The Academy's Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter

→ The Battle for Isaac (1) ←

“Did I ruin the mood? Sorry about that.”

Dorothy and I left Palace Hall and sat down on a bench. The night air was on the chillier side.

The shimmering streetlights illuminated the hall around us.

The flowerbeds surrounding us flaunted the many colors of mana.

“Pfft! Puhehehe…”

Although I felt bad about laughing while Dorothy was depressed, I couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a strange laugh.

Watching Razel getting shut down had been so satisfying and funny.

“President? Why are you laughing?”

“You put that bastard right where he belonged. Wow, you’re seriously the best, Senior…!”

Dorothy flinched.

She turned her gaze to me and stared holes into me for a bit before she turned around completely and smiled slyly.

“…Hmph. You find that funny? That’s harsh~.”

Her tone was playful.

Dorothy’s previously depressed expression was nowhere to be seen, probably thanks to my reaction.

‘Oh?’

I’d noticed it before too, but seeing Dorothy up close made me realize just how much effort she had put into dressing up today.

My favorite character’s absolutely radiant today. You’re killing me here, big sis.

In any case, Dorothy had gotten mad on my behalf.

The fact that my favorite character had gotten angry on my behalf, just like how Luce had during the end-of-semester evaluation, gave me a great sense of pride.

I was incredibly excited. Doesn’t this show just how important Dorothy has become to me?

My life as a die-hard Dorothy fan—I don’t regret it at all.

‘Hmm?’

Dorothy was smiling. Her cheeks were flushed with a scarlet hue. She also smelled faintly of alcohol.

“Did you drink a lot, Senior?”

“Not a lot, just a little while I was waiting for you, President… I think? This big sis is a bit tipsy!”

“And you’re a bit tongue-tied too.”

I could hear it when I listened carefully. Her voice rang with the cutesy charm of a drunk woman.

“Well, anyway, what should we do now? It’ll be hard to go back to building 3 because of the mood. Building 1 is… hmm. Building 2 seemed prettier, so why don’t we go there?”

Room 1 was where Alice, the Student Council President, would show up to enjoy the gathering. I didn’t particularly want to go there.

“That sounds good too, but…”

Dorothy looked up and pointed at the spire of Palace Hall.

“How about over there?”

“That’s not a part of the venue, though?”

“That’s okay. Besides, the wind is refreshing there~.”

“…!”

How can this be?

Is she saying that we should spend some alone time together?

“Let’s go right now.”

“Nihihi, okay!”

Sparkle—.

A cluster of stars formed around me. Warm star mana enveloped my body.

My body slowly started feeling lighter.

Then, Dorothy and I started floating. It was as if we had become weightless.

A glistening cluster of stars formed beautifully around us.

“Senior.”

I extended my right hand to Dorothy from within the colorful cluster of stars.

I intended to escort her, just as I had promised. I had already been protected by her, but I figured that I should at least keep up the pretense.

Dorothy stared blankly at my hand. Then, she beamed brightly once she realized why I had extended it to her.

She gently placed her hand on top of mine.

Her hand was supple, soft, and pretty. Dorothy was grinning as she only placed her hand on top of mine instead of holding it.

We stayed just like that as the star mana brought us up to the spire of Palace Hall.

On top of the spire. There were a lot more places to walk here than I had originally thought.

Moreover, the mana stones embedded within the structures were sparkling with a beautiful array of colors.

All around us were the glistening colors of M?rchen Academy. It’s beautiful, but I’ll probably kick the bucket if I fall from here.

We could clearly hear the music from Palace Hall seeping outside. The mood here was pretty nice.

“This kind of thing is new to you, right?”

Dorothy and I sat down against the banister and enjoyed the view of the academy.

Even if one of us carelessly fell off, we’d still be safe thanks to her starlight magic.

“Yes, I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s nice.”

“It’s pretty romantic here, no? I came alone last year, but I’m here with you today.”

“It’s an honor.”

I didn’t know for sure because I didn’t have a mirror on me, but my expression was most likely very relaxed right now.

“President.”

“Yes?”

“You’re always working yourself to the bone. This is your first day off, isn’t it? You’ve even put down your usual training obsession.”

“Yes, I’m resting of my own free will.”

“Nihihi, this big sis of yours will do anything I can for you today, within reason of course! I’ll cheer you on with everything that I have, President!”

Your existence alone already cheers me on.

But actually saying that would feel too forward, so I settled for saying, “Thank you.” instead.

“What do you want me to do for you first?”

With perfect timing, the music coming from Palace Hall suddenly turned sweet and mellow. It was the song that played in ?Magic Knight of M?rchen? when the player danced with their chosen heroine.

The ball had probably started inside the hall.

“Shall we dance?”

“Okay! Let’s dance!”

We stood up and faced each other as we got ready to dance.

I’d said the first thing that came to mind, but the thought that we were actually about to hold a private outdoor ball for just the two of us on this moonlit night was starting to make me squirm.

But I immediately felt better after I wrapped an arm around Dorothy’s slender waist, gently took her hand, and started dancing.

The music was loud enough that it didn’t feel awkward.

The moonlit night and the scenery around us were overflowing with aesthetic sensibility. I felt like I was getting absorbed by the mood.

“I think I’m getting a little excited~.”

It looked like Dorothy shared the same sentiment.

Her steps were light, like the fluttering of a butterfly, as she danced to the melody.

Dorothy smiled timidly as she continued,

“President, there’s something I wanna try.”

“…What is it?”

“Once you no longer have to train so hard…”

“Yes?”

“Well, I heard that Regell’s Croissants are really famous for being tasty. Let’s go and eat some together.”

“Sure. That sounds great.”

“Oh, and did you know? Lake Frey in the Astrea Duchy is supposed to be really pretty. I saw it in a book. Let’s go see that too.”

“Certainly. I’ll pack the snacks.”

“They say the moss forest inside the Vantus Woods in Medellnook is super pretty too.”

“Let’s go see it together someday.”

“Nihihi, and…”

Dorothy continued listing out all the things that she wanted to do for some time. The sparkles in her eyes as she spoke made her seem like an innocent little girl.

I knew that Dorothy had been slowly going through everything she owned.

That was why I could keenly feel just how heavy her plans for the future weighed, even though she was saying them so nonchalantly.

Was this Dorothy’s true feelings, which had never come up even in ?Magic Knight of M?rchen??

Was she speaking so candidly right now because she was drunk and she was with someone to whom she had opened up her heart to?

Dorothy hadn’t been a very important character in the game because she wasn’t one of the heroines. That was why I had no way to know for sure what she was really feeling.

The only thing I could do for her right now was to respond accordingly and etch everything she wanted to do inside my brain.

“So that’s why I’m hoping you’ll still continue meeting with me like this even after I graduate, President.”

Dorothy had stopped dancing and was looking back at me from point-blank, and I serenely replied,

“That was my plan from the very beginning.”

“…I guess you’re right. You’re a fan of mine, after all.”

Dorothy grinned.

“I guess I was worried for no reason.”

Dorothy stepped back into my arms and resumed dancing with me.

* * *

It was very bizarre.

Kaya’s consciousness grew fuzzy whenever she fully expressed her feelings for Isaac, and this happened quite often. She felt strange every time it happened, it was as if someone else took over and piloted her body.

Then, one day, she suddenly stopped feeling like she was dreaming while sleepwalking.

And she started hearing a cute and charming voice in her mind.

—‘Sir Isaac’s so cool.’

—[Sir Isaac’s so cool.]

—‘…Huh?’

She had thought that she was hallucinating at first, but she knew exactly what that voice was now.

It was Kaya’s other personality. It had a concrete form now, and it was capable of conversing with Kaya directly. In other words, it had formed its own ego.

Perhaps it had simply been adapting until now.

Kaya’s two personalities shared their memories. They shared their feelings and senses too. Her original personality had merely been split into two.

Kaya felt a profound yet mysterious sense of unity with it, like it was both someone else while also being herself. It had been scary at first, but she had quickly gotten used to it.

Now, she was actually grateful it was there.

Unlike herself, her other personality was overflowing with confidence and was capable of assertively expressing their feelings for Isaac.

That was why Kaya became friends with her other personality in no time at all.

“Fuaaah…”

Atla Hall, the heart of Palace Hall. The Four Constellation’s event was suspended due to an unexpected accident, and the venue had brightened up again

.

Besides, tonight’s event had basically been called off for good because one of the Four Constellation’s heads, Malrog Bryer, had disappeared.

Even still, the mood inside Atla Hall was amicable to promote friendships between the top-ranking students who had gathered there, so the gathering continued anyway.

The only strange part was that the students’ conversations all centered around a certain man.

“Seriously… Has Isaac lost his mind? How could he suddenly kiss Lady Kaya on the cheek like that…? Look how flustered she is…!”

“For real? I didn’t even see it happening. D-does he not value his life…?”

“Wait, what are you guys talking about? I saw the bastard holding hands with Lady Lisetta—what’s this about Lady Kaya?”

“W-wait, what?”

“The hell are you all on about? The bastard was pestering our goddess, Lady Keridna, wasn’t he?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

For some reason… none of the students’ memories were lining up.

Meanwhile, Kaya, who was standing right in the middle of the hall, could hear neither the music nor a single word of what the other students were saying.

Kaya had been standing around with her hands clasped over her cheeks, letting out gasp after gasp.

Her elevated body temperature showed no signs of cooling down anytime soon. And her eyes were spinning in circles.

Her eyes were jade green. This was the original Kaya. She was looking down because she needed some time to pull herself back together.

[Happy, aren’t we?]

It felt like someone was directly hugging her from behind and whispering into her ear. This was her Dark personality.

[I never imagined that Sir Isaac would say, ‘You’re prettier than everyone else here,’ to me. Aha, what am I supposed to do with myself? I’m so happy.]

‘S-stop it. I’m going to die of embarrassment.’

Kaya was so embarrassed she thought she would lose her mind.

Who would have thought…? As soon as the party at Atla Hall had started and the lights had dimmed…

…That Isaac would whisper such sweet words into her ear?

It had truly happened out of nowhere. Dark Kaya had looked into Isaac’s crimson eyes for a bit before smiling shrewdly and summoning the normal Kaya.

Kaya’s eyes had returned to their normal jade green. She swallowed a gasp and covered her mouth with both hands.

Then, Isaac had said that he had something to do and headed toward the exit.

Kaya had staggered like she was about to pass out. Her body temperature had elevated, and she had been rooted to the spot.

All of this was actually just a fake memory created after Malrog had been dealt with to replace her memories of the illusions she had seen.

But to Kaya… the fake memory remained vivid in her mind.

[Teehee, Sir Isaac was interested in us. It was worth dressing up.]

‘Fuwaaaaa…’

[Let’s go and give him a kiss.]

‘Huh?!’

The ravenous darkness whetted her appetite.

[Our feelings aren’t one-sided anymore; they’re mutual. We need to take the opportunity to stamp our mark on his lips.]

‘Well, that’s… I mean, but still, I…? To Sir Isaac?’

[Don’t you want to?]

It was like the devil was whispering in her ear.

[Because I do.]

Both her thoughts and her actions were bold. Kaya had no idea how she had created a personality like her.

‘…’

Isaac was her first love. She had lost count of how many times she had imagined kissing him.

Kaya could not bring herself to deny her dark side’s question no matter how embarrassed she was.

She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again. Her eyes instantly changed into the bright color of blood.

“The other me is so bad at being honest.”

There was a treacherous smile on Dark Kaya’s lips as she left the venue.

Meanwhile. There was a female student leaning against the wall of Palace Hall.

She was wearing a lovely blue dress. Her prettily braided rose-gold hair was beautifully adorned with a morpho butterfly bow and hairpins shaped like jeweled blue flowers.

Every student who passed her had their gazes drawn to her. The female student with the rose-gold hair’s appearance had the power to turn anyone’s head.

She was Luce Eltania, the top seat of the Magic Department’s first years.

Her interview with the Eldork Magic Tower had been incredibly useful. After all, she had been able to hear firsthand detailed stories about real-world matters that she could not learn from the academy at the moment.

After the interview, Luce had returned to Charles Hall, the highest-ranking dorm, and had made her way to Atlas Hall as soon as the maids had dressed her up.

Originally, her interview with the Eldork Magic Tower was supposed to have lasted longer.

But Luce had desperately wanted to attend the gathering and have fun with Isaac no matter what…!

That was why she had ended the interview early after taking only the key pieces of information that she needed from the Eldork Magic Tower.

[We’re back, Luce.]

[Bello, returning like the wind!]

Two magic beasts—a black grouse as small as a raven and a small orca wrapped in water mana—flew toward Luce. They were Galia and Bello.

Galia landed on Luce’s extended wrist, and Bello swam around her.

Luce had ordered them to find Isaac, and they had come back from surveying the various venues.

[It looked like Isaac went to Building 3. According to what I overheard the other students saying, it sounded like he had a partner. They apparently went outside together.]

Luce hadn’t known that Isaac had a partner.

She didn’t have the chance to ask him if he had one because of her interview with the magic tower.

Even still, she could not avoid the mental shock.

“A partner… So he had one after all. Isaac has many friends other than me…”

Luce’s quiet voice resounded through the night air.

Her only friend was Isaac, but Isaac had many friends.

Luce quickly clicked her tongue and lowered her eyes as she recalled this unpleasant truth once again.

If only there was no one else around Isaac.

If only she was the only person by Isaac’s side, just like how she only had Isaac.

Then, she would be able to monopolize his time… monopolize his heart.

Luce’s regrets suddenly billowed up from within her.

[But I also heard that Isaac got punched by a guy called Razel before he went outside…]

Galia swallowed a gasp and was unable to continue.

This was because Luce’s emotionless eyes had turned to him with terrifying speed.

“What did you say?”

Her voice was quiet and restrained. Yet, there was ice-cold bloodlust condensed inside it.

Isaac was Luce’s weakness. He was the one and only man to whom she, who could not open her heart to anyone, had opened up her heart to.

That was why Luce could not withstand her own wrath whenever someone so much as touched Isaac.

Galia harbored goodwill for Isaac too, but it came nothing close to what Luce felt.

Had he said something wrong? Galia began breaking out in cold sweat.

[Bello went and heard all about how much of a playboy Isaac is!]

“…?”

Bello butted in just then.

Galia was grateful for the interjection itself in the midst of the intense situation, however, it was not as grateful about the contents of what Bello had said.

“Huh?”

This time, Luce, who had heard something shocking once again, turned to Bello in bewilderment.

[According to what the other students were saying! He kissed Kaya on the cheek, held Lisetta’s hand, and pestered Keridna! Not that I know who any of them are!]

“…”

[And then he immediately left the party! He’s pretty good, that Isaac! I, Bello, the Brave Orca, saw you yet again, you rascal! Wahaha!]

Bello explained everything he had heard in a cheerful voice like that of a young boy.

He was a magic beat orca who had gotten all excited without being able to read the room.

Luce began emitting a dark and chilling bloodlust. The bloodlust only grew denser with every word Bello said.

Galia gulped. There was… a dark shadow over Luce’s eyes.

The students probably hadn’t been saying stuff like that about Isaac for no reason.

And, while Luce didn’t think that Isaac was the type of guy to randomly go around and hit on girls.

The truth remained that something had happened to make it look like he was.

[What are you planning to do, Luce?]

Galia asked anxiously.

“I need to find Isaac.”

Luce’s eyes swept across Palace Hall.

Just what on earth had Isaac done here while she was gone, and what happened to him?

He had been punched by Razel, and he was apparently a playboy… Luce could not simply ignore this.

This became the catalyst, and ultimately, it made Luce determined to use her last resort.

Swish.

The magic tool that she had prepared in advance shot out from under her sleeve.

It was a small rod. Once activated, mana would flow out from it and tie up its target.

It was a powerful restraining device that used Luce’s mana to great effect. It was something that the Eltania Family had prepared.

“I think I need to be by Isaac’s side right now.”

Luce did not intend to harm any healthy relationships that Isaac had. After all, doing so would go against both the law and her own morals.

But if he was getting punched like what Galia had said or was hitting on any woman at random like what Bello had said…

Then Luce wanted to make it so that he would have to stick with her, even if she had to use a little force to make it happen.

Her protective instinct, her possessiveness, the affection she felt for her one and only friend… All of these emotions began tangling endlessly together like a spider’s web. The feelings that Luce had for Isaac were anything but simple.

[Isaac has a partner right now… Are you going to ignore that fact and bring him over anyway?]

“Yes.”

Galia’s head flinched ever so slightly when it heard Luce’s firm reply.

“Both Isaac and his partner probably have other people whom they can substitute each other with. They probably won’t care too much if just one of the many people around them disappears. But that’s not the case for me.”

Luce didn’t care if this made her selfish.

She wanted to see Isaac so badly, and she wanted to be with him.

“I only have Isaac.”

Her face was icy as she began walking away.

For now, she had decided to get rid of one person before going to see Isaac.