Before I could even finish speaking...
Just as I was about to go all out to protect Mika and Arisu, not Kei, from the Saints, I suddenly froze.
I immediately raised the Sword of Light in front of me again. Taking advantage of the brief respite, I turned around and quickly examined Mika and Kei.
The two of them were in equally disheveled states, their clothes torn and their bodies covered in wounds.
The injuries along their sides were especially obvious.
The wings that Mika normally cared for so meticulously were now tattered, with their feathers in ruins. Not a single one of the little decorations adorning them remained intact.
Kei looked even more miserable. For some reason, her glossy black hair was covered in grayish-white dust.
Yet despite their appearances...
Neither of them looked like they were seriously injured.
"...Wow."
Mika gasped softly.
Her widened eyes sparkled as she stared blankly at me, her cheeks flushed bright red.
Kei, meanwhile, ground her teeth and glared viciously at me.
Her own face had also turned slightly red, though hers was probably from anger.
In any case...
My arrival had no doubt given them renewed energy.
I asked with concern,
"Are you both alright?"
"I-I'm fine..."
Mika's voice was so soft and sweet it practically seemed to melt.
"I'm not."
Kei replied coldly.
"If you'd come any later, Arisu's HP would have reached zero because of friendly fire."
Judging by the way she spoke, she really had spent quite a bit of time interacting with Arisu.
But...
"Friendly fire?"
I couldn't help turning toward Mika.
The pink-haired girl immediately defended herself.
"It was completely an accident! A misunderstanding! My hand just slipped..."
Kei spoke in a gloomy voice.
"So the marble pillar flying over was your hand slipping?"
"And what about constantly talking to me and distracting me?"
"And why did you suddenly start singing along with the music right when the fighting was at its fiercest?"
...
That absolutely sounded like something Mika would do.
"It's just part of my personality! I can't change it!"
Mika suddenly looked at me with pitiful eyes.
"Sensei wouldn't dislike an energetic girl... right?"
How was I even supposed to answer a question like that, Miss Misono... no, Miss Mika?
I could only cough awkwardly and smooth things over.
"Mika's probably just exhausted and needs some rest. Anyway, leave the rest to me."
Kei frowned.
"You're the only one who came?"
"Eh!?"
Only then did Mika realize it.
She hurriedly exclaimed,
"Sensei, why are you... Someone like me doesn't deserve to be saved at all... Please run away! We'll do everything we can to hold them off!"
Mika was surprisingly considerate.
That honestly made me feel a little touched.
Especially after noticing Kei's face darken beside her after being involuntarily included, shooting Mika a sharp glare.
I could more or less understand now why someone had been shouting in frustration earlier.
After all...
I'd been driven mad by this pink-haired girl more than once myself.
Suppressing a smile, I answered seriously,
"You're wrong."
"Even bad students who once lost their way still deserve to be saved."
As I said that, under the watchful gazes of the two girls, I took out the card that had started growing hot the moment I delivered that cool line earlier.
Its presence had been especially strong tonight.
Could it stay that way forever?
No...
It looked like dawn had already arrived.
"Otherwise..."
"I'd be a pretty incompetent Sensei."
As I focused my attention on the card, a brand-new line of text appeared at the bottom of the expanded interface.
...
Conversion Authority: [Archon's Declaration]
Description: The holder may consume lifespan, concentration, and stamina to grant others the characteristics of a [Dragon].
Source: Misono Mika's bond route completed.
...
Hold on.
Grant others what characteristic?
I looked back at the Authority obtained from Hina.
It only required stamina to gain an overwhelming advantage against [Dragon]-type enemies.
Then I remembered how effective it had been against Binah...
A combination this unbelievably exciting...
How could it not make my blood boil?
"B-But..."
Mika asked anxiously,
"Sensei, how are you supposed to deal with those Saints all by yourself...? They're on a completely different level, Sensei... I-I'm actually pretty strong too... but they're practically cheating!?"
Kei, who had been staring at me with deep eyes for who knew how long, suddenly added,
"I don't understand."
"Why didn't you bring the other students?"
"What can you accomplish by yourself?"
"Heh."
I answered confidently,
"There's no need for that."
"If we're facing an enemy that breaks the rules..."
"Then we'll just beat them with something equally unfair."
Power itself was the reason a king ruled.
The Shittim Chest's deflection and protection far surpassed the defensive power of a Halo.
Stamina and vitality that would never run dry until my life itself was exhausted.
Agility that allowed me to move and maneuver freely.
Healing arts performed through my own blood.
Every other ability at my disposal.
And...
The ability to grant everyone the same overwhelming advantage against dragons.
Let me see...
Just how powerful this newly acquired Authority really was.
Taking a deep breath, I raised my handgun toward the replicated Saints and loudly declared,
"I proclaim that all of you are..."
At that very moment...
Every one of the replicated Saints lowered their heads.
Soft chants escaped their lips, as though they were on pilgrimage.
Then...
They dissolved into wisps of black smoke, vanishing beneath the morning sunlight.
...
What kind of deus ex machina was that?
Did their allotted time just happen to run out?
Fortunately, since my targets had disappeared, the Authority hadn't consumed anything.
Otherwise, it would've been a complete waste.
"...See?"
After standing there blankly for a moment, I turned back toward the two astonished girls with a perfectly composed expression and smiled.
"This..."
"...is the power of adults."
Namely, shamelessly taking credit for something that might not have had anything to do with me in the first place.
The moment I finished speaking, I suddenly noticed something strange.
Why was there sunlight inside the underground Arius District?
Was this another miracle?
Either way...
Everything ended here.
The fighting...
Was finally over.
Although...
The truly difficult part would only begin after this.
The instant I released my Divine Name, Kei suddenly lowered her head and rushed toward me.
Before I could react, she crashed straight into my chest and wrapped both arms tightly around my waist.
She looked up at me.
Her eyes were a clear blue.
"Sensei~"
The girl greeted me sweetly.
"Good morning~"
Uh...
What impeccable timing to wake up.
"Good morning, Arisu."
"W-Wait a second!?"
Mika cried out in disbelief.
"So this kid is actually this sly!?"
"I was supposed to be today's heroine!"
"Let go of Sensei already, you little sh..."
Arisu innocently turned back toward her, shifted aside slightly, and invited her warmly.
"Would this senpai like to join us too?"
"...What a good girl!"
Mika immediately changed her tune.
Then she looked at me expectantly.
Well...
What else could I do?
Wearing a delighted smile, Mika happily threw herself into my arms as well.