Kuoh Academy.
I sat quietly in the student council office, sipping coffee and enjoying the pleasant weather outside and the wonderful, relaxing silence around me. Birds were singing somewhere nearby, trees rustled their magnificent foliage, and in the distance I could hear the laughter of children and their parents.
In short, I felt just great, but, alas, others did not feel the same way.
- "I want to kill you," Sona said in a tone as cold as ice.
- "Well, that would be very difficult," I commented calmly.
- "Once again, I want to kill you."
- "Once again, that would be very difficult."
- "Maybe you could just put your neck out so I can cut it off easily? I promise to do it quickly and painlessly."
- "I like you, of course, So-tan, but not enough to show you my neck."
- "Oh? Then I could pierce your heart with this stationery knife. You don't have to show me anything for that."
- "My heart is already taken by others. I'm sorry, So-tan," I said, wiping away a fake tear and putting on a sad expression.
Of course, it wasn't just the two of us in the room. There was also Rea-chan standing next to me, Roygun sitting nearby and watching the behavior of the usually strict and calm Sona with surprise, and Sona's entourage, who looked at their King with horror in their eyes.
Only about an hour had passed since my outburst, and during that time they had managed to completely dismantle the stage, or rather, destroy it with streams of water, erase the students' memories, and restore the protective barrier that Sona had also destroyed.
Oh, yes. There was someone else present.
- "Sitri-san, stop it!" exclaimed this 'someone else', who was Ravel. "Surely, Romani-sama had a reason to do something like this!"
- "I would appreciate it if you would sit down, Miss Phenex," Sona said coldly, causing the blood to freeze in my veins.
- "No!" Ravel protested. "Romani-sama is noble and kind! And I will not tolerate such treatment of him!"
- "See how noble ladies behave, So-tan?" I asked, sitting Ravel down next to me and stroking her hair, which made her blush deeply and lower her head. "Not like some tyrants who thirst only for blood, death, and suffering. I'm sure you would have played the villain perfectly in Sera's show…"
- "Enough!" Sona barked naturally, causing absolute silence to fall over the room. Then she took a few deep breaths, sipped the tea made by Tsukuba, and adjusted her glasses. "What brought you here, Romani...san? And don't you dare lie to me, because I won't believe for a second that you're here just to annoy me."
- "Why not?" I asked, putting on a surprised expression. "I remember we had a wonderful relationship, and I suddenly wanted to visit my old friend."
When I finished speaking, I tilted my head to the side, where a spear flew out of the water a moment later, piercing the wall and leaving a web of cracks in it.
- "You should take a course in anger management. But my expert opinion is that it's all overwork and nerves."
- "Really? I didn't realize that myself," Sona asked, her face contorted in sincere, fake surprise. "I'll ask again, why are you here?"
I didn't answer right away, but gently put Ravel to sleep, which surprised everyone.
- "What are you doing?" Sona asked.
- "Very soon, there will be an attack on the academy," I said calmly, which instantly made everyone serious, especially Sona. "It will be human magicians from Qlippoth, and their target is Ravel, because they need a representative of the House of Phoenix to produce artificial Phoenix Tears."
- "I see..." Roygun nodded. "But how do you know this?"
- "The power of the House of Gremory is prophecy. And even if the current representatives of the house have practically lost their power, the demon Pillar has not," I explained.
- "Then why did you put Ravel to sleep? Wouldn't it be better for her to know what the goal is?" Sona asked.
- "Well, I want the kidnapping to be successful."
As soon as I finished speaking, the eyes of those present, except for Rea-chan, widened, clearly unable to believe what they had heard.
- "Are you crazy?!" Sona began to protest.
- "That's not right, Lord Archaman," Roygun supported her, as did Sona's entourage. "What do you hope to achieve?"
- "They will take Ravel to the laboratory, which, since they are forced to carry out such a kidnapping, will be the main one. That means that's where all the records about other, smaller workshops will be, if there are any, of course. In other words, this way we can identify those involved in this case and then punish them. Besides, it's much more effective to strike at the heart of the matter when all the important targets are gathered there than the other way around, isn't it?"
- "But you're putting Ravel in danger!" Sona said, banging on the table. "We can do without this plan, because..."
- "No," I interrupted her. "You've forgotten what I told you a long time ago."
- "And what is that?!"
- "I'm neutral," I smiled, causing Sona to freeze instantly. "Of course, given certain events, I could be considered part of Heaven, but in fact, I'm still on the neutral side."
I paused while the room fell silent.
- "I only promised to 'keep an eye on them', which means my responsibility is to prevent them from coming to any harm. As for the matter itself... Are you really planning to ignore it?"
I paused, giving them time to think. And, basically, it was Roygun and Sona who were doing that, as could be seen from the expressions on their faces. They were definitely not happy with my decision, but there was nothing they could do about it. They lacked the authority to confront me.
- "To sum up," Sona began. "You guarantee Ravel's 'safety' and want us to handle the case?"
- "The case MUST be handled by you," I corrected her. "I'll give you the location when Ravel is delivered to the lab, and then it's up to you. And I won't help you even if your life is in danger."
- "Is this... another test?" Sona suddenly asked. "Haven't I already been through enough to...?"
- "You see, just a couple of hours ago, I remembered that our contract should come to a logical end," I interrupted her. "If you handle this case, our engagement contract will be terminated. More precisely, I will do as you say, provided, of course, that you resolve this case without any casualties on your side. I will bear all the consequences. And no, you cannot ask for help from those above you."
- "But you said you were neutral, didn't you? Then why are you, in fact, interfering in the affairs of the Underworld?" Roygun asked. "Isn't that hypocritical?"
- "This is a matter between me and Sona, not just the Underworld. Besides..." I said calmly, finished my coffee, and looked at Roygun. "Do you really want to challenge me, huh?"
I said it in an even, calm voice, but everyone present, except for Rea-chan, lowered their eyes, because they understood how pointless it was. After a couple of minutes, I got up and headed for the door, and Rea-chan followed me.
- "One more thing," I said finally. "I'm doing this because you'll soon be left to your own devices, and I wouldn't want any of you to die completely pointlessly."
- "What?" Sona didn't understand.
- "Usually, the city was constantly guarded by Assassins, and it was impossible to pass through unnoticed. However, soon I will be leaving the city with all the Servants for a while," I explained. "Consider this a test to prove to yourselves how much you have grown."
With that, I left the office accompanied by Rea-chan, and when we were outside the school, she decided to speak.
- "Are you preparing her for something?" Rea-chan asked. "Yes, she has enormous potential, but she's not the only one who does. The heirs of Gremory and Bael are also quite good. And yet you decided to choose her, without informing Rias Gremory's entourage. May I ask why?"
- "Here, in this place, with me present, she literally withers, unlike Rias and Sairaorg. And so she needs stimulation so that her potential is not wasted," I said. "As for the other question... I suppose you could say that I would be interested to see what she would become. I can predict what Rias and Sairaorg will become, but not her. Yet in terms of management, she is ahead of both of them."
I paused and smiled.
- "Besides, I am their teacher, aren't I? And their education is my responsibility."
- "I'm sorry, but that seems strange to me," Rea-chan said doubtfully. "I would understand if you were planning to make her part of your harem, but that's not the case. I just don't see that desire in you."
- "Well, yes, I don't," I shrugged. "And why would I want more? It's not like I don't have enough already, is it?"
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