Conspiracy (2)

"Are you okay? You look pretty tired."

"Ah? Yes, yes! I'm fine! I'm okay…!"

"…"

Usually, the place where I met Kaya Astrea was set.

Under the night sky, in a valley quite far from the academy grounds. The sound of the stream flowing was quite comforting.

Kaya and I were sitting side by side on a small chair, with a glowing lamp placed on a stand next to us.

I was holding a piece of parchment, explaining what would happen next and how we should proceed. In other words, I came here to talk to her.

'It should be safe since we've come this far.'

However, Kaya seemed unusually tired today.

Her head was nodding off and swaying. Today, she didn't have her usual twin tails, so her long green hair danced lightly around her head.

With deep dark circles under her eyes. It was clear she hadn't slept well.

From reading her psychology earlier, it seemed she hadn't slept all night.

She was probably fantasizing about doing all sorts of erotic things with me in her imagination. I thought it was inevitable because she didn't have any experience with a man other than me, so I turned my head back to the parchment.

After lifting my glasses, I spoke.

"The next opponent is the Priestess. More precisely, a demon hiding within the shadow of the Priestess. Currently, it's integrated with the shadow so no one can touch it, but it's also unable to do anything. It will reveal itself when the Priestess uses her full power after unleashing the Nine-tailed Fox. Oh, thank you."

Kaya offered a piece of fruit from the side, and I ate it while keeping my eyes on the parchment. She had brought the fruit in case we got hungry.

Oh, it was well-cut. Even better than her sister, Merlin.

"The Priestess of the Eastern Nation. I've only heard stories. She was the junior who competed against Isaac, right? My heart dropped hearing Isaac won against the Priestess… I wondered if you had revealed yourself."

"That's not the case. Not yet."

"Not yet…"

I ate another piece of fruit from Kaya's hand.

I hadn't told Kaya why I hadn't revealed my identity yet. I just vaguely mentioned 'there's a reason.'

Of course, there was no identity to reveal in the first place. This was just my full power.

I didn't want to reveal any of my secrets in areas beyond my control, at least until Alice was subdued…

…Even if it was the trustworthy Kaya.

The only reason I revealed most of my secrets to Dorothy was because I was caught and had no choice.

Fortunately, Kaya didn't pry too much, which was comforting. She was definitely the person who trusted me more than anyone else.

"Anyway, the demon will use the Priestess' power. And dark magic on top of that, so assume it'll be stronger than the Priestess."

"I get the gist of it. We have to stop the shadow demon and protect the people of the academy. That's why you became an honorary student council member. Being wary of insiders is a given… By the way, how strong is the Priestess?"

"About Luce's level when we were first years."

"I see…"

Kaya had set Luce Eltania as her benchmark. She was curious who would be stronger if she, who had become stronger, faced the freshman Luce.

"Ah. Isaac, this…"

"Ah, thank…"

Kaya offered another piece of fruit. I was thankful and brought my mouth to eat it.

But for some reason, the piece of fruit started moving away, and a seductive scent hit my nose, making me suspicious, so I turned my gaze towards Kaya.

Her long green hair flowed down her back. Kaya tilted her head, closing her eyes from a close distance.

Her lips awkwardly puckered, trembling nervously. She looked like someone waiting for her first kiss with her first lover.

"…"

I almost kissed her. A trap well set and with a properly calculated angle, even more shocking is that it wasn't even done by Dark Kaya. She must have gathered some courage.

It must be Dark Kaya's instigation. It looked exactly like the kind of prank she would play.

Wondering why our lips hadn't after some time, Kaya cautiously opened her eyes and our gazes met.

"What are you doing?"

An incredulous laughter escaped my mouth.

Kaya's lips puckered down. Her face quickly turned bright red like a ripe apple.

"Ack, ahh… this, uhm…!

"I-I'm sorry…!"

Kaya pulled her head back as fast as the wind and became rigid. Shame and regret washed over her when her plan failed.

But her will did not fade. With a tearful expression, Kaya turned her flushed face toward me.

"I-it's been a while since we've been alone together… It's nice… Feel free to explore my lips as much as you want, anytime, just like before…! I really don't mind at all…!"

"…"

When were we like this?

I pitied her for sloppily trying to imitate Dark Kaya's personality.

She was shamelessly seducing me, skillfully arousing my desires.

I wondered if she asked Dark Kaya to help her with those lines.

Even though they looked the same, she didn't have Dark Kaya's sexiness and assertiveness. On the contrary, she was absolutely precious.

I couldn't help but adore her either way.

"We haven't done that before."

I shook my head and replied calmly.

I drew a line. I stared at the parchment that contained our plan.

No matter what, romance was a serious matter. To defeat the Evil God, it was necessary to put romance on hold for a while.

"That's…!"

"You're the one I trust the most."

"What?"

I took off my glasses and wiped them on the hem of my shirt.

I spoke with a hint of anxiousness from not having seen each other in a while, and a touch of honesty.

"I'll miss you after we graduate from the academy, so don't be sad that we don't see each other often."

Kaya's eyes widened even more. She jerked her head abruptly, straightening her back.

Her green hair floated like it had been charged with static electricity. Even her thoughts seemed to have stopped.

I don't know what will happen after defeating the Evil God.

Will I stay in this world or return to my original one?

But I knew I would miss this girl. That was how much Kaya meant to me.

"Ah, huh…? Uhhh…?"

Kaya's face turned bright red like she was about to burst.

Her eyes trembled, and her body fluttered like her eyes.

I was getting flustered, so I looked at Kaya and smiled awkwardly.

"Well, anyway…"

"Heee…!"

Pooong.

It seemed my smile unintentionally delivered the final blow, as Kaya finally burst out. It was as if fireworks were going off over her bright red head.

Suddenly, her body went limp and she fell back.

Unable to withstand the intense wave of embarrassment, she fainted.

"…Huh?"

I was flustered.

I know she's isn't used to men, but to this extent…?

"What? Kaya, are you okay?! Wake up! Hey!"

The situation looked serious.

I rushed to the collapsed Kaya.

I shook her shoulders and yelled at her repeatedly.

Kaya closed her eyes with a happy smile on her face as if she had no care in the world.

She was 18 years old.

* * *

"Pierre, did you finish the homework?"

"Are you free today? Do you want to hang out?"

"Pierre, can you help me with this? I can't understand it~."

Lunchtime. Orphin Hall of the Magic Department, Classroom B.

If you were to pick the most popular male student among the first-year students of the Magic Department, everyone would think of the same person.

Pierre Flanche. A handsome man with fine beige hair and mysterious light green eyes. He was one of Alice Carroll's subordinates, the Clover Paladin.

He always had a thoughtful smile like Alice.

And was close to the students thanks to his sociability.

He was also very skilled in magic and was in the running to become the student council president.

He was particularly popular with the freshmen girls, having a popularity comparable to Professor Fernando Frost. The girls were divided into two factions, the cool-headed Fernando faction and the thoughtful Pierre faction.

Every break time, female students flocked around the Clover Paladin, Pierre. And with his pleasant demeanor, he kindly treated each one of them, winning their favor.

"Why are you so busy, Pierre? I really want to repay you for teaching me before. Do you really not have time today? Huh?"

A female student asked flirtatiously, placing her hand on Pierre's broad shoulder.

Pierre gently brushed her hand away and gave her a big smile.

"Yeah, I can't today. I'm sorry."

"Oh my, no! Don't be sorry, Pierre. Just tell me when you're free. Uhu."

Just seeing Pierre's face made the female student giggle with delight.

The jealous stares of the boys landed on Pierre.

'So annoying.'

Everything felt cumbersome for Pierre.

He didn't feel any attraction to any of the girls here. The vast age gap made him feel like they were all children.

Having those kids cling to him and talking to him every day only filled him with irritation and disgust. Pierre was not the type who enjoyed playing with children.

"Girls, I need to go to the bathroom."

Pierre flashed his handsome smile and stood up. The girls excitedly made space for him, nodding eagerly with flushed faces.

Pierre walked out of the classroom. But he found the affectionate gazes from the female students wherever he went, making him uncomfortable.

"Tsk."

He clicked his tongue quietly so no one could hear him.

He was an outsider who came to Märchen Academy to slay the Black Monster. It was essential for him to blend into the academy, create allies, and drive out or assassinate the Black Monster. Good social relations were crucial.

However, as expected, it was boring and troublesome.

He sometimes thought about living like the Heart Paladin, Shera Hectorica.

But he was worried it would offend Queen Alice, so he had no choice but to be careful with his actions.

"…"

Pierre made his way to an outside shelter. And he spotted a boy passing through the outdoor corridor.

Silver-blue hair. Round glasses. It was the second year, Isaac.

Pierre shook his head.

Isaac was the one who one-sidedly defeated Priestess Miya during the duel evaluation.

The way he fought was hot enough to boil Pierre's desire for battle.

It was surprising that a student from the Magic Department, who dreamt of becoming a wizard, would display such a combat style. Isaac's duel remained in Pierre's mind even a week after the duel evaluations had ended.

Even as he walked down the corridor, he never removed the magic tool from his hand. He found him amazing, seeing him not waste even a little bit of his time.

'I want to fight him.'

Will his combat style work on me? Will I be able to defend myself against him?

Pierre had been curious about this since the duel evaluation.

'Moreover, that man is…'

The one Queen Alice suspected was the Black Monster. A target under Queen Alice's covert operations.

Eventually, Pierre couldn't resist secretly investigating Isaac. Various pieces of information about Isaac had been forming in Pierre's mind.

He rummaged through information on Isaac. Then, suddenly, one thought crossed Pierre's mind.

'What if I corner him?'

Not just for a duel.

What if I gave him a reason to fight 'sincerely' and at the same time see if he was the Black Monster?

Will that be okay?

'Yeah, that would be fine.'

Although there was a personal motive, ultimately, everything was for the Kingdom. Isaac, that man, was suspected to be one of the obstacles.

So, it shouldn't matter. Pierre thought of a justification to fight Isaac.

That man would never dream of it. The fact that Pierre himself was a follower of Alice Carroll and the Clover Paladin.

Sneer.

Pierre withdrew his gaze from Isaac and hastened his steps. For the first time since he entered the academy, a sincere smile lingered on his lips.

A passing male student saw this and was startled, keeping his distance. He turned his gaze away, pretending not to see him.

* * *

I sneaked a glance.

I immediately noticed that the Clover Paladin was staring at me.

A quick glance at his psychology let me know that he was planning a silly scheme against me.

'If that's the case.'

…I'll use it against him.