The sudden surge of Mana from the monsters, the ominous aura emanating from the wolves that were supposed to conceal their presence, the complete shift in the mission's objective—the joint mission was called off.

As Frondier predicted, the situation was resolved without major casualties among the students. Elodie's magic, in particular, shone brightly.

Her ability to imbue Mana bullets with homing properties, taking down wolves one by one, reminded Frondier of his own fireworks display.

As the students gathered in the field, Ellen, the student council president, addressed the situation from the podium. Naturally, her confrontation with Frondier was omitted from the explanation.

She informed them of the unforeseen circumstances that prevented the mission from proceeding, outlined the students' injuries and the measures being taken, and apologized for the lack of thorough preparation.

Meanwhile, Frondier...

─Where the hell was he?

─I don't know. He just slithered out of the building when it was all over.

─I told you, he's involved in that incident, right?

Whispers reached his ears. While everyone else was busy handling the aftermath, Frondier had been nowhere to be seen.

Given the attention focused on him, his absence was quickly noticed.

Of course, that alone wouldn't have been enough to spark such widespread speculation among the students. Just as rumors of Mana injections had spread, there were individuals deliberately fueling the fire.

"Hey! You! Sloth!"

A student approached Frondier, his voice accusatory.

"Where were you and what were you doing?! This incident could have seriously injured the freshmen! If you knew there was trouble, you should have helped the others. What have you been doing all this time,"

The man abruptly stopped mid-sentence, his voice trailing off as Frondier simply glanced at him. An inexplicable fear gripped him, preventing him from uttering another word.

"...You."

After observing him for a moment, Frondier spoke.

"You're not a Constel student."

"Wh-what?"

"Where did you borrow that uniform? Did they give it to you along with the money?"

The man blinked, his face flushing red as he shouted,

"This bastard is talking nonsense,"

Swish,

Thwack!

The man's body was suddenly lifted into the air before being struck from above and slammed onto the ground.

"Ugh..."

Frondier had held back, but only to avoid killing him, not to minimize the pain. The man's body was wracked with agonizing pain, leaving him gasping for breath.

"Right. Up until now, I've kept quiet no matter what nonsense you spewed. The one who hired you expected that, and so did you, didn't you? You figured you could say whatever you wanted without consequences."

Frondier slowly approached the man.

The man attempted to get up and flee.

Thwack!

He was struck again and crumpled to the ground.

"Ugh..."

"Was getting beat up like this also part of the plan? Did they promise to compensate you for this? In the unlikely event that you die here, will your family receive life insurance? Did you accept the money knowing that?"

"Wait! Frondier!"

Aster stepped in front of him. Regardless of the circumstances, Frondier was currently assaulting a student. He couldn't stand idly by.

"Frondier, I know you're stressed because of the recent incidents, but this isn't like you. Frondier."

At those words, Frondier turned to face Aster.

However, the anger and killing intent that had been present in his eyes had vanished without a trace.

Instead, Frondier offered Aster a gentle smile.

"It's not like that, Aster."

"What?"

"I'm doing what needs to be done."

What needs to be done? Assaulting a student?

Frondier looked down at the fallen man and said,

"What will you do? This is your last chance. You've already experienced how lenient I've been so far. From the third attack onwards, I'll..."

"I-I'm sorry! Please spare me!"

The man cried out, hastily raising his body with difficulty and kneeling.

Frondier asked,

"You're not a student, are you?"

"N-no, sir. I was hired as an agitator. Today, I was assigned the role of 'leader,' which is why I dared to speak so disrespectfully."

"Who hired you?"

"Th-that's..."

"I know. You can't say. Fine, get lost."

At Frondier's command, the man scrambled to his feet and ran away without looking back.

Aster watched him go, then turned to Frondier in surprise.

"...Is it okay to let him go like that? If we don't know who sent him, more of these annoying guys will show up."

"It's alright."

Frondier replied, trying his best to conceal it, but

"There's no need for that anymore."

His next words carried an undeniable chill.

"...What?"

As Aster felt a shiver run down his spine,

Vroom—

Two vehicles approached the Constel field.

The students' eyes widened in astonishment. Few among them failed to recognize those two cars.

One belonged to the Imperial family, the other to the Roach family.

The vehicles came to a stop side by side.

First, the window of the back seat in the Imperial car rolled down, revealing

"Frondier! Long time no see~"

Empress Philly waved at Frondier with an uncharacteristically casual demeanor.

The students gaped, their eyes darting between Frondier and Philly.

First Aten, now the Empress—how did Frondier have connections with the Imperial family? And for the Empress to call his name with such a welcoming expression...

Then, the driver's door of the Roach family car opened, and someone stepped out. A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

"Frondier."

The man walking towards Frondier with steady steps was Azier.

As always, his gait was so impeccable that it rendered any criticism impossible.

Azier stood before Frondier, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed his expression.

"Frondier, has something happened?"

"Nothing at all."

Upon hearing Frondier's reply, Azier glanced around.

"The atmosphere seems rather chaotic. I saw someone running in the opposite direction a moment ago. Is that the reason?"

"...Perhaps?"

Frondier offered a wry smile.

Azier, seemingly unconcerned, continued,

"Frondier, you must be aware of the recent Mana injection incidents."

"Yes, of course."

The students' ears perked up at their conversation.

"Due to the widespread reports of these incidents, the Imperial family, the Pros, and Constel have decided to form a team to investigate. And Her Majesty the Empress has personally designated one individual from Constel to participate. That individual is you, Frondier."

"Because Frondier is at the center of the rumors about it at Constel!"

Philly chimed in, leaning out of the car window.

As if addressing everyone present, she added,

"Well, rumors are just rumors!"

At her words, some students lowered their heads, averted their gazes, or bit their lips.

Observing their reactions, Azier narrowed his eyes and said,

"Frondier, I trust there have been no issues."

"No. As I mentioned earlier, nothing has happened."

"I'm sure of it. This is Constel. It's not a place to be swayed by baseless rumors."

"Indeed."

Their conversation seemingly concluded, Azier turned to leave. Frondier followed suit.

──The Imperial family, the Pros, and Constel joining forces.

This meant that Eden Hamelot would definitely—

"Frondier."

At that moment, Azier placed a hand on Frondier's shoulder.

Frondier was momentarily startled. Aside from sparring sessions, Azier had never touched him before.

"Your current emotions... they are likely unfamiliar to you."

Azier had instantly discerned the anger that Frondier had suppressed and concealed deep within.

"Whatever has transpired, there is no need to endure it. I do not instruct you to hide it."

Azier spoke in his usual manner, in his own way.

"Master it."

"...Yes, sir."

"I will not allow my younger brother to be consumed by mere emotions."

His words were as sharp as a blade,

and to the same extent, Frondier's resolve hardened like steel.

"Yes, sir."