Editing Sorcery Hacker:Volume3 Phase02 (section)

===Part 11===

Two rockets exploded and then…nothing.

But at her post by the window, Vice President Surace felt an icy unease sneaking into her chest to replace the relief there.

The red ringlets princess held a slender hand to her right ear.

“Muscles.”

“I’ve reached the ground, but all I can find is mana-conducting silver wreckage and fuel. There are some pieces of scorched flesh, but no bodies we could hope to identify. Not even an identifiable part like some hair, a finger, or an eyeball.”

Gark’s awkward response made the real princess hold a hand to her forehead.

Their great leader’s bad habit had worked against them.

And if that was the case, it was time to change tack.

“Update the schedule. They must have had a third method. What, I couldn’t tell you. Muscles, get back up here on the double. Kitten, leave the bazooka and switch to hand-to-hand gear. Stop those thieves by any means necessary until our double shields can reach the top floor. You’re the only one up there near our office.”

“Gehh!? But I’m an assassin who lurks in the shadows! I can’t hold off a direct barrage!!”

“You get ready too, President. It’s too bad, but since the thieves weren’t on those rockets, your final trap isn’t going to work. The traitor betrayed us too. Give up on that demon. If we don’t teach her a lesson, she’ll get a big head about this.”

“Oh, I’m not so sure.”

The President chuckled.

Surace held a hand to her earphone and frowned. The Student Council did things by looking down on the masses and managing them all with supreme confidence. Even the violent princess knew that. But could he really enjoy himself after this humiliation?

The President continued, rejecting the entire new plan the Vice President had laid out.

“There’s no point in asking the impossible, so let’s focus on doing what we can. Sibell, you get away from our office at once. Avoid Ayato’s group as you do. You are quite correct that an assassin like you should assume things have gone terribly awry if you are facing your target head on.”

“Hooray! I love you, President!!”

“Gark, we need you, but don’t rush. Panicking and using the elevator is exactly what he wants. If he can trap you inside there, he removes the strongest Bouncer from the field without having to fight you.”

“…”

“And Surace. Join me immediately. We can put together a more detailed plan together. I don’t want to hold that conversation over mana radio, especially with a Sorcery Hacker on the loose. As full of bizarre devices as the Academy Towers are, transmissions between personal devices rather than stationary Media Summoners will still stand out.”

“But that leaves our office empty. Are you fine with the thieves ransacking the place!?”

“Ayato alone won’t be able to get through ''that lock'',” he said with a derisive snort.

The true Sorcery Hacker, Umihiko Darkavenue, continued.

“And we don’t need to give up on my trap yet.”

“You’re really going through with it? If you like that obedient slave so much, why not just go ahead and sleep with her? Then you would get tired of her and throw her out soon enough.”

“My vision is not clouded here. This is a purely strategic decision.”

The princess had spat out her words and the President’s response seemed to carry a tone of contempt.

His interest was not in Teleria Nereid Aquamarine.

That poor demon was merely a tool used to corner his true target.

In other words…

“Ayato has indeed overcome this challenge somehow. I expect he will reach the top floor past Grade S. But can he really do so ''without taking any damage''? Well, Ayato, can you?”