Purgatory, Floor 90.
What that mysterious Inverted Tower had shown me.
Throb-.
[The phenomenon ‘Regret (SS-)’ occurs.]
[Your trauma is recreated on this floor.]
The three traumas held within my timeline.
The past, recollection.
The present, memory.
The future, imagination.
The faint outline seemed to be coming into focus, if only slightly.
[You are this world’s last ■■.]
Words the status window had kept repeating.
And the Evil God’s words I had encountered in a winter courtroom.
‘Is that so.’
I deduced it.
Perhaps the identity they spoke of was...
* * *
“Sir Viktor.”
“...Ah.”
Had I blanked out without realizing it?
Ranne peered into my field of vision.
“My apologies. I was lost in thought for a moment.”
“Are you tired? Perhaps preparing Class E for the finals has exhausted you...?”
“I was only thinking about something else. I’m too sturdy to get tired from something like that.”
“Mm! That’s a relief, then!”
Ranne nodded quietly.
Alice stood beside her, fidgeting.
“Even so... I, I was worried because you seem to have been pushing yourself too hard lately...”
“I think I’ve been about as busy as usual. Still, if Miss Alice says so, I’ll be a little more careful.”
“Sir Viktor, you’re, you’re someone precious to me. If you don’t take better care of yourself, I, I think that would make me very sad.”
“That’s lovely to hear. You’re precious to me as well, Miss Alice.”
Hehe-.
A laugh slipped through my lips.
I pushed aside those pointless thoughts.
With only a few days left before the final practical exam, we decided to take some time to rest properly.
‘Resting to keep ourselves in good condition is the right call.’
We sat in one corner of the classroom, enjoying a lazy day together.
Caitlin had leaned against her desk and fallen asleep.
Apparently, she had worked especially hard preparing for the written exam this time.
She had been exhausted lately, and it seemed she was finally catching her breath.
Soft, even breaths.
Caitlin slept as peacefully as could be.
Even her usually fierce expression had softened completely, leaving her defenseless.
It was strange and cute, so we couldn’t help sneaking glances at the sleeping girl.
“...Come to think of it, Sir Viktor.”
The room was peaceful.
Ranne turned to me as if she had remembered something.
Perhaps out of consideration for Caitlin, she kept her voice low.
“I heard your opponent for the final practical exam has been decided.”
“That’s right. It’s Professor Valteric.”
“Valteric... He’s the professor in charge of the Department of Combat Magic, correct?”
“He’s the department’s head professor. On top of that, he’s the eldest son of House Glacia.”
“Mm! It sounds like you drew a particularly difficult opponent.”
Valteric Glacia.
A man considered the best in the academy when it came to magic.
Other than the headmaster and Javert, he also ranked among the highest members of the faculty.
“But I think it’ll be fine! From what I hear, this practical exam isn’t meant for students to defeat their opponents. The faculty members are only obstacles, while the students’ goal is to complete the assigned task.”
“Correct.”
“Of course, even if it were a direct match, it wouldn’t be a problem for you, Sir Viktor!”
“Ahahaha, I’m not so sure about that.”
I laughed as I rubbed my neck.
Come to think of it, Valteric had said something like that to me before.
-How dare a piece of trash incapable of casting even a scrap of magic.
-I’ll remember this disrespect. I’ll make you regret it in the near future.
Could this be his revenge for that?
Had he deliberately altered the matchups so that I would face him?
If he had really pulled strings, that was incredibly petty of him.
‘Come on, a student can throw a major textbook at a professor’s face once in a while...’
Getting worked up over something so trivial made Valteric seem awfully small-minded.
All I could think about was how I should pay him back.
Then Ranne continued.
“House Glacia... Come to think of it, you seem to have become close with Lady Glacia recently.”
“I’m not sure I’d call us close... Still, we have formed a bit of a connection.”
“I see. Are women like Lady Glacia your type, Sir Viktor?”
“Sir, Sir Viktor... Lady Glacia is, is beautiful, after all...”
“Everyone?”
The two muttered to themselves.
What was this?
Why was the conversation going this way?
“Hey, do you think that guy even has a type? He just flirts with every pretty person he sees.”
“What do you even mean by flirting...? More importantly, when did you wake up, Miss Caitlin?”
“Just now.”
“You have impeccable timing.”
“So, am I wrong? Look around you. The blonde, the black-haired girl, the bat, the chief investigator, and now even that monster bitch. You’re surrounded by women beautiful enough to rank among the finest on the continent, not just at the academy. You know any excuse you make won’t be convincing, right?”
“What about you, Miss Caitlin?”
“I’m as pretty as they are.”
“...”
She was so confident that I had nothing to say.
And because it was true, I had nothing to say.
A silver bat poked its head out from my uniform’s breast pocket.
[How refreshing.]
[Viktor needs to realize just how much of a flirt he is.]
The voice sounded utterly satisfied.
Even the princess I had trusted seemed to have joined their side.
Tap, tap-.
The bat’s wings patted the cheek of my mask.
I rubbed my neck, feeling wronged all the while.
“No, when have I ever done that...?”
[I always say this, but not knowing is Viktor’s greatest problem.]
A world where no one was on my side.
All I could do was stroke the daughter in my arms.
“As expected... it seems Lua is the only one I have.”
“Mhehe! Lua thinks Daddy is the best too!”
Lua shook her head and rubbed her cheek against my chest.
It felt as though my outcast heart was being healed.
She truly was my natural tranquilizer.
Just as I rested my head atop the girl’s...
“Lady Glesha, the court lady? Lady Glacia, the duke’s daughter? Does that mean Lua is getting another mommy?”
“Lua?”
“Waha! Great! A new mommy!”
The child burst into laughter.
Her innocent eyes looked up at me.
Then her cheerful voice rang out.
“Lua is really happy because she has lots of mommies!”
“...”
Good grief.
I could only press a hand to my brow.
* * *
A peaceful daily life.
The real problem arose after that.
“Hi.”
Rin appeared wearing a ridiculous mask.
I had no choice but to stare at her in confusion.
“...What are you doing?”
“Mm. I’m copying someone.”
“Who?”
“Class E’s top student.”
That was me.
What kind of strange behavior was this now?
“I just wanted to try wearing it.”
“...I see.”
She spoke as though it were no big deal.
Rin seemed no different from usual.
She quietly sat down in one corner of the dormitory bedroom.
As if waiting to be petted, she simply leaned against me in silence.
“...”
I couldn’t shake the strange sense of discomfort.
It was difficult to explain, but there was something I felt in my skin before my mind could process it.
Stroke-.
That feeling continued even as I petted her.
Perhaps her mind was elsewhere, because her reactions were duller than usual today.
“My lady?”
“...Ah. I didn’t hear you. Sorry.”
“Are you all right?”
“...”
“My lady.”
“Mm. I’m fine. I’m just a little sleepy.”
The air felt especially cold.
Her winter scent settled on the bridge of my nose, lonely and aching.
Even when my hand stopped petting her, Rin didn’t point it out.
It was as though her mind had already gone somewhere far away.
So I had no choice but to look beneath her facade.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“...Huh?”
Stroke-.
I moved aside her blue hair, and my hand reached for Rin’s mask.
I gently removed that shell.
I wanted to see what she was hiding.
Even then, Rin only quietly looked up at me.
“...”
“...”
The skin revealed behind the mask.
I couldn’t help falling silent.
‘This is...’
One of her cheeks was swollen and blotchy.
As if someone had hit her.
A clear handprint.
That mark remained on her expressionless face.
A surge of emotion rose in me, but I quickly regained my composure and asked.
“Was it Professor Valteric?”
“...Mm.”
“Was this the first time?”
“...No.”
“Has he hit you often?”
“Not often. Sometimes. Once or twice a month.”
Hitting.
Sometimes.
Once or twice a month.
“...”
“It’s because I did something wrong.”
When I said nothing, she added that as though watching my reaction.
Those words made my insides sink even further.
“What was this wrongdoing?”
“Being born.”
“...”
“I was born defective. It’s only natural that my brother hates me.”
“My lady.”
“And he doesn’t hit me that hard. He always only hits my right cheek. He says he doesn’t even want to touch anywhere else.”
“...”
My breath turned cold.
I stroked her badly swollen cheek.
It had to hurt, yet Rin didn’t even furrow her brow.
“Sorry. For showing you something unpleasant. I usually apply a potion right away, but I didn’t have time to today.”
“It’s all right. It’s all right, so please stay still.”
I took a bottle of potion from my pocket.
A top-grade potion I always carried with me.
Without hesitation, I opened the lid.
Then I applied the contents to her blotchy cheek.
Careful not to hurt her, I gently ran my hand across her cheek.
“Please bear with it for just a moment. It’ll heal quickly once I apply this.”
“...It feels strange. It tickles.”
Her blue eyes blinked.
In that dry lake, only the masked boy was faintly reflected.
“When your hand touches me, it feels like my body gets soft and fluffy. The stinging things disappear.”
“I’m glad. I’m happy I can be of help to you, my lady.”
“It’s warm. Strange. I’ve never felt anything like this before...”
“I’ll keep petting you diligently from now on, until it no longer feels strange.”
“Mm.”
Her eyes relaxed sleepily.
Perhaps the tension had left her, because Rin leaned heavily against me.
As I petted her, I chewed over the tangled mess inside me.
‘Is that so.’
A heat whose source I couldn’t identify boiled up inside me.
It seemed I needed to find somewhere suitable to vent my anger.
* * *
The next day.
Two days before the final practical exam.
Bang-!
I barged into a classroom where students were studying on their own.
I had considered politely opening the door with my hand, but decided against it and kicked it open instead.
I still greeted them properly, of course.
“Excuse me~”
Startled eyes focused on me.
The third-year students’ gazes rushed toward me.
Ignoring them, I kicked one of the empty desks.
Crash, bang-!
The desk rolled down the sloped floor.
It rolled to the feet of a professor at the very front.
“...”
Just barely-.
The desk stopped before it could strike his foot.
Without moving a muscle, Valteric stared at me with cold eyes.
“Class E’s top student.”
“Professor.”
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“Ah, well...”
I rested a hand on my chin as though considering it.
Then I answered as if I had just remembered.
“A declaration of war?”
“...”
His arrogant brow twitched.
I flashed a bright smile.
The corners of my mask’s mouth stretched into a grotesque grin.
“Please look forward to the practical exam, Professor.”
I rolled the words off my tongue as if crushing them.
Before the students’ eyes, I boldly declared.
“In front of the entire student body, I’ll beat you until there isn’t even a speck of dust left to shake loose.”
Yeah.
First, you need to get beaten up a little.
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