"Ugh..."


    As the ck smoke cleared and my vishion returned to normal, everything was filled with a translucent green light.


    "Are you okay? Aren''t you being too careless, no matter how strong you are?"


    The aftermath of the magicunched by the cult member whipped up a strong wind in the narrow alley, causing the beautiful golden hair to flutter.


    "Marika...!"


    I murmured her name with a hopeful voice, and she responded with an even brighter smile, as if happy.


    "As a princess, I must embody the virtues befitting my status; I can block an attack of this level."


    It seemed she had used some kind of defensive magic, as an opaque wall emitting a soft green light enveloped us, keeping us safe from the recent attack.


    "Thank you, we avoided a major ident because of you."After a proper word of thanks, she nodded with a sense of aplishment and, gaining confidence from her recent action, she linked her attack with a lively voice.


    "I am a warrior blessed by the goddess, let me demonstrate the power to annihte the enemies that stand before me, bestow upon me the destruction for my foe!"


    Then, as if she had learned from the goddess Abne herself, she chanted a spell and summoned a dreamlike sphere.


    "Verflon Star!"


    Uponpleting the incantation, the sphere was hurled towards the cult members.


    "Lady Ruse Ria, please protect us... Dark Barrier!"


    However, they did not simply sumb; they too attempted to block her attack with a shield.


    Boom! Boom!


    A series of exploshions created a cacophony that echoed through the alley, and with this level of noise, someone mighte to investigate.


    If that happened, victory would surely be ours.


    But was there a reason to prolong the melee to that extent?


    "Ugh...!!"


    Seeing Aris still in agony, I could not dy any longer.


    The fight must end now.


    I focused particrly on the culprit who had caused Aris''s condition, looking intently at what he held in his hand.


    Certainly, when he clenched something, it triggered Aris''s seizure.


    What was he holding now? Concentrating my focus to see the object in his hand...


    "A pendant...?"


    He was holding a pendant with a silver hue.


    Whether it had a self-illumination feature or if the pendant concealed some mystical truth, it seemed alive, twinkling and reacting to the shock.


    It felt somewhat familiar, not entirely unknown to me, although I couldn''t fully recall the design.


    "First of all, I have to somehow get that out of the enemy''s grasp, right?"


    While nodding to myself with a vague idea of a solution, I quickly formted a n.


    Fortunately, it seemed there were no silent spellcasters among the enemies, so then...


    Swoosh!


    Even if it wasn''t the same tactic I had used before, I simply scattered sand in front of me to obscure the enemies'' vishion.


    If it were an ordinary person, they would have to chant to use such a utility spell, providing a chance to respond before it took effect, making it nearly useless... but I was different.


    Using the advantage of silent casting for a surprise attack, I quickly blinded the enemies, leaving them defenseless.


    "You can''t see anything, can you?"


    "Just shoot forward since it''s an alley, right?!"


    Although we could not see them, their voices made it seem as if they had let their guard downpletely.


    Now''s the time...


    I kicked off the ground and leaped quickly. Even if I wasn''t certain of my strength, I was confident in my speed, so I charged through the sand mist towards them.


    "Ugh?!"


    Surprised by my sudden burst of speed, a cult member looked at me with a bewildered expresshion.


    Honestly, I could have used my silent casting tounch a one-sided preemptive attack and incapacitate them, but...


    It seemed crucial to handle the pendant in the heretic''s hand with care.


    My spells were designed forbat against multiple opponents and were generally lethal, so I refrained from using them to avoid damaging the pendant in his grasp.


    Regardless of what that object was and why they had it, I could intuitively sense that it was a fatal weakness for Aris.


    If we talk about the nature of a weakness, the moment it is exploited, the pain transmitted to that part is immensely greater.


    Aris''s current state was as if she was suffering from the most painful groans as if hit on her weak spot, and she looked as though she might lose consciousness and copse any moment from the agony. So, I must act with utmost care to ensure that the pendant does not get damaged.


    If it breaks, it would mean the weakness breaks, and for a life, a broken weakness could be interpreted as death, so it must be handled even more carefully.


    Thump!


    "Cough?!"


    As before, I target the typical human weakness, the sr plexus, and the cult member holding Aris''s weakness is forced to cough out all the air in his lungs, his body visibly losing strength.


    ng!


    As soon as the pendant falls to the ground, a clear sound echoes, and at the same time...


    "Huh...? I''m okay now...?"


    Aris''s face rxes in an instant, and she stops writhing in pain.


    It must have indeed been Aris''s weakness...


    "This guy!"


    Thest remaining member res at me with eyes full of rage, raising his hand as if to do something, but with the pendant secured, the fight was already over.


    "mes, arise... ugh?!"


    I knock down the cult member who had lost consciousness from the blow and bind the heretic with chains that sprung from the ground, which only clink as he struggles.


    "Release this!"


    Thest of his colleagues, now burdened with the incapacitated, is knocked unconscious with magic, and with all the heretics subdued, the situation is concluded.


    "Harold!"


    The girls must have realized the fight was over, as they call my name and approach.


    "I''m d there was no major damage, but more importantly, how are you feeling, Aris?"


    I express my concern for her condition, and to alleviate my anxiety, she strikes a muscle-flexing pose and nods.


    "I think I''m okay now, thanks to you! But I''m sorry for having another seizure... I became a burden at a critical moment."


    However, her bright smile soon turns to a look of guilt, and she hangs her head low.


    Honestly, there was a moment of carelessness, but thanks to Marika''s prompt action, we were able to ovee the crisis without trouble.


    "There''s no need to me yourself, Marika''s quick thinking saved us."


    I praise her for her actions.


    "Thanks, Marika, we managed to end this without injury because of you."


    "What.. what?!"


    She seems a little flustered by thepliment, then shows a shy reaction, her cheeks turning slightly red.


    "It''s nothing! It''s just the virtue I should have as a princess!"


    Despite her modesty, the pleasure of being praised was noticeable as she shrugged her shoulders.


    "I''m really relieved... that it ended without an ident."


    Aris smiles faintly, relieved at the sight, but there''s still a tinge of apology in her voice for the danger her condition almost caused.


    "If it weren''t for this mysterious illness that appeared out of nowhere, I could have been of help..."


    It seemed neither Aris nor Marika had noticed the true nature of the issue.


    "No, it''s not a problem like an illness."


    I change the mood slightly and speak seriously while searching the ground. The girls look at me with curious eyes.


    "I''ve found it..."


    I lift the pendant that the cult member had been holding, the familiar-designed object, and show it to them.


    This pendant is actually...


    "That''s..."


    "What is it?"


    Marika showsplete unfamiliarity, but Aris, realizing something is amiss, furrows her brows.


    "Harold, that is...!"


    Somehow familiar to my eyes... I had just realized what this pendant resembled.


    "When they grasped this pendant, Aris suddenly had a seizure, meaning this pendant is Aris''s weakness. But it''s not just that."


    With that, Aris, who had sensed something, takes out another pendant that had been hidden by her clothing around her neck and shows it to Marika and me.


    "This looks exactly like the pendant Harold gave mest week as a gift...!"


    It perfectly matched the pendant I had given Aris as a gift when we spent time togetherst weekend.


    "Yes, Marika hasn''t seen it before, butst week I gave this pendant to Aris as a gift, and now it appears the cult members had a copy of this pendant as Aris''s weakness."


    Marika may not have fully understood, but sensing there was some extraordinary truth, her gaze turned serious. "What a coincidence..."


    Aris mutters to us as if whispering, deeply immersed in thought.


    "When I first saw this pendant at the market, I was particrly drawn to it... Could there be a connection...?"


    I recall now that back then, Aris seemed almost enchanted, wanting to possess it...


    "We don''t know why the heretics had it, but there must be a reason why the pendant could be Aris''s weakness."


    Honestly, no matter how usible my conjecture is, it’s daunting to predict the real problem since I can''t anticipate the truth at all.


    Why did this cause Aris pain... Is there a reason unique to Aris alone?


    A reason unique to Aris...


    Wait?


    As that thought emerges, it''s as if puzzle pieces connect in a sh of insight.


    A reason unique to Aris...


    Meaning, Aris must have some secret...


    I am aware of this fact from Aris''s own words previously.


    The secret of Aris''s race; she appears human on the outside, but her true identity is of a race known to be the rarest in the world, a spirit...


    She was said to have originated from the principal of this school, Arcia...


    And Arcia was a figure rted to the cult members.


    "...?!"


    "Harold..? Do you have a hunch about something?"


    Reading my expresshion, they ask about my thoughts.


    Although I''m notpletely sure, when Ibine the facts that I can infer...


    As I''ve heard, Arcia is a person rted to the cult, and Aris, her doppelg?nger...


    Moreover, the cult members had a pendant that resembled the one Aris was fond of, and they were using it as her weakness.


    Arcia, the pendant, the cult... It seemed as if there was some interrtion between them.


    "Aris..."


    "Yes?"


    She tilts her head, waiting for what I need, a member of the spirit race.


    "Can we talk alone for a moment?"


    What truth is hidden within her...? In front of the principal''s office, groups hiding their identities seemed to be waiting for something in the quiet hallway.


    "We are quitete... Has the gathering of the gods of the capital dyed our actions?"


    The cult members, cloaked in robes, created an ominous atmosphere as they spoke to one another.


    "Surely, they haven''t been taken down and had the item stolen?"


    At that statement, all the cult members show signs of anxiety.


    "That would be troublesome... Without the pendant, we can''t negotiate with the principal... It''s fine for now, but if they realize we don''t have the pendant, we are..."


    An unpleasant atmosphere develops as everyone seems to be aware of the concerning fact.


    "Enough, if you continue with this needless talk, I''ll cut out your tongue."


    But then, a man who appears to be their leader issues a chilling threat with a calm voice, and everyone falls silent as if on cue.


    A silence ensues, yet despite this, the colleague who has yet to join them doesn''t seem to appear.


    "ording to the time rules we''ve set, let''s go in now. If any of you show negative emotions to the spirit inside, I''ll incinerate you all."


    Clunk!


    With those words, the door to the principal''s office finally opens, and the cult members begin to enter in turn.


    "Ugh... you people..."


    Inside, a silver-haired woman awaits, sending out a vivid killing intent as she guards against them.


    "Wee, Principal, you''ve held quite a risky event, haven''t you?"


    Despite the killing intent, the leader of the group steps forward nonchntly, continuing with his intended speech.


    "Did you think we wouldn''t notice?"


    He continues his exaggerated threat and negotiation, delivering a demanding verdict to Arcia.


    "Expel the gods from the academy immediately."


    Principal Arcia, she is a half-god, a spirit, meaning the beings standing before her wereparatively foolish and weak.


    However...


    "Ugh..." Despite this, she only seemed to acknowledge the unreasonableness of their demands... There appeared to be no intention of refusal.