―That place was a room encroached by the dusk.
What greeted Kazuki and the others, who were going to report the result of the quest, were instructions for him to head towards the student guidance room alone.
Mio showed her disapproval towards the idea of Kazuki going alone, but Kazuki could imagine the reason for those instructions.
…It seems that they didn't want Lotte to be present at the place, so they named a representative to come alone.
There was no doubt that this talk was about that female soldier.
Inside the student guidance room, that was dyed dark red by the evening sun from the window, Liz Liza-sensei was waiting alone.
"Sensei, please explain what in the world is going on."
Before Liz Liza-sensei opened her mouth, Kazuki jumped the gun and pressed his question.
"We were targeted by Germany's Einherjar at the end of the quest. The other party was contracted with a Diva of Norse's Mythology, Thor. The one who was targeted was probably Lotte. …This incident wasn't supposed to happen."
Kazuki reported dispassionately.
"I don't understand how things could turn out like this, but if things don't change, then Lotte will be in danger. Lotte needs to be transferred from this academy to the Knight Order, then we ought to request the Knight Order to strengthen the monitoring of the Einherjar. A firmer security is needed."
Kazuki dared to say an obvious matter stupidly.
"We can't do that."
Liz Liza-sensei only spat out a sentence.
"…Why is that?"
"Because all of you weren't attacked by anyone. Publicly that is."
The light of the evening sun from the window, cast a deep shadow on Liz Liza-sensei's face.
Liz Liza-sensei donned the expression of a cold adult.
"The name of the Einherjar that's contracted with Thor is Beatrix Baumgard. She slipped out from the lodging house of the Knight Order alone at 14:23, Japan time. She trespassed Okutama's Haunted Ground. Even without your report, the Knight Order had already grasped all her movement. Her monitoring was not neglected for even a second."
"You understand to that extent, and she already attacked with impunity, yet you will keep saying that there was no attack?"
Though that reply was just as Kazuki expected― a cold sweat ran down his back.
The attack on Lotte by Einherjar was not supposed to happen. Moreover the government and the Knight Order were not planning to get involved. In short…
"…The government and the Knight Order didn't plan to shelter Lotte from the start. All those refusal to hand over Lotte's person and the protection were just for [outward appearance], is that so?"
"Japan didn't accept Germany's proposal and respected the life of the refugee. Germany was understanding and came to Japan only for the sake of defeating their common enemy, Loki. Then unrelated at all to Japan and Germany's united front―Lotte died in an unfortunate accident. That sort of plot. It couldn't be helped if it was an accident."
"Don't fuck with me! …There is no way that kind of forced [It can't be helped] could exist!"
"Speaking honestly, for Germany, it seems it doesn't matter whatever Loki did. Their order of priority is the opposite. That's why entrusting Lotte to the academy was only a feint. The matter of Einherjar coming to Japan under the pretext of subjugating Loki to secretly assassinate Lotte, the Japanese government recognized it implicitly. All for the sake of preserving favorable relations with other foreign countries and Germany."
"Even my encounter with Lotte… was that nothing more than an arrangement to lure Lotte to the ideal place for assassination in the quest?"
"There was no other way to preserve the balance of power between the Magic Advance Countries."
"…Lotte didn't seek power only for the sake of her greed. Didn't she do it only to escape her destiny of death by sickness?"
"Everyone knows her circumstances already."
Liz Liza-sensei just shrugged her shoulders to the words that Kazuki squeezed out.
"That girl only tried desperately to live! The nation is an enormous existence, but they are going to gang up on one girl and trample her underfoot just like that? Even arranging a forced plot like this! Isn't there any other way?"
"There is no need to search for any other way. Other than the misfortune of Lotte whose existence is trivial, everything else would work out just fine, don't you agree? …The only object a country has the obligation to protect is its people. The current era Japan doesn't have any allowance to recognize the human rights of a refugee who came as she pleased."
Is she saying that seriously?
To agree that Lotte is not a human deep from the heart after seeing her smile…
"Someone who could let a person die because of that kind of reason is not a human!"
Kazuki never thought that Liz Liza-sensei was this kind of person who could explain such unreasonable, behind the scenes plot, without even cracking an expression. Was Liz Liza-sensei really aware of this reality?
When she encouraged Kazuki that he would be able to succeed in the quest, was she already aware of this?
"…If you can't agree, then what are you going to do? Trash."
While leaning her back on the chair, Liz Liza-sensei questioned with a testy tone.
At that instant, an obvious reply naturally floated inside Kazuki's mind.
"If the government doesn't have any intention to involve themselves in the supposed incident that would befall Lotte… no one should have any complaint if someone saved Lotte from the accident willfully."
His expression warped unconsciously. Kazuki floated a smile half in desperation.
"Even if Beatrix had the tables turned on her and she gets into an accident, in a place where there is supposed to be no one, Germany won't have any right to complain. …We are of equal status in this regard."
If this was not an official matter then the story is simple.
"Don't say such reckless things like a child. The opponent is Germany's ace you know?"
"I will―protect Lotte! I won't accept such a thing!"
Liz Liza-sensei's rock hard expression… broke suddenly.
She suddenly bent her back with all her strength and released a huge sigh.
Thereupon she stood from her chair and turned on the light of the student guidance room that had turned dark.
"…Sorry, Hayashizaki. I was anticipating from the start that a student like you will say such thing."
Liz Liza-sensei sat back on the chair and said so while leaning on her back powerlessly.
"The order that was handed down to me was to forbid you and Amasaki from speaking, when you come back, where Lotte is killed while you guys survived. But forbidding you to speak is useless talk, isn't it? Moreover, I thought that Lotte's chances of returning alive was high with two people that can use Phoenix's level 5 magic, if you guys devoted yourself to escaping. Stop underestimating my student, that kind of talk."
"…So Liz Liza-sensei already predicted everything from the start… including my action… was it? You don't plan to let Lotte die…"
"You are still not trusted by anyone and evaluated too little but, you are the possessor of a King's power. Other than entrusting Lotte to you, there is no one else who has any chance of saving her. Sorry Hayashizaki. If you are really the King of Solomon― ignore the likes of the country's scheme and save the girl. …I'm counting on you."
Liz Liza-sensei had already seen through that the person called Hayashizaki Kazuki was that kind of human.
However… rather than saying things like aiming to become a harem king, this objective was much more easier to consent to.
{If your caliber is only to the extent of letting Lotte die at this point, even Leme won't acknowledge you as our King. It's obvious that you have to save Lotte if you're a King, so to speak. This is the ordeal you need to pass to become a King.}
Leme's voice resounded inside Kazuki's mind. Leme was enthusiastic too.
Mio would also approve of this.
"Well then, what is going to happen from now on with regards to the previous scheme?"
"You guys keep your mouths shut and take Lotte to challenge a quest once more, at that time it will be arranged for Beatrix to attack again. There won't be any witnesses if it's inside the Haunted Ground. The role of you guys are to shut your mouth and guide Lotte once more to that kind of place."
"…In other words if we know the timing of the attack beforehand, we can anticipate Beatrix with any kind of preparation of our own, right?"
"However, you cannot take Otonashi Kaguya and the others. If the student council president is present at the scene, we won't be able to say that [Our academy's student protected her by their own initiative though―]. Nonetheless, the time to prepare for Beatrix is not long. …One month. If you can turn her away one more time, they shouldn't be able to meddle so openly and the period of cooperation with Einherjar would be over. If it turned out like that, they would lose all excuses and they would eventually go back to their country."
So we couldn't rely on our senpais. And even then… the opponent was a formidable enemy.
"A student overreaching himself cannot become an opponent who can oppose Beatrix. After all, she is Germany's ace. But you are a King. Lotte's Diva is originally a Diva with considerable power. If you could use him well, then the chance of victory would appear. For the sake of defeating an enemy with your limited power…"
King, the moment he heard that word, Kazuki felt an unpleasant premonition. Liz Liza-sensei announced.
"In this limited time of preparation, increase Lotte's positivity level as much as possible from now on."
So in the end this ended up like that, Kazuki cradled his head.
"By the way, we met the knights of Japan's Knight Order in the Haunted Ground. They barged into the fight with Beatrix too, but what's with that?"
Kazuki inquired so before he left the student guidance room.
"…What are you talking about? All the knights in Tokyo should already be informed about Beatrix. To show hostility to Beatrix, what is…?"
Liz Liza-sensei knitted her eyebrow, this was the first time that she was baffled by the situation.
"Its impossible for Japan's knights to be in that place."