The hideout of the rebellion was filled with the stench of blood and smoke. Groans of the wounded echoed faintly through the dim, candle-lit room.
"LINAAA!!!"
BANG!
The door slamd open as a man in a tattered black suit stord inside, his voice trembling with rage.
"Kane."
Lina’s tone was calm—too calm.
"Just where the hell were you?!" Kane bellowed, veins bulging on his forehead. "What were you doing when the operation started?! You were supposed to be there!"
Lina didn’t flinch. Her crimson eyes glimred faintly in the flickering light, her expression unreadable.
"I had things to take care of."
"Things to—?" Kane’s fist slamd against the wall, cracking the wood. "Don’t give that crap! Why didn’t you show up when you were supposed to?!"
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp as a blade.
"...Why are you so angry, Kane? The mission failed because of your own poor planning."
"Poor planning?!" he roared. "Do you even know how many people died out there?!"
She frowned. "And that’s sohow my fault?"
Kane took a deep breath, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. "Why did you lie to ?"
At that, Lina’s brow furrowed. "Lie?"
"Why did monsters suddenly attack?! That wasn’t part of the plan! Ogres, for gods’ sake—ogres! Do you know how many innocent people got hurt because of that?!"
Ah. So that’s what this was about.
Her mission had been simple: detonate the magic-powered bomb to disable the academy’s protective barrier, draw the knights’ attention elsewhere, and then rendezvous with Kane’s unit. Nowhere in the plan had there been anything about summoning monsters.
She folded her arms, her voice dripping with irritation. "That wasn’t . I never called any monsters."
"They were necessary sacrifices!" Kane snapped.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Sacrifices? You’re calling civilians sacrifices now? Is that what your revolution’s co to?"
The room grew tense. Several nearby rebels looked away, pretending to busy themselves with tending the wounded.
Lina took a slow step forward. "You talk about changing the world, Kane. About justice. But the mont you hurt innocent people, you’re no better than the nobles you claim to despise."
Kane’s expression twisted with frustration, but she didn’t give him a chance to speak.
"And don’t think I didn’t notice," she continued coldly. "That insane plan to kidnap the princess—you kept that hidden from , didn’t you?"
He didn’t answer. His silence told her everything.
"I thought you just wanted to shake the system. But this?" She scoffed. "This is suicide."
Her voice hardened as she took another step closer, her aura flaring just enough to make the candles flicker.
"I joined you because you promised to save my brother, Kane. That’s all."
Her hand twitched near her belt, fingers brushing against the hilt of her dagger.
"But now... you pull sothing like this behind my back?"
Kane glared at her, but there was a flicker of unease in his eyes.
Lina’s voice dropped to a low, dangerous whisper.
"If you ever lie to again, I don’t care what your revolution stands for. I’ll burn it down myself."
The room went silent. Even the groaning of the wounded seed to fade for a mont.
Kane clenched his jaw and looked away, saying nothing.
The atmosphere turned icy in an instant.
"I’m done with this," Lina said flatly, her voice dripping with frustration. "Saving you was the last thing I owed you—for helping find clues about my brother. From now on, I want nothing to do with any of you."
Before anyone could respond, she raised her hand.
A faint red glow flickered around her wrist as she activated a spell.
Sizzle—
The mark that bound her to the group burned away in an instant, leaving behind a faint, raw scar.
She didn’t even flinch.
"There," she muttered, her expression hard. "Now we’re no longer connected."
BANG!
The door slamd violently as she stord out, her steps echoing down the corridor.
No one moved to stop her. No one even dared to speak for a long, suffocating mont.
Finally, soone broke the silence.
"Damn it!!!" Kane roared, his fist slamming into the table, sending papers and empty bottles flying.
"...What do we do now?" one of his subordinates asked cautiously, eyes darting between the others.
Kane exhaled heavily, pressing a hand to his temple. "The plan’s been thrown off course," he muttered. "All because of that damn white-haired brat."
His teeth ground together audibly as the image of the academy student flashed in his mind.
"That boy... He ruined everything."
Silence fell again, broken only by the faint crackle of a dying candle fla.
After a long pause, Kane’s expression hardened.
"We have to secure the princess, no matter what. His plan cannot fail."
"...Understood," soone whispered.
But as the others bowed their heads, Kane’s lips barely moved—his next words a quiet murmur, almost as if he was trying to convince himself.
"I wasn’t wrong... This is all just part of the process."
His gaze darkened.
"All of this... is for justice."
---
The room I was sitting in looked like it belonged in a royal palace—marble floors, elegant drapes, and a chandelier that glittered like it was made of real starlight.
And there I was.
Sitting awkwardly on an expensive-looking sofa, surrounded by gold-trimd furniture, with no idea why I was even here.
...Seriously, what am I doing here?
Everything had happened so fast.
After the chaos with those so-called "terrorists," I’d been taken in by the knights for questioning.
They asked about a woman nad Lina and the strange red wolf tattoos that the attackers had.
I told them everything I knew—which wasn’t much—and they eventually let go.
I thought I could finally drag myself back to the dorm and collapse into bed...
Until a butler appeared out of nowhere, said soone wanted to see , and whisked away before I could even protest.
Honestly, I should’ve asked who wanted to see before following him.
But the guy’s attitude was so formal and confident that I just... went along with it.
Now here I am, sitting in this luxurious room, waiting.
With nothing else to do, I grabbed one of the cookies from the ornate tray in front of .
The thing lted in my mouth the mont I bit into it.
"Oh... this is actually really good," I muttered to myself, surprised.
I’d never really been into sweets before, but the flavor was rich—like sothing you’d only find in a royal banquet.
Maybe getting dragged here wasn’t entirely bad.
Just as I was starting to relax, the door opened with a soft creak.
"Don’t spare the healing potions," a composed female voice ordered. "Prioritize distributing them to the students in critical condition."
"Yes, Your Highness," the butler replied.
I turned toward the door and froze for a mont.
Walking in was a young woman with long, silky purple hair and an air of authority that seed to fill the entire room. Her elegant accessories glimred under the light, and the knights outside instantly straightened as she passed.
She moved with effortless grace, the butler following close behind her.
When her athyst eyes t mine, she smiled faintly.
"Have you been waiting long?" she asked, her tone gentle but commanding.
Anna Blackwood.
The student council president.
And the princess of the empire.
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