
“…You’re acting more and more childish, aren’t you?”
“Whose fault do you think that is?”
Alice gazed at me affectionately.
Well… she’s been through a lot too. If my embrace comforts her, I suppose I can indulge her.
I stepped forward and embraced Alice.
“That’s it.”
Alice stroked my hair and pulled me tightly against her.
If anything, it feels like I’m the one being comforted…
“Welcome. Come inside.”
Alice’s whisper tickled my ear. As the sensation of my consciousness drifting away took hold, my mind was sucked into someone else's dream.
Like a god, I looked down at an unfamiliar land from the sky.
It was a place I had never seen before. In the heavens, a massive planet with rings and a beautiful, shimmering Milky Way were vividly visible.
Clang!
Clang-clang!!
Boom!!
On a mysterious landscape filled with giant white trees, two fully armed armies were locked in a brutal battle. It was total war. One side was a race I didn't recognize, while the other was one I knew all too well.
White wings protruded from the gaps in the armor at their waists.
Heavenly Beings?
The Heavenly Beings wielded Divine Power, fighting desperately. Many shed blood and lost their lives in the dirt. Among them, I spotted a female Heavenly Being. Perhaps because it was Methel’s nightmare, I felt an overwhelming pull toward her and could instantly distinguish her from the rest.
Is that Methel?
Methel was sobbing uncontrollably as she cradled a fallen comrade. I heard her voice echoing in response to my will.
[Don’t die… What is the point of this war… Why do you… Why do we… have to endure this… Please, don’t leave me…]
Methel’s nightmare was a cycle of continuous war. She still believed she was on that battlefield, writhing in the anguish of losing her friends and the paralyzing fear of her own death.
I didn't want to see any more of this.
“…That’s enough. Alice, send me to the labyrinth.”
The scene before me faded in an instant. My body felt as if it had been physically transported.
The sensations are vivid.
I pressed down firmly on the back of my hand. My physical senses were fully intact. I looked around.
The room was designed in a red and black chessboard pattern. Various pieces of red furniture were scattered about, and the walls were covered in crooked, ticking clocks. In the middle of the room, Methel sat unconscious in a chair in her original form.
Snow-white hair, wings at her waist, and two pairs of eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks from all four eyes.
“Baby.”
In the blink of an eye, Alice appeared beside me.
“In this place, you can do anything. But remember, if you hurt someone here, the damage is inflicted directly upon their mind. Keep that in mind.”
This was Alice’s labyrinth—a mental space. If you attacked someone here, it was their soul that suffered the blow, not their physical shell.
I nodded and approached Methel.
“Should I wake her?”
“Yes.”
Upon hearing my answer, Alice snapped her fingers cheerfully. Soon, Methel slowly opened her eyes like someone waking from a long, fitful slumber.
[What…?]
Her voice was thick with sobs. Methel lifted her head, her face a mask of confusion, but she quickly regained her composure. Her eyes widened in shock.
[Ice Sovereign…!]
“You’re awake.”
[What… what is happening…?]
“Tell me. Why did you try to kill me?”
[…!]
Methel’s pupils trembled. She seemed lost for words. It would have been impossible to feign ignorance; Hilde and Alice had subdued her before she could even make a move, as if her intentions had been exposed from the start.
Besides, I was speaking as if I had known everything from the very beginning. If I were her, I’d be reeling, wondering how my plans were uncovered. Her thought process, confirmed through [Psychological Insight], was exactly as I predicted.
Methel kept her mouth tightly shut and lowered her head. I took off my glasses, knelt down, and leaned forward to meet her gaze at eye level.
[…]
Silence.
Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep that up.
[Urgh!]
I grabbed Methel by the hair and yanked her head up, forcing her to look at me. She glared back with trembling pupils, her expression a volatile mix of fear and hostility.
“I’ll only ask two things. That should be enough.”
[…]
“First, the student you disguised yourself as. Where is she? Did you kill her?”
Methel had taken the form of a navy blue-haired female student to infiltrate the Academy Clash. That meant she must have done something to the original girl.
Thinking it was a harmless question, Methel shook her head.
[Without Lord Vuel’s orders, I do not kill… That human is merely asleep in her room.]
Methel answered in a calm, measured tone. Using [Psychological Insight], I confirmed she was telling the truth.
So the student is safe. That’s a relief.
“Alice, once we leave here, inform Bellatrix Academy.”
“As you command.”
“Next. Tell me what Vuel did before coming to Märchen Academy.”
I knew Vuel’s ultimate objective—that wouldn't change. The important thing was what he had been doing leading up to his arrival. On the day of the incident, we had been blindsided by the possibility that he had made a deal with Rachnil. I couldn't let an unexpected variable like that happen again.
[…I don’t know.]
I had expected her to remain silent, but to my surprise, Methel answered obediently. It made sense; she truly didn't know.
[I only act according to Lord Vuel’s orders. I do not think, nor do I question. Therefore, I know nothing.]
It was the truth. Her attempt to assassinate me was simply a command she followed blindly. Thanks to witnessing her nightmare, I understood why she was so devoted to Vuel. I also knew what Vuel planned to do next.
If this Heavenly Being was nothing more than a mindless dog, she wouldn't be of any use to me.
“…I see.”
Thud.
I grabbed Methel by the face. Her eyes widened in shock, but I just stared back at her, my expression cold.
“You’re worthless.”
[W-wait…!]
I tightened my grip.
[Kyaaah…!]
Crack.
The sound of flesh and bone twisting echoed, followed by a scream that deflated like air from a punctured balloon. Methel’s head crumpled like a tin can before quietly imploding.
Since this was a mental space, there was no blood. Instead, a massive cloud of glowing red dust flowed out silently. The pain of having one's head crushed would be identical to reality; such agony was likely a rare experience for her.
“Anyway, Heavenly Beings are immune to mental destruction. Keep her restrained.”
I put my glasses back on and smiled warmly at Alice. She was looking at me with a cryptic expression. I couldn't quite read her emotions or figure out why she was making that face.
“…Are you leaving already?”
“Yeah, I’ve got somewhere to be.”
I felt my consciousness being pulled once again as I returned to reality.
*
In an alleyway in Aldreque.
As I walked, I saw Vuel waiting there. I had spotted him with [Clairvoyance]. He must have sensed my gaze and realized I was looking for him, which was why he was waiting.
It was a fairly wide alley. A brown-haired man leaning against the wall greeted me. It was Instructor Ronzainus.
“Vuel…”
“You’ve come.”
For some reason, he was a welcome sight today.
“You’ve worked hard. Truly befitting of a human hero. Protecting everyone, defeating the fairy, and slaying that powerful demon… I’m almost in awe.”
“…”
“So, what happened to my subordinate? Did you kill her?”
I took off my glasses and began cleaning the lenses with a cloth.
“Does that even matter…?”
A low monologue escaped my lips, mingling with the sound of my breathing.
“She was a disposable piece anyway.”
“I don’t have such things.”
“Is that so… I see.”
The hand cleaning the glasses paused.
“I realized something today. I think… I’ve been treating you the wrong way all along.”
“What?”
Bang!!
I kicked off the ground, lunged forward, and grabbed Instructor Ronzainus by the throat, slamming him into the wall.
[Urgh!]
Cracks spiderwebbed across the building’s stone, and a sharp gasp escaped him. Ronzainus’s hair turned snow-white as his appearance morphed back into Vuel.
Ssshhhhk!!
I instantly deployed an ice barrier around the alley. With [Clairvoyance], I had already scanned the area to ensure no civilians would be trapped inside.
[The Heavenly Being has been recognized as an enemy.]
[The unique trait 'Accuser' has been activated!]
[Your level and stats are temporarily and significantly enhanced!]
[Your skill tree temporarily increases by +10!]
[What are you doing, Ice Sovereign…! This is foolish…!]
Vuel grabbed my arm, struggling and gasping for air. With my free hand, I clenched my fist and drove it straight into his face.
Boom!!
Vuel’s head burst apart, and the wall behind him crumbled under the force. White blood splattered across the stone. I threw his limp, headless body to the ground.
Crash!!
The pavement shattered. Light slowly gathered, stitching Vuel’s head back together. Before he could even twitch, I stomped down hard on his chest.
The regenerated Vuel scowled menacingly, glaring up at me.
[I am immortal…! Surely you know what will happen if you keep attacking me like this…! Everything you’re doing right now is pointless…!]
I lifted my foot slightly before slamming it down with even more violence.
Boom!
Vuel’s chest caved in completely. His entrails, including his heart, burst forth in a sickening gush. He died on the spot, but the light gathered again, quickly healing and resurrecting him.
He glared at me once more, life returning to his eyes.
[You fool…! Tell me, Ice Sovereign. What is the meaning of this?]
“Meaning?”
Whoooosh!
I gathered ice mana in my right hand, and a five-star magic circle manifested above my palm. It was the spell for [Frost Explosion].
“I’m just relieving some stress.”
I swung my hand, brimming with condensed, volatile mana, fiercely toward Vuel’s face.
Booooom!!!!