This power…?
Feeling the overwhelming pressure in the air, Dirk managed to keep a calm expression, but inside, he was tense. No one wanted to die without knowing why.
"Hey, Valda—what do you think?"
He pressed the white-haired woman for an answer, but her expression didn't change—if she even had the ability to make one.
"I have no objections," came her emotionless reply. "If lending this body to someone like you means gaining the help of such a strong ally, it would be very advantageous for us. But you'll have to wait a few days. I need to erase this body's memories of me so it doesn't interfere with our plan."
The Orga Lux on her chest pulsed with light—and to Elise's surprise, it was the weapon speaking, not the woman.
"Of course!"
The suffocating aura suddenly vanished, and Elise's gentle smile returned.
"Then it's settled. Just send Orphelia to Saint Galahadworth when the time comes."
"No need. You can take her now."
Dirk made a call, exchanged a few brief words, then hung up. He didn't bother to hide anything, so Elise naturally heard—it was simply an order to bring Orphelia over.
In the end, the discussion had gone far more smoothly than Dirk had expected. He thought he'd have to pay a heavy price, but Elise had only asked for two people he no longer needed.
So this was a saintess? Exactly the type he hated!
Still… it fit Korone's divination perfectly. This negotiation really had gone unusually well.
"Then, find some time to meet with the other members," Dirk said, his tone returning to the familiar sternness, nothing like his earlier urgency.
"As expected of the Tyrant," Elise remarked. She had to admit—Dirk was indeed capable.
"Tch. I'm still no match for monsters like you," Dirk scoffed at her praise.
"Oh, right—"
As they were parting, Dirk seemed to remember something, his tone turning casual.
"You're not like that old… Banyuu Tenra, are you? Some ancient monster reincarnated? The so-called conglomerates probably look like toys to you, huh?"
Whether because he thought Elise wouldn't know who he meant, or because he feared provoking her, Dirk adjusted his wording—but still called her an old monster.
For a moment, Elise was stunned. She hadn't expected Dirk to think that of her.
"Really now!" Elise feigned annoyance. "I'm a bona fide sixteen-year-old girl!"
The kind who'll never grow up.
"Don't compare me to Banyuu Tenra!"
Dirk fell silent.
She'd answered the first question… but completely ignored the second. He made a mental note of that.
"Tch. What a pain. Where do monsters like you even come from?"
"Hmph! I have no obligation to answer you," Elise shot back, mimicking his tone—and that cracked his composure.
Forget it.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Dirk climbed into the Student Council President's car and left without looking back. He had to find Madiath now.
"…But to think she had that side to her," Dirk muttered, having gained a new perspective on Elise.
The next day—
An explosive announcement shook two Integrated Enterprise Foundation conglomerates.
Issued jointly by Saint Galahadworth's parent conglomerate EP and Rewolf Black's parent conglomerate Solnage…
"Effective immediately, Orphelia Landlufen, also known as the Venom Strega of Rewolf Black Institute, will transfer to Saint Galahadworth Academy!"
Just as the excitement from the Lindvolus Festa had begun to fade, the Asterisk city once again erupted in shock. Orphelia wasn't just any student—she was her academy's Page One. The strongest.
For a student of such status to casually transfer to another academy? Naturally, curiosity ran rampant.
Other academies even dispatched their own intelligence agents to investigate. But the truth was far simpler than they imagined.
Originally, as Rewolf Black's top-ranked fighter, Orphelia wasn't just powerful—she was of immense experimental value. But after Elise's purification, the scientists and researchers of Solnage Conglomerate could no longer glean any useful data from her. They were baffled. How could there be nothing left to study?
Her value in Solnage's eyes plummeted.
At that moment, EP Conglomerate stepped in, offering a large sum to take Orphelia off their hands. Faced with the choice of keeping a useless test subject or exchanging her for a significant amount of funding, what would you choose?
There was no real decision to make.
Dirk had even considered quietly pulling strings to make the process smoother, only to find it was entirely unnecessary.
And so, Orphelia's transfer from Rewolf Black to Saint Galahadworth went off without a hitch.
...
Dressed in Saint Galahadworth's snow-white uniform, Orphelia stood dazed at the school gate, staring up at the academy's sign.
The past few days had been a whirlwind. First competing in the Lindvolus, losing in the finals to Elise, then gaining control over her ability thanks to Elise's help… and now, because of Elise again, she had transferred from Rewolf Black.
She was free.
Biting her lip, her eyes glistened with tears.
Sniffle…
She covered her mouth with both hands, as if trying to muffle the sound, but the crystalline drops still fell.
"It's alright. Everything's over now. Isn't this your happy ending?"
Elise stepped forward, embracing Orphelia from the front, gently resting the girl's head on her shoulder and softly patting her back.
"Thank you… truly… thank you so much, Lady Saintess!"
Her tears fell like rain, quickly soaking through Elise's uniform—especially the area from her neck to her chest. To an outsider, it might have looked… questionable.
But Elise didn't mind. She only needed to act the part of a saintess.
"No need to call me 'Saintess,' and drop the 'Lady' too."
"Yes, Lady Saintess… sniff…"
"…"
Fine. Whatever makes you happy.
From that day onward, Orphelia officially joined Saint Galahadworth Academy.
And strangely, ever since, the training rooms at Seidoukan Academy seemed to suffer frequent explosions.
According to rumor, a certain first-year student named Julis was training so hard that she kept breaking things—and the school was already billing her for damages.