The rain still hadn't stopped.
The fox-eared girl beside me faithfully held an umbrella over my head while vigilantly watching our surroundings.
Most of her attention was focused on the three girls following closely behind me.
Because of that, neither she nor I, who was staring at my phone screen, noticed that a shallow puddle had already formed in a depression along the secluded, uneven road.
Splash.
I accidentally stepped into it, sending droplets of water flying.
Looking down, I saw that the hem of my trousers now bore a few dark gray stains that were only noticeable if one looked carefully in the night.
Ordinarily, it would have been nothing more than a bit of bad luck, something easily forgotten.
But with my mood already so heavy, even such a trivial matter felt magnified, and the sounds around me began to grate on my nerves.
"Thank you so much, Sensei. Truly... I can never repay this kindness..."
"You're being annoying."
Turning my head, I rebuked Saori behind me, who had already begun talking incessantly despite nothing having been resolved yet.
"Be quiet."
She froze for a moment before nodding.
"...Yes. Understood."
Perhaps because of the enormous emotional swing, or perhaps because she had misunderstood something, Saori was far more animated than usual.
But just as I had said before, agreeing to help Arius Squad did not mean that I trusted them.
Nor did it mean I had forgiven them.
To put it another way, what did Atsuko's life or death have to do with me?
Putting aside the crimes she had committed, at most she merely seemed to have an unrequited crush on me.
Students like that were everywhere in Kivotos.
I wasn't so desperate that something like that would matter.
However, one particular word mentioned during Arius Squad's account had unsettled me.
A ritual.
What exactly was Beatrice trying to accomplish by using Atsuko as a living sacrifice?
The only thing I could be certain of now was that I could not stand by and allow an enemy who coveted what belonged to me, and who also intended to take my life, to succeed.
That...
Was the true reason I had decided to help...
No, to make use of Arius Squad.
That woman and I had already become irreconcilable enemies.
Only one of us would survive.
There was no longer any possibility of coexistence.
Besides, it wasn't as though I had lowered my guard around Arius Squad.
The Wakamo beside me was my first layer of insurance.
After that came the other students I was currently contacting.
As long as enough of them answered my call, I believed that before the overwhelming force created by the deep bonds between me and everyone, any conspiracy would be utterly powerless.
I checked the time.
There was still plenty of time before midnight.
Unless something unexpected happened, the vast majority should be able to arrive before the deadline.
That was thanks in no small part to the assistance of the high-performance AI, Arona.
Without her, there was no way I could have completed so much communication in such a short period of time.
Unfortunately, the situation at the Ancient Sanctuary was still uncertain, and sufficient forces had to remain behind to defend it.
Moreover, any change there was exactly what I feared most...
And also what was most likely to happen.
Of course, neither Beatrice nor the Nameless Gods could possibly know the entirety of my strategic deployment.
At most, they could only tie down part of the students I had requested for assistance.
"Sensei, this is bad!"
At that moment, Arona's urgent voice made me stop in my tracks.
"Sensei, what's wrong?"
Unable to hear Arona, Wakamo stopped as well.
Without answering her, I turned around and stared at the bewildered members of Arius Squad.
My expression grew increasingly grim.
Just as their unease was reaching the point where they no longer knew what to do, and after listening to Arona's report, I abruptly asked,
"Was it you?"
"...Huh?"
"...Forget it."
After looking deeply at them for a moment, I shook my head.
"Let's go."
Surrounded by the girls, who looked utterly confused and increasingly anxious, I continued toward the Arius School while recalling the information Arona had just delivered.
Outwardly, I remained calm.
But inside...
My mood had already sunk to rock bottom.
...
A few minutes earlier.
On the outskirts of the Ancient Sanctuary.
Two girls gazed at the members of the Justina's Council of mobs wandering aimlessly among the distant ruins.
"It feels like this should be enough."
One of the girls, whose face carried a gentle expression, turned toward the girl beside her whose face remained expressionless.
"I'll be counting on you to command them and the Legion soldiers to support me later, Chesed."
"Mm."
The girl called Chesed answered coldly.
"Now all we have to do is wait for Sister's signal before we begin. Geburah, Chokmah, and Hod will start their operations at the same time."
The gentle girl sighed softly.
"Even though I know we're enemies now, watching Brother... no, the Antichrist, be manipulated by that woman like a puppet somehow leaves me with mixed feelings."
Chesed was silent for a moment.
"Do not discuss irrelevant topics during the mission. Follow the original plan and focus on using your mobility to tie down all the forces around the Ancient Sanctuary."
"But you never talk about these things outside missions either."
The gentle girl smiled helplessly.
"Alright, I'll do my best. Although this body's performance still isn't very satisfactory, if we work together, we'll definitely be able to complete Sister's mission. So let's both give it our all, okay?"
"Mm."
After speaking, Chesed hesitated for a moment before forcing out an awkward smile she clearly wasn't used to making.
"Let's do our best together, Geburah."
"Hehe, okay."
The Fourth Prophet, Mercy, Chesed.
The Fifth Prophet, Majesty, Geburah.
They waited quietly for the appointed moment.
Finally, both of them heard the same cold female voice.
"The node has been reached."