第２５９堀：動き出す欠片たち (Part3)
Lara and I watched in silence as Nina walked out of the headmaster's office.
There was nothing else we could do.
Once Nina’s figure had vanished, Lara finally spoke.
“……Headmaster. No, Sister Popuri. Was it really alright to let Lady Nina leave like that?”
“No, it would have been meaningless.”
“Meaningless?”
“Yes. Even if we somehow managed to defeat Nina here, the others have already begun their move. Or rather, if we were to clash with Nina here and now, everyone except for myself, you, and the mercenary Yuki—whom Nina mentioned—would die. Caught in the crossfire. That is exactly what Nina and her cohorts want.”
“……What about Roday?”
“Frustrating as it is, we currently lack the leverage to intervene deeply in Roday.”
“But didn’t you know this day might come? Didn’t you prepare for it? Even regarding Roday, if you used the headmaster’s name and authority, surely there must be a way to move.”
“That is true. But if I do that, we risk being seen as the cause of the turmoil. If that happens, the very survival of the Academy will be in jeopardy.”
“……The people who don’t look kindly upon the Academy, you mean?”
“Exactly. It is true that this Academy boasts the greatest military strength on the continent. We have gathered the prodigies that other nations couldn't handle, after all. Because of that, there are voices in various countries suggesting that this Academy should be dismantled and its assets managed separately. Let’s say we stop the Holy Sword Users’ invasion of Roday. But the infantry of those Holy Sword Users are monsters. If we stop them, who do you think should bear the responsibility and the compensation?”
“……The Academy, which houses the Forest of Monsters?”
“Yes. And if we were to contact Roday beforehand, they could easily claim that this situation occurred because we failed to manage the Forest of Monsters.”
“That’s absurd.”
“In this world, whoever speaks first wins. If they don’t know that we can summon and command monsters in bulk, then naturally, we are the only possible cause. Therefore, regardless of the truth, we would be driven into a corner. That is why the only thing we can do now is spend our time at the Academy as if nothing is happening, proving that no mass outbreak of monsters occurred. If Roday is destroyed, they won’t be in a position to wonder where such a massive number of monsters came from.”
Damn it. My own words left a bitter taste in my mouth.
My position is the very obstacle preventing me from breaking the current stalemate.
Should I wear a mask and go? No, even then, the Holy Sword Users are there; the chances of defeat are too high.
I can’t do anything alone. If I need to coordinate with Roday, then as I told Lara, the Academy’s responsibility would become a massive issue.
“Is there really no other way?”
Lara looked at me as if clinging to a lifeline.
Roday is Lara’s homeland, so I want to do something for her, but Lara herself cannot go either.
Facing the Holy Sword Users and a massive army of monsters is impossible, and Lara’s current position is that of Vice Headmaster. It would end the same way as it would for me.
“There is one way, though it’s not a certainty.”
“Then, if we execute that…”
“But it’s a gamble. It would involve the very survival of the Academy.”
“What kind of strategy is it?”
Lara looked at me with desperate eyes.
But it is nearly impossible to realize.
Because…
“Yes. If you think about it normally, it’s impossible. Sending our exchange students from Zilba and Enaria to Roday to ‘accidentally’ eliminate them—do you want to be punished by us again?”
“Eh?”
“……I knew you were listening.”
Eris-san appeared suddenly from the corner of the office, without letting us sense her presence.
But it made sense.
Her mercenary group had already defeated two Holy Sword Users.
And as she said, the only way is to have the mercenary group ‘accidentally’ join up with the Holy Sword Users and eliminate them.
“Well, if we did something like using them as cannon fodder, Zilba and Enaria wouldn’t stay silent, would they?”
“Sigh, that’s how it is. Either way, we cannot lay a hand on Roday.”
“How can this be? Eris-san, can’t you do something? We have no choice but to rely on you. If things continue like this, Roday and many people will die.”
It’s impossible, Lara.
This is how a nation must exist…
No, even as a person, it’s the right thing to say.
Why would anyone willingly head into a death trap?
“Yes. I don’t mind helping you. Of course, I won’t ask the Academy to take responsibility. But there is one condition.”
““Eh?””
Both Lara and I were stunned by those words.
Why would they help us?
“Please, tell us. What is the condition!? If you want me to offer my life…”
“Hey, Lara. Don’t say such reckless things!! So, Eris-san, what is your condition?”
I stepped in front of Eris-san to shield Lara.
“Well, that is not something I should be the one to say. I leave it to you, Labyris.”
“Yes, thank you. I will explain the rest.”
And then, from the shadows of the headmaster’s office, a young girl with twin tails appeared, followed by three other young girls.
Just how many people are in this office!?
Why couldn’t I sense them!?
The girl’s face was finally illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window.
“……Are you Labyris? And you are Aslin, Firia, and Shera, right?”
“Yes. Thank you for remembering our names, Headmaster.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Thank you.”
“It is an honor to be remembered.”
The cute replies echoed through the office.
But this situation is abnormal.
Why did Eris-san step back, and why is she the one stepping forward?
“Now, I will state the condition in Eris’s place.”
“Wait a moment. You are a mercenary group, right? Why isn’t the leader, Yuki-san, coming out? Why are you the one appearing?”
I interrupted her immediately, needing to ask the most important question.
…What does this mean? Were they not a mercenary group?
“Oh my, come to think of it, we never told you who we really are.”
Labyris said this, then pinched her skirt and gave a beautiful curtsy, looking like a doll.
“Greetings. We are the fragments of the predecessor.”
“The… predecessor?”
Predecessor? The predecessor!?
The young girl before me must have understood the shock I felt as I processed those words.
Labyris opened her mouth with a beautiful smile…
“I am the Dungeon Master entrusted with the magical management of this continent for this generation.”
Cold sweat wouldn't stop running down my back.
I never imagined someone of such high standing would appear…
I see. That explains it.
The power to brush me aside so easily, the ability to repel Holy Sword Users, the abnormal information-gathering capability…