Chapter 209: A Situation in Total Chaos
"I'm not joking, so please go out with me, Sensei!!!"
Alexia's voice echoed softly through the classroom, growing louder with each repetition.
Like a broken record, she kept repeating the same phrase over and over.
With no other choice, he could only lead Alexia out of the classroom first.
They arrived at the fountain in the academy square.
"Here, eat this."
Mahiro handed her an ice cream from the soon-to-be-released line by Arcadia Trading Company.
After accepting it, Alexia extended her pink tongue for a gentle lick, and her eyes immediately lit up.
"So delicious... Mmm... Ouch!"
"Alright, eat slowly. No one's going to take it from you."
He found it amusing to watch this princess devour the ice cream, only to clutch her forehead tightly when the cold hit her brain.
A moment later.
"Have you calmed down now?"
"...I've always been calm."
"Really? Then how could you do something so foolish in class?"
"Where's the foolishness? I was completely serious."
Alexia's cheeks flushed slightly at his words.
Indeed, saying something like that in class was somewhat impulsive.
"Fine."
Mahiro noticed she had something difficult to say and shrugged. "It seems you have some issues with your fiancé, Zenon-sensei."
At the mention of Zenon-sensei, Alexia's expression darkened slightly.
Her cherry lips parted almost imperceptibly, as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words back.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Listening to students' troubles is part of a teacher's job."
"..."
Even with this encouragement, Alexia never managed to voice what was on her mind.
In the end, she only left with these words—
"Anyway, rather than Zenon-sensei, I'd prefer if you, Sensei, would be my boyfriend. I hope you'll consider it seriously, Yotsuba-sensei."
After throwing out this statement, Alexia hurried away.
How willful...
Moreover, the expression she showed when leaving was clearly unhappy.
Naturally, he discussed this matter with Zenon-sensei, since Alexia Midgar had no special relationship with him—they were just ordinary teacher and student.
Beyond that, they had only met once.
However, Zenon-sensei merely showed a bright smile and sighed:
"My, that child really... It seems I'm truly disliked."
"But I never thought she'd approach you, Yotsuba-sensei. I'm sorry for the trouble."
The man named Zenon Griffey apologized to him for Alexia with utmost sincerity.
However, the hypocritical smile on his face took on a more profound meaning.
I suppose the plot is about to begin...
Mahiro thought this, but didn't pay it much mind, nor did he have any intention of getting involved.
Currently, there were only two things he was waiting for—
One was the arrival of the "Goddess's Trial" held in the sacred land Lindwurm—that woman Aurora would have to taste it.
The other was the upcoming Bushin Festival, where he would meet Alpha's aunt.
As for the two princesses of Midgar, to be honest, he wasn't very interested.
Princess Alexia was passable, but she couldn't compare in charm to the girls around him. As for Princess Iris, she was purely reckless yet had an extremely fragile ego.
Hard to evaluate...
"Mahiro, I want to eat fried tofu."
Just then, Est suddenly appeared, tugging at his sleeve.
"Alright, it is getting rather late. I'll take you for dinner."
Saying this, Mahiro took Est's small hand, and the two strolled under the sunset, their shadows gradually lengthening...
"Where did you run off to again, Cid..."
...
Night fell.
Claire walked alone through the streets, searching for traces of her younger brother Cid.
After all, what Mahiro had said that morning still weighed heavily on her mind.
If you were to say Cid was weak, it was true—whether in duels or practice sessions with her, he had never won, often losing decisively.
Moreover, before Mahiro became her teacher, every practice session with Cid had felt strange.
Even though the boy never struck, she could sense the presence of sword winds brushing past her.
Especially in recent years.
Every time she went looking for him, Cid would inexplicably evade her, leaving her empty-handed every time.
Was it really just a coincidence?
And now, even though she was following right behind Cid, his figure would vanish into the crowd the very next second.
Cid... little brother... please don't be like what Teacher said, please don't lie to me.
If you're deceiving me, I...
Yes, if Cid was just pretending all along, what should she do?
Beat him up again?
That wasn't possible either.
In the end, she'd just make a fool of herself...
"Mmmpf...!!!"
What was that sound?
Claire suddenly heard a strange muffled whimper, like the sound of someone gagged...
Claire's cheeks flushed slightly for some reason.
But driven by curiosity, she cautiously approached the source of the sound.
In a dimly lit alley, she saw several men dragging a girl, trying to pull a burlap sack over her head.
The girl was wearing the uniform of Midgar Academy for Dark Knights.
During the struggle, her brown ankle boots had fallen to the ground, and a strand of silver hair was exposed.
Wait... silver hair?!
She remembered that in the entire Midgar Academy for Dark Knights, there seemed to be only one person with silver hair.
"Could it be... Princess Alexia?!!"
"Mmh! Mmmmph!!!"
The bound girl seemed to hear Claire's voice and began struggling violently.
Unfortunately, it wasn't just her who heard the call—her kidnappers did too.
"Dammit, someone's here!"
"Release Princess Alexia!"
Claire had already drawn the sword at her waist and charged forward, but halfway there, a figure suddenly descended from above, blocking her path.
"Move aside!"
Clang!
Sword met sword, sparks flying, illuminating Claire's shocked expression.
Her strike had actually been blocked!
"Who are you?!"
The other party ignored her, instead speaking to the people behind: "You take her away first. I'll hold them off here."
The voice seemed deliberately lowered to conceal its original tone, making it impossible to identify.
The two people in the back nodded, taking out a syringe and injecting it directly into the sack. The struggling girl immediately fell silent.
"Grr... damn it."
Claire gritted her teeth, watching as Princess Alexia was about to be taken away.
She abandoned close combat with her opponent and leaped backward.
Then, raising her sword high, a massive amount of mana surged from Claire's body, weaving into threads that gradually wrapped around the blade.
"What a terrifying young girl. This mana... truly worthy of the Bushin Festival champion."
"What?"
The other party's words made Claire hesitate for a moment.
But the mana on her blade had already gathered completely, and she still swung it forward.
Boom—
The immense mana shook the air.
The power of that single strike was like cleaving heaven and earth apart. The released torrent of mana instantly destroyed everything in the dark alley, nearly tearing through the walls and washing everything clean.
Even the kidnappers had vanished without a trace.
In their place stood a figure clad entirely in black, wearing a dark coat, blocking the path.
It seemed this person had blocked her earlier strike.
Moreover, that silhouette gave her an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"Leave. This is beyond your reach. Leave the rest to me."
The same deep voice echoed quietly in the dark alley as the black figure spoke, then prepared to chase after the kidnappers who hadn't gotten far.
But the next moment, Claire's voice made him pause.
"...You're Cid, aren't you?!"
"...?!"
Recognized?
Cid, currently wearing his Shadow persona, froze momentarily.
The slime suit covering his body was functioning perfectly without any issues.
He then coldly replied:
"Hmph. I am Shadow. The one who lurks in the shadows and hunts shadows."
Tap.
With that, Shadow stepped forward and instantly vanished into the night, disappearing into the darkness.
"Wait, Cid!"
Claire wanted to pursue, but the belatedly arriving knights surrounded her.
The leading knight picked up a boot from the ground, carefully examined it, then looked around at the traces of battle, frowning deeply.
Finally, he turned to Claire and said:
"Apprentice Knight Claire Kagenou, please come with us."
...
"So you're saying Zenon Griffey, as a candidate for the Round Table Knight, has taken action? Not only did he kidnap Second Princess Alexia, but he also framed Claire as the fall guy?
And the main reason she became the fall guy is because of Shadow?"
"Yes, that's exactly what happened."
In the nighttime room, Alpha sat on the edge of his bed, legs crossed.
Her black bodysuit clung tightly to her figure, appropriately accentuating her now fully developed curves and well-proportioned body.
She held a thick-cut beef steak sandwich, wrapped in Arcadia's branded packaging, and offered it to Mahiro.
"Would you like to try it? This is a new product Gamma is preparing to launch."
"No, thank you. The situation is a bit chaotic right now, I need to sort things out."
Mahiro politely declined Alpha's offer.
The turn of events had indeed exceeded expectations.
That Zenon had kidnapped Princess Alexia wasn't particularly surprising.
They had long known this guy was sitting in the antagonist seat connected to the Cult, but since the Shadow Garden couldn't locate the Cult's main base in the royal capital, they had held off taking action.
One could say they had been waiting for this moment.
But what was unexpected was that Claire had witnessed this scene?
Then Cid suddenly appeared, blocking Claire's path, ultimately leading to her being captured by the knights who arrived due to the commotion?
"What in the world is going on here...?"
Feeling that things had become too chaotic and incomprehensible, Mahiro simply lay down on the bed.
"Yes, the situation has become quite troublesome indeed."
Alpha understood Mahiro's distress, because when she received the information, she was completely bewildered too.
The current situation couldn't even be described as a tangled mess.
The underlying currents had not only surfaced but had been stirred into complete chaos by various factions.
Besides their Shadow Garden and the Cult of Diablos, there was also that impostor whose allegiance was unknown, and Miss Claire who had been accidentally dragged into this.
As for the knight order, they could be disregarded entirely.
"So what do you plan to do?"
Alpha asked while helping organize the clothes in his room.
"You're already prepared to take action, right?"
"Yes, Beta has gathered all available forces and is ready to uproot the Cult hiding in the royal capital at any moment."
"Then let's wait a little longer."
"?"
Alpha didn't quite understand what he meant.
"I'll first go to the knight order to get Claire out, then we'll act together."
"You're ready to make your move, aren't you?"
"Yes."
Mahiro nodded.
Originally, he didn't want to bother with this mess, but since Claire was involved, that was a different matter.
After all, he was quite protective of his own.
How could he stand by and watch others bully his people?
Moreover, although Midgar's royal capital appeared to be in the industrial era on the surface, its mindset remained largely medieval.
In cases like the kidnapping of a royal family member, if the real culprit couldn't be found, the most suspicious person would almost certainly be executed.
This was considered necessary deterrence for external audiences.
Simply put, it was killing the chicken to scare the monkeys.
Thus, after Alpha left, Mahiro also sprang into action.
He went directly to the knight order headquarters.
In the reception room, he met the person in charge.
Her hair was as bright as blazing flames, shimmering with a glossy crimson under the candlelight, her dignified and beautiful figure inspiring admiration.
Her wine-red eyes carefully examined him.
"Princess Iris, this should be our second meeting, right?"
"Well, last time was at the trading company, but let's keep this brief. You should know this, Yotsuba-sensei—I have matters to attend to."
Princess Iris showed no intention of exchanging pleasantries.
Understanding this, Mahiro shrugged and said:
"Fine, I'll get straight to the point then. Release Claire."
"That's impossible."
As if his words were entirely within her expectations, Iris showed no surprise.
She merely lowered her eyelids slightly and shook her head:
"I know about your relationship with Claire, but right now my sister has been kidnapped with no news so far. As someone connected, Claire cannot be released yet."
"This isn't a request—it's a notification. If you want to see your sister Alexia again, release Claire."
"What do you mean?"
Mahiro's detached yet firm tone made Princess Iris frown slightly as she lifted her head to meet his gaze.
"The meaning is simple, Your Highness Iris. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your beloved sister Alexia, would you?"
"Did you kidnap my sister?!"
"Ha, what a foolish notion."
Mahiro chuckled and shook his head: "If I had really kidnapped her, would I be sitting here chatting with you in the middle of the night? And what would I gain from kidnapping her?"
"Then you know who the culprit is?"
"I do. But telling you is pointless, and you wouldn't believe me anyway..."
"In short, here's the deal—"
"Release Claire, and tomorrow morning I'll have Alexia appear here completely unharmed."
"It's that simple."
Iris: "..."
Iris stared at him for a long time.
She didn't know much about Mahiro, or rather, there was very little information about this man to begin with.
His origins were mysterious, as if he had no past.
The only known facts were his close relationship with the president of the Arcadia Trading Company, to the extent that President respected him.
Beyond that, there was his connection with the Kagenou family.
He had served as a tutor for the Kagenou household for three years before coming to Midgar Academy for Dark Knights and forming a romantic relationship with Claire.
Everything else remained unknown.
Strictly speaking, she shouldn't normally agree to such demands.
But for Alexia's safety, she chose to trust this man once.
"Fine, I agree. You can take Claire, but I want to see my sister tomorrow morning."
"No problem."
With that, Mahiro left the room.
Under Princess Iris's orders, the knights released Claire from the detention room.
"..."
"Are you alright? They didn't do anything to you, did they?"
"No."
Claire shook her head.
There were indeed no injuries on her—she looked exactly the same as when she had been taken in.
Of course.
Aside from Princess Iris, basically no one could really do anything to her.
It was just that, for some reason, her spirits were extremely low...
"Teacher, I saw Cid."
Claire suddenly spoke up, lifting her head to reveal crimson eyes brimming with tears.
"Teacher, was that child really deceiving me all along, just as you said...?"
Though Cid had been draped in a large coat with his face completely concealed, she could never mistake him.
The contour of his silhouette, that familiar presence, and the faint connection flowing through their bloodline.
That was undoubtedly her younger brother Cid!
She never imagined everything the teacher had told her was true. In the end, she had foolishly believed Cid would never deceive her.
Not long ago, she had even been thinking about finding some occupation for her foolish younger brother, like becoming a trainee knight in the Order just like her.
She had been planning a future path for him...
And now, she had made herself look like a complete clown.
"It's alright now. Go back and get some rest. Everything will feel better by tomorrow," Mahiro said gently, stroking Claire's long hair.
For Claire in her current state, he didn't have many comforting words to offer.
After standing silently before the Order's entrance for a while, Claire eventually took her leave and headed toward the dormitory.
"Is it really okay to let her go alone like this?" Alpha suddenly appeared beside him under the cover of night.
"Well, don't be fooled by her appearance. Claire is actually quite strong. Some things can only be resolved by oneself," Mahiro said thoughtfully.
"But there is one thing I need to trouble you with, Alpha. Send some people to escort Claire and ensure she returns safely to her dorm."
He didn't want Claire having any mishaps while they were still dealing with Alexia's situation.
After all, the heroic blood flowing through Claire's veins was no less potent than Alexia's.
"Yes, I've already arranged for that. Zeta will be responsible for protecting Miss Claire from the shadows," Alpha replied.
Her answer surprised him slightly, and he couldn't help but praise: "As expected of you, Alpha. You're truly my capable right hand."
Alpha smiled brightly, her face lighting up. "Thank you for the compliment, but merely this much is not enough..."