Chapter 86

EP.86 The Isaac Contention (4)

“Aah….”

Moonlight filtered through the stained-glass ceiling, scattering faintly.

The clock tower had a spiral staircase that wound along the walls.

In the corners of the landing, there were narrow spaces where one could hide.

I entered one of these narrow spaces with Kaya, who was holding the sealed letter containing the secret, and we were almost pressed against each other.

I quickly summarized the key points of the story. The demon, Malak, the demon of envy, and Kaya's fabricated memories.

At first, Kaya tried to deny reality, saying, “You must be lying… You made this up out of embarrassment, right?” But upon seeing my serious expression, she began to break out in a cold sweat.

As expected, she fell into deep doubt.

“Sir Isaac, everything you said… is a lie….”

Even though I hadn't done anything wrong, I felt a pang of guilt.

I didn't know my memories could be fabricated like this….

By the way, I had asked Kaya to pretend not to know me at the party to reduce variables.

According to "The Magic Knight of Merhen," the heroines always attracted the attention of all the men. As cliché as it was, some of them with poor character would start unnecessary trouble.

It was best to avoid any unexpected variables. I had to engage in a mental battle with Malak in human form, and that alone was fraught with uncertainty.

So, I didn't say much to Kaya, but I did regret not telling her about the demons beforehand.

It was too late to change what had already happened, though.

“I'm sorry. I didn't expect this to happen.”

“If you're sorry, then make it real.”

Kaya said this with a pout.

No matter what, I didn't want to repeat the embarrassing words she had heard.

“…I didn't expect you to do it, anyway. But it's fine. Just being in this thrilling situation with Sir Isaac is a blessing.”

“I'm going out now. I need to talk to Luce….”

“Just a moment.”

Kaya gently placed her hand on the wall beside my head, as if telling me not to leave.

We were already almost pressed against each other, and the soft parts of her body touching me sent shivers of pleasure up my spine. I tried to press myself against the wall to avoid her, but….

Kaya, undeterred, leaned in closer. In the dim light, the faint moonlight allowed me to make out her face. As usual, her expression was filled with Akishoku's lecherous smile.

“Just a little longer, Sir Isaac.”

[ Kaya Astra ]

Psychology: [I'm excited to be so close to you.]

I wasn't entirely displeased. Especially since the cute Kaya, now with Akishoku's personality, had become accustomed to making seductive expressions and gestures.

Honestly, I thought,

'This affectionate character…'

She was so cute, I felt like I was going to go crazy.

Click.

At that moment, the sound of high heels on the stairs echoed. One person. I immediately recognized it as Luce's footsteps.

Now that I had resolved the misunderstanding with Kaya, all I needed to do was calm Luce down.

Click, click.

The footsteps grew closer.

I pushed Kaya's arm, which was blocking my way out. She resisted, but when I gave her a stern look, she blushed and finally gave in.

We emerged from the narrow space and stood by the staircase railing, looking down diagonally.

Below, a girl with rose-gold hair, shimmering in the moonlight, stopped on the stairs and looked up at me.

It was Luce, as expected.

“Isaac…!”

[ Luce Eltania ]

Psychology: [I'm happy to see you.]

Luce's expression brightened, then she quietly took a deep breath to calm herself.

“Is that girl behind you?”

“Yes.”

Before I could answer, Kaya jumped out beside me.

Luce frowned for a moment but then composed herself and continued.

“I'm sorry for being harsh on her. I was… in a hurry. Honestly, she was overstepping her bounds.”

“Who else but Sir Isaac would have found her behavior distasteful? I think I was helping Sir Isaac. Don't you think you're being selfish and arrogant, Luce Eltania?”

“Isaac. She suddenly tried to kiss you, right? And she even tried to take you away.”

This is intense… They're just making things up as they go.

No, that's not quite right. Luce is only looking at me and talking to me. She hasn't even glanced at Kaya.

Given that Luce doesn't open up to others, this reaction is understandable.

Kaya frowned, clearly annoyed by Luce's dismissive attitude.

“Talk to me. Are you ignoring me?”

“……”

Luce acted as if she hadn't heard Kaya at all.

I felt crushed by the tension between the two girls, but now I had to step in to prevent them from continuing their conflict.

As Kaya was about to continue, I subtly extended my arm in front of her to stop her.

“Sir Isaac?”

“Luce, Kaya. I appreciate that you care about me, but I—”

Zing.

Suddenly, a rainbow of starlight magic swirled around me. Before I could finish my sentence, I was pulled toward the top of the clock tower.

Whoosh!

It felt like a new law of physics was being established just for me, with gravity acting freely. I was only freed from the force when I reached the final floor, where the large clock was located.

I wasn't surprised. It wasn't hard to guess who had brought me here.

Luce and Kaya were shocked, their eyes wide. They leaned over the railing and looked up at me.

A powerful wave of magic, stronger than anyone else's, brushed past my skin.

The figure that appeared was a particularly radiant being, surrounded by a cluster of bright stars.

Her light purple hair flowed down. She came into everyone's view.

“Why did it take you so long? Why were you kidnapped while I wasn't looking, President?”

“Senior….”

Dorothy Heartnova asked with a smile.

I had expected Dorothy to follow us when Luce summoned her divine spirit.

Still, seeing her in person felt like the appearance of a deus ex machina.

“That's what I'm saying….”

A hollow laugh escaped me. I didn't know how things had escalated to this point.

Anyway, Luce's eyes were scary.

Even someone as friendly as Dorothy wasn't an exception to Luce's social anxiety.

“Senior Dorothy Heartnova…?”

Kaya, standing beside me, immediately recognized the woman with light purple hair. As a student at Merhen Academy, it would be harder not to know who Dorothy was if she had seen her starlight magic.

“Kids, let's stop this. It's not right to steal someone else's partner, is it?”

Kaya and Luce frowned. The fact that I had a partner, and that the partner was Dorothy, seemed to irritate them.

Kaya and Luce are important to me. I definitely want to be with them. But today, I had made a promise with Dorothy to be partners and spend time together.

I can't break a promise I made first.

‘…What kind of atmosphere is this?’

However… the air grew heavy. It seemed neither of them was willing to let me go easily.

My skin tingled. What should I do in this situation….

First, being the center of this mental battle in the clock tower was overwhelmingly stressful. But there was no way I could escape from these three women.

‘What should I do, really?’

What am I supposed to do….

Just as I was at a loss,

“……!”

Another powerful magic enveloped my skin. I had detected it late because of Dorothy's overwhelming magic.

Dorothy and I quickly turned our heads, and what we saw was:

“Are you done yet?”

A dignified woman stood with her back to the giant clock, through which moonlight shone.

Her beautiful golden dress complemented her neatly tied light gold hair.

A black and white checkered headband, a black flower hairpin, black and white earrings, and a black and white choker around her neck added color to her appearance.

Beside her was a plump purple cat wearing a small top hat, tilting its head.

The mastermind behind "The Magic Knight of Merhen," the person I least wanted to encounter.

She spoke in her characteristic alluring voice. Even in the moonlight, her eyes sparkled with a captivating light pink.

“If we get into trouble.”

Then, several students riding animal familiars entered through the gaps near the clock and lined up behind the light gold-haired woman.

They were dressed in formal attire suitable for the party. However, the silver brooches shaped like a sword and a magic book on their left chest clearly indicated their affiliation.

The Student Council, the highest student authority with the power to influence Merhen Academy's administration.

And the light gold-haired woman who commanded them was none other than the head of the Student Council.

[ Alice *()(&^%#( *&$&* ]

Level: 1&^*&%$

Race: &*@ian

Attribute: $&^%!#)

Danger Level: $*(&*4#

Psychology: [ ♠♥♣◆ ]

Although her information was hidden by her unique trait [The Paradox of the Red Queen], her presence was all the more prominent because of it.

She was Alice Carroll, the Student Council President.