ೃ༄ "no amount of research can tell you how powerful and deadly i can get for the sake of malleus..."
✧──────✧
"precisely why we must handle it," said malleus, "it will take a lot of time for an injured man to climb the tower. more flowers would have bloomed by then. leave this one to us." azul agreed with malleus' statement as he added, "we have learned from a wonderful teacher such as yourself, so we do not fear danger."
however, idia seemed spooked by their suggestion, "wait... oh, no... ooooh, no... you aren't suggesting we have to climb the bell tower, are you?!"
trein stayed silent at the words of his students before letting out a sigh, "it's like the legend of the righteous judge and the bell ringer... surely, he must have been wrought with worry for the bell ringer as the latter tried to stand up to the disaster. all the judge could do was believe in his pupil as he sent him off. their actions saved the city... i have no choice but to do the same as i trust you all with this endeavor..."
"you won't regret it," said malleus.
idia sighed as he mumbled, "i don't want to climb those stairs again, but i'm with you all... i have no other choice, but to go..." jamil hummed as he added, "i'm not looking forward to hearing what others will say if i choose to stay here by myself... plus, i can't stand the thought of him playing us and tainting night raven college's good name."
"i want to join! i hate how he played us for fools. i want to avenge everyone else, too... i'm gonna sock him good!!!" yelled deuce. epel cheered in response, "yeah!!! he'll regret trying to trick us! i'll kill every single one of these flowers and rub it in rollo flamme's annoying face!!!"
"well said, deuce, epel. standing up to humiliation is the essence of being a night raven college student. we shall bring rollo flamme down with our own hands!" exclaimed riddle.
"yeah!!!"
aelyn stood close to f/n as she whispered, "...are they always like this, nee-san?" f/n hummed in response as she eyed the group with a small smile, "yes... i grew to love them, even if they can be quite the ridiculous bunch."
"we can hear you, n/n," said epel as he grinned at the lady. "how sweet, mademoiselle. we share the same feelings," added rook, causing f/n to sigh before gesturing all of them to start moving. "geez... whatever, let's move. rollo used the bell to accomplish his goals, so we must be prepared for countermeasures. i am certain he's guarding the bell tower so no one can get close to it... now, just as i warned the group back at the island of woe, you have to be very careful."
"i'm taking her warning seriously this time," mumbled epel as idia, azul, and malleus crossed their arms with a smirk on their faces. "oh, please. i'm not losing to a sentimental mage who relies on a flower that's gone extinct, n/n," boasted idia.
"do not underestimate me, my dear. i would rather have you think of a reward when we succeed in this mission," said azul. f/n raised a brow as she voiced out, "oh? how ambitious. alright, when this mission is successful, i'm treating you all to a meal when we get back to nrc."
"i will foil all of that man's schemes... just you wait, my dear... fufu," said malleus as he and the other two chuckled darkly, causing aelyn to glance at her older sister. "...i don't know if they are influenced by you or you are starting to be like them," remarked the younger l/n.
"no one's influencing anyone, aelyn," said f/n, "come now, we have a lot of stairs to climb."
...
the group arrived at the entrance of the school as deuce looked around, "unbelievable... the crimson lotus is everywhere!" sebek sighed in disbelief as he whispered, "the cool and pristine school... looks unbearable..." azul stayed silent before he added, "...i was hoping the path would be direct, but the flowers have spread far worse than i have ever imagined..."
"...let's think of a solution. think of this as a chess match... no matter how many of us may fall, we win as long as we ring the bell of salvation. we must bring out a pawn," said f/n, causing the rest to blink.
"...n/n," called deuce.
"yes, deuce?"
"...i did not understand anything. i'm sorry, i am not familiar with how chess works," confessed deuce. riddle sighed as he apologized, "...please excuse our deuce." ruggie hummed in disagreement, "nah~ i'm with deuce-kun here. please use a simpler example."
idia snickered as he elbowed f/n, "too bad you can't show off what you learned in our board game club~" the military leader rolled her eyes as she said, "oh, shut up..."
the ignihyde dorm leader laughed as he spoke, "alright, here's the tldr... we need to be careful about which pawns to sacrifice." sebek looked surprised as he exclaimed, "sacrificial... pawns?!" idia nodded, "one of us will bait the flowers here so the others can conserve their energy and move forward."
silver glanced at idia and f/n as he asked, "...how do we guarantee that the decoy will make it out safely?" f/n looked at the diasomnia second year and replied, "...think of it as a necessary sacrifice. it's best to send someone who can handle themselves well."
"wait," interrupted riddle, "i'll fly up and bait the flowers. use that as an opportunity to move further in." malleus hummed in confusion, "why volunteer yourself, rosehearts? you never struck me as a person who would willingly sacrifice themselves."
"...because he has abundant energy and skills to stand his ground against these flowers," replied f/n, "...i believe this also ties to your responsibility as heartslabyul's dorm leader, no?" riddle nodded in response, "precisely. it is said that the queen of hearts herself would join the battle to punish those who broke her rules. it is only right that i uphold her majesty's principles."
"...are you sure about this?" asked azul. "hm... you volunteer though you know the battle will be tough," added malleus. f/n smiled lightly at riddle, "i admire your confidence and bravery, riddle."
'she smiled... at me,' thought riddle before giving her a short nod as thanks.
"but... i can't just run when the dorm head has to put himself in danger. if you're staying, then i'm staying here with you!!" yelled deuce. "not a chance," replied riddle, causing deuce to flinch in surprise. "eh? why not...? if it's just being a decoy, i can do it, too!"
f/n eyed deuce as she spoke, "deuce... they will be using something else other than the brooms we use for lessons. you haven't mastered the use of the brooms in our school, much less a random broom you see on the streets of the city of flowers. i'm sorry, but it's best to send someone with better flying skills whilst you polish yours."
deuce grew embarrassed as he bowed at f/n, "i-i'm sorry, n/n! i spoke out of turn..." f/n shook her head and said, "no matter. i can teach you how to fly properly when we get back, if you'd like that." deuce smiled as he nodded, "i would definitely like that! hah, suck it, ace!"
riddle cleared his throat as if to divert the conversation elsewhere, "alright, lieutenant colonel has a point. either way, i can handle this myself."
"for your safety, i will allow epel to accompany you," said f/n, noticing how epel eyed her intently, wanting her to notice him as if to recommend him as the second sacrificial pawn. epel immediately smiled as soon as f/n recommended him, "yes, thank you, n/n!!!"
"i already told you that i can handle this by myself, dear," said riddle. f/n shook her head to dismiss his words, "don't be stubborn. epel's flying skills are topnotch amongst the rest of the first years. vil and leona themselves have acknowledged this skill of his. besides, i believe epel can do it."
"as do i," chimed rook, "i am confident that he can assist you, roi du roses."
malleus was satisfied by the new arrangement as he said, "that's it, then. please keep the flowers occupied until we get past the main street. rosehearts, felmier, we won't let your sacrifices end in vain... we will subdue flamme at all costs." riddle blinked at malleus' words, "...can you please not speak as if we are already dead?"
"alright, let's not waste any more time," spoke aelyn, gathering the attention of the rest, "chenya and neige have been holding off for too long. i don't want to stand here dilly dallying any longer." f/n hummed as she looked at the two, "do your best, epel, riddle. please stay safe."
"stay safe, too, n/n!" exclaimed epel.
"wow... did not even care about us," mumbled ruggie.
...
the group had reached the courtyard as the rest continued bickering, specifically jamil and azul. they continued running as jamil said, "think of it this way... we're really lucky that epel's unique magic is a good match for those flowers." azul hummed, "yes, considering that most unique magic isn't really useful against non-humans."
jamil rolled his eyes at azul's words, "yeah, i know a certain someone with a strong unique magic, but i doubt he can get those flowers to sign a contract." azul scoffed, "indeed. the flowers do not have eyes, so i am relieved my acquaintance can't hypnotize them into submission either."
"oh my great seven, you two! quit it!" scolded f/n. "i get it," said ruggie, "my unique magic is useless against plants, too." deuce nodded, "my unique magic allows me to absorb energy, so it won't really work if there's no magic thrown at me first... i guess a powerful unique magic depends on the situation."
"most unique magic can be helpful in combat when used properly. it all comes down to how you use it," said f/n. sebek then added, "do these flowers have consciousness? i think i have seen some take on a human appearance, too."
idia chimed in, "i've been observing those, actually... and, uh... th-they were just flowers that crawled into the robes left behind by the students. i wonder if there are traces of magical energy in those robes, too... you know how our ceremonial robes have a certain amount of magic? i-i think it's kinda like that..."
"ah, so in the end, it's just simple flora with no will of their own," said azul, "we need to come up with a more concrete strategy." as soon as he ended his sentence, a shrill scream was heard from a distance as it slowly got closer. f/n immediately looked at the source of the scream, "the other noble bell students...! the flowers are coming out of the building!"
aelyn's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "wait...! nee-san, you can teleport! why not head to the bell tower first?!" f/n argued back, "and handle rollo by myself?! leaving you all exposed to the danger of these flowers?! i can't leave you or malleus behind!"
"you can handle flamme by yourself, that's not an issue!" argued aelyn, "besides, i can take care of myself. silver, sebek, and i can also handle prince malleus. you're the only one i can think of who can take a head start. if you really need our assistance, then wait for us to arrive and distract him."
idia raised a hand as he added, "uh... malleus-shi can teleport, too..." f/n and aelyn immediately glanced at him, causing idia to flinch, "eek! r-right, he's the king and all... sheesh, you guys are so overprotective of malleus-shi."
f/n sighed, "is it not unfair? we could have went with that solution in the first place instead of endangering everyone's life here." aelyn groaned, "fine, change of goals! we'll head to the bell tower while you take care of rollo flamme. you have tons of magical energy left compared to the rest of us."
aelyn's words made f/n raise a brow, "...what do you mean? what happened to yours? i told you not to use your magic and i was sure you weren't disobeying because you were stuck with me for hours!" the younger l/n sighed, "i used up a lot of magic protecting my school mates. the last time i used my magic was when i saved you from the flowers."
deuce approached sebek as he whispered, "...are they... fighting?" sebek shrugged in response as f/n said, "...fine. i'll find rollo and figure out why he's doing all this. all of you shall head to the bell tower. however, if even one of you is in danger, do not hesitate to call for my help. i will be there immediately."
"but..." trailed malleus as he grabbed her hand, "will you fare well alone?" f/n looked up at malleus and replied, "mal, you've always trusted me in the deadliest battles back then. why worry now? i'll be alright." she then looked at aelyn, sebek, and silver, "...i leave mal in your hands now."
"yes, ma'am!"
...
after teleporting to the second floor of the academy, f/n walked down the hallways and stood before a large door. the sign on the wall read 'student board room', causing f/n to slowly push the door open. in a sigh of relief, she realised no one was in the room.
"...not the bell tower, but... this place seems to be the student council's room..." mumbled f/n, "what on earth will i find in here?" her eyes then landed on a strangely clean brick on the fireplace, causing her to kneel down and moved the brick around, earning a 'clack' sound.
a book suddenly fell to the floor as she discovered a hidden storage. out of curiousity, f/n picked up the book and flipped its pages before reading one entry, "...hm... a diary? 'today's lessons ended without a hitch. i went to the library after class...' huh..."
the longer she flipped the pages and read the book's contents, the more she learned of rollo's past. f/n let out a sigh as she mumbled, "don't tell me this is some sort of another overblot situation... wait, i think i know where he is now...!"
...
"ah, the city has been dyed crimson..." trailed rollo as he stood nearby the barrister, looking at the city from above, "what a beautiful sight to behold. this is the first time i've felt so relaxed. soon, the flowers will start spreading all over twisted wonderland... mages all over the world will start losing their powers... all the pain and suffering will end. no one shall suffer like they have... this is my mission to bear."
rollo's monologue immediately came to a close as soon as another voice was heard behind him, "it's not too late to stop, rollo." he immediately turned around to see the lady leaning on the wall with her arms crossed, "come on, we can do this in a civilized way. ring the bell so this is all over, and we won't bother you any longer."
he scoffed as he glared at the lady, "...how did you get in here? you cursed night raven college students keep getting in my way. why do you still try to fight? the crimson flowers will only grant you all salvation. they will be freed from this sin we call magic. no one shall suffer from the painful memories ever again...! they will be freed from this cold and dark despair, do you understand?!"
f/n stayed silent as rollo sighed, "...right, someone as powerful and sinful as you wouldn't understand." f/n lifted herself off the wall as she spoke, "...i know you're in pain. frankly, this is nothing new to me. i know magic is not all rainbows and sparkles, but that is not a reasonable cause to do this to the city... or even the entire world! sooner or later, these flowers will spread to other nations."
"that's exactly my goal!" exclaimed rollo, "once we are free from magic, then we can truly live in peace!"
"if peace to you means endangering everyone's life, then you should definitely look up the definition of the word in a dictionary. that invitation you extended to me and malleus... it was just bait to lure us in here, wasn't it?" questioned f/n.
rollo stayed silent as f/n continued, "you plan to take down malleus because you knew he is one of the top mages in twisted wonderland." the student council president scoffed, "yes, but don't humble yourself. you are also a top mage in twisted wonderland, which is why i invited you to this symposium..."
f/n summoned her staff as she looked at rollo with a smirk, "i know. wrong move, rollo. personally, i do not care if you plan to take me down. however, being blinded by your goal to take down the top mages of twisted wonderland made you forget about one thing. it seems no amount of research can tell you how powerful and deadly i can get just for the sake of malleus..."
pointing her staff towards the noble bell student, she exclaimed, "you've caused him great offense, and that is more than enough reason for me to pass my judgment on you!"