There was no point in struggling anymore.
Even if he could have fled like the other Reincarnators, it would have been a pathetic display—a silent confession of his guilt. He had spent so much time deceiving Fee and his friends; it was only right that he finally faced the consequences. He would stand here before the entire school, let the Flame of Judgment expose him for what he was, and confess everything.
Then, he would apologize... and do whatever he could to make amends.
He didn’t know if they could ever forgive him, and he didn’t expect them to. He simply needed to face his own actions. Yugo’s heart ached as he imagined the shock Fee would suffer, but just as he steeled himself to tell the truth, Yui called out to him.
"Yugo-san! My brother is finished. It’s your turn next!"
"Right... thanks, Yui-chan."
Yui took the lantern from her brother, its flame still burning green, and held it out to him.
With a determined smile, Yugo accepted it. He took a deep breath and stared into the red flame flickering inside the lantern.
(I have to apologize to everyone... especially Fee. This is going to hurt him so much. I know I don't deserve forgiveness, but I still have to—!)
Any second now, the flame would turn black.
He exhaled, bracing for the inevitable, and caught Fee’s eye. His younger brother was watching him with a look of deep concern. Yugo offered a small, apologetic smile—and in that moment, the flame inside the lantern flickered and began to change.
The time had finally come. Yugo closed his eyes, preparing himself for the screams of horror and the judgmental stares of the crowd.
But...?
No matter how long he waited, the reaction never came.
When the other Hero Candidates had been outed as Reincarnators, the hall had erupted in gasps and cries. Now, however, the atmosphere was strangely... relieved. Something was wrong.
Thinking he might have imagined the flame changing, Yugo opened his eyes. He froze, paralyzed by the sight within the lantern.
"Eh?"
The Magic Item had finished its assessment.
The fire inside the lantern wasn't the black of a Reincarnator. Instead, it glowed a steady, brilliant green—the Proof of Being a Human of This World.
For a moment, Yugo’s mind simply failed to process what he was seeing. He was a Reincarnator. He was Yugo Kurei, a person from another world. He knew this as an absolute truth.
If that were the case, the flame should have been black. Yet there it was, emerald green, reflecting in his wide eyes.
He stared at it, forgetting to breathe. A panic sharper than anything he had felt since Dogma arrived seized him. As he stood there, reeling, Dogma reached out and took the Flame of Judgment from his hands.
"Thank you for your cooperation. I apologize for the discomfort."
"Eh? Ah... what...?"
The selection was over. He had been publicly certified as a native of this world.
Yugo searched for words, his mind unable to bridge the impossible gap between his own truth and this reality. Before he could say anything, Dogma turned back to him with a smile.
"Still... I am truly glad. It is a relief to know that the hero Hugo Clay, who played such a major role in the Wind Island Incident, is not a Reincarnator."
"W-Wait... I...!"
Maybe the Magic Item was broken. Maybe it was a mistake. He tried to force the truth out, to tell her exactly who he was. But she simply turned on her heel and walked away. Yugo stood there, his voice caught in his throat, unable to say a word.
"It feels a bit strange, doesn't it? There's no real proof that anything that woman says is true..."
"Still, nobody seems to be complaining. Probably because the ones she took were those awful former Hero Candidates."
The revelation that Reincarnators were hiding among them was shocking, and the only evidence they had was some vague Oracle. By all accounts, Dogma’s claims were highly suspect. Yet, because the people she dragged away were the widely disliked former Hero Candidates—who were even more suspicious than she was—no one raised a voice in protest.
The students knew the candidates were only being taken for interrogation, not execution. Between that and the removal of the school's troublemakers, the student body had settled into a bizarre state of anxious calm.
Yui watched the shifting, complex emotions of the crowd with her mind’s eye and shared her observations. Meanwhile, Fee spoke to his brother, noticing that Yugo was once again acting strangely.
"Brother? You’re acting weird again. If you’re feeling sick, you really should go to the infirmary."
"......"
Yugo couldn't respond. He stood there, bewildered by his brother’s concern.
He no longer knew what was right or what he was supposed to believe. His resolve, once so firm, now hung in a wretched limbo. The chance to finally unburden his secret had vanished into thin air, leaving him lost in a fog of uncertainty.