Chapter 180
The Secret Passage was located beneath the Academy. Ancient remnants protected the Darkness around it. The deeply sunken Pitch-Black resembled the dawn, invisible to ordinary eyes. However, for the children who served the wicked entity, it was as comfortable as home.
Ancient remnants protected the Darkness around it.
The deeply sunken Pitch-Black, invisible to ordinary eyes, resembled the dawn.
However, for the children who served the wicked entity, it was as comfortable as home.
For them, night was a time to unleash their seething desires.
In the profound silence, assailants were marching.
“Hmm.”
No.
More precisely, they *had* been marching.
*Splish-splash—*
Beneath the firmly planted steps, a pool of blood rippled outwards.
No, could it even be called just a pool?
A sea of blood stretched across the basement floor.
“Guh…”
“Ugh, ack.”
“…Gurgle, ugh.”
Groans echoed from everywhere.
Whether it was good luck or bad luck,
those whose limbs had merely been severed twitched their wretched bodies.
The ripples in the crimson pond spread out noisily with their movements.
Yet, that too ceased in an instant.
*Swish—!*
A silver afterimage was left by a fine line that originated from somewhere.
A single, straight stroke sliced across the assailants’ necks.
Subsequently, the decapitated heads simultaneously floated upwards.
The blood, scattering like a fountain, and the scene, like falling rain, were paradoxically beautiful.
The terrible stench of blood, scattered organs, and the crimson mirror spread across the floor—
Everything was enchanting.
“Well, this isn’t even a warm-up, is it?”
A gruesome sight.
At its center stood none other than a man.
The man stood idly, treading upon the Sea of blood.
Yet, not a single speck of stain marred his sleeves.
He rotated his shoulders as if stiff, with only the redness of his hair remaining.
His reaction was utterly nonchalant.
“What good are numbers if they’re all just chaff?”
A staggering 3,000 people.
That was the number of assailants who had planned to attack the Academy today.
Including the Chimeras they had unleashed, the total number would have easily exceeded 10,000.
A power disparity that was utterly unfathomable.
But.
“I thought there’d be at least one Apostle.”
The man had stopped them.
Single-handedly, without a scratch, in an instant.
The scene was like a dream.
Even in the depths where night had fallen, the man’s sword shone brightly.
The Starlight raged brilliantly.
“Tsk… and this was supposed to be my debut after six years.”
A scene that was nothing short of a massacre.
Meanwhile, the man clicked his tongue, as if disappointed.
He was truly relaxed, yet that very composure was overwhelming.
The Fox, observing the situation, held her breath.
*…This is the Red Sword Saint.*
The Red Sword Saint.
A figure known to have reached the highest Night Sky in all of human history.
Though he had retired from active duty and time had passed, perhaps dulling him, his Starlight had not faded.
Irene replayed the dazzling Strike of that fleeting moment in her mind.
The lingering afterglow of the brilliant Flash had not yet dissipated.
“…Incredible.”
“Hm?”
As if he had heard her small murmur,
Kyle let out a hearty laugh.
It was his usual, somewhat boisterous laugh.
“Hahaha! Such a reaction makes me blush!”
“For someone blushing, you certainly made a grand display.”
“Even this is far from the Captain’s skill, isn’t it?”
“That’s certainly true.”
Light conversation flowed between them.
Yet, perhaps because of the corpses strewn about,
the atmosphere was both mundane and alien.
The red-haired man smiled faintly.
“Besides, you can do it now too, can’t you?”
“……”
“If my intuition isn’t wrong, you also seem to have reached the stars.”
“It just… happened. Eighty percent of it is thanks to that person’s help, though.”
“Whatever the catalyst.”
Kyle shrugged his shoulders.
Then, he sheathed the sword he had wielded.
By then, the brilliant Starlight had vanished.
“You, too, have ascended to the Night Sky, haven’t you?”
“…The Night Sky.”
“Soon, you’ll even surpass me.”
“That’s an unrealistic notion.”
“Well, you’re still inexperienced, you see. But I can feel it. Those quiet waves crash upon your star.”
“……”
“At first, I was puzzled. I couldn’t understand why the Captain took in such an ordinary child, but now I know. That person recognized your potential.”
Potential.
The Fox pondered that resonance.
Kyle lightly patted Irene’s shoulder.
“So, cheer up.”
“……”
“Because that person needs your light.”
Afterwards.
The man turned his back without hesitation.
The steps of the old era advanced, treading on corpses and blood.
The new generation, however, gazed at his retreating figure for a moment.
*Someday.*
The Fox vowed.
Someday, she too would reach that height… no, an even higher sky.
It is to live out the karma of the world with such brilliant Starlight.
And so, to stand proudly by the boy’s side.
*Thump—.*
The girl’s steps moved forward.
In her tightly clenched fist, a white flame flickered.
***
The Heretic Cult was utterly annihilated.
In the end, their attack on the Academy had been for naught.
By carrying out the assassination of the dangerous elements, the tactical strikes, deployed appropriately, proved their destructive power.
I was observing the situation through a crystal ball.
The swirling Starlight was truly beautiful.
“Master.”
“Ah.”
I was momentarily lost in thought.
A slender voice called out to me.
Standing beside me was the Silver-haired Girl, imbued with moonlight.
It was the Vice-Captain, who had been in charge of the remaining cleanup at the Mansion.
While my attention had been elsewhere, the situation here seemed to have concluded as well.
“It’s finished. I’ve handled it without any loose ends.”
“You’ve worked hard again, Miss Neria.”
“I merely followed your will.”
“Always so loyal, aren’t you?”
*Caress—.*
I gently stroked her hair.
The feel of her hair beneath my fingertips.
Immediately afterwards, her pale face flushed crimson.
Unlike her usual rigid demeanor, at times like this, she was unmistakably a girl.
I would deliberately poke her cheek, teasing her.
Our Vice-Captain, who inevitably succumbed.
“M-Master…”
“Hm?”
“In this state, I-I can’t possibly give a report…”
“Miss Neria is always so endearingly inexperienced. There’s a certain charm to toying with you, you could say.”
“Th-that’s too much praise.”
“Shall we hear the report then?”
Neria returned to her professional demeanor.
The girl calmly summarized the situation.
Most of the Knights Order under the Vanity Family had been neutralized.
Especially those Awl fellows or whatever they were called, who operated directly under the Family Head, were all killed.
I heard they had committed all sorts of vile deeds under Deron’s orders.
In addition, the heads of those who had contributed to the betrayal, such as the Elders and close associates, had all fallen.
Only those who had not betrayed the Vanity name were spared.
However, their number was so small it could be counted on the fingers of one hand.
In short.
*Is this the end?*
The Vanity Family had fallen.
A pillar supporting the Empire.
The Guardians of the blue winter.
And, on the other hand, the noblest bloodline after the Imperial Family.
That proud story had finally reached its last chapter.
As the translator who had put an end to their story, I looked down at the ink smudged on my palm.
For ruin was such a fleeting thing.
*Whoosh—.*
The faint scent of winter wafted gently.
I surveyed the tranquil world, still shrouded in the pre-dawn light.
The unlit Snowfield flowed in a gentle current.
The things of today, not yet asleep, moved towards a tomorrow that would no longer exist.
I chewed on the unnecessarily complex aftertaste.
*Emilia.*
My gaze naturally stopped before the girl.
The girl with Blue Hair is befitting winter.
I held my breath for a moment.
“……”
The girl stood still, looking down at her feet.
Lying on the floor was a frozen chunk of flesh.
It was none other than her uncle.
I see.
I quietly stepped back.
For the look in the Vain One’s eyes, etched with sorrow, seemed on the verge of shattering.
However, that suffering was not something I could share with her.
Nor should I.
I merely watched.
*Deron Vanity.*
The Villainess’s Uncle.
Though he had become a Traitor, he was once a beloved Family member.
It would be a shallow lie to say her feelings weren’t complex.
The girl bit her lip.
-Deron Vanity was a good pawn.
-Didn’t I tell you? It was all a scheme orchestrated by us.
She had learned that beyond that betrayal, the Heretic Cult had been involved.
Perhaps her Uncle could have taken a different path.
The twins, too, might have had another way.
The bitterness after a tragedy always gnaws at the heart.
The carelessly uttered word ‘what if’ often pricks the heart.
Emilia’s shoulder trembled slightly.
“Uncle… no, Deron Vanity.”
The girl did not collapse.
For she has accumulated many experiences, and countless frustrations until now.
Her more mature reason accepted the bitterness.
Her trembling voice rang out with composure.
“Your sins will remain in history.”
Emilia knew.
Even if the Heretic Cult had instigated the corruption, the events that followed were clearly Deron’s responsibility.
He had eliminated those loyal to the Family and bound the twins to prevent their escape.
Ultimately, driven by the greed to become Emperor, he sought to overthrow the Empire.
She didn’t want to attach any melodrama to such cause and effect.
“The pride you abandoned has defiled us all.”
The extinguished breath.
The girl was facing the adult she had once feared.
She is no longer a child, but an adult herself.
Her long breath held no tremor.
“That sin will be borne by those who remain. The Vanity name will no longer be honorable, and it will be remembered with the brand of a Betrayer. There is no glory left in this bloodline.”
However,
“I will bear that name willingly.”
A name that no longer shone.
Merely the brand of a Sinner.
Nevertheless, the girl declared she would bear it.
It was not for the Duke and Duchess who had passed away early, nor for the Traitor who had fallen for the Heretic Cult’s temptations.
It was solely for her.
“Because this is my pride.”
The essence is now forgotten.
The Vanity Family’s epithet and the value the girl had admired were significant.
Although the brilliant glory would vanish, the will of the Predecessors would not be severed.
For the will, after all, was not something passed down through Family or glory, but from person to person.
Even amidst shattered honor, the Villainess stood firm.
Above all, she had not lost her pride.
“I will be different from you.”
Her final words were exhaled.
Perhaps because she was overcome with emotion, the girl’s voice was choked.
But the steadfastness in her eyes remained unchanged.
Beyond the half-open window, the wind swept past.
*Whoosh—.*
A name that would now become a page in history.
The Vain One stood treading upon it.
She was bearing the swirling winter and the pride she had finally resolved to uphold.
She was no longer a childish troublemaker who envied others at the Academy.
She was an adult.
“Lady.”
I approached the girl with careful steps.
As if her tension had finally eased, Emilia leaned her shoulder against me.
I supported her with my gently opened arm.
A soft whisper in her ear.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“……”
The Vain One buried her face without a word.
Embracing her warm body, I gently patted her slender back.
Just then, the dawn breaking outside the window seemed to herald an end.
We stood for a long time in the fading morning.
[EP31.Vanity]
-Betrayed Pride, Unfading Light-
And so.
The episode concluded.