༺ The Priestess of The Red Lotus (2) ༻

[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 118!]

Many female students submitted petitions to the academy.

To mitigate the clear wrongdoing of Pierre Flanche, they presented all kinds of examples of his good deeds and asked for leniency.

They said Pierre wasn’t like that, that he was a person of excellent character and kindness, and that there must be some kind of misunderstanding.

‘Is this the life of a fucking alpha male.’

I had seen it on TV. There was a case abroad where a heinous criminal was reported in the media, and a throng of people emerged protesting for his release just because he was good-looking.

Could Pierre be such a case?

There were a few foolish juniors who directed their resentment at me, but they stopped bothering me after receiving Luce’s murderous glare. At times like these, there was no one as reliable as Luce.

After the Pierre incident, the Grand Festival proceeded smoothly.

Our team took first place in the Arcball race.

On the last day of the Grand Festival, the Arcball race award ceremony was held.

The vain blond noble, Tristan Humphrey, stepped forward as the representative for our team and raised the first-place trophy with both hands, and our team cheered unanimously.

The first-place prize radiated vivid colors of mana and was engraved in the air, existing only as a formless shape. It was scheduled to be awarded after the conclusion of the Grand Festival.

I mocked Lisetta by saying, ‘Defeat is nothing to be ashamed of,’ she furrowed her brow and gritted her teeth, muttering, ‘This bastard…’

Whether the moment of taking first place was purely joyful or not, I seemed to be in an elevated mood as well.

Contrary to concerns, the Arcball race proved to be a valuable experience. As soon as we won first place, my level rose from 117, which I had reached during the preparation period for the Grand Festival, to 118. It was a satisfying outcome.

If there was something to lament…

‘I didn’t really enjoy anything else.’

As I walked around the campus, there were all sorts of things laid out. Although there were many games and snacks ambitiously prepared by the students, I didn’t really enjoy anything other than the Arcball race.

Even when Dorothy whined wanting to play together, I had to patiently bear it.

Because I had to train.

My condition wasn’t poor, and the training ground was empty because it was the festival period. It was truly a mouth-watering situation.

I wanted to master 7-star magic as soon as possible.

That was why I decided to be satisfied with just enjoying the festival atmosphere. I had no intention of taking it easy.

Even if I feel regret now, I guess I should put off comfortably enjoying festivals or anything else until after defeating Nephid the Evil God.

Before I knew it, a deep blue darkness had crept across the sky.

I left the training ground staggering as usual. I slowly made my way to the closing ceremony.

I deliberately did not carry any magic tools since my body needed to stabilize for a while.

After calming my breath for two minutes, I was able to walk normally.

Now, let’s go.

The campus was deserted. The entire student body would have been at the stadium as it flaunted its splendid lights. I headed straight there.

Perhaps because my training focused on complex calculations and mana manipulation, the mana expended was minimal. My physical strength could be easily recovered with just a little rest.

Even amidst the tough training, I conserved my mana and physical energy for the imminent event.

‘Act 8…’

❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱ 「Act 8, Chapter 2, The Priestess of the Red Lotus」.

During the closing ceremony of the Grand Festival, the last act has Priestess Miya stepping onto the stage.

She captivated the students with the traditional Dance of Fire of the Land of the Fire Blossoms.

However, the moment the dance ended, she suddenly went berserk, shooting flames at several people.

To Ian, it was to settle a grudge from a duel, and to others, it was because she resented them for speaking ill of her behind her back.

As she spectacularly lost control in front of all the students, the player, watching the cutscene, couldn’t help but be shocked.

Fortunately, the combat troops affiliated with the academy were positioned around the auditorium and quickly erected a barrier to protect the students, but Miya soon fled.

And some people testified that just before Miya escaped, they saw a demon in her shadow.

Thus, the academy went into emergency mode, concluding that Miya had been possessed by a demon.

The academy then set out to find Miya.

Miya, hiding around the academy, knocked people down and attempted to kill those she resented.

Ian Fairytale, driven by a sense of duty to defeat the demons with his light element and sense of justice to protect the students, summoned his friends.

Thus, the player had to form a party of four, including Ian, to chase after Miya, who was under the control of a demon.

They had to stop her before the damage spread.

That was the content of Act 8, Chapter 2.

‘I don’t know if it will go according to the scenario.’

The variable ‘me’ already had a tremendous influence on the existing scenario. Thus, the memory of the game was only for reference.

I didn’t know if Miya would go berserk during the closing ceremony or not. However, it was necessary to be cautious and be on standby.

While walking, a white bird flew towards me, squawking, ‘Kwek, Kwek!’ It was ‘V’, a letter courier often used for urgent matters, a magic beast with a gentle nature that didn’t harm humans.

I paused and extended my arm. V landed on my arm and, with its long beak, pulled out a letter from the bag it was carrying and handed it to me.

“Thank you.”

As soon as V flew away, I checked the envelope.

A black letter with only the recipient’s name on it. There was no seal stamped on it. It looked suspicious from any angle, but I didn’t feel any suspicious mana.

“Eden.”

Rock mana gathered in the air, forming the shape of Eden, a small golem familiar.

[Kyuuu!]

“Open this for me.”

As I gave him the letter, Eden quickly took it with his short arms.

Eden, being made of rock, was immune to poison. Even if something were to spring out of the letter, I could simply just unsummon him.

Eden opened the letter with his adorable rocky hands and took out the contents.

[Kyuuu!]

Eden handed me the letter. It was an ordinary piece of paper with only writing on it.

I took the letter from him and read the contents.

Although the sender wasn’t written, I could immediately tell who sent it.

“Indeed, it’s different from the scenario…”

[Kyuuu.]

I didn’t even dare to expect things to go as I thought they would.

As expected, Act 8, Chapter 2, was heading in a different direction than originally planned.

* * *

A scene in contrast with the night sky took over a corner of Märchen Academy. It was a brilliantly shining stadium.

Students in uniforms occupied the stands. Everyone was visibly excited.

“Now, let’s begin the closing ceremony of Märchen Academy’s Jeblem Festival!”

The announcer Amy Holloway shouted. Fireworks loudly burst into the air, marking the start of The Grand festival’s closing ceremony.

Amidst the splendid performance on stage and the students’ enjoyment…

Luce was solely waiting for Isaac, Dorothy was excitedly responding to the performance, and Kaya was nervously swallowing her saliva.

Eventually, the closing ceremony performance reached its final sequence.

A beautiful girl with black hair gracefully made her way onto the stage.

Her red dress was adorned with dangling gold ornaments.

Mana flowed around her like ocean water, enriching the stage.

The Priestess stood alone at the center of the stage, readying herself for the performance.

With elegant poise, her delicate body boasted graceful lines. Soon, as the orchestra’s music weaved beautiful melodies, Miya unfolded her black fan with flair.

In the brilliant illumination of mana lights, she displayed a dance of great dignity.

Her dance, an offering to the gods, was truly artistic. The students, utterly absorbed in the music, were mesmerized by Priestess Miya’s dance.

As the performance reached its climax, Miya’s flames spectacularly burst forth in sync with the timing.

The undulating red flames spread like silk, elegantly slicing through the air, perfectly harmonizing with Miya’s movements.

This was the tradition of Horan, Land of the Fire blossoms, the Dance of Fire.

The students watching Miya’s dance were either spellbound with their mouths agape, lost in a trance, or smiling in admiration.

Watching this, Dorothy quickly furrowed her brow in a stern expression.

“Huh, Dorothy?”

“That’s… a fake.”

“What is?”

“…I’ll be right back.”

“Huh? Where are you going, Dorothy?!”

Without responding to her friend, Dorothy left the stands and climbed up the stairs.

* * *

Dozens of minutes earlier.

With the noisy closing ceremony behind, Märchen Academy was submerged in quietness.

There were hardly any people around the campus. After all, the students were all watching the closing ceremony.

A student with silver-blue hair left the campus grounds and arrived at a nearby outdoor dueling ground. It was quieter than anywhere else, despite the ongoing festival.

With not a single lamp, the place drenched in darkness was illuminated by nothing but the feeble light of the moon and stars.

The dueling ground had a structure that extended downwards. Isaac, after passing through the passage, stopped in front of the stairs leading down.

He lowered his head, taking in the sight of a woman in a red dress, adorned with ornate decorations, standing in the middle of the training ground.

She sensed someone’s presence and turned her head. As befits the star of the closing ceremony, her beautifully made-up face, sharp eyes, and lifeless pupils were now directed at Isaac.

“You’ve come, Senior.”

The silence of the dueling ground was broken.

She spoke in a prickly tone while gathering her black hair.

It was the Priestess, Miya.

Isaac descended the stairs without a word. He took off his jacket and tossed it aside in the stands, then loosened his tie by pulling on it.

His demeanor revealed he had quickly guessed the reason Miya had called him here. Miya let out a laugh at that.

On the dueling ground, Isaac stopped walking, keeping a distance from Miya.

“You came alone. I like that you’re obedient.”

“You’ve been watching me all along.”

Isaac took off his glasses and spoke in a calm tone. His gaze had turned cold.

He had strategized with Kaya and Dorothy for the scenario of Act 8, Chapter 2. However, immediately after receiving a letter from Miya, Isaac guessed that all their plans had turned to dust.

The letter contained a childish self-made drama.

It demanded that Isaac come alone to the outdoor training ground at night, claiming they had White. There was also a warning that things would not end well if he tried anything foolish.

Immediately after reading the letter, Isaac scanned the area with [Clairvoyance]. He realized that a watcher minion made of flames was watching him from afar.

He didn’t know what would happen if he didn’t follow the letter’s instructions. If he had attempted ‘anything foolishness’, Miya would surely have noticed, potentially causing her to do something that Isaac couldn’t predict.

However… within the range of what could be predicted, Isaac wasn’t particularly concerned.

Rather, he was thankful that Miya hadn’t caused a commotion and had simply called him out alone.

“Your insight is sharp. Quite impressive for an insect.”

“You don’t actually have White, do you?”

Using [Clairvoyance], Isaac had confirmed that White was watching the closing ceremony.

Miya, not fully aware of Isaac’s abilities, had underestimated him.

“Sorry for lying. But you knew that was a lie and came anyway, didn’t you?”

Isaac nodded his head.

After finishing a light stretch, Isaac glared at Miya.

“…Do you resent me?”

“Do you not want to kill an insect that bites you, Senior?”

“I see how you’re treating me.”

There was nothing more to say.

Isaac amplified the circulation intensity of his mana circuit. Clenching his fists, he assumed a battle stance with an indifferent expression, grasping coldness in his hands.

Miya smirked. Flames wrapped around her, and three tails of fire rose up.

In her shadow, a demon’s eyes flashed.

The moment they had been waiting for was drawing near.