1. Cover
2. Insert
3. Title Page
4. Copyright
5. Prologue
6. Why I, a Mercenary, Decided to Become a Wizard
7. Chapter 1
8. New Encounters
9. Chapter 2
10. Estoria Academy of Magic
11. Chapter 3
12. Unlocking the Sphere
13. Chapter 4
14. Threat of Expulsion
15. Chapter 5
16. Days at the Academy
17. Chapter 6
18. Magical Combat Training
19. Chapter 7
20. Two of a Kind
21. Chapter 8
22. An Incident on Campbell Street
23. Chapter 9
24. The Dusk Demon
25. Chapter 10
26. Secret Weapon
27. Epilogue
28. When Tomorrow Comes
29. Afterword
30. Yen Newsletter

“All right! I managed to successfully die in battle…! Now I’m freeeeeeeeeeeee!”

In the ruins of a battlefield in Bertrandt, in the eastern reaches of the Ford Continent…a boy with dark hair and eyes—Rix Frestat—cried out in joy.

He was in his mid-teens, slightly taller than average, and had a fairly toned physique covered with old scars.

From his unwavering stance, the tattered leather armor covering his body, and the one-handed sword hanging at his hip, one could tell he wasn’t just some innocent youth.

And he wasn’t. This boy, Rix, was a mercenary.

He was an ace attacker in the Black Mercenary Corps, the most powerful and infamous fighting group in the Eastern Conflict Zone.

“I’ve gotta say…that was quite the realistic performance I put on back there.”

Rix thought back on what he had just accomplished.

That’s right—he had been “killed in action.”

Rix had taken up the rear guard to help his mercenary comrades, who had been stationed on the battlefield in Bertrandt, escape the pursuit of enemy forces. Clutching a bomb to his body, he’d ultimately carried out a suicide attack on the enemy lines.

And just like that, he’d died in the explosion…or more precisely, he’d pretended to.

Bomb blasts were no big deal as long as you dug a hole to take cover in beforehand.

“‘Everyone, keep on living your lives to the fullest, for my sake.’ ‘Captain, thank you for everything.’ ‘As my final act, let me repay you for all you’ve done for me.’ My comrades were in tears as I spoke my last words… ‘Don’t do it, you idiot!’ ‘Come back!’ ‘Stop!’ they told me… Heh-heh-heh…”

Turns out Rix was kind of a dick.

“But, Captain, everyone—I had to do this. After all, I have a goal that I just can’t give up on.”

Rix gazed up at the sky with a devilish look on his face.

“That’s right…I’m quitting being a mercenary to become a wizard! Why, you may ask? Because being a merc is real rough, and it’s all downhill from heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere!”

The boy cried out from deep in his soul.

“So I don’t wanna do this anymore—this life where day after day I don’t know if I’m going to live or die! On top of that, mercenaries can’t exactly get married, can they?! Who could even imagine a future with someone who might die any day? And that’s totally understandable! I wouldn’t want that, either, dammit! But when I opened up about these worries to the captain, that bastard just handed me some money, gave me a huge smile and a thumbs-up, and told me, ‘Get yourself to a brothel!’ No way in hell! I only wanna do that kind of thing with the person I’m going to spend the rest of my life wiiiiiiiith!”

Turns out Rix was a bit obsessed, in a creepy way.

“So that’s why I’m quitting being a mercenary! Today, I say goodbye to the Black Mercenary Corps and its motto: ‘Welcome those who come our way, but chase those who try to leave to the ends of hell’! I’m gonna become a wizard! And luckily, I’ve got an in!”

As a matter of fact, being a mage was the most marketable profession out there.

Mages proficient in all kinds of magic worked actively in every possible field—politics, economics, research, entertainment, agriculture, manufacturing, infrastructure, and so on.

On top of that, mages had a high standing in society, which came with its own variety of privileges and benefits.

This was in stark contrast to mercenaries, who didn’t even know if they’d live to see tomorrow.

“Farewell, Captain… Farewell, everyone in the corps… I’m off to become a wizard. As a mage, I’ll have nothing to do with any blood-soaked battlefields. I’ll find myself a cute wife and lead a fun and peaceful life. And in the end, I’ll die in my nice warm bed, surrounded by my grandchildren. Farewell…”

With that, Rix turned on his heel, making to put the ruins of the battlefield behind him for good. But at that very moment…he sensed someone approaching and quickly hid behind a nearby rock.

When he cautiously peeked out to see who it was…

“Rix! Riiiiiiiiix!”

A dozen or so armed figures, led by a tough-looking, muscular man, were wandering aimlessly around the ruins of the battlefield, searching for something.

“What…? It’s Captain Black…and the rest of…the Black Mercenary Corps…?!”

Rix stared wide-eyed at his comrades as he listened in on their conversation.

“Rix! Please! If you’re alive out there, please respond! Riiix!”

“Captain, it’s no good… You saw what happened, didn’t you? In his last moments…”

“After an explosion like that, we probably won’t be finding anything but bone fragments… Sniff…”

“That Rix… Acting so reckless…for all our sakes…!” The tough, muscular man—Captain Black—broke down into tears on the spot. “Rix! You idiot! Why did you have to die?! You think you have the nerve to go and die before me?! Uwaaaaaaagh!”

There wasn’t a soul in the eastern continent who didn’t know the name of Captain Black of the Black Mercenary Corps, the strongest mercenary alive.

With his usual hearty demeanor, he was often seen boldly guffawing about something or other with a drink in his hand. No one would imagine such a man collapsing into tears like this.

But now he was bawling in grief over Rix’s death.

Seeing Captain Black in this state, Rix couldn’t help but feel his heart ache.

“C-Captain…”

Ever since he’d taken in the orphaned Rix three years earlier, Black had truly treated the boy like a son. Rix had learned all sorts of things about being a mercenary from the captain—and from the rest of the corps, too.

To Rix, who didn’t have a single blood relative, they were like one big family.

And in one way or another, it was all thanks to the Black Mercenary Corps that Rix had survived up until now.

What the hell am I doing? Can I really just forget everything I owe them and do something so ungrateful?!

Rix took one step toward his comrades, drawn to them like a magnet as they searched for him.

And when he did, memories of the time he’d spent with the Black Mercenary Corps flashed through his mind scene by scene:

“Wait—Captain?! What do you mean, I have to go and hold off that huge enemy battalion all by myself?!”

“You’ll be fine, Rix! With your abilities, you’ll be able to pull it off! Believe in me, because I believe in you!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding meeeeee! You just decided where to deploy me by a roll of the dice, didn’t you?!”

Memories of the unreasonable requests he’d been constantly undertaking.

“C-Captain?! What the hell were you thinking, using up all the corps’ funds in one night?!”

“Heh… Last night, if I hadn’t offered it all to my little Arietta, I would have lost everything. But thanks to that, it was the best night of my life…! I don’t have a single regret! Gwa-ha-ha!”

“You sex-crazed asshole!”

“You’re stiff as always, Rix. But it’s fine. We can always earn more money by taking out some enemies.”

“Screw you!”

Memories of the absurd situations he’d been constantly subjected to.

“Waaaait! Riiiiix! Don’t run awaaaaay!”

“Today, you really gotta come with us to the brothel!”

“It’s time to give up your virginity already! Come on, do yourself a favor!”

“Aaaaargh! That’s none of your business, you idioooots!”

Memories of the constant foolish quarrels with his comrades.

“Heeeey! Why did you have to go and eat all my food, too?! Just when do you think the next ration supply is?! Do you want me to die?!”

“Brother, bein’ a mercenary is all about survival of the fittest! It’s your fault for lettin’ your guard down!” (smirk)

“I guess I’ll just have to eat you, you little brat!”

Memories of his young protégée, who was like a little sister to him, constantly pushing him to the brink of starvation.

“Captain! Captain! How did we end up fighting to the death with this mysterious group of assassins in our own camp?!”

“Heh… No clue! The possibilities are endless!”

“You bastard! Quit messing around!”

“Come on, if you’ve got time to run your mouth, you’ve got time to kill one more enemy. Otherwise, you’ll be the one to get killed!”

“Aaaaargh! As if I’d die like thiiiiis!”

The constant scenes of carnage.

Nostalgic memories flashed through Rix’s mind one after another.

“Yeah…I think I really am done being a mercenary.”

That was his conclusion.

It was the only answer, and a simple one.

He’d begun to take a step back toward his comrades but stopped dead in his tracks.

And then Rix again turned on his heel where he stood.

““““RIIIIIIIIIIIX!””””

With his comrades’ lamentations at his back, he steeled his expression and left the battlefield behind.

And thus, the young mercenary, Rix, set off for a new world to become a wizard.

No hesitation, no regrets.

The vast Ford Continent, blessed by the One-Horned Goddess, was divided into four main regions.

The Aldran Empire to the north, controlled by a supreme ruler.

The Kingdom of Forceus, a nation of tradition that governed the southern region.

The East, a conflict zone where various lords, city-states, powerful clans, and tribes lived in turmoil.

And the Principality of Estoria, an island nation on the western edge of the continent.

Estoria was a magical nation with the most highly developed magic arts in the world.

It was also home to the most prestigious magic academy that offered cutting-edge magical research and education: Estoria Academy of Magic.

This was where young people from all reaches of the world who aspired to become mages gathered. It was their holy ground.

And Rix was now on board a ship headed for that very nation…

“To think that just beyond this boundless sea…lies the Principality of Estoria.”

Rix, dressed in a simple traveling outfit of a shirt, trousers, and overcoat, stood on the deck of the ship and stared out at the vast sea’s horizon as he leaned on the railing.

A pleasant sea breeze was blowing ceaselessly.

The wind caught the ship’s sail, which hung from three masts, and the ship cut briskly through the rough waves of the Arlia Sea.

Above Rix was a beautiful clear blue sky.

If he listened closely, he could hear the gentle roar of the sea.

The shifting surface of the water reflected the light of the midday sun and sparkled brilliantly.

The refreshing maritime sight made Rix feel like something was about to begin—something filled with a hope entirely different from before.

“Bleeeeeeeeeegggghhhhhhhh!!”

Rix leaned over the railing and spewed a mess of vomit into the ocean.

“Urgh… I feel sick…! I should have never come here…!”

He was already having some regrets.

While Rix was a battle-hardened mercenary, sea travel had always been a weakness of his.

Owing to this, he immediately became unreliable and useless when it came to marine warfare.

A long journey by ship like this was basically hell on earth for Rix.

“Dammit… I can’t do this…!”

At the end of his rope, Rix collapsed to the ground with a thud.

“What the hell is this…? This is worse than any battle I’ve ever experienced…! Am I gonna die? Am I dying…?! In a place like this…?!” he wailed. “Tch… If this is how it’s gonna be, then…!”

With a look in his eyes like he had lost all hope in this world, he placed his hand on the hilt of the sword he had hanging at his hip… And then…

“Um… You there… Are you all right?”

“Hey, you… You doing okay?”

Two voices from either side of Rix simultaneously called out to him.

“Hmm?” he said.

“Ah…”

“Oh?”

When he raised his head to look, he saw a girl at his left and a boy standing at his right.

They both appeared to be in their mid-teens, the same as Rix.

The girl was of average height, with flax-colored hair tied in two shoulder-length bundles and kind ultramarine eyes. Her face was beautiful and almost doll-like, yet her lack of makeup and plain looks made her seem a bit unrefined.

But still, her beauty was enough to make Rix’s heart skip a beat. More than beautiful, she was cute. Her delicate beauty reminded him of the simplicity of a wildflower blooming in a field.

The boy, meanwhile, had short brown hair and brown eyes and was taller than Rix. He wasn’t exactly handsome…but his face was decently good-looking, and he possessed a mysterious charm that drew people to him.

The two were both in traveling garb.

“Who are you two? Muggers? And you’re targeting me at my weakest moment…?! Guh?!” cried Rix.

“Obviously not. And anyway, I’m not even with her. But I’m pretty sure that like me, she was just worried about you and wanted to come check if you were okay.”

“Y-yes… You look extremely sick…” The girl took a small bottle out from her clothing. Inside it were some kind of pills. “You’re seasick, aren’t you? If you want, you can use this. You’ll feel relief in no time.”

“…Oh. Poison, huh? Sure, I’ll gladly take you up on that…,” said Rix.

“Why would it be poison?! And what do you mean, gladly?!” the boy couldn’t help but snap back at Rix’s extreme rudeness. “It’s for nausea! Magic anti-nausea medicine! It’s a pretty famous brand that even I’ve heard of!”

“Well, she said I’d feel ‘relief,’ so I just thought…”

“This isn’t assisted suicide! Whatever, just hurry up and take it!”

Rix did as the boy urged him to and took the small bottle from the girl.

The medicine worked like a charm. In just a few minutes, Rix was almost completely back to normal.

“Wow, thank you,” he told the girl. “You saved my life.”

“Saved your life? Ah-ha-ha, no need to exaggerate like that…”

“No, really, I owe you my life! When you found me, I was seconds away from suicide!”

“S-suicide?! How can you say that so casually?!”

“Hmm? I mean, of course I don’t actually want to die. But if I had to keep suffering like that, I’d rather…you know. Am I right? I figure anyone else would feel the same…”

“Yeah…I’m kinda starting to regret starting a conversation with you…”

The girl blinked incredulously, and the boy squinted at Rix suspiciously.

“I-in any case, we should introduce ourselves, right? I’m Annie Midir. I’m starting at Estoria Academy of Magic this year. I’m a brand-new first-year student,” the girl said with a cheerful smile.

“Oh, okay. I thought so,” the boy remarked. “Yeah, most people riding this ship at this time of year must be heading for the academy.”

“Which means…you too?”

“Uh-huh. My name’s Randy. Randy Ruster. I’m a new student this year at Estoria Academy of Magic, too. Nice to meet you.”

The boy, Randy, introduced himself and looked at Rix.

“…Same for you, then?”

“Yeah. I’m Rix Frestat. I’ve been accepted to Estoria Academy of Magic, which is how I ended up here on my deathbed.”

This made Annie and Randy open their eyes wide in astonishment.

“Whaaaat?! You mean you’re—?!”

“You’re the Rix Frestat?!”

In a split second, Rix reflexively reached for the sword at his hip and grew wary out of confusion.

“Wh-why do you know my name?!” he demanded. “Don’t tell me the wanted posters for my bounty have made it all the way out here?! Eeeek!”

“No, that’s not it! Man, I’m really starting to regret talking to you! What’s your deal anyway?!”

“U-ummm…calm down, Rix. It’s just, you’re already pretty famous among the rest of the new students this term,” Annie said, trying to soothe Rix. “The academy has what are called scholarship students. Usually, you need to pass an impartial, rigorous entrance exam and aptitude screening to be admitted to Estoria Academy of Magic, but scholarship students are admitted by special invitation and get to ignore that whole process. We don’t know how the academy selects these people…but it’s said that all scholarship students, without exception, possess extraordinary magical abilities.”

“Everyone’s been talking about how two scholarship students have been admitted this year…,” said Randy. “I never would have expected you to be one of them.”

“…!”

Rix fell silent with surprise after hearing this.

Indeed, the reason why Rix had decided to quit being a mercenary and become a mage was all because one day, while he’d been happily looting corpses on some battlefield with his comrades, a strange fairy had suddenly appeared before him and handed him a letter.

That letter was now in his pocket, titled “Special Admission Invitation to Estoria Academy of Magic.”

He wasn’t used to reading anything longer than two sentences, but Rix had fought hard against the urge to fall asleep and had managed to read its contents… He didn’t totally get it, but it seemed like he could enter this magic academy for free.

At the time, he’d just figured he had gotten lucky. But after seeing the reaction from these two, he realized it was a pretty big deal.

Rix was, after all, right in the middle of his adolescence.

It felt pretty good to be called “extraordinary,” or “special.”

In fact, it was something to brag about, wasn’t it?

“Oh, really? Extraordinary? I’m extraordinary, you say? Stop, you’re making me blush!”

“Well…you’re not normal, in any case.”

“Agreed.”

Randy narrowed his eyes, and Annie nodded with a vague smile as Rix started to get carried away.

“By the way, what kind of special magic can you use? If you’re a scholarship student…you must already be able to use magic, right? Let’s hear it.”

“S-stop, Randy. Don’t you think that’s rude to ask? A mage should always keep their cards close to their chest.”

Annie admonished Randy, who couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.

“A-about that… The whole magic thing… I can’t actually—”

But just as Rix tried to answer that he had never learned to use any magic…

BOOOOOOM!

Even though they were at sea, an earthquake-like impact suddenly shook the ship.

“Whoa!”

“Aaah!”

The force briefly lifted Randy and Annie into the air and sent them tumbling.

“Huh? What was that?” Rix wondered aloud, looking around.

He stood there like nothing had happened.

With his exceptional core strength and stability, it was as if he had been glued to the ship.

“H-huh? Rix…how can you stay so calm…?” Randy asked.

But just then, a shout rang out:

“Monsterrrrr! It’s a sea monsterrrrr!”

The next moment, countless columns of water shot up toward the sky from around the ship.

And then from within those columns emerged a giant tentacle, its surface packed with rows of suckers. It was enough to make anyone instinctually reel back in disgust.

Before long, a huge whirlpool was stirred up next to the ship, and out of its center appeared a giant body.

The squid-like creature that dwarfed the ship was the notorious monster that had doomed countless sailors to their watery graves since time immemorial—the Kraken.

Its two gigantic eyes rolled to glare at the people standing on deck.

And then, as if it had just spotted today’s feed, the humongous Kraken began getting closer and closer to the ship.

“Wh-whooooaaaaaa?!”

“Ah… Um… Er…”

The passengers were like deer caught in headlights.

Randy fell into a state of panic, while Annie froze in place, dumbfounded.

On the ship’s deck with them was a crowd who also seemed to be new students at Estoria Academy of Magic…but they were all simply running around, screaming in terror.

“Dammit, how did this happen?! It’s unfathomable that a sea monster would appear in this area of the sea!”

Before long, the captain and what appeared to be the ship’s crew came flying onto the deck.

“Wh-what should we do, Captain?!”

“Swords or cannons won’t have any effect… Our only hope is to use magic against it!”

“But this area of the sea was supposed to be a safe zone from monsters! We didn’t hire a single mage for the crew!”

“Well, find one, dammit—anyone aboard who can use magic! Luckily, this ship is headed for Estoria! There must be someone here who can fight with magic!”

With that, the crew started searching through the passengers for a capable mage.

Rix watched the crew’s frantic search and thought, Mages have all sorts of marketable skills. That naturally means some take on work that relates to combat… But I myself have no plans to do that kind of work in the future!

That aside, they really needed to do something about that sea monster.

He didn’t want to become some giant squid’s lunch.

Rix turned back to Randy and Annie, and with a rallying smile, he gave them a thumbs-up. “Okay. It’s your turn, guys! Take that thing down with your magic!”

“Y-you’re joking, right?!” Randy howled. “Unlike you with your special abilities, we can’t use our magic yet! We haven’t opened our Spheres!”

“…Spheres?” Rix looked at them blankly.

Annie, shaking in fear, began to explain. “Yes… I’d bet most of the new students on this ship still aren’t able to use magic… And even if they could…”

She glanced at the fearsome beast as it neared the ship.

It wasn’t clear if she had done so coincidentally or intentionally, but the monster’s eyeballs rolled around to meet her gaze.

“Eep…!”

Annie immediately went pale, hugged her body, and started shaking with tears in her eyes.

“Right… I guess you really can’t fight that thing, seeing as it’s so gross-looking. Tch! If only it had been a cute sea monster…!”

“No, that’s obviously not the issue at hand here!”

Even in this dire situation, Randy managed to shoot down Rix’s ridiculous comment.

Sure enough, all the new students on deck were simply panicking. Not a single one dared to face the monster.

Meanwhile, the monster had now closed in on the ship and was swinging its tentacle high—and bringing it down to slap the deck.

Just then, Annie and Randy saw something they couldn’t ignore.

“Ah!”

“That girl…!”

Standing all alone at the edge of the opposite side of the deck was a single girl.

She had distinctive white hair.

Was she stupefied by the sight of the sea monster coming right toward her?

She didn’t try to run or hide.

But the sea monster’s tentacle was about to come crashing down right above her head…

“Hey! You over there! Watch out!” Randy yelled.

“R-run!” Annie screamed.

But their cries were in vain.

The humongous tentacle was ready to slam down on the girl where she stood…but then:

Slash!

Suddenly, a severed tentacle flew up into the air and was launched off in the other direction.

“Huh?!”

“Wha—?!”

Rix was standing in front of the girl, wielding his unsheathed sword.

He was in position to defend her from the sea monster’s attacks.

“R-Rix?!”

“Wh-what?! How did he get over there?!”

Annie and Randy looked surprised as they compared the place where they were standing to where Rix now had appeared.

Now matter how they looked at it, it was a significant distance. There was no way he could have covered it in one move.

But somehow, even though he had just been standing right next to them, he was now all the way over there.

On top of that…judging from what they were seeing, he had also chopped off the sea monster’s tentacle with one hit and sent it flying.

“No way… What just happened…?” said Annie.

“Could it be…? Is this his magic?!” cried Randy.

“Teleportation magic, plus powerful sword enchantment magic…both at an extremely high level?!”

“Scholarship students really are something else! That’s amazing, Rix!”

As the two of them were getting riled up…

Um… All I did was run up to it and slash it with my sword, like I usually do…

Rix wasn’t really sure how he should feel about it.

As a matter of fact, Rix hadn’t used even a bit of magic. More like he wasn’t able to.

And he had even recently switched out his sword for some random normal sword at a weapons shop. (The sword he was using before had been so dirty and blackened with the blood and grease of the humans and monsters he had fought that he’d been a little embarrassed to use it in front of others.)

All this to say he had simply done what he usually did.

Well, more importantly…

Rix looked behind him. He saw the girl with white hair still standing silently.

There was something odd about her.

Her hair was stark white, the color of burned-out ash. Her skin was as fair as unblemished fresh snowfall. Her narrow eyes were pale blue like ice.

But the girl wasn’t looking at anything. Not at Rix who had saved her, nor at the looming sea monster that had just tried to take her life.

The light that filled her eyes was like an infinite void.

She wasn’t cowering in fear; she was simply not interested. Not in the sea monster, not even in her own life.

Wh-what’s up with this girl…? Rix thought.

The whole thing was so strange that it sent a shiver down Rix’s spine.

But even more than that, and despite that—the girl was beautiful. Enough to take your breath away. Her beauty was delicate, almost like that of a fairy. Her silhouette was both trim and voluptuous.

Although she wasn’t remotely pretentious, she was constructed almost too perfectly, like a piece of art.

Her blank, unseeing gaze wandered emptily; the sea breeze played with her white hair… It was like something from a postcard. Like a sacred, inviolable piece of magic glasswork, not to be sullied by human hands.

“Are you okay?” Rix asked her.

The battle-hardened mercenary was almost overcome by the urge to keep staring at her forever.

But he returned to combat mode, broke off his gaze from the girl, and turned back to face the sea monster writhing in pain before him.

“It’s dangerous, so you should stand back,” he warned the girl before focusing on the monster once more.

But then, Rix heard the girl whisper something.

It had barely been clear enough for him to make out.

“…Just stay out of it.”

Her whisper was somehow decadently weary, like she had given up on everything in this world.

Huh?

The Isle of Lodis—an island that was itself considered its own small-scale continent, governed by the Principality of Estoria.

Rix’s ship sailed from the Levar Peninsula, which lay on the eastern edge of the Isle of Lodis, south through the Bay of Orth on the continental side of the island, and arrived at a large city port.

It landed at the city of Estorheim: the capital of the Principality of Estoria.

The atmosphere was different from that of the Aldran Empire, which was respected for its quality construction and unadorned austerity, and still different from the Kingdom of Forceus, which boasted beautiful old-fashioned architecture reminiscent of its traditional aristocracy.

The city was on the cutting edge of the age.

The city streets were organized in a grid pattern, with houses and buildings with many spires, arches, and sharp-angled roofs lining the roads. The architecture was luxurious and artistic yet sophisticated.

The city of Estorheim was generally divided into four main districts.

First, in the south was the industrial district. It was a part of the city that never slept, and it housed the ports of entry—which connected the principality to the rest of the continent—Adventurers Guilds, and business districts, all of which operated at all hours of the day.

Next, in the east was the residential district. There were many public squares and natural parks, and compared to the southern district, it had a calm and relaxed atmosphere.

To the north was the governmental district. All of Estoria’s administrative facilities were housed here, including Estorland Palace where the ruler of Estoria resided, the aristocracy’s townhouses, consulates of various kingdoms, and other administrative agencies. The area’s architecture and atmosphere were refined and gorgeous.

Then, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the city was Estoria Academy of Magic, in the western suburbs.

The academy was a three-year boarding school for prospective mages and the world’s leading magical research institution.

And as fate would have it, Rix was heading for that very academy, together with Annie and Randy.

Using a stagecoach that regularly traveled back and forth from the nearby student district, they meandered through the school route, enveloped by deep, silent forests, before finally reaching the front gate of the academy.

“So this is Estoria Academy of Magic,” said Rix.

Among the lush, beautiful natural landscape, Rix and the others were greeted by a huge school building that resembled a castle, standing tall in the vast grounds of the academy, which were surrounded by a large wall.

After passing through the tall, ornate gate, Rix and his classmates were met in the front yard by older students who were to act as their guides, and they were soon being led through the school building.

The school building was built primarily of stone, and its interior was luxurious like some kind of aristocratic mansion.

Eventually, they made their way to the school office. There, Rix, Randy, and Annie parted ways temporarily to individually go over the various procedures relating to their matriculation and entrance into the dormitories.

Once that was completed, Rix was provided with a white robe and instructed to put it on and head to a large hall.

Following a map of the school grounds, he walked through the labyrinthian building before finally reaching the hall.

It looked like the place where the school held banquets and other large gatherings. The space was extravagant and spacious, with high ceilings.

There were already many people who looked like new students, like Rix, gathered in the hall.

There must have been about one hundred and twenty people in attendance.

Some were wearing the same white robe as Rix, while others were in blue or red robes. Among the three colors, there were forty students each, all chatting pleasantly.

“Heeey! Rix! Over here!”

“Riiix!”

Rix turned around toward the voices calling his name. Randy and Annie were there, waving over at him. They were both wearing the same white robe as Rix.

“Ha! So you’re in the White Class, too!”

“Hee-hee! Looks like we’ll be spending the next three years together!”

Randy and Annie looked happily at Rix, but he just stared back at them blankly.

“What, you didn’t know? The academy is divided into three classes: White, Red, and Blue. Then each color has all their lessons together,” said Randy. “The dormitories are separated by each color, too.”

“Ah-ha-ha, the dorms are also separated by gender, of course,” added Annie. “But still, students who end up in the same class inevitably spend a lot more time together.”

“I see… So the robe colors are how we’re separated into the class and dormitory we belong to.” Rix frowned. “But white, huh…? White Class…? Hrm…”

“What’s wrong? Something bothering you? What, you don’t want to be in the same class as us?” Randy asked.

“No, I’m happy about that part. I was just thinking that if I could choose, I’d rather be in the Red Class.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“I mean, blood spatter kinda stands out against white robes, right?”

“…”

“…”

“And like, if you’re wearing red, it’s a little less, y’know?” Rix added cheerfully, even though Randy and Annie were recoiling.

“A-a little less what…?” Annie stammered.

“Does every single thing you say have to be so disturbing and violent?” Randy asked.

Then:

“Oh-ho-ho! It has been too long! Waiting for me, were you?”

A bright and rather pompous-sounding voice called out to them.

They didn’t even need to turn around to know it was Serephina.

She wore a white robe, the same as Rix and the others, and stood in a commanding and fearless pose with her arms crossed.

“P-Princess?!”

“Princess Serephina?! U-um, how is Her Highness doing on this fine day?”

Annie and Randy hurriedly straightened their postures to greet her.

“Hmph… No need for titles or all that politeness,” Serephina told them. “Here, I am not royalty—I’m simply Serephina. I’m just another student striving to master the magic arts, the same as you.”

“True. We’re all students here, yeah? So no need to get all worked up or anxious around each other!” Rix cheekily wrapped his arm around Serephina’s shoulder, giving a bright smile and a thumbs-up. “Isn’t that right, Serephina?”

“Perhaps you should mind your manners a bit more… On second thought, fine. I’ll allow this.” Serephina’s face stiffened as she stared back at Rix.

“Um…so it looks like you’re in the White Class with us, too, Serephina…,” Annie noted.

“Correct. To be honest, I believe the noble colors of the Red Class would suit me much better… But it seems I was fated to wear white instead,” Serephina said with an exaggerated nod. “Thanks to that, it looks like I’ll be spending the next three years with you all. I am most pleased.”

“Man…who would have thought four people who randomly met on that ship would somehow end up in the same class…? It almost feels like someone set this up, am I right?” Randy joked.

Serephina’s shoulders twitched, then she started to flail her arms and rattle off an explanation.

“C-certainly not!! There’s absolutely no way that, for instance, I was originally in the Red Class but used my wealth and influence to be moved into the same class as Rix! That is simply impossible! What a preposterous idea!”

“Pfft! She’s right! What are you even suggesting, Randy?” said Rix. “There’s no way all that overly specific stuff that Serephina just said is what actually happened! Get real! Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

And in response…

“…This is giving me a headache.”

“Ah-ha-ha-ha… It seems like the next three years are going to be pretty interesting…”

The next day, the students left the school building and cut across the beautiful garden past a statue of the One-Horned Goddess to attend a special lecture—one the academy designated as their first class.

“That girl was Shino Whytenight?! Seriously?!”

Randy’s hysterical yell rang out across the grounds.

“Do you know her, Randy?” Rix asked, walking alongside his friend.

Randy nodded. “Yeah, I know of her. She’s the same as you.”

“The same as me?”

“She’s a scholarship student. So that means she also has some kind of special magical ability.”

Annie and Serephina were behind Rix when Serephina chimed in.

“But isn’t it strange? If she’s a scholarship student, shouldn’t she have been able to deal with that sea monster and with that idiot Gordon somehow on her own…?”

“M-maybe she was scared? She is just one girl, after all…,” Annie said, peering forward.

About a dozen meters in front of them, they spotted the white-haired girl, Shino, walking with her back to them.

“Hrm, she wasn’t exactly cowering in fear, from what I could tell,” Rix mused.

“Then what is it? Why didn’t she resist?” Randy asked.

“Maybe she simply can’t use magic yet? I mean, I can’t yet, either.”

“Ha-ha-ha! C’mon, Rix! Good one.”

“Oh, stop! Really, you and your jokes! Oh-ho-ho!”

Randy and Serephina didn’t take Rix’s statement seriously at all.

“But man, the White Class’s level is really high this year!” said Randy. “We’ve got you, Serephina, and another scholarship student in Shino, too! I’m not sure I’m gonna be able to keep up with you guys…”

“Ah-ha-ha, I feel the same, Randy… I’m going to have to try my best to keep up even a little with Rix and Serephina…”

“Oh-ho! Best make sure to diligently apply yourself! And if there’s anything you want me to teach you, just say the word. I would be glad to help you out personally as a fellow student. Consider it an honor!”

“By the way, why are you guys lumping me in with the high achievers? Like I said, I can’t even…”

As the group chitchatted, they caught sight of their destination, a magic ceremonial ground called the Stone Circle.

Estoria Academy of Magic was a three-year boarding school.

Over those three years, students gained class credits required for graduation and, after passing a certification exam, could become a Rank Four Estoria Certified Mage. In other words, they earned the certification that proved they were competent and became able to enter the workforce.

At the academy, students took classes on nine basic subjects:

Physical enhancement magic

Black magic

White magic

Summoning magic

Magic potions

Magic tool craftsmanship

Magical combat

History of magic

Ancient languages

Ultimately, mages would move on to specialize in their own subject of choice and develop their own personal magic, but these nine subjects acted as the basic foundation of all magic, and therefore the students had to master them.

However, before even beginning to learn these subjects, there was one prerequisite class—the Sphere Unlocking Rite.

And it was the most important rite for turning from an ordinary human into a mage.

“Okay, everyone! I hope you’ve all come mentally prepared!”

Standing in front of the students of the White Class who had gathered at the Stone Circle was the young female professor in charge of the Sphere Unlocking Rite—Professor Anna Piyonelle. She was smiling cheerfully and waving her hand.

The robe Professor Anna was wearing was black and different from the ones the students wore.

It was proof that she was a full-fledged, certified mage.

“Apparently, Professor Anna is usually in charge of the summoning magic class. But since she’s an all-rounder with deep knowledge about all kinds of magic, they also put her in charge of our Sphere Unlocking Rite.”

“Oh yeah?”

Rix was only half listening to Randy’s explanation when Anna began speaking.

“Today, we will be opening the new students’ Spheres!” she announced. “That’s the one thing we will be working on in today’s class, so please be sure to concentrate! It may be a little boring for anyone who has already opened their Sphere, but later I’d like to use you all as examples to show what an actual opened Sphere looks like. Steel your nerves!”

“Oh-ho, Rix, are your nerves steeled?” whispered Serephina.

“No need.”

“I see… I should have expected as much. You have no need for special preparation, I take it?”

“Uh, no, I’m just saying…”

There still seemed to be some kind of misunderstanding between them, which baffled Rix all over again.

Meanwhile, Professor Anna continued. “Anyway, those who have passed the academy’s entrance examination should know this already, but…allow me to review with a quiz. What exactly is the Sphere? Yes, over there… Annie.”

“Oh! Yes, ma’am!” Annie hurried to stand up and answer. “The Sphere…refers to a supersensory phenomenon and its surrounding area that goes beyond the normal five human senses and the sixth sense at the level of premonition and intuition. It is what we would call a seventh or eighth sense. More concretely, among the three elements that make up life—the material, the astral, and the aetherial—it is an astral and aetherial body removed from the material realm…in other words, a supersensory perception possessed by the human soul.”

“Yes, well done.” Professor Anna clapped her hands. “Annie is correct. What we call the Sphere is the soul’s supersensory perception that goes beyond the material realm. Since the Sphere is free from the yoke of the physical world, it isn’t restricted by any of the laws of physics. That is to say, mages are omnipotent within the boundaries of their own Sphere. Within the Sphere, one can command and control every phenomenon. And that very command and control of phenomena within the Sphere is what we call magic. How does one expand their Sphere? And how does one strengthen its power? These are some of the eternal questions a mage will face over the span of their lifetime.”

Oh, okay… I have no idea what she’s talking about, thought Rix.

He gave up on trying to understand. In fact, he was feeling pretty sleepy.

“Though it may be taken for granted, every human possesses a Sphere,” the professor added. “After all, there is no such thing as a human without a soul. However…unfortunately, only an extremely small number of those with a Sphere have one that will allow them to be competent as a mage. This is because it is too difficult to use magic with a poor-quality Sphere.”

The students who still hadn’t opened their Spheres went pale.

“But please don’t worry,” she went on. “You new students are all here today because you have passed the academy’s strict aptitude test. Your very presence means you already possess a Sphere of the minimum qualities required to become a mage. Beyond that, all else depends on how much effort you put in.”

That appeared to reassure the new students.

Randy let out a sigh of relief. “Whew… Looks like I won’t need to do the walk of shame back to my hometown after all.”

“Ordinarily, humans are not only unable to control this Sphere that is indispensable to using magic, but they also can neither see nor feel it. Do you know the reason why? How about you, Randy?” asked Professor Anna.

“Huh?! Me?! Um…?!” Having suddenly been called on, Randy hurried to rack his brain for an answer. “U-um, it’s because…this is the material world, and…since humans physically exist in that world…the other five senses get in the way, so they don’t notice they have the Sphere because it exists beyond the physical realm…or something like that?”

“Yes, that’s correct! Well done.” Professor Anna clapped once again. “That’s right. Ordinary humans are unable to notice the existence of their Spheres. And that’s why ordinary humans are unable to use magic,” she explained. “Accordingly, the first step toward becoming a mage is to awaken to the existence of the supersensory perception that is the Sphere. And this is called opening the Sphere. Now, regarding how to open this ever-so-crucial Sphere…”

“Hmph. You use that stuff, right? That pitiful excuse for a potion,” came a sarcastic voice from among the White Class.

Everyone turned their attention to the speaker…a high-strung-looking boy with swept-back blond hair and glasses.

“Fool’s Elixir,” he scoffed. “You’d think people would be embarrassed to rely on some potion in order to become a mage.”

“You’re…Alfred, correct? Of the Lordston family?”

“I’m not surprised you’ve heard of us. We are famous…and our power is incomparable to these dime-a-dozen wannabe mages. I’ll have you know I’ve already opened my Sphere. All on my own, of course,” he said snidely while pushing his glasses up.

The students started to murmur.

“That jerk…! He thinks he’s so much better than us…!” Randy growled in irritation, balling his fists in anger.

“…” Annie was looking down forlornly.

“Hmph…what a narrow-minded little boy. I, too, have opened my Sphere, and I’m proud of it. So who cares about whether others use the Fool’s Elixir?” Serephina added, although her response was somewhat contradictory.

Uh…which part am I supposed to be mad about, again?! wondered Rix, the only one who was still totally lost.

The mood had shifted against Alfred in one form or another.

“In fact, there is some truth to Alfred’s statement.” Professor Anna began to try to settle the group. “Originally, the Sphere was something that was only finally awakened after long years of strict spiritual training. From the point of view of those who opened their Spheres in that way, it may feel unfair to be able to unlock the Sphere with the Fool’s Elixir. However, opening the Sphere on one’s own requires a person to train continuously from a very young age. And the older someone gets, the more they are bound by their view of their world and the limitations of their own body, and thus it becomes more and more difficult to break down those prejudices. Furthermore…typically only rich noble families are able to train their children in magic from such a young age. That is why magic has been a privilege of the noble class for so long.”

“…”

“But thanks to a certain mage’s development of the Fool’s Elixir, that has all changed,” she added. “Now even commoners can become mages…and as a result, there are many more mages than ever before. In turn, we’ve been able to achieve unprecedented progress and development in magic. We mages are the ones who unravel the truths of this world. I believe that is precisely why the Fool’s Elixir has its own legitimate significance. So for now, could you please set aside your misgivings?”

Professor Anna wore a gentle smile.

Unable to come up with a valid counterargument, Alfred turned away.

“H-hmph! It’s all because of that Fool’s Elixir that we’ve got more clueless idiots like the Faith Faction becoming mages!” he scoffed. “Well, do what you want. Not like it matters if I disagree with the academy’s curriculum anyway!”

“Heh-heh, thank you for your understanding. Let’s go ahead and get started.”

Now that this slight disturbance had been dealt with…it was time to move on to the ritual that would allow the students to open their Spheres.

First, Professor Anna handed each student a small bottle filled with a strangely colored liquid potion.

Everyone gazed at theirs curiously.

“Did you all get one? That in your hand is the Fool’s Elixir, which will help you to open your Sphere,” Professor Anna explained. “Even if you have already opened your Sphere, please use the potion and try facing your Sphere from a new perspective. If you do, I’m certain you will discover something new and grow.”

Rix and Serephina also held the Fool’s Elixir in their hands.

Even Alfred, who had been so negative about it, had reluctantly received one.

“Allow me to remind you that simply drinking the potion is not enough to awaken the Sphere—it’s not a miracle drink, after all,” the professor told her students. “Actually, the potion is more akin to poison. If you use it incorrectly, you could die.”

““““?!?!?!””””

Hearing her say something so terrifying with a smile, the already restless students went pale again.

“It is a type of anesthetic, formulated with a combination of various magical ingredients, including mandrake oil, forget-me-not, Psilocybe venenata, Hydra venom, and so on. After taking a dose, the five senses of your physical body will become numb. That means the senses outside the physical—namely, those that sense your Sphere—will become easier to use. Please do your best to grasp it. Notice it. Awaken to this new sensation residing within yourselves that you have never been conscious of before. For that is the first step in your journey toward becoming a mage.”

Professor Anna gazed warmly at her charges.

“As the potion is very strong, first take only one drop onto your finger and lick it. If after that, you still haven’t grasped the sensation of your Sphere, you may take one more drop. Since you all possess a considerable inclination toward the magic arts, I believe all should be able to grasp their Spheres with this dose…but if you still haven’t after two drops, please tell me.”

With this, the new students took the first step on their journey to become mages—the ritual to open their Spheres began.

The class used the potion according to Professor Anna’s directions.

Then, seated in a large circle—the boys cross-legged, the girls on their heels—the students closed their eyes.

As instructed, they repeated a special breathing rhythm to calm the mind.

Then the potions began to take effect one after another.

“P-Professor…I’m scared…! I feel like I’m going to disappear…!”

“I-I’m falling… My body is falling away…!”

“Eek… A-aah…!”

Shouts of confusion rang out as everyone’s five senses started to turn numb.

“It’s all right, it’s all right. Please stay calm. Don’t allow your mind to wander; just keep breathing.” Professor Anna spoke gently in order to soothe the students. “Soon, you will temporarily lose your five physical senses entirely. It should feel much like your existence has completely disappeared from this world. But remember…though it may feel that way, you are still here. In this state, on what foundation does your consciousness and your mind still stand? Where does it exist? Please search carefully for the answer. In the answer, on that foundation…exists your Sphere.”

The wind flowed around them. The sound of the blowing tree branches was far away.

The ritual ground was enveloped in stillness.

The students calmed their minds and silently continued their meditation.

Five minutes passed. Then ten.

One hour… Two hours…

But without the five senses, all sense of time was ambiguous.

It was as if time had become infinite and the class was wandering in a void…when suddenly:

“Ah!”

One of the meditating students cried out as if they had come to a realization.

And with that:

“I—I see something…! I see it…!”

“Could this be it…? This feeling…?”

“I—I saw it, too! I felt it!”

“S-so this is where…I exist…?!”

“H-how didn’t I ever notice it before?!”

One by one, the students began to call out in surprise.

Seeing their progress, Professor Anna nodded in satisfaction.

“It seems you’ve begun to grasp it,” she said. “Now, those who have felt it, please stand up and open your eyes. Don’t worry, the potion will have already worn off by now.”

The students did as they were told.

““““Wh-whoa…””””

They stood with their eyes wide.

An unimaginable scene was unfolding before them.

“Heh-heh-heh, how is it, everyone?” Professor Anna asked. “Within the Stone Circle, those who have opened their Spheres should now be able to see a physical manifestation of their Sphere and the Spheres of others. What do you think? Visually, it should look something like an orb of light at the center of your body. And you will surely be able to feel everything within that orb. You should feel the sensation of light through your skin, see sound with your eyes, and taste scents. Within that orb, you should be able to clearly understand anything and everything. That is the Sphere. Congratulations. You all have now begun your journey toward becoming mages.”

Professor Anna clapped her hands in celebration for the students, some still frozen in surprise and others moved to tears.

“A-amazing… This is a Sphere?!” Randy exclaimed in excitement.

“I did it…! Me, of all people…! Even someone like me…,” Annie said with tears of joy.

“Oh-ho, those are some fine Spheres you two have,” Serephina remarked.

“Serephina!”

“From what I can tell, each of your Spheres is about five to six meters wide. That’s quite good for someone who’s only just opened their Sphere. You should be proud.”

“D-do you think so…?”

“By the way, for comparison’s sake, how big is your Sphere, Serephina?” Randy asked.

“Oh-ho, it would be easier to simply show you rather than explain! Pay close attention! Behold my magnificent Sphere!” Serephina boomed confidently with an exaggerated flourish of her hands.

““““Whoooooaaaaaaa?!””””

Randy, Annie, and the other students shouted in surprise.

“Wh-what’s with that Sphere?!”

“I-it’s huge! That’s gotta be over fifty meters!”

“And its field gives off so much power…!”

“Amazing… She’s on a totally different level…”

Serephina was on cloud nine, basking in the praise of her peers.

“Oh-ho-ho. Could this be the effect of the Fool’s Elixir?” she said. “I was able to reexamine parts of my Sphere that I had only been able to sense vaguely before, so perhaps that led to it becoming even stronger.”

“Heh-heh, I’m not surprised, Serephina. Thank you for showing yours as an example,” Professor Anna said with a smile.

“D-dammit… She’s a monster!” Alfred, meanwhile, was sourly pushing his glasses back up.

Faced with this crowd of excited students…

Oh crap… I have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about.

…Rix had broken into a cold sweat.

In all honesty, Rix was still completely lost.

No matter how much of the potion he used or how much he meditated, he had no clue what this cryptic sensation of the Sphere was supposed to be like. He couldn’t see whatever everyone else seemed to be seeing, either.

Unable to participate in the excitement, he felt extremely isolated.

Ummm… Maybe it’s just me, but this seems real bad…

Rix didn’t fully understand it even after hearing all the explanations, although he did get that it wouldn’t be possible to become a mage if he didn’t awaken to this mysterious sensation called the Sphere.

And yet he showed no sign of being anywhere close to doing that.

Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap… What do I do…?

Rix was filled with trepidation.

“All right, then! It looks like you’ve all finished opening your Spheres!” Professor Anna announced. “After becoming aware of the existence of your Sphere and opening it for the first time, you will naturally be able to sense and open your Sphere as you like without relying on potions. With that, I’d like to bring today’s class to an end!”

It sounded like Professor Anna was getting ready to conclude the lesson.

This was going to end without Rix having opened his Sphere, which he needed to do in order to become a mage.

This was no time for hesitation.

“U-um…”

Having made up his mind, Rix timidly raised his hand.

“Oh? Is something wrong, Rix?” the professor asked.

“Um, so… This is really hard for me to say, but…”

“What is it?”

“I…haven’t opened my Sphere yet… What should I do?”

Silence.

The excitement from mere moments ago suddenly vanished. All attention turned to Rix.

He had never experienced something so awkward.

“Um…perhaps you didn’t get enough of the potion? Why don’t you try taking another drop…?” Professor Anna suggested.

“I already used up the whole thing. I don’t feel any different at all, though.”

“Th-the whole thing?! How are you not dead?!”

Rix showed the now empty bottle to the professor, who was visibly startled.

The crowd went quiet once again.

“Hey, come on, Rix… Cut it out with the bad jokes!”

“Th-that’s right! Honestly, it’s not even funny!”

Randy and Annie forced smiles as they teased Rix.

“…”

But Rix looked pretty serious.

“U-um… For real?”

“For real. Heh. What should I do?”

Rix shrugged, completely at a loss.

““““Whaaaaaaaat?!””””

The students went into a frenzy.

“Wait, are you serious?! You literally haven’t awakened your Sphere?!” Randy exclaimed.

“You’re lying, right?! That can’t be true! Wait—what the?!” Serephina cried. “All that slicing you did to the sea monster and launching that idiot Gordon into the wall with your punches…that was just you?! Your own innate abilities?! Not physical enhancement magic or enchantment spells?!”

“Dude, are you even human?! You’re not actually a demon or something, are you?!” Randy yelled.

“Whoa, rude!”

Serephina, Randy, and Rix were in an uproar.

“N-no way… Rix…” Annie was looking at Rix with concern.

“M-may I check something?” Professor Anna asked. She walked up to Rix and placed a finger on his forehead.

Then, for a short while, she whispered some sort of chant under her breath.

“…Y-you’re right… Rix, your Sphere…isn’t open at all. This is quite unusual,” she said. “Even those with very little natural inclination to magic should be able to open their Spheres at least a few centimeters…”

The students began to buzz at Anna’s statement.

“P-please stay calm, everyone! Calm down!” she urged, trying to settle them as she looked around. “I will deal with Rix’s case personally. Now, given the situation, I would like to check once more: Is there anyone else here whose Sphere hasn’t opened? If so, please be honest and speak up. This has great bearing on your future at the academy…”

The rest of the students began eyeing each other suspiciously.

Then…

“…”

One person had silently raised their hand.

It was the white-haired girl—Shino.

“What? Y-you too? M-my goodness…”

Professor Anna looked baffled, as if she had seen something she couldn’t believe. Shino nodded back silently.

The rest of the students started murmuring to one another once again.

Rix and Shino were widely known to be the scholarship students who had been welcomed into the academy with much fanfare. Thus, their peers were understandably shaken to learn that these two people had yet to open their Spheres.

“I-I’ve just confirmed it, and yes…both Shino’s and Rix’s Spheres are completely closed…”

Professor Anna checked Shino’s Sphere in the same way she had Rix’s, with a troubled expression.

“S-seriously…?! What the hell is going on…?” Randy whispered to Serephina.

“Hmm… To think that the Spheres of the only scholarship students the academy has had in a few years wouldn’t open,” she whispered back. “It doesn’t seem like a coincidence.”

The two of them exchanged pained looks.

“Wh-what should we do…? I’ve never encountered this situation before… And for it to be with the scholarship students… This must be the first time this has happened in the academy’s history…,” Professor Anna managed to say. “I-in any case, everyone, please keep this to yourselves. I will consult with the academy’s leadership to determine what should be our next course of action… I’ll end class here. Thank you, and good work today.”

The White Class’s first lesson at the academy concluded with unresolved turmoil.

“Hmph. So those scholarship students weren’t anything special after all,” Alfred said loudly enough for the people around him to hear as he headed back to the dormitory.

The other students looked back and forth between Rix and Alfred, as if comparing them, before walking off uncomfortably.

“Ha-ha-ha! Man, I’m in trouble, aren’t I…?” Rix sighed and scratched his head, at a loss.

“R-Rix, try not to get discouraged… Professor Anna is a great mage…so I’m sure she’ll find some way to help you,” Annie told him, doing her best to cheer him up.

Randy and Serephina, however, didn’t seem to know what to say.

Rix sensed this awkwardness and looked over at Shino.

“…”

But Shino was the same as usual.

Even in this situation, she looked as disinterested in everything as ever.

She wasn’t interested in what was going to happen to her after this, and she didn’t care. That was the vibe she was giving off.

“Oh man…”

Becoming a mage and leaving that bloodstained world behind him…

Rix couldn’t help but think this dream of his wasn’t going to be as easy as he had hoped.

“I believe we should expel them at once.”

Darwin Streek’s voice cut like a knife through the headmaster’s office.

Darwin was one of the instructors at the academy, mainly in charge of the magical combat class.

He had long black hair and a gloomy aura, as if his whole body was shrouded in darkness. Only his piercing eyes shone brightly from his visage like daggers.

“We have no need for the incompetent at our noble academy. Rix Frestat and Shino Whytenight should both be expelled immediately, Headmaster,” Darwin said as he glared reproachfully at Rix and Shino, who had been summoned to the headmaster’s office.

“…Hmm.” Headmaster Jake was seated at his desk, with his hands folded before him; he seemed to be deep in thought.

Eeeeek! Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! Rix thought.

He was trembling with fear like a small animal in the clutches of a hunter.

“…”

Shino, on the other hand, looked entirely disinterested as usual.

Their Spheres couldn’t be unlocked. After this discovery, Rix and Shino had been subjected to all kinds of medicinal concoctions under the supervision of many different instructors, over and over, in order to open their Spheres.

They had also been tested with a number of strange magical methods.

But in the end, it was all futile; Rix and Shino’s Spheres weren’t budging.

“If their Spheres still haven’t opened after all we’ve done, I believe it is certain,” said Darwin. “These two do not have the qualities necessary to become mages—that is, unlocked Spheres. In which case, it is only logical that we should expel them, correct?”

“Hmm, you may be right! Unfortunately, that would usually be the case!” Headmaster Jake replied, unbothered.

Rix felt ready to cry.

But—

“However, these two are scholarship students! That means they must possess some kind of extraordinary magical ability! I don’t think it’s appropriate to run them out of the academy before we figure out what those extraordinary abilities are, do you?!”

“Perhaps there is some kind of issue with the magic tool used to select the students? It is quite old, after all.”

Rix blinked in confusion as he watched the back-and-forth between Headmaster Jake and Professor Darwin.

Professor Anna, who was also present, whispered into Rix’s ear. “Every year…scholarship students are selected using a special magic tool called the Annals of the One-Horned Goddess.”

“‘Annals of the One-Horned Goddess’?” Rix repeated.

“Yes. And that tool…intervenes with fate,” she added. “The Annals seek out rare magical talents that, without intervention, are destined to be lost without ever standing on the front lines of history, and it brings them forward. The Annals do not tell us the nature of those magical talents, but we use these three years at the academy to investigate them carefully.”

So that had been the circumstances behind Rix’s selection.

For the first time, Rix learned why a mercenary like him, who’d never had any involvement with magic, had received that special admission invitation to the academy.

But still…Shino and I can’t use our Spheres, which are essential in using magic… Maybe that old book thing was wrong after all, Rix thought as he tried to process everything.

“And yet the Annals of the One-Horned Goddess has a long and successful record! Every individual who has been chosen by the book has gone on to become a great mage who will go down in history!” the headmaster boomed. “Bearing this in mind, we cannot simply ignore that it was Rix and Shino the Annals chose on this occasion!”

“Then what are we to do? We’ve already tried everything we could think of to open their Spheres,” said Darwin, who remained cold and emotionless. “And while I’ve always hated Fools who decide to become mages, I haven’t cut any corners. As such, I believe the possibility of their Spheres opening is hopelessly low. And as long as their Spheres remain unopened, the two of them will be unable to keep up in their classes. I think it would be in their best interest to expel them as soon as possible.”

The other instructors in attendance seemed to agree. They eyed Rix and Shino sympathetically.

So this is the end, huh? Welp…the dream was nice while it lasted…, thought Rix, sliding into a funk.

“Hmm, in that case, allow me to ask: What do you two wish to do?” Headmaster Jake suddenly said to Rix and Shino.

“Huh?!”

“What do you wish to do going forward? What is your hope?” he asked. “But let’s not get too hopeful—in all likelihood, I don’t think it will be possible for you! If your Spheres still haven’t opened after all that effort, I don’t believe you will be able to become mages! However, in the face of the possibility that it may be hopeless or futile…under such uncertainty, would you still dream of being rewarded for your efforts someday and aim to become mages?! Or would you rather make a clean break and give up now and choose to walk a different path?! What, exactly, do you want to do?! I want to hear your honest wishes!”

“…!”

Rix peered deep into his heart.

But he didn’t even need to look for the answer—it was right there.

“I…I want to become a mage. I threw away everything I had for that very purpose. I can’t give up now.”

In response…

“I see! In that case, I will put a temporary hold on your expulsion! Please keep striving toward your dream!” Headmaster Jake declared.

Darwin sniffed disapprovingly.

“Huh?! You’ll let me off so easily?! You don’t need to ask my reasoning or my goal or anything?!” Rix said.

“Ha-ha-ha! No need! Such things are meaningless,” Headmaster Jake told him. “Each person’s values are different. One person may have a reason that seems ridiculous to another—but if it is genuine to that person, then it is genuine! Accordingly, what is most important is your own will! And you have expressed your will! I need nothing more!”

Next, the headmaster looked at Shino.

“Now, Shino! What shall you do?! What is your will?!” he demanded.

“…”

For a while, Shino continued to sit silently.

Then she finally whispered, “I—”

“I think she feels the same as I do!”

For some reason, Rix reflexively shouted over Shino.

“!”

Ignoring Shino’s vaguely surprised expression, Rix continued, “She’s always saying how she loves magic! And how she’s always aspired to be a mage! So there’s no way she’d rather be expelled! She can’t give up yet!”

He wasn’t really sure why he was yelling this. But he had a feeling that if he didn’t say something, Shino might—

“…I want her to stay, too, Headmaster. Please,” Professor Anna said, bowing her head. “Shino was one of the students nominated by the Annals of the One-Horned Goddess…so she must possess some fantastic magical ability! I’ll take responsibility myself and see to it that she opens her Sphere! So please allow her to stay!”

“Hmm… These two want you to stay, but what do you say, Shino?” Headmaster Jake looked back to Shino.

For a while, her silence continued, and her blank gaze wandered.

Then finally, she breathed a sigh as if she had at last reached a decision.

“…I…want to become a mage, too,” she said.

After the conversation was over, Rix and Shino left the headmaster’s office.

When they exited the school building, the sky was burning with the light of the setting sun. The castle-like school building, its soaring towers, and the vast courtyard were all dyed red and gold.

Somehow or another, Rix and Shino ended up walking through the school grounds together toward the White Class’s dormitory.

“Stay out of it,” Shino said out of nowhere.

This girl, who was usually so expressionless, now sounded slightly angry and resentful.

“I knew it. So you were going to let yourself get expelled? I had a feeling,” said Rix.

“If you knew, then why did you butt in? It was none of your business.”

“Hmm… Honestly, even I’m not quite sure why…” Rix scratched his head as he tried to explain. “It’s like…I just had a feeling you were thinking that you didn’t really want to leave the academy.”

“…!”

At that moment, Shino’s expression clearly wavered.

Then she muttered in frustration, “…On what grounds?”

“Just a feeling. And I’m usually right. Thanks to that, I’ve survived this long.”

Shino grew unusually enraged, glaring at Rix as if he were a pile of garbage.

“Gross! You’re seriously disgusting! What’s with you?!”

“Oof! Urgh! Ack! O-ow… That hurts so bad… Worse than any wound I’ve had on the battlefield…!” Rix groaned. “But…heh-heh… What a shame. Just when I was finally starting to feel better… Urgh!”

“You’re vile…” Shino was visibly disgusted.

“By the way, I have proof. For some reason or another, you made the effort to come to this faraway academy, and in the end, you chose to stay,” said Rix. “If you really, truly wanted to quit, you wouldn’t have done that, right?”

“Hmph. You don’t understand anything. It just would have been more trouble to withdraw. I don’t have anything else to do, so I figured I might as well stay. It was the path of least resistance… Don’t get the wrong idea.”

“I—I see…”

“Ugh, what rotten luck, getting involved with a pervert like you. Makes me want to puke.”

“Ah, what a treat, more insults. Thank you so much.”

Shino shot Rix a look of utter disgust before turning away.

Then she whispered, “…Hmph. You’re…just like him.”

“Hmm?” Rix peered at Shino’s face, but she ignored him.

He was pretty sure she wasn’t going to elaborate on what she’d meant by that whisper any time soon.

So he put it out of his mind for now.

“Anyway, let’s both do our best here, starting tomorrow! Right, Shino?”

“…Be quiet. Don’t get all chummy with me. It’s gross.”

Then the White Class dormitory, which looked like some kind of noble’s mansion, came into view.

And—

“Heeey! Rix! Shino!”

“How was it?! I mean…do you get to stay?!”

—Randy, Annie, and Serephina, who had been waiting for the pair, ran toward them with worried looks on their faces.

And so, while the journey ahead didn’t look like it was going to be easy, Rix started off his new life at Estoria Academy of Magic.

The first class of the day was physical enhancement magic.

Rix and the rest of the White Class gathered at a magic training ground behind the school building—a large oval-shaped dirt field surrounded by a magic barrier.

In general, classes at Estoria Academy of Magic were separated by color, each under the supervision of an instructor.

All these instructors were Rank Two Estoria Certified Mages or higher and were accomplished in their own rights.

“Aaahhh… So sleepy… I’m exhausted… This sucks… Even breathing is a pain… If only the world would just end…”

However, the instructor who appeared before the White Class was extremely shabby.

He looked to be about in his late twenties. He was tall and lanky, like a bean sprout, with raggedy gray hair and eyes like a dead fish, and he wore a threadbare, wrinkly black robe.

There were deep, dark circles under his eyes. His face was covered in stubble, and he had a cigarette in his mouth.

He was like the living embodiment of sloppiness, laziness, drowsiness, and apathy all rolled into one.

“Ugh…I’m Crawford Rockwell,” the man began. “It’s a pain, but for the record, I’m a Rank Two Estoria Certified Mage, and I’ll be your instructor. Nice to meet you. Anyway, not like I really want to, but it’s time to start the class… I guess it is my job, after all…”

Professor Crawford announced this while puffing a billow of purple smoke into the air from his cigarette.

At the same time, the bell signaling the beginning of the class period rang out across the school grounds.

The students were clearly wondering, Is this guy okay? But they tried to put their uncertainties aside as class began.

“Uh, what class is this again? Oh yeah, I’m in charge of physical enhancement magic… It’s, you know. Basics of the basics. Super-basics of magic. The foundation of all magic. Like, if you can’t do physical enhancement magic to a certain extent, you won’t be able to do anything else. Ugh, what a pain.”

Crawford kept puffing away at his cigarette.

“You’ve all opened your Spheres, yes? Oh…right, I guess some of you haven’t yet…” He glanced over at Rix and Shino. “Well, whatever. I’m gonna explain to everyone regardless. First off, you all know how within the bounds of your Sphere, you’re omnipotent, right? Within those bounds, you can perceive everything and control all phenomena freely. That’s basically what magic is. So a question for you. Raise your hand if you know the answer. Within the bounds of your Sphere, what is the thing you have the most ability to control and manipulate?”

After Crawford asked the question, he must have thought it was too much of a pain to call on anyone, so he just answered it. “That’s right, yourself. Good answer. Have a gold star.”

Serephina, Alfred, Annie, and a few other students who had been raising their hands confidently now turned red and awkwardly lowered their hands.

“Humans have this pain of a biomagnetic spiritual power we call magnetite,” said Crawford. “It’s a stupid fundamental life energy that arises from all your stupid emotions—joy, anger, sadness, fear—as well as a result of all the stupid activities in your daily life. Mages also call this mana. Though explaining it’s a pain.”

The students were starting to think, This guy just wants to say “stupid,” “dumb,” and “pain” as much as possible, doesn’t he?

“Ordinary people who haven’t opened their Spheres aren’t able to sense this spiritual energy, or mana. But you are all mages with open Spheres. And mages are omnipotent within their Spheres,” Crawford went on. “Obviously, that means you can grasp the sensation of that stupid mana stuff. And while the necessary training is a pain, eventually you can manipulate it like an extension of your body. Magic, in itself, is the supernatural phenomenon of taking that stupid mana as an energy source and using it as a driving force within your Sphere.

“Then that means it’s possible to strengthen your physical abilities, sharpen your vision and reflexes, and enhance your self-healing abilities by pouring mana into the self at the core of your Sphere, right? That’s what we call physical enhancement magic. The basis of all other magic. I know it’s a pain, but in this class, we’re gonna focus on training in that basic physical enhancement magic over and over.

“What’s even more of a pain: We’re gonna work on increasing your mana, expanding and strengthening your Sphere, and other kinds of spiritual ability training like that, too. Think of it like an athlete building up their basic fitness.

“It may be a huge pain, but you’ll need to do your best to keep up if you want to call yourself a mage.” Crawford sleepily gazed at the students. “Honestly, what you all have to do in this class is simple. Move your body while pouring mana into it, meditate while manipulating your Sphere… I guess I’ll make up a training schedule later that accounts for people’s individual levels. What a pain.

“Anyway, in today’s physical enhancement magic class, I wanted you to understand the basic concept and how it works…and it just so happens we’ve got a good example for comparison here with us.”

Crawford called on a few students.

“Alfred. Your Sphere is open, and you’ve got some proficiency with using it. And Rix. Your Sphere isn’t open yet. I know it’s a pain, but please come stand in front of the class.”

The two boys got up, cocking their heads in confusion.

Crawford continued speaking as the students started to mumble among themselves.

“Let me first say this: There is absolutely no way for an ordinary person who hasn’t opened their Sphere to win in a physical competition against a mage who has opened their Sphere,” Crawford told the class. “That’s because a proficient mage can use physical enhancement magic just as easily as they breathe. I want you all to witness firsthand how much of a difference this physical enhancement magic can make in a mage compared to an ordinary person. You two. I know it’s a pain, but I want you to race to that pole over there. No need to hold back. Give it all the power you’ve got.”

“W-wait just a second, Professor Crawford!”

“Yeah, hold on! This is a bit much, isn’t it?”

Annie and Randy began to shout.

“Allow me to dissent as well, Professor,” Serephina offered. “You cannot allow such an act of public humiliation, for the sake of the person’s honor!”

“Public humiliation? …I guess I can’t help it if you all feel that way. What a pain.” Crawford scratched his head awkwardly. “Still…I know it sounds dumb, but you’ve really got to see it to believe it. If you can just see the obvious difference that exists between ordinary people and mages, I think you’ll want to put more effort into this stupid class going forward, won’t you? Rix, I’m sorry for making you play such a crappy role, but…you don’t mind, do you?”

“Oh, I’m totally fine with it! You just want us to run as fast as we can to that pole and back, right?” said Rix. “Hmm, looks like it’s around two hundred meters…”

Rix started leisurely stretching his legs in preparation for the race.

“H-hey! Rix!” Randy cried. “I said wait a second!”

“Professor, please, can you call off the race?!” Serephina urged.

The two of them kept trying to put a stop to things.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! How touching that you’re so concerned for your friend!” Alfred sneered. “You’ve only just met, but you sure are close already, huh?! You really don’t want Rix to embarrass himself in front of us that badly?”

“No, that’s not it! That’s not the concern here!” said Randy.

“Indeed! Alfred, don’t go along with this stupid race!” added Serephina.

“Hmph! As if!” Alfred shot a hateful look at Rix. “I’ll tell you straight up, Rix… I never liked you, right from the start.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yeah, you! Magic is supposed to be a special right of the privileged noble class! In the first place, I hate it when commoners think they can use that pathetic potion to become mages. But even you, some common idiot from who knows where, gets to be a scholarship student? Ha! And you can’t even open your Sphere. You’re a failure!”

Alfred smirked faintly as he declared this in front of everyone.

“I’ll crush you, Rix,” he said. “I’ll show everyone how different we really are. You’d better get ready for this.”

“S-stop, Alfreeeeeeed! Please, don’t do iiiiiiiiiiiit!” Randy screamed, clutching his head.

“He’s right! Listen to him! Oh goodness… This poor boy! I can’t watch…” Serephina held back tears.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Rix, you may have zero ability as a mage, but you clearly know how to work some magic with your words! Maybe you should become a professional swindler!”

“Huh, so like being a wizard but using only words…,” said Rix. “That’s a good way to put it!”

“““No it’s not!””” Randy, Annie, and Serephina cried simultaneously.

“…What a pain. Can we just start the race already?” Crawford said as he wearily exhaled a cloud of purple smoke.

“All right, I know it’s a pain, but…on your mark, get set, go…”

Following a lazy starting call from Crawford, Rix and Alfred started running.

And off to a perfect start, taking the lead was…Alfred.

“…Hmph!”

In a flash, he had used his Sphere to pour mana throughout his entire body, concentrating his physical enhancement magic on strengthening his legs.

He had probably already had quite a bit of training in this at home.

With not a single second of hesitation in the flow of his mana, his physical enhancement magic was almost a perfect example.

His body continued to explosively accelerate as he flew like an arrow toward the pole they had set as the race’s goal.

My body feels as light as a feather… And lately, my mana’s been in top condition! Alfred thought as everything in his field of vision flew behind him in a torrent.

But having also seamlessly enhanced his vision and reflexes, he didn’t lose control over his body, even at this speed.

Then his classmates’ astonished cries started to reach his ears.

“N-no way…!”

“Is he for real?!”

“Is there supposed to be this big a difference between an ordinary person and a mage?!”

Alfred grinned.

Then without letting up, he ruthlessly accelerated even more.

Alfred flew past the goal like a gale—

—but Rix was already there waiting for him.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!”

Screeeeech—! Rix had come skidding to a halt next to the pole and was already catching his breath as Alfred fell and rolled past him.

“Good race, Alfred. Let’s do it again sometime.”

Cheerfully and pleasantly, Rix extended his hand to Alfred.

“Huh?! Whaaaat?! Huuuuuh?! What just happened?!” Alfred hollered. “How did you get here before me?! Whaaaaaaaaat?!”

Still collapsed on the ground, Alfred looked up at Rix and flew into a panic.

“Seems like he beat him by quite a gap, too…”

“What does this mean…?”

“Huh? Wait, which one of them hasn’t opened their Sphere? Alfred?”

The spectating students were lost in confusion.

“That’s why we were trying to tell you…”

“A prayer for the courageous souls of the fallen…”

“Ah-ha-ha-ha…”

Randy, Serephina, and Annie offered their exasperated condolences.

Crawford had been watching Rix and Alfred’s race from afar.

“…Hmm. Hrmmm…”

He sank into thought for a little while, puffing out purple smoke.

Then, finally…

“So there you have it. There you can see the stark and decisive difference in the physical abilities of an ordinary person and a mage,” Crawford remarked. “Now let’s move right along to working on your own physical enhancement magic. Are you ready?”

As if nothing unusual had happened, he nonchalantly moved on to the next point on the agenda.

Let me guess… It was too much of a pain for him.

That’s what all the students were thinking.

“Aaahhh, I’m beat…,” Randy muttered after the first period’s physical enhancement magic class was over. He and the others were in the classroom for their next period, waiting for it to start.

“That was my first time trying physical enhancement magic…but I feel like my mind is more exhausted than my body…or like my spirit is exhausted…,” said Randy.

“Yeah…now I really get what people mean when they say their Sphere is exhausted…,” Annie agreed with a strained smile.

“That’s the sensation of your mana being used up. It is a strange feeling when you first experience it,” Serephina added.

Rix stared happily at his palms. “I see… So that’s what this feeling is. Like I’ve worked up a good sweat…”

“That’s definitely not what we’re feeling,” Randy quipped. “But man, we practiced for a whole hour and a half, and all I could do was manage to run a little faster than before.”

“I—I couldn’t even do that… I wonder if I’ll be okay…,” said Annie.

“Worry not,” Serephina told her. “Everyone has trouble at the start.”

“That’s right! If you keep practicing, soon you’ll be able to catch up with me!” said Rix.

“No way.”

“Don’t think so.”

“No chance.”

“Rix, are you seriously even human?” Randy asked. “I’m starting to have my doubts…”

As the group was chatting, the bell signaling the start of class rang, and the instructor walked in.

“Let’s begin. Welcome to black magic class.”

The person who entered was a beautiful woman of indeterminate age.

Her purple hair was fastened in an updo, and her eyes were the color of blood. Her skin was pale white, like wax.

Her appearance was that of a bewitching mature woman, a fresh and vibrant youth, and a budding young girl, all at once.

And of course, she was wearing the black robes of a full-fledged mage.

“My name is Arca Claudia, Estoria Certified Mage, Rank One.”

She calmly introduced herself from where she stood at the head of the class.

“In short, that means I belong to the highest class of mages in this world. So please rest assured that I am more than qualified to teach and guide you nascent mages.”

There were clearly many students in the class who already knew Arca’s name.

Throughout the classroom, students started to whisper things like “To think we’ll be taught by the Arca Claudia!” and “We’re so lucky!”

“But really…how old do you figure she is?” Rix whispered to Randy.

“Who knows? Rumor has it she’s actually a vampire who’s lived over a hundred years.”

“Ahem.”

They were pretty sure there was no way she had heard them, but Arca cleared her throat to regain the class’s attention.

“You have all opened your Spheres, commenced training in physical enhancement magic, and have begun to vainly believe you have come closer to understanding the essence of magic. But you are wrong,” Arca began. “Except perhaps a few of you students of high stature who have already begun training before attending the academy, surely none of you can even satisfactorily kindle a fire within the omnipotent bounds of your own Sphere. And why is that? Because you do not yet know how to kindle a fire.”

Ignoring the noisy students around her, Arca continued.

“To be sure, within your own Sphere, you are all omnipotent. However, you are not omniscient. Why a fire kindles, why lightning forms, by what logic time and space exist…you know none of these things. You are the very essence of ignorant Fools. It goes without saying that one cannot control knowledge that one does not know, nor laws and reason one doesn’t understand.

“Unlike physical enhancement magic, which relies on knowing oneself through one’s Sphere, one must be omniscient in order to manipulate external phenomena with omnipotence. The path to that omniscience…that fragment of omniscient omnipotence that is to know the very truth of this world…that shred of truth that serves as a guidepost to the free exercise of magic… is knowledge. Law and reason. This is what you will learn in the form of what we call magic formulas over the next three years. By using your own magic within the omnipotent Sphere according to these magic formulas, the very marrow of our knowledge, you shall create your own first magical work.”

All around the classroom, the students voiced their wonder at Arca’s explanation.

“Today’s class will be split into a first half and a second half,” she added. “In the first half, you will learn the first spell that all new students learn, the most common fire spell: Ember. I will teach you all the magic formula for this spell. Then in the second half, we will go out to the training grounds and practice the actual execution of that Ember spell. Understood?”

And with that, Professor Arca began her instruction.

“Black magic investigates the physical and scientific logic of this world: heat and energy, the motion of objects, sound, electricity and magnetism, elements and their properties, light and waves, gravity, time and space…and so on,” the professor explained. “Black magic seeks the truths of this world—omniscient omnipotence—through the mastery of its fundamental laws. Hence, there is a precise, subtle, and rational chemistry underlying the magic formulas of black magic. Are we good thus far, everyone? Please do your utmost to understand the concepts learned in this class. There’s no place for rote memorization and the like when it comes to using magic.”

Prefacing thus, Professor Arca drew a pentagram-shaped geometric figure on the blackboard and added mathematical formulas and instructions to each part of the figure.

The magic formula itself looked to be a schematic diagram that included a rough sketch of the world, the flow of power behind a particular phenomenon, the natural laws at the phenomenon’s root, and the mathematical function and output calculation for the mana needed to manipulate the phenomenon.

At first, the students had no idea what the magic formula meant, but Professor Arca carefully explained the meaning of each aspect of the formula one by one.

What is the phenomenon of a fire starting in the first place?

What of the flow of energy behind the event and the movement of the elements that make up this world? How does one convert mana, a spiritual energy, into heat, a physical energy? And how does one do it efficiently?

Arca explained these difficult theories in a simple and concise manner, using language anyone could understand, and without being overly pretentious.

She even accounted for taking extra care in the sections that she knew would be particularly difficult for beginner mages; it was a perfect explanation.

And by the time the first half of the class was reaching its end, the students had understood the concept. They fundamentally understood the phenomenon of a fire starting in this world.

And they didn’t simply understand it logically. They understood with their souls.

“I—I get it now…”

“So this is why Professor Arca’s so famous…”

“They don’t call her the Obsidian Sage for nothing…”

After hearing the professor’s explanation, students around the room began to whisper.

“Hmm… Flame magic is supposed to be my specialty, but this made me realize my understanding is still too shallow,” Serephina noted, looking deeply impressed.

“So even you feel that way, Serephina…” Annie widened her eyes in surprise.

Meanwhile, Randy started excitedly talking to Rix, who was next to him.

“Professor Arca’s lectures are difficult, but she makes it so easy to understand, right?!”

“Yeah. She made it really easy to understand that I have no idea what she’s talking about. She’s incredible…” Rix seemed deeply moved.

“Are you serious right now…?” Randy stared at him suspiciously.

Among the students who were so taken with Arca’s lesson…

“…Hmph.”

…only one—Shino—looked bored. She leaned her head on her hand and stared out the window.

“All right now, everyone. Let’s hurry over to the magic training grounds,” said Arca. “It’s time to put what you’ve learned about the Ember spell into practice.”

“I bring forth a stone of flame!”

The students’ shouts echoed over the magic training grounds, where a number of round targets were lined up.

The students stood some distance away and expanded their Spheres.

With their shouts, their mana flowed through their Spheres in accordance with the magic formula they’d just learned.

And then—

“Whoa?!”

—a small ball of fire like a stone appeared and flew out from each student’s fingertips.

The balls of fire flew toward the targets and burned them.

“Wow! I did it! I really did it?!”

Randy’s eyes widened; he was incredulous.

Around him, other students were succeeding in casting their first spell as well.

“The incantation you are now shouting is a simplified version of the contents of the magic formula required in order to exercise the spell.”

As the students practiced, Arca continued her explanation.

“Words have power, akin to their own spirit, which deeply affects one’s inner world when uttered. By reciting these incantations, it becomes easier for your mana to flow according to the magic formula. However, there is no need to worry about sticking exactly to existing incantations. As long as it allows your mana to flow more easily, any word will do. And ultimately…”

Suddenly, Arca snapped her fingers.

A dozen small flames appeared above her head, and she sent them flying toward the targets. Every single one struck its target dead center, and the targets all simultaneously went up in flames.

It was clear that Arca’s Ember was on an entirely different level in heat and firepower compared with the students’ spells.

As the students gasped in amazement, Arca continued without a single note of pride in her voice.

“Chantless spellcasting. Deepen your understanding and mastery of magic formulas, and the spell takes on a natural reason of your own creation. To be able to have your mana flow smoothly and efficiently according to the magic formula without reciting an incantation… That is the goal you all should be striving for.”

The apparent, stark difference in Arca’s power rendered the students speechless.

“Hmm, simply remarkable. While I’m able to use the same chantless spellcasting, the quality of Arca’s flames is like solid ice, while mine are like lukewarm water. I’m not even close to that level of power and precision…”

Serephina was astounded.

“Damn. So this is the power of one of the world’s most prestigious mages.” For some reason, Alfred started talking to Rix. “I hope I can reach that level someday… Don’t you feel the same, Rix?”

“…”

“Oh, right, my bad. That’s impossible for you, isn’t it? You don’t even have a Sphere. It’s totally out of the question for you to get that good… Heh-heh-heh…”

Alfred laughed scornfully.

Immediately, the atmosphere started turning sour.

“You there, stop the chitchat. Would you like some points taken off your grade?”

Unable to abide the distraction, Arca gave Alfred a warning.

“That’s actually not true at all, Alfred,” Rix replied. “I bet I can manage something around that level.”

““““What?!””””

His classmates were shocked.

“…Oh, really?” Arca looked at Rix with interest.

“Listen, you… Don’t go running your mouth about things you aren’t able to back up!” Annoyed by Rix’s complacency, Alfred began calling him out. “You think you can pull off something superhuman like that, when you don’t even have a Sphere?! That’s just insulting to the professor, no matter how you look at it!”

Rix was persistently irreverent. “No, really, I can. It’s actually pretty simple. I mean…it’ll take a bit more time than Professor Arca’s spell did, but…”

“Interesting. Please, go ahead and try.” Professor Arca started encouraging him out of genuine interest. “Rix, I know you haven’t opened your Sphere yet. As a mage, I am truly interested in how you expect to replicate what I have just done.”

“P-Professor! He’s just making rash remarks; don’t take him seriously!”

“Alfred. One absolutely necessary quality of a mage is the flexibility in thinking that allows them to question existing common sense and fixed ideas. For that very reason: Please go ahead, Rix. If you are to boast so boldly before me, please don’t leave me disappointed.”

“I’ve got this, Professor. All right, one moment, please…”

Rix ran toward the forest outside the magic training grounds at an amazing speed…and when he finally returned, he was carrying a bunch of dead branches in his arms.

The students began to buzz.

Alfred and Professor Arca blinked at him, wondering what he could be up to.

Don’t tell me…

No way…

He can’t be…

Randy, Annie, and Serephina already had a bad feeling.

And then Rix got to work.

“I bring forth a stone of flaaaaame!” he shouted with a furious look on his face, drilling a dead branch into some wood chips he had placed on the ground.

Scritch, scritch, scritch, scritch! The deafening sound of wood rubbing against wood reverberated around them.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Are you stupid? There’s no way you can make a fire like tha—”

Poof!

“A fire?!”

Alfred’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.

Arca was looking dumbfounded, herself.

“I bring forth, a stone of flaaame! I bring forth! A stone of flaaaaaaame!!”

Rix used this method to light each branch and make them into torches.

Soon enough, he had about a dozen of these torches.

He then picked them up and stood in front of the targets.

“I! Bring forth! A stone! Of flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame!”

Using every fiber of his being, he flung the bundle of torches at the targets.

Each torch flew toward its target with unparalleled accuracy.

Crack!

All the targets were simultaneously demolished.

““““…………””””

The students’ jaws fell to the floor.

“See, it’s just like Professor Arca said.” Having completed his task, Rix smiled brightly. “Words are power, with their own spirit!”

“I’m pretty sure this isn’t what she meant,” Randy quipped back, right on schedule.

“…Rix.” Arca turned to face Rix with an inscrutable expression.

“Eep?! P-please, Professor, don’t be angry with him!”

“This guy, he’s just an idiot! I swear, he’s just a harmless, extreme dumbass!”

“I’ll be sure to punish him severely myself, so please, spare him this time!”

Annie, Randy, and Serephina rushed to cover for their friend, but it was already too late.

Arca stood before Rix and slowly raised her hands.

“Magnificent.”

With an uncharacteristically tender expression, she placed her hands gently on Rix’s shoulders.

“I see… So this method exists, too. Thanks to you, I was able to break down another of my fixed ideas about common sense, even at my age. I thank you.”

“Professor…I think you’d better keep that common sense intact…,” Randy urged, rounding off the day’s black magic class.

“Good day, everyone. My name is Ray Doctrice. I am the instructor in charge of the white magic class. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

It was time for white magic class.

The person who appeared in the classroom before the students of the White Class was a man with bright blond hair and blue eyes.

With his silky hair, intelligent yet gentle eyes, and exquisitely well-featured and sweet face, he was a stunningly beautiful young man. The moment he appeared, the female students squealed.

“If black magic is said to deal with the outside world—that is, physical laws and energies—then white magic is an inquiry of the inner world—the body and spirit, the mysteries of life, and the very existence of living things,” Ray began. “At times, it heals the bodies of the wounded, at times changes or transforms the body itself, and yet other times it deludes the hearts of others, produces illusions before them, or even curses their existence itself. White magic has its own dangerous side that is different from that of black magic. I ask that you please take care to never abuse it.”

““““Yes, Professor! ♥””””

Ray was smiling gently, and all the girls in the room—save for Annie, Serephina, and Shino—clasped their hands together, responding in unison.

“Tch, this is why I hate handsome men…”

“Seriously, Randy! Does this guy have no shame?! All handsome men should just die!”

“Yeah, exactly! …Though I hate myself a little for having to agree with you on this one thing.”

Ray got started, paying no mind to the two idiotic boys.

Today, he would be teaching the magic formula for the Sleep spell. Apparently, it was a foundational spell in mind-control magic that forced the target into a state of sleep.

Ray’s class was just as easy to understand as Arca’s had been, but the fact that the female students squealed at Ray’s each and every move seemed to be gradually annoying and stressing out the male students.

“Now let’s give this spell a try. Please cast Sleep on each other per my instructions, taking turns with the person next to you,” said Ray.

The male students’ struggle was over, and they could move on to actually practicing magic.

“But don’t worry,” Ray assured the class. “I’ll use another spell to immediately wake any students who fall asleep.”

““““Aaah! I want to be gently woken up by Professor Raaaay! ♥””””

““““Tch! Ugh! Grrrrr!””””

The students, a whirlwind of love and hate, moved on to spell practice.

“Close thine eyes and tranquility find! …How was that? Did it work?”

“Um…? Sorry, Randy. I don’t feel any different…,” said Annie.

“O-oh, okay… Dammit, this is harder than I thought. When you cast it on me, I fell right to sleep…”

“Grr… White magic has never been my strong point… Annie, can you teach me the trick to it…?”

Most of the students were already having trouble with this first spell. Annie was the only one who had been successful.

“Everyone, there’s no need to rush. Compared to black magic, even white magic of the same level is considered much more difficult. Black magic manipulates the outside world, which does not have its own free will, while white magic takes as its subject individuals with their own free will, who can resist.”

Ray walked around the room observing the students and trying to reassure them.

Then:

“Hey, Rix. Let’s do this: I’ll cast Sleep on you, then you on me.”

With no sign of changing his tune even after the last incident, Alfred came at Rix with another challenge.

“You’re participating in this class, too…which means you have to practice like everyone else, right?” said Alfred. “Let’s see who can put the other person into a deeper sleep. You won’t try to run away, will you?”

If Rix took him up on it, Alfred would show him no mercy; if he didn’t take him up on it, he’d be made into a coward… Regardless, Alfred was clearly scheming to embarrass Rix in front of the entire class.

Nonetheless…

“A challenge? Sure, sounds good. Let’s do it.”

Rix casually accepted without a second thought.

Hmph, what an idiot. Little does he know that white magic is my forte. My Sleep spell is at a totally different level than even Annie’s. And there’s no way someone without a Sphere can beat me! Alfred gloated to himself.

“All right, then I’ll start,” he said. “Here I go! Close thine eyes and tranquility find!”

The next instant, Rix became engulfed in the mana that shot from Alfred’s fingertips.

“—?!”

Rix was assaulted by an overwhelming sleepiness, and his consciousness began to fade. He was bound to collapse at any moment…and just when it looked like he was about to fall over—

Stab! Gush!

—Rix had pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere and stabbed it into his own thigh.

And naturally, a huge fountain of blood started gushing out of the wound like a horror show.

“Oof… Nice. Now I’m wide awake.”

“Whoaaaaaaaaaa?!”

“Eeeeeeeeeeek!!”

Immediately, the classroom flew into a panic.

“You’re good, Alfred,” said Rix. “But look—I resisted.”

“What the—?! What are you doing?! Are you stupid?! Did you need to go that far?!”

Alfred shrank away from Rix, who was grinning boldly.

“I can’t hold back when I’m faced with a challenge. Now it’s my turn…!”

Alfred was retreating in fear, when suddenly, Rix disappeared.

“What?!”

Before Alfred realized what was happening, Rix appeared behind him and had the boy in a chokehold.

“Eek?! Wh-what do you think you’re—?!”

“Close thine eyes and tranquility fiiiiiiiiind!” Rix screamed as he applied intense pressure to Alfred’s neck.

Slump… In an instant, Alfred lost consciousness.

“So this is the Sleep spell, huh? I see… Professor Ray was right; it’s a dangerous power that shouldn’t be abused… I’ll have to be careful.”

Rix admonished himself as he looked down at Alfred, who was foaming at the mouth with his eyes rolled back.

“I take my eyes off you for one second, and this happens…,” Randy said with a sigh.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha…”

Annie laughed nervously, and Professor Ray rushed over to administer a healing spell.

After one thing and another…Rix’s life at the academy went on, with no one ever really knowing what might happen next.

He solved everything by force, relying on his overwhelming physical abilities.

It was pretty much the exact opposite of what a mage should be—that is, walking the path of magic that manipulated the world’s delicate laws and logic.

Some days later during lunch break, in the luxurious student dining hall…

“At first, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but I think I’m doing a pretty good job keeping up with classes!” Rix said cheerfully.

“Uh, no. You’re definitely not.”

As usual, Randy shot Rix down.

Rix and the others were sitting at the same long table where they usually sat. They had all lined up with their respective meals they had ordered and were in the middle of eating.

“What do you mean, Randy? So far, I’ve been able to accomplish every assignment the professors have thrown at me, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, sure. You’re finishing the assignments, but your methods are fundamentally different…”

Randy sighed and brought a spoonful of potato soup to his mouth. Rix was gnawing on some rye bread.

“But I wonder… Indeed, if Rix keeps on going like this, will he be able to become a mage?” Serephina asked as she neatly sliced some roast beef.

“Unfortunately, I think it’ll be difficult…,” Annie replied hesitantly and poked at her herring pie. “When it comes to the credit examination at the end of the semester, there’s really no getting around the requirement to actually use magic… And I don’t think there are any instructors who will be convinced by Rix’s usual methods…”

“I guess not. And he won’t be able to earn enough credits through classroom learning without practical skill.” Randy scratched his head, at a loss.

“Isn’t there some way I can become a mage, even if I can’t use magic?” Rix asked, dead serious.

“What the hell do you think you’re saying?”

“Urgh…so it’s hopeless as long as my Sphere isn’t open…?! In which case, it’s only a matter of time before I get expelled…! Please, everyone…don’t forget me… Never forget there once was a man named Rix Frestat at this academy…!”

“As if we could forget,” Randy quipped, sighing at Rix for what felt like the umpteenth time. “No chance, unless someone goes into my brain and erases my memories.”

“Precisely,” Serephina agreed.

“Have you made any progress with opening your Sphere anyway? If I remember right, you and Shino have been getting special instruction from Professor Anna after school,” Randy added before bringing a fork full of beans simmered with tomato to his mouth.

Peeking off to the side, some distance away, Rix could see Shino eating all alone at another table.

“Beats me! Our Spheres show no signs of opening!” Rix said, unconcerned.

“I—I see… I wonder what could be so different between us…? Even I didn’t have any real trouble with mine…,” Randy replied awkwardly.

Annie changed the subject. “But you know…Professor Anna is such a good teacher.”

“How do you mean?”

“Well, for her to give you and Shino extra instruction after class every day, so patiently and earnestly… She has her own classes and research to worry about, and I don’t think just anyone would do that for someone else.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess so…” was Rix’s noncommittal reply.

“What’s wrong? You’re downright mumbling… Did something happen with her?” Serephina asked him.

“No, it’s nothing. Probably just my imagination. Argh, what should I do? If my Sphere never opens, then…”

“Worry not. Even if you can’t become a wizard, with your physical ability, you’ll find some way to make your living in the future. Perhaps as a mercenary,” said Serephina. “If you like, I’ll even hire you as a mercenary! What do you say?”

“No way.”

“You so flatly refuse?! Do you hate me that much?!”

Serephina despaired at Rix’s answer, her eyes filling with tears. Then—

“Hmph… You four are awfully chummy as usual. Licking each other’s wounds, are you?”

Suddenly, someone had started badmouthing Rix and the others.

When they turned around, they saw Alfred standing there.

“Well, I guess I should expect as much from some common folk playing at becoming mages. You have no serious principles nor convictions about learning magic. You think of magic as nothing but a tool for your own self-fulfillment,” Alfred scoffed. “The shallowness of commoners never ceases to amaze me.”

“What did you say…?!”

Unable to ignore the insult, Randy stood up and glared at Alfred.

“What? It’s the truth, no? And anyway…you’re actually happy, aren’t you? Now that there’s someone even lower than you? That’s the only reason you’re friends with an ordinary person like Rix, isn’t it?”

Not backing down, Alfred glared at Randy.

“What?! I’ll make you regret saying that!”

Randy was growing more indignant, but Alfred ignored him and looked over at Rix.

“Rix…I heard all about you. It seems you’re actually quite the swordsman, huh? They say you even took down a sea monster with nothing but your sword.”

“…”

“I’ll have to give you that one. Quite amazing. Yes, truly spectacular. Good boy, good boy. There can’t be many humans in this wide world who could take down a sea monster without magic. And yet…what a shame. They say a swordsman can never win against a mage.”

Randy and Annie gasped at Alfred’s scornful words.

“Hmph, based on your reactions…even you know enough about magic now to understand what I’m saying,” Alfred continued. “That’s right. No matter how much a swordsman hones their skills, they can’t hope to win against even the lowest-level mage. After all, the best a plain old swordsman can do is kill other humans or cut down some lowly monster… And that’s an undeniable truth. You may have faked your way through classes this far with your idiotic ideas and your raw strength, but if you and I were to have a real magical duel…you definitely wouldn’t be able to win. Actually, it should already be difficult for you to win even against Randy or Annie. Magical combat class will be starting soon…and I’m quite looking forward to it, Rix.”

Alfred looked down at Rix with a smug, triumphant smile.

“Zzz…”

But Rix had conked out, with a piece of bread still hanging out of his mouth.

“How dare you fall asleep when I’m talking to you?! Honestly, you never fail to find some way to tick me off!” Alfred howled, grabbing Rix by his lapels and shaking him awake.

“I-I’m really sorry… Your whole spiel was dragging on so long…”

“Hmph! Well, whatever. Just you wait and see; once we’re in magical combat training…I’ll make sure you understand what they mean when they say a swordsman can never win against a mage. I can imagine it now—you’ll be begging at my feet for mercy when I’m done with you. Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Having finally said his piece, Alfred turned and left.

“Geez…what a jerk,” Randy spat.

“Indeed. He’s rotten to the core,” Serephina muttered.

Annie, meanwhile, did her best to console their friend. “Try not to pay him too much mind, Rix… I’m sure you’ll open your Sphere soon enough.”

But Rix had noticed that no one had tried to challenge what Alfred had said—that a swordsman can never win against a mage.

“A swordsman can never win against a mage,” huh…?

What could that even mean?

Rix thought it over as he gnawed on his bread.

Before long, the bell signaling the end of lunch break rang out across the school grounds.

One month had passed since the new students had entered the academy.

While there was a difference in ability between individuals, everyone was slowly becoming able to use their magic. Soon, they were notified that the previously restricted magical combat class would soon begin.

And now the day of the first class was upon them.

“I suppose many of you already know me, but my name is Darwin Streek. I’m in charge of the academy’s magical combat class. And by the way, I am a Grand Master of Magic with the qualification of Rank One Estoria Certified Mage. The difference in magical abilities between us is worlds apart. Understood? That means do not make me angry if you value your life, you dullards.”

Right from the start, Professor Darwin’s foreboding introduction and his intense glare made the students tremble.

The class was held in a magic training ground in the basement of the academy.

The students were lined up in an orderly fashion in the center of the large circular field.

Typically, magical combat lessons were conducted together with two classes, but all three—the White Class, the Blue Class, and the Red Class—were present to commemorate the first day of training.

“Magic holds tremendous power—it is a beacon of supreme wisdom and the search for the truths of this world,” said Professor Darwin. “Yet you dullards think of magic as nothing but an invitation to a job, a stepping stone to your own success, a certificate of self-expression that sets you apart from others, or even simply a strong weapon for your personal use. How truly unimaginative and shallow. Your naive complacency created by these times of relative peace and your level of stupidity makes me shudder. It is beyond deplorable. You should be ashamed.”

Does this guy know how to say anything besides insults?

The students were dumbfounded at the way Darwin hurled one verbal barb after another.

“Within all great and sublime magic lurks the inescapable reality of the danger and darkness in its very nature,” the professor continued. “Mages are drawn to each other by a fateful attraction. Thus, as long as mages exist, struggles between them are inevitable. History has proven this time and time again. Hence, my class teaches how one may control that very struggle between mages. And by mastering these magical struggles, we may come closer to learning certain truths. So now, you dullards—fight.”

““““Huh?””””

The students were taken aback by Darwin’s sudden declaration.

“What are you gaping for, idiots? I’m telling you to immediately go at each other in magical combat. Use all the weak and pathetic magic you fools have learned so far to its greatest extent. No need to hold back.”

“Uh, okay, but…you haven’t taught us anything about how to use magic in battles yet…”

“Do you really think you dullards, as you are now, would be able to comprehend the theories of magic warfare if I were to teach you? Stay your arrogance. It is better to learn by doing. Right now, pick any random opponent present here and fight until one of you collapses. Once you finish that, change partners, and go again until one of you collapses. Don’t worry. As long as you don’t die, I’ll heal your wounds. I’m just that nice of a person.”

““““…””””

“Whoever reaches five total victories may leave. Losers must stay. And for any of you idiot failures who are still here at the end of class, I’ll give you some special training myself. I’ll make you regret being born.”

““““…””””

“What are you waiting for? Oh, I see. Rather than fight your fellow classmates, you’d rather fight me? Fine, I’ll humor you. Come at me, all at once.”

Professor Darwin’s gaze was dead serious. He raised his arm and began casting a fierce magic spell.

“Eeeeek?!”

“This is too hardcore!”

“What’s this guy’s probleeeeemmmm?!”

In a mad rush, the students started looking for battle partners.

To put it lightly, the class was like a scene from hell.

All around the basement’s magic training grounds, students were paired up and desperately fighting back and forth in magical combat.

Trying their best to utilize the spells they had only just recently learned, they put all their energy in trying to down their opponents.

Jeers. Screams. Sobbing. The sound of magic ripping through the air.

Here and there, battered, defeated students collapsed unconscious, while the winners, also looking worn-out and ragged, raised their arms in delight.

“Dammit, this class is out of control! What is the professor thinking?!” Randy yelled in frustration after finishing his first battle.

Luckily, his partner had been a beginner in magic as well, and somehow Randy had managed to win. But he was still covered in burns.

“Ugh… Ow… It hurts…”

Annie, who had also just finished her first battle, was clutching at a bruise on her leg with tears in her eyes.

She had been knocked to the ground by a spell called Air Bullet, which shot a ball of air at its target.

“Grr… I cannot comprehend this. Why would the professor do something so rash…when we have students like Annie among us who aren’t suited to battle?”

Unsurprisingly, Serephina had earned a flawless victory in her first match, but she was boiling with anger over the perplexing format Darwin had forced upon them.

Uh…is it really impossible to avoid fighting, even in the world of magic…? Hrm…

Elsewhere, Rix was feeling uncertain, pondering over what Darwin had said.

No, no, that can’t be right! I mean, I know mages who ended up working as magical doctors in the countryside, leading peaceful lives with their beautiful wives and kids!

This professor’s way of thinking is just particularly extreme, right?! Probably! Yeah!

That aside, he needed to deal with the current situation somehow.

Pretty soon, he was going to have to take on his first battle. Darwin was watching him.

Rix started looking around for a partner, when…

“I’ve been waiting for this moment, Rix.”

…Alfred appeared in front of him, wearing a confident expression.

“Finally, it’s time to make the difference between us clear,” he told Rix. “A swordsman can never win against a mage. It’s time for you to learn the real meaning of that phrase.”

“Alfred…”

“It’s all right, go ahead…you can use that sword of yours as much as you like. Even if it’s a real blade, a thing like that is nothing more than a tree branch against a mage. You’ll accept my challenge, won’t you? You won’t be running away from this opportunity, right? Right, Rix?”

Alfred, seemingly already confident in his ability to win this fight, was staring silently at Rix.

This was part of a class assignment in the first place. Rix had to battle someone.

It looked like there was no avoiding this conflict with Alfred.

“Understood. Let’s do this.”

Rix accepted. Then—

“—?!”

—suddenly, as if he had just noticed something, he broke into a run.

“Come here, Rix. A match just finished, so there’s a spot open— Gwaaaaaaah?!”

He sprinted at Alfred and knocked him over, sending Alfred flying in the opposite direction.

“Wh-what on earth?!”

“H-hey! What are you doing?!”

“Rix?!”

Serephina, Randy, and Annie hurried after Rix to see what was going on.

He was headed toward a crowd—and within that crowd, a gruesome scene was playing out.

“Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Hey, Shino! Is that all you’ve got?!”

“Urgh… Urk… U-ugh…”

There, covered in burns and bruises, a pitiful sight to behold…was the White Class’s notorious loner: Shino.

In the infirmary situated in one corner of the school building…

There were several white beds lined up in a row, and a large arched lattice window facing outward offered a view of a lake surrounded by mountains and forests.

The walls were lined with medicine shelves, which were filled with various kinds of magic potions that appeared to be for medicinal use.

Two figures lay upon neighboring beds.

“…”

“…”

Rix and Shino.

Thanks to the healing magic and secret tinctures administered by the academy physician, Lucia Healius, the pair’s wounds were recovering perfectly. Not a single mark remained on their bodies.

However, apparently it was better to recover their lost strength naturally over time, so they had been told to rest in the infirmary for a while.

And at that moment, they were the only two people there.

Of course, Gordon had been there, too, but as soon as his treatment was complete, Lucia and Darwin had for some reason whisked him away.

Since their consciousnesses had still been fuzzy when it had happened, Rix and Shino weren’t sure about the circumstances or details surrounding the event. And they weren’t really interested, either.

“But man, Professor Lucia is incredible. With all those injuries, I really thought it was going to be impossible for me to recover… Not to mention she’s beautiful and has a great figure.”

Feeling awkward in the silence, Rix decided to try to chat with Shino while using his arm as a pillow.

He honestly wasn’t expecting much of a response, but…

“…Oh? So you’re into older women, are you?”

…to his surprise, Shino responded, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Well, yeah. It’s a universal truth that adolescent boys all over the world are into older, more mature women.”

“Hmm. Disgusting…”

Even though Rix had succeeded in making conversation, Shino was as harsh as ever.

But her present pouty air was a departure from her usual demeanor.

Thinking this whole situation was pretty dull, Rix stifled a yawn.

Then suddenly, Shino slowly sat up in bed and started talking to him.

“…I’ve seen your true nature.”

“Huh? Where’d that come from?”

Rix was surprised by the sudden, strange topic, but Shino went on anyway.

“You are…a puppet trying its hardest to act human.”

“!”

For a second, Rix didn’t know how to respond, but then he decided to take it like a joke.

“…Ha-ha-ha. What makes you say that? Where’d you get that from?”

“A feeling. And I’m usually right.”

“Bzzzt, sorry, but you’re wrong about that one! Man, I’m getting hungry…”

Rix did his best to dodge the subject.

“If, at that time…” But Shino didn’t back down. “At the end of your battle with Gordon—that moment. If I hadn’t stopped you…would you really have stayed your sword?”

“…”

Rix didn’t know how he should respond.

“Back in the day…I went through a lot of stuff,” he whispered with a sigh once he had finally collected his thoughts. “Are you gonna tell everyone that I’m actually some messed-up, crazy psycho?”

“Whatever. I don’t care. I just found it strange.”

“Found what strange?”

“To be frank, you’re not the kind of person who can live in the world of daylight. You’re meant to live in a blood-soaked world of darkness. You’ll never be able to escape that curse of blood and death and war… And I think you yourself know this.”

“…”

“And yet…you’re trying. Trying your hardest to make a place for yourself in this world of daylight. You may know it’s futile deep down, but you’re desperately fighting to act human anyway. After watching you for the past month…I can tell.”

“Huh? You mean you’ve been watching me this whole time? N-no way—does that mean you like me?!”

“Idiot. Drop dead.”

Those were just about tied for the sharpest, most painful words Shino had ever said to him.

Rix nearly fainted from the emotional pain, but Shino kept going.

“So why do you keep up such a futile effort? What meaning does it have?”

Rix interlaced his hands behind his head, looked up at the ceiling, and calmly replied, “Hmm? Is it so bad to make an effort at something that might be futile? Does there have to be some meaning to it?”

“!”

This time, it was Shino who was lost for words.

Rix shot her a grin and went on. “I just want to be happy. I want to become a mage, get a job that lets me put those bloody battles behind me, find myself a cute wife, and lead a fun and peaceful life. Then in the end, I wanna die lying in bed surrounded by my grandchildren.”

“…”

“That I exist in this world, in this place, at this time, is a miracle. So what’s wrong with wanting to take full advantage of that miracle and do what I want with it? If it turns out to be futile…then I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

“…”

“And anyway…miracles might actually happen, right? They happen all the time in fairy tales…you know, like a puppet gets kissed by a girl and turns into a real human. If I do my best, I might finally get my one chance to turn everything around, yeah?”

Shino didn’t react in the slightest.

The room was overcome with a strange silence.

Rix started thinking, Hmm, so even that fell flat? Then he timidly looked over at Shino’s profile.

That was when he heard a drip, drip… Drops of water were hitting the blanket.

“…”

For some reason, Shino was crying quietly.

“Wha—?! H-hey, Shino…what’s wrong?! Did I say something weird?!”

Shino answered Rix’s question with one of her own. “Hey…can I ask you one thing? Just…hypothetically… Just if…after all…”

“Y-yeah…?”

“If there was someone who didn’t have the right to exist in this world… A heinous criminal who had no right to be happy…”

“I’m not sure I understand what you’re getting at, but is that person supposed to be you?”

“Read the room, you idiot!” Shino yelled, in tears.

“Sorryyy!” Rix shrank back.

“Is it okay even for a human like that…to be happy? For them to want to become happy?”

“Of course it is,” Rix answered simply as Shino rubbed her tears away.

“…”

“Sure, there are people who deserve to die no matter what, but…still, wanting or aiming for happiness should be each person’s individual freedom, shouldn’t it? And if it really shouldn’t be allowed after all, then sooner or later this world would find a way to prevent that person from being happy, through fair reason and justice. I guess my case is similar. That’s why…I’m prepared for whatever happens.”

“Then…doesn’t that mean it’s futile and meaningless in the end…?”

“Maybe. But as long as I’m having fun in the moment, I’m fine with that. Life is a miracle. It’d be a waste to not enjoy it to its fullest.”

With that, Shino went silent for a while.

“…Pfft…ha-ha-ha…ah-ha-ha…”

Then after some time, her shoulders started to shake as she laughed through her tears.

It was a sight Rix would have never expected from Shino’s usual expressionless, straight face.

“…Shino?”

“Heh-heh… What are you going on about? Wow, that’s hilarious. How foolish. You…really are…just like him…”

“‘Him’? …Who, your ex-boyfriend?”

“Ex-boyfriend?! I’m a virgin, I’ll have you know!!”

“Sh-Shino?! Wait—what are you talking about?!”

“Huh?! Look what you made me say, you idiooooot!!”

“But I didn’t do anything!”

Shino threw a pillow at Rix’s face with all her strength.

Then—

“Heeey, are you alive in there, Rix?”

—the door to the infirmary opened, and in came Randy, Annie, and Serephina, their new robes torn to shreds.

“Man…Darwin is seriously the worst…! I swear I’ll punch that guy at least once before I graduate…!”

“Hmph… And I’ll help you! Let justice be done to that fiend…!”

Randy and Serephina looked pretty angry.

“…Did something happen?” Rix asked.

“Ah-ha-ha… That Professor Darwin! Once some of the students had four victories and were about to get their fifth and be able to leave, Darwin himself challenged them to a match…,” said Annie.

“What?! Then it’s impossible to win!”

“Yeah. After that, everyone was passing out…and not a single person was able to get their five wins and leave…”

“What the…?”

Rix could easily imagine Darwin making up some excuse like “I never said I wouldn’t participate in the matches myself, did I?”

“So in the end, the professor ended up telling us we were all complete failures…and he decided to take us all on at once in a magical battle, professor vs. students,” Annie explained. “Of course, he beat the tar out of us.”

“It’s too immature, even for a total jerk like him!”

“Argh, it really makes me so angryyyyy!”

Randy and Serephina’s rage was showing no signs of cooling off.

“Actually, it’s pretty amazing that we even made it out of that fight alive…,” Randy mused.

“I think I saw the ghost of my grandfather, telling me to turn away from the light…”

But the next moment, the two turned pale and began shaking in fear once they remembered what had happened.

It seemed like they had been quite traumatized by the experience.

“But…I’m so glad you’re okay, Rix,” said Annie. “You too, Shino.”

“Yeah, sorry for making you guys worry.”

“…”

Rix scratched at his cheek awkwardly as Shino cast her eyes down without a word.

Then Annie took Rix’s hand in hers and began to speak, like she was pleading with him.

“Annie?”

“That last moment of your fight with Gordon…I felt like…you were about to go somewhere far away…”

Annie seemed to have picked up on whatever had happened within Rix in her own way.

With his hand in hers, she stared straight into his eyes.

“Please don’t scare us like that ever again. Promise me.”

“…Okay, I promise. I’m really sorry.”

Rix stared back at Annie and nodded quietly.

And as they gazed at each other…

“That reminds me—Rix just told me that he prefers older women.”

For some reason, Shino coldly stated this before turning the other way and covering herself with her blanket.

“Hey, why did you have to expose me like that, and why now of all times?”

“…Hmph.”

“What?! Is that true, Rix? Do you really like older women…?”

“Don’t you go along with it, too, Annie!” Rix’s cheek started twitching.

“Come on, guys! The only way to shake off this bad mood is to go do something fun!” said Randy. “Hey, Rix! This weekend, let’s all go to Campbell Street and blow off some steam!”

“That’s exactly right! What we desperately need right now is some entertainment!” agreed Serephina.

Looking around at his friends, Rix couldn’t help but break into an awkward grin.

Some days later, after school, at the magic ceremonial ground known as the Stone Circle…Rix and Shino were working on opening their Spheres under the supervision of Professor Anna, as usual.

“U-um…? Shino? Uh, you…,” the professor stammered.

“…!!”

It was as if all her struggles up until now had been nothing whatsoever. Shino’s Sphere had been easily unlocked.

Shino appeared surprised as she gazed at the five-meter-wide Sphere around her.

“Congratulations, Shino! Oh, thank goodness!” Professor Anna was clapping joyfully. “I’m just so glad you were finally able to open your Sphere!”

“You finally did it?! That’s great, Shino!”

Rix took the dumbfounded Shino’s hands in his and rejoiced like it had been his own accomplishment.

“Although…I wonder why you were suddenly able to open your Sphere like that,” he mused.

“…I’m not sure…”

As the two of them cocked their heads in confusion, Professor Anna cheerfully offered an explanation.

“Actually, unlocking your Sphere has much to do with your own state of mind, your heart…mental factors, that is. Say, Shino. Might you have had any big changes in your mindset lately?”

Shino glanced over at Rix. Not a moment later, she looked away and muttered, “Hmm…I have no idea.”

“Aw, really…? Hrm, I was really hoping you had some kind of hint that might help me, too…” Rix scratched his head, sounding disappointed. “In any case, congrats, Shino! This means you won’t have to withdraw from the academy!”

“H-hmph! Shouldn’t you be worrying more about yourself?!” Shino’s face reddened before she turned to continue speaking to Professor Anna. “Professor, thank you very much for your patient guidance and encouragement of someone so unskilled as I. And also…I hope you will continue to exercise the same toward this idiot. Please don’t give up on him.”

“Shino?”

Rix blinked in surprise at Shino’s unexpected comment.

“…Huh? Oh, of course! That’s right, we still have Rix’s Sphere left to open, don’t we…? Perhaps it was a little early to be celebrating, ha-ha-ha…” Professor Anna smiled awkwardly.

Shino bowed to Professor Anna before turning on her heel and leaving.

As she passed Rix, she whispered to him, “…Keep trying. As hard as you can.”

“!”

Rix felt his face growing warm.

Well, if even Shino’s going so far as to encourage me, now I really gotta do my best!

With that renewed sense of resolve, Rix took the Fool’s Elixir in his hand and downed it in one chug.

“…Pardon me.”

Darwin knocked on the door to the headmaster’s office and entered.

Inside…

“Yes! I’ve been waiting for you, Darwin!”

…was Headmaster Jake…

“Hey, Darwin.”

…and the instructor for the physical enhancement magic class, Crawford.

The two of them were sitting on a sofa with a finely made glass coffee table between them, drinking what looked to be expensive wine.

“A glass for you?” Crawford said to Darwin.

“No, thank you. I don’t drink.”

“You’re a drag, as usual. Ugh…what a pain…” Crawford dejectedly withdrew the wineglass. “By the way, Darwin, I heard you had your first class in your usual fashion again?”

“Hmph… I simply aim for the students to throw away their innocent fantasies regarding magic and acknowledge the terrifying, dangerous nature of it, if only a little. A little violence is the best medicine for those naive, peace-loving dullards.”

“More like chemical warfare.”

“Chemical warfare or not, it is essential to their education! I appreciate you taking up that dirty job every year!”

“Still, isn’t there a better way to go about it? You could at least let the students know you’ve enforced a barrier around the training grounds in advance that prevents mortal wounds from being inflicted…”

“That’s too soft. If they don’t feel the true fear of death with their own bodies, the purpose of the class is completely lost.”

“Sigh… Geez. You know, this is why the students don’t like you.”

Though, I suppose by the time they graduate, you manage it so most of the students don’t hate you completely…, thought Crawford as he drank his wine.

But Darwin showed no sign of caring about that. “Let’s get to the main topic,” he said.

“Ugh… We do have to talk about that, don’t we?” Crawford griped. “Gah, what a pain…”

“All right, let’s get straight to it! How were the results?!” Headmaster Jake asked.

“It is just as you thought—black.”

Darwin took something out of his coat pocket and placed it on the glass table.

It was a bone fragment, about the size of the tip of a pinky finger.

It had small, strange black writing on its surface, and just looking at it made one feel sick.

“Professor Lucia and I thoroughly examined Gordon,” Darwin said. “And we were able to excise this—a Demon Relic.”

“…So it was as we feared.” Headmaster Jake nodded solemnly, his voice calmer than usual.

“Ugh, what a pain…” Crawford clicked his tongue.

“The Dusk Demon—the most powerful and evil mage in history, who two hundred years ago, in the Mythical Era, plunged the world into the depths of fear and despair,” Darwin began. “A dark lord of tyranny and gluttony who destroyed everything in their power and consumed all life. And these are remains of that same dark lord’s body—a Demon Relic. Any who wield it come to bear the immense magical power and profound knowledge of the Dusk Demon. However…this appears to be a third-class relic.”

“You’re right,” said Crawford, scratching his head. “Had it been second-class or higher, the entire academy would have been blown to smithereens.”

“Hmm.” Headmaster Jake nodded.

“But there is no doubt that he had this relic in his possession. Gordon is one of the Faith Faction,” Darwin concluded.

Headmaster Jake and Crawford felt a wave of anxiety wash over them.

The Faith Faction—the dark side of this academy.

And faith magic—a mysterious kind of magic that had been wielded by the Dusk Demon.

That magic was precisely how the Dusk Demon had become the most powerful mage in human history.

For many years, the true nature of that magic had been shrouded in mystery, but the situation had changed recently, since the remains of the Dusk Demon—the Demon Relics—were unearthed.

And now at Estoria Academy of Magic, a faction of alumni had formed that aimed to revive and master the faith magic by using the magical power and knowledge obtained by the Demon Relics.

That was the Faith Faction.

For a time, the Faction was touted at Estoria Academy of Magic as the latest cutting-edge trend, a new era for the magical world…until it came to light that those who were deeply involved in faith magic saw their minds gradually deteriorate to the point of insanity. Eventually, their destructive, ruinous thoughts made them less and less human.

Naturally, this dangerous group was immediately banned and dismantled, and many of the existing Demon Relics were collected and sealed away.

However, the faction persisted behind the scenes at Estoria Academy of Magic.

While few in number, these like-minded people huddled together in the darkness, quietly planning in secret. The existence of the Faith Faction within the academy could not be denied.

“Nonetheless…Gordon is nothing more than someone else’s puppet,” Darwin added. “I have searched the dullard’s memory using magic, and I found that just recently, someone gave him the Demon Relic. Soon after, he began drowning in its power. But he himself wouldn’t know the first thing about faith magic.”

“Hmmmm? That’s quite a bold move for a group that’s supposed to be sworn to absolute secrecy.”

“Yes, how strange! There must have been something quite important going on behind the scenes for them to see value in such an action!”

“So? Who was it who gave him the Demon Relic? And what was their goal?”

“Gordon has had his memory regarding anything about it perfectly erased,” Darwin replied. “It must have been the work of whatever member of the Faith Faction he became involved with.”

“How unfortunate! But it’s nothing new for the Faith Faction to be hard to catch! Yet still, we cannot by any means allow the Faith Faction to exist! You all still have the Dardrick Tragedy fresh in your minds, do you not?!”

Darwin and Crawford fell into a hush.

“Recently, the Faith Faction has become active once again!” the headmaster went on. “And I believe the appearance of that all-too-unnatural sea monster that attacked the ship to Estoria carrying all those new students was also the work of the Faith Faction pulling the strings behind the scenes! You two must do your utmost to be careful as well! For the truly terrifying thing about the Faith Faction is not their immense magical power! It is rather that we have no idea who is part of the Faith Faction!”

With this, Headmaster Jake stood, walked over to the window, and stared out at the scenery.

“They maintain a system of extreme secrecy! Anyone at the academy could be a member…instructors, students, staff…even new students are no exception! And as long as the members all have Demon Relics, their experience as mages is irrelevant—even mages as exceptional as you two could be outdone in an instant if you let your guard down!”

“Yeah, I got it. What a pain.”

“…”

“Right now, there are very few people who I can trust are not a part of the Faith Faction! You two are the prime examples! Please be careful not to be caught unawares by them! I’m counting on you—until the day we are able to eliminate the Faith Faction completely!”

With that, Jake, Crawford, and Darwin brought their secret meeting to a close.

Then, on the way back to the instructors’ lodgings…

“Oh yeah, Darwin. I know it’s a pain, but can I ask you something?” Crawford said.

“What is it?”

“I heard a rumor… Apparently, that Rix kid was able to cut Gordon with his sword while Gordon was strengthened by the Demon Relic. Is that true?”

“It is,” Darwin answered with a disparaging snort. “Most likely, Gordon got overconfident and allowed a gap between his Sphere and his physical enhancement magic to form, and Rix exploited that weak spot. The result of inexperience. So? What about it?”

Crawford puffed at his cigarette as he walked and ruffled his own hair. “Eh, I dunno… Change of subject, but…the Dusk Demon was supposed to be the most powerful mage in the history of humankind. Right?”

“…? Yes, and?”

“Thousands of mages during the Mythical Era—people whose powers were of a totally different level than those of their modern counterparts—tried to defeat the Dusk Demon…and every one of them was easily defeated and destroyed.”

“So the story goes.”

“But in the end, the Dusk Demon was finally vanquished…at the hands of a certain human.”

“…”

“And that human who vanquished the dark lord was, quite unexpectedly…a swordsman. The most powerful dark lord, who defeated thousands of the best mages, was finally defeated by the sword of an ordinary human, not a mage. Sounds pretty fishy, huh…?”

“And where are you going with this?”

“Oh, I dunno… It just got me thinking, you know… With that whole story about Rix…”

Trailing off on a vague note, Crawford looked toward the sky and blew a cloud of his purple tobacco smoke into the air above him.

In the western ward of Estorheim, home of the Estoria Academy of Magic…

…was the third district, more commonly known as Campbell Street.

In this student district were all kinds of shops related to magic, such as those for magic supplies and instruments, magic staffs, and magic texts; almost any item necessary for student life could be found there.

In addition, there were cafés and restaurants, bookstores, and amusement facilities, and on the weekends the district was bustling with students from the academy.

On this particular weekend, Rix and his friends were among the crowd of students who had come out to enjoy the sights of Campbell Street.

“All right—let’s have a toast to our first month at the academy! Good work, everyone! Cheers!”

““““Cheers!””””

Following Randy’s lead, Rix, Annie, Serephina, and Shino raised their drinks.

Presently, the gang was at a café called the Forest Brownie.

It was basically a run-of-the-mill shop with light refreshments aimed toward student customers, but with its classic and stylish interior, it had a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.

The dishes tasted pretty good considering their low prices, and they looked good to boot, which made the shop especially popular with the female clientele.

“The pastries and the tea here are really delicious!” said Annie.

“Indeed!” Serephina chimed in. “Eating sweet foods like this is truly my idea of bliss!”

Annie was happily feasting on a mouthful of raspberry-and-cream cake, and Serephina was daintily eating a bite of apple pie. They both looked quite overjoyed.

“The sweets are good, too, but I really recommend this spaghetti and meatballs. It’s seriously awesome,” Randy remarked as he twirled some pasta with his fork. “Hey, Rix. What did you order?”

“Don’t be too surprised when I tell you…but I got sugar cubes.”

Randy peered over at Rix to see a plate piled tall with sugar cubes in front of him.

“Sorry, I’m already surprised. Of all the things, why’d you order that?”

“…Hmm? I mean, this is the most caloric thing on the menu.”

Rix speared a sugar cube with his fork, brought it to his mouth, and started crunching on it.

“You’ve got that look on your face like ‘What, isn’t it obvious?’” Randy grumbled. “Argh, never mind, just eat whatever you want.”

He decided to give up and focus on his spaghetti.

“Ha-ha-ha, okay, weirdo,” said Rix. “By the way, Shino, how’s yours? Is it good?”

Rix looked over at Shino, who was sitting next to him. She was silently working on a cream puff.

“Whatever. It’s fine,” she said. “Not that I really care, but why am I here anyway?”

“’Cause I invited you,” Rix replied.

“Is it okay for me to be here?”

“If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have invited you. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you.”

“…Not really.”

Shino turned the other way. It sort of looked like her cheeks were turning red.

Rix could tell she was loosening up a bit.

“Oh, that reminds me!” he said. “I got you a present to celebrate opening your Sphere the other day. Would you be so kind as to accept it?”

“…Huh?” Shino looked at Rix, her eyes widening slightly.

Then…rattle, rattle…Rix piled a mountain of sugar cubes onto Shino’s cream puff.

“They’re really good! Eat as much as you like!”

“I should kill myself for expecting anything more from you, even for a second.”

“…I thought all girls liked sweets.”

“This is sweet, but it’s not sweets! You idiot! Idiot!”

“Ow! Ow?! Don’t throw sugar cubes at me! Bwaaah?!”

Randy, Serephina, and Annie stared blankly at the two of them.

“They…suddenly seem more friendly lately, don’t they?” Randy commented, looking entertained.

“Hrmmm…”

“Hmph…”

But Serephina and Annie just glared at Rix and Shino. Randy noticed this and laughed as if to join in with them.

“Ha-ha, never a dull moment when Rix is around, huh?”

It seemed the Chaos Beasts were appearing within the town as well.

Naturally, since it was the weekend, many academy students were around—including upperclassmen, who were able to protect themselves and deal with the situation.

Not everyone was that capable, of course, and there were also ordinary citizens present who couldn’t use magic at all.

Their screams and cries could be heard throughout town.

But Rix and the others, still budding mages, didn’t have a spare moment to worry about them.

Was there anywhere within this closed barrier that was safe to begin with?

With this anxiety in their minds, they still could do nothing but keep running and searching.

While the beasts continued to appear endlessly, a feeling of despair had begun to creep over them little by little.

However, that despair was suddenly, unexpectedly blown away.

Rix and company, still being chased by the beasts and barely escaping with their lives, happened upon a deserted plaza…

“Everyone! You’re all right!”

To their surprise, they came upon a woman wearing a black robe.

It was someone they recognized.

“Oh, Professor Anna?!”

“What are you doing here?!”

She was their instructor from the academy.

Upon noticing Rix and his friends, she breathed a sigh of relief. “I had some errands to run, so I was in town today!”

“Oh… So that’s why…”

All the instructors working at the academy were highly skilled mages. Randy, too, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Right now, I’m working together with the academy’s upperclassmen to rescue any new students or townspeople in need!” the professor told everyone. “So please rest assured, the situation is more under control than it looks!”

“I—I see… That’s a relief…”

“Yes… Honestly, it’s been quite the ordeal…”

Annie and Serephina started to calm down.

“You five are some of the few who are left! Come, hurry this way! I’ve prepared an escape path to the outside of the barrier!”

“Whoa, really?! Leave it to Professor Anna!”

“Thank you so much, Professor!”

“Heh-heh-heh! Well, everyone, it looks like we’re saved! Let’s go!”

Randy, Annie, and Serephina responded with cheerful expressions. The girls were still supporting Shino; Anna beckoned them over, and then…

Claaaang! The sound of a sword and a staff clashing rang out.

“Huh? Rix?”

“…”

Rix had aimed an attack at Anna, who was visibly surprised as she blocked Rix’s sword with her staff.

For a moment, everyone was shocked at what they had just seen.

Then, eventually…

“You idioooooot!! What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Wh-why would you do something so rude to Professor Anna, after she went out of her way to come and save us?! You should be ashamed, you fool!”

Unable to let this slide, Randy and Serephina started scolding him noisily.

“…”

But Rix didn’t seem to care. He kept staring straight ahead at Anna between their crossed weapons, his expression unusually serious.

“Hmm…? Is there something suspicious about me?” Anna tilted her head to one side, looking confused.

“Just a feeling,” Rix replied quickly. “And I’m usually right. Thanks to that, I’ve survived this long.”

“H-hey, Rix, what do you think you’re saying…? This isn’t funny, man…,” said Randy.

Rix ignored him and continued in a matter-of-fact tone.

“If I had to give a reason, I’d say it’s because you only ever look at Shino, Professor. This whole time, ever since the beginning. That time you defended us from Darwin in the Headmaster’s office, too. And during our after-class Sphere opening exercises. And now. No matter what, your eyes are only ever on Shino… You’ve never given me so much as a glance. I always thought it was kind of strange…so I’ve had my eye on you.”

“…”

“So. Professor…right now, you’re planning on killing everyone here except Shino, aren’t you? You weren’t hiding it very well…that intent, that malice. You may be a first-class mage, but you’re only a second-class assassin. It’s written all over your face… I know, because I grew up in that world,” Rix explained with an icy glare, ignoring his friends’ confusion. “I don’t know a lot about magic, but…you’re the instigator of this entire situation, aren’t you, Professor?”

And then:

“Ah-ha-ha, oh my, Rix. Really, what are you saying?!” Anna let out a strange laugh. “…Those lines of yours…were not supposed to be in the script.”

The next moment, a huge amount of the same darkness that made up the Chaos Beasts rose up around Rix and Anna like a geyser.

“Here’s how the story goes,” Anna began. “The caring Professor Anna, always considering the welfare of her students, rushed to her pupils with all her might in order to attempt to save those who had been too late to escape…but unfortunately, she didn’t make it in time and only discovered the corpses of Rix, Randy, Annie, and Serephina.

“But mysteriously, she did not find Shino’s body—she had gone missing… We can only assume she was eaten by the beasts, with nary a bone left behind as evidence. Oh, what a terrible incident indeed… Yes, that sounds about right. Now, please stick to the script, or else we’re going to have some trouble, understood?”

A massive herd of beasts materialized from the overflowing darkness—and they started rushing Rix from all directions.

“Guh—?!”

Rix retreated, cutting them down with his sword from one end to the other as he fled from the dire situation.

“Wha—?! Those Chaos Beasts…”

“N-no way…”

Serephina and Annie gaped in shock.

The Chaos Beasts that had just appeared had clearly been summoned by Anna, and she was controlling them.

In short…it meant what they feared.

Just like Rix had said, Anna was the mastermind behind this entire situation.

“I…cannot afford to be run out of the academy just yet,” she managed. “So—while it pains me to do so, I must erase all witnesses. I will erase all of you, except Shino. I’m very sorry, but…I cannot allow any of you to escape. Please understand.”

A faint, cold smile played on her lips as she swung her staff.

A strong magic barrier emerged around the plaza, completely encircling it. She had closed off any chance of escape.

“A-are you serious…?!”

“Argh…what’s going on…?!”

“It…it can’t be true…!”

Randy, Serephina, and Annie couldn’t hide their discomposure.

“…!”

Only Shino, looking like she had sensed something, was casting her eyes down, clenching her fists and shaking.

“Stay calm, everyone,” Rix urged, cool and collected. “This is exactly the kind of time that we need to go against our assumptions. If we defeat Professor Anna here and now, there’s no problem. Is there?”

He stepped out in front of the group and readied his sword once again.

“I have no idea how you think you’re going to reverse this situation…but you may have a point…!” Trembling, Randy readied his fists. “I’ve…still got my hopes and dreams…! There’s no way I’m gonna die like this!”

“Indeed! I, too, have great aspirations I have yet to accomplish!”

“M-me too… I have things I want to do in the future…and I don’t want to give up yet… I can’t let it all end here!”

Serephina and Annie took up their wands and faced Anna.

As they did, Professor Anna took one look at all of them.

“Goodness…what a bother. What is that? Your dreams? Your aspirations? You can only get away with that kind of excuse in a fantasy novel,” she scoffed, exasperated. “Do you really think you can win against me? You little fledgling chicks? Even when I am in possession of a second-class Demon Relic?”

“…What…?”

“A Demon…what?”

Rix and Randy cocked their heads in confusion at the unfamiliar vocabulary.

“Y-you don’t mean…?! Y-you…!”

Shino, who had been staying silent up until now, suddenly raised her head as her expression twisted into one of shock and despair.

Anna grinned back at her.

And then she began to chant an incantation.

“…I in the mirror see not I but thee; two sides of a coin the same, seeking truth, we fellows in name…”

In that instant, like the flip of a switch, Rix started rushing toward Anna.

“Rix?!”

He moved at incredible speed. Faster than they had ever seen him move before. So fast he gouged out the ground in his wake.

“…!”

Burning with a special kind of irritation, Rix ran at Anna, thrusting his sword toward her.

He felt it. He knew he couldn’t allow her to complete that incantation.

If she did, something terrible would happen.

If she did, they would all die. There would be no way for them to win.

But a swarm of Chaos Beasts closed in and got in Rix’s way. They came at him like a wave.

He slashed them down from end to end, but there were too many of them for him to break through.

As Rix fought the beasts, Anna continued her incantation.

“O faceless one, clad in white, fluttering thy wings pure and untainted, descend unto this world…”

“Serephina! You have to stop herrrrrrrr!”

Serephina came back to her senses with a gasp as she took up her rapier.

“Charge and trample, crimson chakram!”

Serephina, who usually cast flames with chantless spellcasting, had gone out of her way to chant an incantation.

She cast Flaming Wheel, the strongest flame spell she had learned so far.

A humongous wheel, formed by enormous heat and flames, spun and rushed toward Anna. But even that was blocked by the Chaos Beasts that kept multiplying without end.

The flaming wheel merely smashed through and burned a dozen or so of those beasts without ever reaching the professor.

“Guh?!”

And during this struggle—

“O ye who returns the earth to the void with thy flames of black.”

—Anna completed her incantation.

Then the darkness around them…suddenly became deeper.

A magic circle appeared under Anna’s feet, and an immense amount of mana began to flow through it.

Then the shadows beneath Anna’s feet wriggled and spread—and something appeared out of the abyss of those shadows.

In a word…it might have been best described as an angel. It had a form like a human, robed in white, with pure white wings.

However—it was undeniably grotesque.

Where its face should be, there was an open hole. Its limbs looked inorganic, almost like a machine.

Nevertheless, it had a tremendous presence and amount of magical power.

It was an existence so hopeless and absolute that you were made to realize you were no better than an ant crawling on the ground in comparison—it was a perfect superior to human beings.

“…Ah…”

“…Uh…”

“…”

Seeing it with their own eyes, Randy, Serephina, and Annie went completely speechless and fell to their knees. All they could do was stare blankly up at the strange angel.

There was no way to win. They had completely lost the will to fight.

How in the world could they stand up to something that clearly dominated humanity?

However:

“Graaaaaaaaaahhh—!”

Rix was the only one who moved.

He broke through the crowd of beasts and faced the angel that stood in front of Anna, swinging his sword fiercely against it.

Clang!

But his blade, which Shino had strengthened with her magic, broke perfectly in two.

The next moment, the angel swiftly moved its hand; countless beams of light rained down from the heavens.

And where they landed, the earth was battered with explosions.

Rix was swallowed up in the flashes of light they caused.

He was able to barely avoid a direct hit by dodging as fast as he could—but the aftermath of the explosions knocked him back and completely blew him away.

“Riiiiiiiiiix!”

Rix’s body rolled away like a kicked ball before finally stopping when it slammed into the magic barrier that enveloped the plaza.

His whole body looked burned and bloodied, with his right hand and left leg bent in the wrong directions.

No one could tell if he was dead or alive.

“Everyone…have you heard of faith magic?”

Anna, accompanied by the deformed angel, calmly spoke to the group as they trembled in fear, unable to even run to Rix’s side.

She sounded as if she was giving a lecture at the academy.

“On the other side of this world…exists the Astral Realm. It is inhabited by all kinds of illusory beings…Chaos Beasts, spirits, fairies, demons,” she said. “However, in the deepest, darkest layers of the Astral Realm—an area known as the Qlippoth—there are unfathomable Great Beings that go beyond our human knowledge. To define them in our own terms, I speak of gods, angels, and devils.

“By extending the bounds of your Sphere to the Qlippoth, you can connect with these Great Beings, communicate with them, and summon them back to this world as another version of yourself, using your own Sphere as a surrogate. And this is what we call faith magic. It is the most sublime magic that exists in this world, the closest to the truth, and the greatest power of all.”

“I-it can’t be… Professor Anna…a-are you…?!” cried Serephina.

“Yes, that’s correct.” Together with the angel, Anna gracefully bowed. “I am one of the high-ranking members of the Faith Faction—Anna the Fair. And I am contracted with the Fair-Faced Angel, one pillar of the high-ranking Great Beings. But no need to remember all that…aside from Shino, you four will die here today.”

They felt the mana of Anna’s Fair-Faced Angel swell…and even Serephina couldn’t help but tremble at its overwhelming power.

Ugh, we can’t win…! There’s no way we can win against something like this…!

She was soon drenched in cold sweat.

“…Why…?” Randy, despite his shaking, threw out a question. “I don’t care about your organization or whatever… Just, why are you so obsessed with Shino…?”

Then…

“You, do not disrespect Shino—no, Lady Shino—with such insolence.”

…suddenly, Anna’s tone of voice shifted, taking the group aback.

Then she again turned to Shino and bowed reverently.

“Finally… Finally, it seems you have awoken, O great leader.”

“…?!”

“Huh?”

“Shino is…your leader…?”

Ignoring Serephina and the others, Anna seemed to be carried away with passion.

“We the Faith Faction have long awaited this day—eagerly anticipated this day of reckoning for an eternity!” she cried. “In order to reawaken your great Sphere, we dared to impose such mental burdens upon you as inciting a sea monster to attack your ship and instigating battles with mortal fools such as Gordon. We hope you will forgive such irreverence. However, it was all for you, our great leader’s sake!”

“…Sea monster…? Gordon…? You aren’t saying…that was all you…?!”

“We have already prepared everything for you, my lady. For you indeed are our one true guide. Our sublime shepherd. Our sage ruler. The leader of this world. Please, lead us where you will. Walk alongside us on the path to the ultimate truth. Lady Shino Whytenight—our emblem of truth and the great founder of faith magic. Or should I say…the Dusk Demon, Lady Shenola?!”

A wave of shock washed over them.

“Shino is…?”

“The Dusk Demon…?!”

It was a name every person in the world knew.

If they didn’t learn it from their childhood nursery rhymes, they surely learned it in their history of magic class at the academy.

The name of the strongest mage in history, who ruled over the Mythical Era two thousand years ago in a reign of death and darkness. The dark lord of tyranny and gluttony. The most heinous criminal in all of human history—the Dusk Demon.

And that same Dusk Demon…was Shino?

It was unbelievable; it had to be a lie…at least as far as her friends were concerned.

Shino closed her eyes in resignation, let out a sigh, and then spoke quietly.

“Yes. I am the Dusk Demon, Shenola…or I was.”

“Was?”

“In my previous life. My current self is a reincarnation of Shenola the Dusk Demon. When I was killed by that man, I was supposed to have died completely, but it seems I’ve been reborn into this age. Though I have no idea why.”

“Yes! The Dusk Demon’s soul was miraculously reincarnated into this modern age after being so unfortunately defeated by the swordsman two thousand years ago. And so it was foretold in our sacred text, the Hael Prophecy! What divine coincidence is this? Or is it a miracle? Nay, none of these! It is inevitable! It is fate! The Dusk Demon, Lady Shenola, has risen once again to guide us in our ignorance, to reign once more at the pinnacle of this world, and to unravel the truths of the universe!

“This—this is the great will of this world! Come, Lady Shenola! Please, show us once again what lies beyond the mastery of faith magic! Guide us on our journey of exploration of the abyss!”

In front of the group, who were all still frozen in place, Anna spoke with a look of feverish glee and reached out her hand to Shino…

“Screw you.”

Shino spat that response back at her.

“Lady Shenola…?”

“Faith magic? Are you stupid? Faith Faction? Give me a break. Do you have any idea just what I…what the Dusk Demon did? Have modern people…learned nothing from history? Ha… You say faith magic is the closest to the truths of the universe? That it’s the greatest and most sublime power? Don’t make me laugh. That’s nothing…but a load of crap!”

Shino was shaking with anger.

“And I, the one who went so far as to create and practice such crap with a sense of purpose, am even more of an extraordinary load of crap! I’m a scumbag fiend, worse than a piece of garbage,” she added. “What are you calling faith magic?! This idiotic, comical tap dance as you overstep the bounds of the human realm?! How many innocent people do you think I killed while I was swallowed up by that ridiculous power, swept up in the joy of destruction and carnage?! What a joke! Ah-ha-ha-ha?! You want to know what lies beyond the mastery of faith magic, you say? Here, I’ll tell you! Absolutely nothing!

“You drown in power, become intoxicated by it, and end up doing nothing but seeking more, killing, destroying, torturing others, bringing endless carnage and tyranny—and beyond that, there’s nothing! Not the friends I wanted to protect! Not the family I loved! Not my beloved hometown! Nothing! Nothing! There was nothing! Nothing…! I just…loved magic so much…!

“I only wanted to use that magic…to put smiles on the faces of the people I cared about, if even just for a short while… Among all the war and chaos…I only wanted to protect as many people as I could… That was all I wanted, and yet…! And yet…I…ugh…! Sniff…”

Suddenly, Shino broke down in tears.

Randy, Serephina, and Annie were lost for words.

The reality that Shino was the Dusk Demon still hadn’t fully hit them, and even if it was true, they had no idea what in the world they could say in response to her inner conflict and anguish.

This was a story from long, long past, one they had only read about in their history textbooks.

But it was clear that her regret was deeper than the sea, and the guilt she felt crushed her with the weight of mountains.

And those feelings of despair, helplessness, and emptiness they caused her were her true nature.

Randy and the others could only imagine what had happened in that far distant past.

But Shino’s tears and her unconcealed cries gouged deep into their souls.

“Shino…”

“…Shino…”

The idea of all the conflict and anguish she must have been through was enough to bring tears to their own eyes.

“Well, I figured you would say as much.”

Anna said this matter-of-factly, even though she had been left high and dry by the others.

“You did seem strangely unmotivated all this time… We were even discussing this among the other members of the Faith Faction…,” Anna remarked. “…That the Dusk Demon of this era had no desire to advance the art of faith magic anymore. That perhaps you didn’t wish to steward us toward the truth, nor stand at the pinnacle of this world. But I guess it was all true. It’s no wonder your Sphere wasn’t open… Which makes it even more curious that your Sphere suddenly opened just recently. But I suppose that doesn’t matter.”

Anna shrugged.

“Faced with no other choice, we the Faith Faction have actually given up on elevating you to the position of our leader. Therefore, out of the material, astral, and aetherial aspects that make up your existence, we have decided to discard that which makes up your ego: the astral.”

“…Huh?”

“Hee-hee. But rest assured—your material body will be used for new Demon Relics! And your aetherial spirit will be used as a textbook to understand the truths of faith magic! We will be sure to use you to the fullest! No, we will not simply throw away our Dusk Demon! Only, we have no use for your astral heart. That weak-willed heart of yours is worth less than garbage.”

Shino could only back away, horrified.

“So I’ll just go ahead and kill you now, all right? We have no use for your life, after all, as long as you leave your body and spirit behind!”

Anna turned and began to slowly walk toward Shino.

“…Ah…uh…”

Shino backed away.

Randy, Serephina, and Annie didn’t move. Completely overwhelmed by Anna’s presence, they were unable to lift a finger.

Shino was no different.

She knew. She knew she couldn’t win against Anna as she was now.

Of course, compared to when Shino had been the Dusk Demon in her previous life—compared to Shenola—Anna’s power was nothing. Her existence was like a weak, pitiful insect.

There was no one who could win against the Dusk Demon, who had been in perfect control of the Great Beings, all Seventy-Two Pillars of the Qlippoth, whose power she’d simultaneously commanded as if it was her own—no one, save for that one exception.

In terms of ability and status, there was a fundamental difference between that power and that of Anna, who now acted so proud to be contracted with the Fair-Faced Angel, one of the lowest ranked of the Seventy-Two Pillars.

But not now.

Against this iteration of Anna, Shino was less than a worm.

Through her reincarnation, Shino had lost that mighty magical power and her enormous Sphere that had been immense enough to envelop the whole world.

At present, Shino was just an average fledgling mage.

She did have the knowledge of faith magic engraved upon her spirit, which still remained, but with this body’s weakened magical capabilities, it would be beyond her wildest dreams to grasp the power of even one Great Being such as the Fair-Faced Angel, much less all Seventy-Two pillars of the Qlippoth.

I always believed…it would be better if I just died, Shino thought as she drew back from Anna. I always believed my life wasn’t worth living. Even after being somehow reincarnated like this…I thought I didn’t deserve to exist in this world…

This body of mine is just too steeped in sin…

Then why hadn’t she taken her own life? Why did she keep on living so comfortably?

Did she cling to this world simply out of habit?

It was because…of him… He was there…

Shino started remembering that man she was so indebted to.

But for some reason, instead of his face, she saw Rix’s…and the faces of the people who accepted her as a friend—Randy, Serephina, and Annie.

“No… I don’t want this…!”

Then Shino suddenly came to a realization.

“Why…? Why is it…?! I…don’t want to die yet…! I know I have no right to live…! I know I’m riddled with sin…but still…!”

“Ah-ha-ha. That’s too bad,” said Anna. “Goodbye.”

Anna, accompanied by the angel…slowly reached her hand out to the crying, trembling Shino…

“…Wait…”

But just then, Rix stood in front of Shino to cover her.

Carrying his sword, which had been broken in two, and having forcibly set his broken bones back in place, he stood wavering before her.

“R-Rix…?”

“Oh…you’re still alive?” Anna said to Rix. “Quite the stubborn one, aren’t you?”

Rix ignored her and spoke haltingly to Shino.

“Don’t cry, Shino… Don’t cry… I’ll do something to stop this…”

“Do something…? How…?”

“Hey, Shino. I…really wanted to become human.”

Shino blinked in surprise at the abrupt, strange change of subject.

“You told me before, right? That I was a puppet trying its hardest to act human. Well, yeah. You were right,” Rix said. “I think, probably…I was designed that way, and produced that way, by those people. Some kind of killing machine that would keep killing as long as someone ordered me to… That was me. Because I was a puppet, I didn’t have my own free will over any of that…until Captain Black took me in.”

“…”

“And that man who took me in…said this to me: ‘Then it’s an order. Stop being a puppet. Have your own free will and act human. Even if you have to force it.’ It’s funny, isn’t it? That’s how I was reborn as Rix Frestat.”

“…”

“But I had no idea. Even acting human as Rix Frestat, I had no idea what it meant to be human. But it seemed that humans are always trying to be happy…so I came to this academy. And here…I spent every day together with you all…and I somehow started feeling like I had started to understand it a little…what it means to be human.”

“…Rix…”

“It’s still only been a short while, but enjoying every day together with you all…made me feel this kind of strange, warm feeling deep in my chest…and I thought that must be being human. I’m glad that I met you all, and I think I’m doing pretty well for a puppet. I feel like I can do anything, and I will do anything, if it’s for you all. And that’s not acting. It’s for real. So I think I may have actually become a little bit human. That’s why…I have no regrets. If it’s for the sake of protecting you…I’ll gladly quit being human. No regrets.”

“Rix… Wait, what…?! What exactly are you planning to do…?!” Shino began to panic, but Rix put that aside.

He narrowed his eyes and whispered:

“Set.

“Target: Professor Anna.

“Exclude others at all costs. If this condition is not met, immediately commence suicide.

“Loading orders.”

At the tip of his sword…a light began to shine.

The outskirts of Campbell Street, at the boundary of the Otherworld Barrier…

“Tch…”

Darwin, who had heard about the anomaly and rushed to the scene, was placing his hands on the barrier and deploying various spells to attempt to break through it and enter the other world.

It looked like the barrier was almost on the verge of opening, but it was still going to take some time.

“…What a fool I am.”

Growing frustrated, Darwin infused more mana into his attempt.

“No need to rush, Darwin. These are the students you put through that harsh training day after day. Chaos Beasts should be no problem for them.”

Standing by as support, Crawford tried to encourage Darwin.

“Hmph. But those new students are in there, too. They’re still nothing but foolish, dull little chicks. And judging from the situation, a high-ranking member of the Faith Faction is definitely at work here. We don’t know the reason why, but based on Gordon’s memories, we were able to ascertain that the Faction member is targeting Shino Whytenight. So I have no doubt she is under attack by the Faith Faction right now. And we may already be too late… I can’t believe I let this happen.”

“There was no way for you to know. Against an organization like the Faith Faction that swears by absolute secrecy, you’re bound to end up fighting one step behind… And besides…maybe they’ll be able to get by in there better than we expect.”

“What do you mean?”

Darwin furrowed his brow at Crawford’s comment.

“Rix Frestat is in the same group that requested permission to go off school grounds, with Shino Whytenight. There’s a high chance he’s with her.”

“What does that regular human fool who can’t even open his Sphere have to do with anything?”

“That may be true, but…my theory is that Rix’s Sphere was already open in the first place.”

“…What do you mean?” Darwin asked while he continued to work at opening the barrier.

“I mean exactly what I said. Only that means his Sphere never expanded into the outside and is perfectly contained within himself… It’s closed off inside his body and completely self-contained. There are precedents, right? There have been people in history, occasionally, with unique Spheres like that.”

“…You mean the Ego.”

Crawford nodded. “If that’s true, then so what? If the Sphere can’t be extended into the outside, the person can’t use magic. Then ultimately, an Ego is just a regular human. They cannot become mages.”

“That’s true. But unlike mages who open their senses toward the outside world, an Ego, who is perfectly self-contained in their own small world, may awaken to their own unknowable techniques. If a mage is omnipotent within the bounds of their own Sphere, an Ego specializes in omnipotence over their own body. Accordingly, they have no need for magic formulas, nor the laws nor reason of the universe, and need only manifest their inner world and mental image in order to awaken their own techniques. There were people like that in history, right? Someone who was just a regular human, not even a mage…who despite all expectations was able to defeat the strongest and most evil mage in history, the Dusk Demon, with no more than a single swing of his sword…”

“…The Dawn Swordsman.”

“Yeah.”

Again, Crawford nodded briefly. “Rix won against Gordon… He won against someone who he should have never been able to defeat with a sword. He cut down someone whose defenses should have been absolutely impenetrable by a sword. It may be wishful thinking…but we may be able to put just a little more faith in him.”

“Hmph. Don’t be ridiculous.”

Just then, Darwin finally succeeded in breaking through a section of the barrier.

At last, they had a way inside.

“Let’s go,” Darwin urged. “We’ll clean up the Chaos Beasts, then rescue the townspeople and students. Then we take care of the Faith Faction. We’ll make them pay for overstepping the boundaries of the human realm. We’ve no need for something so trifling as wishful thinking.”

“All right, all right, I got it. Ah, what a pain…”

And so Darwin and Crawford stepped foot inside the barrier.

One fruit, red and ripe.

Two fruits, round and sweet.

Three fruits, small in size.

In the woods we loved, the Forest of Endyard,

The fox cub cries.

“…What…? What am I looking at…? I…?!”

Anna was dumbfounded by the scene unfolding before her.

It was all too unbelievable.

The higher being Anna had summoned, the Fair-Faced Angel…was fighting.

The Fair-Faced Angel, which Anna had summoned using her own Sphere as a conduit, was another Anna herself.

They were inextricably linked—essentially, the angel was another of Anna’s external personae. As such, Anna could will the Fair-Faced Angel to move however she wished, as if she were moving her own arms and legs, and wield the angel’s immense power with ease.

She shared her five senses with the Fair-Faced Angel.

So it was a matter of course that the angel was fighting, just as Anna willed it to.

But the issue was that it had truly become a battle.

“…”

With Rix’s astonishing speed, he brought his broken sword slashing down at the Fair-Faced Angel.

And the Fair-Faced Angel freely wielded its six spears without so much as touching them.

They swung down from above like lightning bolts, twirled in a whirlwind from side to side, and thrust up from underfoot toward the heavens in a tremendous barrage of blinding blows.

Rix dodged, repelled them with his sword, and knocked down every single one.

Then in an instant, he came within the Fair-Faced Angel’s reach…

…and slashed with extreme speed.

A light welled forth from the tip of his blade.

It had a golden glow, like the color of dusk.

His speed was inhuman.

The flash of light from Rix’s sword caught the angel’s right arm—and slashed it open.

“Khhhhuuuuugh?!”

Just as he did, the same place on Anna’s right arm that Rix had slashed on the angel was cut open and started spraying blood.

The Fair-Faced Angel, which had been summoned using faith magic, was an extension of her—a persona.

In short, it was another Anna.

Hence, there was damage feedback that reflected on the mage’s own body. Any damage the Fair-Faced Angel suffered would be inflicted on Anna, too.

“None of this matters! None of it!” Anna shouted.

The Fair-Faced Angel fiercely thrust its spears toward Rix.

Rix stepped forward, deflecting the spears with his sword and closing the gap between them.

A flash of his sword, with inhuman speed.

The light, bursting forth from the tip.

Slash!

It sliced at the angel’s chest—and blood gushed from Anna’s own chest as well.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh?!”

The Fair-Faced Angel, unable to bear it, swung its spears with reckless abandon.

Rix, with unparalleled accuracy, dodged the spears as he retreated.

Then, as if looking for an opening, Rix continued to move clockwise around the Fair-Faced Angel, at a speed that made it look like he was disappearing with each step he took—

“What…? What is this?!” Anna cried. “I don’t care about your pathetic little sword tricks or your absurd physical abilities! But how?! How…could a mere sword…land an attack on this higher form of existence…the Great Being, my angel?!”

Yes, that was the issue at hand.

Rix’s sword was just a regular blade.

The enchantment that Shino had cast on it had already faded long before.

And even if it hadn’t, an enchantment using Shino’s current magical abilities would have inflicted no more than a tickle on the angel.

On top of everything, Rix’s sword had been broken in half. It barely had any use even as a weapon.

Yet still…

“Aaaaaaaaaahhhh!”

The angel beat its wings and, with an explosive increase in speed, moved to attack Rix from behind.

The angel’s speed was no match for a human to handle.

The angel poised its six spears to take out Rix’s heart.

But in another instant, Rix disappeared from sight.

What replaced him—was the light of his sword.

Rix appeared once again behind the angel.

Swoosh!

He slashed deeply into the angel’s flank.

“Guh?! Agh?!”

Anna grasped at her own flank as it was dyed crimson.

“Why…? How is it possible?! A higher being’s magical defenses should be far beyond that of any physical enhancement spell or Sphere of a human mage… How can you bypass it so easily?!” she said, gasping in agony. “And…without using magic or mana… With a mere sword?! What is that light?! What exactly is iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit?!”

“…”

Rix did not answer.

He only silently, simply, like a single gust of wind, closed in again on the angel.

Light surged from the sword.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH?!”

Anna screamed as the angel continued to be mercilessly torn to shreds.

“R-Rix… He’s amazing…”

Randy watched in awe as Rix continued to overwhelm the angel with his attacks.

“Yeah…”

Annie looked on, too, dumbstruck, as Rix sliced the angel to pieces.

“So this is Rix’s true power…! I knew I had judged him well after all…!” said Serephina. “Magnificent! Indeed, he will be an asset in my pursuit of military rule!”

Serephina was convinced of this as she watched Rix slash the angel from all directions at high speed.

Nonetheless…

“…But truly…what is this power of his…? This light…?” she wondered, gazing at the light.

That light, housed in the tip of the sword Rix wielded. It was like staring at the golden glow of dusk, alone in an empty wilderness. A golden light that dazzled the eyes…yet somehow lacked luster.

That light…

“Something feels…so fleeting…,” Serephina managed. “What exactly…does this mean…? When I see that light…for some reason, I can’t stop my tears from flowing…”

“I know…,” said Annie. “Somehow…it feels like Rix is going to disappear…”

The two girls had tears in their eyes and were filled with uncertainty.

“…The Dawn Swordsman.”

Shino had suddenly whispered something.

“Shino?”

“The only human…who was able to defeat me, as the Dusk Demon,” Shino continued. “And he, too…the Dawn Swordsman…wielded that light at the tip of his sword. A light that can cut through any spell and break through any magical defense. A flash of his sword that momentarily surpasses the speed of light. In the face of that light, all the techniques of the faith magic I had mastered and all the Great Beings, all Seventy-Two Pillars of the Qlippoth, were powerless.”

I always loved magic.

Its power was mysterious, beautiful, and fun.

It could surprise others and make them smile. They would praise me and call me amazing. Thank me. Pat me on the head.

That’s why…I loved magic. And that’s why I studied magic with everything I had.

I wanted to use magic to make everyone smile.

But…the world was in an era of chaos and strife. An era when the weak were ravaged and the strong did as they pleased.

And so I fought, using the power of magic. To protect my beloved family. To protect the friends I loved. To protect my cherished hometown.

To, at the very least, bring smiles to the people around me. To protect those who would be killed simply because they were weak.

I kept on fighting, using that magic I loved so much.

And so—to protect them, to make them smile, I sought more power.

More.

More and more.

In this world, you could not protect anything without power. Without it, you could not make people smile.

But I wasn’t able to protect those people, and one by one, those I loved fell like sand through my fingers…and each time, I sought further power.

As I prayed that next time I would be able to protect them, I sought greater and yet greater might.

As I grew stronger, more of my loved ones were lost. So I became even stronger. But I lost them yet again.

As I wept for them, I sought further power.

I repeated this cycle over and over…

When did it begin?

The next thing I knew—once my sole mission became seeking further and greater power—I had become the Dusk Demon.

My tears had long since dried up, and my means and my ends had completely changed places.

I was intoxicated by the pleasure of gaining power, by the exaltation of reaching greater heights, and by the joy of overpowering others.

I slaughtered the weak, consumed their life force, and gained even greater power.

For that purpose, I incited more warfare, more carnage, more destruction—and once I had more power, I did it all over again.

Even after there was no one left for me to protect, no one left to make smile. Even after the homeland to which I was supposed to return had long since been destroyed.

I sought power—I killed and murdered and brutalized—destroyed everything in this world that I could.

And I was yet further empowered by the mages who, in their righteous indignation, attempted to defeat me and save this world that I had plunged into darkness. But I defeated them and consumed their power for my own.

Then one day…

…suddenly, he appeared before me.

“I’ve come to save you.”

You? Save me? Why?

“Because you’re crying. You’ve been crying this whole time.”

I am not crying. What’s wrong with you? Gross.

“And yet you are. As you kill everything, annihilate everything…you’re always crying. You’re not shedding tears or making a sound, but you’re always shouting out, like a wailing child… ‘Somebody save me!’ ‘Somebody stop me!’ I can tell…though it’s just a feeling.”

Impossible. I just kill and lay waste to everything for the pleasure of slaughter and destruction.

Look at you, acting as if you know me… You’re just plain disgusting. Do you want to die?

“You don’t have to cry anymore. That’s why…I’ve come to you.”

That man—the Dawn Swordsman—unsheathed his sword before me.

And so to eliminate this foolish, disgusting man—a mere mortal, not even a mage—who dared challenge me, I summoned the Great Beings of the Seventy-Two Pillars.

And then—I realized.

After a struggle to the death, he defeated all the Great Beings I had called upon.

Then that man’s shining sword struck me—and I knew:

Ah yes…I’ve truly been saved.

Finally, there is an end to this hell.

I was overcome with deep understanding.

And then—after it was all over…as I perished, he spoke to me.

“You committed sins. Sins this world will never forgive. But I have judged you. And through this punishment, your sins in this life have been vindicated. Live your next life and enjoy it. Find your own true happiness.

“How about you start over and learn that magic you love so much again from the very beginning? And this time, I’m sure you’ll bring a smile to someone’s face.

“It’s all right. I know you can do it. I pray…that in your next life, you’ll be reborn as a kind and gentle girl who can naturally reach out to others… That is my sincere hope.

“…Well, I’ll be seeing you.”

And that…that was my final memory of my past life as the Dusk Demon.

“So, Rix! It turns out you were an Ego all along!”

Headmaster Jake’s passionate shout echoed throughout his office.

“Yeah, um…so what does that mean?” Rix asked.

“It means you are the owner of an extremely rare type of Sphere, one which is opened, yet closed off,” the headmaster began. “I have no doubt your existence will contribute greatly to the research and clarification of the nature of the Sphere, which is still largely unexplored! And I also hear that you can wield the same flash of light the Dawn Swordsman used, in a limited capacity! I must say, as a mage myself, my interest in you is endless! It seems the nomination by the Annals of the One-Horned Goddess was on track after all!”

“Hmph. While it vexes me, it seems the fool does have a certain magical value after all,” Darwin grumbled.

“And to think he really was an Ego… The magic world’ll have a field day over this,” Crawford griped.

Rix tried to get the attention of the teachers, who seemed to be going off on their own conversation.

“Um, so what’s gonna happen to me, after all?” he asked.

“Of course! You are too valuable to throw back out into the wild!” Headmaster Jake bellowed. “And besides, you have met the minimum requirement for enrollment in this academy, that is, to have an unlocked Sphere! Therefore, I permanently revoke the temporary suspension of your expulsion decision from the academy! Congratulations! As of this moment, you are officially a student of the Estoria Academy of Magic!”

“Tch… I still haven’t agreed to that,” Darwin muttered.

“Hey, Darwin. Don’t be like that,” said Crawford. “Thanks to Rix defeating the person behind it all, we were able to lift the Otherworld Barrier quickly, and the damage was minimal overall. Can’t you give him a little credit?”

“That has nothing to do with the matter at hand… Though if that is the academy’s decision, I will comply.”

Rix sat there awkwardly while the teachers had this back-and-forth.

But he couldn’t help but squeeze his fists from the joy he felt welling up in his chest.

“So that means…I…I can become a wizard after all?!” Rix exclaimed, looking hopeful and joyous.

And then:

“No, I believe that will be impossible!”

“Of course it’s impossible, you foolish boy.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna happen…”

Headmaster Jake, Darwin, and Crawford responded simultaneously, and Rix’s face went blank in shock.

“In the strict definition, an Ego is not a mage! They are a regular human!”

“And no matter how you look at it, an Ego will never be able to use magic,” Darwin added. “In the end, they can only use techniques that may seem magical. But of course, in a battle between mages, you must accept that you are basically powerless. Especially if you don’t want to have a repeat of your fight against Gordon.”

“Furthermore, you have to take an exam in order to become a Rank Four Estoria Certified Mage…and I don’t think there’s any way you’ll be able to pass,” said Crawford.

Rix’s mouth gaped as Jake walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

“But do not lose heart!” the headmaster urged. “The academy regards a rare existence like yours as very important! At present, your powers as an Ego are still immature, and there is a danger that your entire inner self could collapse should you use those powers carelessly…hence we will be sure to assign an expert instructor to help you, as well as study you! We’ll aim to have you using your powers as an Ego as freely as the Dawn Swordsman himself someday! So please, there is no need to be pessimistic!

“Even if you cannot become a mage, you will have a number of promising possibilities open to you in your future! That’s right… For example, mercenary, career soldier, adventurer, monster hunter, bounty hunter, magic hunter… The possibilities would be endless as a career combat specialist…”

“Nooooooooooo!!”

Rix’s scream of despair rang out in the headmaster’s office.

“Well, in any case, that’s great you’ll be able to stay at the academy,” Randy said to Rix.

On their way to their next class, Randy patted Rix on the shoulder. The boy was slouched over in a gloom.

“I’ll show them… I’ll definitely become a mage… I will become a mage… I will become a mage… I will become a mage…,” Rix grumbled. “I’ll become the best mage who can’t use magic…! I will…!”

“All right, now… Let’s leave thinking about the future for some other time.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Randy and Serephina nodded, looking slightly stunned.

“Besides,” Serephina added, “I’ve already lined up a perfect job for you after you graduate! You’ll become my—”

“No way.”

“At least let me finish what I was saying!” Serephina started tearing up.

“Ah-ha-ha, but thank goodness! It seems like we’ll be able to spend our days at the academy together with Rix after all!” Annie said with a warm smile. “Let’s all do our best together, Rix.”

“Yeah, count me in, too.”

Then…

“Hmph. You’re all awfully optimistic. The way I see it, this man is nothing but trouble, through and through. He’s got bad luck written all over him. Though I’m not one to talk.”

Shino, who was walking at the back of the group, offered a cold remark while keeping her signature expressionless look.

Rix slowed down until he was next to her.

“That reminds me… You’ll be staying at the academy, too, then?” he asked Shino.

“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No… I was just a little worried that you might quit, so it’s a relief.”

“…Hmph.”

It had come out that Shino was the reincarnation of the Dusk Demon.

After talking it over, Rix and the others decided to hide that fact from the rest of the academy.

“For some reason, Shino was targeted by the Faith Faction.”

“Maybe it was because they were after her special hidden powers that led to her being selected as a scholarship student?”

They decided to leave it at that and simply ask the academy to strengthen the security around Shino for her personal safety.

After all, the Dusk Demon, the strongest mage in history, was infamous.

There was no way to predict how the academy would react to the present Shino after finding out the truth.

Of course, Rix and the others didn’t care because she was their friend, but they didn’t know what the other students would think about Shino when they found out, either.

For now, it seemed the best course of action to keep it a secret.

“I guess that makes us birds of a feather—a pair of troublemakers! Let’s both do our best!” Rix exclaimed.

“…”

Shino let the remark pass in silence. She didn’t even bother to look at Rix.

She was cold as ever, and Rix awkwardly scratched his head as usual.

“Never try something like that ever again,” Shino suddenly whispered to him.

“Shino?”

“I’m saying don’t go giving me hope, then try to go off and die all on your own. Frankly, it’s disgusting when a person is so obsessed with saving others but doesn’t care about their own well-being. Next time you try something so gross, I’ll feed you to the Great Beings.”

After delivering this lecture, Shino quickly turned away. But Rix could see that her cheeks and ears were taking on a faint red blush.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll engrave that on my disgusting heart. In the grossest way possible.”

“Ugh…”

With this exchange, the group kept walking toward their destination until eventually, the bell signaling the start of the next class period tolled.

Meanwhile, atop the wall surrounding the academy…

“So this is Estoria Academy of Magic, huh?”

A solitary girl stood and looked down at the castle-like school grounds.

That was suspicious in itself. Very suspicious. In every respect, she was suspicious.

Her small frame was hidden under a cloak and hood from head to toe. She had belts wrapped around her shoulders, arms, and waist, and she carried a huge battle-ax on her back.

It was like she was going out of her way to look suspicious.

She could have at least tried a little harder to hide the whole brutal killer look.

With her sharp gaze peeking out from the gap in her hood, the suspicious girl spoke again.

“Rix, my brother…I never thought you’d be so crafty as to fake your own death just to get out of the corps… ‘Welcome those who come our way, but chase those who try to leave to the ends of hell’… Don’t try to tell me you forgot our ironclad code.” Then she said, “Brother, you know the bloody battlefield is your true calling. I’ll do whatever it takes…to bring you back with me!”

Hello, Taro Hitsuji here.

I’m pleased to bring you the first volume of my new work, This Is the Wizard’s Secret Weapon!

I would like to express my infinite gratitude to the editors and publishers, as well as the readers who have picked up this book. Thank you very much!

Now, that aside…

How should I put this…? Readers who have been following my works since the recently completed Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor must surely be saying something like…

“That damn Hitsuji… He wrote another magic academy story?!”

And, well, you’re absolutely right! Guilty as charged.

After so many years of writing a story about a magic academy, this new work is yet another magic academy story?!

I know! I’m well aware! I’m even thinking the same thing!

But! If you read it, you’ll see! You should understand—while this new work, This Is the Wizard’s Secret Weapon, is set in a magic academy like Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor, the two works read completely differently from each other!

As for the protagonists, we’ve gone from an instructor who was a relatively mature adult to a student who is still an immature and developing youth! And we’ve gone from a story with a strong nuance of self-discovery to one of love and adventure among young people who are heading full speed ahead in pursuit of their future dreams! This work depicts a story that I wasn’t able to include in Bastard Magic Instructor! But of course, I’m sure it’s a story that fans of Bastard Magic Instructor will also enjoy!

I hope you will all look forward to seeing where I will take this new story as a writer!

Also, I post updates on X (formerly Twitter), and I’d be very happy if you would DM me or reply to my posts and send me messages of support or other thoughts about my works. It really encourages me and brings my motivation to the max! My username is @Taro_hituji.

That’s all for now! See you in the next volume!

Taro Hitsuji