Chapter 189
The black tentacles seized Reina's body.
At this rate, Reina would also fall victim to the tentacle play.
Clael desperately grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back... but his vision was swallowed by a pure white light.
Beyond the light, the figures of two humans began to appear.
Standing there were... Reina and a girl whose name he didn't even know.
"I was jealous... of you..."
'She' sat down flat in the white world and began to speak.
Her face was filled with anguish and regret, and her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Saint Reina... you are loved and admired by so many. I wanted to be like you. I looked up to you..."
"Please, go on."
The one listening to the girl's confession-like words was Reina, dressed in pure white robes.
Just moments ago, she had been wearing her school uniform... but at some point, it had changed into immaculate white priestly robes.
Her appearance was truly that of a Saint. Even someone who knew nothing about Reina would instantly recognize her as a holy being.
'What is this...?'
Clael was watching the exchange between the two from a third-person perspective.
His confused muttering didn't reach them. It was as if an invisible wall separated them.
"I admired you... I wanted to be like you. I wanted to be loved by Prince Eric, by Vincent-senpai, by Will-san, by Luy-kun... I wanted to grow close to them. I wanted to be cherished..."
"............"
"Of course, that was just a fantasy. A dream I believed could never come true. I, who am plain and have no real talents, thought I would spend the next three years harboring those one-sided feelings. But... then I encountered a power that could change that."
"What was that power?"
"...A box."
The girl clasped her hands and trembled.
She confessed the terrible sin she had committed to the Saint before her.
"I found the box. I was organizing the storage room as part of my class representative duties. There was a black box. I picked it up without thinking... and then I heard a voice."
"What did the voice say to you?"
"It said... to open it. That if I opened the box, any wish would be granted. It was a very kind and lingering voice."
"And... what did you do?"
"I opened it... Ah, what have I done...!"
The girl began to cry, tears falling one after another.
Droplets splashed on the white floor, forming small stains.
"I'm sure there was a demon sealed inside that box. I released the 'evil' that had been sealed away... and because of that, I hurt so many people!"
"............"
"Before I knew it, I had become a student council officer. I was by Prince Eric's side, helping them with their work as if it were natural. But really... I had stolen a place that should have belonged to someone chosen, like you...!"
She had unleashed the Seven Mysteries of the Academy, and in return, gained the place Reina might have had.
Demons prey on human weakness, reaching for their souls with gentle words.
"My name was taken by the box. Even as I stood beside the princes, I felt it... the evil I had released was hurting the students. Because of me, people were swallowed by the darkness..."
"...I see."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I'm truly sorry...!"
The girl placed both hands on the ground, repeatedly apologizing through her tears.
Reina looked down at her for a moment... then knelt and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Raise your head."
"Ah..."
"In the name of the Saint, your confession has been delivered to the goddess."
A halo of light formed behind Reina.
As if an invisible goddess were truly present there.
"I cannot lightly say you are forgiven. However... you will be given a chance to atone for your sins. Be grateful for the goddess's mercy."
Reina's hand slowly slid from the girl's shoulder to her chest.
And then... in the next moment, her fingers plunged deep into the girl's chest.
"Nngh...!"
"Leave now. A being like you has no place within one who has confessed and been purified...!"
'Kyokyokyo...'
When Reina withdrew her hand from the girl's chest, she was holding a black box.
It was about the size of a music box... and from the slightly open lid, black tentacles slithered out.
'Kyokyo...!'
"Begone."
Reina declared firmly and crushed the tentacles along with the box.
The shattered remains of the box dissolved into particles and vanished into the pure air of the space.
"May the lost lamb be granted great forgiveness..."
'............!'
In the next moment, everything was enveloped in pure light once again.
Clael instinctively closed his eyes... and when he opened them, he was standing on the rooftop outside the Reverse Academy.