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The fierce and ferocious birds grabbed both of my shoulders and dragged me somewhere.

“Gugu!!”

“…Hoot.”

It’s one thing for an owl to drag me around, but even a pigeon? How weak did I become?

“Kania, lend me a hand.”

I blankly stared at the two birds dragging me around while having such thoughts. In the end, I had no choice but to ask Kania, who was quietly following behind, for help.

It was because I didn’t want anyone else to see me get dragged around by birds, even though I was the Empire’s number one scoundrel, and even if I reap greater benefits the more I lose face.

“….Yes, Young Master.”

Hearing my request, Kania approached the birds with a fairly nervous expression.

“Le-Let go of the Young Master.”

Eventually, she poked the owl’s side while speaking timidly.

‘Did Kania have a phobia of birds?’

I might be wrong, but I had the feeling that Kania was afraid of owls for some reason.

“Ggu.”

“…Ugh.”

It seems like I was right.

The owl cried out in a low voice, and Kania started to break out in a cold sweat.

In her current state, she should be able to handle any high-level monster with ease. So why was she so intimidated by an owl?

“Excuse me, sorry, but I’m out of breath right now. So can we take a break for a moment?”

Anyway, I failed to get help, so as soon as I spotted a set of stairs ahead, I pleaded with the two birds in desparation.

“…Gguu.”

“Hoot.”

Then, the two birds that had been continuously flapping their wings stopped their movements and perched down on my shoulder.

“Are you okay, Young Master?”

“…In some sense.”

Of course, I wasn’t injured, but being dragged around by birds for a short while hurt my pride.

But I didn’t want to show it, so I made an effort to look composed as I spoke.

“So, where are you taking me?”

Then, the two birds lifted their wings in unison and pointed somewhere.

“…Huh?”

For a moment, I tilted my head and looked where they pointed. There, I saw a wall.

– Whooosh!

And then they turned their wings and pointed sideways.

‘…These brats, what exactly are they doing really?’

For a moment, I doubted the two birds who were smart to the point that it was suspicious. But my expression soon stiffened and I started following their lead.

“…They shouldn’t fight.”

I said with a worried expression.

“Are you worried that they might be fighting?”

Then Kania, who was closely following by my side, asked,

“They have no reason to fight right now. So, isn’t it more likely that they have encountered some life-threatening situation??”

I smirked at those words.

“For the two of them to be together and have their lives threatened, the Demon King would need to show up.”

“…Ah.”

Serena is a person who can subdue someone stronger than herself with just a finger, while Ferloche is the strongest in a one-on-one fight.

So, if something went wrong while they were together… The problem must be between the two of them.

As of now, only Serena and I know that Ferloche is hiding something.

And, seeing as the birds are trying to drag me somewhere, whatever it is, it must be within the Academy.

So, no matter what happened, we could stop it if we quickly went there…

“As expected, you seem to be worried?”

Kania, who had been in a daze, said while gazing at me.

“You seem to understand me quite well lately, Kania.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

I gazed back at her. Then, I sighed and quickened my pace as the birds shot me a look.

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“This is?”

“It is the Academy’s cellar.”

After that, we walked further and further until we arrived at the entrance of the Academy’s cellar.

‘Why was I led here?’

The Academy’s cellar, where even the sun’s rays never reached, was quite an interesting place.

Because the events that occur here were rather significant. This usually empty and deserted area was occasionally used for secret training.

If I hadn’t chosen the ‘False Evil’ route, a single event with Ferloche will occur in this place during the first year.

According to the prophecy, it was quite an exciting event, but of course, it’s nothing more than a luxury to me now.

Anyway, during the academy siege event in the second year, this place became the student’s frontier.

If I could survive until the third year, I would be spending time with one of the heroines in this place.

Other than that, this inconspicuous-looking cellar, where many miscellaneous events would take place, is very important.

“First… we should enter.”

So, what’s going on in this cellar where those events would happen, that caused the birds to react like this?

I didn’t know, but I would never find the reason if I didn’t go in.

“…Hup.”

With that in mind, I took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the cellar’s door with a tense mind.

– Kiiiiik

The rusty, worn-out door creaked, causing an unpleasant sound to echo everywhere as it opened.

“…Ha?”

I gulped while staring at the door, then as soon as I saw inside the cellar, my jaw dropped.

“What’s all this?”

The whole place was a mess.

Even the few remaining pieces of rusting and rotting furniture in the cellar were mostly smashed.

Large cracks and holes formed in the floor.

The cellar’s surroundings brimmed with dense lunar mana and holy power. It was to the extent that Kania, who had been at my side, could not stand the pain and hid behind me.

““………””

And in the midst of it all, Serena was coldly staring at Ferloche with her face covered by a fan.

Ferlcohe was also staring at Serena, with her two hands clasped together.

“What the…”

The shock from that scene entering my brain left me at a loss for a while.

“…You were fighting for real?”

I mumbled with a frightened look.

Because it was a scene of Serena, in the pose she would take when simulating a fight with her opponent, and Ferloche, in the pose that she would take when she was about to crush something.

“No, why the hell…?”

I was seriously debating if I should escape from the cellar immediately, or risk my life to stop them.

“…Frey?”

“Ah! You!!”

That was when the two of them suddenly turned to look at me with pleasant expressions.

“I missed you.”

“Turns out you really came here! I knew you would show up!”

I backed away while still hesitating over what to do when the two women started talking with smiles on their faces.

What the hell is this?

“You guys… were fighting?”

“Yes, we were fighting.”

I was bewildered by the sudden change in atmosphere. With a puzzled expression, I asked a question which Serena answered while smiling faintly.

“Of course, we were only sparring for training purpose.”

“…For training?”

I tilted my head at her answer. Ferloche then cut in with her typical goofy and stupid smile.

“Lady Serena was training me!”

“You?”

“Yes! Lady Serena is a kind-hearted person… No, rather than that, why did you come here?!”

“They brought you here?”

Hearing their replies, I stared at the birds sitting on my shoulders with a puzzled look.

– Flap!!

Then, those birds fled at the same time to their respective owners’ shoulders.

“…Hoot.”

“…Gugu?”

Afterward, the owl silently avoided my gaze while the pigeon looked at me with a tilted head, as if asking if I was dissatisfied.

I continued staring at them with a questioning look, then with a sigh I asked.

“So, what were you two doing here?”

“Didn’t I already say it? We were training…”

“Is it really necessary to use this place to train?”

No matter how corrupted the Sunrise Academy might have become, it was still a prestigious academy with a thousand years of history, so of course it had a training ground.

In other words, there was no reason at all to train in a dark, musty cellar instead of the comfortable and spacious training ground.

“You’re right, Frey.”

I voiced my opinion while giving them a doubtful look. Serena grinned and answered.

“But, the training we were doing is a bit special.”

“A special training?”

“Yes, it is ‘overcoming darkness’ training.”

Saying so, Serena briefly looked at Ferloche, who was still smiling dumbly, and said,

“You also know that Ferloche is afraid of darkness, right? So, we need to train under particularly dark conditions.”

“…That’s right! We don’t know when you will take advantage of my weakness, Frey! It’s a special training!”

I stared blankly at Ferloche, who had exposed that she was training to overcome her weakness in fear of what I might do, with a bright expression. Then, I sighed and opened my mouth.

“Why did it have to be against Serena?? Aren’t you much closer to Clana?”

“The light Clana emitted is too radiant! So, there will be no point in the training! And…”

Ferloche sneaked a glance at Serena while she was talking. She then finished speaking with a bright smile.

“Lady Serena said that she is the best and the smartest, so she is the perfect fit to fight with me!”

“…I didn’t say it that bluntly.”

Well, other than Serena, no one else was fit to train one-on-one with Ferloche.

The Blessing of the Sun God given to Ferloche makes her the strongest in a one-on-one situation. In order to handle her, one needs to be constantly alert to keep up with wherever she bounces to.

And, if that was really the case, then Serena…

She could investigate Ferloche naturally.

“…Well, I got it. I guess we’re done here.”

I concluded my thoughts with that, before opening my mouth with a disinterested expression.

“To make sure this doesn’t happen next time, take good care of your pets.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t tell Gugu what to do! She eats well and grew up just fine!”

After giving sincere advice and hearing Ferloche’s rebellious cry, I headed to the exit.

“Ah, Frey.”

“…Hm?”

Suddenly, Serena grabbed me.

“Chu.”

“……!”

And kissed me on my lips.

“…Goodbye.”

After the fleeting moment that seemed like an eternity, Serena licked clean the remnants of saliva plastered on our lips.

“It seems like I can give you some good news soon.”

She whispered softly into my ears.

“Frey!! What are you doing to Serena!!”

“…Then, farewell.”

“Right, have you read the letter I sent you? If you have, then reply…!!”

After Ferloche shouted, she distanced herself from me while smiling and waving her hands.

“…Blergh.”

“Kania?”

I was stunned for a while, before turning around and heading for the exit, wearing the same dazed expression. I tilted my head to look at Kania beside me, who had suddenly retched.

“…Are you sick?”

“N-No.”

“Go and rest if you are sick. You need to prepare yourself for the slave market liberation mission in a few days.”

“…Yes.”

Becoming worried, I patted Kania on her back and we started walking back to the dormitory, her expression immediately softening.

The slave market mission is just around the corner, it looks like taking an adequate rest will be necessary.

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“…Hm.”

As soon as Frey and Kania opened the door and left, Serena’s smiling face turned freezing cold.

“What on earth?”

“…….”

In front of her eyes, Ferloche, who had been lying on the floor, had at some point settled down on a chair.

“You suddenly lost your mind and stopped your rampage.”

She was not wearing her usual innocent and pure expression.

“Your mind became clouded as soon as Frey came.”

Her eyes exuded a decadent and hollow light.

“You… What exactly is your identity?”

Serena asked her with a cautious look.

“…I’m the key for the next ordeal.”

Ferloche ignored her. While leaving the cellar, she muttered in a cold voice.

“At that time, I will tell you the truth.”

The innocent smile then returned to Ferloche’s face, unbeknownst to anyone.