kscans

Chapter 25 - At the End of the Tail

"It should be about time..."

"Yes..."

"I'm getting nervous..."

That evening, we returned to the vicinity of that blacksmith's shop. There were few people on the streets, a clear sign that the day was coming to a close. We held our breath for several minutes.

He's coming out...!

The man who appeared to be the proprietor emerged from the shop. It was getting dark and hard to see, but he was probably an elderly man. He was carrying a long rod in his hands.

"Dareth-sama...!"

"Yeah, that must be a staff. I wonder where he's taking it."

"Let's follow him..."

We began to walk quietly. The man seemed to be alone. The female clerk from daytime was nowhere to be seen, but we followed with great caution, just in case. He headed toward the outskirts of town and eventually entered a forest. We followed carefully, making sure not to make a sound. The further we went, the denser the woods became.

This feels like the perfect setup...

We continued on and came out into a wide-open, plaza-like space. The moonlight streamed in, illuminating the area. We could see a gathering of figures and hid ourselves in the shadow of a tree. We could hear voices...

"Hey... you brought enough for everyone, right..."

""I, is that... Vice Principal Byre!?""

In the center of the students stood Byre. He was taking staves from the blacksmith and handing them out to the students. They all looked just like the ones in the academy's underground storeroom. And in the jewel at the tip of each staff, a small black haze was writhing.

"There's something inside that orb. What is it?"

"It is likely a jewel containing the power of Dark Magic. I recall a similar haze swelling up when the staves the students were using went out of control."

"Then there's no doubt those are the staves in question."

"It seems we'd better confirm this directly."

I looked at Militar and Iz, and they both nodded silently. We stepped out from the trees and walked toward them. Iz was the first to speak.

"Vice Principal Byre, what are you doing here?"

"I, Iz-shuseki-kyoukan! Why are you here! And Militar-dono and that damn blacksmith, too!?"

Byre looked at us with a stunned expression. He apparently had no idea he was being followed. Well, with a professional on our side, that was only natural.

"We have been investigating the matter of the staves. In the process, Dareth-sama found the blacksmith's shop that we believe to be the source."

"We followed the blacksmith from there. That's how we got here."

"...What? You! I told you to be careful about being followed!"

Byre glared at the blacksmith. But the man himself was completely unfazed.

"I just brought the staves I was told to bring. I don't remember every little thing you say."

"What did you say!?"

It seemed the two of them were not on good terms. Iz watched them carefully as she continued.

"Vice Principal Byre, were you the one distributing the Dark Magic staves?"

"Yeah, I was. You can see that for yourself. Kukuku, it seems the magic to silence the students worked perfectly."

"Why did you do this. Several students have been suffering because of it."

Iz was speaking calmly, but a quiet rage emanated from her words. Byre, for his part, was smirking knowingly.

"I can't tell you so easily. That's right, I'll tell you if you come to my room. Come to my room, come to my room, come to my room."

"That's enough. It's clear I cannot have a proper conversation with you. We'll hear all about it after we've apprehended you."

"Hmph, try it if you can! You lot! Attack Iz-shuseki-kyoukan! Whoever defeats her will be awarded points!"

At his words, tension filled the air. There were five or six students, by the looks of it. If they all used Dark Magic, it might be tough for even Iz to handle. Militar also drew her sword, her expression hardening as she watched them. But none of the students moved. They just looked down, looking guilty.

"Hey, what's wrong! Don't you want the points!"

""W, we can't hurt Iz-sensei. We could never hurt a teacher who cares so much about her students...""

"Everyone..."

It seemed he couldn't corrupt the students' hearts with darkness. Byre trembled with frustration that things weren't going as planned.

"Fine, if you won't do it, then I will!"

"Stop it! Byre!"

Suddenly, Byre snatched a staff from a student. He aimed the jewel at us.

"O, dark spirits that pervade this world. Lend me your power... !"

""...!""

Multiple black rays of light shot toward us. It was an incredible mass of magic. A direct hit would be more than just a serious injury.

"It's alright, you two. Saint Shield."

The moment Iz chanted, a white barrier enveloped us. The black rays simply vanished upon contact. Naturally, we were completely unharmed, not even a scratch.

"Wh, what!? I'm using extremely powerful Dark Magic! H, how could it be blocked so easily."

"Give up, Byre. To begin with, the quality of our staves is different. Your evil deeds end here! Saint Lock!"

"Guah! St, stop!"

Ropes of white light captured Byre. In an instant, he was wrapped up tightly, his movements sealed.

"D, damn it! Let me go, Iz-shuseki-kyoukan! You won't get away with doing this to me! You need private tutoring! Come to my room, come to my room, come to my room!"

"As if I would let you go..."

Iz looked utterly exasperated at Byre's shouting. As for the blacksmith, he neither ran nor resisted. He just stood there.

"You will come with us as well, won't you? Why did you make staves like these?"

"I just... wanted my creations to be recognized."

The blacksmith mumbled weakly. It didn't seem like he was lying.

"What do you mean?"

"You guys came to my shop during the day, right. Then you must know it's not doing well. I'm confident in my skills, but I'm no good at talking. I couldn't attract any customers."

"But you had that nice clerk. Couldn't you have left the customer service to her?"

With a clerk who could handle customers with such a smile, it seemed like they'd get plenty of business.

"That's a Golem I made. But once customers leave, they don't come back. To think that smooth talking and the owner's personality are valued more than the quality of the product... I can't stand it!"

I see, so that woman was a Golem... The blacksmith kicked a small stone as he spoke. His gestures and attitude made it clear how much he was suffering from his lack of success in business.

"So that's why you were making staves with Dark Magic in them. To get recognition."

"Yeah, that's right. Hey, you're a blacksmith too, so you should understand, right? The pain of seeing the products you poured your heart into go completely ignored!"

The blacksmith pleaded desperately. It wasn't like I hadn't had similar painful experiences myself.

"...I understand that feeling all too well. It's painful for me, too, when something I've made remains unsold for ages."

"Th, then...!"

"But more than that."

I could certainly sympathize, but what was wrong was wrong.

"A blacksmith has to make things with people's happiness in mind. You can't make something that would hurt the very people who would use it, especially a staff containing dangerous Dark Magic... Am I wrong?"

"Th, that's..."

The blacksmith hung his head. He must have known it all along.

"If you keep working hard, you'll surely be rewarded. Once you've atoned for your crimes, let's start over, one step at a time."

"...Yeah, you're right."

When I put a hand on his back, the blacksmith, though his expression remained stiff, looked forward. Byre, on the other hand, was still shouting something.

"Iz-shuseki-kyoukan! This treatment toward me, your superior, is unforgivable! You need private tutoring! Come to my room, come to my room, come to my room!"

"Please stop talking nonsense."

Byre was led away by Iz, still repeating "Come to my room." Militar walked beside them, holding the blacksmith who had made the staves. I followed behind them, relieved. I was glad that the students wouldn't be harmed any further.