I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

"Yes, that's the 'secret treasure'."

Amamiya withdrew her gaze and added quietly, "That is a treasure that has not yet taken shape... Only after the announcement is made will the treasure take shape—at that time, it can be 'stolen'."

Beatrice is a smart person.

Her cleverness lay in placing her secret treasure in an almost completely isolated area... Moreover, this isolated area had a separate entrance and exit—Amamiya had observed that there were no other access points here.

The only way in and out is through the underground labyrinth.

But she's not that smart...

Because such a huge 'treasure' was placed there so brightly, like the sun.

Perhaps she truly believed that no one could break through that complex underground labyrinth and get here.

Saori stared at the distorted ball of light in the air for a long time, as if trying to etch the image into her mind.

After a moment, she withdrew her gaze and cautiously asked Amamiya, "So... does this mean we've completed our exploration?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Amamiya nodded. “This exploration objective can be considered complete.”

"Next, we should consider issuing a 'preview'..."

How was the announcement letter for Chapter 8 released...?

[Back in the real world, thanks for your hard work]

The black and red ripples on the phone screen gradually faded away, and the girls of Arius's team, who had completed their exploration of another world and returned to the real world, showed varying degrees of fatigue.

The calm air from the real world enveloped their tense nerves, finally allowing their bodies, which had just experienced life-or-death battles in another world, to relax.

After completely relaxing, the girls made the small, unconscious movements they would make when they were tired.

Yajinzi took off her hood, her crimson eyes veiled with a misty weariness.

Saori unbuttoned her collar, revealing a snow-white neck glistening with fine beads of sweat under the streetlight. She subtly tugged at her collar, using it as a 'fan' to gently fan herself a few times.

Misaki leaned against the wall, adjusting her breathing. The physical advantage granted by her Persona [Carmel] made her relatively relaxed—she was probably the most relaxed member of Arius's squad.

The most eye-catching one was Hiyori—the green-haired girl carrying a sniper rifle case as tall as herself and a tactical equipment case in her hand. At this moment, she was supporting her body with trembling legs, and the knuckles under her tactical gloves were white from excessive force.

Without the Persona to provide physical enhancements in this other world, you have to repeatedly traverse the labyrinth...

The extent of their hardship is unimaginable.

However, to Amamiya's surprise, this green-haired girl, who gave the impression of being a "crybaby," actually gritted her teeth and persevered without making a sound.

"How is everyone doing?" Amamiya asked, his gaze sweeping over the group, as if he already knew the answer.

Saori forced herself to sit up straight: "I'm fine..."

Even so, Amamiya noticed a slight tremor hidden in the end of the tone of Amamiya's usually cold and mature voice.

Holding the [Scapegoat Angel], Misaki nodded silently, immediately echoing Saori's slightly defiant words.

Saori is not in good condition... At this time, she needs to temporarily take over Saori's role as 'team leader'.

“In that case—” The AI ​​girl Sophia, standing beside Amamiya, suddenly spread her arms, her red hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze, “This is the perfect exploration!”

As she spoke, she clapped her hands, and the crisp applause, accompanied by her lively and cheerful voice, continued: "Thank you for your hard work, seniors!"

Exhausted, Saori forced a smile, wanting to say something, but ultimately held back.

Compared to them... this seemingly always energetic and lively girl named 'Sophia' must have had it much harder...

This girl, who called herself "Sophia," maintained the precision of a battle metronome throughout, never faltering. She could unleash high-level magic and physical attacks that required a great deal of mental or physical strength with a mere flick of her wrist...

Saori truly didn't know how the seemingly 'ordinary' Sophia could be so powerful without ever revealing her abilities.

How did she do it?

Even if it were a 'robot', it would be unlikely to maintain such a near-perfect state throughout the entire process, right?

Saori was in a state of confusion when Sofia raised her hand and used another [Medi Lama].

Emerald green light droplets fell like sweet rain on Saori and the other three girls, giving them a sense of comfort, like rain after a long drought, as their bodies were showing signs of 'drought' due to excessive physical exertion.

The real world weakens the effects of magic, but the restoration brought by [Medirama] still feels like a warm current, seeping into the bones like a spring in the desert.

“We’re not the ones who’ve had a hard time…” Saori paused slightly as her gaze shifted between Amamiya and Sophia. “The ones who have really had a hard time are Sensei… and Sophia.”

"Regarding the announcement letter..."

After a short rest, Saori regained her strength and her eyes regained their sharpness.

"Sensei, next is to issue a notice, steal the treasure... and then, Beatrice will begin to repent because of the theft of her [desire]... is that right?"

After quickly reviewing in her mind the Kaiser Group located in the black market and the recent actions of the student council president of Millennium Technology Academy, Saori could hardly hide the anticipation and joy of impending success in her eyes when she asked this question.

near...

It's very close.

They are no longer far from true liberation and the hope of gaining freedom.

Next, all we need to do is wait for the announcement, the moment that will determine the winner...

Then, life will change.

As for the way the announcement was released... as Saori's understanding of the other world deepened, she gradually came to understand and make some connections.

"To be delivered directly to Beatrice when the Eden Treaty is signed?"

Amamiya nodded and smiled at Saori, agreeing with her statement.

【~???~】(from Saori)

If we consider 'repentance' as an 'operation' on the inner world, and the purpose of the operation is to remove the 'malignant tumor' of the inner world... then...

Before inserting the scalpel into her heart, she must always see the cold glint of the blade.

The best way to deal with this kind of "big boss" type enemy is to send a warning message directly to her.

Only in this way can she truly feel the danger of "I am everywhere, I am always watching you. You think everything about you is unknown to others, but in reality, your soul has already been infiltrated and riddled with holes by us."

"If the target is Beatrice, this notice might be most effective if you, Saori, personally deliver it to her."

Amamiya sighed deeply: "Saori, if you do this... your situation could be quite dangerous."

Saori was slightly taken aback.

Too……

After all, the target was Beatrice, who had meticulously planned for decades to fulfill her twisted desires, and who would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

Saori wasn't even sure if she could escape unscathed after actually slapping the warning letter in the other person's face.

But after a moment of surprise, Saori smiled with relief.

She lowered her head slightly, her pupils shrouded in a layer of blazing flames.

“…Is that so?”

Now, they have come this far, reached this point.

The only path to "paving the way for the future" is that final dance before dawn—even if she truly dies before dawn, as long as her "death" brings a better future to Misaki, Hiyori, and Akiko...

She would die without regret.

[...I sensed Saori's unwavering resolve.]

Cooperative status has been improved!

【Spindle-front yarn weaving (high tower) ★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆】

"If the final announcement is released like this..."

Saori managed a smile that now allowed her to express her emotions naturally.

She tilted her head slightly and glanced around at the other three members of her team.

You can feel their worry...

But this also allows one to feel the determination to live against death when one shoots oneself in another world and awakens [Longinus] from the sea of ​​the heart.

After taking a deep breath, Saori smiled and stood up straight: "It's my duty."

Chapter Nine: The most adorable miscellaneous fish sauce of the Justice Committee!

After bidding farewell to Saori and her group, it was nearly evening. Amamiya began her journey back to Trinity's temporary residence.

On the way, he pondered the strategy for conquering the palace.

First, let's talk about the temples in the Holy Trinity region...

First, if we want to truly overthrow the temples of the Holy Trinity region, the first thing we need to do is to activate Ragnarok.

The key conditions for the fulfillment of the Ragnarok prophecy are whether the giants will participate in the war, Nidhogg biting off the tree roots, the construction of Nagilfa, and Hati and Skoll devouring the sun and moon.

In addition, we also need to rescue the consciousness of both Mika and Nagisa...

Thinking about it this way, there's still quite a lot to do.

Amamiya already has a plan regarding who to save next.

If nothing unexpected happens, the next target should be Nagisa.

After all, as the 'archbishop' of the tea party, Nagisa is a very important and crucial figure—her understanding cannot be wrong.

Based on his experience interacting with the three members of the tea party, Amamiya has reason to believe that the "core of power" of Trinity, in various senses, is controlled by Mika, Hiya, and Nagisa.

But in reality... Nagisa is still the one in charge.

She can't let Beatrice's cognitive control cause her to "go crazy"...

It's hard to imagine what Trinity would become if she "went mad".

As for Weihua... well, after all, the 'princess' is always saved at the last, most crucial moment.

So... I'll just have to hold off for now.

"Let's check if there are any invitations to attend tonight..."

After tentatively finalizing his plans for conquering the future temple, Amamiya began checking if any messages had come from Trinity students that evening.

Since it was already very late, trains to other schools were either not running or had their departures greatly reduced—it was really unwise to try to get to other schools under these circumstances.

Therefore, Amamiya decided to check if any invitations had been sent to students within the Trinity area.

Amamiya looked at the lively AI girl walking beside him. As if sensing something, the girl jogged towards Amamiya, her figure quickly "breaking and reforming".

A slight weight settled in her hand as a brand-new cell phone landed in Amamiya's grasp.

"JOK, is this about processing messages? Leave that to me!"

As the AI ​​girl spoke, the phone in Amamiya's hand automatically opened the momotalk page.

[Senya: If I'm not mistaken, Sensei, you must have made some progress in your exploration of the 'Hall' today, right?]

[Saint Ya: Congratulations.]

'...'

[Kazusa: Sensei, have you been...harassed lately?]

[Kazusa: That guy who was going to challenge me recently hasn't bothered me lately since hearing the rumors about Sensei... If she has... please let me know.]

'...Being harassed?'

The message from Kazusa made Amamiya pause as he was about to swipe down.

Even Kazusa, who gives off a 'questionable' vibe, gets harassed? Which student would dare harass someone who doesn't seem simple at all?

Hasumi: Sensei, I heard you've been staying at Trinity College recently.

Hasumi: If you have some free time, would you like to come to the Justice Committee? I can introduce you to our core members.

'...'

[Mary: The cathedral is very quiet tonight... Sensei, would you like to come and visit the cathedral sometime?]

Sure enough... even just looking at the messages from the Trinity students, there were still so many messages that it was a bit of a headache.

Amamiya glanced at it and ultimately decided to respond to the Justice Committee's invitation first.