Chapter 48: More fun

The dazzling light faded, and the Academy Head’s office, now filled with divine power, reappeared.

Arie’s sudden action made me want to grab her by the collar, but I barely managed to hold back.

I naturally patted my chest and spoke to her.

“Phew… Boss, you startled me…”

Despite Arie’s unexpected antics, not a single security device installed in the Academy Head’s office was activated.

As I let out a sigh of relief, Arie said with a mischievous smile.

“Hehe, our assistant has a cute side too. Of course, I’ve always felt that way, but…”

“…Only three people, including you, Boss, would think that of me.”

“Hmm… I’m curious who the other two are, but let’s move on for now.”

Leaving her with an enigmatic expression, I climbed through the window and entered the Academy Head’s office.

The divine power filling the entire room flowed in a natural circulation.

As I looked at it with curiosity, Arie approached me and explained.

“I instantaneously expanded the divine power orb to cover the entire Academy Head’s office. You can think of it as a very thin membrane spread everywhere. As long as you don’t struggle excessively, you won’t escape the influence of the divine power.”

“To create something like this in such a short time… As expected, Boss is amazing.”

“Hehe…”

At my compliment, Arie’s hair seemed to dance with pleasure.

It was a phenomenon seen when individuals with the exceptional talent to use their aura as if it were their limbs, like Hestia, experienced heightened emotions.

‘It’s really nice when it’s easy to tell like this…’

Perhaps embarrassed by my wistful gaze, Arie idly fiddled with her long hair.

Her uncharacteristically cute appearance almost made me burst out laughing.

“Hmph, h-hmph…! What is it?”

“It’s nothing.”

Arie glared at me with an expression that said I was rude.

Anyway, having successfully infiltrated the Academy Head’s office together, Arie and I began discussing what to take.

Even though she was absent, it wouldn’t be strange to be told that it made no sense to enter a Transcendent’s room without even considering what to steal… But since Arie was the one who postponed that decision for later, it was none of my business.

“Honestly, I’d like to take some important documents, but… I don’t really want to put the academy on high alert, so let’s take something else.”

“May I ask if there’s any particular reason?”

“It would be troublesome if something that will become mine gets damaged, wouldn’t it?”

“Ah.”

I didn’t know when the academy became hers, but I was relieved that she still cherished it.

Well, it’s not like truly important documents would be stored here anyway…

Since she had simply overwhelmed and neutralized the security devices in the Academy Head’s office with divine power, she seemed to have no interest in the number or strength of the security measures.

‘Overwhelming power can sometimes be closer to the correct answer than anything else…’

Arie and I slowly looked around the Academy Head’s office.

For a Transcendent’s room, it was surprisingly ordinary.

Of course, judging by the traces of barriers meticulously embedded in inconspicuous places, it was clear that some research had been conducted here.

‘Seriously, why don’t they clean up stuff like that…’

‘What a mess…?’

Beside me, as I complained internally, Arie, who had been scanning a paper on the Academy Head’s desk, suddenly found something interesting and smiled sinisterly.

Instantly, a wave of unease washed over me, and I also followed her gaze to the paper on the desk.

“Hehe, this is interesting.”

Arie chuckled softly, and I, having no appropriate expression, just gave an awkward laugh for now.

– Name: Unknown.

– Height: Difficult to ascertain.

– Physical Characteristics: Presumed to be extremely ordinary.

– Other: Voice is a slightly low bass. Presumed to have a kind but slightly eccentric personality. Has no particular desire for material possessions, and a weak heart that would listen if earnestly spoken to…

There, the characteristics of an unknown individual whom the Academy Head was desperately searching for were written at great length.

“……”

‘Damn it, who is it?’

‘Seeing “kind” and all that written, it’s definitely not me, for starters…’

Unlike me, who couldn’t grasp it, Arie slowly nodded her head with an expression that suggested she understood.

“A Transcendent’s love… It seems truly heavy.”

“…Does this look like love to you?”

“Of course? They say obsession is one of the many forms of love.”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

It was certainly true, but I couldn’t accept it.

‘Obsession is merely a form of possessiveness…’

‘And that obsession, too, will eventually crumble easily when faced with true fear.’

‘I couldn’t view such a trivial thing as love.’

‘It’s just a delusion stemming from strong possessiveness…’

Anyway… whatever Arie’s thoughts were, I had no intention of arguing with her.

‘It’s not like I want to force my opinion on her anyway…’

Arie waved the paper around, then gracefully handed it to me.

“Shall we take this, then?”

“…Are you serious? If this paper is proof of love, as you say, Boss, I think the Academy Head will be quite enraged…”

“Hmm, it’ll be fine. The Academy Head would have already memorized it. Even if she finds out it’s gone, she probably won’t investigate desperately.”

‘Are you sure about that?’

‘From my perspective, she’d likely scour the entire academy like a rat hunt if her pride was touched…’

However, Arie, who couldn’t possibly know my unease, had already tucked the paper into her pocket.

Anyway, I had no confidence in persuading her, and it seemed she wouldn’t listen, so I decided to let her take it.

‘Still, just in case, I should set up at least one safety measure, right…?’

– *Swoosh.*

Taking advantage of Arie not looking, I placed a note I had prepared in the dormitory onto the desk.

“Hehe, now shall we erase our traces and go back?”

Fortunately, Arie didn’t seem to notice.

Of course, if we stayed here longer, it would inevitably be discovered, but I had no intention of giving her that luxury.

– *Ping…!*

As I subtly gestured behind my back, the faint sound of a thin string snapping echoed.

It was a very small sound, easily missed, but Arie’s ears seemed to have caught it.

“Assistant…? Didn’t you just hear something?”

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything?”

“No, I definitely heard a sound. It sounded like something from a toy instrument…”

‘It’s quite a creative and sharp guess, but unfortunately, it’s far from the truth.’

‘The sound that just occurred was actually…’

‘The sound of me flicking the edge of the barrier.’

– *BEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!*

Suddenly, an unpleasant, ear-piercing alarm blared throughout the entire Academy Head’s office.

“B-Boss???”

As I feigned panic and called out to Arie, she sharply turned her head towards the window.

She seemed to be trying to secure an escape route, but the window she saw was blocked by a strange white membrane.

Arie visibly panicked and muttered.

“…Oh dear, this is a big problem.”

“Boss… I think this is the end for us. Thank you for everything…”

“As-Assistant! You’re making jokes even in this situation?!”

‘It’s not a joke.’

‘I just want to stop causing terrifying trouble here…’

I was secretly thinking that, but I didn’t voice it.

Because it was obvious that she, who was serious about this, would get depressed if she heard it.

In these aspects, Arie was surprisingly vulnerable.

– *Bang!*

At that moment, a pure white orb flew towards the window and caused a small explosion.

Arie had attacked the barrier blocking the window.

“This won’t work.”

Having judged something from a single attack, she turned her gaze elsewhere.

She had realized that the barrier wouldn’t be easily destroyed.

Her next target was the door of the Academy Head’s office.

It was impossible that the thorough Academy Head wouldn’t have taken measures for the few passages connected to the interior, but Arie seemed to want to grasp at even a shred of hope.

– *Thud!*

She precisely slammed her divine power-clad fist into the door, but the door, protected by the white membrane, didn’t budge.

“As expected… This won’t work either.”

“Th-Then what’s going to happen to us now?”

As I, who had started feigning anxiety again, looked at her with a desperate expression, Arie’s eyes began to move even faster.

“It’s… fine. I’ll find a way for us to get out somehow.”

She tried to reassure me, but in my eyes, Arie appeared anxious.

Unbeknownst to her, I smirked internally.

‘You said you came for fun, didn’t you?’

‘It wouldn’t be fun if everything went smoothly without any obstacles.’

‘Right?’