Previous summary.
A being capable of angelic possession crossed the pseudo-angelic barrier but was caught in an illusion.
…It’s a rather absurd situation, but considering that the opponent is an Angel, it’s something that requires serious contemplation.
“Phoenix, are you just going to leave that like that?”
“Hey now. That’s Lieze von Stein, our senior. No matter how disgraceful her current state is, we should still show her respect as a senior.”
“But she’s clinging onto a long body pillow lying on the bed, deep-kissing the air, and aggressively moving her body back and forth.”
“She’s just confused because she got caught in an illusion. If we’re going to blame someone…”
I looked past the screen to where Lieze von Stein was sprawled on the floor, rubbing herself fervently against the body pillow—
“…We should blame the Angel that has possessed her.”
I pointed at the halo above her head.
“If Angels didn’t react like this, they wouldn’t fall for illusions.”
“Are you saying that only this kind of illusion can deceive an Angel?”
Ludmila, poised with a Wind Spear ready to strike at any moment, asked with a wry smile.
“Are you telling me that the only way to fool an Angel is to create illusions of women doing… that kind of thing?”
“Yeah. Unfortunately.”
“Hah…”
“You’ve all seen many illusions before, but compared to the illusions created by the Four Founders, this is particularly crude and unpleasant—I’ll admit that much.”
I understand. And I acknowledge it.
The illusions created by the Four Founders could manifest something like 500 A-rank Triceratops charging at you, or throw you into an ant nest for a brutal battle. Even the path leading to the Seven Star Trials’ towers could be transformed into an awe-inspiring temple-like lobby.
But what illusion had Shuri and I created now?
[Haah, mmnh, chuwaaaahhh!!]
“What kind of reaction do you think Lieze will have when she sees this recording later?”
“Probably something like… ‘If I ever grow up and kiss someone I love, I’ll make sure to do it where no one can see me’?”
“Haha…”
Caught in the illusion, Lieze von Stein was passionately making out with a pillow.
Her movements had already gone beyond those of a simple lover cherishing their beloved—she was doing things that were far too inappropriate for public viewing or a teen-rated environment.
“I’m angry.”
“Because of the illusion I cast?”
“I’m not angry at you, Phoenix. What makes me mad is the fact that this kind of illusion is the only thing that works on an Angel.”
Ludmila aimed her Wind Spear at the halo.
“That Miss Shuri’s illusion, which deprived even me and Evangeline of our spatial awareness, and that your support magic, which amplifies and enhances the illusion’s effectiveness, can only be implemented like this.”
“Well, yeah.”
Evangeline interjected.
“We could have created a treasury overflowing with gold, or an illusion where hundreds of magical beasts endlessly attack, or even a candy house where you’d be stuck eating sweets forever.”
“But… for some reason, the Angels all reacted like this?”
Yunia scanned our team from the Old School Building.
“If we were ever subdued by an Angel, would some of us end up like that pillow down there…?”
“Well, at least one of us would be an exception, right?”
Yurha chuckled and subtly pushed me forward.
“Phoenix, you’re a man, so those Angels wouldn’t go after you. Isn’t that right?”
“Senior Yurha, you’re making a crucial mistake.”
“A mistake?”
“Yes. The Angels are only acting this way because they perceive that pillow as a cute girl. If it were just a man, they wouldn’t react like this at all.”
And that’s the truly terrifying part hidden beneath the Angels’ disgraceful behavior.
“Miss Shuri, how about we make a little ‘intervention’ in the illusion?”
“I-Intervention?”
“Yeah. In certain industries—”
“Oh! I know what you mean!”
Shuri’s eyes sparkled as she raised her hand.
“Adding a man into a yuri scene is a death sentence!”
“…What in the world are you talking about?”
Yurha, the most normal-minded among us and furthest from that kind of industry, tilted her head in confusion.
“A-Ah, well…!”
Shuri immediately panicked.
It was like she had been pretending to be a normal person, but then blurted out a nerdy topic, making the atmosphere awkward—and now someone had seriously asked, ‘What does that even mean?’
“It’s the idea that in certain preferences, when women are in a romantic situation together, the presence of a man is completely intolerable.”
So, I stepped in to cover for her.
“And apparently, these Angels might have that preference. Right, Miss Shuri?”
“Y-Yeah! I mean, I’ve heard about it. Those who like that sort of thing don’t even like it when a man approaches women just holding hands.”
Shuri was desperately trying to downplay the subject.
“You know how girls sometimes go to the bathroom together, holding hands? If a guy suddenly appeared and said, ‘Hey, let’s go together,’ wouldn’t that feel… really weird? Ahaha.”
The place where they were holding hands was the bed a little while ago, but now that example had changed to the bathroom.
“Wait, why would a guy follow them into the women’s restroom? That guy’s crazy.”
“Evangeline. What kind of personality do you think a guy has if he’s willing to walk into the bathroom with two women?”
“Oh… Ohhh… Now that you mention it… But wait, from a population standpoint, wouldn’t that— Mmph!”
“That’s enough, Evangeline. Let’s focus on the Angel for now.”
I covered Evangeline’s mouth and turned my gaze back toward the pillow—
[Come here! Mmnnnh, mmnnnh! Ahaha…!]
The entity, using the pillow as a pillar, was repeatedly thrusting against it, while the halo above their head slowly completed its form, and a pair of wings seemed ready to unfurl from their back.
“It looks like full possession is imminent.”
“S-Should we handle it now?”
Yunia aimed her staff at the Angel’s halo.
It might have looked like she was merely pointing a magical staff, but in reality, it was no different from a sniper lining up a headshot with a specialized bullet.
“It’s fine for now. We’ve separated an Angel from a host before, and even if full possession happens, there are ways to wake their consciousness.”
“But we can’t just let an Angel completely possess someone.”
“Exactly. And when waking them up… well, the process could get… unsightly. Ahem. Though, I doubt Lieze von Stein will end up displaying anything too disgraceful.”
“Let’s hope so.”
No one should have to die from sheer embarrassment.
Besides, she was a promising graduate school candidate.
‘Every Gym Leader needs subordinates to test challengers on the way to them.’
After graduation, nurturing her under the Old School Building’s research wing would be a fitting excuse.
“Instructors, is something like this possible?”
“This?”
“Yes.”
I discreetly wrote a message on my magic pad, only visible to the two instructors—the ‘adults’ in the room—seeking their opinions.
“…W-What.”
“Are you serious?”
Instructor Esta blushed slightly, while Instructor Kadisha stared at me in bewilderment.
They were clearly flustered, but this was indeed a viable method.
“Yes. Because this is the perfect way to forcibly separate an Angel from its host.”
“Ugh… Hmm….”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s simple. We change the conditions of the possessed body.”
I pointed at Instructor Esta.
“Instructor Esta, could you come over here? I need your help.”
More precisely, I needed the help of the spirit beast she was contracted with.
“Everyone, be ready to seal the Angel the moment it is expelled.”
* * *
Inside the illusion.
“Mmmnh… chuuh… haah…”
Lieze von Stein, wearing a blissful expression as if savoring some sweet, ripe fruit, licked her lips and let out a sultry giggle.
“This… this is it.”
Her face was flushed red, and certain parts of her body were visibly swollen.
Anyone looking at her—noble or commoner alike—would have instinctively averted their gaze while still sneaking peeks from the corner of their eye.
“Haaah…”
Above her head, the halo glowed in a radiant rainbow hue, and her eyes shimmered with an otherworldly brilliance.
In the midst of that, an inky darkness slowly formed a perfect circle—
Rustle.
“…Huh?”
Before Lieze, a single white horse emerged, stepping forward with slow, deliberate movements.
Its violet eyes, deep and mysterious, stared at her.
“Ah, ahh… I see. If I ride you, I’ll be taken to your master, right? Your master must also—”
As Lieze reached out and placed her hand upon the unicorn’s head—
Splurt!
The unicorn suddenly coughed up blood and staggered backward.
“E-Eh?”
Her halo flickered wildly, and the unicorn, hacking up more blood, wobbled in distress.
HIIIIHH!!
The unicorn let out a terrified whinny, immediately turning around and fleeing—not toward where it had come from, but anywhere that was away from Lieze.
“T-That can’t be…! I just checked with my own hands—!”
And then—
“N-No way…!”
Lieze reached down, hesitantly, toward her own lower back.
“Ugh… Uwaaah…”
Clack.
“AAAAAAAHHHHHH!!”
Clutching her halo, Lieze let out a bloodcurdling scream.
And then—
CRASH!!
As if shattering like glass, the illusion distorted violently.
“All units, battle formation—now!!”
Yunia’s staff unleashed a surge of non-attribute magic, deploying a massive combat barrier over the entire forest.
