Reincarnated as the Weakest Shadow Queen in the Academy-Chapter 32: Aftermath

The two figures’ skirts touched the shoreline as they were kneeling together, the fabric catching every grain of sand.

Summer’s stifling chest pressed against her face, muffling Ciel’s every whimper.

The hand that stroked her back was rough yet timid, as its owner didn’t know how to comfort properly.

She rubbed her cheek against the pillow, smudging the dragon’s black dress with her tears.

She deserved it. Ciel joked to herself, before a grumble yanked her back to reality.

"Your snort is all over my clothes."

A breath hitched in Ciel. The annoyance was as palpable as her drumming heartbeat.

"Sorry..."

Her muffled apology sounded weak.

To her surprise, she heard teeth seething from above her.

The Dragon’s voice was loud and inconsiderate. "Why are you apologising?"

"...pardon?"

Ciel pulled back with a pause.

Surprise flickered within the Dragon’s eyes that reflected Ciel’s face.

Beneath the empty black pupils, a curving, red lip adorned her cute, round face.

Summer scowled as she observed traces of dried blood trailing from Ciel’s eyes and lips.

As she took a deep breath, Ciel watched as her saviour suddenly froze.

With her intellect, the white-haired witch felt the space bent around them.

Out of their visions, shadows receded into the forest as if afraid to be found. Only two entities could truly detect the Shadow’s Will: the Queens-

"Yoho!"

Or the Witches who dabbled in taboo magic.

A voice boomed across the air, each tune scraping against the breeze.

Ciel recognised it was the announcer from back then, the one who she identified as one of the academy’s staff.

No one manifested, yet Ciel felt as if a thousand eyes stared at her and Summer.

And they all narrowed with curiosity.

"Say say!" That voice lingered again, as Summer’s scowl gradually deepened. "How long are you going to hold that little cutie? Hey hey! Student-teacher love is forbidden, mind you?!"

Summer’s teeth ground as she spoke. "Melisra. Had the Queen of Hunt escaped?"

A groan resounded as a response. "Of course she did! Always with a back-up plan, that child-murdering son of a bitch."

Then, it wound back to a teasing chuckle. "Say, our dear Principal Summer seems inefficient. One eye on our cutie here, then you forgot I was dispatched out to space!"

Space? Ciel narrowed her eyes.

The concept of ’space travelling’ was not invented in Lethandiel. Not a single shadebeast fight took place there until now.

This Witch knew more than she should.

"I didn’t order because I trust you to get back safely." Summer sighed. "Or? Did you lose your marble upon a sight of a humanoid Queen?"

"Humanoid...Queen?"

An awkward silence lingered in the air.

"Ha?! She’s a fucking Queen?!"

The Witch’s scream exploded Ciel’s eardrum, her body trembling with the impact.

As Ciel huddled closer, Summer glared straight up, her green eyes quivering as if to contain an immeasurable depth of rage.

"Shut up." She ordered.

The Witch’s ’eh’ echoed back. Wasn’t Summer the one who hid a ’Queen’ in her forest? Why was she the one who got scolded here?

With her complaints unheard, Melisra merely sighed, whispering. "Want me to keep this a secret?"

Summer nodded. "Organise the rest for me. Evacuate all the examinees safely. Open the Nightingale barrier up again. And close the formations that limited the shadebeasts’ spawns were to be cancelled."

Then, her face strained as if keeping in her bloodlust. "And sent an investigation unit into our academic staff. Effective immediately."

"Hoo..." The Witch’s hum edged with what seemed to be a playful smile. "You thought there was a betrayal that told the Queen of Hunt of the exam’s content and schedule?"

"It was just in case." Summer stated. Her hand held down Ciel’s head, suppressing any needless curiosity. "Our students were greatly harmed in the exam. There was no need to doubt it."

Her embrace over the injured Ciel tightened. "And it was your idea to pitch together the mimic exam in the first place. Do not disappoint me again, Melisra."

"Heh?" Melisra yelped. "I’m not the spy, you old, stubborn dragon! The mimic exam was meant to train basic skills and basic mental fortitude. I have many more effective ways if I want to betray!"

"I know." Summer swatted her hand to the air, annoyed. "Which is why you’re responsible for cleaning up this mess, lest you want an earful from Professor Forgeneir."

"Oh... wait, so aren’t you just dumping your load on me-"

"Until then."

"Hey! Hey-"

With a swipe of her hand, the pressure on the air faded, and Ciel felt she could breathe again.

Her chest heaved with desperate strength, yet as a familiar hand caressed her cheek, she found the need to hold her breath.

Ciel’s eyes scanned Miss Dragon’s features, watching every emotion. Worriness. Sadness. Fear.

Fear? Why would Miss Dragon feel the need to fear?

Summer muttered. "You’ve some explaining to do."

A frown crossed Ciel’s face, then she lifted her brows. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

She found it hard to make any expression, knowing how weird she would look with the bloodstains.

The thought didn’t spark with Summer, who stretched a hand out to the river.

"<Converge>."

With the same Dragon Language she used to annihilate a Queen, the river listened. Its water swirled high into a spiralling weave, before travelling across to drench Summer’s hand wet.

Palming a fistful of water, Summer’s hand found Ciel’s face again, cleaning every bit of red stains.

A gasp lodged itself beneath Ciel’s tongue.

Summer’s touch was so, so warm.

If she closed her eyes, Ciel was sure the warmth would consume her, that when she finally died as the temperature left her skin, the bitter coldness would hurt that much further.

She giggled, leaning further into Summer’s palm.

"Miss Dragon," she requested. "I couldn’t walk. Please carry me back to our home."

Summer made a face, her strokes more tender, afraid Ciel’s request was a disguise of her disgust.

A dragon wiping a Queen’s face earned only suspicion, after all.

To each other. To even herself. And most of all, to Ciel.

She didn’t like it if she hurt Ciel.

"You’re a bad liar."

Yet her words could never be honest, just like Ciel’s.

Ciel only smiled further, her hands catching Summer’s arm. "A friend told me to remain a bad liar."

Then the white-haired Queen leaned in. "Please don’t dislike it."

And pressed her soft, small lips onto the Dragon’s neck.