The day of the Sports Festival. Early morning.To finalize the Sports Festival delivery, I visited Stella Harbor with Ciel.Though the sun had yet to rise and the world was still dim, the harbor was already bustling."Hey, move it, move it!""We’re departing soon! Make sure you’ve packed everything!"The docks were crowded with fishermen preparing for their voyages and laborers loading cargo onto merchant ships.Passing the lively pier, we reached the warehouse district near the harbor where the merchant guilds’ storage facilities were clustered.At the designated area, Sheika was waiting for me along with several workers.The laborers were opening the warehouse doors, busily loading wagons with tents and canopies, folding desks, and chairs to be used for the festival.Sheika, who had been directing the workers left and right, brightened the moment she spotted me."Ah, you’ve arrived, Sir Loen.""Your face looks much livelier now, Sheika. Good to see."Her expression was far brighter than the last time we met.When the false rumors and short-selling incident had driven Lombard Guild’s stock into the ground, she’d looked worried and drawn. But now that everything had been resolved, her face had completely cleared up.After all, she’d not only removed the troublemakers who had plagued her guild but also turned their schemes to her advantage, earning an enormous profit.I glanced around at the bustling workers and asked,"How’s the preparation?""Everything’s going smoothly. We finished assembling the tents yesterday and folded them for transport. The folding desks and chairs have been inspected and are being loaded onto the wagons now. All that’s left is to move them.""And the workers who’ll handle the installation?""I secured them in advance a few days ago. Forty from our own guild and an additional one-hundred sixty hired."Sheika looked toward the workers busily stacking the wagons.Two hundred laborers in total.With that many, plus help from the students, the installation should be finished within about an hour.And more importantly, these weren’t people hastily gathered from the labor market at dawn.They’d already spent yesterday assembling tents and inspecting goods, so they were familiar with the materials and procedures.As expected—she really knows how to work."However, there’s something a bit unusual.""You mean what you mentioned in your letter?"Sheika nodded."Yes. It may not be directly related to the delivery, but early this morning, the mana gauge in the warehouse area detected an abnormal mana reaction. And…"At her glance, I turned to see bloodstains left behind.Fresh red blood, vivid as if it had just been spilled.Normally, blood darkens and dries over time—but this one hadn’t. A rather peculiar phenomenon.I narrowed my eyes and asked,"Were there any casualties?""None among our guild members. One guard was found briefly unconscious, but… the details are still under investigation.""That’s… a relief, I suppose."It felt odd to say that while looking at a blood-soaked floor, but since the goods were unharmed and no one I knew was injured, I could only consider it fortunate."Do you happen to have any idea what it might be, Sir Loen?"Sheika asked, her tone tinged with hope, but I slowly shook my head."…Nothing certain."In truth, a few details had caught my attention."Abnormal mana reaction, and still-fresh bloodstains."One particular person came to mind, but there wasn’t enough evidence to draw a conclusion yet.That person shouldn’t even appear in the Meteor Isles at this point in time—and above all, she was a dangerous variable I must absolutely avoid encountering for now.Unlike Gilean, who followed set plans, she was a whimsical sort—like a ball that could bounce anywhere.If she had truly begun acting in earnest…It wouldn’t just endanger my life. It could very well alter the future I knew entirely.All I could do was hope my concern proved baseless.***"Hmm-hmm~ hmhmm~"A soft hum echoed through the darkness.One of the Demon God’s Twelve Venerables.Queen of Night and Blood—Carmilla Vampir.Bathed in the faint moonlight, she took a deep breath of the cool night air and skipped merrily away from the harbor.During her little stroll, she’d managed to secure some fresh blood—and, by chance, had stumbled upon an entertaining toy as well.Whoosh-She tossed the glass vial in her hand. The floating red droplets circling her darted through the air and caught it mid-flight.Inside the vial lay a black shard—high-purity Dark Magic Stone.With this, she could expand her retinue without expending her own precious blood. Useful and amusing in more ways than one.Gilean had told her not to cause unnecessary commotion, but… why should she care?'My head’s already pounding anyway~ so stop bothering me.'All this fuss about some underground rebellion or whatever—it was absurd that they’d even dispatched her to this backwater.Scratching her head, she strolled up the sloped road away from the docks.Beyond the rise spread a vast plaza, and past it, a grand building adorned with white marble columns and arched gates.The colossal academy city commonly called “Union.”But since it was still curfew hours, the entrance and the square lay deathly quiet.Carmilla gazed at the silent cityscape and narrowed her eyes.'Come to think of it…'She recalled hearing something about a festival being held here soon.'A festival, huh~ festivals are nice.'A feast table crowded with countless humans.And the delicious flavor of fear and screams spreading like a plague among them—such a delicacy wasn’t easy to come by.She already had a fun new toy; she might as well test it out here.And while she was at it, she could confirm with her own eyes that “existence” Gilean had mentioned testing.Sounds funCrack- crack-Smiling, Carmilla rolled her neck and wrists, preparing her transformation.The Union /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ might be protected by physical and magical barriers, but there was no place in the world she couldn’t reach.After all, there was nowhere in this world devoid of “blood.”Light steps carried her across the plaza toward the front gate—where she soon ran into a patrolling guard."Who goes there!"A beam of bright white mana light shone directly on her.Carmilla winced, raising her hand to shield her eyes."Son of a… who the hell—?"How dare some wretch shine the blinding light she despised most. The insolence was unforgivable.In an instant of anger, she extended her hand, shaped her fingers into a gun, and flicked."Die."Bang-!With the word, the man should have burst into bloody chunks—…but he didn’t."…?"What?"What are you doing right now?"Carmilla tilted her head, staring at the unharmed man before her.Why didn’t he die? Was her gun broken?Tuk-tuk-She tapped her finger a few times as if to fix it.Maybe something had gone wrong during the earlier reconstitution process, when she’d absorbed those corpses’ blood and flesh.As she examined her hand, the guard stepped closer and warned sternly,"Identify yourself. If you don’t, I’ll blow the whistle and summon the patrol.""…What nonsense. You’re lucky, you know that?"Her anger cooled, and she regained some composure.She could easily tear him apart bare-handed, but doing so would only cause trouble.Killing nameless stragglers left little trace, but massacring security personnel from a major institution would definitely attract attention.And she hadn’t even enjoyed the festival yet—she hated the idea of having to hide or flee before the fun began.Having made up her mind, Carmilla snapped her head up and ordered coldly,"You forget everything you just saw."Her crimson pupils flared—the use of [Suggestion].The guard’s eyes clouded over, and he slowly nodded."…Yes. Understood.""Then get going."With a flick of her head, Carmilla dismissed him, and the guard turned and wandered off vacantly.Once he was gone, she snapped her fingers. Her form began to change.Shrrr-A crimson whirlwind wrapped around her—and moments later, she transformed into a single bat, fluttering away into the darkness.***"Two hours until the opening ceremony.""Spectators have begun entering the Grand Stadium. We’re distributing necklaces, mats, pamphlets, and cups to students at the entrance.""Current entry count stands at about one thousand."Main Building of Ishtal Academy — Sports Festival Preparation Committee Room."Huuh…"Freya took a deep breath as the reports poured in.Seeing her tension, her aides offered words of comfort."Please relax, President.""We’ve done our best. Now we just have to focus on running things smoothly.""Here, try this—it’s an eastern herbal pill that’s supposed to calm the mind.""…Thank you."Freya accepted the pill, swallowed it with water, and reflected.'They’re right.'Although several unexpected incidents had interfered with preparations, the committee had persevered, working tirelessly under poor conditions.All that remained was to ensure the festival ran successfully based on everything they’d prepared so far.There was no longer any need to worry or hesitate.'…The Sports Festival is a celebration of unity among Union’s students.'It had begun as a wish to move beyond the past territorial wars and inter-academy clashes—to fight purely for harmony and order.The festival belonged to the students, not to her.Her duty was only to lay the groundwork so they could enjoy themselves freely. There was no need to shoulder extra weight.After composing her thoughts, Freya spoke."What about the medical team?""The first-aid tents are in place. Priests from Saintea have joined us and set up a relief camp near the all-weather training grounds. Temporary restrooms are installed in that area as well.""Good. And meal preparation?""We’ve issued meal coupons redeemable at any on-campus restaurant, distributed with the pamphlets. The Ishtal student cafeteria’s buffet has also been opened for festival access.""Well done."Freya nodded slightly, then turned to another aide."What about drinking water?""Yes! Water stations have been set up at every point, and each attendee receives a metal camping cup as a souvenir upon entry, so self-service will be possible."Freya nodded again.Food and water—vital priorities.If people were hungry or thirsty, they wouldn’t enjoy anything; this part had to be flawless."Confirm the expected audience count, the parade order of each academy’s representatives, and the seating layout.""Yes, ma’am. Excluding first- and fourth-year students, all seven thousand Ishtal students are participating, and including other academies’ delegations, total attendance is projected at nearly fifty thousand.""Fifty thousand…"With first- and fourth-years away for study tours and field training, only the second and third years would participate.It wasn’t even half of Union’s total student body, yet the number still approached fifty thousand."The entrance order begins with Ishtal, as host, followed by the Four Great Academies. The rest were decided by drawing lots.""Understood."Freya exhaled softly and nodded.Stable, reassuring reports—everything proceeding as planned. Her nerves began to ease."We’re almost there. Everyone, keep it up.""Yes, ma’am!"Just as she was listening calmly to the flow of progress reports—Bang-!The door burst open, and one of her aides rushed in, pale and breathless."Pr-President! Emergency situation!""What happened?"Barely able to breathe, the aide stammered an entirely unexpected report."S-Student Council President Loen de Valis is currently arguing with the gate staff at the Grand Stadium entrance while leading a wagon convoy!"The words sent ripples through her once-steady composure."A… wagon convoy?"Freya’s eyes widened as she stood up."Y-Yes! Our staff are blocking the way, but he’s invoking his authority as Student Council President and looks ready to force his way in!""……"Loen—what are you doing again…Freya quietly clenched her fist and asked in a cold voice,"What did he say?"The aide hesitated, trembling as they answered,"H-He said… he brought a gift for you, President…"

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