110 – Collapse.
“Hmph!”
There is a very rough person here.
He is not a reader of a boy’s manga that has not been serialized for several years.
Nor is he a woman who has been jilted by someone, nor is he an extremely unhappy person.
He has simply been abandoned in many ways.
The Star Magician, Eris Betelgeuse, watched Class A’s play to some extent before leaving the auditorium.
…The progress and interest of the play were smoother and more enjoyable than expected, but as the vice captain, she had to diligently check the classroom operations.
She was teased as a blonde little girl by some boys, but she was more capable and diligent than expected.
From Noble mtl dot com
‘No, why am I like this.’
It was just the onset of belated adolescence.
Episode 110 – Collapse.
Eris Betelgeuse suddenly had a question.
It had been over a month since Ichimaru Shiki, who had entrusted her with a task, had disappeared, and Sawamura Sento, who had taken over the vice captain duties, suddenly appeared, scolded her, and then vanished.
In such a situation, what on earth was the reason for her to act rationally?
“What a mess.”
Eris realized anew.
The only person who could stop her rebellious phase was either a chronic truant or in England.
In other words, it meant freedom without being tied down!
“…Sigh.”
Duties as a captain, festivals, studying magic.
Sawamura Sento, who surpassed herself, and Ichimaru Shiki, who disappeared without a trace.
Blond magician Eris, burdened with responsibility and stress in many ways, buried her face in her hands and groaned.
Ugh, irritating.
It would be great if a suitable punching bag appeared in front of her, one she could hit as much as she wanted…
“Hey, long time no see.”
“…?!”
– At that moment of hope, the enigmatic Ichimaru Shiki suddenly appeared before her.
Eris Betelgeuse blinked her eyes, shook her head, but the damn Ichimaru Shiki’s figure did not disappear.
What the hell, it’s for real.
Realizing this, Eris furrowed her brow in an instant and pounced.
Clutching her fists tightly, she struck Ichimaru Shiki’s solid shoulders.
“Oof.”
Realizing her hand hurt more, she even yelled.
“You brat!! Why are you here now!”
“hehehehe, I’ve been working hard for the world as a disciple of justice, you know?”
“Nonsense!”
“I wonder, has Eris become more aggressive in my absence?”
“Shut up! Die!!!”
Eris aimed a punch at Shiki’s abdomen, but the attack, which didn’t even stir magic, was absorbed by Shiki’s solid abs.
…Can magic cause pain?
Eris Betelgeuse pondered for a moment, but since Shiki would undoubtedly retaliate with magic, she soon gave up.
“Darn it!”
Life doesn’t go as planned.
Seventeen-year-old magician and high school student Eris cursed her damn life.
If the crowd that envied and admired her knew, they would surely be shocked.
Even the standing Ichimaru Shiki didn’t wish for her to despair.
“Ah, seeing the darkened Eris, I wonder if I was too late, or if I was irresponsible.”
Eris clenched her fist for a moment, then remembered the power difference and immediately relaxed.
“aaah.”
She let out a deep sigh and simply gazed at his belatedly repentant face.
“You finally showed up!”
“…You’re late too, though.”
“hahahaha, I do need to apologize for that. I’ve been a bit reckless with all the work piling up. Let’s first resolve this matter and leave the rest for later.”
Rummaging through his pocket, Ichimaru Shiki pulled something out.
“It may seem very late, but it’s a reward for the request. Leaving without a word? Well, I’ll be vacant for a month, so take care during that time.”
The man with sharp eyes grinned mischievously and handed a gift to the blonde sorcerer.
Eris blinked. Even so, she couldn’t believe the reality in front of her and brushed her bangs aside.
On the hand of Ichimaru Shiki lay a pair of rings.
They shimmered beautifully like snowflakes, in silver.
“W-What, w-what, what the-?!”
Astonished, Eris Betelgeuse stared at the man who was smiling slyly with both eyes wide open.
Ichimaru Shiki nodded as if to confirm her thoughts.
“I flew to Hokkaido to get this ring. I didn’t know it was a sacred place. The moment I saw this, you came to mind. Eris.”
“……”
Astounded, Eris listened to Ichimaru Shiki’s words with her mouth agape.
Approaching with a compassionate expression as if understanding everything, the man with sharp eyes reached out and took her hand.
“Hmm, it fits perfectly.”
As Ichimaru Shiki said, the ring fit perfectly.
The ring that slid onto her finger, familiar with gold, now sparkled as if finally meeting its rightful owner.
Eris Betelgeuse’s magic surged, and she felt invigorated.
It seemed to have a positive effect on her magical abilities.
“……Huh?”
Does a regular ring have such an effect?
As Eris Betelgeuse pondered, Ichimaru Shiki, after placing the ring on his left index finger, added another one to his middle finger.
And so, Eris found herself wearing a pair of identical rings on her fingers consecutively.
“Ah.”
That makes sense.
“hehehehe, stolen from a witch, right? It should be great for magical circulation, and with your fiery magic, it might have beneficial effects-“
“For goodness’ sake, stop it.”
Eris Betelgeuse sighed once more.
Why is it that there’s no one around me who understands, only filled with rotten individuals?
Taking a deep breath, she finally glared at Ichimaru Shiki, gritting her teeth.
“Hmm? Why are you looking at me like that?”
Though she was falling behind in magic skills and awareness compared to Sento recently, Eris was still much sharper than Kenichi.
She hadn’t explicitly been told, but she knew that the mighty Ichimaru Shiki was up to something significant, enough to skip school and keep it a secret from others.
“…Everyone truly does as they please.”
With her head held high, Eris brought her clenched fist to Ichimaru Shiki’s left chest.
Thud, the faint impact of her weakly hitting his chest made Ichimaru Shiki gaze at the girl before him.
“Hey, sharp eyes.”
Unlike a yokai or any other woman, the sorcerer Eris Betelgeuse knew her boundaries.
She couldn’t be the first for someone, nor did she have the courage to sacrifice everything.
After family, her own life was the most important.
However, it was never that the lives and resolutions of her friends were unimportant.
Eris pondered arrogantly.
“You damn brat, you know you’re up to something incredibly important and difficult that I can’t even imagine. It might be something so risky that you might lose your life. You used to push me around recklessly, but now, you don’t even bother telling me what’s going on! Completely reckless. Huh? But still.”
Eris Betelgeuse faced Ichimaru Shiki’s emerald green eyes for the first time, and with a sneer, he spat out, “See you at school later.” Ichimaru Shiki smiled as usual. “Of course,” she replied. Eris let out a sigh. In his heart, he wanted to ask what was so obvious and even grab her by the collar, but the cursed man vanished like her breath, disappearing like an illusion.
The blonde sorcerer glanced back at where he stood before and soon made his way to the classroom.
***
The Imperial Palace.
The central authority of Japan and a thousand-year-old ruling system dating back to the Heian period. The great emperor controlled the court and dominated religion from the position of a god.
He was soon to be a god.
Whether it was sorcery, the sword, religion, or his warriors, the king held them all in his hands. It was no exaggeration to call him a divine ruler.
The current emperor, Akihito, had long reached the pinnacle of martial arts and swordsmanship. His lineage as the great emperor awakened him to the level befitting a king of the nation. The heavens blessed him.
The only misfortune was that from the beginning, the heavens of this world were tainted with evil.
Deep within the palace, behind the emperor’s throne, a golden woman with a compassionate smile was comforting the people. A celestial being, she tilled the seas and skies with her bare hands.
With such majesty, one could say she was truly a queen among gods.
“hehehehe!”
Emperor Akihito praised the great deity, consuming his disrespectful subjects. In his enlightened eyes, he saw the hearts of his devoted subjects.
Thus, he killed the divine commander.
And gained power.
“Oh, divine one! Makinashi! Are you finally bestowing your blessing upon me?”
The emperor praised the flowing power within him, feeling ecstatic.
…The power and omnipotence he could not possess as a human overflowed within him.
Gazing up at the ceiling of the Imperial Palace with ecstatic eyes, the emperor smiled and murmured, “…Ah, I see. More sacrifices…!”
Indeed.
Tomorrow was the divine offering anyway.
It wouldn’t hurt to offer it a day early, would it? Staggering to his feet, the emperor intended to grab someone in the palace to devour, but soon halted his movements.
…Kuung… Kuung!
Stronger than any guardian, the barrier of the Imperial Palace trembled.
The emperor’s face contorted like a demon, but upon hearing the divine order, he immediately smiled.
…Cut off the intruder’s arms.
It was the decree of the great deity.
Clang! Clang!
The barrier of the Divine Palace shook violently.
I drew my sword and struck forcefully, but the barrier was much thicker than I had anticipated.
Well, I never thought about breaking it in the game, so I had no idea how sturdy it actually was.
“Well, there’s nothing in this world that can’t be broken.”
I’ll make it work somehow.
With that determination, I pulled out the black sword and, with a smirk, thrust it into the barrier.
From Noble mtl dot com
Smoothly, it slid right in.
“Reversal.”
In that moment, it shattered like glass.