Assassins Pride - Volume 3 - Chapter Ep

Assassin Pride Volume 3 Epilogue
Homeroom later

(Unedited)

“『Shocking the Holy King District! What is the truth behind the crazy theatrical crime of the elite soldiers?』”

The middle-aged men in shabby uniforms read newspaper headlines in exaggerated cadences.

Slumping on the sofa, he spread out the morning’s news and held it in his hand.

“『As for the conclusion of this year, we must first announce this news to the citizen of Flandre. This was the follow-up to《father’s letter》, which had so recently shook the Carldinals Academy District in February. A man claiming to be the biological father of Melida Angel, the daughter to the Duke of Angel, has written to newspaper, stirring up speculation about the incident, and the truth has finally come out of the Knight’s hands.』”’

The man opened one hand, as if he were writing the story himself, with emotion in his voice.

“『The man who solved the problem is our 《hero》, the Knight Duke Serge Shicksal! The Duke, a man of exemplary justice, who has conducted his own investigation, is said to have found out the truth yesterday. It is not even a trouble for the brave who have experienced many battles, and great sadness is that Vigil Needs, the suspected perpetrator of the crime, was none other than a member of the Imperial Holy City Guard (Crest Legion). Why would a young knight on the path to greatness commit such a heinous crime? Shicksal specifically responded to our interview. ‘It is because he rose to the top of Flandre at such a young age that he might have doubts about the way the country exists. However, in that case, I wish he would turn the knot into words and tell me directly.’ Needs is currently missing, and we’re hoping to pick up his trail soon. What did the brilliant young knight see in the depths of Flandre? The day will come when we will know that.』”’

With the sound of paper rustling, the man brought his face closer to the next segment.

“『In addition, regarding this incident, some people also questioned the criteria for the Imeprial Holy City Guard (Crest Legion) examination standard. We still remember the fact that the First generation Marquis (Career Marquis), shortly after her arrival in the team, had long ceased to be a member of the Holy King District. In the final analysis, what is the point of concentrating our strongest power on the Holy King District, which is said to be Flandre’s most secure and sacred quarter? The time is might be ripped to restructure the cavalry regiment (Guild) which has been talked about for some time. The expectation of the regimental commander, Felgus Angel, ability is rising』’

The man threw a large newspaper he had read out onto the table and leaned on the Sofa.

“Yare yare… the whole district is talking about it today.”

“No wonder, after all, the crime of the Imeprial Holy City Guard (Crest Legion) is never heard before.”

One of the two people sitting on the opposite sofa answered. On the mosaic table, there was a fresh blue rose. Crimson velvet surrounded the room with no gaps.

This was the headquarters of the White Night Calvary Regiment (Guild Jack Raven) to which they belong. Kufa continued.

“It was handled too quickly. The newspaper that wrote this article also gave the impression that it was being force to accept brides. It was as if the situation had been foreseen from the beginning and a strategy had been prepared…”

“Would they have been so well prepared? What do you think about it?”

『Suspicious.』

It was the other human on Kufa’s left who was being quizzed. The girl who covered her entire body with a black uniform, held up black notes with just one sentence written on them.

『Why would Duke Shicksal, who had no direct connection to the incident, be investigated?』『Sense of justice?』『Stupid!』

“That’s true………but Duke of Serge Shicksal is very popular with the civilian class. 『I will fight for all of you』 makes sense, it is the scariest part of him.”

Kufa ignored his boss, who sounded envious, and crossed his arms in a solemn expression.

“….If you believe his testimony,it was Vigil who played the role of the《masked father》, incited the Operación, and tried to discredit the Family Angel. But he appears to have deceived the Duke in his crimes, using the Shicksal’s《door》without permission…”

“The newspaper made no mention of these gaffes at all.”

“If only we could at least get testimony from Vigil himself… But we, The White Night Calvary Regiment (Guild Jack Raven), have tried everything and we have no idea where he is. That’s strange. Even if he’s dead, we’ll find a hair and a fingernail, however there’s nothing there…”

『By the way, what did Sir Mordrew say about the other 《door》?』

The petite Madea interrupts, said ── or rather insert notes, and the boss picked up the paper again.

“Excerpts from the press conference….『the《doors》have been misused by the criminal Guild. We regret it. We will re-examine the system and try to prevent the same thing from happening again, 』……..they said.”

『Suspicious.』

“I’d like to kick his ass.”

Madea and Kufa spoke at the same time, and their superiors nodded with clenched teeth.

“After all, this incident cannot be resolved by『mismanagement』. The《door》of the Mordrew Merchant Guild will be temporarily entrusted to the House of the Duke of La Moore. So the undead of Bibliagot can read in peace. That’s a good thing. That’s good.”

“If only… what should I do from now on?”

Kufa asked casually, his long, thin eyes looking up at his boss.

It was not clear that if he noticed the sight. “PooHoo”, the middle-aged man exhaled cigarette smoke.

“──As it is. If the Paladin’s potential is truly asleep in Melida Angel-jou, you will spend your time on the budding of her talents. Just don’t let up. The assassination order still stands. Until she was transformed into the Paladin of the Angel Family──”

Continue on the mission, Assassin Teacher!

“Got it.”

Hearing the final announcement, Kufa quickly got up from the couch. Then, almost as if to take advantage of the atmosphere, Madea said,『Well, I should probably excuse myself』and turned to leave.

Without a backward glance, the boss stopped the girl in black who wanted to leave the room quickly.

“Stay there, you big fool. What do you think I called you here for?”

“Uu……”

The girl made a real noise from under her hood as if she could not help it. For some reason, Kufa was caught on the sleeve, apparently not directly connected, but used as a wall to block the boss.

Madea used the tall young man as a shield, and said, with an expression of disgust.

“I, I ought to report about being seen by the students. It was forced on me. I’ll never come near St. Frederick again, so…”

“No, on the contrary. I prepared the new assignment for you, as punishment, by the way.”

The girl’s gaze, raised, confused with Kufa’s downward gaze.

The boss stroked the stubble and seemed to bend the corners of his mouth happily.

“There is a perfect job for you. It’s a completely different one, but don’t worry! It is, without a doubt──….”

†　†　†

“That’s the way it is. This is Lacra Madea, who will be out lecturer from next year.”

A few days after the meeting at headquarters. The brown-skinned girls could be seen forced to stand in front of 300 female students in the Great Cathedral of St.Frideswide Girl Academy in the Cardinals Academy District.

The young girl was more petite than a first grader. Though she wore a lecturer’s gown over her light, close-fitting clothes, the sleeves and hemlines were too long, making her look more like a child. Her tearful, quivering gesture made her more pitiful.

Perhaps it was why the elderly lecturer, standing on the altar instead of Headmaster Blamange who was in convalescent, explained to the suddenly silent students, in her own way. She smiled and said more passionately.

“Teacher Lacra, as you can see, is younger than the rest of the class, but you must always show respect. She was a gifted knight who moved rapidly through schools and graduated from a nursery school. Then she joined the cavalry regiment (Guild) at the age of nine. It may be hard to believe at once, but…”

“My Black Knight-sama!”

Christa, the president, sprinted out of the group like a bear, and then, like an avalanche, half the female students cheered and rushed to Madea’s side. Pushing and shoving the young lecturers, as if they were fighting for a puppet, jabbing at each other.

“So you’re the new teacher? That’s why you came to Frideswide! How can you be aware of our crisis and come to our rescue? It’s really a good example for the lecturer!”

“Teacher Lacra’s heroic fighting looks, now still deeply branded in my eyes! You tore the neck of the ferocious woman and threw it away, tore and threw it away…!”

“What’s your rank, teacher? I have exchanged ideas with my classmates several times, but we got no answer! When does the course begin? What do you specialize in?”

“…….U,uu～”

Forced into the vortex of chaos, Madea even rolled her eyes in circles, and it didn’t take long for her brain to crash. “ugaaaaa…..” she shouted, raising her hands.

“E, eei, don’t touch my head, you chickens! Don’t pull my clothes! Don’t take my hand! I have no intention of getting along with you at all.”

She waved the sleeves of her robes wildly as she fled the siege, clinging to the shadows of the dark uniforms that stood out in the Great Cathedral. Girls exchanged looks at Lacra-sensei, who moved expertly around the other’s back, and the taken for granted wall, Kufa.

“Ara? Do you know each other, Kufa-sama?”

“Yep, we have connection in the Calvary Regiment (Guild).”

Kufa answered casually, then hugged Madea’s armpit with his tall figure and held the girl high.

“First, I will tell you the trick how to get along with her. It’s《Push forward》. Even if she said this and that, in fact, the heart is still very happy, so do not worry, please love her well. Here, Pass!”

“You devil──────────!”

The brown-skinned girl thrown from Kufa fell into the waves of the schoolgirl, and disappeared as if dragged into a whirlpool. Sometimes the voice of the young girl could be heard which asked for help seriously, but it can be said to be the courtesy of a gentleman to mishear.

“Just, just thinking that she is the devil who saved the crisis in St. Frideswide, and now he’s the new teacher…? I already, can’t keep up……”

In the midst of this, the chest nust twin tails figure of distress could be seen in the first-year student group. She murmured in a voice she could not hear, and Kufa casually accosted her.

“What’s the matter, Nerva-sama? School live is just getting started.”

“Are you going to continue to cause events in my magnificent school live!!”

She screamed so loudly that even talking to her seemed counterproductive, so Kufa decided to ignore her.

The beautiful Angel Sisters and the charming first generation Marquis (Career Marquis) could also be seen in the crowd, who was looking from a distance at the turbulent waves greeting the new lecture. The most beautiful ladies of St. Frideswide looking in the same direction tilted their heads a little, and felt a strange sensation in their hearts.

“Feel like I’ve seen her somewhere…?”

“Though I have no memory of her face or her voice…”

“A-re～？Where I have seen her before～？”

It was for their own good not to answer their questions, so Kufa kept his mouth shut.

In other word, this was the punishment meted out to Madea. Though ostensibly related to the injury of headmaster Blamange, with the Angel sisters enrolled, the crime index at St. Frideswide girl academy increased sharply, and Madea was hired as lecture in order to supplement its power.

Kufa, of course, it was not told, that there was also a project behind Madea’s mission to monitor him and Melida. Although William Jin’s testimony had been obtained, did it mean that the doubt has not been completely eliminated──

Kufa left his blonde master, lost in deep thought. At the end of the schoolgirl group, a third grader, leaning against the door, not joined the commotion.

Seeing the gloomily lowered eyelashes on his partner’s face, Kufa spoke quietly.

“What’s the matter with you? Shenfa-sama. You seem to have no spirit recently…”

Shenfa looked up at Kufa’s face and forced a smile.

“Kufa-sensei. Yes, I’ve been… feeling hopelessly empty sometimes. I think I’m going to graduate from college so suddenly. No, it’s just the right time to graduate, but I’m──”

Shenfa seemed anxious to join the body movements, as if the inner thoughts could be converted into words.

“I feel like such a loser! Being involved in that kind of incident is not only unable to protect everyone at all, but also makes the headmaster suffer that kind of serious injury……! I’m about to graduate. What have I learned in the last three years! I’ve been thinking about these things lately……!”

“I know how you feel. I regret it every day, too. It’s rare to find yourself saying, “I don’t regret this time of year.”

Shenfa looked up at Kufa, who answered immediately.

“Even you…….?”

“Of course ── we are imperfect creatures. We learn from our regrets and build on them through the years. We cannot do it over again, no matter how much we hope. In this case, we can only take one step at a time and encourage ourselves not to repeat the mistakes.”

Kufa put his hand on the slender shoulder of the young girl who was revered as a 「onee-sama」.

“But Miss Shenfa, as long as you have a stout heart, human beings are shining creatures. As long as you don’t give up growing, it’s never too late.”

“….”

“Your future is to begin now. Congratulations on graduation.”

Shenfa’s eyes widened in surprise, then moistened with tears. She let out a soft choking voice, and then appeared a smile several times more charming than before.

“…Thank you, sensei.”

Kufa smiled back, and she looks around in a hurry. After watching to see if junior saw her crying face, she smiled shyly again.

And then, at this point.

“Big, big trouble!”

The door was flung open and the plump nun sprinted into the Great Cathedral. The eyes of students and lectures were all focused on her. Kufa, the nearest representative, asked.

“What happened?”

“Oh, Kufa-sensei! It would be better if you were there! Yes, that’s what the guests expect! Melida Angel, come here! We have guests!”

“…. although I can predict it naturally, who is the guest?”

As if about to break through the stained glass of the Cathedral, the nun replied in a loud voice.

“It’s the father of Melida Angel…Duke Felgus Angel.”

†　†　†

It wass like a reception room that recreated that day. However, the configuration of the characters was slightly different.

First of all, behind the silver haired man sitting on the sofa in a serious atmosphere, there was only one knight of the Imperial Holy City Guard (Crest Legion) standing by. A few days after the incident, the suspect, Vigil Needs, believed to have caused the《Mask Father》uproar, was still missing.

Then on the front of the Duke was Kufa, and the blonde petite owner was curled up to his right. Trembling, she handed the heavy book in her hand to the table.

“Fa, father, look at this…. it’s the qualification of the labyrinth librarian.”

“……………”

Instead of accepting it directly, Duke Felgus looked down on the book with the title of “Melida Angel” with a solemn expression. He slowly picked up the book with a firm hand.

Melida gulped nervously, and Kufa watched the Duke with a serious look.

In the tense air, the Duke opened the first page of her book.

He frowned tightly. Under the eyebrow sending out intense vision, from top to bottom carefully observed the page.

Melida’s table of abilities, which clearly recorded【Rank: Samurai】, was undoubtedly in his sight.

“…………….”

It was difficult to see the change of his feelings from the rock-like expression. But before Melida and Kufa tried to defend themselves, The Duke said the following.

“Librarian qualification, grade five…”

Melida blinked in surprise, and The Duke closed the book in front of her.

“According to what you said, Melida should have taken the examination of 《grade six》, right?”

Duke Felgus looked sternly into the tutor’s eyes. When Kufa was trying to figure out how to respond, Melida rose from the sofa.

“A lot of accidents happened this time! It’s not sensei’s fault!”

“I heard that he suggested you take the verification examination. Ultimately, as long as he doesn’t do such a thing as inciting you, she wouldn’t have been involved in the events of the last few days. Right?”

“Wha ── what provocation? No such thing! Sensei was thinking for me!”

“Ojou-sama.”

Kufa calmly stopped the increasingly agitated blonde master.

He chose not to pick the Duke’s language problems. With seeming calm, he became emotional, and so did her father. So Kufa asked only one thing.

“What should I do that you will accept me, my Lord?”

“I come here today with only one purpose.──To follow up the last few days.”

The Duke replied concisely, clasping his hands around his chest in a dignified movement.

“So, as you say, Melida seems to be building up a solid base. But I wonder that you are a man who can be trusted or not. I hope you show me today.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s race. Finish the《three-on-one》game that hadn’t been done that day. If you win, cancel Melida’s expulsion as you wish and entrust you with the child’s education.”

Only the young lady, who only vaguely heard of the incident, looked in panic at her sensei’s face. But Kufa said the same thing in a different sense.

“Three…?”

Needless to say, there was only one female knight, Grena, behind Duke Felgus, on standby. Even with Rozetti, there were only two. To fight against the phantom?

The Duke stood up slowly and waved his cape to the ground to show the answer.

“──The third man is me. As the head of the cavalry regiment (Guild), let me see your power in person.”

“Fa, father!”

Melida’s voice changed in surprise, but Kufa’s face remained under the intense pressure of the sight from the dominant of the Family Angel.

“That’s what I want.”

“Very well──Mrs, I’m sorry to be so self-centered……..”

“If it’s about the practice place, I’ve already secured one for you.”

The nun, who was standing against the wall, being tentatively questioned by the Duke, shook her full belly and nodded at once.

She looked hastily back at the speechless Duke and continued with a resigned smile/

“I looked at all of you, and well, I thought it would come to that! Ohoho!”

Thanks to the nun’s precise observation, the stage was quickly arranged and the four knights armed with swords entered the arena of battle. It’s a traditional sandlot, sort of like a fighting arena.

In the outer stand, almost all the students and lectures of St. Frideswide who had heard of the news swarmed in. Compared with the general courses and actual combat training, watching the front-line knights’ seriously fight could become the experience value for students.

In the front row of the audience, you could see Melida herself at the beginning of story. She crossed her fingers as if in prayer, watching her sensei’s back.

To be honest, Melida couldn’t even imagine the defeat of the experienced and perfect sensei. But in terms of common sense, there was an overwhelming gap between the two sides. There were three people on the other side. They were the fearless fighter Commander of the Cavalry Regiment (Guild), the pinnacle powerful member of the Imperial Holy City Guard (Crest Legion), and the First Generation Marquis (Career Marquis) who was the sensei of the Paladin Elise Angel──

Just then. As more than three hundred people watched with bated breath, one stepped into the enemy line before the match began.「What are you doing? Come back!」 And the commander’s strong gaze did not stop her, so she approached the young man in uniform.

She took out the chakram and turned around.

Rozetti, side by side with Kufa, pointed her weapon at Felgus and Grena.

“Rozetti-san…?”

She didn’t answer. A voice of doubt and surprise same from the side and called out to the other side:

“Ano, eh, sensei! Felgus-sama! I have decided to stand here!”

“What are you talking about! Have you forgotten the warmth of His grace?”

“That’s why ── I humbly refuse!”

Rozetti’s loud voice rang through every corner of the arena.

Among the three hundred people listening to this conversation, there was also the silver haired princess of the Duke’s family. Rozetti, why still thrusting out her chakrams, continued in an unadorned voice:

“It doesn’t matter that I don’t have to shorten my time as a governess! I will lead the child until she graduates in three years!”

“…………………”

Duke Felgus, listening like a rock, stopped Grena, who was still trying to say something. As if to say that words were no longer needed, a long and stately sword was drawn from his waist.

Kufa responded by showing a sharp, smooth unsheathing hand, lowering his center of gravity with a seamless movement with Rozetti. Grena, who bit her lip, drew he sword at the end.

“Is everybody ready?”

The lecture at the trial winked at the four people who were divided on the either side. They did not answer with words, but by looking intently at their opponents. The lecture gave a steady nod.

“So the battle……────starts!”

Three of them stepped on the ground at the same time. Kufa, Rozetti, and Grena aim at the center of the field at almost the same speed. Then Felgus slowed down and stepped leisurely.

Firstly, an outpost? As soon as Kufa sprinted close, he lunged, and Grena caught him with the tip of her sword, flicking it up. It was a god-like opportunity. Rozetti immediately attacked with the chakram. But the elite knight of Imperial Holy City Guard (Crest Legion) turned her swords only by retracting her wrists, easily blocking the pursuit. There was no drag in her movements.

With the instant sound of the two metals, the three left after images passing each other.

Each fought back with their blades and their footwork as if they were digging up the ground. They bumped their weapons against each other on the back, let the blades slide and pull up. The violent sparks were scattered by friction.

Grena deliberately thrust herself into the center of the enemy’s line. As if that was the best way to cut off the other side’s cooperation, and turned the situation into a melee in which the two sides were almost on top of each other. With her right hand on the grip and her left hand on the blade, she bounced back the chakrams and the knife from both sides, and with a steely kick kicked Kufa doggedly aimed at the low kick below her knees.

The elder knight turned his back on Rozetti, who could not attack at will, and scolded her.

“You seem to be more or less out of the doldrums, but is that all it is, Rozetti? Even if this man is not easy to make my flaws, if you can’t attack deeply, it’s meaningless. You have no time to take care of yourself, how dare you say you want to lead others!”

“Why, I ──!”

“It’s time.”

The steely sound made Rossetti leap wide-eyed and backward. Then the long sword that pierces the ground spurted out a washed-up mana, flinging up the dust in glorious splendor.

Duke Felgus, who swung his blow with ease, drew back his sword and said.

“During my time here, when you failed to subdue Grena, you are doomed. “

Boom! mana ejected with unprecedented pressure, blowing the sand from the field into a circle. The sixteen-year-old tensed her cheeks and instantly assumed a pose.

The pressure of Duke Felgus was like the fortress itself. Every step he took slowly shook the sand heavily. He cut the sky with a long sword, which he wielded with one hand, and with a terrible chop sound. Rozetti could not bear it. She rolled over in an exaggerated manner, slipping through the blade slash.

Rozetti, judging her opponent to be slow, sprang to her feet and swept the chakram. The speed and pressure of the sword made people forget that it was a sword for killing. Duke Felgus maintained the posture with which he had dropped his sword, and the chakram was sucked smoothly into his body──bang!! There was a sharp metallic sound.

“… are you kidding?”

Rozetti couldn’t help but be surprised that the noise wasn’t because the attack was blocked.

It was not the sword but the left hand which rose at will that held the round blade back.

Only the sleeve of the jacket was torn, and the strong forearm that could be seen underneath was unharmed. As the master of Angel Family wrapped in the Paladin’s mana, stronger than a gauntlet, proclaimed.

“Since I took over the post of commander in chief of the Legion, there are only a few people who can hurt this skin.”

“Gu…….!”

“It’s nice to step forward, but you seem to lack a bit of research.”

Duke Felgus just pushed his arm, and Rossetti couldn’t resist. Rozetti ran around with her flexible footwork, while Duke Felgus chased her with leisurely steps and swordsmanship. It was like a squirrel against a colossus——

“Looks like it’s over. Are you going be okay with this? “

Said Grena as she stumbled over Kufa in a single, unemotional manner. She stepped forward slowly, then struck her sword three times. After the first and second strike, the third move into a sword lock.

The young man steadied his feet with the black katana of his backhand, and the lady with the glasses pressed her forehead menacingly close to the young man’s.

“You should liberate all mana now, and overthrow me recklessly, right? If Rossetti is knocked down, you won’t even have a chance of winning in one in ten thousand. Don’t you have this level of condition judgment? Or is that all you can do? “

“I will certainly make Duke Felgus agree with me──”

Kufa maintained a perfect state of confrontation, and responded in a low voice.

“But Rozetti-san can’t get your approval if I do that?”

“…… What is it like between you and Rozetti……────”

“Sorry.”

Kufa suddenly stepped forward before the end of the sentence. The ground shook and the pressure gathering in the right forearm burst from the blade. The sound of metal bounced Grena back.

“Roze!”

Rozetti, who had stooped down before the call, picked up the sand from her feet and threw it in the commander’s face. And the audience gasped, “Ah!”, she passed by the Duke Felgus. Crimson flame followed the remnants of the statue, momentarily dispersing in midair.

──It’s now or nothing!!

As Grena’s feet reach the ground, Kufa and Rossetti galloped close from the front and back in the form of a double whack. Although it was fast, it was not hard to cope with the attack interval──

As she judged, Kufa threw the black katana he had been holding in his back hand like a spear. Grena did not have time to open her eyes in amazement, but Rozetti, in the opposite direction, threw her two-handed chakram to attack. Three simultaneous attack tracked from both sides hit Grena.

“──Ku!”

The bespectacled knight opened her eyes wide and twisted her upper body with a sense of extraordinary balance. She flipped the first round of the chakram with her sword past the second shot aimed at the shoulder. A black knife swooped in from behind and crosses flank with a few drops of blood──then.

Rozetti’s palm caught the handle at the perfect moment.

“──Wha!”

“HAa!”

An immediate counterattack from the back of a black katana hit the unsuspecting flank. Grimacing in pain, Grena saw that the second chakram was lying in the young knight’s hand, which she ought to have dodged, but at once he fired his foot knife at her back.

“Guu…!”

Grena, pushed forward, was just the perfect target for a girl knight to tighten the black knife.

“Sorry, senpai!”

The blow was not so much of a hack it was like a blot to the vital point. The black katana struck straight into Grena’s heart, and the scarlet Marna burst almost at the same moment. The body of the knight was blown to the rear with astonishing vigor.

“…………………!”

Grena did not wail, but fell unconscious as she flew in the air. She crashed to the ground with a thud, her glasses poking through the sand as she slowly descended from above. The light from the training ground reflected a bright light on the glasses.

As the student became so engrossed that they forgot to speak, Kufa stood up and threw the round blade back to Rozetti.

“Nice fight.”

“Thanks, thanks to you. “

Rozetti said shyly, trembling as she returned the black knife to Kufa. They looked at each other and smiled confidently──and immediately there was a sharp wail from the audience: “Sensei!”

The two raised their weapons reflexively. It was as if the blades aimed at each other collided. A thunder-like noise and pressure sent both men crashing into the rear.

They were hit in midair for more than a dozen meters, and they managed to settle down.

They raised their stern eyes and saw that the paladin’s majesty, who was winding around great mana, was there.

“Did you knock Grena down? It seems to have the strength to talk big.”

“All right,” declared Duke Felgus, he gripped with both hands the sword he had been carrying in one hand. He placed the point of his sword in the eye, in a middle position, and lowered his weight. Like a purple electric burst, even unable to suppress the mana──

Rozetti swallowed nervously. Kuffa raised his hand slightly and added:

“You have done me a great service, Rozetti-san. I shall fight alone after that.”

“Eh, but…!”

“This opportunity would not have been possible without your assistance. I thank you.”

Being knocked against the wall, Kufa, armed with a black katana, took his steps alone. Felgus seemed to understand, and he adjusted his position a little to make room in the middle of the field.

He called to the lecture on the trial in a steely voice, who was making sure that Grena was safe.

“Could you please toe the mark of this battle again?”

The lecturer nodded and took out her trumpet. The schoolgirls in the audience gulped nervously as they watched the pressing battlefield. Melida’s clenched hands till they went white, as if in prayer.

“Headmaster-sensei.”

Then someone in the audience noticed the figure of the dean, including Melida, and the students around him looked sharply back. Accompanied by the nuns, the headmaster Blamange appeared in the arena, dressed in what might be called a medallion bandage. Looking down at everyone within sight, she said quietly.

“Are the students gathered? Let’s see what they will do.”

The head of the academy faced the two soldiers facing each other, and the students’ eyes were hurried back to them.

As if she had seen one of the few precious moments of her life, she said solemnly.

“What’s coming next is definitely one of The Best Battles in Flandre.”

Kufa bent like a wild animal and held the hilt. Duke Felgus raised the point of his sword with the majesty of the king.

The lecturer for the trial, was raising her trumpets as if in suspense──

Beginning with the loud and bright timbre, the explosive flames covered the arena.

†　†　†

“Nii-san, are you leaving home again for the time being…?”

At her house in The Flandre Holy King district, Salacha Shicksal stopped her brother, who was about to go out for a walk. Her elder brother Serge put on his overcoat for going out, and wore a simpler opera hat to suppress his brilliant temperament. Judging by the dress code, it didn’t seem social… Predictably, he turned his head in the porch and shrugged helplessly.

“Forgive me, Salacha. Once you’re a master of Knight Duke, there’s such a mountain of work and so many important things that come up that you can’t get them done. I’m going to a meeting again.”

He lowered his hat to hide his eyes, and went on.

“I used to resent my dad for not coming home, but now I know I can’t blame them. I have to get used to that stance as soon as possible.”

“… can’t Mom and Dad come back from their mission?”

Salacha came down the stairs, and Serge laid his hand quietly on his sister’s shoulder.

He put his finger on the chin of Salacha, who was accustomed to lowering her head, and naturally raised her head.

“… It’s okay. I will protect Saracha and the House of Shicksal. Don’t worry. “

“Yes…”

“Didn’t your wound matter? I heard that Vigil Needs tortured you very badly.”

The slender fingertips slid across the skin of her neck and lovingly stroked her sister’s itchy cheek.

“Yes… yes, it’s all right… But, nii-san, 《Alternite’s fountain pen》…”

“It was the plot of Vigil Needs. Was it his excessive loyalty? I had warned him not to do anything against the progressivism (Operación), especially my sisters…….. It seems that he wants to do meritorious service too much and loses his normal judgment. “

Serge leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. Salacha’s cheeks flushed slightly.

“It is a sin to torment my Salacha, and I have given him a《punishment》.”

“………..”

When Salacha did not know what to say, Serge turned away smartly. The elder brother was always like this, moving forward alone when the younger sister hesitated.

His last words were incomprehensible to Salacha.

“The New Year will be even busier. Let’s have a leisurely meal before then. It’s a celebration in advance!”

“Nii-san…….?”

“I’m looking forward to it, Sarah. Flandre is going to get the moonlight.”

Serge left his sister who stayed and watched him, and walked briskly out of the porch.

Footsteps echoed from the other side of the closed door, and soon the sound died away into the darkness.

†　†　†

In the Cardinals Academy District, on a platform shrouded in a glass canopy──

After school that day, Melida and Kufa visited the only station in the Academy District to watch the Duke and his party leaving. The busy Duke would be a few hours late for a lift, all because he was worried about the comatose knight after the battle on the arena.

“I was so weak…! I dropped my escort and fell into a coma!”

Ever since waking up in the college infirmary and arriving at the train station on time, the bobbed hair glassed knight was still lamenting her loss. Kufa addressed her in a measured voice.

“Grena-san, you have only just woken up. Is it all right?”

“No, no problem. I can no longer be a burden to the Duke…! “

She blushed more and more in shame, and then bowed straight.

“I seemed to talk too much the other day. I didn’t realize you had much confident in your ability…… I was also surprised by your power, but what surprised me most was Rozetti’s growth.”

“Rozetti-san’s?”

Grena nodded gently, showing the skin behind her, hidden under her uniform.

“It’s the《friendly fire》that why the child was temporarily suspended from the Imperial Holy City Guard (Crest Legion), and I was the victim.”

“Ouch…”

“So I fought with her again, and when she said she would fight beside you, to be honest, I was a little afraid──but I was shocked. Not because of the growth in her abilities, but because of the change in the kid’s vision. I felt I could understand a little how she felt about wanting to stay here. “

Grena straightened her back and saluted as if she were a model of Imperial Holy City Guard (Crest Legion).

“Please keep an eye on Rozetti. But I can’t believe it… after that, is it true that you even one-on-one defeated duke Felgus?”

“Well, that’s ──…………”

Kufa wanted to say no immediately, but was at a loss for an answer.

Of course, Duke Felgus didn’t deliberately went easy, nor was Kufa bent on killing in battle. But in the end, Kufa won because it was designed that way. It felt as if the Duke was trying to give Kufa a legitimate excuse.

As Kufa hesitated to convey the subtlety of this, the Duke’s voice was heard.

“Grena! Enough idle chatting, let’s get the luggage. “

“Ye, yes!”

The whip-like sound of the Duke made Grena twitch her shoulder in fright, and the lady turned reflexively. The father sighed helplessly as the young daughter darted close to his huge figure.

“Fa, father, and this… I found it at Bibliagot.”

It was a letter she had picked up accidentally in the reading-room during the verification examination. Duke Felgus took the letter with a frown. Examining it, he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“This hand writing… and there was something vaguely familiar about the article. It’s Melinoa’s…!”

“It seems to have been written more than ten years ago… From my mother to you.”

“I thought I’d lost it…”

The Duke, with a rare look of silence, turned his eyes to Melida.

Not knowing what the father was thinking, he looked away from his daughter’s direct eyes and muttered, somewhat hesitantly.

“…….. so about your rank in Labyrinth Librarian certification”

“Eh? “

“In my great-grandmother’s generation, there seemed to be a relative of rank Samurai…….I seem to have that memory.”

The Duke uttered something he did not know if she could hear, then cleared his throat twice and handed the letter to Melida.

“… You keep it.”

“Duke Felgus said at the end in a voice difficult to understand, and he turned and got on the train. Melida looked after him quietly, and then she noticed the dark crystal fairy figure coming out of the hatchway as if in turn with her father.

“Mule-san!”

Melida ran to her side and greeted her with her usual mysterious, dreamy smile.

Merida’s lips were full of questions.

“You, how did you end up in the Cardinals Academy District? You went back immediately after that, and I have many things to ask you…”

” Because Melida-chan’s eyes are still changing color as before. They’re so cute.”

Melida thought she was being teased and puffed her cheek into silence. Mule not only didn’t flinch, but also smiled funnily somewhat. Even now, her action was still fascinating.

“I’m here to meet Uncle Felgus-sama. Because of the attack by the Troops of Tomfoolery Dawn (Guild Grimhuis), the heads of the three Knights Dukes said that they would meet each other and reexamine the management system of the《gate》.”

“Ah…….”

Melida kept silent, remembering what had happened the other day at the《courthouse》.

Mule looked into Merida’s heart which was like glass and said, as if singing:

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s a carefully thought-out plan. If Melida-chan’s position remains unstable, it will only lead to unnecessary speculation. First of all, you should confirm the truth. As far as the result is concerned, it can also keep the prestige of the Angel Family. “

Melida couldn’t answer immediately. Mule seemed to smile a little lonely.

“…… You have an unbelievable look on your face. “’

Melida looked straight back at obsidian eyes and said with deep emotion:

“I want to believe.”

“…………………”

This time Mule was silent. She slowly looked away and felt inside her handbag.

“I brought a companion as a first step towards reconciliation. Will you take it?”

She said and handed Melida the magic book she remembered so well. Not sure how it would work, Melida gave a “ugh” and took two steps back.

“Ufufu, don’t be so vigilant. There are no more blank pages left in this magic book.”

“Wouldn’t that be pointless?”

“Look, Melida-chan. This magic book is meant to bring back good memories. “

Mule pressed her cheek to the side and opened the book from the middle.

What popped out of the inside was, in a word, a fine three-dimensional picture book. Without turning the pages, the book would act on its own, acting out the story with a sense of urgency.

The sight of the hedged courthouse paper art brought the book back to Melida’s mind at once.

“Isn’t that what was said then about recording trials…?”

“It’s《Manuscripts of Anders》. Don’t worry. I collected it secretly and didn’t show it to anyone. This is for you. Melida, you don’t know what happened when you fell asleep, do you? “

“Because, because everybody didn’t tell me! “

“In fact, I was also silenced… Fufu, but I don’t say it, so it doesn’t matter. “

Mule smiled mischievously and pointed to the page.

The paper artwork was about to recreate what happened between the time Melida was cursed to sleep and the time she woke up. The three princesses were brought down by strange clown masks, and a prince in a top hat came to the rescue just in time. He and the villain staged a one-on-one fight to the death, finally he defeated mask clown and saved the princess from the impasse.

“Ah, it’s sensei. “

Through the features of the paper doll, Melida immediately sensed it. Kufa and the black crystal figurine were immersed in the aftertaste of victory and run to the other princesses. He picked up the sleeping Melida doll, and the plot developed to attract the audience’s red eyes.

Then, in front of Melida’s gaze, the Kufa doll slowly drew its face closer —

「Eh? E, eh…………Eh! Eeeeeeeeeee～～～～～～～!?」

The decisive scene caught Merida’s large eyes, her cheeks dyed the same bright red as her eyes.

After enjoying the same scenes, Mule chuckled and pressed his lips to her red-faced, frozen friend’s ear as if about to kiss.

“That sensei also has his stand, so it’s better not to show it to anyone. Keep this book hidden in the back of your desk in your room… as a treasure that belongs only to Melida-chan. “

「Ha, hau……. Awawa, au……っ」

Melida unconsciously flipped the page and repeated the scene several times. When she had at last accepted that this dreamlike vision was undoubtedly taking place, her face boiled with greater intensity.

Mule’s last words to his friend, whose ability to think has been short circuited, were.

“Melida-chan is so lovely. Let’s meet another time.”

The black quartz girl turned quickly and ran up the steps of the train. Almost as if it was time, the hatches closed and the train whistled loudly.

Clickety-clack​… In her overheated state, Melida had no strength to watch the iron works of art slowly departing. Kufa, who had kept her distance as a servant, peered at her hands from behind her master.

“Ojou-sama, is that a gift from Mule-sama or something?”

“Kyaaaa!?”

Melida closed her book with the quickness of her life. The lips overlapping master-slave dolls were compressed by the pages of the book, hugging each other tightly.

With the magical book hidden behind her back, Melida looked up at her home tutor with determination.

“This, this is the secret that cannot let a teacher know anyway ~!”

“Why? Is that so… “

Somehow, feeling scolded, Kufa looked as if he was trying to hide the embarrassment by raising his finger.

“By the way, Miss. It’s late, but congratulations on passing the verification. You said you wanted a reward. What does the lady want? Anything you need. “

“～～～HMMM!”

“Bang”, Merida’s blonde hair stood. It felt like the reaction had been seen somewhere, but Kufa couldn’t remember. Melida turned her back to Kufa as if in a twist, and hugged the book tightly.

“It’s, it’s enough! I’m satisfied!”

Although Kufa didn’t remember what he did, but Melida insisted.

She covered the corners of her mouth with old, heavy books, and looked at Kufa with pleading eyes.

“Next year… when I’m closer to being a lady, I’ll bother teacher again.”

“You’re right… Let’s do it again next year.”

And next year. For the time being, he could be there to watch over her growth. Even if it was only a short period of stability, Kufa still felt his chest brimming with unspeakable happiness.

What was the true face of this sweet heat… Kufa didn’t know yet.

But he had decided to witness to the end, with the future of this incompetent gifted girl ──

Kufa watched the train move out of sight and held out his hand to the side.

“Shall we go home, ojou-sama? The after-school lessons are waiting.”

Melida held the book in one hand and, with a supreme smile, squeezed Kufa’s hand.

“Sure, sensei. I need strict instruction even today. “

The girl smiled innocently, and the youth smiled cordially.

The wind blowing across the platform signaled the beginning of a New Year.

The budding season, with the scent of fire, was coming.