"A plan? Are you sure your plan will work?"

Deborah throws me a look of disbelief. Well, the guy who just got himself beaten to a pulp suddenly announces he has a plan to defeat his bully. I won't blame her since even I don't know if my plan will work as intended. But…

"Do any of you have a plan?"

Suddenly, Amadia, who is fully healed by now, raises her hand.

"…That doesn't involve ramming that thing to death?"

Predictably, Amadia lowers her hand and puts on her sad puppy face. Deborah just sighs as she scratches her head while brainstorming a plan of herself to no avail.

"Okay, if you want to be the man in charge then do as you like. Tell us your plan, but make it quick."

Come on. What are we? A bunch of kids still arguing over who get to be the boss?

"Geez. Listen up girls, here's the plan…"

…

After several intel exchange with Amadia, my plan has been solidified with the help from Amadia's own experience. I quickly tell the girls their roles before our time run out. The two of them accept their roles rather easy, maybe because I save the most dangerous role for myself. It can't be helped…since it's the role only I can do, and that's not exactly a good thing in this situation.

Before we know it, the armored crab manages to find its way here. Naranath however is nowhere in sight. This can be a good sign.

"Commence operation!"

My body still has yet to regain all of its strength, so once again I have to rely on Deborah in order to walk away. Amadia however has her own role to fulfill. The now fully healed spider is waiting for its master. Amadia jumps on to the back of the spider, she grabs a hold of it and orders it to jump up to the sky.

Now, whether my plan works or not depend on the armored crab's reaction.

"Jump, damn it, jump."

And jump it does. Taking the bigger bait, the armored crab decides to go after Amadia and her big ass spider. This totally confirm its master's absence, and two of my theories as well.

The first one is its intelligence. When its master is in range, the crab prioritizes his orders rather than its own instincts, as shown by the previous encounter between Amadia and Naranath. However, when the master is out of the picture, the crab instead prioritizes its own instincts for the hunt. It does not possess basic thinking abilities, but it still have some hunting instincts inside of it.

And that's where my second theory kicks in. How can a crab hunt without the ability to hear or see? It's simple: Motion. I don't know the exact mechanic, but the crab feels the motion of its prey in order to locate their position. I come up to this theory after I had another review at my first encounter with that damn crab. The moment I began to throw the pipe bomb behind its back, it reacted instantly and retaliated. Well, it seems to prioritize bigger motions, as shown by Amadia's role as a bait earlier. But that isn't important right now. She got its attention, and whether this plan works or not depends on how much time she can buy us, and how far can she lure it to the place where its master has no power over the crab's actions.

We have to move to phase two of the plan.

"Do you know where you're going?"

"How hard can it be to find some vacant land?"

Deborah nonchalantly answers my question. That's not very reassuring, you know?

"Can't you walk faster?"

Deborah asks.

"Come on, I'm not healed yet."

It's pretty jarring since I'm struggling with my own healing process when the big ass spider earlier is already capable of jumping around after a medical session with Deborah. Seriously, I'm worse than a spider.

"It can't be helped."

Deborah sighs as she replies. Suddenly, the girl drops my arm, and begins to…bridal carry me instead.

"Wait wait wait! I'm fine with walking! Really!"

"Shut your trap. We don't have time to waste."

And with that, Deborah carries me away on her arms, while running at full speed. Manly pride? What is that? I certainly don't have one anymore.

"I can't be a groom anymore…"

As swift as a wind, Deborah carries me across the forest. She seems to know her way around the forest really well. I guess I can rely on her in this aspect.

It doesn't take long until the torture of my pride is over and we get to the intended location: A big enough vacant land to execute my plan.

"Okay okay, let me go."

Wait, I almost forget.

"And let me put my feet to the ground first. I said let me go, not drop me down."

Deborah once again throws me another look of disbelief. Dear god, is this how you should treat the injured?

It's a good thing she listened to my words, for once. The girl gently lets me down to the ground. By now, my wounds are almost healed. I walk to the center of the vacant land, a place big enough to lay a trap and build a morgue for that damn crab.

"I'll get to work right away."

I don't have time to waste while Amadia is buying time for us. I get down on my knees and start drawing a magic circle, one big enough to contain that crab. However, it seems like I made some miscalculation. My drawing speed is too slow to make it in time.

Just right at that moment, I see Deborah goes to the opposite of my direction, and she starts drawing as well.

"You won't finish this in time with that speed of yours. Let me help as well."

I can only nod in response. I need all the help I can get right now.

"You take that part, I'll take this."

Together, the both of us quickly finish drawing the magic circle. This may sounds weird, but magic circles can be drawn by more than two people, even if they were draw by the use of soul energy. But that isn't important right now. We have to get the job done, and that's it.

"This is the manual type, so I'll have to stay and active it by myself."

I say to her as we finish with the final touch.

"Are you really sure your plan will work?"

Asks Deborah. Even after agreeing to go my plan, she still doesn't seem convinced. Then again, does she even know how to fully 100% trust someone at something?

"Come on, I'm not omniscient. There are things you can only find out by trying."

I let out a weak smile as I take my position just outside of the magic circle. We have customized this magic circle to active only when its master order it to. Namely, hitting the activating switch themselves. A mere physical interaction by others will not active it. Right now, only I or Deborah can make this thing works. But…due to my own role, I'll have to stay here to make it work myself.

"You may die, you know?"

"Yes, but I don't intend to die here."

Not until I have my payback, at least.

Deborah sighs. She puts on her saddened face yet again. I try to smile in order to console the girl, but it doesn't work as well as I thought.

From our position, we can see Amadia's fight against the crab up in the sky. Both side obviously don't have the ability to fly, but seeing a battle between a spider and a crab in the middle of the blue sky is a rather…awesome moment in itself.

Amadia, who's currently on the back of her spider, suddenly casts some lightning magic. But rather than directly attacking the crab with her spell (which will get her expelled), the girl however imbues her own spider with her lightning spell instead. The spider glows purple for a second, until it shoots out several lightning bolts from its mouth toward the crab. The armored crab gets hit by the lightning bolts, but it shows no sign of pain, and continues its attacks on Amadia's spider.

I guess this marks the confirmation for my third and final theory: There's nothing inside the crab. It doesn't feel pain, because there are no flesh inside of its body to begin with. It is a literal walking armor that look like a crab, not a crab wearing an armor. I asked Amadia several questions about her fight with that crab earlier, and her answers confirmed my suspicions. When her spider attacked, the sounds after her attacks indicated that there was nothing under the crab. This raises more questions than answers. But it no longer matters to me anymore, whatever it really is, it won't stop me from doing what I'm going to do.

"Give her the signal, Deborah."

After hearing my order, Deborah begins to gather a bunch of fire in her right hand. Aiming at the air, Deborah throws her fireball upward. It leaves a trail of fire behind on its path. When it reaches its peak, the fireball explodes. It's like a one ball firework show, it makes me miss the old firework festivals back in my world. But this is no time to reminisce.

When she catches the signal, Amadia orders her spider to shoot out a web at the crab, and leaves a string of web still connected to the spider's rear. The spider suddenly pulls its butt, dragging it toward the crab, and the crab toward it as well. With the force of a highspeed truck, the spider rams the crab and shoots it down to the ground. Newton's third law also kicks in, as the force from the impact also shoots the spider to the opposite direction. However, it lands pretty safely when the spider shoots another web at the trees in the forest, making itself a makeshift trampoline for safe landing. Using the bouncing of the web, the spider once again departs from the ground. This time, it lands to the place where we made the magic circle.

"How's your side, Akuma?"

Asks Amadia when she finishes her landing.

"Already done."

I answer with a confident smile on my face.

"Then, I shall fulfill my last task as well! Atlach-Nacha!"

The girl begins ordering her own familiar to…dance. Well, she just orders her spider to jump up and down, stomping the ground in the process. It really looks like a cultural dance of the spider kind, though. This may seems ridiculous, but in order to lure the crab to the trap we laid, this is the best way we that we can think of. The more motions the spider made, the more tempting the bait becomes.

However, there're still several things left that need to be done.

"Deborah, it's time."

I turn to Deborah and give her the cue.

"Are you really sure about this?"

"We don't have time to argue anymore, okay?"

Deborah doesn't look too happy. Well, I'm sure I'm not in the position to feel happy as well, knowing what I'm going to do. But this is something that has to be done. I don't have any other choice left, except from this.

Deborah raises her hand toward me. Her lips start chanting the magic words. Soon, a faint light gathers near my legs, indicating the spell is in effect.

The speed enhancement spell has once again been casted on my legs. For a limited time, my legs will be pushed to their utmost limits, and when they're done, unbearable pain will follow and torment the one who dared to tap into this forbidden power. But that's a risk I'm willing to take, and I don't care, since I'm going to do something even more dangerous than that.

From my cloak, I take out a syringe with a white liquid inside. My secret weapon, while I haven't done any testing on it before due to the shortage of time, but right now, it doesn't matter when the situation can get worse without the use of this stuff.

I stab the syringe to my right arm and pump the liquid inside my veins. I throw away the syringe when I'm done. The only thing I can do right now…is waiting for the drug to take effect.

From the sky, the giant enemy crab reveals itself as it takes a jump toward us. Knowing her role is over, Amadia also retreats, but not after giving me some words of encouragement.

"May Lord Dargoth's blessing brings you victory!"

I just smile in return. The girl quickly takes her leave, along with Deborah, at first.

"If you die here, I'll kill you."

Says Deborah, before she runs away as well.

"Good luck with that."

Once again, I smile in amusement. Silly girl, if I die here, how else can she kill me?

"It's here."

I mumble to myself at the sight of the approaching crab. Just several seconds left before it lands. Right at that moment, I slam my hand to the magic circle, activating it.

"Go to hell!"

The very moment the crab's legs touch the surface, the ground itself sinks at the places the crab's legs touched, like a hole of quicksand. But this isn't just a "mere" quicksand. The land itself extends to the crab's legs and binds them like a chain. It doesn't take long until half of its body is submerged under the ground. It gets trapped.

This spell…the spell I and Deborah prepared, is the 「Distortion」 spell. It was also the spell I used in the exam earlier today in order to destroy the designated rock. Well, to deal with a crab this size, of course I and Deborah made several customizations, which included the binding properties. The plan at first was to sink that piece of crab deep into the ground, burying it with the earth, but seeing how it's struggling to get out the trap, I see my backup plan will have its use after all.

From my cloak, I take out my baby: A box that contain a RG Bomb, the kind that can destroy the hardest rocks. And I'm going to do to that crab what I have done to the rock in my earlier exam.

"Urghh…!"

I growl as my vision gets narrowed to a tunnel, signifying the effect from the drug I just used earlier. My throat is dry and hot as it it's on fire. I can feel my heart is having its own flamenco dancing party in my chest. The sounds made by the crab gets quieter and quieter. Yes, it is working alright.

The drug I used earlier was made from the 「Spirit Calling」 flowers, the ones Kardia used to decorate her room. Their pollen is said to cause hallucination and other undesirable effects to the mind of living beings, but after several closer inspections, I found out that all it did is to stimulate adrenaline, dopamine and norepinephrine. With the help from Kardia, we created this drug with the sole purpose to help me cope with the speed of Deborah's enhancement spell. Namely, this drug's purpose is to induce an artificial Tachy Psyche effect, or usually known as fight or flight response. In the trance I'm currently experience, time itself seems to have slow down, but it's only in my mind. Just a matter of perception, like how I ended up in that dark cliff.

Now, with all the pieces already fell into places, it's paypack time!

"Ughhhaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

I scream like a beast as I carry the bomb while running to the crab. Feeling the motions I made, the crab reacts and swings its pincers toward me. However, with the god-sent speed granted to me by Deborah, and the mind capable of matching that speed, I easily dodge the blades and run along on the blades' bodies in order to reach the crab's main core.

When I'm standing on its body, the crab violently shakes itself in an attempt to get me off to the ground.

"Stay still while I kill you, you stupid crab!"

I yelled while searching for holes in its body in order to shove the bomb inside. However, there are none big enough to do the job. Tch, I guess I'll have to do this the hard way.

"Eat bombs and die!"

Choosing the joints that look weak, I shove several pipe bombs into those joints to make a hole for my purpose. I briefly run to the ground in order to avoid the explosion. When the job is done and a BOOM sound arrives, the close range explosion manages to put a dent on the crab this time. A hole is made on its body, while it isn't big, but the size is still small enough to get the job done.

"Arghghhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Feeling excited by the drug, I climb on the crab and push the RG bomb up to its hole, after I activated it, of course. When I confirm the bomb has been successfully planted, with all my might, I run off from the crab body.

Right at this moment, the crab's danger instinct kicks in. It struggles like there is no tomorrow and pushes itself off the ground, despite more than half of its body has already submerged into the earth. However, despite all of its effort, Deborah's magic makes me far more than a match for the crab's speed. I safely reach the forest in time, but not until I flip that piece of shit off one last time.

"It's already over!"

The clock ticks. The timer is set. And the bomb does what it was made for.

BOOM

The crab explodes from the inside. Its bodies are scattered everywhere from the explosion. What remains of the crab are…nothing, since everything left of it have already been scattered away. Armors, blades, they are all useless now when the main body is gone for good.

As the sight of the crab's defeat reaches their sight, the girls step out of the forest when they know it's safe to do so.

"We did it."

I speak. However, the two girl don't answer, and I know why. Naranath was a friend of Amadia, now she played a hand in the destruction of his familiar. It's like killing the pet dog of your former friend. It never feel good. And Deborah, well, she's looking at me, knowing I can't keep this victory charade any longer when my own clock is still ticking as well.

From the other side of the forest, Naranath finally catches up to us. However, the result is probably something he doesn't account for. His familiar right now has become a bunch of scraps, while his enemy is still living and walking. The guy grabs a remaining blade from the crab and looks toward us. His face is expressionless, but I can feel anger is boiling inside his heart.

"All of you will pay for this. Mark my word."

After he's done with his threat, Naranath just simply takes that blade and calmly walks away.

As much as I want to comment about this, I'm afraid my time has run out as well.

And so, I fall unconscious, again, as my body gives out to the drug's effect and the feedback from the enhancement spell.

------------------------------

The infirmary is rarely busy, one must wonder what is the point to build an infirmary this big when people rarely uses it. And today is empty just like always. Except from one patient, and one visitor, there are no other persons at the infirmary right now.

Akuma is soundly sleeping on a white bed inside the infirmary, it doesn't seems like he's going to wake up any minutes. The vase beside his bed is full of fresh flower, gifts from the friends who paid him a visit, and from some sympathizers who watched his fight against Basatan and admired him for his courage.

However, gifts are still gifts. People come and people go, but those who stay by the side of a sleeping patient are the true gifts a patient can receive, and only one does.

"Deborah."

The girl's name gets called, averting her attention away from the 「The Knight and the Flame Dragon」 novel on her hand as she looks at the person who just called her name. To the direction of the infirmary entrance, Deborah gazes at the approaching Headmaster, who's still in her usual attire, along with her own staff.

"You didn't leave even when it's two days already?"

"That isn't something you should concern about."

Deborah answers Nilrem's question. The Headmaster can only smile in amusement.

"Your friends have already prepared for departure. You don't want to bid them farewell?"

"It's just a month, it's not like they're going to die somewhere."

The Headmaster is talking about the upcoming New Year vacation. When the exam is over and the results are posted, the following day is also the day the students of Melas make their leave to visit their home until vacation is over.

However, for some reason, Deborah is still here, despite the New Year vacation has already started.

"If you don't have any business here then leave me be. I don't want to see your face."

"Come on, you're being cold to your guardian, you know?"

"If you're indeed my guardian then don't go and do actions that say otherwise!"

Deborah gives the Headmaster a cold glare before resuming the reading of her novel. The Headmaster just sighs as she walks closer to the girl, preparing to go into the main business.

"I have yet to get a chance to ask you about this…but…why did you decide to make him disqualified from the competition that day?"

Deborah quietly grunts. She closes her book once again, but delays an answer to the Headmaster. Without looking at the Headmaster, the girl speaks.

"The conditions you gave me were either Akuma enter the Familiar competition, or he get expelled, right?"

"Well, yes, indeed. Those were the two."

Deborah gives a pause before she continues.

"Then I don't see any meaning for him to fight "after" he "entered" the competition."

The Headmaster looks confused for a second, before realizing the meaning behind the girl's words.

"Ho, you exploited a loophole. Not bad."

The conditions have never been about "winning", it was "entering" the contest or get expelled. Deborah exploited that to her own agenda. But…

"It would be easier if he just listened to me for once, then all of this…would never happen."

One may argue that if Deborah was more honest, things wouldn't happen this way. But then again…

"Stupid guy. You and your stubbornness."

Deborah gives the sleeping patient a glare before returning to stare at the Headmaster herself. The woman just chuckles in amusement.

"Ho ho. Interesting. This is better than I thought."

"What do you mean by that?"

The Headmaster gives a pause before answering.

"Listen well, Deborah. Even if you successfully exploited the loophole from my condition, I will expel him as if he failed my conditions as well."

"What!? Why!?"

Deborah shouts. She stands up from her seat and drops the novel to the ground. However, her gaze is still fixed on the mouth of the Headmaster.

"Are you that petty!? Aren't you the Headmaster here?"

"No no, I admit, your idea was brilliant, but you didn't account for everything well enough."

The Headmaster smils again. She seems amused by Deborah's reaction.

"What do you mean by that?"

"There was another condition I told you that day. It was about his performance, his school results."

"That…"

Deborah suddenly remembers. The promise of performance Akuma gave to the Headmaster at his enrollment. The Headmaster told her about that, but to think she would apply it to this situation…

"Even if you successfully pulled him out of the competition, I won't expel him for not entering the competition, yes. But I would expel him due to his performance failing to match my expectation instead. Deborah, you almost doomed him to the bad end you tried to avoid, by your own hands."

"It…can't be…"

Deborah looks stunned. Her lips are trembling from the terrible truth she just heard. Her gaze is shaking in disbelief.

"Deborah, you didn't save him. The boy saved himself. If he didn't persist on fighting and give up, he would essentially doom himself. I would expel him right after that. But it seems like fate still want him around after all."

Still shocked by the truth, Deborah can't react from the woman's words. She can't even notice the appearance of the witch Walpurga from the entrance as she approaches the Headmaster for something.

"We found several traces of infiltration at the Chapel."

"I see. I'll be there in a moment."

The witch teacher takes her leave. The infirmary room returns to the quiet place it once was. The old witch and the young girl exchange gazes, until the old witch also excuses herself, but not without giving the girl some last replies.

"Perhaps you should open your heart more, Deborah. You can't fight the world by yourself."

The witch leaves afterward. Deborah falls silent, both because there is no one to talk to, and because the girl herself doesn't have anything left to talk about.

Deborah throws a gaze at the sleeping young man, before walking toward the window for some fresh air.

As she opens the window, a cold breeze flows inside. Today is colder than the other days.

And from the sky, it falls.

Snow, snow drops. It's snowing. The first snow of the season, rapidly coloring the land in white. A snowdrop falls on Deborah's hand. The cold of the snow melts from the heat in her hand. The girl feels it, and it mends her emotion-filled heart.

All the signs have already shown themselves. There's no mistaking it.

Winter has come.