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"Hmm?" A voice faintly echoed within a pitch-dark space where not even a shred of light existed.
That place was the northern building of the Misawa Cram School's Four Hopes Complex, specifically the room located on its top floor, a massive space that spanned nearly the entire level.
This was the Headmaster's office of Misawa Cram School.
Although it was called an office, the décor, furnishings, and atmosphere were as luxurious as those of a major corporation's chairman.
Here, a man stood directly before the glass wall-sized mirror and slowly raised his head.
The mirror reflected his appearance. He wore a white suit paired with polished leather shoes. His slicked-back hair was dyed green. His features could be described as handsome. It was a face identical to the photo that Stiyl had once given Fang Li, the alchemist known as Aureolus.
In other words, this man was Aureolus.
Only, if Fang Li and Stiyl were here to see him now, they would no doubt feel something was terribly off.
The reason was simple: in the photograph, although Aureolus gave off the impression of being overly strict and precise, he was still filled with intellect and unmistakable humanity.
But the Aureolus standing here now no longer bore even a trace of human warmth. His expression seemed as if he had discarded his conscience entirely, fallen straight into hell itself, and the intellectual light once gleaming in his eyes had utterly vanished.
The change was that drastic.
Yet, it wasn't strange.
After all, the photo Stiyl had provided was already three years old.
In three years, anyone's heart and mind could undergo a profound transformation due to certain events.
In truth, from the very moment Aureolus imprisoned the blood-sucking assassin, Stiyl had already realized that this alchemist might no longer be the same person as before.
The reason was also clear.
--"Honos628 (My honor is for the world)."
That was once Aureolus's magic name.
Though he lacked exceptional magical talent, this alchemist once dreamed of saving the world and humanity, seeking to release people from suffering and to help as many as he could.
Yet now, this very same alchemist had imprisoned an innocent girl, betraying his own magic name.
That alone proved Aureolus was no longer the man he used to be. And now, Aureolus's goal was no longer to save the world, nor to save humanity.
Everything he did now was solely for the sake of saving one single person. For that one person, Aureolus had chosen to fall into corruption.
"So, is this the time to finally welcome the results…?"
His voice carried no trace of joy. It wasn't that Aureolus felt no joy at the prospect of achieving his goal, but rather that he was utterly convinced all he had done would certainly succeed.
Thus, the result was nothing more than what he had already expected, it was not yet the moment to feel joy.
"I can feel it…"
Yes.
He could feel it.
For the alchemist who had turned the entirety of Misawa Cram School into his own domain, any disturbance occurring within it was something he could immediately sense.
If a magician used magic power here, Aureolus would detect it. If an esper activated their ability here, Aureolus would awaken to it. And now, within Misawa Cram School, a terrifying surge of power was shaking the very space itself, as though the heavens and earth were trembling in resonance.
"This fearsome power… aside from the legendary Vampire, it's impossible for anyone else to possess it."
Unless it was the descent of a Magic God, or an Angel…
Otherwise, not even a Saint could trigger such a reaction.
So, Aureolus was certain.
"The thing I've been waiting for has arrived. From here, my plan begins."
And what was that plan? To capture a Vampire alive.
"For the sake of fulfilling my long-cherished wish." Aureolus turned around and walked out of the Headmaster's office.
Leaving behind only these words: "I absolutely will save you. Index."
…
At the same time, within Misawa Cram School, another person also sensed the change.
A girl dressed in shrine maiden attire, with long, flowing black hair as radiant as silk, and a beauty that could be called a true Yamato Nadeshiko. Yet, her exquisitely charming face carried no emotion.
"They've… come…"
Inside a room, looking out the window at the scenery, Himegami Aisa's eyes trembled faintly.
The blood flowing within her body told her everything.
That familiar aura was drawing near.
"They've… come again…" Her voice quivered.
It was because of fear. This was not the first time Himegami Aisa had encountered a Vampire. In the past, she had lived through a similar experience. The so-called bloodsucking assassin was an ability that functioned only against Vampires.
And the truth of this ability lay within her blood itself.
Himegami Aisa's blood gave off a sweet fragrance. To Vampires, that scent was an irresistible temptation. Thus, even without bleeding, Himegami Aisa's very presence was like the sweetest honey, luring Vampires inevitably toward her.
Yet, the moment a Vampire drank even a single drop of her blood, they would instantly turn to ash.
That was the power of the bloodsucking assassin.
The terrifying part of this ability was that even knowing it meant death, Vampires still could not resist the urge to drink her blood.
Long ago, in a mountain village near Kyoto where she was born, Himegami Aisa had drawn in a Vampire for this very reason.
But that Vampire, terrified of the bloodsucking assassin's power and unwilling to throw itself into the flame like a moth, attacked Himegami Aisa's hometown. It turned all the villagers into Vampires and sent those thralls to kill her.
In the end, however, because of her ability, not only those villagers but even the Vampire itself were all reduced to ash.
That was Himegami Aisa's childhood.
"…I don't want to kill anymore."
Even if the target was a Vampire, the same held true. What she feared was not Vampires themselves, but the past they represented. That was why Himegami Aisa came to Academy City, to seek a way to rid herself of the bloodsucking assassin's power.
But she could not find a way to remove it.
Until she met Aureolus.
"That man promised me… if I helped him achieve his goal, he would create a barrier for me, one that I could always carry, sealing away the bloodsucking assassin ability forever…"
That was why Himegami Aisa was not truly imprisoned. Instead, she had formed a cooperative pact with Aureolus.
The reason she went out onto the streets today was under Aureolus's instructions, to lure a Vampire out.
And judging by the results, it seemed to have worked.
"In order to stop this ability from killing any more Vampires…"
Himegami Aisa had to see this through.
"…I'm sorry."
Leaving those words behind, Himegami Aisa too stepped out of her room.
Just like Aureolus, acting for the sake of her own wish.
(End Of This Chapter)
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