Chapter 41 - The Incident's Conclusion
"...You there, dispel the magic circle first."
"Dispel the magic circle, Frey. If you do, we'll at least spare your life."
"Are you planning to sacrifice the lives of everyone in the commoner dorms?"
As I summoned all the monsters and let out a wicked laugh, everyone on the top floor began desperately shouting down at me. From their reactions, it was clear no one here knew how to undo the magic circle.
"........."
Of course, Serena, who was rapidly analyzing it from afar, would figure it out soon enough.
'Hahahahaha! It's no use!'
With that in mind, I decided to push the plan forward quickly. I stroked the Stone of Domination and took control of the crow that had been perched on the window ledge with its beak wide open until now.
"Th-that thing...!"
"...Isn't that the Demon King's pet?"
The crow's eyes gleamed as it cawed loudly in all directions before flying over and landing on my head. Then, I gathered Star Mana in my throat and mimicked its voice.
The heroines, who remembered the previous loops, all wore shocked expressions. They'd seen that crow endlessly alongside the Demon King, so of course they remembered its voice too. It was only natural.
"This one has already fallen under my mental domination. So no matter what you say, it's pointless."
Using the hidden power of the Stone of Domination—which could control all monsters—I manipulated the crow's expression this way and that, continuing to speak to the heroines in an arrogant, self-satisfied tone.
"No matter what you do, this magic circle will activate. And then, after a thousand years, the great Demon King will reveal himself to the world."
With that, I made the crow on my head flap its wings once with a whoosh, then glared arrogantly at everyone and continued.
"So surrender now. If you do, I'll commend your spirit and make you part of the Demon King's army..."
"W-we'll never surrender!!"
But Perloché cut me off mid-sentence and stepped forward.
"O holy Sun God, lend your power to this humble servant... Urk!!"
She began chanting her ultimate purification spell against all evil, but having expended so much divine power already, she staggered and collapsed midway.
"It's no use. If you won't surrender... death awaits."
As I spat black energy toward her in a tone mimicking the crow, Clana and Isolet stepped forward and spoke.
"...We'll handle him, Perloché. You focus on recovering your divine power."
"The purification spell should be able to obliterate that crow. So hang in there."
Saying that, the two glared at me and advanced.
"...Hoo."
Seeing Irina and Ariane reaching out from behind to prepare their magic, I took a deep breath and fell into thought for a moment.
'...Today, here, I need to build my infamy as much as possible.'
Once this 'update' ended, my nationwide 'infamy' would likely convert into Villainy Points via the 'Cumulative Villainy Points' system.
In other words, since things had come to this... I should use the incident to maximize my infamy.
To do that, I needed to protect my 'political position'—using the Empress, who required me due to our Oath to keep the Third Princess in check, and the Sun God Church, with whom I had deep ties—while letting my personal image hit rock bottom.
And to turn Serena and my sister against me... this incident would be the most effective way.
After it ended, my image would plummet to the worst, leaving me as the public's enemy clinging only to my political standing... but that was fine. It was exactly what I'd hoped for.
'...And to dispel the magic circle, I have no choice.'
Besides, to naturally dispel it in front of everyone watching, this rampage was the only way. To neutralize the mana graffiti etched from the first floor to the top, the heroines'—world-class powerhouses'—mana and sword auras needed to spread evenly throughout the building.
Once those energies dispersed everywhere...
"Hah!!"
"Hyah!!"
Before I could finish the thought, Isolet and Clana charged at me.
"It's no use!!"
I shouted in a sinister tone, acting the part, and infused my sword aura with black energy.
- Zzzzt!!
Isolet halted, swung her sword vigorously to unleash her own sword aura, and moments later, my black sword aura clashed with hers, spewing dark smoke everywhere.
"I don't know if it's mind control or just an act, but since the opportunity's here... prepare yourself."
Brilliant light leaked from the black smoke, followed by Clana's icy declaration and a destructive beam.
"...Heh heh, maybe it's because I've always been so hated, but everyone's awfully aggressive, huh?"
Staring straight at the beam—delivering a line to show I was under mental manipulation—I blocked it with my sword and began scattering it evenly to the floors below.
"As expected... probably."
Serena, who had been watching me sharply until then, smirked faintly and unfurled her fan.
- I'll. Play. A. Long.
She covered her face with the fan, mouthing words visible only to me, then quietly winked.
- Prob. Ab. Ly.
"...Getting dizzy."
She mouthed again with a slightly suspicious look, and I quietly sighed.
It seemed Serena had deduced the magic circle's structure and my plan in that short time.
'Well, I prepared for that.'
She couldn't be completely certain about me. In other words, no matter how clear the facts, she'd always harbor some doubt about anything concerning me.
And I'd already devised a way to disappoint her using that. I nodded faintly and turned back to Clana ahead.
"Hyaah!"
Suddenly, Perloché burst from the smoke and charged me fiercely.
"Perloché! It's dangerous..."
Clana shouted in alarm, but
"Guhk!!"
Isabel, who had sneaked up behind her, took the punch full-force and flew back. Clana stared blankly at Perloché.
"...Rather than quietly gathering power from behind, it seems better if I join in too."
"B-but..."
"I could use that spell right away at the auction because I'd pre-accumulated divine power for a day like this. To use it again now, I'd need considerable time to gather more."
Glancing at Isabel—eyes rolled back, trembling in the distance with the Demon King's power nearly depleted—Perloché finished calmly.
"...Standing idly by while watching friends in danger is unworthy of a saintess."
"Y-you..."
Clana looked at her with slightly moved eyes.
"Urk..."
But as I blocked the divine power and solar mana they fired at me, scattering it evenly below, I was in agony.
"...Did Frey have power like that?"
Isolet, quietly observing me, straightened her sword and tilted her head.
"According to ancient texts on dark arts, the Demon King's subordinate pets erode the host's mind, infuse the Demon King's power, and take over."
Serena, who had stayed silent, joined the heroines and said sharply.
"The energy emanating from Frey's body mixes body-enhancing black magic with the Demon King's power... Looks like Serena's right."
Kania quietly agreed and joined them. Everyone nodded except Ariane, who looked puzzled at her.
"...So you were a black mage after all."
"You knew."
"How could I not? I've caught plenty."
Isolet spoke calmly, and Ariane gaped, stammering.
"I-Irina...! D-did you hear th..."
"...Given the situation, play dumb."
Irina quietly scolded her. Meanwhile, Isolet enveloped her sword in sword aura and continued.
"But I sense no evil from you, so if you help end this, I'll take it into account."
"...Thank you."
They unleashed black auras and sword auras at me, while the others gathered their power quietly.
"Everyone..."
In that moment, I stretched out my arms, smirking faintly, and shouted.
"...Charge!!"
The monsters lurking behind me surged toward the heroines en masse. Watching fondly for a moment, I wiped the blood trickling from my mouth and turned, muttering.
"...Time to run."
Even I couldn't win head-on.
.
.
.
.
.
"Frey!! Stop right there!!"
"Perloché, did you receive the Sun God's Blessing by any chance?"
Serena, keeping pace beside the desperately fleeing Perloché, rolled her eyes and asked.
"Yes! But how..."
"Anyone could guess seeing someone as physically weak as you charging ahead. Anyway... don't use the Sun God's Blessing right now."
"...Why?"
"If the one who drew the magic circle dies, it could go berserk and put everyone at risk. So hold back."
Perloché nodded fearfully at Serena's stern words. Serena eyed her dubiously, then turned and shouted to the others.
"Everyone else, keep it in mind! Our goal now is subjugation, not killing! Adjust your power accordingly!"
Isolet, leading the charge, said coolly to all.
"...Focus on the crow above his head. Take that down, and it's over."
The next instant, indiscriminate attacks poured toward Frey, who darted through the building.
"It's no use!! Surrender now, and I'll give you a spot as Demon King cannon fodder..."
Frey deflected the attacks amid a strained expression, continuing to flee somewhere.
'Something's off.'
Irina watched the repeating scene with deep suspicion.
'That figure... it feels familiar.'
For some reason, the way he batted away spells reminded her of 'Liana,' who saved her in the Ashen Forest. Why?
- Zzzing!!
Was it the faint, familiar sparkle of mana amid the sinister sword aura? Or the mana like Liana's voice from the crow mimicking the Demon King's pet?
"Monsters, stop them!!"
"...Tch, how's he controlling them?"
"Ariane, Perloché! Shields, please!"
"...Damn, deflecting attacks everywhere on purpose. Doesn't care about the students' safety?"
Or was he scattering attacks to every corner, preparing something?
'What are you planning, Frey?'
After mana exhaustion, two changes came to Irina.
First, desperate daily training to wield even tiny mana heightened her sensitivity to it—an almost impossible feat for humans. But as the empire's historical genius mage and future Grand Mage, her talent plus effort achieved what would shock the Magic Tower.
Thanks to that, she sensed striking similarities between Liana's mana and Frey's current mana.
Second, her magic research time tripled. With innate talent skipping theory, mana exhaustion forced it; plus prior-loop knowledge.
Unable to train much, she researched in her dorm to avenge Frey and prevent future magical disasters.
Her first, most intense focus: the 'Sacrifice Magic Circle' etched everywhere in the commoner dorms.
"That guy... no way..."
She'd reconstructed the heavily damaged, unanalyzable circle from memory alone, devising countermeasures.
First: move sacrifices elsewhere. But spatial magic separated inside/outside, impossible now.
Thus, only the risky, crude second method remained.
Second: scatter massive mana evenly around, then slam into all central mediums. Brutal, barely a 'countermeasure.'
The condensed mana would resonate, shattering the structure.
But its danger...
- Zzzzt!!
"...Hm?"
A massive flash erupted before Irina, lost in thought.
- Boom! Bang!!
Serena's moon-mana wind from her fan clashed with Perloché's divine power and Clana's golden beam aimed at Frey, plus Kania's black beast, causing chain explosions.
- Clang!!
Frey blocked Isolet's sword aura piercing the blast, scattering it with ambient mana everywhere.
Odd scene, but amid monster assaults and focus on Frey, only Irina—the combat magic prodigy sidelined without spells—noticed.
"...These clashes repeating aren't coincidence."
Observing the pattern, she muttered lowly.
"But... why? How?"
All clues pointed one way, yet her heart and mind denied it. Overloading her brain with thoughts, she fired a tiny fireball at a sneaking monster and thought.
'...Hold off for now.'
He was so vile last loop. This could be another evil scheme.
Even as his dorm slave, she'd endured abuse and mockery repeatedly.
His leering gaze and clammy touches matched prior experiences.
So no certainty yet...
"Cough!!"
Irina's eyes widened at the sudden event.
"Gahk... damn..."
Frey vomited blood and collapsed.
.
.
.
"...Finally reaching his limit?"
"A normal body can't sustain Demon King power long. Too much for Frey."
"Time to rip off that crow and end it."
Those attacking fiercely approached the slumped Frey slowly.
"Groan..."
"I don't know how you fell under mind control, but even for you, this is unforgivable..."
Isolet, leading, spoke coldly, but
"Heh heh... heh heh heh..."
".....!"
Frey's sinister laugh halted her; she drew her sword swiftly.
- Zzzing!!
Frey thrust full-force; sinister sword aura engulfed Isolet.
"...Ngh!!"
She gritted teeth, blocking head-on, but faltered, pushed back.
"Hah!!"
Perloché and Ariane summoned shield and barrier to aid; others joined.
- KABOOM!!
Moments later, the aura burst harmlessly mid-air.
"........?"
But blocking revealed Frey gone from before them.
"O-over there!!"
As all scanned frantically, Perloché pointed wide-eyed at the first-floor lobby.
"Hahahahaha!!"
Frey stood at graffiti center, absorbing scattered mana.
- Ziiiing!!
"Too late now!!"
His voice echoed; graffiti from first to top glowed, shaking the building.
- Crack!!
"...Told you, no use."
Sensing crisis, attacks poured, but vast mana barrier deflected or absorbed them.
"With today's ritual... the great Demon King revives, and the world walks the path of ruin!! Hahahahaha!!"
Frey floated upward swiftly; Isolet gritted teeth, dashed to top floor.
"...You stay here. I'll jump into that mana at the top."
"No!! You'll..."
"If it saves everyone, I don't care."
Isolet shattered stairs with sword strikes, racing up; others followed with magic.
"...Frey, can you hear me?"
"For the Demon... King..."
Reaching top first, Isolet approached calmly.
"My fault for not stopping you becoming this. So I'll take responsibility and end you."
"Grooo..."
"Then..."
As Frey engulfed in massive mana flow, Isolet drew sword to leap in, but
"No!"
Serena appeared, grabbing her leg, tripping her.
"Gaaaaahhh!!!"
"Wh-what...? Why's he...?"
"Sh-shield first...!"
Late arrivals via crumbling stairs and Isolet stared blankly at screaming airborne Frey.
"This mana flow... no way?"
"Looks like the circle failed."
"Good, no sacrifices."
World-class talents quickly grasped it, murmuring relieved.
"..........."
But Kania, Serena, Irina—who knew details—stayed silent, heads bowed or shocked.
- Zzzzt!!
Then, condensed mana in Frey's body flashed lightning-like, piercing top floor downward, ever downward.
- Rumble!!
Lightning ravaged floors, monsters, graffiti long after; as groaning, limp Frey slowly fell from air, it dispersed.
"..........."
Silence reigned atop for long moments.
".......Hah."
Until Irina, locking eyes with consciousness-fading Frey on the floor, let out a short sigh.