Chapter 89

Sales stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

---

Sales bid his farewell.

Immediately after—

Sales' body was sent flying diagonally backward. Without even a chance to scream, Sales crashed into the wall.

Brain's excellent mind quickly understood what had happened.

Just before the explosion, a white arrow had crossed Brain's field of vision.

And there, on the rooftop, stood a brown-haired student and a white-haired girl beside him.

There weren't many magicians who could accurately shoot Sales from such a distance.

(—Albert!)

Brain immediately thought of that name.

"Sh-sh-shit... Is this for real..."

Sales struggled to get up, blood streaming from his head, but his eyes were still sharp.

"It looks like I'm in a bad spot... Ha! This is getting interesting! See you, Mr. Brain! I approached you for my own interests—but it was unexpectedly fun!"

With that, Sales dashed out of the classroom.

Brain activated his magic. It had the effect of projecting his voice to a distant location without any obstacles.

"It's Brain! Sales is running away! I'm going to chase him, so please secure the main gate of the academy!"

After relaying this to the distant Albert, Brain hurriedly pursued Sales.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

Filbus saw it.

Albert's Magic Arrow hit the student who looked like Sales, sending him flying.

(...A pinpoint shot from this distance... He's still a cheat, as always...)

The male student who had been restrained by Sales got up and looked at Filbus on the rooftop.

Then—

"It's Brain! Sales is running away! I'm going to chase him, so please secure the main gate of the academy!"

It sounded as if Brain was speaking right next to him.

Sales is running away...

Filbus exhaled. He was an excellent student whom he had watched over as a teacher. A slight sadness settled in his chest.

"...Is Sales the dark one..."

"Dark?"

Albert reacted, but Filbus shook his head.

"There's no time to explain. First, we need to support Brain."

Then, Filbus continued.

"I'll head to the school building to help Brain. Riz, stay here with Lola."

"Okay!"

"Albert, head to the main gate—it's convenient."

Yes, it was really, completely convenient.

The unpleasant court magician had said it too. If the Dark Mark was stolen, send Albert to the main gate.

At that moment, another voice interrupted.

"Ah, um!"

It was Riz. She held out the ring she had taken off earlier.

"This ring reacts to stolen items! It might be useful if it's being carried out..."

"I see."

As Albert reached out to take it—

Filbus stopped him.

"...It's probably the same one, so it's fine. It's from Carail. Take this one."

Saying that, Filbus also held out a ring.

"From Carail?"

"Carail said—'If the Dark Mark is stolen, give this to Albert and send him to the main gate. Around noon the next day.'"

"What does that mean?"

Albert tilted his head as he took the ring.

"...I don't know either... He's a secretive guy. He wants you to find the culprit, apparently."

Albert seemed unconvinced but said nothing. He probably trusted Carail's words without doubt.

He just said this.

"...Take care of Brain."

With that, Albert headed for the stairs.

"Mr. Albert!"

Lola called out to his back.

Albert stopped and turned around. Lola said this to him.

"Be careful!"

Albert, a man who rarely showed his emotions, smiled slightly and said this.

"...Yeah, I'll be back safely."

After Albert disappeared downstairs, Filbus returned to the school building.

He walked toward where Brain and the others were.

As he approached, the sound of breaking glass and a man's voice could be heard. It was probably Brain, making a lot of noise to draw attention to the fleeing Sales.

The students, curious about the noise, had come out of their classrooms to listen.

"Ah, Mr. Filbus. What's that sound?"

"...Don't worry about it. Go back to your classroom and study."

Saying that, Filbus changed his direction. If he paid attention to the sound, he could predict where Brain and the others were heading.

So, he decided to intercept them.

Filbus went outside the school building—onto the schoolyard.

As expected, he saw running figures.

Sales and Brain.

"Stop! Sales!"

Filbus shouted like an arrow.

Sales grinned and slowed his pace. He shifted his position to look at both Brain and Filbus.

Sales looked pitiful.

His right half of his face was dyed red from the blood streaming from his head, and his hair and clothes were disheveled from running at full speed. He was breathing heavily, but his usual light smile was still on his face, which only emphasized his pain.

"...Sales... give up..."

Said Brain, stopping.

Sales spread his arms wide.

"Ha! Well, well! Mr. Brain and Mr. Filbus! It seems even the great Sales is in a tight spot!"

Filbus pointed his right hand, and Brain pointed his small staff, both slowly closing the distance to Sales. Sales swayed back and forth, trying to throw off their aim, and used both hands to keep them at bay.

"...Enough... stop it, Sales..."

Brain said softly.

"I know your abilities. You're excellent. But—there's no way you can win against both me and Mr. Filbus. Surrender."

"That's right, Sales!"

Filbus continued.

"Stop resisting! I'll intercede for you so you don't get treated too harshly! I won't let anything bad happen to you!"

Filbus said this sincerely.

As a teacher, he had spent a considerable amount of time with Sales. He had watched over a student with excellent character and grades.

If he could help, he wanted to.

But—

"But talking about the dark side in full detail is a condition, right? I'm sorry, but that's impossible, Mr. Teacher."

That was Sales' response.

"Also, Brain, I still have something I haven't shown you."

Immediately after, dark scales erupted from Sales' body.

They were similar to Riz's, but the concentration and density were far greater.

"Can two Hundred-levels handle it?"

Sales laughed.

Then—

"Then, how about three?"

A voice came from behind Filbus. A figure stood next to him.

It was Hulin.

"Since you caused such a commotion... Other teachers will probably be here soon, won't they?"

It wasn't just three.

This was a checkmate.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Sales lowered his arms and looked up at the sky, laughing loudly.

"Well... I guess it's impossible... This far, huh?"

"Will you surrender?"

At Brain's words, Sales shook his head.

"Sorry, but I can't do that—"

At the same time he said this—

"Ha!"

Blood suddenly spurted from Sales' mouth. It wasn't just once; it flowed continuously like a dam had burst, staining his uniform dark red.

"Sales!"

As they shouted, Filbus and the others rushed to Sales.

Brain lifted the collapsed Sales.

"What are you...!?"

"Hehe... It's suicide, suicide... I'm a member of the organization—well, I have some pride...?"

Sales said in a pained voice and smiled weakly.

It reminded him of his usual cheerful smile, but it only made the presence of death more palpable.

Sales wouldn't survive.

He was dying.

"Sales... you...!"

Filbus felt a bitter taste in his chest.

Sales smiled faintly.

"Mr. Teacher, the Dark Mark is already in the hands of the Dark Child—by now, they're probably leaving the academy... I win... ha ha ha!"

The Dark Child—!

Those words made Filbus' spine freeze.

Could it really be that the Dark Child was involved?

—What if the Dark Child bites the hook?

Filbus remembered Carail's words. And now, Albert was...

Everything was going according to the court magician's plan.

"...Hey, Brain... It's goodbye. I'm not apologizing for deceiving you... but I liked your way of thinking... I hope your revenge comes true... ha ha ha..."

Laughing weakly, Sales closed his eyes quietly.

"Sales..."

Brain's voice was strained.

Filbus, as the homeroom teacher, felt a heavy emotion in his chest, but he ignored it.

He would indulge in his feelings after everything was over.

The Dark Child was leaving the academy with the Dark Mark. And Albert was heading to the main gate.

Albert, did you make it in time?

Will you make it in time...?

Next time: "Albert vs. Dark Child Lugard."

Since Hulin appeared, I'll reveal the character design.

This is from the early stages of the concept, so there might be some adjustments in the final version. Please understand.

Hulin and Carail.

Hulin has a short stature, wild hair, and large glasses, which I thought might be hard to illustrate, but it was well put together into the image of an excellent female teacher. Amazing.

If you compare the size of the glasses with Carail, another glasses character, you'll see the difference (laughs).

Carail has a 'cool elite' vibe. His outfit is very stylish!

These characters will also appear in the book's illustrations, so look forward to them.