episode_0011

000

Even within a city, accommodations have various grades.

`Mid-grade accommodations` for mid-tier adventurers like Kuon, Albein, and Cleon, who economically live hand-to-mouth.

`Low-grade accommodations` where those like Sasha, who have just come to the city and are not yet financially secure, reside.

And the top of the academy.

An elite who earns a vast fortune by submitting new papers every year with a 7-year full scholarship.

`High-grade accommodations` used by Layla Flamewatch.

Among these, only a handful can stay in high-grade accommodations, so

it was not well known among adventurers.

The characteristic of their accommodations was that they were somewhat free to remodel the rooms, like a semi-private house.

Layla’s room. Her room, which she had never shown to her party members─

was decorated with a firm red color scheme.

Walls, ceilings, floors. Beds or carpets. And so on.

Living there would make one feel crazy, but

in Layla’s case, all of this was a placement based on magical grounds.

Especially since she has good compatibility with the element of fire, her magic recovery is faster the more she is in a red room.

Most of it is torn scrolls, scraps of paper.

Ink pots left unattended after writing papers.

Hidden by instant food containers, etc.

Rather, it gave the feeling of a room where people live.

In the center of such a messy room.

Layla was biting her right thumb nail from early in the morning, feeling restless.

Last night. After sending Albein to Kuon’s accommodation, she has been in this state.

`Too many unexpected things have happened….`

Originally, she was going to expel Cleon and maintain this dragging relationship with Kuon appropriately,

then make a move and make Albein her own when the time was right.

But. With the appearance of Sasha and Gala, Albein did not move as she wanted him to.

In addition, Kuon’s poor physical condition.

Layla herself was curious about a phenomenon she couldn’t understand, and her mind was distracted.

She didn’t properly grasp what had happened to her.

And….

Yesterday’s events were the final blow.

Sending Albein to Kuon to keep him away from the suspicious sorcerer, wasn’t that a mistake?

Kuon, weakened in body and mind.

Albein, worrying about such Kuon.

Late at night. Looking at a friend who was weaker than ever….

They reaffirm their feelings for each other.

A closed room. Young men and women. Unrequited love.

There’s no way nothing would happen…

`No, no. There’s no way that could have happened. It’s Albein. Surely. He couldn’t read the atmosphere and said something strange, ruining the situation.`

Layla desperately justified her thoughts and shook her head.

But if, by any chance, what she thought had happened.

Knock knock

As if cutting off Layla’s thoughts, a knock came from the door.

“Layla, are you awake?!”

Sasha’s urgent voice.

Layla looked around the room for a moment, then waved her hand to hide the appearance of her room with illusion magic.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she opened the door to the room and greeted Sasha lightly.

“I’m here. What’s going on from the morning?”

“It’s a big deal! Kuon has been kidnapped because Albein fainted, and Cleon is…”

Sasha was restless and her eyes were spinning.

Layla tapped Sasha on the shoulder.

“Calm down. I don’t know what you’re talking about… Wait. What?”

“Cleon knocked Albein unconscious and kidnapped Kuon!”

A moment of silence.

Layla’s scream-like sound of `Haaaaaaah!?` echoed through the high-grade accommodation.

001

“…So. Albein and Kuon were in a good mood… and Cleon burst in, knocked Albein unconscious, and took Kuon away?”

Layla summarizes the information she received from Sasha.

Albein, who woke up in Kuon’s accommodation in the morning, seemed to have been running around the city in a frenzy, looking for Kuon.

In the process, he met Sasha and received the story, and Sasha, unable to watch his disgraceful behavior any longer, left him to Gala.

Then, she came to Layla to resolve the situation.

`Well. In this case…. Should I be thankful to Cleon.`

Layla slightly raised the corners of her mouth.

Because he seemed to have prevented Albein from crossing the important line, whether what Albein said was true or not.

“But Kuon. Where did she go? It doesn’t seem to be in the city….”

“If it’s a shady Cleon, isn’t he just camping outside the city?”

Layla roughly answered Sasha’s words, turning her gaze towards the exit leading out of the city.

“C, Cleon isn’t shady!”

“Maybe. In fact, the traces of magic are heading outside.”

“C, can you see that?”

Layla smiled and focused her magic on her eyes.

Her vision expands due to magic.

She can visually confirm the lingering magic she has seen before.

`Magic Vision`.

For a mage of Layla’s level, she could clearly track traces even after several hours.

Layla seemed to be contemplating for a moment.

She opened the window of the room and jumped into the air.

“Ah!? Layla?”

Sasha, surprised, looked out the window, chasing after her.

Layla was floating in the sky with a levitation spell.

Seeing that, Sasha strokes her chest.

“I’ll go check it out.”

“W, what about me?”

“Do as you please. Tell Albein.”

Saying that, she immediately flew out of the city at a rapid speed.

While flying, she was organizing her thoughts in her head.

Cleon’s purpose. Kuon’s condition. Albein’s actions.

If something happened between Kuon and Cleon….

For Albein, who has a strong possessive desire for his own things,

his feelings for Kuon will change negatively.

If that happens. It was a good opportunity for her.

It wasn’t planned, but if the situation turns out that way.

And if she removes unnecessary people from the stage in the process….

`Perfect timing. I’ll put an end to this unexpected situation. Foolish Cleon, he’s hastening his own death.`

Layla follows the traces of magic and enters the danger zone of the Living Forest.

The continued path was heading to the Count’s mansion.

“Hee, so you’re hiding here. Even diligently setting up a barrier.”

Layla creates a huge fireball without chanting.

Crimson flames form and rush towards the mansion.

“Come on, I’ll burn you to death, Cleon.”

002

As soon as Layla opened her eyes, she naturally frowned at the scene unfolding before her.

A space that cannot be called hygienic.

Stone walls and ceiling. Old, dilapidated iron bars.

And herself trapped inside.

Probably, it’s a prison in the basement of the mansion.

She understands her situation.

Beyond the bars, a man sitting in a chair, quietly looking at her.

Cleon.

He hadn’t disarmed, but he already had the余裕 of a victor.

Layla tries to move her limbs as a test.

The shoulder wound that had partially healed, the fractures from falling.

And the final blow that pierced her abdomen.

Even the wound from the black arrow was completely healed.

What didn’t come back was the empty magic power.

A mage without magic power is less scary than a child with a knife.

“This. Did Kuon do it?”

Layla opened her mouth, trying to act as calmly as possible.

She didn’t know what would happen to her if the man in front of her lost his composure even a little.

“Yes. Thank her.”

“Humph…. You know better than anyone what will happen if you kill me.”

Layla scoffed at Cleon’s words.

As she said, killing Layla was not a good idea.

She is a student of the Academy.

She is currently working as an adventurer outside of school, but her status is still valid.

Above all, her position as the top student.

Killing her would turn the entire Academy into an enemy.

It was too big a burden for Cleon, an adventurer, not a noble or a powerful person, to bear.

Layla also knew this fact, so she could show Cleon a somewhat arrogant attitude.

However, Cleon does not change his indifferent expression at Layla’s words, as if he is not interested in them.

The reaction was unexpected, but Layla first needed to fully understand her situation.

“Where’s Kuon?”

“Sasha came and is dealing with it. She’ll talk upstairs and come back.”

Sasha…!

A hopeful observation flashed through Layla’s mind.

She is a good child.

She couldn’t help but be angry at Cleon after seeing this situation.

If that happens, Cleon would have no choice but to release her, she judged, and gave a bitter smile.

“Quite…. relaxed. Layla.”

“I just thought it was tiring to participate in this kind of play. Too bad! Cleon. You may have coaxed Kuon well, but I’m not that easy.”

Cleon stared at Layla’s face for a moment, then turned his body while sitting in the chair.

Then, he took something out of his pocket and showed it.

It was a necklace that Layla usually wore.

A type of magical tool characterized by a red gem.

Various geometric patterns were engraved inside, so even someone unfamiliar with magic could tell that it was that kind of thing.

But Layla’s complexion turned pale as soon as she saw it.

She quickly raised her hand to her chest. But her head already understood that the thing she wanted was not there.

“T, that…”

“A magical tool that helps control magic power on the surface. Well made. Were you reporting what’s been happening with this?”

A heavy stone seemed to fall deep in her chest, causing a shock.

Cleon─ noticed.

When? Where? How?

The worst-case scenario that could be imagined was quickly constructed in her head.

“Now the mask has come off.”

Cleon looked at Layla’s pale face and stared at the necklace.

The necklace is a kind of transmitter.

It transmits various events that occur in the adventure with Albein, along with Layla’s magic power, to the Academy through Layla’s will.

Layla had a reporting duty.

As a student of the Academy.

At the same time, as a member of the mission to capture the Hero.

“I thought it was strange. You, the top student of the Academy, would come to find Albein in this backwater, even if he is a Hero.”

The Hero of the Continent is not one.

Albein was a young rookie who was relatively unknown among them.

Layla’s opening remarks when she first came to Albein came to mind.

`My name is Layla. Layla Flamewatch. I’m the proud top student of the Academy. Hero Albein. I heard rumors about you and came to find you.`

“Was the risk too great to bring someone too famous or strong to the Academy? Albein was probably a good target.”

“T, that’s─”

The more Cleon spoke, the more cold sweat poured out from Layla’s body.

This man knows everything.

Her secret that must never be hidden.

The darkness connected to the Academy’s flaws.

“Albein will be surprised too. If he finds out that Layla approached him seeing him as a lab rat.”

“─ T, that’s wrong. I don’t see Albein that way.”

This much was true.

Of course, at first, he was ignorant but brave.

She just thought he was a human with a little more power than others.

But over the past year.

Spending time with him and Kuon, it was true that she had feelings for Albein as a friend, and even more than that.

Regardless of that.

The fact that she deceived everyone and excluded the obstructive Cleon from the party to carry out the mission remained unchanged.

“So…. I was an obstacle. In your mission. The reason you kept badmouthing me to Kuon and Albein. Was that the reason.”

“…Ugh….”

Cleon’s guess was accurate.

Albein, the center of the party.

But, Cleon’s existence was an eyesore for Layla, who had to make Albein her own and take him back to the Academy by naturally breaking up the party as much as possible, as Albein had a tendency to run wild with strong power in his young age, and Cleon was acting as the reins to control him.

“What are you going to do with that?”

Layla asked Cleon in a trembling voice.

Logically speaking, it was not a good idea to tell Albein this.

Albein might go on a rampage after hearing the truth. And people could get hurt in the process.

The scale of the incident might become too big to seek personal revenge.

“It would be right to report it to the Guild.”

So, the answer is this.

Layla’s legs gave way in despair at hearing the answer she least wanted, and she sat down.

“The Guild has a duty to protect its affiliated adventurers. Especially adventurers who are treated as national-class key personnel like Heroes.”

“S, stop….”

Layla’s voice, filled with terror, contrasted with Cleon’s cold voice.

But Cleon’s story continued regardless of that.

“If the Guild hears about the Academy, the Guild will formally protest to the Academy…. Your mission will end in failure.”

“Stop it…!”

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Cleon did not stop.

“If that happens…. What kind of ending will be left for you, who has shattered the Academy’s reputation.”

“Please! Stop it─!”

It was rare for Layla to lose her composure to this extent.

But Cleon knew the reason.

The ability to read the past of a target connected by magic power, which he had used on Sasha before.

Cleon, who had examined her with the intention of gaining an advantage in the story with Layla, could not help but admire her acting, which had deceived them so completely for a year.

What happens to Layla if she fails the mission?

Cleon already knew that.

All the answers were in her memory.

`Executioners`. A position like a disciplinary unit belonging to the Academy.

They find students who have failed their missions or betrayed the Academy and take care of the aftermath.

If it’s about skill, Layla might be ahead.

But their true value lies in their cruelty.

Not only herself, but the people around her one by one.

They cut off and tighten their helping hands.

Before she knew it, the loser falls in the remaining solitude.

In her memory, there was also the memory of another student who was executed.

Certainly, it couldn’t be said to be a good scenery.

But.

Even so. The avenger does not stop.

Even if Layla despairs and trembles in fear.

It was not a reason for him to stop.

Because. He and Layla are not comrades.

From the beginning.

Layla raised her head to the shadow cast over her.

Cleon, standing with his back to the prison fire, looking down at her.

His eyes still emitted a cold darkness, and there was no sign of mercy.

There was no sympathy for Layla anywhere.

Because revenge is not over yet.

“Did you think you could deceive and trample on others for your own convenience. And you would be safe?”

A voice filled with icy anger. Layla flinched at the terror that ran down her spine.

She couldn’t stand properly because her breathing had quickened from hearing his story.

Even so, the moment she tried to step back to get away from Cleon.

Cleon’s hand, reaching out from beyond the bars, grabbed Layla’s wrist.

“You can’t escape. Not from me, nor from the responsibility for what you’ve done.”

“N, no…!”

“Regret it. I don’t expect remorse. You won’t have time for that. Constantly tremble in fear at the approaching ending.”

“Ah, ah…!”

Layla saw.

The smile of a demon-like woman writhing in his shadow.

That silhouette that she seemed to have seen somewhere.

But. She had no time to care about such things.

This man will kill me.

Even if he doesn’t lay a hand on her himself.

There was no way for Layla to escape.

“Cleon.”

At that time. A woman’s voice echoed softly.

A gap was created in the dark tension that had flowed between Cleon and Layla.

The two simultaneously looked at the entrance of the prison where the voice came from.

There, Kuon was seen.

Was she listening to Layla and Cleon’s story?

Her expression was a little dark.

Her eyes showed compassion that Cleon did not have.

“Ku, Kuon…!”

Layla looked at her comrade in a trembling voice.

She, who appeared in this situation.

Was like the only light of hope for her.

If it’s Kuon, she might be able to stop Cleon.

“Cleon. You promised not to be too harsh on Layla.”

“… … Ah. That’s right. Sorry.”

At those words, Cleon released Layla’s arm that he was holding and stepped away from the iron bars.

Layla, who had been constantly trying to get away from Cleon, lost her balance and fell.

“Where’s Sasha?”

“I made her wait upstairs. It’s not a scene I want to show her very much.”

As Kuon approached,

Layla put her head through the iron bars from inside the prison and shed tears.

“L, listen Kuon! I, I certainly deceived everyone… But still, we’re comrades─”

“Yeah. I know. Layla.”

Kuon stroked Layla’s head and spoke softly.

Her voice was as kind as ever.

Kuon, whom she had seen after a long time, seemed to have already regained her original state.

Layla thought that such Kuon looked like a true saint.

Kuon might save her.

From the demon called Cleon.

“So. Let’s apologize to Cleon properly.”

“Huh?”

But it was different from what she expected.

Kuon uses a voice like a saint.

She smiled like a mother and despaired Layla.

The magic power that had returned a little restored Layla’s Magic Vision.

Then, at the same time, what she saw was the path of magic connecting Kuon and Cleon.

I see, these two are already

There was no hope here.

The path of magic that continued from Cleon’s body was not one.

It passed through the ceiling, probably the girl in the mansion above.

Sasha would be the same as Kuon.

It wasn’t the kind of thing that manipulates will.

Just. Existences that understand each other in the depths of their souls.

Because they understand loneliness. Loss. Despair. Wounds. Negative emotions

More than those who only share positive aspects─

That was not the kind of thing that a comrade or a traitor like herself could infiltrate.

So Layla decided to get comfortable.

No matter how much she cries from now on. No matter how much she racks her brains.

She realized that there was no way for her to beat Cleon.

Layla staggered away from Kuon and looked at Cleon.

And. Layla bent her waist. Her knees. She bowed her head. She fell to the ground.

“Please… Mr. Cleon….”

The proud mouth that used to chant.

A noble soul.

But─

Now, all of that is swallowed by fear and despair.

Each word, each word. Every time she utters it.

“P, please forgive me…. Please save me….”

Layla was wise.

She acted because she was wise.

But she failed.

The price of failure was too great.