I Became A Slave To The Mastermind

"Sh-Shall we go eat together? Wh-what kind of food do you like?"

Iris, twisting her legs awkwardly, spoke to me.

"Or… do you have any hobbies you enjoy? I like anything as long as it's with someone else!!"

Her face was flushed red like a ripe tomato, clearly out of embarrassment, but even so, she mustered the courage to continue speaking to me.

"Even though I'm shy… I… I'm so excited and happy…"

She stepped closer, clasping my hands tightly in hers, her bright eyes looking up at me.

"It's… it's my first time being in a relationship with someone, so I might be clumsy…"

"..."

"Still, I'll do my best!! So you can be happy too!!"

Ah…

This is bad.

It seems she's completely misunderstanding.

Iris thinks I accepted her confession.

Of course, that wasn't my intention at all.

…I have to tell her.

Iris, with her radiant smile—so different from how she is in the novel—looked stunningly beautiful. But even so, I had to clear up this misunderstanding.

It was the right thing to do for her.

"Iris."

When I called her name, she answered me with a bright smile.

"Yes…!! Please tell me!!"

Her joyful expression made me feel guilty, as though I was about to let her down.

Taking a short breath, I steeled my resolve and spoke to her.

"I didn't mean it as a confession."

"Huh…? W-what…?"

Her eyes widened at my words.

"When I said I'd accept it, I only meant I would accept your apology."

"Ah…?"

For a moment, she stood there dumbfounded, staring at me. After some time, her trembling hands grabbed mine as she asked again.

"S-So… I… I misunderstood?"

"….Yes. I'm sorry, Iris."

"Ah…"

She stood still for a long time, looking at me blankly.

Then, her bright blue eyes, once sparkling, began to glisten with tears.

"I… I'm sorry… I misunderstood everything…"

"….Iris."

"Ah, I mean… How could I… make such a silly mistake… stupid me…"

"Am I… weird? A girl asking another girl out on a date… heh heh…"

With her head bowed, her body trembling as she struggled to hold back her tears, I could feel the guilt twisting painfully in my chest.

"Iris, you're not weird at all."

"You don't have to comfort me… I-I'll be fine…"

She didn't look fine at all.

For a moment, I had an impulse to comfort her with a hug. But fearing it might make things worse, I could only stand there in front of her.

After a while, as she hiccupped quietly, Iris finally spoke.

"I… I'll get going now!! I'm happy I got to meet you!!"

Covering her face with her arms, she turned around and ran off somewhere.

I couldn't hold onto her as she walked away.

I just stood there blankly, reaching out my hand.

"Ah…"

…What do I do now?

.

.

"Huff… Huff…"

I ran.

Out of shame.

Out of self-loathing.

And because of the unbearable pain.

I ran forward without looking back, just kept running.

It wasn't until my legs gave out and I collapsed onto the ground that I finally stopped.

"Hah… it hurts…"

Blood trickled from my scraped knees and arms after falling.

But the pain wasn't from those injuries.

My heart hurts.

I couldn't stop crying.

It felt as if someone was stabbing needles into my heart over and over again.

I thought I'd finally found my fated partner, the one I'd secretly wished for, someone to share love with.

I was so happy, so thrilled…

But it all disappeared, like a fleeting mirage.

The happiness that made my heart flutter vanished in an instant.

"Hic… sob… huff…"

Yes, it must have been my greed.

Who would love someone like me, a woman who loves other women? Even I find myself disgusting.

This is punishment.

Punishment for betraying the Goddess. The penalty given to a heretic.

I'm nothing but a sinner. I have no choice but to accept this punishment.

"Iris?"

At the sound of someone calling me, I hurriedly wiped away my tears and tried to smile.

But my face only twitched. I couldn't manage even a faint smile.

I can't remember…

How do I smile again?

The one who called my name was a girl with hair as bright as tulips, a classmate of mine—Ariel.

She approached me with a worried expression.

"Where were you? Wait… Iris, are you crying?"

"Ariel…"

"What's wrong?! Did you get hurt by a demon or something?"

She rushed over in a panic, inspecting my body for injuries.

Realizing I wasn't physically hurt, she looked at me curiously.

"Iris?"

I couldn't answer.

I just stared at the ground, tears streaming down my face.

Oh, revered Goddess…

My heart aches so much.

***

"Hah…"

In an inn near the academy, I lay on the bed and let out a deep sigh.

It's already been a day since I parted ways with Iris.

The guilt that kept gnawing at me left me aimless, unable to focus on my tasks.

"This wasn't what I came here for…"

I brushed my face with my hand and sat up suddenly from the bed.

"First, I need to finish what I came for. Iris comes after that."

The reason I came here…

It was because of a rumor that the wielder of the Holy Sword was a woman.

It seemed absurd, but…

The rumor had spread so far that I thought it was worth verifying. That's why I came to the academy.

'…Something's definitely changed.'

If the Holy Sword's wielder had been Robin, as the story originally went…

Iris wouldn't have been in danger.

Something must've happened to Robin.

Or maybe the rumor was true, and the hero really changed.

Either way, none of this was good news.

Whatever the case, it was my interference that altered the story. I had no choice but to step in.

I pushed aside the guilt for now and stood up, heading back to the academy.

.

.

"Please, come in."

The guard at the gate opened it absentmindedly.

"Thank you…"

I offered him a meaningless thanks, even though he barely registered my words.

'I'm sorry…'

It was my fault he was like that.

The one who clouded his mind was none other than me.

A skill of Sephir that bewitches people.

I hated using it—it felt like doing something wrong—but there was no other way to enter the academy.

Over the past two years…

I hadn't been idle.

I trained with Sephir's power, which I had learned to wield, and Mary's mana, which had somehow fused with me.

Though I couldn't use them perfectly yet, I'd become capable of manipulating these powers to a considerable degree.

An Alluring Power That Captivates the Mind.

A disguise technique that changes my appearance so no one can recognize me, along with a stealth technique that hides my presence.

The ability to control familiars of the night, allowing for various applications.

After much training, I became skilled at using Sephir's diverse techniques.

By accepting Mari's mana, I gained partial physical abilities of a dragon.

Even my body, which should have melted from the poison Katrina threw at me, remained unharmed because of that.

It was due to inheriting the dragon's unique regenerative power.

When I asked Mari when she had given me such abilities, she avoided the question and didn't give a proper answer.

But honestly, I could guess even without her explanation.

The blue potion Mari had been giving me every day for two years.

That must be the reason.

Well, it's not like getting healthier was a bad thing, so I let it slide without much fuss.

Rather, I should probably be grateful to Mari.

Mari, ever the same, was still such a beautiful and dutiful daughter.

I wrapped myself in the newly acquired black robe, hiding my presence as much as possible, and walked deeper into the academy.

"Hmm… They said it was the largest building…"

That must be it.

The grand and ornate structure before my eyes.

Anyone could tell it was a place where someone extraordinary resided.

As I approached the building, a knight clad in sturdy armor stepped forward to block me, radiating an entirely different aura than the guards at the main gate.

"State your business."

He looked down at me with a solemn voice.

Taking a short breath, I briefly lifted my robe to show him my eyes.

"I'd like to go in… You'll let me, won't you?"

After staring at me blankly for a while, he finally said:

"Enter."

He opened the door and kindly guided me inside.

Following him, with my face once again covered by the robe, I climbed the stairs and arrived at a door.

The knight knocked once before announcing:

"Director, you have a guest."

For a moment, silence filled the space in front of the door.

Clink—the sound of the lock being released, and the door opened automatically.

Inside the room was a chaotic space filled with numerous books stacked on several shelves and papers covered in magic circles scattered everywhere.

And there, seated at a desk in the back, was an old man staring at me.

Darcan, the director. One of the strongest warriors who had reached the 8th Circle of magic.

He was calmly observing me, as if trying to discern my identity.

Unintentionally, I gulped under his imposing presence.

A man exuding overwhelming energy sat before me.

But I knew the truth.

The old man's appearance was a fake.

That was just an avatar.

The real one was surely watching me from somewhere.

"Who are you?"

After a long silence, he finally spoke in a low voice.

Keeping my composure as much as possible, I stepped forward.

"My name is Hera."

I spoke confidently, maintaining a firm expression.

"I'm here to save the academy."