Volume 2 Chapter 7.1
Fugitive in the Blue Night, Hope is
Fleetingly Plucked Away Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
The sun, driven beyond
the horizon, cast its last glow over the world.
Under a sky filled
with blazing colors, a ghastly scene was unfolding.
The first girls' dormitory
had already collapsed, crushed from the inside by the raging waves reflecting
the various lights that pervaded the world. The crystals kept multiplying and
expanding their scope of destruction.
She gazed at the scene
of tremendous destruction with a calm thought.
It was not out of
hatred that she had dragged the school into hell. It was simply because she
thought it was the best way to expose the rats that were causing harm to the
school.
If their goal was to
identify the <Shepherd's Dog>, there would be no more obvious bait.
Besides, if the rats
chose to leave things as they were, they would eventually be killed, so it was
inevitable that they would come to stop the destruction.
Since she used revenge
as a pretext, her connection to the headmaster will not be noticed by the other
students. The girls' dormitory would be restored overnight by a psychic on the
instructor's side, and all but the students showing defiance to the school
would be unharmed.
"...... Please
watch over me, Headmaster. I will make sure that all threats will be nipped in
the bud."
A prayer-like voice
melted into the beautiful scene.
She had decided only
to report the situation to the headmaster after she had cut off the rats'
heads.
This way, she could
avoid bothering the busy headmaster, and more importantly, she would be able to
demonstrate her usefulness to him in a more effective way.
After that, she might
finally be able to see him.
◇
When Nina arrived at
the remains of the first girls' dormitory, Karen Ashby was sitting on top of a
mountain of glowing, red-colored crystals, looking up into the sky.
The crystals were
still proliferating in a destructive fashion, but there was little movement
within a radius of about 10 meters centered on Karen. Perhaps to prevent
herself from being crushed to death, she had partially slowed down the rate of
their proliferation.
"Stingray, I
didn't expect you to show your face."
Still sitting on the
crystals, Karen turned only her eyes toward Nina.
"I mean, how did
you even manage to get here? I'm pretty sure it's not easy to get near
here."
Nina braced herself
once again.
The truth was that
Emma, whose physical abilities had been enhanced by candy doping, had carried
her, but of course, she had no intention of telling that fact.
"I don't know
whether it was because you were so scared of me or not, but your crystals were
moving neatly avoiding me. It's a strange phenomenon, no?"
"Psychokinesis-based
barrier, huh? Well, that much is to be expected."
"By the way,
Karen-san, have you gotten permission from the school? You seem to be rampaging
around as you please......"
"There's no need
for that."
"You said it with
so much confidence, huh."
"Because I have a
good reason. I have a cause. I have to make sure that the villains who hurt my
best friend get what they deserve."
That's just an excuse,
Nina spat inwardly.
Satya's case was
staged. Even if Satya were safe, she would have pretended that she suffered an
attack and was hiding somewhere. This would be the best solution to get rid of
the Republic's spy without anyone suspecting her involvement with the school
principal.
In the first
place, why does the school show no reaction to this situation?
Is it a
decision in favor of those who were exempted from the entrance exams?
Are they
taking the situation lightly because there are no casualties yet?
Or is it
because the person who caused the rampage is from the school side?
─It is obvious which of these is the correct answer.
"Well, I'm not
interested in your reasons."
"I am curious.
Why did you attack Satya?"
"You're being
awfully paranoid, aren't you?"
"Then why did you
show up here?"
"...... Nothing
in particular. I'm just here to get rid of an eyesore."
Nina put on a
heartless, monster-like smile.
"You know what I
hate most, Karen-san? I hate it most when people act like spoiled children and
mistakenly believe that they can do whatever they want as long as they act out
of control. Because they are just too ignorant. Don't you find it extremely
arrogant to think that you are the center of the world?"
"So what are you
trying to say?"
"You have a bad
intuition, huh? Didn't you get it? I just can't tolerate the idea that a being
far inferior to myself is getting carried away here at Heiberg School. When a
filthy vermin walks brazenly across your room, it makes you want to kill it,
doesn't it? It's the same
feeling."
Karen laughed heartily
when she heard this.
If only this moment
were captured, it would seem as if the world was not teeming with hell. Karen
laughed with such a pure expression on her face.
"I knew it,
you're interesting. By the way, ......" Karen stood up abruptly. "If
you're going to fight me, we're inevitably going to have to kill each
other."
A sharp murderous
intent erupted from Karen's entire body.
The backlight blocked
Nina's vision, making it impossible to see her facial expression. Even so, Nina
could tell that she was looking at her with a cruel gaze.
─Good, I caught her.
Everything up
to this point has gone according to plan.
Now that she's
been provoked like this, she'll definitely give in to my demands.
"I wish we could
kill each other right here and now, but ...... Karen-san, sadly, this school is
not a lawless zone. There is an order called extraterritoriality. Even if we
were going to kill each other, we might as well fill out a pledge form."
"A <Duel>,
eh? Fine, what are the rules?"
"A simple battle
will do. The victory condition is that either one of us must be incapacitated
or surrender. Ah, I prepared an escape route called "surrender" as a
mercy to you.
Of course, the loser
should be penalized by losing all the points he/she possesses and being
expelled from the school. That is, if you still retain your life after losing.
And as for the venue, I think the old school building that my class used for
the <Practical Examination> would be perfect. There will be no one around
there, and it will be much more convenient for you to fight indoors,
right?"
"Okay, that's
fine. Just hurry up and fill out the pledge form-......."
"Don't be in such
a hurry. We will also set some detailed rules just to be safe.
First, the game starts
with both parties hiding in any room in the old school building. The signal to
begin will be given by that tin doll, Jake, who will be our witness."
"Why such a
roundabout way?"
"It's a reference
to the rules of the last <Hide and Seek> test we had. Well, it's just for
fun. It doesn't really matter to you and me, anyway."
"Fine, I guess.
What about the rest of the rules?"
"Secondly, the
battle area should only be inside the old school building. If you are more than
five meters away from there, you will be defeated unconditionally. Of course,
this is a rule that prohibits us from escaping.
And the third. Let's
also add that harming anyone other than those involved in the duel will also
result in defeat. Considering your psychic abilities and mine, I thought it
would be necessary to take this into consideration as well."
"I can see you're
trying to lay a trap here. Can you add a sentence that says, [The third rule
does not apply to those who enter the battleground or engage in a <duel>
by any means from outside the battleground]?"
"...... Got it.
Let's add that."
Nina took a pledge
form from the pocket of her uniform and added the conditions Karen had
mentioned.
If Karen were to miss
this rule, she could have used a trick to force a foul win by having Jin sneak
into the old school building and intentionally injure himself, but Karen was
surprisingly cautious.
She must have
anticipated the possibility of Nina fighting together with Jin. The reason why
Karen did not propose the rule of [prohibiting outsiders from entering the
battleground] might be because she wanted to get rid of all the obstacles at
once.
Based on this calm
thinking, she has a psychic ability that is so powerful that she can use
[berserk] and [madness as a card to hunt down her enemies. As was the case with
Bennett, the very existence of the group exempted from the entrance examination
is outrageous.
Nina, who was wearing
a thick acting mask, welcomed the battle with a terrific smile, even though she
was inwardly bitter.
"Well, then,
since the rules are now settled. Can you sign this pledge form, please?"
"Yeah, hold on a
second."
Karen ran down the
pile of crystals with nimble movements and approached Nina. She wiped her mouth
with the back of her hand, and in response, the crystals that had filled the
area surrounding her began to disintegrate.
A large number of
crystals were converted into particles of light, which danced in the wind.
The scene was so
majestic and picturesque. Nina learned for the first time that beauty, when
taken to the extreme, could be terrifying to behold.
Karen, on the other
hand, seemed unconcerned and completed the pledge form with a nonchalant
expression on her face.
"Now, there is no
going back for you or me. There is no use in having regrets."
"Do I look like I
regret it?"
"...... Ha,
that's the way it should be."
Even though Nina tried
to play a monster-like sneer, Karen was not perturbed in the slightest. On the
contrary, she seemed to be gushing with excitement, which was terrifying.
Nina wondered to what
extent Karen had anticipated their plan.
The other party is the
kind of person who hides his true identity while probing them. Naturally, the
other party would be capable of thinking like a liar, and they would not be the
type to neglect preparations before a fight.
Moreover, Nina had
already defeated Bennett Lohr.
This time, Nina
couldn't expect any development in which Karen would just give her a free kick
right from the start.
─Ugh, I want to go home ......!
There is a part of her
in her head that is waving a white flag and crying out for help. That's for
sure.
But Nina was also a
first-rate liar.
As for the script, her
reliable accomplice already wrote it for her. All she had to do was play the
role of a liar who would deceive the world by pushing her true feelings behind
her facial muscles.
The particles of light
that once filled the sky have all but dispersed.
The two liars met each
other's eyes head-on, and in them, they saw a flickering certainty of victory
and a hint of the most elaborate scheme.
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