The gloves Heiter handed over with a sly smile were as black as the sky outside the window. They were suitable for concealing the Mark, but the sensation of them clinging tightly to my hands needled at me. It felt almost like a physical manifestation of a bond that could never be severed, no matter how hard one tried.

“Phew…”

A thread of tension wove through the deep breath I exhaled. No matter how many times I adjusted and checked my sword, this suffocating tightness in my chest refused to fade. A reunion after so long always stirred special emotions, regardless of who the other person might be.

And doubly so when that person was the object of a long-standing unrequited love. The thought drew a wry laugh from me before I could stop it.

Looking back, it was inevitable. There had only ever been one woman in my life, so it was only natural that Lena was my sole object of affection. And Lena was beautiful on top of that—in a way, it was an irresistible force. Even now, recalling her image makes my hardened heart stir, beating just a little faster.

I loved her, so I devoted myself to her. I loved her, so I understood everything. That was why I cleaned up after Lena every morning without complaint, and why I acted unfazed no matter how much she ignored me at the Academy. Looking back on it now, what a pathetic existence I led.

That said, it wasn’t as if there was no reward at all. After spending a week like that, Lena would do something date-like with me every weekend. Nothing grand, of course—just walking together along a secluded forest path at the Academy, or chatting idly. But those moments were my lifeblood back then.

Sitting behind some deserted boulder, listening to Lena’s worries and complaints, I would sometimes feel as though I had become her boyfriend. During those moments, at least, Lena was freely affectionate. She would laugh brightly and slap my arm playfully, or brush crumbs off my face, or even lean against my shoulder and close her eyes as if drowsy.

Those moments genuinely confused me. Would it be okay to kiss those pink lips right now? Glimpsing her pale skin through the carelessly disheveled folds of her dress, I felt the impulse to simply pull her into my embrace more times than I care to admit.

But Lena never permitted anything beyond that. More than a hug, less than a kiss. The line of friendship was always drawn in exactly that manner. Whenever other people—regardless of gender—crossed that line with Lena, I would feel a maddening surge of jealousy.

Come to think of it, didn’t Lena have a boyfriend at some point in between? I can’t seem to remember. Perhaps I deliberately erased it from memory.

If there was one thing I could say with certainty, it was that all those feelings diluted over time.

“…Lena.”

Eternal, unchanging devotion is a fantasy. No matter how intense, unrequited love eventually cools. I was living proof of that.

Only after turning it over in my mind did I vaguely understand how I felt about Lena. There was certainly tender affection, but also a love-hate presence that I myself clearly recognized could never return to what it once was.

I wanted to protect her because she was a memory, but questioned whether she was worth it because she was only a memory. Wasn’t that the dilemma?

Of course, depending on circumstances, even memories could intersect with the present. But that was not something within my power to control.

“It’s about time.”

It had been so long since I’d had time to reflect that I’d lost track of it entirely. Now it was time to go.

…But then again, no matter how I dressed it up, I was ultimately risking my life to rescue Lena. Whatever my underlying motives, I still hadn’t given up on her. A childhood friend I’d pined for would always be my weak spot, no matter the situation.

Still, I had to save her. It was Lena, after all.

No matter how far our paths had diverged, I wanted to at least prevent these animals from stealing her virtue.

Of course, I had no way of knowing if she was still a virgin.

“Good grief…”

Even I found it a tasteless joke. Without so much as a smile, I rose and set out down the moonless night road.

It was late night, and a famished crescent moon hung precipitously low. The only light left in the sky was a hazy lunar glow, and even that seemed precariously close to being swallowed by clouds. A perfect night for a raid.

If only I could clearly distinguish friend from foe. The sight of white academy uniforms scattered haphazardly through the darkness only deepened my unease. As I chewed on that anxiety, Heiter approached.

“You’re not late, Lope.”

“Yeah. By the way, if we’re raiding at night, you should’ve told them to wear black. They stand out like sore thumbs.”

“Is that really necessary? They’ll all be asleep anyway.”

Releasing these guys without any discipline and hoping for luck on top of that? Heiter had probably said something, but the excited men whispering among themselves was already loud enough. Add the way sound carried at night, and anyone trying to listen could probably hear them from outside the Academy grounds.

If their numbers hadn’t been sufficient, they might have already declared failure. But whether fortunately or unfortunately, the number of guys Heiter had gathered was considerable. Just from those assembled, they could easily overwhelm that small building.

Even if that building were packed with people, we had at least twice their number. I glanced toward the building with that thought.

Bathed in the dim moonlight, the building looked far more shabby than I’d imagined. Whether that was due to the poor light or my weak night vision, I couldn’t tell—but it seemed as though it would crumble at the slightest charge from a force of this size.

That said, I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. The building was heavily staffed with magic users, and if memory served, it had an underground facility as well. Even if they were inexperienced students, they would certainly have taken some precautions.

At this point, I was growing curious about this supposed brilliant method for breaching the building. But Heiter still seemed to have no intention of telling me. He received a report from someone who came running from somewhere, then nodded with satisfaction.

“Preparations are nearly done. Once that arrives, we start immediately. You ready, Lope?”

“Don’t worry about me. More importantly, what exactly is this method of yours?”

“You’ll see when it happens. Damn… I’m already hard as hell just imagining those bitches crying and running.”

“…”

Considering what I’d been hearing around me, that was actually fairly restrained. The murmurs of zealots united not by faith but by lust were so vulgar they made me want to sand my ears off.

“By the way, why are you wearing gloves, Lope? Weren’t you going in to have some fun too?”

“If I hurt my hands out here, who’s going to stitch them up? I take care of my own body.”

“That’s a good point. I should put some on too. That way I can pull out mid-fuck and stick it right in.”

“…And Heiter. That contact you mentioned this morning—where are they? Can I meet them now?”

“Ah… that.”

For the first time, Heiter replied without confidence. He pretended to scan the surroundings before answering.

“Well… I haven’t seen them since earlier. They might not have arrived yet.”

“What? That’s not what you said. There is such a person, right?”

“That much is true. But that doesn’t mean they won’t show up, so don’t worry. They agreed to come because they want something too. They might already be here, waiting up ahead. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of backing out now, Lope?”

Part of me wanted nothing more.

But I had my own reasons for being here. Having come this far, giving up and turning back would leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

“I’m not. So let’s just get started already.”

“We can’t start until we’re ready. They should be here soon…”

“That method for breaching the door. What is it, Heiter?”

“You’ll be surprised.”

Heiter grinned as he said it. Even in the darkness, the madness glinting on those pearly white teeth was clearly visible. My unease had escalated into full-blown tension.

“Ah, finally here.”

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind. I offered a prayer to the empty sky and turned my gaze.

“Ugh… phew…”

“Damn… this is heavy as hell…”

“Shit…”

Then, through the darkness, I caught sight of several male students clustered around a large crate. I couldn’t tell what was inside, but it was clearly no lightweight cargo. Frustrated by the sight, Heiter unleashed a string of profanity.

“Useless bastards. What are you doing? Move it, already.”

“I’m serious, it’s heavy… just give us a second.”

“Wait, my ass. This is ridiculous.”

His impatient voice carried an edge of anxiety. It was enough to make me suspect he’d moved the plan up from three days later to tonight simply because he couldn’t contain his lust.

“Hey. Just move aside! I’ll carry it myself.”

Unable to contain himself, Heiter rushed over and grabbed onto the crate. Only then could I peer through the gaps and catch a glimpse inside.

Inside the crate, several large bottles filled with some kind of liquid stood in a row. I couldn’t make out the color, but from the labels, they appeared to have come from a warehouse near the abandoned building. The warehouse of a building the Academy had been planning to demolish. Its remote location must have delayed its discovery.

Something from a place like that—what could it be? Perhaps because it was late at night, but my mind wasn’t working sharply. That was why it took far too long for the keywords—abandoned building, demolition, and bottles of liquid—to connect.

Bottles found in a building slated for demolition.

…

Oh, hell.

That’s liquid explosive.

“Shit…!”

The realization triggered a reflexive curse. What those idiots were carelessly hauling was liquid explosive—something that would detonate at the slightest jostle. Its sensitivity was notorious enough that even professional construction sites reported dozens of accidents a year.

In short, this was absolutely not something we should be handling here.

“Stop! That’s—!”

I rushed forward in a panic. But Heiter and his crew had already stopped in front of the building’s door.

“Phew… seriously heavy. We just set it down here, right?”

“Yeah. Go grab some fire so we can get started.”

“Got it. Let’s clear out. My arms are about to fall off.”

“Heiter, wait! If you just drop that—!”

History is always ruined by careless fools. And this time was no exception. When Heiter, straining under the weight, set the crate down roughly, his fate was already sealed.

The next moment, what filled my ears was the deafening roar of an explosion tearing Heiter’s limbs apart.

“Damn it…!”

…!!!

…

…

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii…

“Ah… ugh…”

After the storm passed, what arrived was a monotonous ringing in my ears. In that scene straight out of a nightmare, it took me a long time just to confirm that my arms and legs were still attached.

As I belatedly regained my senses and raised my head, a spectacle of the sky tearing open unfolded before my eyes.

An untimely shaft of light was shredding the hem of the pitch-black night. The flash born of the explosion painted the sky with a beauty that made me forget time itself. Like a flower bud dormant through winter bursting into bloom, radiant roses bloomed in profusion before my eyes.

And the pollen drifting down beneath them was pulped flesh and the viscous spray of screams.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Uwaaaagh!”

“I should have seen this coming…!”

I rose to my feet, clutching my sword, drowning in belated regret. Thanks to the still-flickering flames, the building’s entrance was now brightly illuminated. The scene before that door was pure pandemonium.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuuuck!”

“R… run! Run away!”

Victims of the blast screaming as they clutched torn flesh. Walking corpses who crumpled wordlessly after their cries. Amid it all, girls shrieking madly as they fled into the building. It felt like a preview of a hell that hadn’t yet arrived. The excessive explosives had not only blown the door apart but disintegrated everyone inside and out as a bonus.

Human flesh was still splattering down from the sky. Against a sky parched dry by lack of rain, the fools had finally performed their cruel rain ritual.

“Fuck! We’re fucked! We’re fucked!”

“Ugh… aaah…!”

“Wait… those are girls… girls!”

But not even that hellish scene could suppress the beasts’ frenzy. The survivors, aroused rather than deterred by the blood, began howling and charging toward the building. No matter how thoroughly the process was trampled and violated, the outcome proved itself through the wielding of their grotesque members.

And I was still standing in the middle of it all.

“Haah… damn it…”

Now I couldn’t even determine whether the people I was looking for were still alive inside. Yet the situation continued to spiral. Expected events and unexpected ones—all unfolding simultaneously, dancing before my eyes.

The truly hellish part was that what I had to do hadn’t changed. Regardless, I needed to go inside and find people. Including that mysterious contact Heiter had mentioned, who might or might not have shown up.

In the end, I drew my sword. And chanting my current state of mind like a slogan, I charged toward the building.

“Nothing ever goes right!”