I step out of the eerie mansion.
I had been forced to breathe the most unpleasant air.
The air in the labyrinth is probably better than this.
There are two copies of the magic contract, one for each of us. As long as King Jiggle’s name holds any value, it will serve as a useful card to play.
At least, while Darzen is still alive.
However, this is far worse than being a conversation partner for the princess. I almost feel nostalgic for it.
No matter how scheming she may be, she’s still more human than these people.
The guard silently saw me off.
The card the princess gave me came in handy after all. I had thought of it as just a means to prove my identity, along with my adventurer’s card, but power sure is convenient.
Though I can’t use it too often.
I’ll walk back. That much should be just right.
At that time, Sepia had already arrived at her destination in no time, thanks to Mastema’s flight.
It was the building once confiscated by the Hell Research Society.
The speed of the flight had been so fast that Sepia couldn’t stand for a while after landing. The only reason she didn’t throw up was sheer willpower.
As Sepia groaned and looked at Mastema, Mastema glanced at her with a look that said, “Why are you crouching?”
“Here.”
With Mastema’s help, Sepia finally stood up.
They decided to check the interior first.
Though the Magus Nation had already conducted its investigation, the documents remained untouched.
The contents of the lab had been emptied, so the cover story that Sena attacked the Magus Academy with suspicious drugs must still be holding up.
“Fire magic could… but that would leave ash.”
“Then burn it with this.”
Mastema conjured a black flame from her fingertip.
The flames of hell.
A fire from another world that burns everything to nothing, leaving not even ash.
Sepia tossed a book into the flame, and it was instantly consumed, disappearing without a trace.
“This is handy. I wish I’d had it back when I was headmistress.”
Saying this, Sepia tossed the books from the shelves one after another into the black flames.
The academy’s closure had been decided, and Sepia was no longer its headmistress but an exile. There was no need for restraint anymore. She fed everything to the fire.
Whether or not the books on the shelves were about demon worship or demon summoning no longer mattered.
Besides, if Sepia made any mistakes, Ahavain wouldn’t overlook them.
He was the type to pay attention to the smallest details, she recalled.
Mid-thought, she remembered how Ahavain had seen her changing, and now, belatedly, she felt a bit embarrassed. But that was her own fault for neglecting to lock the door.
And, most likely, Ahavain hadn’t thought anything of it.
Back then, she had been using the inherited memories to act as headmistress, wearing the mask of an adult. But she no longer needed to do such things.
She had lost much, but Sepia finally felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
And she was relieved that she no longer had to meet her sister.
Sepia had feared her father and did as she was told, but her sister had been different.
By the time Sepia had developed self-awareness, their father no longer had any control over her sister.
Looking back now, Sepia realized her father had likely taken out his frustrations on her because of that.
She felt a surge of anger, regretting that she hadn’t punched him at least once. It hadn’t been enough.
As she pondered these things, the shelves emptied.
Sepia used wind magic to sense her surroundings.
There was a hidden shelf behind the main one.
When Sepia looked toward Mastema, it seemed she had been bored. She had already laid down on a nearby bed meant for naps and had fallen asleep.
“So carefree. I envy you.”
The hidden shelf was packed with books on demon summoning.
Thinking about how these books had earned her an entire day’s worth of scolding from the high-ups of the Magus Nation made Sepia furious.
Some of the books were cursed, but with Sepia’s level of magic power, she could easily deflect them. Moreover, these curses were nothing against the flames of hell.
Just like the other books, these too burned without leaving ash.
Although the books were thick, Sepia was an advanced mage. By using her magic to lift them, the work progressed more efficiently.
Sepia lifted the final book.
It was a book about demon worshipers.
She opened it, just in case, but it contained no significant information.
Reflecting on the memories she had inherited, she realized that the demon worshipers had accomplished nothing of note.
Many of them believed that this world was imperfect.
They thought this world, full of suffering, was a temporary one, and that there must be a true world, a paradise governed by a true god. They had begun to wonder how they could reach that place, which was the origin of demon worship.
That belief had warped over time, becoming more destruction-oriented, which led to the current form of demon worship.
They had likely sought salvation through demons as an easier way out.
“…As if such a thing could exist.”
Sepia muttered.
On the last page was a list.
Nearly every name had been crossed out in red.
The only remaining name was Sena Easton.
Sepia used magic to pull a bottle of red ink toward her, opened it, and drew a line through Sena Easton’s name before tossing the book into the black flames.
“…She could’ve just been a regular mage, instead of becoming a witch.”
With her talent, Sena Easton could have had any future she wanted.
Maybe her beliefs had been twisted, as if she had been brainwashed.
Sepia stopped herself from thinking too deeply.
Sena was dead, and Sepia was alive.
She needed to think about the future.
After waking Mastema, they destroyed all the documents and books in the building.
Sepia pulled the drowsy Mastema by the hand and methodically searched all the suspicious areas.
They burned all the important books that had detailed methods.
In Sena Easton’s room, they found only a single diary.
Sepia opened it.
…After flipping through a few pages, she closed it and tossed it into the black flames as well.
“What did it say?”
“That she wanted to see a new world.”
“How strange.”
Mastema didn’t seem to understand.
Sepia couldn’t quite grasp it either, but she felt like she understood what Sena had been trying to say.
If Ahavain hadn’t come to the academy, and if she had been overwhelmed by stress and heard sweet whispers, what might have happened?
Sena’s death was burned into Sepia’s memory. That could have easily been her future as well.
“It’s over.”
“Alright, let’s go back.”
Mastema grabbed Sepia by the scruff of her neck.
“Hey, wait! Not again!”
Ignoring Sepia’s protest, Mastema took off into the sky.
