"What do you mean? Is there something else?"
When Yugo asked for clarification after hearing Hex's suggestive words, the other boy responded with a heavy, solemn nod. He then began to recount an event from a short while ago.
"Yugo, do you remember when you saved me? Back when someone jumped me and left me for dead on the side of the road?"
"Yeah, I remember... wait, you don't mean—!?"
"I do. There’s a high chance the one who attacked me was that bastard Isaac, too."
Hex's backstabbing incident had been the primary reason they had started working together. The revelation that the culprit behind that foul deed—attacking Hex after his Duel with Yugo, stealing his materials, and dumping him in a secluded spot—was Isaac, shocked everyone present.
"Are you sure? Do you have any proof?"
"Not definitive proof, no. But similar incidents have been happening left and right lately. The victims are always people who refused Isaac's Duel requests—people he couldn't blackmail or manipulate into a match. Given that, I can't help but suspect him."
"...That's gray, bordering on pitch black."
"But why go through all that trouble for materials?" Melt asked, sounding perplexed. "He must have gathered more than enough by now, right?"
Isaac's actions—not only forcibly dragging targets into Duels but even resorting to ambushes to hoard materials—gave the impression that he was overdoing it in every sense of the word. In response to Melt's question, Hex and Yugo offered their respective theories.
"Word is he's funneling them to Neid from the Industrial Department," Hex explained. "It seems they're two of a kind, so they've become quite close."
"Maybe Isaac is doing it to prevent the other students from getting stronger," Yugo suggested. "Like Fee said earlier, you can't upgrade or create magic items without materials. By hoarding them, he ensures the gap between him and everyone else only grows wider."
"That's likely it," Hex agreed. "Right now, most of the students in the Industrial Department are hitting their limit and dropping like flies. But Neid is still going strong, and his reputation and demand are skyrocketing because his skills are solid. He’s sitting on a mountain of materials provided by Isaac, so he can make as many magic items as he wants."
"And the students who don't have materials have no choice but to pay money to buy what they need," Yugo noted. "Since Neid is the only one left producing, he sets the prices. If we think of it as a system where Isaac extorts the materials and Neid squeezes out the money..."
"That's disgusting," Melt said, her voice filled with revulsion. "I can't believe anyone would actually go that far."
Melt’s reaction, which was more of being put off than being angry, said it all. She was completely creeped out by the actions of Isaac and Neid, who seemed to find joy in sabotaging others rather than simply trying to improve themselves.
"In any case, we have to stay sharp," Yugo warned. "Melt, Ann, Fee—all of you, please watch out for Isaac. He might target you to get to me, or just because he can. You can never be too—wait."
"What is it, Yugo?"
Yugo cut himself off, his gaze shifting toward the tall grass nearby. Melt followed his line of sight, hearing the faint sound of approaching footsteps.
The group tensed, expecting Isaac to appear for another confrontation. Instead, the figure that emerged left everyone—except Yugo—speechless.
"...It has been a long time, Yugo-sama."
"Y-You...!?"
She had wavy blonde hair, an elegant figure, and refined features reminiscent of an elf. She was the picture of a pure, beautiful noblewoman. She greeted Yugo with a melancholic expression, bowing respectfully.
Though this was technically Yugo's first time meeting her since his "memory loss," he instinctively realized who she was from his companions' reactions.
"You're... Claire?"
"...So, you remembered me. I heard that you had lost your memory, so I am relieved to see you looking so well."
Claire Rouge spoke with a gentle smile, appearing genuinely concerned for his well-being. Then, she knelt formally on the ground. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up at the bewildered Yugo.
"I have come today... because I have a request. I know it is shameless of me to ask this of you. However... we no longer have anyone else to turn to but you, Yugo-sama. I will do anything within my power. Anything at all. So, please—"
As she spoke, Claire pressed her forehead against the dirt.
Yugo and the others watched in stunned silence. This was a daughter of a prestigious noble house, casting aside every ounce of her pride to perform a desperate dogeza. With her face still pressed against the ground, she uttered a final, pleading sob.
"—Please... save Zenon-sama!"