I had to consider whether this was, in fact, a carefully orchestrated conspiracy aimed at me.
After all, the timing was simply too perfect.
Then again, this had always been the worst-case scenario I had imagined.
As we drew closer and closer to the entrance leading to the Arius School, bad news continued to arrive one after another.
Multiple Prophets of the Decagrammaton had simultaneously launched attacks on the Ancient Sanctuary and the main campuses of the various academies, and the offensives were more ferocious than anything before.
The direct result of this was that nearly every student who had just promised to come reinforce me had become trapped on their respective battlefields.
Even Hina, Hoshino, Tsurugi, and Neru, the four academy aces I had hoped to rely on the most, could now be considered almost certain to miss the window before the underground catacombs shifted according to their cycle and the only entrance known to Arius Squad became inaccessible.
"Hmm..."
A deliberately hushed voice sounded beside my ear.
Then it adopted a mysteriously teasing tone.
"I was just wondering... could it be that Sensei always approaches students with the ulterior motive of wanting to recruit them and obtain powerful authorities? Maybe that's why things turned out like this?"
Arona, who seemed to be speaking with some lingering resentment after I had long since excluded her from the list of people I could recruit, offered that speculation.
Wasn't it the students who approached me with improper motives?
Still...
She did have a point.
The students I would seek out at a time like this naturally possessed exceptional combat ability or valuable skills.
It was only natural that they would become the primary targets for enemy interference.
But that wasn't the real issue I needed to consider.
The real question was...
Should I continue?
Was I really going to leave the other students currently fighting through their own crises, take only Wakamo with me, and head into an unknown enemy stronghold alongside Arius Squad, whose allegiance remained uncertain, who had only three members left, and who were all still wounded and physically and mentally exhausted?
I barely needed to think before reaching my answer.
Rather than calling it a difficult decision...
It was simply a convenient excuse to retreat.
My important students had indeed been tied down and couldn't easily escape.
But that was all.
I believed in their strength.
Even without me, they were more than capable of handling a crisis of this scale.
Otherwise, Kivotos would have been destroyed long ago.
And assuming Arius Squad had been telling the truth, what they wanted to accomplish was something they could never achieve through their own strength alone.
Which left only one question.
Was I willing to take such a tremendous risk to save Atsuko?
To be honest...
At this point, I was becoming more and more inclined to believe that, at least this time, Saori and the others were not lying to me.
Mainly because, given the level of education in Arius, it was hard to believe they could fabricate a story riddled with so many inconsistencies while showing no sign of deception whatsoever.
In other words, this gamble was not one where I held no cards.
Nor was the outcome I sought an empty fantasy.
That alone was enough.
So what if the risk was enormous?
Would I refuse to move forward simply because the path ahead was a little rough?
If Beatrice really completed this so-called ritual...
I would undoubtedly regret it.
Since I had already made my choice, then I should cast aside my hesitation and give it everything I had.
Besides...
"Fate is on my side."
I drew a deep breath of the slightly chilly air carried by the rainy night and murmured softly.
"Hehe."
Arona giggled.
"Leave the job of protecting Sensei... to me."
"Mm."
Suppressing the smile that had unconsciously appeared while secretly speaking with the person I trusted most, I turned to the girls from Arius and asked in an indifferent tone,
"By the way, have you put together any sort of operational plan?"
Since we could no longer rely on overwhelming numbers or superior firepower to simply crush our way through, we would have to proceed with great caution.
Perhaps because I had taken the initiative to speak with them, Saori visibly perked up.
"I'll protect you with my life no matter what happens, Sensei."
...
Should I feel honored?
"...Me too."
"I-I will too...!"
Misaki and Hiyori immediately followed their captain's lead, declaring their resolve.
Beside me, Wakamo let out a cold laugh.
"To hear such loyal words from a bitch who has already betrayed her master once before... what an eye-opening experience."
Hearing that, Saori looked as though she wanted to argue.
But knowing she was in the wrong, she couldn't bring herself to do so.
In the end, she simply muttered,
"This time... I absolutely won't betray Sensei's trust again."
I had no idea where she got the impression that I trusted her in the first place.
Agreeing to accompany them into danger was because of my grudge against Beatrice.
Not putting the halo destruction bomb on them as they requested was simply because I had no way of confirming whether the bomb was genuine.
After grumbling inwardly, I asked,
"And then?"
"After that..."
Saori thought for a moment before answering seriously,
"We'll show any enemy foolish enough to stand in our way the determination of wounded hunting dogs."
The corner of my mouth twitched.
Honestly, she might as well have said nothing.
Perhaps noticing my obvious dissatisfaction, Saori hurriedly tried to salvage the situation.
"My grades were the best in all of Arius, which is why I became Squad's captain. I can immediately see through the tactics and thinking of ordinary Arius students and devise the proper response. Likewise, Misaki and Hiyori, as fellow Squad members, are second only to me in strength within the academy, and they've been following me since we were children. With our teamwork, no matter how strong the enemy is, we'll be able to deal with them."
Perhaps it was my imagination, but from the corner of my eye I thought I saw Wakamo tighten her grip on the umbrella a little more.
"Let's assume that will be enough to break through the outer defenses."
If Arius Squad intended to launch a counterattack, there was only a single entrance.
No matter how foolish Beatrice might be, even she would have anticipated that and made preparations in advance.
Besides...
Even if I wanted to change the plan, it wouldn't be too late to decide after seeing how we handled this first obstacle.
I continued,
"And after that?"
Even if we successfully entered the Arius School, rescuing Atsuko before the ritual from a sacrificial site located in the heart of enemy territory, which would undoubtedly be under heavy guard, was an entirely different level of difficulty.
"I've actually thought about that."
Saori said.
"The Princess once told me about a place that even that woman might not know..."
Suddenly, a barrage of gunfire erupted.
The sound startled me even as I listened attentively.
Not only because numerous White Justina students emerged from their hiding places, but also because Wakamo and Saori almost simultaneously grabbed me and pulled me behind cover.
Fortunately, both of them instinctively chose the same direction.
"We found them! It's Squad!"
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
The Arius students lying in ambush shouted.
It looked like our discussion about the plan would have to wait.
I looked deeply at the backs of Wakamo and Saori as they immediately launched their furious counterattack.
Only then did I calmly say,
"Move out."