Chapter 49: Anyway, escape!

Arie’s expression grew stiffer with each passing moment.

In truth, there was no need to be overly nervous, as the absent Academy Head wouldn’t immediately rush back.

The security device I tampered with was merely a simple alarm, not one that would contact the Academy Head.

Until she arrived in person, she would have no idea about the intruder’s presence.

Of course, Arie, who had carelessly neutralized all the security devices, wouldn’t know that.

“Assistant, look for places that aren’t blocked. I-I’ll try to find a way to break the barrier.”

“Understood.”

Arie began to examine the barrier, and I pretended to look around.

Although she tried not to show it, I could clearly see her flustered state.

‘Hmm, how should I put it…’

‘She’s fun to tease, in a different way from Hestia.’

‘Right, Elisha and I had a lot of fun until the second regression…’

‘After she started showing obsessive tendencies, I often found myself avoiding her.’

‘Her thoughts are so unpredictable and terrifying…’

‘From that perspective, Arie is quite easy to handle.’

‘She seems like she’d be the most troublesome, but surprisingly, her emotional changes are easy to read.’

‘Aside from her quick wit, which can sometimes make her sharp, she’s the most comfortable person to be around.’

“Ugh…”

Even now, just by seeing her hands trembling as she touched the barrier, I could infer the emotions she was feeling.

‘She must be getting anxious.’

Arie had been so certain that her plan would go smoothly that she couldn’t have imagined a situation like this.

If I hadn’t deliberately triggered the alarm, we would have been able to escape without any interference, just as she planned.

‘Heh heh, let her suffer a bit.’

I chuckled inwardly at her expense, checking all the passages throughout the Academy Head’s office.

I already knew there wouldn’t be any unblocked paths, so I was essentially just pretending to search…

“This… it doesn’t seem to be working.”

Arie, who had been trying various methods to break through the barrier, sighed and said that.

Unexpectedly, the emotion emanating from her despairing tone was regret.

“You’re going through a lot because of me, Assistant…”

“You can say that again.”

“……Even if it’s just an empty phrase, you’re supposed to say ‘no’ in situations like this.”

“Is that so? I’m not particularly sociable… My apologies.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Arie slumped down with her back against the window, and I also sat down beside her.

‘Was the failure of her plan really that shocking?’

Honestly, it wasn’t a situation I could empathize with much, so I was pondering how to comfort her when Arie spoke in a gloomy voice.

“…You don’t need to worry about expulsion. I’ll somehow talk to the Academy Head.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you. I can finally breathe easy.”

“……No problem.”

Arie lowered her head deeply.

‘Is it guilt?’

‘She caused trouble without much thought, but now that the situation has worsened, she seems to feel sorry for dragging me here.’

‘She knows that if this situation ends badly, I’ll be the only one to suffer the consequences.’

‘……Knowing that, yet still dragging me into breaking into the Academy Head’s office, is quite audacious.’

‘I still have a strong desire to tease her more, but unfortunately, someone might arrive soon, so we need to leave.’

“Boss.”

“…Yes…?”

“The barrier seems to have faded a bit.”

“Huh?”

Arie, who had been hanging her head gloomily, widened her eyes.

I almost burst out laughing at her rarely seen cute expression, but I barely held it in, then pointed a finger towards the open window.

Just as I said, the barrier was fainter than before.

“Oh? Why suddenly…?”

“Now isn’t the time to question it! We need to escape immediately!”

I cut her off to prevent her from pondering the reason and rushed urgently towards the window.

Seeing me, Arie also scrambled to follow behind me.

First, I struck the barrier with my fist.

– *Bang!*

“Ouch…”

However, the Academy Head’s barrier was still solid, and I clutched my fist, feigning pain from the impact of my own strength.

Arie, without any suspicion, shouted at me.

“Assistant, step back!”

“Yes, yes…”

At her shout, I moved away from the window without a word.

Soon, divine power began to gather in Arie’s hands.

As the accumulated power grew, the divine power sharpened.

Unlike the round form it took when entering the Academy Head’s office, it transformed into a sharp, long awl.

‘Such precise control, without losing balance…’

‘As expected of a Holy Maiden, she was completely adept at handling divine power.’

Arie sent the sharply honed divine power awl straight towards the barrier.

– *Crackle!*

The sound of ice cracking echoed through the Academy Head’s office as the barrier and the awl collided.

Despite the loud noise, the barrier didn’t seem to have changed much externally…

However, Arie and I both caught sight of a faint crack in the barrier.

“Heh heh… It looks like I can break it with just a few more throws.”

“Wow! I won’t be expelled now!”

“……Assistant, stop your unnecessary acting and stand behind me.”

Arie, who had regained her composure, gestured to me.

‘She must think I can’t handle the aftermath of her attacks.’

It was absurd, but since she was worrying about me, I decided to take it in good stride.

After confirming that I was closely behind her, Arie began to draw out divine power once again.

Divine power awls were created at a remarkably faster rate than before.

The surprising thing was that their number had increased to an unusual degree.

There seemed to be more than 30 awls at a glance…

‘……Surely she’s not going to throw all of those at once, is she?’

‘Even with Arie’s precise control, the entire Academy Head’s office could be blown away if something went wrong.’

Fortunately, my uneasy premonition was wrong.

– *Bang! Crash! Boom!*

Arie precisely threw each divine power awl at the barrier.

Her persistent targeting of a single spot, throwing awls one after another, resembled a skilled archer piercing a shield with only a bow and arrows.

The way she skipped the entire aiming process with senses close to transcendence was astonishing even to me.

– *Crack!*

Around the time the 21st divine power awl struck the barrier, a cracking sound came from the barrier.

“Boss! It looks like it’s almost done!”

It was quite a loud sound, so I could pretend to notice it too.

At my voice, Arie turned her head slightly and nodded.

‘She’s going to make the last one strong, so she means for me to stick even closer, right?’

With astonishing quickness, I immediately grasped Arie’s intention and stuck completely to her back.

For a moment, her body flinched, but I ignored it and moved even closer.

“A-Assistant? Just a little further back…”

“I’m ready, Boss! Shoot it now!!!”

“…Heh heh… Just trust me!”

The remaining nine awls floating around Arie merged into one.

Although it was only about twice the size of a single awl despite combining nine, I could feel that its divine power density had increased, making it even harder and sharper.

‘This attack could inflict a fatal wound even on Elisha or Hestia.’

‘It should be able to penetrate a fading barrier, at least.’

Arie pointed her fingertip at the cracked part of the barrier.

“Deal with it.”

The awl, obeying her command, flew at high speed.

And then, the moment the awl and the barrier made contact…

– *CRAAACK!*

The awl pierced straight through the barrier and flew out of the Academy Head’s office.

As the Academy Head’s barrier was finally broken, a fleeting look of relief crossed Arie’s face.

I pretended not to see it and let out a voice of admiration.

“Th-the barrier is broken!”

“Heh heh… There’s no such thing as an unexpected event in my dictionary. In fact, it was all just to test you, Assistant…”

“Just a moment, Boss. Look over there.”

Before the triumphant Arie could ramble on with more strange remarks, I suitably cut her off and pointed at the barrier.

She wore a slightly pouting expression for a moment, but then she looked in the direction I pointed and her face instantly changed to one of startled surprise.

Because the barrier was slowly repairing itself…

Seeing the barrier slowly returning to its original form from the outside, Arie shouted at me.

“Jump!!!”

With her command, we jumped straight out the window.

****

The Academy Head’s office was on a high floor, so jumping straight down could easily lead to serious injury.

If one fell headfirst, even an academy student wouldn’t avoid instant death…

However, fortunately, our Holy Maiden didn’t seem to want me to die from the fall.

“Phew… Thank you, Boss. I almost kissed the ground.”

“…That’s an interesting expression. Yulia would be disgusted if she heard it…”

Arie was floating in the air, and I was exchanging playful words beside her…

Thanks to her holding me with divine power, I was able to land safely.

I still can’t forget the look in her eyes when she saw me plummeting towards the ground.

It was truly an art, how quickly her expression changed from puzzlement to shock…

Arie tilted her head and asked me.

“Assistant, why can’t you float in the air?”

‘This crazy deceiver!’

‘It doesn’t matter to me since I *can* fly but choose not to, but if a normal academy student heard that, they’d be so depressed they wouldn’t be able to eat properly.’

“…Normally, flying in the sky is something even academy students struggle with. Unless it’s just treading air…”

“Then why don’t you just do that?”

“I’m unskilled in that area…”

“…Alright, I understand for now.”

Arie looked at me with an uncertain expression, then put her hands behind her back and turned her head away.

“Anyway, you worked hard today, Assistant…”

“Yes, I had fun too.”

“…Fun…?”

“Ah, no! I meant it was beneficial.”

It was dangerous that I accidentally spoke my true feelings, but fortunately, she only chuckled softly and didn’t show any other reaction.

I sighed with relief inwardly and looked at Arie.

Her expression was as gloomy as ever, but within it was a genuine smile.

‘Right, if she’s satisfied, it should be fine for a while…’

‘I hope Arie stays quiet until the next big event approaches.’