Runa Side

Upon Gram's question Kamii remains quiet and looks around, her eyes going over the faces of the gathered one by one. It stays on Basarab's for a tiny moment longer than anyone else's. There must be something about him that she wants to tell us but cannot do in his presence.

"Where is Kuroeh?" She suddenly asks, her expression as innocent as ever. Gram shakes his head in response and she hangs hers in dejection for a moment. Then she looks up again with determination filling her eyes. "Kuroeh learned space magic and went somewhere. They came into our room this morning..." She points at Thorvadis and Basarab. "... and wanted to take us away. Kuroeh came back and it became really scary. One of the teachers hit Hestia, so Kuroeh was really angry and ate him... and then... I don't know... it all happened so fast."

So the instructors attacked first. While killing the first instructor for just that, and murder in general cannot be so easily justified, it is clear that Miss Chloe did not do so out of pure malice. It would seem that the announcement from Ninlil was biased towards the instructors  being the victims. Still, the fact remains that Miss Chloe is a demon; I simply cannot take her side in this matter. She is the daughter of the dreaded demon lord who spreads corruption across the world, which causes wild animals to turn into rampaging monsters, creates cursed people like Kamii who cannot live a normal life, and sends armies through the old transportation network to attack human nations indiscriminately. I think given the chance, Miss Chloe might be capable of doing so as well.

"Please don't let them do something bad to me." Kamii looks at Gram with pleading eyes. She seems terrified at the prospect of being subjected to what they are planning to do. I also find this idea of purification dubious, considering the fact that she has already been corrupted before her birth. That deformed arm is not going to go away no matter what they try, as it such an act has been tried many times before. Else there would be much less misery for cursed people in this world.

"What do you plan on doing?" I turn to Thorvadis and ask. I am sure there is concern written on my face, but he gives me a reassuring smile.

"We will conduct a ritual of purification, to remove any mind-altering effects that the demon may have cast on this child." He explains and gestures towards the pale instructor. "Basarab has a unique gift that grants him control inside the mind of a person. As for detecting the influence of a demon, it shall be left to the purest human in existence." As if on cue, the Saint of Luminosity steps forward.

"You praise me so, Master Eklundstrom, but it is in part my fault that things have come to this. I did not realize the first time I met Miss Marcott... since I have never heard of a demon possessing the light affinity. No... I never considered it a possibility. That is why, when I felt corruption from her body, I thought it may have been because she was merely cursed." Arcelia's brows are furrowed as she speaks. "I have to apologize to you all for that."

"No, if anything, I should be the one to apologize. I knew the moment I saw her that she was a demon, but I still granted her enrolment." Thorvadis says with a sigh. "But what is done is done..." I am sure he is blaming himself for the deaths of the five instructors, but is not showing it on the surface. After all, they died in his presence, and he is hailed as one of the strongest mages in history, and the most powerful one alive. "Do you have any more questions for her before we begin?"

"What will happen to Kamii after the ritual?" Rolan asks the principal instead.

"I am afraid we can no longer keep her at the academy. She was enrolled as a condition set by the demon, but unfortunately, she has no talent in magic." His reply sounds like he is hinting at something, and it is obvious that Rolan will grasp his thinly veiled implication.

"We will take her in. She was part of our group anyway." Gram is the one to speak up instead. Of course, that would be my wish as well, since the only other place she would be able to go to is an orphanage, and I doubt she would ever find happiness at one.

"I understand." Thorvadis says and closes his eyes, saying no more. It is the signal for Basarab and the saint to approach Kamii and begin their work. Seeing them, her expression fills with fear and she inches backwards as she hugs the creepy automaton tightly.

"... I don't want to forget Kuroeh!" She pleads, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. I can see that Gram is being swayed by her defenselessness, and even I can feel a twinge of guilt at subjecting her to this treatment. However, if she really is under the influence of the child of the demon lord, it is possible that she will someday turn on those around her without warning.

"You will not forget anything, Kamii." Basarab says with a soft smile. He is trying to comfort her, but she is obviously scared. "It is only to see whether that-... whether Miss Marcott has done something bad to you." He sits down on the chair next to her bed an speaks to her at eye level. She appears to calm down a little at his words, but defiance against his words show in her expression. Clearly, she dislikes that Miss Chloe is being mentioned in a bad light.

"Excuse me..." Arcelia comes forward and asks Gram to move aside. "... please do not be afraid, child." Her soothing voice, directed at Kamii, has an influence on my own peace of mind. No wonder she is called a saint, an existence at the pinnacle of humanity, whose presence alone can inspire greatness.

"Please try to relax." Focusing his eyes on the dark elf's, the instructor speaks in a reassuring tone. It causes a tingle to run down my spine; his voice has something that touches a part deep inside me that I can never show before people other than... I look to Rolan from the corner of my eyes and swallow. It has been so long since our last time...

The Saint of Luminosity holds out her hand to Kamii's forehead and mutters what is undoubtedly an incantation for light magic. It is of an incredible length and I have to wonder what grand magic she is going to cast.

From the past month at the academy I learned that all my incantations so far have been very inefficient in their length. While I had been following the principles of melded magic by combining the incantations of several spells that make up the new one, I could have left out many words and verses to achieve the same effect. My casting speed has increased significantly and I am sure to be much more effective in combat now. In other words, a spell of a single element that requires an incantation that long must be something far beyond even the melded spells I have been chanting so far.

"I cannot detect any alterations to her mind..." Basarab mutters as he does not break eye contact with Kamii. That is what I wanted to believe from the beginning. Their relationship seemed so pure that there should be no reason to suspect any mind control from Miss Chloe. In other words, the compassion she showed after saving her was real.

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"... Discute Tenebras." Arcelia finishes her incantation and for a moment a sensation of elation fills my heart, as heavenly bells ring in my mind. It feels as if the Lady of Brilliance herself has descended into our midst to grant her blessing to us mortals. The moment lasts for only an instant and appears to have been shared by everybody present. Rolan, Gram and Sigurd each look around in confusion, while Kamii seems to have completely calmed down.

"... the only corruption I can detect is the one surrounding her cursed arm." The saint finally states as a faint light surrounds her outline. Retracting her hand, she turns to us, her eyes closed as always, but now her expression completely relaxed. "It would appear that this child feels genuine love for Miss Marcott."

"I have seen into her memories and I can understand the reasons for it." Basarab adds as he closes his eyes and sighs. "She was freed from a life in slavery, given the warmth even her own parents never gave her, shown compassion rather than fear or disgust. For a young mind such as this one's, that can leave an irrevocable impression. To her, Miss Marcott was an older sister figure, maybe even a mother figure."

"Yes, I saw no falsehood in the demon's compassion for this child when I first admitted her." Thorvadis states while stroking his beard in thought. "There must have been an experience at this academy that changed her plans for a peaceful life." He looks at Basarab for a moment, a glint in his eyes the meaning of which I cannot discern. "What do you think, Lady Crux?" His gaze moves to Arcelia.

"There is no doubt as to the fact that her will is free and under no control of a demon." The saint responds. "The murder of five instructors is a grave sin, but I am led to believe that Miss Marcott is not inherently evil." That is what all among our group would like to believe, it appears, as their expressions turn into ones of relief.

"So, we can take Kamii with us now?" Gram asks, looking at her with a reassuring expression.

"I believe that is up to the child herself to decide now." The principal looks into the dark elf's eyes with a warm smile. At these words her slightly confused expression changes into a radiant smile of her own. Carrying the cursed automaton, she slides off the bed and bumps into Gram's embrace.

"We can go?" She asks while looking at him with her head put back. The big man lifts her up easily and carries her on his arm. If she was a human, they would have looked like father and child.

"Yes, we can go now." He says and pets her hair.

Thorvadis Side

"Your gambit failed, Basarab." I chastise the instructor against dark magic when we return to my office. "I warned you that a strand of Miss Marcott's thoughts was always directed at the Demon Continent. It was clear that her connection to Demon Queen Pelomyx is unlike what she told us."

"I cannot apologize enough..." Basarab hangs his head in shame. I am not trying to cause him grief, but the death of five instructors at the master level is a great loss for the academy. If he had not acted on his own accord and attempted to win over Miss Marcott, she would not have learned of the plans to vanquish her mother. While it is still a mystery how she could break through Basarab's memory wipe, the fact that she did so remains. Therefore, his gamble was ultimately the reason for everything that happened.

"The danger of the demon queen has to be reevaluated. She is much more intelligent than reports from Mithra Aforgomon have suggested, and with an ally as resourceful as Miss Marcott, she will pose a much larger threat in the near future." I sit down on my chair and sigh. My body is not the same as it used to be. While a youthful state of mind, daily exercise and magic have kept me from the darkness of old age, I can no longer be called the most powerful human mage. "Our plans may have only experienced a minor setback, but we need to tread much more carefully from now on."

"I understand, Master Eklundstrom."

"I am sure that the demon queen will be making preparations. We need to know what they entail." I realize that I have fallen into my old habit of stroking my beard whenever I am considering various scenarios and their feasibilities. It cannot become an obvious idiosyncrasy, or else people will be able to discern my state of mind. "Please call Miss Flann. I need to get into contact with her father." There is need for careful planning once more.

Vitalis Side

I witnessed something incredible!

After Miss Marcott swallowed me, her immense aura of corruption and feeling her all over my body nearly drove me crazy from pleasure. I never felt anything like it before, and I think I will never be able to forget her now. When she took me out again, I showed her a very shameful side of me, and I wish I could undo it from the bottom of my heart.

Then she put me in the bathtub of her room and I had time to consolidate my thoughts, feelings and body. I am sure that I will not be able to live without Miss Marcott anymore. Mother, father, your child is so shameful, but please understand that she is the daughter of the demon lord, and our kind cannot go against theirs, once we experience their power and influence.

I thought I would wait until Miss Marcott came to get me again, but instead I heard many people entering her room and speaking to Miss Hestia and Miss Kamii in excited voices. Peeking through the keyhole I saw that they were instructors. But Master Laiota and even the principal were among them, and they seemed upset about something.

I heard Miss Marcott's voice from the side of the room where the windows are, and then things became dangerous. A battle broke out and I witnessed how she killed several instructors, pulled Miss Hestia inside her own body, used an incredibly destructive spell that pierced the bathroom door and the wall behind me, nearly hitting me.

She fought against so many masters and seemed to do so without any problem. A Crawling Chaos is incredible after all, and seeing what just the daughter of the demon lord is capable of has reminded me of the reason why her mother is occupying the position she is in. One such as I could never hope to oppose her, although I would never even consider doing so. But watching her has caused my entire body to tingle from excitement. I understand that I am a naughty child...

Then Miss Marcott disappeared. I believe it was space magic. Even after so many masters, including the principal himself, fought against her, they were unable to hurt her. The only way to survive against her was to transport her to a place that is very far from here. In the aftermath, Miss Kamii was really angry and tried to attack an instructor, but in the end was taken away by Master Laiota.

Later, another instructor came to take a look in the bathroom, so I went through the drainage system of the bathroom to avoid detection, and returned to my room.

"What do you think?" I ask Lenoly, who is watching me with her mouth hanging open.

"... you had sex with Miss Marcott?" Is the first thing she asks.

"A-a-a-ahhh?! Wh-what are you saying, Lenoly!" I feel my body heating up and bubbles forming inside me. How can she say such things so calmly? "... but that is not what I mean!" And she brought up the least important part of what I told her, too.

"Yeah yeah, I know." She leans back against the wall next to her bunk bed and looks at me with a mischievous smile. "But is it such a surprise that Miss Marcott is so powerful? She's a Crawling Chaos after all, you know?" She sighs and looks out the window. "So, what do you intend to do now?"

"... I want to go see Miss Kamii."