Chapter 81: The Final Day

"Ugh..."

The final day of this abrupt trip had finally arrived. I should have been excited; it meant returning to Trish, seeing how she’d handled the bank in my absence, reaping the rewards of whatever transformation she’d undergone.

But...

THUD!

I fell to my knees, my body still absurdly weak. The impact sent a jolt of pain through my limbs, and I had to brace myself against the bedframe to keep from collapsing entirely.

At least there was one mercy: my horns and wings had vanished overnight. When I’d checked the mirror, I almost looked like a frail Victorian child, pale, gaunt, and utterly pathetic.

"I can’t even walk..."

Last night, Lillith had fed me some of her blood when she noticed how weak I was. The effect had been immediate, mana regenerating, physical strength returning, my body pulling itself back from the brink.

But the more I drank, the larger my vampiric features had grown. Horns lengthening. Wings unfurling. Fangs sharpening.

I’d stopped her before I could take more.

Power was tempting, but not at the cost of becoming a visible target. Unlike Lillith, who likely had vampiric illusion magic to mask her nature, my light magic wasn’t built for hiding horns and wings.

Drinking more of her blood might eventually grant me that same ability, but that was a gamble I wasn’t willing to take. Not while I was in foreign territory, surrounded by enemies who’d already sent thirty elite assassins to kill me.

But at least that let me confirm one thing. Blood was related; the more I drank, the more my features shifted.

And considering I was human-looking now, back to my usual self with no horns, no wings, no fangs, that meant depriving myself had been the right call.

CLICK!

The door opened while I was still struggling to stand, and Seraph stepped inside. She was already in her uniform, composed and ready, but the moment she saw me on the floor, she rushed to my side.

"Lady Seraph? Why are you here?"

She helped me sit on the edge of the bed, her cold hands steadying me with practiced efficiency.

"It’s about the theatre."

I looked up, already dreading what was coming.

"While the Citadel has stopped sending assassins after losing their elites, it seems they didn’t abandon the plan entirely."

"But aren’t you supposed to be the illusionist? How does that work then when you’re on my side?"

"They found another illusionist to replace me."

"Of course..."

I sighed. Of course they had. These bastards were still committed to their conspiracy even after losing their strongest mages. Was Lucius really worth that much to them?

No matter. The best move was to obviously stop the plot before it happened. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time.

And with the Citadel and Federation both complicit, gathering enough evidence to expose them wasn’t feasible. Not in a single day.

Seraph as a witness was valuable, but she wouldn’t be enough on her own. The word of one defector against the combined weight of two institutions? That wouldn’t hold up in any court, especially not here.

That left one viable plan: gather everyone I trusted, keep them close during the performance, and protect me while I was vulnerable when Lucius finally went crazy.

Then hope this world follows the script and Celeste manages to snap Lucius out of their manipulation, ending the arc the way it was supposed to end.

The pieces were still technically the same. The only difference was the target. Instead of Lucius turning on Leonis Academy as a whole, he was being directed at me specifically.

Celeste should still be able to do her job.

"Help me up. I have a plan."

✧ ✦ ✧

First was gathering allies. There was still an hour before the morning event, the official goodbye between the Citadel and the Leonis students, so time wasn’t on our side, but it wasn’t critical yet.

Aqua wasn’t hard to find. She was already training at four in the morning inside the arena-like classroom, sword in hand, dual elements flickering as she ran through her forms.

Now we just needed Anna and Lillith. And we had absolutely no idea where they were.

"What is this about, Lord Brimstone?"

Aqua fell into step beside us as we searched, her eyes darting between me and Seraph with barely concealed suspicion.

She had dozens of questions: why I couldn’t walk without stumbling, why my mana was completely depleted, why I looked like I’d been run over by a carriage.

"We can’t talk here. We’ll explain later."

Seraph answered for me, her tone clipped and practical.

"Then at least tell me why Lord Brimstone has no mana."

That one, I answered myself. If this was a romance game, it was free affection points.

"I healed her father’s disease. The spell drained me completely."

I admitted straightforwardly. Can’t exactly be theatrical and dramatic about this when every part of my body, including my mouth, felt sore.

"You’re kidding me, right? Is he telling the truth—?"

Seraph nodded, and Aqua’s expression shifted through several emotions in rapid succession. Surprise, disbelief, then something softer that she quickly suppressed.

"...I see."

✧ ✦ ✧

Another ten minutes of searching. By then, I could finally walk on my own, though each step still sent a dull ache through my legs. Anna and Lillith remained missing.

But Anna did say she was going to show me something today...

Could that be the reason?

Was she preparing for it? Was Lillith helping? There was no other reason they’d both vanish completely. Not even the other academy students had seen them.

At least, excluding one.

"L-Lord Brimstone! A minute, please!"

A blushing student approached the three of us, a letter clutched in his hand. He looked like he’d just stumbled out of a confession, flushed, flustered, and slightly dazed.

"Do you need something?"

"I have a letter for you from Lady Crimson. She said it’s urgent."

I took the letter, glancing at the handwriting before looking back at the student. Curiosity got the better of me.

"Did you just get a confession or something?"

"N-No, it’s not that. It’s just... well, Lady Crimson looked very pretty when she asked for my help delivering this."

Ah. How...

Mundane.

I supposed this place really was still an academy. Not everything had to be a conspiracy.