Beatrice...
I recalled the miserable screams she let out before being swallowed up, sounds that were especially pleasing to my ears.
She had declared she was willing to give up everything, even offering herself as the sacrifice, in exchange for power great enough to turn the tide.
But when she found herself cornered once again, and that so-called [Chroma] came to collect its price...
She regretted it after all?
Heh.
Even until the very end, she wore that ridiculous, pathetic, incomprehensible ugly expression.
Although I felt a slight regret that I hadn't been able to witness her final moments with my own eyes, after thinking it over, I decided this outcome was fine as well.
I don't mind staining my hands with blood, especially the blood of sinners.
Still, if it can be avoided, I'd rather keep them clean.
Otherwise, when lecturing certain foolish students in the future, I might lose a little confidence in occupying the moral high ground.
More importantly, I don't think there's any point in dwelling on what has already become an unchangeable fact.
No matter how much one regrets the past, it will never change. All it does is make people overlook the present, the most important moment, and the future that has yet to be decided.
So...
I decided to forgive myself.
It felt as though a massive boulder had been lifted away, as though a hopelessly tangled knot had finally come undone.
My heart suddenly felt open and free, and even breathing became much easier.
Still, it wasn't time to rest yet.
Beatrice was gone, but the incident had not been completely resolved.
There was still work that needed someone to finish.
Naturally, that someone would be me.
Carefully canceling Divine Name Release, the first thing I felt was fullness rather than emptiness.
Unable to help myself, I quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Then I turned my gaze toward the nearby Arius girls, meeting several pairs of eyes filled with different emotions.
Walking briskly over to them, I asked, "Are you all alright?"
The answer was yes.
Everyone had suffered minor injuries, but they were only minor. There was no need for me to provide any more Blood with mystery for the time being.
Saori couldn't help asking,
"Sensei... What happened to Beatrice?"
"She paid the price for the choice she made. In a sense, she got exactly what she wished for."
I chuckled at her fate before dismissing the unpleasant topic altogether.
"From now on, none of you will have to endure suffering forced upon you by someone else ever again."
The girls' expressions immediately became more complicated.
Relief and excitement were the strongest emotions, though traces of confusion still remained.
Knowing that was only natural, I turned toward the pale, purple-haired girl.
Then I looked her up and down a few more times.
The black bodysuit outlined her youthful figure.
Below her fair, slender thighs were long white stockings gathered with wrinkles at the tops and tied with yellow ribbons, their feet planted directly upon the ground.
Although she was covered in dirt and her complexion had turned pale from blood loss, those only added a fragile beauty to her already gentle and elegant appearance, like a lotus unstained by the mud.
Most importantly...
She had a crush on me.
Setting aside the prejudice born from our unpleasant past, Hakari Atsuko truly was a beauty worthy of being called a "princess."
At that moment, Atsuko bowed her head.
"Thank you very much, Sensei. Even after everything terrible we've done to you, you still chose to help us without holding a grudge."
I immediately frowned.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm still nowhere near forgiving all of you. I just happened to have a score to settle with Beatrice."
After pausing for a moment and noticing her unusual expression, I added,
"So... considering you actually took my words to heart, I suppose I can reluctantly thank you for that."
As a reward for her behavior, I could move forward the date I'd forgive them by... just a little.
A look of surprise crossed Atsuko's face.
Then she revealed a slightly awkward smile.
It was obvious she was sincerely trying, she simply wasn't used to smiling that way.
"Hehe. Sensei, you're a very interesting person. To be honest, I was barely conscious back then. I was only trying to save myself."
"...You're awfully talkative."
Atsuko covered her mouth and laughed softly again.
For some reason, it irritated me.
Looking more closely...
Why did her hair seem a little pinkish-purple?
"Anyway."
Ignoring it, I returned to the main topic.
"In that case, I'll..."
"...Sensei."
Saori suddenly called out in a low voice.
"According to our promise, we've successfully rescued the princess... Please do whatever you see fit with me."
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
I asked.
Saori lowered her eyes.
"I'm the one responsible for all of this... The Eden Treaty incident, the attack on Seia and Nagisa... Misaki, Hiyori, Azusa, the Princess... Everyone ended up like this because of my mistakes."
The moment she said those words, every member of Arius Squad, including Azusa, stared at her in shock.
"C-Captain!?"
"What are you talking about...!?"
"...Saori..."
For some reason, the guilt-ridden girl reminded me of someone familiar.
The thought amused me enough that I deliberately asked,
"Hold on. The real mastermind behind everything you just mentioned was Beatrice, wasn't it? Are you saying you intend to accept punishment on behalf of someone like her?"
"I... I don't mean that!"
Saori hurriedly replied.
"But if it weren't because of me..."
She clumsily tried to explain herself, but I raised a hand and interrupted her.
"It's true that you're nowhere near the mastermind, but you did commit crimes. That's beyond dispute."
"No matter how you look at it, though, it shouldn't be me deciding what should happen to you."
"I wasn't the only victim."
Under Beatrice's orders, Arius Squad had harmed far too many people.
Leaving aside Seia and Nagisa, whose Halos would have been destroyed under the original plan, countless students had been injured during the Eden Treaty incident.
Even if they had been forced into it and their circumstances deserved sympathy, as the ones who carried out those actions...
They still had to pay the appropriate price.
Until they had made amends for what they had done.
I knew that was cruel.
They had already suffered far more than anyone should have to bear.
But if Arius Squad escaped a fair trial...
Wouldn't that be even crueler to those they had hurt?
Only by doing so could true justice be upheld.
Only then could everyone truly find peace.
["My adorable little lamb... Why not bear the sins of mankind yourself?"]
The sudden whisper (of madness) sounded once again.
Its sweet voice was gentle and intimate, carrying a teasing tone as it asked another utterly nonsensical question.
That kind of burden...
Was far too heavy for me.
Setting aside whether I'd even be willing to sacrifice myself for others...
What qualifications did I have to bear such a thing?
I wasn't even mature enough myself.
I could hardly call myself a proper adult.
At the end of the day, I wasn't some kind of savior.
I was just an ordinary person.
I'd rather pass.
So...
Are you a silver-haired or blue-haired beautiful girl sealed inside a card?
I asked inwardly with great anticipation.
The whisper merely let out a meaningful little laugh before falling silent again.
I took that as a tacit admission.
"...I know. I understand."
Saori looked at me pleadingly.
"So please... send me wherever you think I belong. The General Student Council, Trinity... even the Corrections Bureau."
Perhaps...
She was simply lost, uncertain where she should go from here.
But I didn't think that decision belonged to me either.
So I corrected her.
"It shouldn't be where I think you belong."
"It should be where you think you ought to go."
"I...?"
Savoring the implication hidden in her earlier words, I smiled.
"And from the sound of it, you're planning to shoulder everyone else's responsibilities by yourself again?"
"Making a decision like that on your own is pretty unfair, don't you think?"
At her core...
This girl really was gentle and kind.
That was exactly why someone like Beatrice had been able to exploit her.
She accepted those false doctrines to protect others, forcing herself to wrap her heart in a cold, hard shell.
Misaki suddenly sighed.
"Saori has always been like this, ever since we were kids. Honestly, I know she's doing it for our sake, but it still makes me uncomfortable."
Hiyori shivered.
"Y-Yeah... Whenever she teaches us things... she's really scary. It feels like there's this authority you can't question..."
Azusa nodded in complete agreement.
"Sometimes she's really self-centered. Like when she insisted on protecting me... or when she took the gift Sensei gave me and refused to give it back."
Only Atsuko offered a somewhat positive assessment.
"I think 'responsible' and 'decisive' describe her better."
As the girls teased her one after another, Saori didn't become embarrassed or argue back.
She simply remained silent while her eyes gradually turned red.
Aside from automatically ignoring the second half of Azusa's comment...
Every one of those words conveyed the same meaning, gently yet firmly.
They would face everything...
Together with her.
What was this awkward feeling that made even me want to say something?
Fortunately...
I'd intended to from the beginning.
"And."
I spoke softly.
"Since I promised I'd give you all a second chance... then from now on, I'll reluctantly stay by your side as well."
"Until you've received the judgment you deserve."
"Until you can begin again."
"Until you find the meaning of your lives."
"It may take a very long time. I might not be able to help very much."
"But..."
"I'll stay with all of you."
"Until the very end."
The moment those words left my mouth, every girl present was visibly moved.
Saori especially.
Unable to hold them back any longer, tears streamed down her cheeks as she called out to me through choked sobs.
The only slightly disappointing part was that, despite the atmosphere being perfect, the card still didn't surprise me with anything new.
I continued,
"For now, stay here and think carefully about how you want to walk the road ahead."
"What about you, Sensei?"
Atsuko asked.
"There are still other students waiting for me."
Azusa immediately said,
"I'll come with you."
I shook my head.
"No need. You're all exhausted already. Get some rest first."
"I'll be back soon."
They had been fighting almost nonstop throughout the entire night.
Their minds and bodies had to be nearing their limits.
I, on the other hand, was different.
When I awakened the new Divine Name earlier, all my injuries and fatigue had naturally disappeared with the passage of time.
Hiyori still looked worried.
"U-Um... Are you really going alone...?"
"It should be fine."
Atsuko answered instead.
"Sensei is an adult, so I'm sure he'll figure something out. Right?"
I smiled.
"More accurately, adults are adults because they always find a way."
"Even though I'm saying that now, if I run into something I really can't solve on my own, I'll come back and ask for help."
"I-Is that so...? That sounds... kind of profound."
"It can't be helped."
"Life is just that complicated."
After a brief pause, I smiled.
"So..."
"Keep moving forward."
Handing Saori a handkerchief, I bid Arius Squad a temporary farewell before running back the way I had come.
Activating my Authority of Listening, I could faintly hear the distant sounds of gunfire.
The Arius students had probably arrived.
As long as I told them Beatrice was dead, then relied on my overwhelming charisma, those students who had never once seen the light would surely throw themselves at my feet.
Yet just before I reached the battlefield...
I suddenly froze.
I heard Saint Barbara's shrill scream.
Even though Beatrice, the owner of the contract, had disappeared...
Saint Barbara hadn't vanished with her?
Even so, the Saints had presumably lost their ability to resurrect endlessly.
They shouldn't pose much of a threat anymore.
Even thinking that, I still activated the Marble Divine Name and quickened my pace.
Then...
A scene that made my eyes split with rage unfolded before me.
My foot slammed against the ground.
The distance of over a hundred meters disappeared in less than a single breath.
"All of you, stop!"
My furious roar erupted together with an overwhelming pressure.
Throwing myself in front of Mika and Kei, I raised the Sword of Light as a shield.
Relying on Arona's nearly depleted deflection, I barely managed to block the storm of autocannon fire unleashed by Barbara.
"Eh? S-Sensei...? Why are you...?"
Mika asked in surprise.
"...You finally made it."
Kei said calmly.
It was hard to imagine she had been so furious only moments ago.
"I'm sorry."
I didn't turn around.
But the glimpse I'd caught of the two of them, their bodies covered in wounds, filled my heart.
In a low voice, I said,
"I came too late."
If I'd postponed comforting Saori and the others...
Maybe this wouldn't have happened.
Feeling the impact finally cease, I shook my numb arm while still gripping the Sword of Light and took a deep breath.
Then...
Driven by both rage and guilt, I drew the Godslaying Spear and shouted toward those insignificant replicas in the distance,
"What..."
"...have you done to my precious princess!?"