“Hic, waaaah…!”

Regia cried so loudly it seemed she would bring down the walls of the infirmary.

Like a young child who had lost her parents.

Her wailing was so heart-wrenching that even Selena, who had been waiting outside, rushed in to check.

It was, in a word, chaos.

---

*Bang!*

“What’s going on in here? I heard someone scream…!”

“W-wait, commoner! Don’t cling to me while crying! Your face is all covered in tears and snot…”

“*Hic, Lady Emilia…!*”

“Ahhhh!”

“Hehe… it’s quite the scene, isn’t it?”

The chaos continued.

The lingering trauma from the laboratory was so intense that Regia couldn’t calm down easily.

It was a long while before she finally stopped crying.

---

*Sniff.*

The girl sat on the hospital bed, swallowing her sobs.

Her green eyes still trembled slightly. Though she seemed calmer than before, traces of unease lingered in her expression.

Her red lips, quivering slightly, posed a question.

“So… no one died, is… is that right?”

“That’s correct, Miss Regia.”

“How many times do we have to tell you that?”

We answered her calmly.

Unable to share the full story, we provided a slightly embellished version.

We said we had been lucky to survive.

---

“The monster suddenly… just ran away?”

“Yes! Right after you passed out, it suddenly fled through the broken ceiling.”

“B-but why… why would it do that?”

“How should I know? If you’re curious, go ask the monster yourself!”

“I-I’m s-s-sorry…”

It was a shameless lie, through and through.

Though she looked doubtful at times, Emilia managed to keep up the pretense with her confidence, and we pulled it off.

It was a good thing we had discussed the story in advance.

I simply nodded along, adding to it.

---

“I was lucky, too. I barely dodged the spot where the monster fell.”

“Even you, my lord… truly, it must have been a blessing from the gods.”

“I would agree.”

“That’s… that’s a relief…”

I had worried she might not believe us, but our protagonist accepted the story without hesitation.

It made me wonder just how innocent she had to be to react like this.

---

*Ding!*

[The target’s emotions have shifted.]
(Anxiety, despair -> Relief)
[Lies have been slightly restored.]
[Remaining power output: 36.4%]

Thanks to her reaction, I was able to replenish my power through lies.

After a few more exchanges, Regia suddenly rose from her bed.

Her legs wobbled as she tried to stand.

---

“My lord. My lady.”

“Miss Regia? You should still be lying down to rest…”

---

Without warning, warmth enveloped us.

The pilot hugged both the serpent and the noblewoman sitting beside him, her thin arms stretching out to embrace them.

The gentle hug spread warmth between us.

---

“Hmm?”

“C-commoner…?”

As we stood there, puzzled by her sudden gesture, faint sobs filled the air.

It seemed that Regia, finally free from the tension, was clinging to us.

---

“*Sniff*… I’m so, so glad you’re both alive.”

“……”

“……”

Her murmurs were especially sorrowful.

Perhaps it was because she realized they had escaped the nightmare in the lab.

Clinging tightly to both of us, she buried her face in the warmth of our embrace.

She seemed so fragile.

---

“Am I dead, too?”

“Oh no… my poor lord… sniff… Lady Emilia…!”

Despite her fragile nature, she couldn’t stop worrying about others.

It spoke to her gentle spirit.

Perhaps it was moments like these that made me care for our protagonist even more.

I smiled softly, letting the tearful pilot lean into me.

---

“You did well, Miss Regia.”

Emilia, too, hesitated but didn’t push the pink-haired girl away.

She simply patted her back awkwardly.

---

“Alright, alright… enough crying already.”

“L-Lady Emilia…”

Her touch may have been awkward, but watching them was heartwarming.

In the original story, their relationship had deteriorated terribly, but now, it seemed to be slowly heading in a better direction.

I couldn’t hide the soft smile that appeared on my face.

---

“What are you smiling about?”

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking how lovely you both look today.”

“I’m not falling for that.”

“How unfortunate.”

Emilia turned away, feigning indifference.

We stayed there, holding onto one another, until Regia finally stopped crying.

---

After a short while…

“Hehe, Miss Regia.”

“……”

“I didn’t know you cared about us this much.”

“……”

“Hugging us and crying like that… like a little child. It was… rather endearing.”

“……”

Regia remained silent, her head hanging low.

Her fair face was flushed red, nearly bursting from embarrassment.

Her tiny groans of shame were almost delightful.

---

“You… stop teasing her already. Do you want to make her cry again?”

“That would be entertaining.”

“……”

“In that case, we’ll just hug her again, won’t we?”

“…You’re the worst.”

“I take that as a compliment.”

It didn’t matter who it was; I upheld my principles of playfulness.

With a cheerful grin, I teasingly danced around our protagonist.

---

We were sent for another physical examination.

Even though the doctors assured us there were no issues, Selena insisted on pushing us through additional tests, just to be safe.

She might seem indifferent, but she was still our teacher.

With our safety at stake, she was more than willing to go to extremes.

---

After five thorough checks—internal, external, curses, markings, and magic—we were finally discharged.

By then, half the day had slipped by.

---

“I’m glad to see all three of you are safe.”

But leaving the infirmary didn’t mean it was over.

We were, after all, both the victims of the incident and the closest witnesses to it.

---

“I apologize for yesterday’s accident. It was my negligence for not foreseeing it.”

Lowering her head, Selena apologized.

As we sat on the sofa, we exchanged awkward glances at her unexpected formality.

It was odd seeing her so serious when we were used to her stony face or her drunken stupor.

Her red eyes were clouded in shadows.

---

“Well, let’s hear your explanation.”

“The dark magic used in this incident was… a completely new infiltration spell, different from anything we’ve seen before.”

“So you’re saying the academy had never encountered this spell type before?”

“Exactly.”

“I see.”

---

It was a detail mentioned in the original story.

For years, the cultists had remained dormant.

The world assumed they had been wiped out during the Great Purge, but they had simply been gathering strength in secrecy.

All to achieve their own twisted dreams.

---

“It seemed carefully planned. Even the field’s top experts struggled with it.”

“It would’ve taken at least a week to interpret this new dark magic… so how did you find us within two hours?”

“Well, this is Galimar we’re talking about.”

A straightforward answer.

Galimar.

An institution where only the best of the continent gathered.

The academy was founded by heroes from the Great Purge, former royal knights, tower elders, and church cardinals—a gathering of countless geniuses.

It was fundamentally different from the cultists, whose roots were steeped in blood and carnage.

---

Though the accident was unexpected, the swift resolution was reassuring.

The academy would surely improve its defenses from now on.

---

“An internal traitor leaked information, so perhaps this incident was inevitable.”

If anyone would be held responsible, it would be Selena.

As the exam’s overseer, she’d likely bear the brunt of the criticism.

In the original story, the professor in charge had been dismissed, so she might at least lose her position as head professor.

Although the minimal damage and her status as the headmaster’s disciple might shield her, demotion to a regular professor seemed inevitable.

Such was the plight of an educator.

---

“……”

Her bottle of alcohol suddenly seemed pitiful.

Unable to bear the bitterness of life, she took a long drink.

Her purple hair tousled.

---

“Sigh… The academy will provide compensation for those affected by this incident. The headmaster will explain the details later.”

“Understood.”

The formalities ended.

---

“Now, let’s get to the main point. I’d like to hear from those involved about what happened during the incident.”

“I’ll go first.”

“Student Yuda. Please explain everything from start to finish…”

What followed was a thorough investigation.

Perhaps wary of the cult’s return, they asked a lot of questions.

I recounted the story we’d prepared for Regia.

---

“That’s what happened.”

“……”

Selena’s expression seemed conflicted, likely due to the gaps in our story.

However, she didn’t press further.

Claiming the traumatic experience had left my memories hazy, she nodded understandingly.

---

After all, pressing us wouldn’t be a good look.

This time, we were in a position of power.

Even if they examined the lab, I had erased most traces, leaving them no choice but to rely on our testimony.

The situation unfolding as planned brought a smile to my face.

---

“Alright. The investigation is complete.”

“Thank you for your time.”

“Oh, one last thing.”

Selena stopped me, as if recalling something.

---

“Try to return home early. The atmosphere in the academy isn’t very pleasant right now.”

“Is there something going on?”

“While you were in the basement… another incident occurred near the academy.”

Her

 voice grew quiet.

---

“A group of attackers appeared on Market Street.”

“Market Street… that’s close to the dormitory.”

“Yes. They attempted teleportation hijacking, likely to divert attention from the exam kidnapping.”

“What happened?”

“The professors intervened quickly, neutralizing the situation in six minutes. They managed to kill twenty-eight of the thirty attackers, but the remaining ones escaped via teleportation.”

“Were there any victims?”

“None have been reported yet.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Well, there might be hidden casualties.”

---

Selena sighed, pressing her fingers to her forehead.

Taking a deep breath, she brushed her purple hair back.

---

“In any case, please be cautious.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

---

Well, it seemed like another passing event.

I rose from my seat, feeling it had been a decent conclusion.

Though the next episode was about to begin, I just wanted to rest.

---

“Come to think of it…”

Will she be waiting?

I hadn’t returned to the dorm for two days, so perhaps she was worried.

---

“Hehe.”

When I returned, I planned to stroke her fluffy tail.

Smiling at the thought of the fox, I began my journey back to the dormitory.

---

At that moment, I had no idea.

---

An empty dormitory.

The vacant space felt eerily quiet.

There wasn’t even a trace of life.

The chilling air clung to my skin.

---

There was no grocery bag.

The fox was nowhere to be found.

The time was now 11 p.m. If she had gone shopping, she would’ve been back long ago.

The market usually closed by evening.

---

“A group of attackers appeared on Market Street.”

“Market Street… that’s close to the dormitory.”

“Were there any victims?”

“None have been reported yet.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Well, there might be hidden casualties.”

---

The conversation echoed in my mind.

Lingering in the darkness, I let out a dry laugh.

---

“Ha.”

---

Baob.

These bastards.