There Is No World For ■■
Chapter 141: Interlude—The Princess' Circumstance

* * *

Just beyond the grounds of Lord Howe Academy lay a coastal cliff on the southern edge of the island—a place the staff and even third-year students avoided.

And at this moment, a frail-looking boy struggled to climb the steep face.

His body, with a long rope tied around his waist, was drenched in sweat, yet his face was filled with joy and anticipation.

After all, what awaited him at the end of a challenging climb was a sweet fruit.

Of course, his expectations would never become a reality.

An uninvited guest, someone he hadn’t anticipated, was waiting for him at the top of the cliff.

Miridith—or rather, Soe Miri.

Sitting on a camping chair, she waved at him as if she’d been waiting for him.

The boy, Baonic Lerac, could only stare blankly at the girl who was also the heroine from the novel.

Why is she here?

The question rose up to his throat, but with his strength completely drained from the arduous climb up the cliff, he could only gasp for breath.

While Baonic was still in a daze, Soe Miri stood up from her chair and approached him.

By the time Baonic lifted his head, wondering what she was up to, Soe Miri had already snatched what she wanted from his pocket.

A red wooden box specially crafted to hold an elixir.

Inspecting the strange-fated object the ‘Author’ had managed to find after much difficulty, Soe Miri spoke.

“An elixir hidden in a cliff—seems like the founder really enjoyed classic styles.”

“…What are you doing?”

Baonic was unable to hide his shock.

How? How did she know to wait for me here? Did that bastard inform her? But didn’t that bastard leave the academy in a hurry?

Seeing Baonic’s face filled with questions, Soe Miri calmly slipped the box into her arms and spoke.

“Baonic Lerac.”

“…”

“You shouldn’t rifle through things when your owner isn’t around.”

“M-my owner? Who the hell are you to tell me that—?”

However, Baonic was forced to stop mid-sentence because Soe Miri suddenly pulled out a pink tablet.

Although there were no markings on it, Baonic already knew how it tasted.

“I’ll let you off with a warning this time because of the elixir. But if you slip off the leash again just because you don’t see your owner… I’ll cook you. Understood?”

“…”

“Come to collect your medicine yourself next month.”

Baonic couldn’t bring himself to hold onto Soe Miri as she walked away.

He simply stood there dazed, like someone possessed, as he popped the tablet into his mouth and chewed.

It tasted like strawberries.

* * *

[A minor incident caused by an individual student’s deviation.]

That was the only official announcement from the Academy regarding the recent large-scale upheaval in the sewer.

Of course, no one really believed that announcement.

Several Mages had clearly sensed the twisted mana pouring out from the Academy’s underground, while several faculty members had confirmed the mysterious barrier—who would even believe such nonsense?

Neither the emergency response teams from Australia nor the special teachers were fools, and they certainly wouldn’t believe that.

However, not believing something and demanding the truth were two completely different matters.

Some foolish reporters tried to protest to the Academy, but they were chased out of the island within a few days by none other than the Crow Beastfolk and the U.S. military.

And only after realizing that their governments were entangled in this incident did they fall silent.

The Academy had directly involved the U.S., South Korea, and even the Holy Nation beyond the Dimensional Portal to cover this up.

Curiosity was fine, but sometimes ignorance was bliss… people thought.

Of course, the truth was a bit more complicated than that.

“…I’m not sure if this is a good thing, the Academy burying the incident at the request of the Holy Nation.”

Principal Himena sighed as she passed a stack of documents. The girl sitting in front of her smirked and replied.

“So are you going to reveal the truth then? That wouldn’t be a bad idea. Ta-dah, one of the students at the Academy was none other than the Incheon Killer, a.k.a the Butcher!”

“…”

“The Butcher teamed up with a terrorist hiding in the Academy and opened a Dimensional Portal targeting both America’s pride and the Saintess… This news will be so interesting, that people from Hollywood would be lining up to buy this script, right?”

The girl with the black blindfold spoke in a tone that was far more frivolous than her public persona suggested.

The principal was curious about which version of her was the real one but chose not to ask.

Instead, she changed the subject.

“…How are you doing, Saintess?”

“Me? Why do you ask all of a sudden?”

“You just lost a friend right in front of your eyes.”

As an educator, she expressed concern as she set the documents on the desk.

The documents had printed photos of students stamped with [temporary leave of absence]. They were photos of the two friends the Saintess followed every day.

Hong Seti and Cheon Yeomyeong.

The Saintess glanced at the documents for a moment before shaking her head.

“I have never lost them. They will definitely return.”

“Saintess, I have personally confirmed the traces of the unstable Dimensional Portal remaining in the sewer. No matter how lucky the two students are, the chances of survival are…”

“Ms. Principal.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

“Please stop trying to test my Foresight here. It would be a bit troublesome if you were to be targeted by the holy knights over this, wouldn’t it? Personally, I like you, Principal.”

Principal Himena forced a smile. As expected, the girl wouldn’t be swayed easily.

Not many people knew that the Saintess possessed Foresight abilities, and even fewer knew the extent of her abilities as it was a first-class secret of the Holy Nation.

And right now, Principal Himena was trying to catch even a tiny glimpse of that secret, yet the Saintess didn’t even allow that and instead showed concern.

She paused for a moment.

A short silence followed. And then a slightly longer moment of contemplation.

It was the Saintess who broke the silence.

“Principal, may I ask you something?”

“Yes, of course, feel free to ask. Wouldn’t it be rude to not allow a question from the Saintess, who is helping with the cleanup?”

“Then… who took the Butcher’s body? The U.S.? Korea?”

“…”

Was it perhaps due to the recklessness of youth or passion? The Saintess’s question was rather direct.

She’s completely different from her mother who loves to beat around the bush.

The principal hesitated for a moment on how to answer but decided to tell her the truth.

“South Korea took it in exchange for helping us bury this incident. And since Minister Kim Kwanhyung got involved personally, the U.S. military let it be.”

“…South Korea.”

The Saintess seemed surprised as she tapped the table with her fingers and then pressed her lips together.

And then, the principal’s office door suddenly opened.

Wondering if a guest had arrived, the principal looked at the door, but no one had come to see her.

However, someone was leaving.

* * *

“Hey! You can’t just leave like that! What will you do if you get caught?”

On the way to the first-year girls’ dormitory, the Saintess yelled.

“Do you really think the Invisibility Cloak is all-powerful? The principal might notice, especially since my mother’s Invisibility Cloak is of medium quality!”

Though her voice was filled with anger, the person it was directed at showed no particular reaction.

Eventually, unable to hold back, the Saintess exploded.

“Hey, you commie bitch! Do you really want to keep ignoring me?”

Only then did Soe Miri, who had been sending texts on her phone, turn her head. She furrowed her brow slightly and said.

“…Saintess, I think I asked you not to call me that.”

“You were the one who ignored me firs—!”

“And more than anything, you should think of your own mother, Saintess. That’s like cutting off your nose to spite your face.”

Her words implicitly meant: your mother is a commie as well.

The Saintess was suddenly overtaken by the impulse to shoot this pointy-eared girl, but she managed to suppress her anger.

Perhaps it was partly due to the discipline she had cultivated over years of living an ascetic life, but it was also because she wanted to meet the people she would see soon looking composed.

Just wait, once this is over…

Anyway, the Saintess and Soe Miri crossed the threshold of the girls’ dormitory and headed up to a room.

The very room that had been shared by Seti and Soe Miri until recently, with only Soe Miri staying there now.

However, the two did not enter the room immediately.

The Saintess stood at the door, the doorknob in her hand, taking deep breaths, wasting time for no reason.

“…Saintess, they must already know that we’re here, so why not just go in quickly?”

Finally, only after Soe Miri couldn’t stand it anymore and said something that the Saintess flung the door open.

Three girls were sitting in the softly glowing red room illuminated by the evening light. Instead of school uniforms, all three were dressed in tight fitting combat outfits.

“You’re late.”

The tallest girl, sporting a striking blue short haircut, opened her mouth.

“I’m sorry. It took a bit longer than I expected.”

Soe Miri glanced at the Saintess, implying it wasn’t her fault, but the Saintess was trembling as she stared at the girls.

She was barely holding back the urge to hug them right then and there.

Intentionally ignoring the Saintess, Seo Miri spoke to the girls… no, to Seti’s sisters.

“Is everyone ready?”

At the mention of preparedness, the sisters quickly pulled out their gear. A full military pack that seemed more suitable for soldiers heading to war.

Combat suits and military equipment? Only then did the Saintess realize that something was off and looked bewildered.

“What’s this? Why the military equipment all of a sudden?”

“Does this Stalker… I mean, the Saintess not know anything?”

Siri, the girl with red bobbed hair, asked Soe Miri, who nodded in response.

“If she knew, she wouldn’t have come along so willingly.”

“What? What are you guys talking about?”

While the Saintess looked puzzled, glancing at the sisters, Soe Miri pulled two items from her possession.

One was the Blue Rat’s Invisibility Cloak left behind by Yeomyeong, and the other was…

“…Y-you! Why do you have that?!”

A bizarre gem with mixed colors of gold and black.

That was the last Magic Stone that remained at the place where Seti and Yeomyeong had crossed through the Dimensional Portal.

A Magic Stone that was neither a Corruption Stone nor imbued with dimensional magic.

“…I naturally assumed that the U.S. military had taken it.”

“I took it before they could.”

“W-Why didn’t I see it?”

“Well… you were busy wailing loudly until Corvus and the U.S. military arrived.”

“…”

Almost immediately, the peculiar gazes of Seti’s sisters were directed at the Saintess, who turned her head in embarrassment.

In the meantime, Soe Miri set the Magic Stone down on the floor and turned to the Sacrificial Lamb Sisters.

“As I mentioned before, this Magic Stone has become a small emergency Dimensional Portal. With enough mana, we should be able to open a portal leading to where Yeomyeong and Seti are.”

“…If there’s enough mana, that is.”

The youngest of the sisters responded cynically, alternating her gaze between the Magic Stone and Soe Miri, and added.

“And I don’t believe you called us here just to tell us something like that. Roommate-unnie.”

“…Of course, I called you because there’s indeed a method.”

Soe Miri cleared her throat to gather their attention and carefully took out a dagger—the luxurious ritual dagger she had found in the underground sewer.

Seeing the dagger, the Saintess realized what was coming next and furrowed her brow, but Soe Miri continued without concern.

“Sacrificial Lambs Sisters? Please spill your blood onto the Magic Stone one by one.”

“…Our blood?”

Park Neti frowned, as if averse to the idea. She disliked the term ‘Sacrificial Lamb Sisters’ and couldn’t believe that she was actually asking them to spill their blood—wasn’t that basically treating them as a real sacrifice?

“The Dimensional Portal in the sewer was only completed with Seti’s blood. With some proper adjustments, your blood should be enough to open a portal.”

“But back then… it was spilled onto a half-completed Dimensional Portal.”

Before the Saintess could finish her point, Soe Miri quickly added.

“That’s why, we’ll need to pour a bit more this time.”

More? How much more? Before the Saintess could ask, Siri suddenly stepped forward and grabbed the dagger.

And just like that—slash!

She slashed her own palm with the dagger.

Red blood poured out, soaking the Magic Stone, but… the mana within the stone remained still, as if mocking Soe Miri’s hypothesis.

Was it a failure? Both the Saintess and Soe Miri frowned simultaneously as Neti and the youngest sister also grabbed hold of daggers.

Neti cut along her palm lines, while the youngest almost sliced her wrist before Soe Miri stopped her and opted for a small prick on her fingertip instead.

As the blood from the three sacrificial lambs flowed and pooled on the ground, the Magic Stone sank a little into the blood puddle at that moment.

Flash!

And the mana from the Magic Stone burst forth.

The Saintess caught hold of Soe Miri, who was about to fall, while the three sisters momentarily gazed seriously at the Magic Stone.

Absorbing all the blood from the floor, the stone began to rise into the air, creating a golden curtain nearly 2 meters tall—A Dimensional Portal.

Compared to the real ones, like the Kaesong Dimensional Portal, this was nothing more than dirt. However, it was still a Dimensional Portal.

Feeling the dense mana, the Saintess swallowed hard and asked Soe Miri.

“This… leads directly to Seti and Yeomyeong, right?”

“You can’t use it, Saintess.”

“What? Why?!”

“You didn’t create it. In theory… it’s something only Yeomyeong and the Sacrificial Lamb Sisters can use.”

The Saintess wanted to protest, saying that she would surpass such a trivial theory, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so.

The mana from the Dimensional Portal before her felt really faint, as if it would vanish if even one person crossed over.

And right now, the safest choice was the three sisters who had created the portal.

“So, which of you sisters wants to go through?”

As soon as Soe Miri spoke up, the sisters looked at each other simultaneously.

Neti, Siri, and Sis. The first to speak was the youngest, Sis.

“I have the healing ability, so I think it’s only natural that I go.”

Siri shook her head.

“Even so, you’re just a half-baked one who can’t even use blessings. Mages are part of the elite on the other side of the Dimensional Portal, so it’s best that I, being a mage, go.”

It was a somewhat rational statement, but it was soon countered.

“I’m also a Mage!”

Neti retorted.

“What are you talking about? You can’t even perform precision manipulation, you half-blood.”

Siri shot back.

“In any case, you all are stupid and will just be dead weight instead… Can’t we just go in order of intelligence?”

The youngest uttered a derogatory remark.

And just as it seemed that the argument would drag on, Soe Miri intervened.

“Come on, everyone, let’s not get into this. We don’t have time… how about we settle it with rock-paper-scissors?”

Perhaps due to the lack of a better alternative, the sisters agreed to a game of rock-paper-scissors.

And the result…

“The winner is Park Neti. No one has any objections, right?”

The youngest muttered a small curse under her breath, but Soe Miri pretended not to hear her and handed Neti the Invisibility Cloak.

“Take this Invisibility Cloak along with you. Don’t forget your military equipment and potions. And… Saintess?”

“Huh? What about me?”

“Please hand over a Holy Relic to Neti.”

“…Why? Should I pray for blessings as well?”

Said the Saintess as she rummaged through her chest to retrieve a Holy Relic. Soe Miri leaned in and whispered softly in her ear.

“I know that your Foresight isn’t working well because of Yeomyeong. So won’t you be able to see something if you use the Holy Relic for your Foresight?”

“…”

The Saintess did not bother asking, ‘How do you know that?’

It was already strange enough that Soe Miri knew of various secrets concerning Yeomyeong.

So she simply assumed that there was some secret, just like her Foresight.

…Yeomyeong will tell me later, right?

With that thought, the Saintess pulled out a Holy Relic adorned with a book and brush from between her breasts.

The Holy Relic of the Blue God of wisdom, Venule.

She placed the Holy Relic firmly into Neti’s hands and embraced her with heartfelt intention.

For a moment, Neti stood there looking bewildered as she received the hug.

After that, everyone in the room handed Neti items that might be of help to her.

In particular, the youngest slyly slipped a very secretive item into her sister’s pocket, just as she had done for the eldest.

…In any case, with her preparations complete, Neti stood before the Dimensional Portal with her military equipment on her back.

“I’ll find Unnie and brother-in-law and return.”

“Just don’t become tunnel buddies… I mean, snatch sisters.”

As the Saintess gasped at the youngest’s words, Neti jumped into the Dimensional Portal.

Flash!

Golden mana, familiar to Soe Miri and the Saintess, burst forth and enveloped Neti.

Thus, time flowed for Neti, the one crossing the Dimensional Portal, not even permitting her a moment to blink.

And the first thing she saw was her sister crossing a burning street in a black dress and Yeomyeong fighting against the red-haired elf while smashing the city to pieces.

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