Round Song

Roel, in the previous world, sensed my existence when I fell into nothingness and rushed straight to me with Ilia. But now, even though I’m closer than before, Roel isn’t coming to find me.

Why is that? What’s the difference? As I pondered, Ellie said in a nonchalant voice.

,Maybe he just can’t sense you?”

I immediately shook my head at Ellie’s words.

,That can’t be. Roel said he felt my presence even from far away. There’s no way he wouldn’t know I arrived at the academy.”

,No, he might not know.”

I tilted my head at Ellie’s strong denial. Seeing her so sure, it seemed she had a reason to think so. As I expected, Ellie immediately explained her reason for the denial.

,Roel Oppa is in the basement of the Imperial Palace right now.”

,…What?”

,The Imperial Palace has ancient defense magic that’s impossible to dispel. It’s filled with all sorts of magic and artifacts to block external attacks, so Roel Oppa’s senses in the basement of the Imperial Palace might be confused and unable to detect your presence.”

No, what surprised me wasn’t the power of the magic installed in the Imperial Palace. The thought that flashed through my mind at Ellie’s words that Roel was in the basement of the Imperial Palace sent shivers down my spine. Reading my hardened expression even after hearing the explanation, Ellie looked at me with worried eyes.

,Don’t worry too much. This room also has several defense magic spells that have been passed down since the first headmaster. No matter how much of a Roel Oppa he is, he can’t forcibly enter the room without my permission.”

,No, that’s not what I’m worried about.”

,…Then?”

At Ellie’s question, I looked straight into her obsidian-like eyes and asked.

,Is Roel alone in the basement of the Imperial Palace?”

At my question, Ellie seemed to sense something, and with a slightly uneasy expression, she carefully opened her mouth.

,No, everyone except me is gathered there. Roel Oppa suggested that I be with them, but I decided to stay at the academy. I promised to stay here and protect the academy.”

At those words, I ran a hand over my face. What it meant that Roel was in the basement of the Imperial Palace with his lovers… I knew it clearly even without looking at the setting book.

The story flow of this world has entered the final stage. Roel graduated from the academy with his lovers and formed a hero party with the support of Bella, who became the empress. And everyone is gathered in the basement of the Imperial Palace, waiting for the time to come.

I could finally realize at what moment I came to this world.

I looked at Ellie. Seeing Ellie’s lips twitching nervously, I calmly made a final confirmation.

,Did Bella happen to say anything to you?”

At my question, Ellie’s eyes widened as if she had remembered something.

,A few days ago, she gave me a gift and told me that if any problems arose in the academy or the Imperial Palace, I should leave this place and head to the city of Liberty in the south without looking back.”

It was now certain. This world is now facing the last story of the novel. It’s the most important day in the final story. The day Bella’s story comes to an end. Yes, today is the day Bella and the cult leader, who attacked the Imperial Palace, die together.

Bella, who became a bait herself, lured the forces of the demons and the cult to the capital, and then planned to detonate the magic installed in the Imperial Palace, blowing up the Imperial Palace and the capital.

By reducing the power of the cult and the demons and buying time, Roel’s hero party planned to use the long-distance portal installed in the basement of the Imperial Palace and Rosalyn’s space magic to move to the collapsed eastern border and behead the Demon King who was stationed there.

I was about to explain the realized facts to Ellie. If she asked how I knew, I was going to say it was a story I heard in the previous world. But before I could open my mouth, the chilling warning sound of the alarm magic, as if tearing iron, echoed throughout the academy.

Kuuuung―!

The ground shook, and the academy building began to shake as if an earthquake had occurred. All sorts of items in the room fell to the floor, and the artifacts installed on the walls made loud noises and emitted red light.

Ellie, whose atmosphere changed sharply, emitted magic power and turned to look at me.

,The academy’s security barrier has been activated. The number of enemies detected around the barrier is countless.”

Ellie, who bit her lip tightly, took out her staff from her bosom. Ellie looked at my face once and nodded for some reason.

,…I have to go. This place will be safe for a few hours. Ross, if you can create a passage while I buy time, go back to your original world right away.”

,Wait, Ellie…!”

I urgently called out to Ellie, but she only showed a bitter smile and activated magic to go somewhere. At the sudden farewell, I blankly stared at the place where Ellie disappeared for a moment.

I didn’t even say a proper goodbye. I received a lot of help, but I didn’t even say thank you properly. It’s a farewell that leaves a lingering feeling. At the feeling of regret, I unknowingly let out a deep sigh.

The air in the room still had a faint sweet strawberry scent that hadn’t disappeared.

***

I activated the security magic and moved to the central staircase of the main building.

Among the students who were orderly evacuating to the auditorium on the first basement floor as they were trained, I saw the face of Headmaster Leora. As if she had found me, she led the professors and approached me.

,Ellie, we’re going outside to protect the security barrier.”

,Do you need my support?”

Headmaster Leora shook her head at my question.

,No, we don’t know what will happen in the future. There may be enemies trying to bypass the security barrier and target the students who have evacuated to the main building, so I want you to protect the main building.”

,Okay.”

,I’m counting on you. Great Magician.”

Headmaster Leora said in a strict voice, leading the professors, each armed with weapons, out of the building.

I watched the students going down to the basement using the central staircase and swung my staff to use the defense magic that I had newly added to the main building this time. Elemental magic with black light drew a rune and created an opaque barrier.

It blocked the passage to the central staircase like a transparent wall. It will be able to block external intrusion as long as my magic power is maintained.

I left the main building and looked up at the sky. Beyond the opaque security barrier, I could see countless winged human forms, like bugs swarming around a light. The demons that destroyed the east had finally appeared in the sky of the capital.

The demons emitted demonic energy and struck the barrier with their weapons, but with that level of power, they could never break the academy’s security barrier.

This was a special security barrier that Nelson Sensei devised before he died. I added my knowledge of elemental magic to it, and it was the strongest barrier that compensated for even small weaknesses. I could confidently say that it was similar in power to the Imperial Palace’s barrier.

The academy building itself becomes the axis of the barrier formula. A large amount of magic stones were placed in advance in the basement of the building to maintain the magic power of the barrier for a long time. Unless the academy building itself collapses, the barrier will not collapse.

,… .”

But something is uneasy. Even if the magician’s senses judge that it is really safe, I continue to question it.

Using telekinetic magic, I used the trees and statues on the campus to pile up like barricades at the entrance of the academy’s main building.

I nodded in satisfaction, relieved of some of my anxiety, and guarded my surroundings. Except for the students in the annex, everyone would have evacuated to the first basement floor of the main building.

Since dozens of layers of barriers are installed to prevent external intrusion, I will be able to buy enough time until reinforcements arrive.

,You’ve done a useless thing.”

I turned around urgently at the voice behind me. I didn’t feel anyone there at all. He’s a dangerous being who can escape the detection of the magic power I spread in the air.

A man wearing a mask was holding a staff with a curved end precariously as if it would slip out of his fingertips, and was looking straight at me with blood-red eyes visible in the eyeholes of the mask carved with numerous swirls.

He’s wearing a mask, but I know who he is. No, he was someone I could never forget.

It was Rene of Iron Blood who ended Nelson Sensei’s life, but it was this man who trapped me and Roel and caused Sensei to die.

I gritted my teeth and said.

,Belker.”

The man standing in front of me was Belker, the vice-leader of the Chaos Order.

,…Certainly, he was a talent worth the sage risking his life to save. I should have killed you back then.”

Black light emanated from the end of my staff. It was a synthetic magic that emitted black light by mixing all the elements.

Belker moved his staff carelessly, as if swinging a tree branch, and annihilated the magic itself, a magic with enough power to kill even a Sword Master if they didn’t block it with all their might.

,In the face of chaos, even the most elaborate magic arrays are easily twisted.”

,Shut up!”

I shouted roughly and swung my staff. The ground soared and a hand made of earth grabbed Belker, but it scattered into earth powerlessly before it could burst his body.

But I had already finished multiple chanting. Thirteen elemental magic and destruction magic are activated at the same time, forming a huge synthetic magic. Its power is enough to blow away even the capital’s huge gate.

Perhaps he couldn’t block it easily this time, Belker swung his staff greatly and drew a line of magic power in the air. Just before the huge synthetic magic directly hit Belker, the line of magic power vibrated countless times, creating a spatial crack and swallowing the [power] of my magic.

Belker, who landed on the ground and took a step back, shrugged his shoulders.

,…That was dangerous this time.”

,No, it will be dangerous from now on.”

As I confidently said, drawing up the magic power of my whole body, Belker narrowed his red eyes and scratched his mask with the end of his staff.

,Will it really be?”

An unknown anxiety pressed on my heart at the words spat out as if thrown away. It was the intuition of a great magician. The anxiety that I had missed something I had felt a little while ago.

Red light emanated from the end of Belker’s staff, creating a strange pattern. It was a formula with a structure that even I had never seen before.

,No matter how strong you make the vault… it’s useless if you can’t protect the contents.”

Belker swung his staff. The pattern disappeared, and the magic power that had become smoke was sucked into the floor as if it were being absorbed.

―――!

In an instant, the noise in the world disappeared. But the ground trembled madly without a sound, as if a huge earthquake had occurred. It was such a big tremor that I would have missed it if I hadn’t gripped my staff.

Belker glanced at me and then shifted his gaze behind me. Following his gaze, I turned my head and could finally see the academy building collapsing with a huge explosion.

,Ah…?”

Fragments poured from the collapsed building and tore through my skin, but I could only stare blankly. It’s impossible.

The security knights and professors inspected the building several times a day in preparation for the cult’s terrorism. There’s no way there could be a hidden bomb.

But the bomb exploded. The academy building, which boasted perfect defense, collapsed from the inside in a ridiculous way.

Without leaving even a trace of Ross in the auditorium on the first basement floor, where many students had evacuated, and the floor below it, my room.

Unable to hold back the emotions that burst out from the bottom of my heart, I could only scream.

,Ah, heuu, heuuheueuk… Aaaaaaaack!!!”

I lost Ross again like that.