Chapter 61 The Masquerade Cracks and Lala’s Abduction by the Lax Empire Sages
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The moment I used Teleportation, two figures from the Shin-kyō’s Star Twelve Apostles materialized right alongside me: Zoltic and Roy. Both of them hailed from the Lax Empire and were victims of the massive kidnapping incident that took place in Seyfried Territory about four and a half years ago—the very event that brought me and Lala-chan together in the first place.
”Yeah, that’s right. Ah, speaking of which, has anything exciting happened while I was away, hmm? Like, maybe Hollow and Karentisia-chan finally started dating, perhaps?” I chirped, adopting my usual innocent tone.
”…Nah, no such forbidden romance has blossomed, I assure ya. If I had to say, it’d be that thing, wouldn’t it, Roy?” Zoltic rumbled.
”Y-yes… I’m so sorry. I should have told you first thing when we reunited, Shin-sama… but Lala-sama, well…” Roy stammered, his meek voice thick with apology.
”Hmm? What about Lala-chan? Did something happen to her…?” I drawled, playing the concerned friend.
”Some creeps took her, you idiot Shin.” Hollow’s voice sliced through the air.
”?! Dis…perse!”
”Huh? Wasn’t there just someone else here besides Shin?” Hollow challenged.
It was truly incredible. Those two, Zoltic and Roy, sensed Hollow approach without a single sound and vanished in an instant, quick as lightning.
”Woah?! Hollow?! Why did you have to appear without making any footsteps at all?!” I exclaimed, putting on an over-the-top, shocked act.
Whoops. I almost slipped up there. I mustn’t forget that at Alys Magic Academy, I have to maintain my act as the pretty, smiling, polite honorifics-using Bishōnen me.
”That’s a nauseating smile, you know… What is with that deliberately fake reaction? Aren’t you tired of keeping so many secrets from us, huh? Don’t you think you ought to just be honest with Alexia and the other girls for once? If you just explained yourself honestly, the girls who love you so much would believe anything you told them, wouldn’t they? Doesn’t that seem like the normal thing to think?” Hollow demanded, her sharp grey eyes boring into me.
…Hollow’s words made absolutely no sense to me.
”Hmm? I really don’t know what Hollow’s talking about at all… Gwuh-bwah?!“
A heavy thud reverberated as a tremendous impact struck me right in the solar plexus. Well, the full-auto Restoration magic kicked in immediately and healed the damage, of course.
”…That’s enough of this, idiot Shin. How much more acting do you need to do to be satisfied? …Whatever. It isn’t time yet, I suppose.” Hollow huffed, turning away.
It isn’t time yet? What in the world did Hollow mean by that cryptic statement?
”Cough! Cough! …More importantly, what was that about Lala-chan being taken by strange people?” I managed, still recovering.
”Yes, that’s it, exactly. That’s what Karen told me to pass on to you! …Lala’s gotten caught up in something terrible, apparently! We should discuss the details in your room. Get tea ready, you idiot Shin.” Hollow commanded, not giving me a chance to argue.
”……Huh? In my room? That is highly problematic,” I murmured, already feeling a cold sweat.
Hollow ignored me and simply walked straight into my private room. She had no idea that Alexia and the others were still bathing in the attached washroom.
* * *
(Regain Kingdom Southeast Saltina Territory)
After entrusting my message to Hollow, I managed to catch up to Lala and her captors just before they crossed into the Lax Empire, utilizing the power of my Sylphide.
”Haa-haa… I finally caught up to you all! Give me back my precious classmate, Lala!” I gasped, nearly spent.
”?! …That little brat is wearing the Alys Magic Academy uniform?!”
That older woman, cloaked entirely in a white robe—who was she? Why was she suddenly radiating such killing intent just from seeing me in my uniform?
”…Karentisia-sama, why are you here?” Lala’s voice drifted back.
”Hmph. Unlike the Lax Empire, it seems Lala Eushuria Melektorc is quite beloved, to have someone pursue her this far,” a tall figure remarked.
”…Ssu! Boss, leave this to me and please go ahead with Lala-sama!” the woman with the white robe urged.
”Oh? You seem eager, new recruit. Very well then. I did want to know your true strength anyway. I’ll leave this spot to you.” The tall figure granted.
”Thank you! I’m going to annihilate that Alys Magic Academy student! Ohohoho!” The robed woman shrieked with maniacal glee.
The old woman in the full robe tossed aside her disguise. I wondered what kind of person she really was beneath it all.
”…That ‘ssu’ particle? …And her voice is one I feel like I’ve heard a few years ago, though I can’t quite place it,” Karentisia murmured to herself.
”Ohohoho! I’ll bring divine punishment down upon the Alys Magic Academy that persecuted me! Glory to the Lax Empire! Ohohoho!” (Lax Empire’s Eight Sages: Flame Rhapsody Raichi)
”You stain on the Alys Magic Academy! Why are you wearing the formal attire of a Lax Empire faithful?!” Karentisia cried out in shock.
”…No way. Raichi-sensei is one of the Eight Sages of the Lax Empire,” Lala whispered in disbelief.
”…Then I’ll leave this to you. We must hurry. Lala Eushuria Melektorc, your sisters who retrieved the Holy Scripture are waiting at the border. And so is he—the one who ordered the assassination of the Shin-kyō’s Founder, who is hiding somewhere in the Regain Kingdom.”
* * *
(Alys Magic Academy Male Dormitory)
”I smell it, I smell it! I smell the lingering scent of those Shin-kyō followers… Lord Sid’s order must be carried out!” (Lax Empire’s Eight Sages: Cold Kimbley)
—
Summary:
The drama accelerates as Shin’s facade nearly cracks when his Shin-kyō allies, Zoltic and Roy, deliver shocking news—Lala has been abducted! Hollow, suspicious of Shin’s secrets, forcefully confronts him, demanding honesty before urgently passing on a desperate message from Karentisia. Simultaneously, the desperate pursuit by Karentisia, using her Sylphide magic, leads to a devastating confrontation near the Lax Empire border, revealing a former Alys Magic Academy teacher, Raichi, as one of the hostile Eight Sages. This magical conflict deepens with the shocking betrayal and the confirmed plot to assassinate the Shin-kyō Founder, all while a third Lax Empire Sage, Cold Kimbley, begins his hunt at the Alys Magic Academy.
—
Character Insight:
Shin is shown to be a master of deceit, easily switching from his true, cynical self to the ‘Pretty Boy’ persona needed for the Academy. His internal panic when Hollow challenges him proves that, despite his overwhelming power and planning, he still operates on a razor’s edge, desperately trying to keep his multiple secrets hidden from the girls he cares about. Hollow’s move to force the issue, combined with Karentisia’s desperate pursuit, shows the rising tide of danger and how their concern for Lala Eushuria Melektorc is forcing the main characters into immediate action.
—
Behind the Scene:
The appearance of Zoltic and Roy, former victims of a mass kidnapping, ties back directly to the story’s initial world-building and Shin’s past actions, reminding the reader of the long-term consequences of the Lax Empire’s influence. The chapter reveals that the abduction of Lala is not a random event but part of a larger, coordinated operation involving the Lax Empire’s Eight Sages, linking it to the assassination plot against the Shin-kyō Founder. The final appearance of Cold Kimbley confirms that the danger is not only out in the world but has now reached the Academy’s doorstep.
Notes:
• Lala – Delusional saint candidate from the Lax Empire who becomes fanatically devoted to Shin, founding a religion in his name and often speaking with the quirky suffix ‘~desuwa’
• Star Twelve Apostles – Shin’s proposed, rejected renaming of his cult’s core followers (the ‘Twelve Apostles’). He suggests ‘Astorum Duodecim’ but finds it lacking, reflecting his casual attitude toward the grandiose title.
• Twelve Apostles – The core group of twelve devout followers in the Religion of Shin (Shin-kyō) who revere Shin as their founder. They are shown gathered in prayer around his colossal statue and participate in the formal ceremonies within the Shin Cathedral.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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