Black Summoner: Volume 18 E-Book

Doufu Mayoi

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Black Summoner
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 325

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Things are heating up in Lumiest as the exhibition match reaches its climax! But when fallen angels with a mysterious motive make their move, what will become of the event?

Both DarkMel and Kelvin seem to be in danger as the fallen angels seem to have their sights set on the pair. The angels also seem more than willing to take hostages, so how will our heroes cope?

The enemy’s plans don’t just end with the exhibition match, though! What are they really after? What will be their next target? Either way, Kelvin’s definitely not going to be bored!

Leseprobe

Chapter 1: Conclusion and Manifestation

A jet-black halo and wings were the sign that an angel had gone against a god’s will and fallen. Horace’s appearance was definitely that of a fallen angel, and it exuded a strange and indescribable feeling, like a complicated mix of holiness and evil. That was why his kind were rare, unconventional, and overwhelmingly strong.

In front of such a delectable feast, Paul’s and Sinjeel’s fighting spirit skyrocketed. Still, they were aiming to be rational battle junkies. So, following Kelvin’s teachings, they accepted the fight as set in stone and knew that they needed to at least get Horace to tell them what they needed to know.

“Fallen angel? Weren’t you a teacher at this school? Well, which one is it?!” Paul asked angrily.

“And just suddenly saying that you’re here to bring Lady DarkMel back would only confuse her,” Sinjeel added. “At least give the minimum amount of information necessary; I thought you were a gentleman. Is that only in looks?”

“Hm.” Horace considered their words for a moment, then said, “I thought you would attack without giving me a chance to speak, but it seems you two are surprisingly levelheaded. Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that this is a waste of time. Now, come with me, Comrade DarkMel.”

“Hey!” shouted her two bodyguards.

The pair had tried to draw out some information while provoking the fight, but Horace ignored them, acting as though having anything to do with them would be a waste of time.

It seemed like only DarkMel existed to him now, so he spoke to her with one-sided kindness. “Fallen angel DarkMel, the actions you took were truly wonderful. It wouldn’t be going too far to say that the revival of our absolute deity, Addams-sama, is all thanks to your achievements. The awoken archangels will surely welcome you warmly.”

“Um...absolute deity? Uh, er...I really don’t know what you’re talking about, Instructor Horace. Are you sure you aren’t, um...mistaking me for someone else?” DarkMel asked. She was confused after being told so many absurd things out of nowhere. She had no clue what Horace was talking about. Even so, she desperately tried to think of why he would say such things to her, though she came up with nothing.

Horace, however, seemed confused too. “Surely there is no need to put on an act anymore, Comrade DarkMel?” Her flustered manner was starting to sow doubts within him.

“I’m not...acting...” she replied.

“That’s right, the little lady is the little lady!” Paul shouted. “She’s not anything more or less, you psycho!”

“Could it be? Is there something wrong with your memories?” Horace asked. “Is that even possible? No, it can’t be...but—”

“This bastard!” Paul interrupted him.

Horace had continued his policy of ignoring the pair as he started muttering to himself, clearly trying to piece something together. It was quite obvious what he was doing by now.

“But no matter what state your memory is in, my duty is to bring you with me,” he concluded. “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t make it hard for me, if possible.”

“You idiot, did you really think we would listen to you, given how this has been going?” Paul sneered.

“Yes, well, I had to ask,” Horace said. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers.

Paul and Sinjeel, wondering what that was about, kept their eyes peeled, and they heard footsteps. These sounds didn’t belong to just one or two people but a number in the double digits. An entire crowd. Eventually, the source became clear: people wearing Lumiest’s uniform.

“Is... Are those students from Dorm Marle?” DarkMel asked.

“Yes, we are,” one of them affirmed. “If you don’t go with Instructor Horace, first-year DarkMel, we will be killed by him. Please, adventurers, don’t make a fuss and just let this go. If you do, no one has to die. Right?”

“N-Nooo...” DarkMel muttered as the students moved to surround the three of them.

One of the students replied to her with a bright smile, declaring that they were hostages. It was strange to see that attitude in such a situation. Seeing them like that must have been a shock to DarkMel, as she paled and covered her mouth with her hands.

“I’d love to say that they’re being manipulated, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. They’re acting naturally,” Sinjeel said.

“Spouting a line like that with a smile means they’re acting anything but naturally,” Paul scoffed. “Are you bastards friends of his?”

“No, we aren’t. We are Instructor Horace’s students, and his hostages. Nothing more and nothing less.” This time, a different student had spoken up, but with the same smile. As Sinjeel had noted, the way they acted didn’t indicate that they were being manipulated using charm or something similar. However, that just made the scene even creepier to the trio. Voluntarily becoming hostages, their manner of speech... All of that came together to be extremely unsettling.

“You can feel free to ignore them and fight me,” Horace warned the bodyguards. “Or you can prioritize their lives and give me Comrade DarkMel. If you choose the latter, I can guarantee the lives of these Marle students.”

“Hah! And you expect us to just trust you?” Paul said snidely.

“Yes, I do,” Horace replied. “So, what will you do? I don’t mind either way, though I don’t recommend waiting for outside reinforcements. This area is under my jurisdiction, which means I already have a barrier around it to mark it as such. Most importantly, I don’t want to waste time, so I’d like you to make a decision quickly. If you keep me waiting too long, I’ll start relieving students of their heads to alleviate my boredom.”

“You! Damn! Bastard!” Paul gnashed his teeth.

“You’re supposed to be an angel, aren’t you? At least, sort of? Are you seriously allowed to do something like this? This is more fitting of a demon,” Sinjeel complained.

“Yes, of course I am. So, what is your answer? I think it’s about time for the first victim,” Horace declared mercilessly as he approached a nearby female student and put his hand around her neck. If they didn’t come up with an answer within the next few seconds, her head would likely end up on the floor. Horace’s dispassionate attitude easily convinced the trio that he was cruel enough to make such a terrible future a reality.

“Instructor Horace...” Surprisingly, DarkMel was the one to speak up, breaking that unbearable tension.

“Yes, what is it?” the man asked in reply.

Unlike his attitude towards Paul and Sinjeel, which was wholly apathetic, Horace’s attitude towards DarkMel was somewhat soft, probably because she was also a fallen angel.

“You said earlier that there is a barrier erected around this area. Does that mean you did something to the stage as well? For example, switching the barrier to a different one to not allow papa onto it?” DarkMel asked.

“Oho, so you noticed.” Horace seemed impressed. “Yes, I did exactly that. I have confirmed that Grim Reaper Kelvin gains godlike power if you are near him. Even we wouldn’t want to encounter him in that state. We have sealed off the stage with the strongest barrier available to us.”

“I see. Thank you,” DarkMel replied.

“You’re welcome.”

That only drew grunts of confusion from Paul and Sinjeel. They were the first ones to get a slight feeling that something was off. Even though DarkMel was speaking and sounding as she normally did, their instincts told them that something was wrong.

“Please, get back, you two,” DarkMel said. “Everything will be solved as long as I step forward.”

“Hah! Never!” Paul declared.

“Sacrificing yourself would be a foolish act, Lady DarkMel. Please, don’t even consider it. I will use my brilliant mind to think of a way to solve this si—” Sinjeel was interrupted.

“Did you not hear me? I told you two to get back,” she said with more force.

That elicited noises of shock as the men’s doubts turned into certainty. In unison, they sprang into action before either could register a conscious plan. As DarkMel wished, they jumped far back and created an abundance of space between them and her.

Wha... What is this? This overwhelming sense of presence that won’t allow me to say no?! Paul thought, bewildered. Did the little lady really just say that?!

This isn’t merely in the dimension of just strong, or stronger! Sinjeel thought in a panic. Are we, pupils of Master Kelvin, seriously terrified from the bottom of our hearts? Terrified...of her? No! No way!

Their brains finally caught up, spewing a mountain of questions. But the situation was changing moment by moment, and then DarkMel had manifested a black halo and black wings. Paul and Sinjeel had no idea when she had revealed such appendages. In fact, not even Horace had been able to see the change as it happened.

Horace’s laughter slowly built up to a roar. “Please, Comrade DarkMel, you caused me some unnecessary worry there. But you have enough power that I can’t even see your depths; it’s enough to completely overwhelm me! Hmm, so you really were acting. My word, you are a mischievous one. But it seems you’ve made your choice. Allow me to express my utmost respect for you, having chosen to walk the same path—”

“You seem to be having some kind of misunderstanding,” DarkMel said. “I said that everything would be solved once I stepped forward, didn’t I?”

Horace’s sight was then filled with the darkness of countless tentacles that had suddenly manifested.

◇ ◇ ◇

The mysterious tentacles that suddenly appeared in front of Horace approached him at blinding speed. Having sensed the absurd danger they posed, he immediately took evasive action. It was close—just a bit closer and the tentacles would have grazed him. He was extremely lucky that the ceiling above them was tall enough that he had space to run to, and he had already manifested his black wings so that they could be used at any time.

“Oh my, you dodged?” DarkMel observed. “I suppose I should assume I’m not yet used to this power. Or maybe I should be impressed by how well I’m already using it? Well, whatever. I managed to secure the hostages, so I’m happy with the result.”

“Ugh, agh...”

“Urgh, aahhhh...”

The Marle dorm students who had been left behind were all swallowed up by the wave of tentacles, and pained voices that could barely be classified as screams could be heard. It didn’t look like they were taking damage, but they had been completely drained of consciousness.

From his vantage point in the air, Horace could see what was happening to his students and also grasp the full scope of the tentacles. The pitch-black appendages were growing out from under DarkMel’s skirt—called Agnos Pasma—and spreading out along the ground in all directions. On top of that, the area it was affecting was absurd. It covered the ground of the school entirely, as far as Horace could see.

“What... What is this sinister power?!” he muttered.

“Sinister? How rude,” DarkMel responded. “As you can see, Abyss Dagon is a combined Blue and Black Magic spell, and all it does is spawn an infinite number of tentacles. They do have the property of absorbing all the MP of anyone they touch, but that’s just a small detail. Anyway, now you won’t be able to force the students to commit suicide.”

The tentacles were gradually stretching upwards from the ground, seeking new prey. Of course, they were all stretching slowly towards Horace, who was the only one in the air.

“Urghh, they’re so slimy! But...it doesn’t seem to be causing harm to us,” Sinjeel said.

“Uh, hey, little lady! Just to confirm, you’re our friend, right?! Also, what is this power?!” Paul yelled.

Though they couldn’t be seen, buried as they were under the sea of tentacles, Paul and Sinjeel were still present. Unlike the students, they weren’t being drained and were still fully conscious.

“Of course I am,” DarkMel replied. “I don’t really want to give an explanation in front of our enemy, but...fine. It’s not like he’s worth much.”

“What?!” Horace exclaimed, indignant.

Normally, DarkMel would never mock her opponent. That alone was shocking, but her abnormal strength was even more so. She began her explanation.

“My Unique Skill, Monster Parent, makes papa the strongest he’s ever been as long as I’m watching him. As Instructor Horace said earlier, that’s why he’s wary of papa and took steps to separate him from us using a barrier. Isn’t that right? Yes, that plan was sound. A correct choice. Or it would have been if not for Monster Parent’s other use.”

“Other use?” Horace echoed, shocked and confused.

“Indeed!” DarkMel confirmed in a singsong voice. “It has another effect in the complete opposite circumstance. In short, it occurs when my papa cannot sense me at all. Then, my Unique Skill returns me to my strongest state. I suppose you could call it rapid pseudo-growth. It also returns my personality to the way it was, though, which is a bit of a problem. Of course, my strongest state—well, I guess you don’t need me to tell you when that was. It seems you’ve figured it out already.”

Horace let out a strangled noise of surprise. “So it wasn’t an act, and you have no intention of joining us to walk the same path. Then why did you help us?”

“Are you talking about the actions of my previous self? I’ll tell you now, that DarkMel is already dead. I’ve just temporarily regained my former strength thanks to a special ability. Of course, I love my papa just as much as the other me did, so I think I can make a good guess. I bet it’s so that, in case I was beaten, there would be another present left for papa. It makes sense for the other me to have prepared a parting gift. It’d be terrible if papa was bored because he didn’t have anyone to compete with, after all.”

“A...parting gift?!” Horace repeated, dumbfounded.

“Yes indeed!” DarkMel once again confirmed in the same lilting voice. “Of course, that doesn’t mean you specifically, Instructor Horace. It would be far too arrogant of you to assume that. I’m talking about the powers backing you. Probably an archangel or some sort of evil deity, right?”

DarkMel gazed, satisfied, at Horace, who was shaking with rage. Behind her, Paul and Sinjeel could only shake in fear at her words and actions.

“Whew, I think this conversation’s gone on a little too long. Oh, I don’t recommend trying to stall for outside support, okay? I’m sure you’re aiming to try to escape, or at least get this information to your friends somehow, but I’m not nearly as kind as my mama. Look, I’ve long since cut off all connection with the outside,” DarkMel said, spreading both her arms as sounds not unlike glass cracking and shattering could be heard around her.

Horace turned his gaze to their surroundings and saw that everything had been dyed black, even the ceiling.

“A pitch-black barrier?!” he cried in shock.

“Close, but not quite,” DarkMel corrected him. “Rect Locus isn’t a spell that creates a barrier. It would be more accurate to say that it hollows out a space and replaces it with a haphazard, tiny world. I’ll warn you now, it would be better not to touch this black world. The very concept of it is extremely unstable, so even I don’t know if it can maintain your kind’s existence. But if you still want to try to get out, you’re free to ignore my advice and go for it. Watching what happens would be interesting.”

“Uh, um...does that mean it’s dangerous for us to touch it too?” Sinjeel asked.

“It does, yes. Please stay there quietly,” DarkMel replied.

Paul and Sinjeel shut up and did as they were told, resolving to wait for it all to be over.

“What?! The creation of an entire world?! That’s absurd! There’s no way you would be able to accomplish such a godlike feat. You’re not even the Goddess of Reincarnation anymore!” Horace yelled.

“I told you already, as I am now, I have the powers of a goddess. Well, sorry, I misspoke. Erm, more importantly... Ah, there.” DarkMel seemed to be looking for something, and after a moment, one of her tentacles pulled up a bound student.

“Eeeeek!” the student yelped before shouting in a heavy, nervous stutter, “What’s going on?!”

“Aha, I see. So one was left unaffected. Looks to be very confused. It seems your strange brainwashing has worn off. If it wore off after the connection to the outside was severed, then that means... Right, the one who brainwashed them isn’t you,” DarkMel concluded.

She then pointed sharply at Horace. At the same time, the tentacles drained the screaming, confused student, who flopped lifelessly like an empty husk.

“I’m curious about who your friends are, but papa and the others can handle them,” DarkMel continued. “Now then, what should I do with you, Instructor Horace? Would you like to bravely face me and have all the information you possess sucked out of you? Or would you like to wisely attempt an escape but still get captured by me? Indeed, no matter which option you choose, I will respect it.”

“You shouldn’t underestimate me so,” Horace spat. “I am Horace Ascade, an apostle of the true god! Right here and now, I will slice apart the evil in front of me!” He spread his black wings to their full length and charged at DarkMel.

“Hee hee! So foolish!” DarkMel giggled. “Oh my, I misspoke again.”

◇ ◇ ◇

Nothing escaped the area enveloped by Rect Locus, not even loud shouts that were actually more like screams. It was unclear whose voice it was, but there was no chance that it would be heard outside. And so, we’ll move along to the arena.

“Hello, DarkMel-san. You are representing Lumiest in this round, correct? DarkMel-saaan? It’s time, so please make your way to the stage!” Ranlulu said. “Huh, that’s weird. It’s time for the final round, but DarkMel-san isn’t showing herself. Ah! Maybe this is some sort of surprise?!”

“A surprise that the administrators of the event don’t even know about? You must be joking. At the moment, we are looking into her whereabouts, so please wait for the match to start,” Milky stated.

A small fuss was being kicked up in the event venue because DarkMel had not yet appeared onstage. As the announcers said, the administrators had finally started looking into what was going on, so there was no news yet.

“That’s weird. Unlike Mel, DarkMel is punctual, so she shouldn’t be late to such a big event...” Kelvin muttered to himself, trailing off as his mind started spinning with possibilities. Then, he gasped. “Wait! That can’t be! Has some sort of incident happened?! Was she kidnapped?! Does her papa need to go help her?!”

Kelvin had come onstage first as the final round was about to start, but now his doting tendencies had, of course, started to show. Normally, this would be when his friends laughed uproariously, mocking him for being so delusional. But, as luck would have it, he was actually partially correct in this case, though whether she needed help was something only a goddess would know.

Kelvin didn’t know, of course, so he was on the verge of running off the stage and racing through the academy to look for her. However, just as he was about to apply Sonic Acceleration to himself and run off, someone came onstage.

“Excuse me.” The figure happened to lock eyes with Kelvin as they entered with a nonchalant greeting. There was no emotion behind those words, no hostility or murderous intent. It was just a pleasantry—a natural, daily utterance by almost everyone.

The figure looked to be a female student from Lumiest, since she was wearing the same uniform as Rion. Generally, her features were nondescript, as if she could blend in anywhere. Even so, Kelvin felt the need to set aside his thoughts of DarkMel for the moment and concentrate on her. His perception as a longtime battle junkie told him that this seemingly normal girl would be absolutely delectable to fight. Just laying eyes on her gave him a hunger for combat, and his mouth was watering.

At his level of strength, the average Rank S monster wasn’t much more than a snack to Kelvin, but all five of his battle junkie senses thirsted to fight this newcomer. She looked normal, but she wasn’t. There was no way he wouldn’t be interested in a student who gave such a mismatched impression. Naturally, a wonderful smile formed on his face, and by the time he noticed, he was already speaking.

“Who’re you? What’s your name? What do you want? Where do you live? Actually, wait, how about fighting me first?”

He was asking questions, but really they were closer to pickup lines as he invited the girl to fight. However, even after being hit by his battle junkie smile and invitation, her expression didn’t change.

“I have come as DarkMel’s stand-in,” she said. “My name is Dorothy. I’m in the same dorm room as Rion-san, which makes me her roommate. What I want is to defeat you, Kelvin-san, so I will happily take you up on your invitation. Lumiest’s victory is riding on the outcome of this, after all.”

The mysterious student who appeared before Kelvin was, shockingly, Rion’s friend Dorothy. Kelvin’s smile didn’t waver, but the reaction from everyone else was pronounced.

“What?! Thee-chan?!” Rami shouted in surprise.

“What?” Bell let out.

“Huh? We’re substituting fighters?” Rion asked.

“No, I haven’t heard anything to that effect...” Graham muttered.

Everyone who was watching from Lumiest’s waiting room made surprised comments in response to the unexpected twist. It was understandable, since from their perspective, Dorothy’s appearance had come out of nowhere.

Rion’s friend? Kelvin thought. That means she’s a student at Lumiest, just as she looks. She said she was Rion’s roommate, so she should be in the same school year... Wait, the same school year?! Wow, Lumiest! I had no idea you were still hiding some silver bullets! As expected of my little sister, she’s got a great eye for schools. I’d love to become lifelong friends with someone this strong. Actually, please, become my friend!

Meanwhile, Kelvin, having met Dorothy for the first time, and not knowing what was going on behind the scenes, assumed that she was a surprise fighter and therefore believed that she really was just a substitute for DarkMel. Sadly, that was the fault of a battle junkie’s nature—or should he be pitied as a fool?

Still, even if she was able to trick the foolishly straightforward Grim Reaper, the administration considered this to be an unforeseen occurrence. Unsurprisingly, they tried to put a stop to it.

“What are you thinking, Dorothy-san? You’re not a member of the exhibition team. Get off the stage this instant,” Milky said in a quiet tone. As the person in charge of the competition, she couldn’t allow this selfishness from a random student.

“I’m sorry, Instructor Milky, but I cannot obey your order. I am already in control of this area,” Dorothy replied.

“What did you say?” Milky reacted with confusion.

Dorothy snapped her fingers, and the barrier covering Kelvin and the others changed into something else entirely. It was now far stronger and blocked the summoning of Followers as well as telepathic communication. This ultimate purple barrier was made to completely counter a Summoner’s strengths.

Hmmm? This color, and that behavior... Could it be? Kelvin automatically understood what kind of barrier it was the moment he saw it. Why? Because it was familiar to him. There was someone beyond the stage who understood too, for the same reason.

“That’s...from way back...” Bell muttered.

“Bell-chan?” Rion prompted, concerned.

Bell, the former Apostle, had used that same barrier in the past, so she also immediately recognized it for what it was, just like Kelvin, who she had used it on once before.

::That purple color... It’s the barrier Creator made. Remember? The one Ange and I used when she was going to assassinate Kelvin,:: Bell informed Rion through the Network.

::You mean from the Beast King Festival?:: Rion replied.

::Yes. But why is it being used here? I gave the details of the Summoner Killer to Kelvin and the others to help them take down Controller, but no one else should know about it. Wait, we need to destroy it before anything else.::

::Um...I never saw it directly, but didn’t Sera-nee break the barrier last time?::

::Yes, she did. Sister Sera destroyed it with magnificence and grace. Normally it’d be impossible to wreck it so quickly, so she must have used Blood Dominion. Even though we were enemies at the time, I was impressed by her incredible initiative,:: Bell finished with a proud noise and a puff of her chest.

Ah, that noise just now kind of reminds me of Sera-nee, Rion couldn’t help but think, even though she knew the situation was too serious to allow for such distractions.

::The barrier is stupid tough and specially made to allow only magic to pass through, so Kelvin’s scythe won’t be able to break it. It also blocks Summoning and telepathy, so in essence, it’s an anti-Kelvin barrier,:: Bell continued.

::But...doesn’t that mean this is an emergency?! We need to hurry and tell Kel-nii about this!:: Rion cried.

::There’s no need. I’m sure that idiot already knows. He’s a stupid battle junkie, after all.::

::Ah, right.:: Rion was instantly convinced. In a sense, that showed how much she trusted Kelvin. ::Then we need to hurry and contact Sera-nee,:: she suggested, immediately taking action. ::Can you hear me, Sera-nee? Hey, Sera-nee?:: Rion sent several telepathic messages to Sera, but wasn’t getting any answer. She found that strange, so she persisted.

Finally, a reply came. ::Uurrghh...:: The answer was quiet and weak.

::Sera-nee, are you okay?!:: Rion asked, alarmed. She panicked, thinking that something might have happened to Sera and the others.

But the next thing Sera sent to Rion in the midst of her panic was ::We...got too excited and ate too much... I can’t...move... Grfhh...::

It was a declaration that they’d eaten too much and had thrown in the towel. Apparently, they had gone to enjoy a tour of the stalls after subduing the doting father and grandparent. It seemed that Sera, who could match Melfina in terms of battle strength, only had an average-sized stomach.

::As expected, sister Sera, I see you’re enjoying the festival to its fullest. That makes me proud as a student of Lumiest,:: Bell told her. She was very magnanimous when her sister was involved.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Thee-chan, why?” Rion asked aloud.

The matter of the barrier aside, details of this entire affair were still shrouded in mystery. Why was Dorothy here? Why was she powerful enough to make Kelvin want to fight her? Rion, her friend and roommate, was especially confused by this. She had a hard time believing what she was seeing. And no matter the details of how it had happened, she didn’t know how she should react, seeing her big brother Kelvin so happy.

I know I went with the flow of the conversation and agreed to try and do something about the barrier, but Bell was right. Kel-nii probably knows all this already, and he’s looking like he’s having so much fun. Maybe we actually shouldn’t interfere? I’m not sure why, but I can’t even tell how powerful Thee-chan is right now. Uurghh!

What should she prioritize? The safety of her big brother? Allowing him to do the thing he lived for (battle)? Unveiling the true identity of her friend? Although Rion was worrying a lot, she’d already had her answer from the start.

“Can you leave this to me, Bell-chan? You don’t need to break the barrier; just make sure that everyone in the venue is safe!”

“You don’t think we should go save him?” Bell asked.

“Nope. It would be a different matter if Kel-nii asked us to, but right now he looks like he’s having fun.”

Bell sighed. “Right. Man, that weirdo is so lucky to be surrounded by people who understand him.” She instantly understood Rion’s thinking. She herself was pretty understanding of the Celsius family, despite her words about them. “So, what will you do, Rion? If you’re going to leave the venue to me, does that mean you’re heading somewhere else?”

“I’ll look for DarkMel,” Rion told her. “Her safety is the biggest obstacle to Kel-nii being able to relax and concentrate on the fight in front of him!”

“Heh, you really think of your brother a lot. What about Dorothy?”

“Yeah, Thee-chan’s fine too! She looks super strong, enough that I don’t have to worry about her!” Rion replied.

Jeez, this battle-crazed family, Bell thought as she saw Rion run off, leaving behind sparking electricity.

“Wait! Waiiit! I’ll help too, Ri-chaaan!” the Lightning Dragon King, Rami, called out as she turned into lightning and chased after the teen.

If the two of them were to split up and search the academy at the speed of lightning, they would probably find DarkMel right away.

“Hm, it sounds like we are in an emergency,” Graham noted. “What should I do, Bell-dono? As a fellow student, I would like to help.”

“Hm? Then go supply the stage with magic so it doesn’t break,” Bell told him. “Even if the barrier changes, the stage won’t, I’m pretty sure.”

“Huh? We are going to repair the stage rather than break it?” Graham asked.

“Yes, exactly. Dorothy may be an unknown factor, but she entered the cage of her own free will. We can’t allow her to do as she pleases and possibly put the audience in danger, can we?” Bell reasoned.

“Ohhh, I see! As expected of our valedictorian, Bell-dono! I will go right away!” Graham nodded enthusiastically and rushed off to supply the stage with magic.

“Okay...I don’t know how crazy this fight is going to get, but this should hold things for now,” Bell muttered to herself once she was left alone in the waiting room, nodding in satisfaction.

Rion and Rami had gone to look for DarkMel, Graham was going to supply the stage with magic, and Art had disappeared after his match. At the moment, she was completely alone.

“I suppose I’ll just take it easy here and observe. After all, I’ll still be doing as Rion said and making sure no one is in danger,” she told herself before retrieving a swimsuit, a beach chair, a small table, a glass of southern fruit juice, and fries from her mini Clotho clone. That allowed her to relax as if she were on vacation. And to complete the look, she even put on a pair of sunglasses.

“Heh heh! According to sister Sera, when it’s time to play, play hard, and when it’s time to rest, rest easy. And this is the ultimate way to rest and relax, as I learned from her! I can’t do this anywhere near papa since he won’t shut up about it, and I have to act like an honors student at this academy, so I’ve never been able to find the right time to try it out until now. But while everyone else is in a panic and too busy with their own stuff, it’s the perfect chance. Plus, I’ve got some good entertainment going on right in front of me!”

Bell finished off her speech to herself with an uncharacteristic singsong giggle. She had quickly changed into the swimsuit and was now sipping her fruit juice through a straw, looking like she was in the middle of a tropical vacation. For that moment, Bell was a girl who loved and respected her big sister so much that she wanted to imitate everything she did. Still, that raised the question: why now? To be fair, it wasn’t as though Bell wasn’t thinking about what was going on around her.

“I can’t imagine the fighting idiot that managed to bring down the Black Goddess would lose to someone like this, so there shouldn’t be a need for me to do anything. I am curious about why she used this event to show herself, but my intuition is saying that it’ll all work out, so whatever. If things start looking hopeless, I’ll step in, but...I’m sure the principal and Seer disappeared to go put out the fires in the background, so everything should be fine. Now then, let’s see how well Dorothy can fight.” Lastly, Bell tied it all up with, “Having a day off without papa and Sebasdel around is just the best!”

The mini Clotho clone by her side watched over her with a look that said, “I don’t know any details, but you have it hard, don’t you?”

◇ ◇ ◇

While the members of the Lumiest team (other than Bell) were moving around in a hurry, Kelvin had discovered a certain message. Marks that looked like they had been scorched into the wall with high heat had been left in a spot that was hidden to everybody else.

We’ll go look for DarkMel, so concentrate on your fight!

It had been left by Rion, who’d written it using lightning as she dashed off at high speed. Because she’d left at a speed only visible to Rank S adventurers like Kelvin or people with commensurate strength, the civilians in the audience wondered if they really had seen a bright flash.

A message from Rion, huh? Still, she’s very skilled, to be able to leave a message with lightning like that. I already knew something was up, though; that’s not a surprise to me. Something happened. What the announcer was saying was pretty suspicious, after all. I don’t know who this girl is, but if she did something to DarkMel, I won’t forgive her! But...this does mean I can concentrate on the fight thanks to Rion.

Kelvin’s desire to fight was rising, but he was also worried about where DarkMel had gone, so he was truly relieved to see Rion’s message. Someone he trusted, a member of his family, was telling him things would be fine and to concentrate on the fight. Kelvin might have been a doting fool, but he also trusted his family from the bottom of his heart. That was why he immediately turned his entire attention to his opponent, Dorothy.

“For now, if I win, I’ll have you spit out everything you know. You’re good with that, right?” he asked her.

Dorothy flashed him a noncommittal smile as she produced a weapon from thin air. The staff was large enough to rival Kelvin’s Black Staff, and she held it in her right hand while a book that was emitting sinister magic power floated to her left.

“I don’t mind,” she replied. “It’s not like you’ll win, anyway. Oh, and by the way, several people in this venue are hostages under my control. I recommend you don’t try anything stupid.”

“Hostages? Hah, I don’t care about that. Not at all.”

“What?” Dorothy let out after a stunned pause. Kelvin’s indifferent response caused her expression to change for the first time.

“Anyway, let’s do this. Like, right now. The fight won’t wait for you to be ready, you know! Freshness is key!” Kelvin shouted.

Dorothy took a moment to collect her thoughts before saying, “Um...do you understand what I said? If you move, a lot of people will die.”

“Sure, but if I don’t move, I’ll be the one to die, right? So obviously I’ll move. Anybody would. And if I’m going to move anyway, it’d be better to fight as hard as I can. I’m sure someone else will take care of the hostages. Seriously, though, you saved me! I was worrying so much about what I would do if I had to fight DarkMel. I mean, I’m her papa, you know?!”

Dorothy had no response to the reply that went above and beyond her expectations.

“Now then, I’m done with the appetizer. Can we start the main course now? You’re not an actual member of the Lumiest team, so I don’t need to wait for the signal, do I?” Kelvin asked.

Now that things had come to this, it seemed that both sides were consenting to fight. It was only natural that things kicked off an instant later.

“I knew it! You don’t understand the situation you’re in. Okay, I’ll make someone an example so you do understand!” Dorothy shouted before reaching for the book that was floating by her side. Something radiating hostility appeared close in front of her. It was impossible to tell whether she had detected this movement from her quiet voice and unchanging expression. In a show of seemingly unnatural quick-wittedness, she made a great leap backwards. Once she landed on the other side of the stage, the Grim Reaper’s scythe came down on her former position.

“Oh, you dodged easily,” Kelvin noted.

The scythe had buried itself deep in the stage. Given the arena’s special property of instantly repairing itself, if someone were to carelessly stab their weapon into it, it would normally get stuck inside (although it would also normally be too hard for anyone to stab a weapon into it in the first place). However, Kelvin easily withdrew his scythe in a clean arc. It didn’t look like he had to put any effort into it at all, but the weapon passed through the stage like it were made of butter as it swung upwards in a crescent.

“Whoa there! Kelvin-san and Dorothy-san have started to fight without waiting for any sort of signal! What should I do here?! Personally I’d like to just continue commentating the fight, but the look Instructor Milky is giving me is so scaaaary! Um...what should I do?” Ranlulu asked fearfully.

Milky hadn’t dropped her usual smile, but it was clear from the veins popping out of her forehead that she was mad. DarkMel, a student from her dorm, one whom she was especially fond of, was missing. Not only that, but the girl’s role in the final fight of the exhibition match had been taken. Of course Milky was angry. Depending on what happened next, it was possible that the academy’s reputation could be ruined.

Still, Ran had tried to get into the commentary energetically, at least at the beginning, even with such a scary presence beside her. It took a lot of guts.

“I suppose it’s fine? We can just say that this development was planned from the start, and that Dorothy-kun is the true final member of the team. That should let us save at least some face,” a voice from behind them said without warning.