A loud roar swept the area outside the auditorium. It was the sound coming from not too far away.
And I stood there blankly in the middle of the auditorium, where I had come to find Laura. Laura’s face flickered before my eyes.
And then, a great explosion resulting from that familiar roar.
Caught in the aftermath of that explosion, Laura… my student…
“…No.”
As if it were being torn apart.
Blood and bone fragments, and flesh scattered everywhere, clumps of matted hair rolling in the mud.
And there I was, in the trench, witnessing that scene up close….
If that was Laura von Adelheit, the student I had promised to protect.
“No…! Oh, no…! No…!!”
“Head Priest!”
“L-Lucio, Professor!”
“L-Let me go…! I have to get out! Damn it…! I have to get out!”
“It’s still dangerous! Professor!”
Resenting the hands that pinned me down, I thrashed around. I desperately fought against them. It felt akin to a struggle for survival, a fish caught in a fisherman’s net.
I didn’t care. No matter what others thought, I had my job to do.
“I have to get out…!”
Eventually, I was able to move my body. I stumbled toward the auditorium’s door.
Perhaps it was a delusion.
Having lost Helena in vain, I thought I wouldn’t lose anything more.
I had vowed not to give off the scent of blood to the beasts lying in wait for my flesh and entrails.
All of it… might have been an illusion stemming from my ignorance. In the end, I wasn’t worthy of such thoughts.
I might have been drunk on the beauty of roses, only focusing on the petals while neglecting the thorns.
But, but…
“Ah….”
I dashed out of the auditorium. I felt the presence of Sofia the Sub-priest, Chloe, and Professor Esther scrambling behind me.
And then, I could see.
“That direction….”
From the direction of the academy’s main building, bright red flames were gushing forth, belching black smoke.
Could it be that Laura was caught in that explosion…?
“…Ugh.”
My head spun. The cause of my pain lurked in my ears from all directions.
Boom. Explosion. The sound of something bursting. It drove me mad.
“Ah, this is it….”
Yet, I moved. I stepped forward toward the building engulfed in black smoke.
Sofia the Sub-priest, Professor Esther, and Chloe clung to me, trying to stop me, but I couldn’t halt.
“…Not yet.”
I chose to wear the crown of thorns. Knowing the thorns attached to it would prick my head, I had to endure the pain.
Even as I saw the flames rising ahead, I did not give up. I had to cut this chain of hatred here.
I reached into my pocket. The cold, chilling grip of a handgun fit into my hand.
‘Cesar… Cesar Li…!’
It was a tingling sensation.
* * * * *
“Karmondorf, we need to go faster!”
“I’m sorry, Your Excellency. This is the best speed I can manage right now.”
“At this speed…!”
Maximilian von Adelheit barely managed to hold back the urge to yell at the poor Karmondorf. As he said, realizing things too late was indeed a problem.
“Damn it….”
Both a hasty sigh and a curse escaped from Maximilian’s lips. His eyes flickered to the wristwatch repeatedly.
It was already close to noon. It had been three hours since the explosion in the city.
Too late. Far too late. If he had realized that his precious daughter, Laura, was in such peril, he would have rushed to the academy long ago.
“Damn it…! Tell me, Chief Curbin. This happened in the middle of the city, why is the news so slow in coming!”
As Maximilian finally lost his temper, Chief Curbin, who was riding in the same vehicle, opened his mouth with a calm expression.
“The scale of the explosion was larger than expected. It took time to quickly suppress the flames and gather information from witnesses on site and surrounding areas.”
“That’s what the intelligence network is for! The city was attacked, and the Defense Ministry is doing what…!”
“Your Excellency, please calm down. We have dispatched agents to the academy, and we’ll secure Lady Adelheit’s identity as quickly as possible.”
“…Damn it!”
Unhappy with Chief Curbin’s response, Maximilian finally cursed and turned his head out the window.
‘How dare they, how dare they…!’
Maximilian suppressed his anger inwardly. How dare they aim a knife at Adelheit? He couldn’t understand what kind of confidence could lead to such an act.
To aim a blade at Maximilian himself wasn’t a serious matter. No matter who the target was, Maximilian had the confidence to dismiss ‘that’ nonchalantly.
However, if that blade was aimed at his only daughter…
-Crack…!
Maximilian clenched his fist. The muscles in his neck tensed, and a rage-inducing situation made his head feel dizzy.
Touching his most precious daughter, Laura, was unbearable. If someone had a grudge against him, they should come directly. It was cowardly and barbaric to touch his family. Especially his precious daughter, whom he wouldn’t hesitate to protect.
‘Just who are you…!’
Maximilian’s heart ached with the desire to unleash all his destructive magic on the unknown hostile force responsible for this act.
He racked his brain for any person who could have committed such an act, but no one came to mind who could have played such a game.
“Has the criminal… been identified?”
Eventually, the one who could return such intelligence was none other than Chief Curbin. As Maximilian suppressed his rising anxiety and anger to the limit and asked, Chief Curbin cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem… After quickly searching the explosion scene, we have roughly identified the criminal based on the evidence left at the scene.”
“That guy… who the hell is he?”
“That is….”
Chief Curbin hesitated for a moment. Was it right to tell him this?
‘The culprits are undoubtedly from the war veterans’ association reestablished by Cesar. But….’
Why was it that there was conclusive evidence proving that they had committed this act at the scene of the crime?
The maintenance uniforms they wore and the unexploded bombs that bore Cesar’s name.
And in the messages they left… Maximilian’s name was written.
‘Perhaps, to lure in the Duke of Adelheit….’
That was why he hesitated to speak. It seemed like things were unfolding just as Cesar wanted. It felt as if it was leading Maximilian to ruin.
“Chief Curbin.”
“…Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Speak. Just who is that guy?”
Yet, nevertheless, Maximilian was headed toward the academy. Telling him about Cesar’s crime wouldn’t have any significant impact. Chief Curbin arrived at that conclusion.
“Do you remember the young man named Cesar Li…?”
“Cesar Li…?”
Maximilian fell deep into thought with a serious expression. Chief Curbin stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.
“Who is he?”
Soon, without realizing it, she frowned.
“When you were summoned to the Martial Law Committee three years ago. At that time, he was one of the young men who caused a commotion in the courtroom….”
“…No way.”
Maximilian’s eyes widened. Now recognizing him, Chief Curbin nodded gravely.
“Yes. One of the young men who caused a ruckus in the courtroom. He is the mastermind of this incident.”
“Why would he…?”
Maximilian displayed a look of confusion. Chief Curbin was equally unaware of the precise reasons behind the friction in the Martial Law Committee.
“…Your Excellency. Do you have any grudge against him?”
“Could it be because of what happened during the trial back then…. Are they going this far? Or was it due to some operation during the Great War?”
“……”
Listening to Maximilian’s mutterings, Chief Curbin casually glanced at the driver’s seat.
The man driving the vehicle, Karmondorf.
Chief Curbin didn’t miss the twitch of his face.
‘…That man.’
It looked like the expression of someone caught in a lie.
* * * * *
The hot wind and scorching heat brushed against my skin.
Watching the flames spewing black smoke, Cesar nodded in satisfaction.
‘Good.’
Since the students had evacuated, the casualties shouldn’t be too great. However, Cesar’s plan was never aimed at the students’ suffering in the first place.
Having meticulously crafted the bomb, its power was incredibly strong. From the explosion in the academy’s main building, flames soared high, and black smoke covered the sky.
If Duke Adelheit, who arrived at the academy in a flurry, learned that Laura was missing from the auditorium where the students had taken shelter, and heard the last witness account of her being seen in the hallway leading to the main building…
If Duke Adelheit noticed those facts and saw the flames rising from the main building…
What kind of expression would he wear?
He would likely show a face filled with endless despair. It must feel as if the world was crumbling down. Cesar understood this feeling all too well.
Thus, he could gauge the size of the pain he would endure.
“Ugh…! Ugh…!”
As the hot wind rushed up to the roof of the academy’s main building, Laura, bound and gagged, made a suffocating sound.
“Ugh…!”
“……”
For a moment, Cesar looked at her, disregarding Laura’s deadly glare, and checked his wristwatch.
It was past noon. The intelligence department would have discovered the evidence left by Cesar, and Duke Adelheit would have been contacted as well.
‘He should be arriving soon.’
Sure enough, several black vehicles were approaching the academy’s courtyard from a distance.
Which of those vehicles was carrying Duke Adelheit? The answer quickly revealed itself.
Duke Adelheit, with a flustered expression, emerged from the vehicle in a hurry. From the cars that followed, agents from the intelligence department in black clothes poured out.
Gazing at them, armed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Cesar narrowed his eyes. The comrades scattered inside the main building would eventually engage in a gunfight with the agents.
‘It doesn’t matter.’
Cesar thought it did not matter. Everyone had chosen to plunge into this matter, prepared for death. They all volunteered to risk their lives, yearning to express their anger toward the society and established powers that had scorned them.
Thus, now was the time to express that anger freely.
“Ugh…! Ugh…!”
Cesar looked at Laura, who was trying to scream. As the gun that had been aimed at her temple disappeared, the way she glared at him with furious eyes was amusing.
Cesar slowly walked closer to Laura, removing the gag from her mouth. As soon as her mouth was free, Laura tried to scream.
“Here—!”
“Quiet.”
However, that was also easily blocked by the cold muzzle of a gun. Laura shut her mouth tightly and glared at Cesar as if she would kill him.
“You coward….”
“You think I’m the coward? Sure, think what you want.”
“Do you really think you’ll get away with this? It’s not too late—if you let me go now….”
“Do you think that if I let you go now…. I could live?”
This time, Laura closed her mouth instead. Seeing Laura like that, Cesar scoffed and removed the deeply pulled-down hat he wore.
His grotesque appearance was fully revealed. As Laura inhaled sharply at the sight, Cesar felt a surge of emotions welling up inside him.
Laura’s eyes closed. Cesar grabbed her hair and lifted her head.
“Look at my face. Don’t close your eyes, look carefully.”
“……”
“Look—!!”
With Cesar’s desperate shout, Laura finally opened her eyes. The grotesque sight of him, half-melted with one eye completely white, reflected in her gaze.
“What have you…?”
Through trembling eyes, Laura looked at him in confusion. Seeing that, Cesar nodded with satisfaction and released her hair.
“Aren’t you curious why it turned out like this?”
“…….”
The hot wind brushed against Cesar’s cheek. Like a memory from that day.
Cesar bit down hard on his trembling lip. He felt the sharp taste of blood spreading in his mouth and opened it.
“What do you think of your father?”
“…….”
“Answer me. My patience is not that great.”
“…If you dare insult my father, I won’t let you go.”
“Do you respect Duke Adelheit?”
“He…! Of course. Father is an archmage, a war hero….”
“That mouth.”
In an instant, Cesar’s gaze sharpened.
“Shut it.”
“…….”
“War hero…. Yes. That’s what you all believe….”
Ultimately, the public perception is different. Cesar’s voice trembled without mercy.
“I’ll make it clear here. Your father is no war hero.”
“What…!”
“Do you know what happened between Lucio Antorelli, the professor of theology, and your father? And what he did to me….”
“What….”
Laura gazed at Cesar in disbelief.
How does this man know Professor Antorelli?
Looking at Laura’s confused expression, Cesar grinned with a bloody smile.
“Aren’t you curious?”
In the end, yes. There was nothing left.
It felt like standing at the edge of a cliff.
With the blazing desire for revenge as kindling, he had whittled away his hatred.
“I have a story to tell you.”
And now, with that sharpened emotion in his hand, Cesar knew.
“It’s time to stab the heart of the enemy who drove me to the edge of the cliff. The sins he committed against me and Lucio.”
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")