Chapter 41: The Eldritch Godness and the Incident

After that incident, Marie von Steinweck had been on an extended leave from school.

"Horrifying... those grotesque masses of flesh... the tentacles... Ah, ah...!"

Her mind had shattered, but the Steinweck family—concerned that rumors of mental instability would tarnish their noble reputation—confined her to her room for "recuperation."

Yet Marie showed no signs of improvement—until a certain "specialist" appeared at her bedside.

"You’ve had a terrible nightmare, I see."

A young woman with long black hair and blood-red eyes spoke these words to Marie, who still hadn’t regained her sanity.

"But fret not. I shall now show you a different dream... A pleasant one..."

The woman—Claudia—grinned ominously.

Naturally, the scream echoed through the classroom.

Startled, I turned toward the sound—

"Emilia?!"

Blood gushed from Emilia’s abdomen, staining her uniform crimson.

"Wh-why...?!"

As chaos erupted, I scanned the room and spotted a female student clutching a bloodied knife—Marie, the very girl who’d harassed us before and whom I’d punished.

"A-aaaaah!"

Marie flailed the knife wildly, her face twisted in madness, and lunged at Emilia again. Th-this is bad!

"S-someone! Help!"

"Restrain her!"

Leonhardt shielded Emilia while shouting for aid. Felix and Klaus rushed to subdue Marie as she swung the knife.

"Aaaaah! Let go! LET GO! She’s—SHE’S the source of the nightmare! AAAAAH!"

"Dammit! Get the knife, Klaus!"

After a struggle, Felix and the others wrestled the blade away and finally pinned her down.

"Emilia!"

I sprinted to her side. Her face had already paled from blood loss. This is serious!

"Infirmary, now! Alert the faculty and call an ambulance—and the National Gendarmerie!"

"Y-yes!"

Klaus barked orders swiftly.

Felix and other male students restrained the thrashing Marie, while Leonhardt scooped Emilia up and dashed to the infirmary. I followed, knowing this was where I could help.

"Teacher! A student—Emilia’s been stabbed! She needs help!"

"Wh-what?!"

The school doctor’s eyes widened as Leonhardt burst in.

"Lay her here!"

Leonhardt placed Emilia on a bed.

"Just the abdomen? Shit, she’s bleeding out! Help me staunch it!"

"I’ll compress the wound!"

The doctor barked instructions, and I pressed my bare hands (gloves discarded) against the gash. The wound was deep, blood pouring relentlessly. At this rate, Emilia would bleed to death.

But fear not! For I am an Endritch Godness!

Covertly, I extended a tentacle into the wound, severed it, and repurposed it as a minion to reconstruct Emilia’s damaged vessels. Then, I dissolved the minion to replace her lost blood.

All fixed! Even Endritch Gods excel at emergency medicine. Wahaha!

...Sure, Emilia now has non-human blood coursing through her, but that’s a minor issue. Probably. Better than dying, right? Maybe.

"Now, Your Highness—"

"Emilia! Stay with me!"

Leonhardt urged Emilia as she groaned in pain.

"Huh? The bleeding stopped… But how…?"

The school doctor furrowed his brow at the miraculously staunched wound. Some things are better left unexamined~.

Soon, an ambulance arrived, and Emilia—with Leonhardt accompanying her—was rushed to the imperial capital’s hospital.

Now, only one problem remained: Marie.

After washing my hands, I returned to the classroom. The National Gendarmerie hadn’t arrived yet, and Marie was restrained by campus security.

"Ah, Miss Iris! You’re unharmed?"

"Yes. Emilia’s bleeding had stopped by the time they left."

Professor Ehmil had hurried to the scene and was directing students away from the bloodstained classroom—the grisly evidence still fresh.

"Miss Iris, Lady Elizabeth wishes to speak with you."

Felix approached me with the message. Elizabeth stood nearby, deep in discussion with Klaus and Professor Matthias.

"Elizabeth? You wanted to talk?"

"Yes. Let’s relocate first."

At her request, we moved to the student council room.

"This incident… I doubt it was mere assault or attempted murder."

Elizabeth cut straight to the point.

"Marie’s condition suggests severe mental disruption—not natural insanity, but induced madness. A form of brainwashing."

"Brainwashing…?"

We tilted our heads in unison.

"Don’t tell me… Miss Iris…?"

"Wha—?! N-no! I didn’t do anything this time!"

I shook my head vehemently as Klaus eyed me. Sure, I’d retaliated for her past bullying, but I’d left her alone after that! Totally innocent! (Even evil gods have standards~.)

"Indeed. This isn’t Iris’s handiwork. Had she been involved, it would’ve been far more… elegant. My instincts point to a witch."

"A witch? The Witch Association you mentioned before?"

"Precisely."

Felix’s question earned a nod.

The Witch Association, huh? So, probably Claudia or someone like her. What a nuisance~.

"Which brings me to my request, Iris."

"For me?"

"Before the Gendarmerie interrogates Marie, I need you to restore her sanity and uncover who manipulated her. Given your… expertise in mental interference, you’re the only one who can do this. Will you help?"

Well, I could probably unscramble her brain… But if everyone freaks out watching me fiddle with her mind, that’d be awkward~.

"I’ll do it. But where?"

"Let’s use an empty classroom before the National Gendarmerie arrives."

"Understood. But, uh…"

I glanced at Felix and Klaus. Both were practically vibrating with curiosity about how I’d restore Marie’s sanity.

Yeah, no. If they see me noodling around in her brain with tentacles, they’re gonna freak out.

"Lord Felix, Lord Klaus… could you wait here?"

"Hm? Why?"

"It’s… going to be a disturbing sight."

Sure, I’d already outed myself as an evil god, but "Eek! Tentacles! This chick’s nasty!" would still sting a little.

"I don’t mind. Let me observe."

"O-okay… But promise you won’t recoil in horror?"

"I won’t."

Welp. Time to scramble Marie’s brain like a breakfast omelette.

……………………