I love time travel the most!

"Wait, our chat time is over, Sigmund!"

Charlotte interrupted it, her voice tense, and at the same time, the dragon-shaped puppet's senses reacted immediately, raising its head to observe its surroundings.

Then, it discovered the anomaly.

About 50 meters ahead, there was a strange-looking thing that seemed ready to move.

In a particularly shady spot under the tree, a shadowy figure lurked on all fours, crawling silently and concealing its presence. That figure was definitely not human!

"Finally found it—"

Charlotte's lips curled up slightly, and her noble features instantly revealed a ferocious aura like that of Sigmund.

Her hair and shoulders exuded an overwhelming amount of magic.

In the darkness of the night, the bluish-white light shone as brightly as moonlight.

Then, as he reached out to Sigmund, magic gathered into a beam and flowed into the dragon-shaped doll's body.

"No, Charles, there isn't enough light."

"It doesn't matter. As long as we capture it alive, use the beam cannon!"

"Roger that!"

The dragon-shaped automaton opened its mouth and shot out countless dazzling, glowing needles that flew towards the shadow. The attacks landed precisely on the automaton's limbs, pinning it to the ground and rendering the strangely behaving automaton immobile.

"Success!"

Charlotte shouted excitedly.

Just as she was about to step forward to examine her captured prey—

"Don't move!"

Suddenly, several angry roars came from all directions.

The presence of a group of people emanated from the treetops, from the shade of the trees, and from the corners of the walls. By the time the girl came to her senses, she was already surrounded.

There were ten oil lamps lit in total.

On the arm that held up the oil lamp, everyone wore the same disciplinary committee badge. Under the lamplight, the eyes of everyone looking at Charlotte were filled with hostility.

Good evening, Ciel. Or should I call you... [The Devourer]?

Using automatons as bait, Felix gradually lured the "prisoner" into the trap he had already set.

Those hidden, deep blue eyes reflected the image of a girl about to be falsely accused.

——Planning.JPG

Beneath his oversized trench coat was a hidden, triumphant smile.

After that, all you have to do is use your words to get the girl, who is eager to explain herself, to reveal the mysterious magic circuits in the room, thus confirming the lie that she is a "demon eater". Then, once your automaton has taken care of Kobayashi and seized his powerful magic circuits, you can pin all the blame on Charlotte and get away with it all!

That should be it, that's the plan!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Time returns to the present.

When Kobayashi used magic to chase after the automaton Lysette into the sky, his superhuman long-distance vision allowed him to see the two people facing off. He realized that Lysette's destination was there, so he kicked her to help her speed up her journey. However, Lysette landed a little awkwardly.

At the same time, Raishin and Yaya also arrived at the scene.

Akabane Raishin, his head bandaged and covered in wounds, had one foot on Yaya's shoulder and the other on her belt, while Yaya slid to the ground, as if Akabane Raishin was carrying her.

Xiaolin's eyes looked a little strange.

Akabane Raishin quickly explained, "Hey, there's no other way. My body doesn't allow for fast movement, so I had no choice but to do this."

"No, that's not what I meant. After all, I have one too."

Kobayashi pointed to the fighting girl at his feet.

"only……"

"only?"

"Given your relationship with Ye Ye, Qi's actions towards her should be called pure love. So, if I were to act as Qi in someone else's automaton, would I be called a 'Cow-Headed Man'?"

"...What are you suddenly saying?"

Akabane Raishin couldn't help but complain.

To still have the leisure to joke around at a time like this, one has to commend Xiaolin for his thick skin and strong heart.

What's most infuriating is that even their own dolls are causing trouble.

"I love being with Rai Zhenqi every night!"

"Don't say such misleading things!"

Akabane Raishin glared at Yaya.

But the force caused a dull pain in the ribs that had pierced his chest and abdomen, and he couldn't help but gasp softly. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.

His body was covered in wounds, making him look pitiful.

Kobayashi shook his head in disappointment upon seeing this and sighed, "Akaba-kun, you still got hurt even though I told you the answer. You really are an idiot."

"…Thanks for the compliment."

"Hey, I'm not that arrogant person over there. I'm not being sarcastic."

"Ah, yes, yes."

Akabane Raishin chose to deceive himself.

I wonder where he learned this trick from. Now I won't be able to tease him anymore.

Xiaolin was in a bad mood.

"Wait, wait!" The mastermind, feeling neglected, was very annoyed and forced his way into the conversation, complaining to the two, "Can you stop leaving me out and just chatter on by yourselves?"

As they spoke, a white thread shot out from Felix's hand. The automaton, imbued with magic, forcefully broke free from Kobayashi's suppression and returned behind its master.

"Sorry, sorry, I completely forgot about you."

Kobayashi's apology was very perfunctory, and his hostility was directed at Felix.

At this moment, Felix looked puzzled and said, "Haven't you guys figured out the situation yet? Wait, Kobayashi, the [Demon Eater]'s true identity is Ciel! As the head of the Disciplinary Committee, I have to arrest her—"

"Hey, hey, hey, that's enough with your terrible acting."

Kobayashi interrupted him, pointing angrily at the automaton battle girl behind him, "Do you think I would trust someone who just sent their own automaton to attack me?"

"that--"

“Felix, your next sentence is… that was just mistaking you for a fellow member of the [Demon Eater].

"That was just mistaking you for a fellow member of the [Demon Eater]... Ah!"

Felix could no longer maintain his composure.

"This tsundere girl, she's always quick to criticize and unknowingly makes enemies. Afterwards, she's filled with regret, but once she realizes her mistakes, she'll help others in a compensatory way. And when you tell her her sensitive spots, she'll carefully remember them and never touch them again. How could someone who always thinks of others possibly be a so-called 'Demon Eater'?"

In that instant, Charlotte felt a burning sensation in her chest. She had always thought of herself as alone, surrounded by enemies. Friendship and trust were things that were simply out of her reach.

but--

Unexpectedly, with just a few words, Kobayashi managed to piece together her girlish heart, which had been shattered by another person.

"Actually, you're just angry that I took advantage of you, aren't you?"

"you're right."

The next second, her girlish heart was shattered into pieces.

Charlotte pouted.

She knew it would be like this.

Felix stared at Kobayashi with displeasure, but soon after, he laughed.

He asked in a defiant, arrogant tone, "So, what do you want to do?"

"Fuck you!"

Xiaolin's answer was concise and to the point.

But it caused those around to have some strange hallucinations, such as handsome young men X heroic young men... beautiful young men embracing each other.

It's a bit too much for my eyes.

“Even so, before a battle, as is customary…” Kobayashi asked, “Why, why are you doing this?”

"Eh?"

Charlotte's heart leaped again. Could it be...?

"They were about to succeed, so why did they have to attack me?"

"Tsk."

The girl clicked her tongue softly again.

But at this time, no one cared about her girlish heart.

Felix laughed and said, "What do you think I'd be doing here at this academy? Of course, it's to become the Demon King! I'm going to become the king of the magic world!"

Before Kobayashi could press further, he revealed his ambition, followed by Felix's loud question: "You're just like me, aren't you? Your purpose in getting close to Ciel is to use her, isn't it?!"

He raised his hand towards the automaton beside him, and magic was injected into the mechanism, activating the magic circuit.

The next instant, a beam of light burst forth from the sword in the puppet's hand.

That's the reflection of water!

The water flowed swiftly like an arrow, transforming into a sharp spear that shot straight toward Kobayashi's head.

It's completely different from before.

This time, magic was used, and with the blessing of mysterious power, its power far exceeded that of ordinary swordsmanship.

however--

Kobayashi drew his right hand like a knife and slapped away the water arrow. He stared intently at Felix and said coldly, "That's right, you're right. I did indeed use Charlotte."