[25.6] Always Plan for Your Crimes

The Headmaster stared at my desperate eyes then back at my mother. After a long time, he let out a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair, "Fine."

We both looked at him in confusion, "Fine?"

He nodded slowly, "I won't undo the spell."

My eyes lit up, "Really?"

He looked away awkwardly, "To be precise, necromancy can't be undone. I would have to kill this woman and I… I can't kill an innocent person."

I let out a sigh of relief.

He glanced at me, "But you must be punished for using dark magic."

My mouth dropped, "That's bullsh*t! I didn't do anything wrong!"

My mother stepped over to me and wagged her finger at me sternly, "Reika Marlow! You listen to your father! If he says you have to be punished, then you have to accept your punishment."

I lowered my head with a remorseful expression, "Y-Yes ma'am…"

The Headmaster's eyes widened, "M-Marlow?!"

My mother paused and looked at him with an innocent look in her eyes, "T-That's right. Marlow…"

She looked over at me and whispered, "It is Marlow, right? I didn't pronounce it wrong?"

The Headmaster cleared his throat and looked away, "It's correct… I was just… Surprised that you called her by my last name and not yours."

She grinned at him with a warmth that only came from genuine affection, "Of course, I did. That's because you're her father. You gave her your last name, so why wouldn't I use it?"

His body stiffened up.

She continued unabashed by his apparent embarrassment, "Also, I don't have a last name. I only recently received a first name after I made it into this country."

He stared at her speechlessly, "Ah…"

As he stared at her silently, the uncomfortable silence only made her smile more, "..."

"..."

"..."

Zephyr and I looked between the two who seemed to be having a quiet showdown.

Finally, the Headmaster spoke, "So you intend to take Reika back from me?"

She tilted her head, "Why would I do that?"

His face stiffened, "Because she claims you are her mother... Wouldn't it make sense for her to return to you?"

Della laughed, "You make me seem like a child napper. No, I won't take her away. A girl needs a father in her life and I know just how special you are to her."

"Then-"

"Also, I don't have a house or a job so there is no way I can properly care for her. We definitely need your financial help."

"..."

"Don't worry, I still intend on being in her life and helping you out with her." A bright smile crossed her face, "I think they call this kind of thing… Co-parenting?"

He froze, "C-Co-parenting!?"

Zephyr cut in, "Oi. Idiots. I hate to ruin such a sweet moment, but that woman still reeks of necromancy. You can't just pretend she wasn't resurrected."

The Headmaster frowned, "That's true. It will be easy for familiars and magic to detect that she is a soul possessing a body through dark magic."

I lowered my head, "...Sorry."

The Headmaster pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh, "Stay here."

He disappeared using teleportation, then suddenly appeared again a few minutes later. He took out a cloth and undid it, revealing a ring with a stone. He held out his hand to Della, "Hand."

She blushed and held her hand out.

He slipped the ring on her finger, "This is a relic designed to hide any trace of magic. As long as you wear it, no one will know your soul was forcefully placed in this body using necromancy. Even though I hate giving my precious relics away, for Reika I would-"

He suddenly froze upon seeing Della's crimson cheeks, "-Why do you look like that?!"

She blushed even more.

I chuckled, "You put it on her ring finger."

He froze, stiffening up so much he resembled an actual snowman, "I-I did not know- I didn't mean-"

She took away her hand and stared at the ring with dreamy eyes, "How lovely."

The Headmaster spoke quickly, "It wasn't intentional! I just- I! Listen!"

She ignored him and walked over to me to show me, "Look, Reika! Isn't it wonderful?"

I nodded quickly, "It could use a few more diamonds, but it isn't bad."

The Headmaster panicked even more as we ignored him, "I wasn't proposing! I wasn't even thinking about that! H-Hey! Are you two ignoring me?!"

Della giggled, "I never thought I would get married in this life! It feels like a dream come true!"

I smiled, "You aren't married yet. You have to wait until the ceremony."

The Headmaster's expression darkened, "Ceremony?!"

She nodded, "Oh, it's going to take a long time to plan. I've always wanted a grand ceremony at the most expensive location and with the best musicians around. Ooh! And offer hundreds of foods and several varieties of wine!"

I grinned, "We can even invite the entire kingdom."

The Headmaster broke out into a cold sweat, "W-Wait! Hold on a second!"

Della finally broke down and laughed. She turned to the Headmaster with a grin, "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Marlow. We were just teasing you. I know it's not a real proposal."

He paused, "A-Ah… You knew..."

I looked at him closely and snickered, "You don't have to look so disappointed."

He frowned, "I'm not."

Della sniffled pitifully, "Am I not good enough for such a great person like you?"

"N-No! You are! It's just-" The Headmaster quickly tried to think of something to say, but was interrupted by her laughter.

She smiled at him charmingly, "S-Sorry… I couldn't help myself."

He let out a groan and pinched the bridge of his nose, "Like mother like daughter."

Zephyr raised his hand, "Oi. Idiots. This only solves the problem of necromancy. What about the body-snatching?! They know this woman was a prisoner and won't mistake her just because she's at the Headmaster's side."

We all froze, "..."

Zephyr frowned, "You forgot about that too, didn't you?"

The Headmaster looked away with a frown, "That is the main issue, of course… I can try to disguise her, but… It won't work against my brother or even Captain Lou."

I asked, "Do you have any other relics that could disguise her?"

He shook his head, "I don't. Relics are extremely rare and most of them had already been destroyed by you… Did you have any plans? Surely you weren't going to just use necromancy and then figure out a solution."

I looked at my feet with a frown, "I… I originally planned on leaving the Kingdom…"

The Headmaster paused, "Oh…"

I bit down on my lip.

By the tone of his voice, I could tell he was hurt.

Zephyr looked at all of our grim expressions, "None of you have any ideas?"

Our silence gave away our lack of ideas.