Chapter 44: When the Flame Awakens

“Sensei… it’s Seia. Can you hear me?”

“My time is short. Due to my grave mistake, I’ll soon lose my prophetic dreams… but before that, I wanted to send you one final message as you head to the Arius Autonomous District.”

“I won’t ask you to flee from Arius… I know you’d never turn back, no matter what I say.”

“Instead… I want to tell you how to face Beatrice, the monster preparing a ritual to destroy Kivotos.”

“The answer lies with the one by your side—Itokonoue Kaoru. Her power is the key. However…”

“The strength Kaoru has shown so far, and what she’s aware of, is merely the dying embers of a lost world. But with the ‘box’ you carry… even a fraction of it could surely rekindle her flame.”

“Because… if what someone just told me is true… the true mystery Kaoru holds is…”

“Mmm…”

She’s waking up.

In a secret passage leading to the Arius Autonomous District, I was keeping watch in the dim silence when a soft voice from behind made me turn.

“Kaoru…?” Sensei, draped in my blue cardigan, was slowly sitting up, her eyes meeting mine.

While Saori’s group cleared the path ahead, I’d convinced Sensei to rest briefly here, seeing how her stamina was visibly waning after rallying the Squad and traveling to Arius late at night.

“Fufu, Master, did you sleep well?” I asked, kneeling to retrieve my cardigan.

Sensei, still a bit groggy, glanced around curiously.

“Kaoru, did you hear Seia’s voice just now…?”

Seia reached her in a dream again?

I thought.

Telling her to escape Arius, no doubt.

But Sensei would never abandon Atsuko.

“Oh my, no. Perhaps it was a dream?” I said, feigning ignorance, knowing Seia likely urged her to flee, as in the original story.

“I see… How long was I out?” Sensei asked.

“Fufu, about fifteen minutes. The gunfire’s stopped, so the others should return soon,” I replied.

After hearing Saori’s plea, Sensei had decided without hesitation to help rescue Atsuko.

Our infiltration into Arius’s heart was, so far, proceeding smoothly, just like the original story.

“Huee…! S-So Schale’s Sensei is finally here to execute us personally…? I knew this day would come, but I still have so many magazines to read…!” Hiyori wailed.

“…It’s a misunderstanding, Hiyori. Sensei’s here to—” Saori began.

“B-But the one behind her is that infamous Schale executioner…! She’s definitely going to slice me in half this time!” Hiyori cried.

“…” I sighed.

“Kaoru, don’t mind her,” Sensei said.

“Storming into Arius’s core to rescue the princess from Madame? You came back to drag me into that doomed plan?” Misaki scoffed.

“Oh my, I bet I could slam you into the asphalt before you even jump off that railing. Still want to try?” I retorted.

“…”

Despite minor hiccups—like Hiyori’s embarrassing nickname for me or my slightly aggressive coaxing of Misaki off a railing while we rounded up the scattered Squad—the group returned shortly after Sensei awoke, as I’d predicted.

“The forward intersection’s cleared…! Hehe… guess we’re full-on traitors now. No going back to Arius…” Hiyori reported, still cheerful.

“Security’s weaker than usual. They probably didn’t expect us to return for the princess and sent most forces out to search,” Misaki added.

The Squad’s reputation as Arius’s elite wasn’t for show, they handled the task with ease.

Saori, though visibly worn, spoke with a hint of hope.

“Time’s tight, but at this rate, we might reach the target before Atsuko’s sacrificed.”

“Got it. Let’s move,” Sensei said, standing.

Saori glanced at me quietly.

“I’m counting on you to protect Sensei.”

“Fufu, of course. You all move freely,” I replied.

“Understood. We’ll secure the next waypoint. Follow at a distance, like now,” Saori said, leading Hiyori and Misaki back into the darkness.

Bang! Tat-tat-tang!

Soon, faint gunfire echoed again.

As Sensei and I walked the passage, she suddenly turned to me with an odd look.

“Kaoru?”

“Yes, Master?”

“Since you recalled how to use your weapon that day… have you remembered anything else about your old world? What you did, or maybe its final moments?” she asked.

“Hmm… I’m sorry, nothing comes to mind,” I said.

Because I never experienced it to begin with.

Why was she asking this now?

As I puzzled over her question, Sensei gave her usual warm smile.

“I see. If anything does come back, tell me anytime. Helping you recover your memories and maybe return to your world is my duty as your teacher.”

“…” My original world… or rather, Kaoru’s, is gone for sure.

Seia confirmed it.

Should I let Sensei chase a lost cause?

“Master, actually…” I began, ready to share what Seia had told me.

“Wait,” Sensei interrupted, her face tightening as she stopped walking.

“Oh my?” I tilted my head, pausing.

“The gunfire stopped,” she said.

“Oh, it did?” That was faster than before.

Unlike my casual reaction, Sensei’s sharp intuition kicked in, her expression hardening.

“The last shots… they weren’t like any I’ve heard before. Not Saori’s, not the Squad’s, not even Arius’s…”

With a grimace, she pulled out her tablet—the Shittim Chest—and stared at its white screen, as if confirming something with Arona.

Asking Arona about the gunfire?

If it’s not the Squad or Arius… could it be…?

As I mulled over her words, dreading a certain possibility, Sensei’s face paled.

She shoved the tablet back into her coat and shouted, “Kaoru! We need to catch up to the others now! I’ll explain on the way—hurry!”

Without further explanation, her urgent tone was enough.

From her words and reaction, I knew exactly what had happened to the Squad ahead.

…Mika’s here.