・Epilogue

"...You were magnificent."

"But. I really wanted you to come back alive."

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"I'll concede a trillion steps and say it's unavoidable for people to die in a match. They're fighting with their lives on the line. That sort of thing happens."

Ledonia's foot kicked the entire tea set arranged on the heavy conference table onto the floor.

The teapot shattered, and sugar cubes were scattered. Amber tea spread across the carpet. A soft-bodied spirit for facility maintenance crawled over and began to lick it up as if nothing had happened.

"But... what were you thinking, letting such a 'foreign object' run wild? You rotten Disciplinary Committee."

Ledonia glared at the woman in front of her, feet still on the desk.

"This is my academy. Well? Do you plan on doing your job?" "I had anticipated that unexpected situations would occur. But this..." "Don't play word games with me, you moray eel woman."

"How scaaary."

Academy City Basement Level 8—Secret Sector, Sixth Archive. On one side, Ledonia, the 'Red Queen' who rules the Purchasing Committee from the shadows. On the other, Moray, the head of the Disciplinary Committee. Like rusted gears grinding together, their gazes rubbed against each other, throwing sparks.

"Must be nice, being the Queen. Even when everyone's got a fire lit under their asses, you can just sit back and heckle."

Moray smiled thinly, without a hint of remorse.

"Hah? I was just pressing you on the fact that you're not doing your job." "Then let me do my job. Every time I try to move, you start nitpicking from the side." "You break too much." "What's the harm? You know... collateral... hee-hee, what was it again?"

Crimson lightning gathered in Ledonia's right hand. In the next moment, a massive magical key was in her hand. The symbol of Ledonia's authority to "open" and "close" all things. Even when faced with the tip of a treasure that would make an ordinary student cower just by seeing it, Moray only giggled.

"Shall I put a five-fold lock on that mouth right now so it never opens again? Well?" "Too baaad. I'm faster."

Before anyone noticed, Moray's familiar had coiled itself around the magical key. A clear wrinkle formed between Ledonia's brows.

"At this distance, I can 'invert' you before you can fit a tumbler lock on my mouth. Shall we?" "Fine by me... you'd better not take back what you said—" "Can I go home now?"

The attention of the two, who were on the verge of an explosion, turned toward the entrance of the archive. Even when subjected to the direct hostility of two of the academy's top-class individuals, the man did not flinch.

"The hell. Who called this spineless coward?" "I did. Even a rotten sea bream is still... well, maybe not?"

He was being talked about terribly. He wasn't even holding his weapon, the long sword, and he remained abandoned by the trump card that was practically his other half. Even so, his posture radiated a unique, somewhat insect-like pressure.

Former Academy Rank 1, Ion. The man who had reigned at the summit for a long time since the establishment of the ranking system—he was. Once.

"If we're to stop that girl without me, he's about the only reasonable choice." "I get that, but still..."

Ledonia's face clouded. His current epithet was neither the strongest nor the invincible. Students who knew his current state would whisper to each other with a smirk on their lips. As if sharing an open secret.

—The spineless red-head. They said.