Chapter 100

In a dim, unlit room, moonlight streamed through a small window with iron bars, creating a stark contrast of black and white.

The room was very simple. A six-tatami mat room enclosed by steel, a wooden bed, a small table, and an unshielded toilet. In comparison, Earth's prisons were larger.

In this room, which could only be seen as a prison, a woman was sitting on the bed, huddled against the wall, burying her face in her knees. She was Hatanaka Aiko.

It had been three days since Aiko was brought to this room.

She wore a bracelet-type artifact on her wrist, and due to its effect, Aiko was currently in a state where she could not use magic at all. Despite this, she initially tried to escape, but it was impossible to open the steel prison door with just her physical strength. The only window had a lattice grille, and at most, she could only extend her arm through it.

However, even without the lattice grille, since the room was located at the top of a high tower and this was the "Divine Mountain," it was almost impossible to escape unnoticed by the members of the Holy Church and make it down the mountain.

Therefore, Aiko, who could only worry about the safety of her students but could do nothing, was now quietly bowing her head, making her already petite body even smaller on the bed.

"…What… do they want my students to do…"

Aiko muttered slightly, raising her head. It was about what the silver-haired nun had said before she was taken away. Aiko had planned to confess to Hikari and the others what A had told her, but the "Master" seemed to think that this would have a negative impact. Moreover, it seemed that the "Master" found the actions of a certain student very interesting.

Aiko's indescribable unease intertwined in her heart. She recalled the student who had gone berserk in Urutown and lost his life – Shimizu Yukitake. Perhaps, another student might be planning to do something irreversible, which made Aiko very anxious.

Being imprisoned in a room with nothing to do, all she could do was worry. After calming down, she reviewed the events that occurred in the palace after returning from abroad, and there were too many unnatural and disharmonious aspects. The image that came to Aiko's mind was that of King Alcides and his ministers, who maintained a hard stance and seemed very dangerous.

Aiko speculated that it must have something to do with the silver-haired nun. The word "charmed" she used, based on the current understanding, must be some form of brainwashing or something similar.

However, at the same time, Shizukana and Liliana, whom she had conversed with after the meeting, did not give off such a sense of unease. While feeling slightly relieved, she also began to worry about what might happen to them while she was imprisoned, and a strong sense of unease surged up again.

Please be safe. Aiko prayed, and then another matter that worried her came to mind. It was the phrase "eliminate the irregularity." The words she heard before losing consciousness made Aiko think of a student.

He was both a savior and the one who did not save Shimizu Yukitake. Concealing overwhelming strength and a strong will, he was also a boy who listened and thought deeply about Aiko's teachings. Moreover… A had experienced various things, considered various things, seemed to consider nothing, but in reality, considered everything, and yet, it seemed he had not considered something, but Aiko felt he had.

Despite trying to suppress it, the rather shy memory resurfaced in her mind. "Is this the time to think about such things!" Aiko's cheeks turned red, and she shook her head to dispel the memory. For some reason, despite worrying about A's safety, this feeling was overshadowed by a strong desire to see him, and she mumbled his name in fragments.

"…Nanagumo-kun…"

"Ooh? Ah, teacher?"

"Eh?"

Since it was a half-unconscious mumble, there should not have been anyone to respond, and Aiko was taken aback. She cautiously looked around the cell, which should have had no one else besides herself, and muttered to herself, "Was it just a hallucination?" But as if to prove that it was not a hallucination, the same voice sounded again.

"Over here, teacher."

"Eh?"

Aiko's body trembled in surprise. It was definitely not a hallucination! She turned her gaze towards the direction of the voice, the small window with iron bars. There, peering in from outside was A.

"Eh? Eh? Is it Nanagumo-kun? Eh? This is the top floor? This is the Divine Mountain? Eh?"

"Ah, yeah. Anyway, teacher, calm down. I'll check for traps in a moment…"

Ignoring Aiko's confusion, A used his magic eye to check for traps in the room and performed "Alchemy" with red sparks, creating a hole in the wall just large enough for one person to pass through.

The cell where Aiko was imprisoned was about a hundred meters above the ground. Despite this, A had come in through the entrance on the ground! It was as if he was saying so. Aiko was dumbfounded as she watched A appear through the hole in the outer wall.

A smiled and approached Aiko, who was still in shock.

"What's the matter, so surprised? Didn't you notice I was coming? My presence should have been completely hidden, yet… I'm a bit unsure."

"Eh? Notice? Eh?"

"No, because you called my name. You must have noticed I was outside the window, right?"

Aiko, of course, had not noticed A, who was using "Presence Concealment." She had only mumbled his name unconsciously while thinking about him… However, "It's just that I was thinking about you, and I mumbled your name half-unconsciously" was something Aiko absolutely could not say, so she tried to change the subject with a worried expression.

"Compared to that, why are you here…?"

"Of course, to save you."

"For me? Nanagumo-kun, you came to save me?"

Seeing Aiko's flushed and flustered appearance since the beginning, A frowned, wondering if she had been brainwashed. His eyes, which held a serious gaze, used the magic stone eye to thoroughly examine Aiko for any signs of enchantment.

A approached Aiko, who was sitting on the bed, and began to observe her closely. Aiko's face turned even redder, and her heart beat faster. After all, the boy who had just been on her mind was now here to help her in her dire situation, and he was looking at her with a serious expression in the middle of the night. If this were just a student and a teacher, there would be no special problem, right? She asked herself… However, Aiko could not assert this and could only stare rigidly into A's eyes, which were looking at her intently.

The magic eye did not detect any signs of enchantment on Aiko, so A thought she should be fine. He took Aiko's hand to remove the artifact that sealed her magic.

However, Aiko let out a strange sound, "Eh!" and shrank back, "No! No! Nanagumo-kun! So suddenly! I'm a teacher!"

"No, it's inconvenient if your magic is sealed, right? Or is there something else? I didn't detect any traps or anything…"

"Eh? Ah, that's it…"

"…What do you think I'm going to do?"

"Ahaha, ahahaha… Sorry. Nothing."

A's gaze had already crossed the line of suspicion, and he looked at Aiko as if she were something pitiful, but Aiko managed to deflect with a fake laugh. Then, "Why did you know I was imprisoned here?" Aiko asked, trying to change the subject.

"I heard it from the little princess."

"Little princess? Princess Liliana?"

"Ah. She saw you being taken away. And, suspecting that the palace was under surveillance, she didn't tell Hikari and the others. She slipped out of the city alone to seek our help."

"Lili… Nanagumo-kun, you responded to her?"

"Well, I have some responsibility for the current situation… Teacher, you didn't want to see me, right… Well, endure until we meet up with everyone."

A smiled wryly, removed the artifact that sealed Aiko's magic, and stood up. Aiko understood he was referring to the incident with Shimizu and also remembered his final words, so she gripped his hand tightly. Then, looking directly into A's surprised eyes, she spoke with genuine sincerity.

"It's absolutely impossible that I don't want to see you. I'm really glad you came to save me… Indeed, I haven't fully resolved my feelings about what happened with Shimizu, and I might never… But I understand why you did it. I can't hate or dislike you."

"…Teacher…"

Aiko's eyes widened, and Aiko smiled with a mix of melancholy and tenderness.

"Because I couldn't express it properly at the time, so… now, please let me say it… Thank you for saving me, and I'm sorry for forcing you to pull the trigger."

"…"

As Aiko had expected, A's instincts were right. A couldn't help but inwardly smile, but for Aiko, this was the most painful thing, so he didn't show it.

"I just did what I had to do. I accept your thanks, but there's no need to apologize. More importantly, it's time to go. The princess and the others have gone to Hikari and the others. We'll meet up and discuss what to do next."

"I understand… Nanagumo-kun, please be careful. The Church has labeled you as a heretic. And the ones who took me might want to…."

"I know. No matter what, after I get you to safety, I have my own matters to attend to. I'll probably face the Church's people then… I'm prepared for it."

A nodded to Aiko, his eyes filled with a strong will. Staring into those eyes, Aiko's cheeks turned red again, and she was about to say something—

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