The Twilight Council. It was the mysterious evil organization that continued to threaten this academy.
When their name came up from Lirpin, Mari was taken aback.
However, the truth she soon learned was even more shocking.
The Twilight Council was a secret society formed by the ten factions that first discovered the Heart Gem.
The magical power emanating from this Heart Gem possessed different properties than conventional magic and even had the ability to nullify magical powers.
They had used this power to reign behind the scenes, altering countless histories.
And they firmly believed that they would continue to reign as the masters of the world forever.
But there was one thing they didn’t know: the Heart Gem had consciousness, even if it lacked will.
This turned their plans into utter chaos.
On that day, a council member who possessed Lirpin’s Heart Gem was researching its power.
His experiment accidentally awakened Lirpin’s will, and Lirpin squeezed out her power and escaped the laboratory.
And by a twist of fate, she ended up at Hetai Academy, more precisely, right in front of Celestia.
This was also the reason why monsters appeared at Hetai Academy.
The Twilight Council had come to the academy in pursuit of the Heart Gem, which could be considered the source of their power.
They had decided it would be better to turn the academy upside down than to let the Heart Gem fall into someone else’s hands.
Their confidence wasn’t entirely unfounded.
The monsters, modified using the special magic drawn from the Heart Gem, were unscathed by ordinary magic.
But they made a mistake again.
They never anticipated that someone who possessed the Heart Gem would defeat the monsters using its power.
Of course, they had their excuses.
After thousands of years of researching the Heart Gem, they still hadn’t been able to fully harness its power; how could someone who had only had it for a few months defeat the monsters?
Unfortunately for them, however, the existence of Lirpin, who could be said to possess the consciousness of the Heart Gem, shattered their expectations.
Magical Mari had caught up with the council’s technology in just a few months.
Mari looked at the jewel in her hand.
The Heart Gem of will.
This was something she thought would be her power to protect the academy, but it was also the cause of the disturbance in peace, which troubled her.
Of course, at this point, there was no option to return Lirpin to the council.
Lirpin was already her friend, and even if she returned her, the council would likely try to kill her.
What she was conflicted about was whether to reveal the truth to the people.
As she struggled between honesty and friendship, the Heart Gem vibrated.
Instead of the crystal, she received a call through the Heart Gem.
“Yes, this is Magical Mari. What’s going on, Manager?”
Monsters had begun to appear, and the academy faced an unprecedented threat.
The academy had devised some countermeasures but ultimately acknowledged that they lacked the power to stop the monsters.
So, they requested cooperation from Magical Mari.
Mari gladly accepted the academy’s request, and they promptly established a monster control department under the student council, promising to support Mari with all their might.
Thus, Mari had a dedicated student manager.
However, this time, the voice coming through the Heart Gem was not her manager’s.
“Lady Mari, there’s a big problem!”
“Chairperson?”
He was the most powerful figure at Hetairo Academy.
Ceres, sensing that something was wrong from her urgent voice, jumped out of bed.
“What could have happened? Could it be a monster?”
“Yes! A monster has appeared! But that monster… broke the statue of the first president…”
“The statue?”
“Wait a minute… Uh, they just surrendered, apparently?”
A question mark appeared above Mari’s head.
A monster had just appeared.
But then the monster broke the statue of the first president and surrendered to the disciplinary committee.
Mari was thrown into confusion by the incomprehensible behavior of the monster.
“Lirpin, what do you think the monster’s goal is? Do you have any idea?”
“I have no clue at all, nya. Besides, the council family that owned me always kept me in the lab, nya.”
“Hmm… In that case, we’ll just have to meet them.”
- [Shine! Willpower! Shining Willingness!]
“Magical Mari, on stage!”
Even when no one was watching in her room, she never forgot to say her entrance line before flying straight to the prison.
The student council president, who had arrived first, was waiting for her at the detention center.
“You’ve arrived, Miss Mari.”
“Where is the monster?”
“They’re in the farthest cell.”
She descended into the prison with the president and the disciplinary committee.
The Hetairo Academy’s prison was a place where human rights were seemingly ignored, with not even a sliver of sunlight reaching the underground.
One might wonder if such a human rights violation facility should exist on campus, but let’s not forget.
Hetairo Academy is constantly exposed to the threat of terrorism.
The prison wasn’t for students, but for the worst kind of terrorists who would target students.
And this particular monster was locked up in the deepest part of the underground.
“Did the monster say anything before I got here?”
“The monster has provided no information other than its name. We have no idea where it’s from or why it’s here.”
“Then at least, could you tell me its name?”
“Yes. The monster introduced itself as ‘Scapul.'”
“That’s an unusual name.”
Soon, the group arrived at the cell where Scapul was.
Inside the bars, a giant with a muscular build awaited them.
His feet, hands, face, and even the top of his head—his entire body—were covered in scars.
“From the outside, he looks like a normal human…”
Up until now, the monsters that had appeared had limbs and heads, but their appearance was far from anything that could be categorized as a human race.
Like winged gorillas or centaurs with tentacle-like hair.
Anyone who saw them would think of the word “monster.”
But Scapul’s appearance was distinctly human.
He was huge for a human, but his appearance was definitely human.
“Just like how you use your power while looking like an ordinary human—”
Heh.
Hearing Mari’s muttering, Scapul chuckled softly.
His voice, deep and drawn out like an echo in a cave, contrasted with his appearance, creating an eerie feeling.
Although Scapul hadn’t said a word beyond his name until being imprisoned, the moment he spoke, the disciplinary committee members immediately assumed a battle-ready stance.
But the giant beyond the iron bars seemed completely unfazed, even with crossbows and blades aimed at him.
Clank, clank.
The giant, whose hands were bound, stood up and dragged his shackles as he approached the bars.
Even while sitting, he had left the impression of being enormous, but standing, he towered above the students, reaching only about their waist height.
Even though they knew he was bound with chains that sealed his magic, his overwhelming size caused the disciplinary committee members to step back slightly.
Separated by thick bars, Mari and Scapul stared at each other.
“Eek!”
Lirpin, frightened, hid behind Mari.
With a creepy smile, the giant looked down at Mari.
“Magical Mari. I’ve wanted to meet you. I heard you defeated the vanguard of the council, and I was curious to see what you looked like… You’re smaller than I thought.”
“Disappointed?”
“Not at all. I’m intrigued. How can such power come from such a small body?”
“It’s all thanks to willpower and the power of love.”
“Haha! Yes, willpower! There’s strength in human willpower. Whether it’s a mother rescuing her child from the flames, or a soldier breaking through enemy lines to save a comrade—miracles always come from human willpower. Mari, you’ve also gained your miracles through your willpower, haven’t you? Remarkable.”
Scapul’s speech seemed to be picking up pace, little by little.
As their tension reached its peak, Mari, sweating slightly, asked Scapul.
“Now it’s my turn to ask. Why did you break the statue and surrender? What’s your goal?”
With a wide grin, the man responded as if he had been waiting for the question.
“To become even greater.” My purpose, you ask.
“What?”
“Where do you think human greatness comes from, magical girl?”
“If you’re not going to answer, then I will. It comes from overcoming adversity and growing through it. When humans rise above challenges, they naturally become even greater. After all, isn’t it said that adversity that doesn’t kill humans only makes them stronger?”
Such hopeful words, coming from a monster.
Scapul’s voice grew louder and faster, as though he was becoming more immersed in his own words.
“It was the same reason I came here. For adversity. I broke the statue without any magical assistance, to embrace the value of freedom, I walked into this prison. And—”
“Disciplinary committee!!”
At the command of the student council president, who sensed something was wrong, the disciplinary committee simultaneously fired their crossbows as cracks began to form on Scapul’s cuffs.
Scapul, unafraid of the crossbows, took all the hits without a flinch.
It was as if even the wounds would become the very adversity that made him grow stronger.
And just as he predicted, his muscular body prevented the bolts from piercing deep into his flesh.
“No way! His magic should be sealed!” Mari shouted in disbelief.
“Protector, incoming!” Lirpin warned, realizing the danger.
“I came here to learn the meaning of defeat!!! I came for you—Magical Mari!!!”
Crash!!!
In an instant, Scapul shattered his cuffs and chains, charging towards the iron bars. His fist tore through the metal as if it were paper, landing a devastating uppercut on Mari.
The attack was so fast and forceful that Mari couldn’t even react.
When she regained her senses, she had already been sent crashing through the ceiling, all the way to the surface.
Below her, Scapul’s thunderous roar echoed up through the hole she had made.
“I am Scapul!! From the Twilight Council, the one who holds the Seat of ‘Adversity’! I am your trial!!!”
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