I Possessed the Heroine’s Teacher

The news of the Celestial Mage’s death spread rapidly. It was said that he fought to protect innocent people from mysterious enemies, sealing his great magic in order to evacuate them, only to fall victim to a cowardly trick.

Because of this news, all the comrades decided to gather in the capital.

Werner did not wake up after that day. Although the Celestial Mage absorbed the side effects of the Great Magic, the aftereffects of its activation had accumulated in his body. In addition, the wounds from other battles worsened, and he was on the brink of death.

If Melissa, the mother of Glacies and my friend, had not arrived in time to heal him with her magic, he might have died. Thanks to her healing magic, Werner appeared to be sleeping in the same state he was when I first met him, his body temporarily restored to its previous state.

“You fool… Did you really use ‘Ars Magia’ with a body that couldn’t even use ordinary Great Magic? And you let him use it?”

“I didn’t have time to think about that. I just thought it would be better if we all died together…”

Slap!

Her hand slapped my right cheek with burning pain.

“Wha…?”

“Hey, you idiot! Do you even know what kind of magic that is? It’s a magic that combines the Great Magic of each attribute and amplifies its rejection reaction, causing it to explode! If the Celestial Mage hadn’t absorbed that magic, he would have died instantly!”

I didn’t know. I just thought it was one of the Great Magics that Werner used. But even if I had known…

“Do you want to die or something? Why didn’t you stop him? Ugh… I seriously can’t talk to you.”

“Werner is going to be alright, right?”

“At least I temporarily shrank and dedifferentiated his body to amplify the healing effect and cast multiple healing spells. The only thing left is praying to the gods… If Media were fine, it would have healed in five minutes, but…”

Healing magic wasn’t her specialty. If Media, who was skilled in healing, detoxification, and curse removal, had been here, it would have been different. However, she was currently collapsed for an unknown reason and sealed in a specialized magic tool.

“The Black Round Table… I thought it was just a simple cult-like group, but now that I think about it, they’re no ordinary organization. Their power probably surpasses ours.”

Melissa bit her nails, a habit that only appeared when she was truly anxious.

“The Celestial Mage was one of the strongest among us. If they killed him… there must be others whose strength easily surpasses ours.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say that person was my father. I couldn’t say that I was the daughter of the one who killed our comrade. No… that man is no longer my father. So… I won’t say it.

“No matter what anyone says, I will eradicate the Black Round Table. I’ll kill everyone who tries to stop me. I’ll take my clan and declare war.”

“Melissa…”

Melissa, who always maintained a calm and smiling demeanor, was now filled with rage, her pupils sharp as knives.

“Think a little with reason and be a bit wiser. Is this something you can solve with a light heart…?”

“Reason…?”

Melissa grabbed my collar. She had forgotten to hide her canines, usually concealed.

“They took away the meaning of life from one of my comrade! The killed on of my comrade! And you’re still telling me to maintain reason? Anyone who can keep their reason in this situation is the strange one!”

Melissa shook me by the collar.

“Werner can’t use the Great Magic he used to boast about anymore! We can’t listen to the Celestial Mage’s sermons anymore! But… you want me to maintain reason? If that’s what you call reason… I’ll gladly become the biggest fool in this world!”

The situation was spiraling out of control.

“You talk about reason while your comrade is dead. Thanks to you, I’ve been able to decide my stance. I’m really grateful for that.”

She muttered something incomprehensible and then vanished into a blood-red mist.

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Squall’s condition was dire. Since hearing the news of the Celestial Mage’s death, she hadn’t eaten, drunk, or even slept.

Her once-glossy hair had become a little dull, and her beautiful eyes had turned bloodshot, giving off a chilling feeling.

When I opened the door and entered, she looked at me and said,

“You’re the Celestial Mage, right…?”

I didn’t know how many times I had already exchanged such tragic greetings.

“Unfortunately, it’s me.”

“Haha… Is that so…? No matter how much of a Celestial Mage you are, it would be hard to come here if you’re injured… Right… So, when will you recover…?”

“Squall… The Celestial Mage is dead.”

At that, Squall grabbed my collar. I still didn’t understand why everyone was so eager to grab my collar, but I had to calm her down.

“Calm down a little.”

“Aah… It’s my fault… It’s all my fault… Because of me…”

She was crying. The once haughty and alluring beauty was now breaking down.

“Do you want to hear the Celestial Mage’s last words?”

“He blamed me, didn’t he…? He blamed me for his death, right…?”

“He said he was happy to have a great friend like you, and after hearing his last words, he told you not to cry.”

“What…?”

The Celestial Mage had worried about Squall until the very end. To him, Squall was the only friend he could confide in.

“That fool… was still worrying about me…”

“So get up. Stop crying like a fool.”

It was soon time for the leader to head to the meeting.

“Go wash your face before the strategy meeting.”

I took her to the bathroom and washed her face. Honestly, I couldn’t tell who was the older one here.

“Come on, cheer up~”

Even when we eventually have children, it doesn’t seem like it will be difficult. Being with the companions in this party is almost like parenting.

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In the grand meeting room,

I brought Squall, who had finished washing her face, into the meeting room.

The leader, seated at the highest position in the room, exuded an aura of authority as usual. With just his presence, he was on par with my father.

“Has everyone finally gathered? No, not everyone has arrived.”

There were quite a few comrades who couldn’t make it to this meeting—Werner, who was lying unconscious, Media, who was sealed inside her magical tool, and… the deceased Celestial Mage.

I sat next to Ricardo with Squall. Amid the somewhat hostile atmosphere, Melissa and Melchior both wore expressions that seemed to indicate they had made up their minds.

“As everyone knows, the Celestial Mage is dead.”

At the leader’s words, Squall raised her hand.

“This investigation was originally supposed to be something you and I were responsible for. The Celestial Mage and I were supposed to handle the additional search. So why did the Celestial Mage suddenly take over that role…?”

Now that she mentioned it, it did sound strange, and I gave the leader a suspicious look. Ricardo seemed to have the same thought.

“Are you suspecting me…? Fine, there’s no need to hold onto unnecessary misunderstandings. The Celestial Mage volunteered for this task.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“If you don’t believe me, then there’s no point in asking. The Celestial Mage came to me and asked to switch roles because he had something he wanted to verify. Whether you believe it or not is up to you.”

“Shut up! If it weren’t for you, Werner wouldn’t have ended up like this! And yet you act like you’re blameless! Don’t you even feel sad about the Celestial Mage’s death?!!”

“Hah… ‘Not getting angry,’ huh…”

The leader slammed his hand on the table in the meeting room. The large table, which was easily more than 10 meters long, turned to dust and vanished.

“Keep babbling. And yes, the fact that that child ended up like this is certainly my fault, and it’s unfortunate. But the topic we’re discussing right now is the Celestial Mage. Why do you keep trying to shift the topic to emotional matters?”

“Psycho bastard…”

“…It’s already difficult when you call me a psycho.”

The relationship between Squall and the leader was rapidly deteriorating. And it wasn’t just between them that things were getting worse.

Melchior raised his hand and spoke in a voice filled with malice.

“Upon investigation, we found that there were nations cooperating with the Black Round Table, and even local nobles were being used like pawns.”

Then Ricardo cautiously raised his hand and responded.

“Finding the accomplices is important, but… right now, the critical issue is how we’re going to overcome the current situation…”

“We’re already talking about that. Obviously, it’s war. Anyone who gave even a single bean to the Black Round Table is to be annihilated.”

“Are you crazy?! Don’t talk about war so casually! Think about the chaos and consequences that war will bring! War isn’t just about wiping out bandits!!!!”

“I thought you were the descendant of the family that killed our parents based on circumstantial evidence… I assumed you’d like bloodshed. What, you don’t like it? But your children might feel differently.”

“You bastard!!!”

Without the Celestial Mage, Werner, and Media to mediate this foolish fight, the situation between these two was also spiraling into the worst direction.

“Melissa, try to calm down.”

“Why?”

I couldn’t understand the pure confusion in her voice. If things continued like this, a catastrophe was inevitable. She couldn’t possibly be unaware of that.

“The vampire clan is planning to join that war too. We need to clean up the Black Round Table and those pests cooperating with them.”

“Melissa!”

“Why fight? Shall we pick up where we left off last time?”

The leader, who had been silently observing the fight, let out a sigh and spoke.

“The conclusion is clear. We seem unable to understand each other.”

He suddenly stood up and made a cold decision.

“I want this party to disband starting today.”

“What the hell is that nonsense?”

Squall also jumped up in shock. One of the goals of this party was to find a way to heal Media. But disbanding the party meant…

“We’re giving up on Saint Media.”