Chapter 29: A Special Day (4)
Stefania clicked her tongue the moment the alarm from her detection spell rang out.
It was likely just some small fry taking the bait, interrupting her enjoyable time for nothing. But as soon as she realized where the spell had been triggered, her irritation vanished.
Had it been an unimportant location, she would have dismissed it as the church’s pawns making another futile effort.
But the site in question was the warehouse concealing the sanctum where her contracted demon was summoned. She had no choice but to pause her habitual torment of Iris.
“Yes, Iris. It seems I have business to attend to, so let’s end here for today.”
She released Iris, who trembled like a frightened squirrel, and watched the girl stagger out of the room.
Stefania’s enjoyment of the scene lasted only briefly before her mind raced, sorting through potential suspects. One name quickly surfaced: Gloria.
She’d noticed Gloria’s recent increased activity but hadn’t thought she would locate the sanctum.
Information about the sanctum had only been shared with Stefania’s most trusted inner circle. How had that brute managed to find out?
Though curious, Stefania wasn’t overly concerned. She suspected Gloria had coerced or beaten the information out of someone in her circle who was either weak or dissatisfied. Several possible candidates came to mind.
Deciding it was time to reevaluate her inner circle, Stefania grabbed her staff and cloak.
If it were mere pawns, she could easily eliminate them with a single spell. But to face Gloria, she needed to prepare thoroughly.
Stefania’s first encounter with Gloria had been memorable. At the time, she thought Gloria was just another nuisance sent by the church and planned to deal with her personally.
The so-called apostles of the church had always crumbled quickly under her magic, so even when Gloria revealed herself as the First Apostle, Stefania felt confident, mocking how long Gloria could endure.
But the moment Gloria began wielding two massive greatswords, cleaving through Stefania’s spells, Stefania realized something was wrong.
Though she managed to break both swords, Gloria charged at her, imbued with divine power, landing a crushing blow that left Stefania no choice but to flee.
That had been three years ago.
Today, Stefania was determined to settle the score. Fully equipped, she teleported to the warehouse, surrounded by four layers of protective barriers to prepare for an ambush.
Yet, as she arrived, she found no sign of the carnage she’d anticipated—no torn doors, no signs of brute force.
The warehouse was intact.
The lock on the door had been neatly disengaged, further deepening her confusion.
To her knowledge, Gloria had no allies capable of surpassing her own magical prowess.
If Gloria hadn’t ripped the door open with brute force, the only alternative was that she had flooded the area with divine energy to disrupt the spell. Yet Stefania, who could sense divine energy, saw no traces of it.
Her protective magic on the door had been bypassed, someone had entered the warehouse, neutralized her defensive spells, and even triggered an alarm—deliberately.
That was Stefania’s conclusion.
Someone wanted me to come here.
But Stefania pushed the thought aside. She would uncover the truth once the intruder was dead.
While she wasn’t an expert in supportive magic, she was a master of destructive spells. No matter who the intruder was, she was confident she could kill them, even if it took time.
Entering the warehouse with a murderous aura, she spread a wave of mana to scan the area.
The reflection of her mana revealed no hidden presences.
The only noticeable disturbance was the disarray of the previously organized storage room.
Stefania didn’t immediately investigate what might have been taken. Instead, she headed straight for the hidden sanctum.
The spell concealing the sanctum was intact, much to her surprise.
If it wasn’t Gloria, who had dismantled her spells, entered the warehouse, triggered the alarm, and then disappeared without a trace?
Who could it be?
The mystery left Stefania perplexed.
Regardless of their motive, it was clear they were skilled, aware of the sanctum’s location, and bold enough to provoke her.
Rattled but resolute, Stefania began searching for what was missing.
It took her some time to sift through the disorder, but eventually, she realized a single document was missing.
A carefully crafted plan to completely eliminate the church’s influence from the academy during the final exams.
The document detailed a plan to sacrifice humans to demons, turning them into demon-bound beings under Stefania’s control. These beings would be unleashed to annihilate suspected church affiliates.
She had already selected potential sacrifices and was eager to execute her plan.
Now, it was too risky. If someone knew about it, implementing the plan would expose her.
Disappointed, she resolved to use more conventional methods to eliminate the church’s influence, relying on demon beasts during exams instead.
Stefania left the warehouse, deciding to delegate the cleanup to Iris.
***
“…She’s gone?”
“…Yeah, looks like it.”
Emerging from the locker, the fresh air felt so good it was almost intoxicating.
The cramped space had been suffocating, made worse by the mix of Dogeon’s scent and shampoo. Meanwhile, Dogeon kept shifting uncomfortably, wriggling against me.
And what was with rubbing his… leg? …against my stomach? Didn’t he realize how awkward that was for both of us?
I couldn’t identify who had entered, partly because Dogeon’s scent had overwhelmed me. Not that I disliked it—it was actually kind of nice—but still.
Being so close to someone who wasn’t family felt unfamiliar.
Pressing against him like that, I could feel his heartbeat and body heat. It wasn’t unpleasant, though it left me flustered.
Dogeon took a deep breath, savoring the fresh air. I envied him—he probably found it genuinely refreshing.
“…Sorry for pulling you into the locker without warning. I didn’t have time…”
“It’s fine. You meant well.”
“…By the way, were you… uncomfortable?”
I had intended to scold him for his excessive fidgeting, but it felt wrong to criticize someone who’d just been so understanding.
“…Why do you ask?”
“Well… you kept rubbing your leg against my stomach. Were you that uncomfortable?”
Dogeon froze, avoiding eye contact as he scratched the back of his head.
“…It wasn’t my leg.”
What? Then…
“Wait, was it your arm?”
No way. Was he that oblivious? I started piecing things together, my mind racing. It wasn’t his arm, nor his leg, so…
Considering our proximity and the position…
My face burned. Oh no. OH NO.
“…I-I see…”
“…It’s not something I could control. There wasn’t much space…”
I realized we’d also been chest-to-chest, which made his explanation somewhat understandable. But I had been the one to drag him into the locker and signal for silence.
…I’d never been this foolish, even during a heat cycle.
Desperately avoiding eye contact, I noticed there were much better hiding spots—wardrobes and even strange holes in the wall.
I should stay indoors for the rest of the day. If I went out again, who knows what might happen?
But… it was… big.
No, no, stop! You’re a man—well, you used to be. Stop this train of thought!
“Ugh…”
“…I’m really sorry. I’ll make it up to you later, but let’s get out of here first. Someone else might come.”
“…Yeah, let’s go.”
His reasoning was sound, which only made me more annoyed. Why am I the one embarrassed when it’s his fault?
“…Aren’t you going to hold my hand this time?”
Dogeon extended his hand toward me as if expecting me to take it.
Like hell I will!
“No… Let’s just go.”
“Alright.”
We walked back, keeping a safe distance. Neither of us spoke, and yet all I could think about was what had happened.
That… thing pressing against my stomach.
It’s because of the heat cycle. That’s why I’m flustered. Definitely.
I wasn’t writing this in my journal—too mortifying.
Looking back at how irrational I’d been, I considered taking time off during the heat cycle, claiming poor health.
If women in my old world could skip school for menstrual cramps, surely this wasn’t too different.
Not that I’d actually go through with it.
Which meant I’d keep attending the academy, even in this ridiculous state.
…Can I really survive this academy without incident?
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