༺ The Battle for Isaac (4) ༻
“Ah…”
Moonlight scattered through the stained glass ceiling and shimmered off the walls.
The inside of the clock tower had a spiral staircase along the wall and in every corner, there was a small space to hide inside.
I went into one of these cramped spaces with Dark Kaya and practically plastered myself onto the walls.
I kept the story short and to the point. The demon, Malrog the Envious, had created fabricated memories.
At first, Kaya couldn’t believe it.
“You’re lying right….? Aren’t you just making everything up out of shame?”
She continued to be in denial, but when she saw how serious I was, she began to break out into a cold sweat.
Predictably, she was left with a deep sense of skepticism.
“Sir Isaac’s words… They were all fake…”
I didn’t even do anything wrong, but I still felt kinda guilty.
How was I supposed to know the memories would be altered this way…?
For the record, I asked Kaya to pretend she didn’t know me during the party to reduce as many variables as possible.
According to ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, all the heroines monopolized the interest of men. Among them, there were plenty of cliched bastards who would make unwanted advances.
The more unexpected variables I could avoid, the better. I had to fully focus on defeating Marlog and that of itself was already full of uncertainties.
Because of this, I didn’t tell Kaya anything…
I do have some regrets. Maybe I should’ve at least told her about the demons.
It was all in the past so I couldn’t do anything anyway but…
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”
“If you’re actually sorry, you should reenact it in reality for me.”
Kaya spoke with a pouty face.
No matter how sorry I was, I honestly didn’t want to say any of the embarrassing things I presumably said in her memories.
“…Well, I didn’t expect you to do it anyway. But it’s okay. I’m satisfied just by being in this heart-pounding situation with you, Sir Isaac.”
“I’m going to go out now. I need to talk to Lu-”
“Just a little more.”
Kaya gently grasped the wall next to my head as if telling me not to leave.
Since our bodies were already in close contact, goosebumps appeared on my body as all the soft parts of Kaya rubbed against me. I pressed my body against the wall as much as I possibly could, trying to avoid contact at all costs…
Kaya stuck her face towards me, seemingly ignoring my dilemma. Darkness. The faint moonlight dimmed her face. As expected, there was a sly smile that shadowed her entire expression.
“Let’s stay like this for a little longer, Sir Isaac.”
[Kaya Astrea] Psychology: [Excited to be so close to you]
It wasn’t like I hated it either. Moreover, after our cute Kaya took on her dark personality, she was getting used to these expressions and gestures of affection.
I’ll be honest.
‘I can’t refuse one of my favorite characters…’
I’m about to lose my mind because of how cute she is…
Click—.
Just then, the sound of heels echoed as someone stepped up the stairs. Anyone could guess that it was the sound of Luce’s footsteps.
Just as planned, I managed to solve the misunderstanding with Kaya. Now, all I needed to do was pacify Luce.
Click—, Clack—.
The sound of footsteps drew closer.
I pushed Kaya’s arms out of the way of my exit. She resisted, but when I exerted more force and stared at her sternly, she blushed and eventually gave in.
After escaping from such a cramped space, I stood on the stairs and looked down.
At the bottom, a girl with rose-gold hair saw me and stopped climbing the stairs as she shimmered in the moonlight.
It was obviously, Luce.
“Isaac…!”
[Luce Eltania] Psychology: [Happy to see you.]
Luce’s expression brightened for a moment, but then she took a quiet breath to calm her emotions.
“She’s behind you, isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
Before I could even answer, Kaya popped out next to me.
Luce frowned for a moment, but eventually cleared her throat and continued.
“I’m sorry I did something bad to her. However… I didn’t have a choice. To be honest, she was out of line.”
“I wonder who did something that Sir Isaac wouldn’t like though? I’m the one who helped Sir Isaac instead. Luce Eltania, don’t you think you’re being too selfish and overbearing?”
“Isaac. You were surprised when she tried to kiss you out of nowhere right? She even dragged you somewhere without consent.”
What a mess… They’re both saying whatever they want without listening to the other.
No, it was a little different. Luce only looked and talked to me. She didn’t even give Kaya a single glance.
It was a natural response since Luce never opened up her heart to others.
Kaya frowned. She seemed to be displeased at Luce’s dismissive attitude towards her.
“You should look at me when you talk. Are you ignoring me right now?”
“…”
As if she couldn’t hear anything, Luce continued to ignore Kaya.
I felt like I was going to get squashed between the auras of the two women. I had to step up and stop their argument.
When Kaya tried to get another word in, I slipped my arm out in front of her and stopped her.
“Sir Isaac?”
“Luce, Kaya. Thank you for cherishing me, but I have a partn-Ahhhk!”
Chalala—.
Colorful starlight mana swirled around me. I was dragged straight to the top of the clock tower without being able to finish my statement.
Hweeeeeee——!
It felt like a new law of physics were established exclusively for me, as if gravity was operating according to someone’s will. I was not able to regain control until I reached the end of the spiral staircase, the last floor with a large clock.
There was no need to be surprised. It wasn’t hard to figure out who dragged me up here.
Luce and Kaya’s eyes widened in surprise. They leaned their heads out of the railing to look up at me.
Far more mana than anyone else in this room stroked my skin like the wind.
What appeared was a resplendent being surrounded by a cluster of brilliant stars.
Lavender hair fluttered as she appeared in front of everyone’s sight.
“I was thinking it was taking too long for you to do your business. Why were you getting yourself kidnapped while big sis wasn’t looking, President~?”
“Senior…”
Dorothy Heartnova asked with a smile.
When Luce summoned Galia, I already expected Dorothy to follow us.
Actually experiencing it, however, made it feel like it was Deus Ex Machina.
“I know right…”
I let out a bitter laugh. I didn’t understand how things got to this point either…
By the way, Luce’s eyes were frightening.
No matter how friendly Dorothy was to others, she wasn’t exempt from Luce’s anti-social disorder.
“Senior Dorothy Heartnova…?”
Kaya, who was standing next to me, seemed to have figured out who the woman with the lavender hair standing next to me was. As long as you were a student at Märchen Academy, it would be harder to not recognize Dorothy after seeing starlight magic.
“Let’s stop the silly pranks, girls. It’s quite rude to snatch someone else’s partner, right?”
Kaya and Luce started to frown. The fact that I had a partner, and that partner was Dorothy, seemed to have pissed them off.
Kaya and Luce were precious to me too. They were certainly people I wanted to be with. However, Dorothy was my partner for today and I had promised to hang out with her alone.
It was common decency to never go back on any promises you’ve made.
‘…What’s with this atmosphere?’
The air turned heavy. No one seemed to be willing to let me go without a fight.
The pressure was sending shivers down my spine.
What the hell should I do about this situation…
More importantly, the fact that I am the center of this war of nerves made it incredibly burdensome. Nevertheless, it was impossible for me to run away from these three women.
‘What do I do?’
Seriously, what am I supposed to do…
Right when I was racking my brain for a solution.
“…!”
Another strong type of mana washed over my body. Due to of powerful mana emanating from Dorothy, my perception was delayed.
Dorothy and I quickly turned around to see who it was.
“Why don’t you stop now?”
A graceful woman stood with her back against the moonlit clock.
A beautiful gold dress draped over her, matching exceptionally well with her eloquently tied pale gold hair.
All her accessories were black and white, providing a stark contrast to the gold of her dress. A flower hairpin with black and white checkers, black and white earrings, and a black and white choker adorned her body.
Next to her, a fat purple cat with a small fedora tilted its head to look at us.
The number one person I didn’t want to encounter…
The Shadow of ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱.
She let out a distinct seductive voice. Even in the moonlit night, her eyes glowed a mesmerizing pale pink.
“After all, we’ll have to work overtime if you continue.”
One after another, students riding various familiars entered near the clock as they stood behind the woman with pale gold hair.
Outfits suited for a formal event adorned all of them. However, the silver brooch in the shape of a sword and grimoire differentiated them from others. It was painfully obvious which organization they belonged to.
The organization wielding the greatest administrative power in Märchen Academy: The Student Council.
And the woman with pale gold hair was the one who had the greatest authority among all of them. She was the Student Council President.
[A*()(&^%#( &$&] Lv: 1&^*&%$
Race: &*@man
Elements: $&^%!#)
Danger: $*(&*4#
Psychology: [♠♥♣◆ .]
A woman whose information I could not read because of her unique trait [Red Queen’s Paradox], thus making her an even more pronounced existence.
It was the Student Council President, Alice Carroll.
