Chapter 99: Night Invasion (6)

Whenever a plan fails, you must be able to distinguish what to keep and what to discard.

If you try to cling to everything, you’ll end up with nothing, and that’s the way it goes.

It’s clear that the starting point of this operation was ‘I didn’t want to ask Mana for favors.’

If the principal’s chance had been used, the matter would have been resolved cleanly by now.

But instead, due to pride, I deliberately took a more difficult and roundabout way.

However, now that the snowball has rolled this far, pride no longer matters.

Unlike other factors, pride, when diminished, doesn’t cause permanent or substantial harm.

If bowing your head can solve the problem, then that’s exactly what you should do.

For Sion, pride was such a concept.

It’s something that doesn’t hurt to keep under normal circumstances, but can easily be discarded when you’re in a tight spot.

This is why Sion refers to pride as a ‘toxic surplus.’

Any surplus can be an asset or savings when it’s being used, but once it’s no longer of use, it just turns into dead weight.

Therefore, Sion didn’t hesitate to kneel.

At this point, she truly believed it was the only answer.

It was, in fact, a model and neat kneeling pose.

“……”

Mana, who had been staring at Sion for a moment, sighed and spoke.

“At least you’re not making any strange excuses this time?”

“It’s obvious it wouldn’t work,” Sion said with confidence.

Of course. Mana was the only person who knew Sion’s true identity—not as ‘Hero Sion’ but as ‘Demon King Sien.’

If anyone else heard that Sion had been defeated, they might nod and say, ‘She probably didn’t have enough experience,’ but Mana would never accept that.

She’d immediately furrow her brows and begin suspecting something else, surmising there was more to the story.

Even if Sion claimed that an enemy had appeared who could thoroughly defeat her, there was the issue of Exia’s presence.

If Mana heard Sion’s claim, she would naturally turn to Exia for confirmation.

She’d ask if what Sion just said was true.

And in that case, the lie would be exposed in seconds.

Even if Sion tried to hide the truth using magic, Exia would activate her Anti-Magic Field, and there would be no way out.

Because of this, Sion gave up on trying to lie her way through the situation early on.

If being caught is inevitable, it’s better to quickly apologize without making excuses.

That way, the chances of being forgiven increase, and, in the end, pride is less hurt.

Of course, relatively speaking, that’s the case.

The chances of forgiveness are still minimal, but it’s better than prolonging things with pathetic excuses.

“Ho, is it insufficient to just raise my head? Should I show more sincerity? Then, how about a traditional demon apology—naked, hands on the floor, standing on my head, and apologizing on a hot iron plate?”

“No, you don’t need to do that. What are you even trying to do?”

Mana replied, almost incredulously. Then she pulled out a chair beside her and sat down.

“Get up, Sion.”

“Yes.”

Sion stood up politely and knelt on the opposite bed, sitting as if she were being punished, hands straight and aligned like a child being scolded.

The interrogation began shortly after.

“So, what’s the truth? Is this a setup?”

“It was a setup.”

“Did you inflict the wound on your side yourself?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Did you break into the teacher’s office by yourself?”

“Yes, I did.”

A steady stream of confessions followed.

Mana let out a low sigh and asked,

“Why did you do it?”

“……”

At this point, Sion suddenly became mute, as if she had swallowed honey.

Answering this question was difficult.

She could clearly picture Mana’s expression once she heard the whole story.

To be honest, it was a foolish act to break into the teacher’s office just to change a bad test score.

From an objective standpoint, it was a ridiculous decision.

Exia, who had been leaning against the wall, spoke up in anger.

-“Mana! Please listen! What happened was—”

-“Exia, can you be quiet for a moment? I want to hear it from Sion herself.”

-“Eh?”

Exia looked at Mana in surprise, but it didn’t matter.

Mana’s gaze was fixed entirely on Sion.

Receiving that unwavering gaze, Sion started sweating profusely.

“Uh, um… Can’t we just let this go? Just pretend I had some reason for it…”

“No. You almost got yourself killed. I can’t let this go. You’d better confess quickly.”

“………..”

Silence, and then more silence.

Sion lowered her head, avoiding Mana’s gaze. Even if she wanted to say something, the words wouldn’t come out easily.

Her eyes began to trace the patterns of the floor tiles, as if she were a child being scolded.

After a moment, Mana, who had been watching her, sighed and raised her staff. She poked Sion’s cheek with the tip.

Poke, poke.

“Ugh, stop…”

Sion pleaded weakly, her voice cracking.

Although there was no physical harm, the mental toll was significant.

Each poke felt like something deep within her was being chipped away.

It would be better to be stabbed with a knife.

“Please… this is more humiliating than I expected. Please, stop…”

“Sion.”

After lowering her staff, Mana spoke in a quiet voice.

“If you’re worried that I’ll hate you after hearing this, you can stop worrying.

No matter what the circumstances, I will never hate you. That’s a truth that will never change, no matter what.”

Her soft, calm tone was almost like she was comforting a child.

Upon hearing this tender voice, Sion involuntarily looked up.

A hesitant question escaped her lips.

“Re… really? You won’t get mad?”

“I won’t. I promise.”

“Really? You’re not going to say something else later?”

“Really. So stop hesitating and just tell me.”

“……”

Phew. Alright.

Sion took a deep breath and made up her mind to speak.

“So, here’s what happened…”

“So, you’re saying you went into the teacher’s office to swap out your bad moral exam score? And then you freaked out when you saw a cockroach, causing an explosion by accident?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“…….”

Mana rubbed her forehead, looking slightly dizzy. She muttered to herself slowly.

“Sorry, I might not be able to keep my promise after all…”

“!??!! What do you mean!! I trusted you and told you everything!”

“No, it’s just such an unbelievable mess…”

It was so absurd that you couldn’t even comprehend it.

The events leading up to this were dumb, and the way it escalated was even dumber.

And the actions taken to resolve the situation were beyond foolish.”

What if sion had actually died like this? If I lost a friend I had longed for over 500 years for such a ridiculous reason, I wouldn’t even feel sorrow.

Sigh…

Mana leaned back in her chair as if trying to calm her mind. After a brief moment of closing her eyes to meditate, she spoke.

“Sion.”

“Uh, yes?”

“You shouldn’t do something like this again. Got it?”

“Of course,” Sion nodded vigorously.

“I swear, I’ll never do something like this again—”

“Just so there’s no misunderstanding, when I say ‘something like this,’ I’m not talking about your pointless schemes.”

Mana cut off Sion’s words sharply.

“As I’ve said before, I can respect whatever actions you take. You’re an adult, so you’re responsible for your own life.

That means, even if you act on some strange impulse like this again, I won’t scold you for it. Like I said, my feelings towards you won’t change because of it.
But…”

She stared at Sion, speaking slowly and firmly.

“I absolutely will not tolerate you using your own life as a pawn to get through a situation.

No matter the reason, I won’t accept it. If you ever do something like this again, don’t even think about speaking to me for the rest of your life.

Understood?”

“……..”

At Mana’s stern declaration, Sion lowered her head, unable to respond.
Exia, who had been standing nearby, suddenly shouted in a highly excited tone.

-“That’s exactly it! Please say more, Mana! It feels so good to hear this! Oh, it’s so refreshing!”

“……”

Dammit, how can you be so thrilled just because the chance came up…!

Didn’t they say it’s worse to have a meddling sister-in-law than a scolding mother-in-law?

Sion’s blood boiled internally, but she restrained herself with incredible patience.
In this situation, there was no benefit in arguing with Exia.

“So, what’s your answer?”
Mana urged for an answer, tapping her cane against the floor a few times.

Sion, with a somewhat quieter voice, replied.

“I… I will be cautious from now on…”

“Really? Can I trust you?”

“Of course. I swear, I’ll never do something as foolish as putting my life on the line for something like this again. I swear on the names of Lenos and Astaroth.”

“Good.”

Mana’s expression softened, and she nodded, getting up from her seat.

“At least one thing is confirmed. The intruder story was a staged act.
If it hadn’t been, I would’ve had to shut down the school and start reinforcing the barrier. So, at least I’m spared from that trouble.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief…”

“Of course, my honor will take a hit since I allowed the fictitious intruder, but—”

“!”

Sion’s face contorted into one of unexplainable expression.

After a brief pause, she muttered, not finding the right words, and eventually lowered her head in shame.

“I’m sorry…”

Unlike her earlier flustered apology, this time there was genuine regret in her voice.
Mana, upon seeing this, gave a faint smile.

“Hehe, don’t worry about it. I was just joking. Watching you like this, I couldn’t help but tease you a little.”

“Still, my reputation will take a hit…”

“I don’t care. I’m not in a position where I need the approval of others.
Whether people talk about me or not, in the end, in Elpidion, no one can replace me.”

With those words, Mana opened the door and left. Before disappearing completely, she left one final piece of advice.

“Anyway, it’s clear you’re injured, so rest here and recover. You’ll probably need to take about a week off, so don’t worry about classes.
See you next time.”

With a small wave of her hand, Mana disappeared.
Now, in the hospital room, only Sion and Exia were left.

-“Ke, ke, ke… Looks like you’ve really met your match this time, Sion. How does it feel to be hit with a dose of reality? Hmm? Hm-hm?”

“……”

Sion silently untangled herself from her kneeling position.
At her movement, Exia flinched, but this time, she raised her voice, as if determined not to lose this round.

-“Oh? You’re going to try that spinning windmill again? I’m sorry, but this time I won’t back down! My freedom of speech—”

“Not bad.”

-“Eh?”

Exia blinked, staring at Sion.

She looked unexpectedly calm, which was not the response she had anticipated.

-“What do you mean, ‘not bad’?”

“I mean exactly that. The situation isn’t so bad.”

“Of course…”

She had disappointed Mana greatly, but that was an emotional issue she could easily work through.

What mattered now was…

“Well, in the end, I got the reputation of ‘a hero who bravely fought off a deadly intruder.’
That’s an advantage that can’t be measured in money.

So, even though the original plan failed, it ended better than expected. I’d say it’s a win.”

-“????”

Exia was momentarily shocked, staring at her.
After a pause, the realization hit her, and she trembled.

-“Y-You’re not even remorseful, are you?”

“Huh? No, no, that’s not it.”

Sion shook her head vigorously.

“If a friend was so upset, how could I not reflect on my actions? Of course, that’s not the case. But, looking at the outcome of the situation, I’m just saying that in terms of results, it wasn’t too bad.”

-”……..”

Exia eyed Sion with suspicion.

-“Really? Can I trust you?”

“Of course. I won’t do it again. I’m not a masochist who enjoys being hated by everyone.”

With that, Sion casually lay back on the bed and pulled out a novel from her spatial storage.

“Well, I guess I’ll finish reading the part I left off last time. Since I’m not going to classes for a while anyway…”

-“…….”

Exia was left speechless, watching Sion act nonchalantly.
Her frustration grew even more, so much so that she couldn’t even muster any anger at her ridiculous behavior.

After staring at her for a while, Exia sighed inwardly.

-‘This girl’s shamelessness will never change, no matter what I do.’

She thought to herself, realizing once again that Sion’s personality was irredeemable.