Chapter 7: Telepathy

At the eastern edge of the academy grounds, within a grove of miscellaneous trees planted near the iron fence encircling the premises.

Having narrowly escaped from the venue, the group hid their breaths in the darkness of the grove.

“Phew… For now, it seems we’ve somehow managed to shake them off…”

“This is bad. It looks like everyone within the academy is under the control of the [Demonic Melodies].”

While hiding in the shadows of the foliage, Christoph peered out to observe the situation beyond the grove.

Outside, academy personnel with vacant, doll-like expressions roamed incessantly.

“The academy grounds are now completely Zayd’s domain.”

Despite being so far away, Christoph grimaced as the faint but unmistakable sound of the [Demonic Melodies] reached his ears. It clearly wasn’t just ordinary sound.

“What do we do? Should we… escape from the academy grounds toward the town?”

“…No, it seems the power of the [Demonic Melodies] played by the orchestra, now fully under its control, is exponentially stronger than before.”

Recalling the moment his magic was instantly sealed by the [Demonic Melodies], Albert spoke.

“If we let his [Cursed Night Orchestra] loose outside the town, everyone in Fejite would fall under his control in an instant, leading to a complete checkmate. There’s no path for us in a place filled with people.”

“So, to settle things with him, it has to be here, within the academy grounds, huh…”

Bernard furrowed his brow, his expression grim.

“But as long as that [Demonic Melodies] reaches us, nearly all our magic is sealed. For now, the mental defenses we applied before storming the venue are still holding… but it’s only a matter of time. If we don’t act quickly, we’ll soon have our subconscious hijacked by the [Demonic Melodies].”

“…Hmph. In other words, no point in overthinking it.”

Re=L clanged her greatsword onto her shoulder and began striding out of the grove.

“…I’m charging in!”

“Don’t.”

The moment Re=L stepped from the darkness into the moonlight, Albert reached out and grabbed her tail-like ponytail…

With a yank! Her light body was pulled back into the bushes like a yo-yo, whooshing back in!

“W-Wait… they didn’t see us, right!? That was safe, wasn’t it!? Right!?”

“N-No… by some stroke of luck, it seems we’re fine… but that was close…”

Bernard and Christoph, their faces tense, wiped cold sweat from their brows in relief.

Despite the precarious situation…

“Sniff… hic… ugh…”

In a spot a little ways off, Rumia was stifling her voice, quietly shedding tears.

“H-Hey, don’t cry…”

“Rumia…”

Seeing Rumia like this, Glenn and Sistine could only flounder helplessly.

“I get that you’re upset about the ball being ruined after looking forward to it, but…”

“…That’s not it. It’s my fault… It’s all my fault…”

“Huh?”

“The truth is… I had a vague feeling. I knew Sensei was hiding something from me… that behind the scenes of the ball, he was probably doing something for our sake…”

The moment Rumia whispered this through her tears, Glenn froze, dumbfounded.

“But… I leaned into it. I pretended not to notice… I thought, Sensei will handle it like he always does. If he wasn’t telling me anything, then it must be fine, it’s not my place to interfere, and that’s okay…”

“Rumia… you…”

“Because!”

Rumia looked up at Glenn desperately, her tear-soaked eyes pleading.

“I was… I was so looking forward to it…! Even though Sensei forcibly dragged me into it, I was still excited for today…! It was a dream I’d admired since I was a child… I just couldn’t let it go…! Even if something was going on, I wanted to believe Sensei would handle it… I wanted to believe that…!”

Glenn could only gaze silently at the sobbing girl confessing her heart.

“I’m… a disowned princess… I could be cast out of this country at any moment… or killed by an enemy organization… So, I wanted to live without regrets, so that when that time comes, I could smile and say, It was short, but it was a wonderful life… I just wanted memories… with Sensei, with Sistie, with Re=L… with everyone in the class… I wanted treasures that would shine in my heart…”

Rumia’s anguished monologue left everyone present speechless.

“But… I wasn’t even allowed to wish for that… I’m sorry… everyone, I’m so sorry…! Because I selfishly wanted those things… even though I vaguely noticed something off about Sensei, if I had confronted him properly… the ball might have been ruined, but this wouldn’t have happened…! It’s my fault… my selfishness caused this… everyone… the whole class… sniff… hic…”

Her tear-streaked, sobbing form—

It was nothing extraordinary. She wasn’t the usual transcendent, saint-like Rumia.

She was just a young girl, appropriate for her age.

“Rumia… you…”

“…”

At Rumia’s heartfelt outpouring, Sistine and Re=L lowered their eyes sadly.

“…Idiot.”

Glenn placed a hand on Rumia’s head with a gentle pat.

“You’re underestimating how stubborn I can be. Even if you had confronted me during the ball… I would’ve played dumb until the very end. That’s what I decided in my heart.”

“S-Sensei…?”

“Besides… you were looking forward to the ball, right? You didn’t want it interrupted, right? What’s wrong with that? If it’s a sin for a kid to want something so normal… then this world is insane. It can burn.”

Smiling softly, Glenn spoke kindly.

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m on your side. Even if the whole world turns against you… I’ll be the one who stays by your side. You know, because of your upbringing and the fact that you’re targeted, you always try too hard to act mature and understanding…”

“…!?”

“It’s fine to be a little selfish sometimes. Besides, you’re not at fault—not one bit. You should be angry at us adults for our incompetence and the enemy’s lack of tact… So, stop crying… You don’t need to feel responsible for anything…”

“S-Sensei… u-ugh… waaaaah…!”

Rumia clung to Glenn, crying like a small child.

“…Ha, she acts mature, but she’s still a kid.”

Glenn gently stroked Rumia’s head…

And then.

“Man, getting clung to by a beautiful girl like that? I’m so jealous I could die! Can I shoot him? Hey, can I shoot him?”

“Bernard-san… read the room…”

Christoph, with a wry smile, calmed Bernard, who was half-seriously aiming his gun at Glenn with a deadpan stare.

Turning to Bernard and the others, Glenn declared boldly.

“Alright, you lot. Let’s do this! Our princess here wants a happy ending, yeah? We’ll take down Zayd without harming a single one of the controlled people.”

“Tch! Always showing off in front of cute girls! What a sleaze!”

“Hahaha, you make it sound so easy, Senpai. Do you get it? We’re already deep in the enemy’s trap. How exactly are we pulling this off?”

But both Bernard and Christoph wore expressions that said they already knew the answer.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Conveniently, the enemy’s using a strategy similar to a certain someone’s… So, we know exactly what to do.”

Glenn then turned to Albert, who had been silently standing with his arms crossed.

“Oi, let’s do this, Albert.”

“No objections.”

And so, the two began a peculiar exchange that seemed incomprehensible to those watching.

“So, where do we start?”

“From atop the Grendel Clock Tower in southeast Fejite, you can see almost the entire academy grounds. Considering the estimated range of the [Demonic Melodies] based on its sound properties, and factoring in the time it’ll take to move from our current location, that’s the most realistic spot.”

“Then I’ll take the northern Forest of the Lost. Probably somewhere on the southern slope of Mount Austras. You should be able to see it from your side. The issue is the distance—but can you handle it?”

“…Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Haha, fair enough.”

“In this situation, the best partner would be… Fibel. I’m borrowing her. Is she up to it?”

“Who do you think you’re talking to? She’s my prized student.”

Glenn grinned confidently, while Albert gave a curt snort.

“Looks like… the plan’s set.”

“Right. We’ll focus on backing Glenn-san and the others with everything we’ve got.”

“Hmph. I don’t really get it, but…”

Bernard and Christoph nodded knowingly, while Re=L tilted her head in confusion.

“W-Wait, me too…? Hold on, what are you all even planning…?”

Sistine, completely lost, blinked in bewilderment.

Glenn placed his hands on her shoulders, looking at her earnestly.

“Listen, White Cat. We’re—”

But just as Glenn was about to explain, it happened.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

A horde of puppets finally stormed into the grove where Glenn and the others were hiding—

And charged straight toward them.

“Tch—They won’t even give us time to strategize!?”

“W-What? Huh?”

“Listen up, White Cat, pay attention! You’re going with Albert! And—”

“Now… where do you think you’re escaping to…?”

Zayd strolled leisurely through the academy’s school building at night. Surrounding him, the orchestra, instruments at the ready, played the [Demonic Melodies] as they followed.

Drawn by the sound, students from the academy gathered one after another.

It was a grotesque scene, like the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons from eastern legends.

Every human controlled by the [Demonic Melodies] was Zayd’s limbs, eyes, and hostages.

The effective range of the [Demonic Melodies] covered the entire academy grounds.

No matter what tricks they tried, there was no escaping, no winning. If they fled to the town, it would be even better for him—he’d control everyone there for a total victory.

And then, Zayd’s eyes caught a certain group in the northern part of the grounds.

From the other side of the main school building, a faint clamor reached his ears.

Through the vision of the controlled humans, Zayd saw Glenn and his group, with Rumia in tow, running frantically…

“Oh? The north… planning to escape into the Forest of the Lost? Smarter than fleeing to the town, I’ll give them that… but how pathetic, clinging to such futile resistance.”

Zayd raised his conductor’s baton.

Guided by his gesture, the humans following him changed their course.

Glenn, Re=L, Bernard, and Christoph formed a protective square around Rumia, racing north through the academy’s paths.

Occasionally, humans controlled by Zayd appeared, lunging at them with beast-like agility in sporadic attacks—

“Haaa—!”

Glenn, while running, grabbed an attacking student’s arm, tripped them, and sent them rolling…

“There, there. Sorry, young folks.”

Bernard used flash-step to slip behind a student, delivering a light chop to their neck to gently knock them out…

“Out of my way.”

Re=L casually shoved a student with one hand, sending them flying with a whoosh.

“Zayd’s noticed us! He’s coming after us!”

Christoph focused on the detection barrier he’d set up around the academy grounds before the ball began, monitoring the enemy’s movements.

With most magic sealed, Christoph’s pre-set detection barrier was their only lifeline.

“Got it! What about Albert and White Cat!?”

Dodging a student’s punch and tripping them, Glenn shouted.

“The enemy’s target is solely the princess. Albert-san and the others are off their radar. They’ve just escaped the academy grounds without issue!”

“Nice! That’s a relief! Keep monitoring, Christoph!”

Exchanging words, Glenn and the others pressed on, racing toward the northern Forest of the Lost…

“Haa… haa… W-What are you all…?”

Rumia, struggling to keep up while gasping for breath, asked.

“Sorry, no time to explain in detail.”

Running alongside her, Christoph apologized sincerely.

“But please, trust us. Trust Glenn-san, Albert-san… and us.”

“Christoph… san…?”

“We did use you, it’s true. You probably can’t trust us. But Bernard-san and I owe a great debt to your mother, Queen Alicia VII. Our desire to protect you, even at the cost of our lives, is genuine. So—”

Resigned to rejection, Christoph appealed earnestly to Rumia.

“…I understand. I trust you.”

“!”

Rumia’s unexpected response made Christoph’s eyes widen.

“I trust Sensei. And Sensei trusts you, Christoph-san, and the others. So why wouldn’t I trust you?”

Christoph stared at Rumia’s profile, stunned for a moment—

“…So alike.”

“Huh?”

“No, it’s nothing. Of course, you’re her daughter… It’s only natural.”

He murmured with a faint smile—then it happened.

Christoph sensed an unsettling reaction through the barrier connected to his subconscious.

“…They’re here.”

His gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a warrior’s resolve.

“West, 400 meters! Three enemy signatures heading straight for us! At this rate, they’ll reach tactical engagement range in about two minutes!”

“Hah, here they come! Right on cue!”

While knocking out four students who lunged at him with graceful hand chops, Bernard shouted.

“Sorry, Rumia-chan! This is where we part ways for now!”

Bernard, Christoph, and Re=L broke away from Glenn and Rumia, charging west toward the approaching threat.

“I’m counting on you, old man! Don’t overdo it! Just stall them!”

“I got it, ya whippersnapper! Don’t act like you’re worried about me! And if you let Rumia-chan get even a scratch, I’ll deck you later!”

“Rumia-san! Follow Glenn-senpai’s orders! It’ll be fine! That guy’s unreliable most of the time, and even in a pinch, but when it’s really down to the wire, he gets it done!”

“…Glenn. Please… protect Rumia… I’ll do my best too.”

And so.

Glenn and Rumia pressed deeper north—into the Forest of the Lost.

While Bernard, Christoph, and Re=L faced the threat approaching from the west.

As the scenery blurred past like a raging torrent—

Sistine, her heart pounding with near-bursting tension, raced toward a certain destination, soaring through Fejite’s night sky.

Black Magic [Rapid Stream].

A spell that cloaked the user in fierce winds, explosively enhancing mobility.

This technique, reportedly favored by Sera Silvers—former Special Missions Executive Number 3, 《The Empress》 of the Imperial Court Mage Corps—outshone even military-grade magic. Taught to Sistine by Glenn with utmost priority, she used it to soar between buildings—

Kicking off a building to leap, she reactivated [Rapid Stream], enveloping herself in a gust to propel forward like a bullet.

Landing feet-first on a wall rushing toward her from the right, she ran a few steps along it, and as her speed faltered, she reactivated [Rapid Stream], cloaking herself in wind to leap forward again.

As gravity pulled her down and the road below loomed closer at high speed—she reactivated [Rapid Stream], gliding half-floating along the ground with the renewed gust—

And with another reactivation of [Rapid Stream] for pursuit.

Sistine’s body, skimming the ground, shot upward into the night sky—

“Eek!?”

Weightlessness enveloped her, the ground far below.

The next building approached at breakneck speed, and she landed on its roof.

Immediately reactivating [Rapid Stream], she launched herself back into the sky, propelling forward—

“W-W-W-What!?”

Even Sistine herself paled at the reckless, bizarre, and utterly absurd movements—a superhuman feat enabled by the continuous activation of Black Magic [Rapid Stream], a high-speed three-dimensional maneuver technique.

Known in the Imperial Army as [Gale Kick], it was a ludicrous technique where the user propelled themselves with self-generated wind explosions for rapid movement.

It didn’t allow true flight, had abysmal efficiency, lacked precision, and was unusable indoors. But in areas with dense footholds like buildings and open terrain, its mobility far surpassed mere physical enhancement.

However, a single misstep in control could lead to crashing into a wall or being ground into the pavement, resulting in instant death.

“Hii—!? Kyaaaaah!?”

Sure enough, Sistine mistimed a [Rapid Stream] reactivation, losing speed and plummeting headfirst toward the ground—

“Calm down.”

At that moment, a roaring gust erupted.

Just as Sistine was about to crash, Albert, also using [Gale Kick], swooped in, catching her in a horizontal embrace to save her.

“…Don’t lose your breathing rhythm. Focus solely on regulating your Mana Biorhythm.”

“Y-Yes… I’m sorry…!”

Regaining the rhythm of [Gale Kick], Sistine broke away from Albert.

Countless buildings blurred past like a torrent once more.

“B-But! Why are we doing something this dangerous to get away from the academy!? While Sensei and the others are fighting… we’re just running away…!”

Gliding alongside Albert, Sistine shouted accusingly.

“We’re not running. We’re heading to take down the enemy.”

“S-Sorry! I don’t understand what you mean!?”

After splitting from Glenn’s group and rushing into town, escaping the range of the [Demonic Melodies], this was their course. Racing through Fejite’s streets with [Gale Kick], Sistine and Albert were now decisively far from Glenn and the others.

It felt utterly hopeless—

(To begin with, how could someone like me possibly be of any use to Albert-san—)

As if sensing Sistine’s anxiety.

“…Have confidence, Fibel. You’re stronger than you think.”

Albert said dismissively, without even glancing at her.

“For example, this [Gale Kick]—how many in the Imperial Army do you think can use it properly?”

“…Huh!? It’s that difficult of a technique!?”

“Even with your natural talent for wind magic, to pull it off to this degree just from my on-the-spot guidance is something to be proud of. That’s exactly why I chose you.”

“…B-but! Where in the world are we even heading!?”

“That.”

What appeared before Sistine’s eyes was—

A clock tower, piercing the heavens of Fejite, soaring high into the sky—

“We’re going to climb that with [Gale Kick]. You should be able to do it now.”

“Eeeehhh—!? That!?”

“Be careful, Fibel. If you mess up controlling [Gale Kick] this time, you’ll plummet straight to the ground. Even I might not be able to save you then.”

“H-Hiii, no way…!? Argh, fine! I’ll do it!”

Shaking her pale face side to side,

Sistine reactivated [Gale Kick], dashed up the approaching wall on her left in one go, and soared back into the air—

“Fuhahahahahahahaha! Where do you think you’re escaping to!?”

In the pitch-black darkness of the forest, a booming laugh echoed from behind. The presence of countless pursuers closed in.

The tune of the [Demonic Melodies], relentlessly chasing them, reverberated among the forest trees—

“Tch—!?”

Driven by it, Glenn, with Rumia in tow, raced through the forest.

As always, Glenn’s magic was sealed.

The situation had completely turned into a manhunt.

“Damn it…! They’re gradually tightening the encirclement…”

Glenn kept glancing at his pocket watch repeatedly.

“Just a bit longer…! Will we make it…!?”

Feeling the pursuers’ presence drawing closer, spurred by impatience, Glenn ran frantically through the Forest of the Lost—

“Haa… haa… S-Sensei…!”

Rumia’s anxious, wavering eyes turned toward Glenn.

“It’s okay…! Trust me… and trust them…!”

Despite the situation, Glenn’s strong eyes and words, carrying a sense of reassurance, made Rumia entrust herself to him—

It was hell.

An ultra-low-temperature blizzard raged, and scorching explosions of superheated flames roared.

Fists flashing with lightning clashed head-on with a massive, heavy greatsword.

A fiery storm swirled—only to be blocked by a wall of light.

“Tch, these guys…!”

“Re=L, you’re too far forward! Fall back!”

“Got it. Charging in! Iyaaaaaaaaaah—!”

The three who had split off from Glenn’s group—Bernard, Christoph, and Re=L—were facing—

“Fuhahahahaha—! Not bad! You’re Re=L《The Chariot》, right!? Interesting! You’re exactly the kind of opponent I wanted to fight—!”

“Haaaaaaaaaaa—!”

Seth, his severed arm replaced with a massive steel gauntlet, met Re=L’s storm-like greatsword head-on, their blades and fists clashing repeatedly, shaking the air and shattering the ground with the shockwaves.

“Ufufu♪ An unexpectedly quick reunion, huh♪ Christoph-sama♥ I missed you☆ As expected, you and I are bound by ☆fate♪”

“Don’t… mess with me!”

Glacia, still wearing her broken smile and cloaked in a ferocious blizzard,

made the defensive barrier Christoph had set up with his dwindling magical tools creak under her overwhelming cold—

And then.

“Oraaaa—! Eve-chan, what’re you doing!? Getting caught up in the enemy’s [Demonic Melodies] so easily—!?”

“……”

Eve, dominated by the enemy’s [Demonic Melodies] and turned into a puppet, wielded her immense fire magic—

“Tch—!”

Bernard’s godlike quick-draw shots of [Counterspell Bullets] neutralized Eve’s fire magic one after another.

Both Christoph and Bernard had their chanting-based magic sealed.

This was because the [Demonic Melodies] disrupted the third step of the Quint Action—the five stages of magical activation: Concentration, Spelling, Intervention, Startup, and Open—specifically the Intervention phase.

However, magical tools have their Intervention phase completed during creation. Moreover, they use a temporary [Pseudo-Capacity Subconscious Domain]. Thus, while magical tools are unaffected by Glenn’s [Fool’s World], which seals the fourth step, they are effective against the [Demonic Melodies].

Christoph and Bernard were consuming their prepared magical tools to set up barriers and activate magic, fending off the enemy’s ferocious assault in this critical moment, but…

(But… at this rate…)

(We won’t last long…!)

Magical tools, after all, could only perform predetermined functions at predetermined power levels.

Unlike chanted spells, they couldn’t be modified on the spot or powered up by pouring in vast amounts of mana with sheer willpower. Their numbers were limited, and once depleted, it was over.

And so—

“Ahahaha♪ Ahahahaha♪ What’s wrong♪ What’s the matter♪ You’re ☆so much weaker compared to earlier, Christoph-sama♥ Oh, I get it☆ You can’t bring yourself to seriously attack your beloved me♪ Ohh♪ I can really, really ☆feel your love♪”

“…Tch!?”

Facing Glacia’s freezing aura and the manipulated Eve’s scorching heat, Christoph and Bernard were being pushed back relentlessly.

Fortunately, Glacia’s magic had a known weakness, and her fire-based ally Eve was a terrible match for coordination, allowing Christoph and Bernard to exploit the gaps with their high-level teamwork to hold out—but they were steadily losing ground.

In a situation where magic was sealed, the most reliable person was—

“Iyaaaaaaaaaaaaa—!”

“Fuhahaha! Yes, yes! This is the kind of fight I wanted to enjoy—!”

At a distance from Bernard and the others, Seth and Re=L were engaged in an epic brawl, creating their own bizarre world of excitement.

“…Those muscle-brained idiots…!”

“Haha…”

Bernard fired his thawed musket, shooting down approaching ice swords.

Christoph unfurled a scroll, deploying a barrier to block the flames.

“Honestly… another close-call battle, huh…”

“It’s just business as usual, isn’t it? But… it’ll be over soon.”

“No doubt.”

Bernard and Christoph exchanged fearless grins back-to-back, facing their enemies once more.

And then—

“Yaaaaaaa—!”

“Hmph!”

The clash of Re=L’s greatsword and Seth’s fist, striking with exceptional force, resounded loudly into the night sky.

Glenn and Rumia pressed northward through the forest, racing up the mountain slope.

Albert and Sistine sped toward the top of the clock tower.

Bernard, Christoph, and Re=L desperately held back the approaching enemies.

And—the battle finally reached its climax—

—.

Byugo, byugo, byugo—

The clock tower, the closest point to the sky in Fejite—its very top.

In that place, with fierce night winds howling and the moon at their backs,

Sistine clung to the sharply angled roof, trembling with fear—

The cold wind made her skirt flutter, and though she tried to hold it down,

“Hyah!?”

She nearly slipped, hastily grabbing the roof again.

She had no choice but to give up on her skirt.

“A-Albert-san!? Bringing me to a dangerous place like this… what exactly are we going to do!?”

Albert, meanwhile, stood confidently at the edge of the roof, his robe and long hair whipped by the wind, gazing sharply into the distance.

They were now far from Glenn and the others.

Looking out, the town below seemed like the bottom of a pitch-black deep sea. Ahead, far in the distance near the horizon, where the night blended into the earth, a few small lights—likely from the academy—were faintly visible.

How far were they from the academy? Three thousand… no, at least four thousand meters.

From a place like this, helping Glenn or Rumia seemed utterly impossible.

The moment Sistine’s heart sank,

Albert said—

“—We’ll snipe.”

He said something unbelievable.

“Wha—!?”

Sistine’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief.

She was so stunned she nearly slipped and fell off the roof.

“S-Snipe… the enemy!? From here!? With magical sniping!?”

“Exactly. But at this distance, even if they have magical defenses, aiming for the head or heart might not be fatal. So, I’ll target Zayd’s right hand—the conductor’s baton.”

—What is this man even talking about?

At this distance, in this darkness, aiming for such a tiny target… sniping.

Sistine could no longer comprehend Albert as a person.

“I confirmed earlier. Zayd is controlling the orchestra with that baton. It’s a magical artifact. If we destroy it, Zayd will lose control of the orchestra… and be neutralized.”

“Th-that… might be true, but… a baton? How are you going to hit something that small from this far away…?”

“Fibel. You’ll be my eyes.”

“—!?”

Albert’s unexpected words left Sistine frozen in shock.

“At this distance, in this darkness, with such a small target… I need to focus all my subconscious on controlling the snipe. I don’t have the leeway to activate farsight magic simultaneously. Form a temporary contract to become my familiar, Fibel, and synchronize your vision with mine. With your farsight magic for sniping observation, I’ll—shoot him.”

“N-No way…”

“There was no time to plan the details of the sniping, but at the very least, Glenn should be luring Zayd into the Forest of the Lost north of the academy. You need to find Zayd in that forest and lock onto him with your eyes. I know it’s an unreasonable demand. But do it.”

“Im…possible… I can’t do something like that…! I mean, the Forest of the Lost to the north… all we know is that he’s somewhere around there, right—!?”

Sistine trembled, cold sweat dripping as she shook in fear.

“How am I supposed to find an enemy in that forest, in this darkness, from this far away!? With my farsight magic and skill, I don’t have the confidence to lock onto him! I-If… I can’t find the enemy, what then!?”

“Then Glenn and your dear friend will die. That’s all.”

“—!? N-No way… Albert-san, even now, we could rush to Sensei’s side… Yes, with our [Gale Kick]…!”

“It’s too late for that. Face reality. Besides, if we get close to that [Demonic Melodies], we’ll be neutralized. Even if we made it in time, there’s nothing we could do.”

Albert fixed Sistine with a sharp, direct gaze.

“Listen. This is the place. Far from the [Demonic Melodies], the highest vantage point in Fejite for sniping… It’s exactly because we’re here that we can do something—we must do something.”

“~~~~ !?”

“Fibel. Didn’t you resolve to save the princess? Didn’t you train under Glenn and hone your skills for that purpose? Now is the time. Was that resolve of yours a lie?”

“It’s not… B-But, I don’t have the confidence… If I can’t lock onto the enemy…”

Sistine was trembling.

Not out of fear itself, but from the overwhelming weight of responsibility.

To her,

“Fibel. I’m no teacher, but let me teach you one thing.”

Albert said calmly.

“Right now, Glenn, my comrades, everyone is fighting desperately. They’re betting all their chips—their lives—on us. Especially the old man and Christoph, who only just met you. But because Glenn trusts you, those two bet on you as well. We have to live up to that trust.”

“I-I know…! That’s why…! I have to succeed…! I know that, but…!”

“No.”

“—!?”

Albert’s unexpected rebuttal left Sistine stunned.

“Humans fail. Even in situations where failure isn’t an option… failure can happen. Thus, avoiding failure isn’t how you repay trust. Closing your eyes to the possibility of failure, which can always occur, and expecting only success—that’s mere blind faith, not trust.”

“Then… what…?”

“The true way to repay trust is to bear the weight of responsibility and take action. To face what you must do without running away. That’s what it means to respond to trust.”

“—!?”

“If the chance of success is 0%, find a way to raise it to 1%. If it’s 90%, search for a way to make it 99%. Then act. That’s what repaying trust means. At the very least, that’s what Glenn—that man—has always done.”

Sistine understood. That’s why—results followed.

Trembling under the pressure of repaying trust, intimidated by the difficulty of achieving it, Sistine had skipped the crucial step—the act of facing it head-on.

“…I-I… understand…! I’ll do it…!”

Scolding her cowardly heart, Sistine fixed her gaze on the distant horizon—

And slowly began chanting the spell for farsight magic.

“Zee… haa… zee… haa… Man, slopes are rough…!”

In the pitch-black, densely overgrown forest,

Glenn, carrying an exhausted Rumia on his back, wove through the gaps between trees.

The forest reached the mountain’s base, and Glenn climbed the gentle slope.

From behind came the sound of the performance. The performance. The sinister melody.

And the distance to the countless pursuers, gradually closing in.

They were about to be caught—

“Tch—Rumia, close your eyes!”

Making that call, Glenn pulled out a flash stone—and threw it.

Shupa!

A dazzling flash blinded and staggered the approaching pursuers—

“S-Sensei—”

“Just a bit more, hang in there! Albert and… White Cat will definitely pull through!”

Encouraging Rumia, Glenn pressed deeper into the forest.

The chase and pursuit began anew—

And at the distant point, four thousand meters away—

Atop the clock tower, where the night wind howled—

(There—!)

Within the distant scene projected inside her closed right eye,

Sistine had spotted Glenn and Rumia with surprising ease.

After all, Glenn was occasionally using flash stones. In the pitch-black forest, aiming her magical vision at the flickering light made it far easier to find them than she’d expected.

(But it’s no good…! I found Sensei, but the crucial Zayd is nowhere to be found…!)

The Forest of the Lost, now at the mountain’s slope, was vast. There were countless blind spots.

The fact that a large group was conducting a manhunt didn’t help, but

The biggest issue was Sistine’s own skill in wielding farsight magic.

To cope with the darkness and distance, she’d activated Black Magic [Accurate Scope] at ultra-high magnification and sensitivity, making her remote field of vision frustratingly narrow and poor.

Even a slight shift in her viewing angle caused the remote vision to slide wildly, like a raging current. Her mental trembling was vividly reflected in the vision, making fine control of the targeting utterly impossible.

Worse, the crude transparency processing for the obstructive tree leaves caused severe image noise.

Zayd was somewhere in that manhunting crowd—but she couldn’t find him. In these abysmal conditions, she didn’t have the slightest hope of spotting him.

Impatience froze Sistine’s spine, urging her to panic.

“Albert-san… I can’t… find the enemy… What should I…?”

There was no reply.

Albert had already lowered his subconscious level, beginning to focus for the snipe.

His eyes closed, his half-open left hand extended limply forward.

It seemed to be a kind of self-hypnosis ritual, transforming himself into a perfectly precise sniping device.

There would be no more advice from Albert. She had to figure it out alone—

(But how—how can I, with my clumsy skills, find a single enemy in such a vast, distant place, among that huge crowd… At this rate—)

Glenn and Rumia’s mangled corpses would be the result—

It was only a matter of time.

Because Glenn kept using flash stones to aid their escape, they became a beacon, drawing the scattered pursuers toward them one after another.

(Hurry… I have to find the enemy soon…! But how… how can I find him…!? It’s absolutely impossible—)

This was like searching for a single grain of sand in a vast desert with a microscope.

Facing such an unreasonably difficult task, Sistine was on the verge of breaking down in panic.

—If the chance of success is 0%, find a way to raise it to 1%.

(That’s right… I have to think… There has to be a way…)

Searching blindly would never work. So, she couldn’t search blindly.

Instead of aimlessly looking, she needed to narrow it down. But how—?

At that moment,

Chika!—a light burned through Sistine’s farsight magic’s remote vision again.

It was the flash stone Glenn had used to throw off the pursuers.

(Again… It buys a moment, but they’ll be cornered soon…)

But then, Sistine had a sudden flash of insight.

(…That’s right! Sensei would never do something to corner himself like that… which means there’s definitely a reason behind his actions…!)

Thinking about it, Glenn’s escape route has been strange from the start. He’s not fleeing in a straight line. He’s weaving through the forest in an oddly serpentine manner, as if trying to throw off his pursuers.

Almost as if he’s searching for someone—

(Now that I think about it… if it were Albert-san, he’d probably be able to spot Zayd even in these awful conditions… but I can’t. And Sensei should know that…)

So, what would Glenn do in that case?

(…Sensei would definitely… yes, I’m sure of it…!)

If that’s the case, then the meaning behind Glenn’s reckless use of those flash stones—

“Listen up, White Cat, listen carefully! You go with Albert! And then—”

“Look at me!”

If so, then the meaning of the words Glenn left behind at their parting—

(In that case… the action I should take is—)

Sistine waited.

She no longer searched aimlessly for the enemy’s figure.

Far off in the distant darkness, she focused her remote vision solely on Glenn and waited.

No, this wasn’t the time to be doing this.

She should be searching for Zayd, even blindly, hoping for a lucky hit.

Suppressing that rational impulse… she simply kept her gaze fixed on Glenn and waited.

Believing that the way to turn 0% into 1% was to keep watching Glenn…

…

…And then.

It seemed Sistine’s prediction was correct.

After a while, Glenn noticeably reduced the frequency of using the flash stones.

Instead, within Sistine’s remote vision, Glenn pulled out a pocket watch from his coat and repeatedly glanced toward the direction where the clock tower—where they were—likely stood. Given the elapsed time, it seemed he was acting on the assumption that Sistine and the others were positioned atop the clock tower.

It wasn’t as if their eyes had met or they’d exchanged words.

From Glenn’s perspective, it was probably too dark to even make out the outline of the clock tower.

But—

“You’re there, right? You’re watching us properly, aren’t you?”

Even without exchanging words. Even across this distance.

Somehow, Sistine felt she understood Glenn’s intent—or at least, she thought she did.

And then—

The Forest of the Lost, north of the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy.

In a certain corner facing the slope of a mountain covered in coniferous trees.

There was an open area where the rocky surface was exposed, uncovered by trees.

At the end of an endless chase—Glenn and Rumia were cornered right in the middle of it.

The pursuers, scattered throughout the mountain, were tightening their encirclement.

Truly, a desperate situation.

But—

“You did well to hold out this long. But… it seems this is the end of the line…”

“Haa… haa… haa… looks like it, huh…!”

Incredibly.

There, standing before Glenn, was none other than Zayd himself, revealing his form—

(…I can’t believe it…!?)

Even though she had trusted Glenn and kept following his movements, Sistine still couldn’t fully believe it, even when faced with this reality.

That strange way Glenn had been escaping—it had turned out exactly as she’d suspected.

His movements were designed to find a location in the mountains suitable for sniping, to lure Zayd himself to that spot, and to position himself in front of him.

That’s why Glenn had been using the flash stones so recklessly—to signal his position to Sistine.

To think he could pull off such a feat while fleeing through a horde of pursuers with Rumia in tow. Even witnessing the scene with her own eyes, Sistine still couldn’t believe it.

She couldn’t believe it, but…

(I’ve caught Zayd…!)

Sistine’s remote vision had locked onto Zayd, who had revealed himself in front of Glenn.

At that realization, Sistine’s heartbeat began to race with tension, pounding like a frantic bell.

“…Well done, Fibel.”

With his eyes still closed, Albert offered brief praise.

It seemed he had finally completed the self-suggestion ritual for sniping.

“Keep Zayd centered in your sight. The rest is my job.”

Albert’s words were incredibly reassuring, but…

“But… that won’t work… we can’t aim at Zayd…!”

Sistine let out a cry of anguish.

There was a particularly tall tree in front of Zayd.

It perfectly obstructed Albert’s line of fire. Sniping was impossible like this.

“No way… after coming this far… how unlucky…!?”

The people surrounding Glenn and Rumia seemed ready to pounce on them at any moment.

She could see Rumia, standing beside Glenn, tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.

Her anxiety seemed to transmit across the distance.

(…Please…! Just a little more… move a bit to the right… clear the line of fire…!)

Sistine stared into the distance with a prayer-like intensity, but—

“…Don’t worry. There’s no problem.”

Albert, eyes still closed, slowly extended his left hand forward, combining his index and middle fingers into a pointing gesture, forming the shape to take aim.

“B-But… like this…!”

To the flustered Sistine—

“Glenn trusted us. He believed we’d definitely catch sight of the enemy. …Now, it’s our turn to trust Glenn. Isn’t that right?”

“…Huh?”

Far off in the forest—

“Goddamn it… you Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom… every single time, you’re such a massive pain in the ass…! Seriously, cut it out already, or I’m gonna lose it, you hear!?”

“Kukuku… your sharp tongue ends here…!”

“Tch…”

Glenn, shielding Rumia behind him, slowly backed away to the right—

Zayd turned to face the retreating Glenn—

“No way…!? The line of fire… it’s clear!?”

Because Zayd had shifted his body to face Glenn, just barely, ever so slightly… a needle-thin sliver of a firing line had opened up.

“How did Sensei know!? That our line of fire wasn’t clear…!?”

“Because I haven’t taken a single shot yet, despite this perfect opportunity.”

“—!?”

“He seems to at least trust my sniping skills. If I haven’t fired yet, he must have realized from experience that there’s an issue with their positions.”

Sistine could only stand there, utterly stunned.

This wasn’t about trusting or not trusting someone anymore. It was a realm of unspoken understanding.

Meanwhile, Albert, as if he had anticipated this turn of events—

Began to chant his spell.

“《O noble Thunder Emperor, beholding all within ten thousand leagues・—》”

“Now, the party reaches its finale… Glenn Radars. And Princess Ermiana.”

“S-Sensei…!?”

The orchestra surrounding Zayd raised their instruments—

Rumia anxiously clutched the sleeve of Glenn’s coat from behind—

“Don’t worry, Rumia.”

Glenn grinned, placing a hand on Rumia’s head with a gentle pat.

Then, staring straight at Zayd, he smirked defiantly, the corner of his mouth curling up.

“Now then, Zayd-san… you probably don’t have the slightest doubt about your advantage, huh? But aren’t you forgetting something? Behind me—”

“《—・With the soaring thunder spear borne in your left arm・—》”

“—there’s the most insufferable, but—”

“Now, kill them—!”

Ignoring Glenn’s mutter, the moment Zayd raised his conductor’s baton—

“—the most reliable ‘Hawk Eye’ you could ever ask for—!”

As if on cue, Glenn kicked off the ground, charging toward Zayd—

At that moment—

“《—・Pierce and strike the foe in the distant beyond》”

Far away—Albert’s spell was complete.

The spell formula and incantation of Black Magic [Lightning Pierce], modified by Albert himself to the level of an Original Magic, an ultra-long-range assault spell for sniping, was activated.

Its name: Modified Black Magic [Hawk Eye Pierce].

From his fingertips, a dazzling aurora of lightning flashed forth.

The lightning flash, unleashed from the top of the clock tower, sharply and unerringly tore through the dark night.

A single streak of light soaring like a meteor.

Racing at the speed of light.

—Racing.

Becoming a single spear stretching infinitely forward.

Crossing Fejite’s skies in an instant, in a straight line—

Extending its radiant tip far, far into the distance, ever onward—

Straight, straight, straight—erasing a distance of roughly four thousand meters in a mere moment.

And then—

Grazing countless tree trunks, threading through the gaps between innumerable branches like a needle through a pinhole—

It struck the conductor’s baton Zayd had raised overhead—

—piercing it clean through from its base.

In that instant, the humans controlled by the [Demonic Melodies] around them froze in place.

The performance halted abruptly. The broken baton fell to the ground with a soft thud.

“Wha—!?”

For a moment, Zayd, stunned and rigid, couldn’t comprehend what had happened.

“M-My baton!? W-Where did that come from—!?”

At the same time, the lightning flash grazed Glenn’s cheek as he charged toward Zayd—

“Uooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh—!”

Unfazed, Glenn kicked off the ground, closing the distance to the trembling, shocked Zayd—

And slammed his fist into Zayd’s face—

“—Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh—!”

With every ounce of his body and soul—he swung his fist through.

Zayd, taking the full force of Glenn’s all-out blow, was mercilessly sent flying…

Without even time to scream, his consciousness was snuffed out in an instant.

In the end… it was an almost anticlimactically swift conclusion.

Amid the cold night wind howling fiercely— byugo, byugo…

“…”

Having finished everything, Albert slowly lowered his left hand, gazing into the far distance.

There was no pride in accomplishing a superhuman feat, no elation of victory.

Only the silent acknowledgment that he had completed yet another task, as he always did—

That was all his wordless back conveyed.

(Incredible… this is Albert-san…!? The comrade from Sensei’s time in the Imperial Army… the person Sensei relied on the most…!)

His flawless execution inspired both awe and a shiver of fear.

No wonder Glenn, despite all his grumbling and sharp-tongued complaints, relied on him.

(No, it’s not just Albert-san… Bernard-san, Christoph-san… even Re=L… all of them have the strength that Sensei relies on… and Sensei himself is someone respected by such incredible people…)

In comparison, how immature and powerless she was—both in ability and in spirit.

Tonight’s events had painfully driven that reality home for Sistine.

(…So far away. How incredibly far.)

She had fought alongside Glenn, trained desperately, and thought she’d at least started to catch up to his back. She’d thought she’d become someone Glenn could rely on, even just a little.

But what arrogance that had been. For Glenn to truly entrust his back to Sistine… that was still a long, long way off.

Gazing at Rumia, sobbing with relief and clinging to Glenn as Glenn gently patted her, far off in the distance.

Sistine felt a strangely refreshing clarity within herself—