A strange silence descended over the plaza after the man in the gray robe fell.
The Apostles kept their distance, none of them daring to approach. They were clearly wary of the young man standing before them.
That young man—Leonis—rolled his shoulders slightly before turning back toward me.
"For now..." he said, crouching down. "Lend me your arm."
"Eh?"
I held it out as instructed. The bleeding hadn't stopped yet, and the gash I’d received earlier throbbed with a dull, persistent ache.
Leonis returned his dagger to its sheath at his waist and lightly gripped my arm. In that instant, a faint light radiated from his fingertips.
"Whoa..."
It was warm. It provided a sense of relief quite different from the silver light I had felt earlier. I watched as the wound gradually closed up. It was my first time seeing healing magic up close, and it was every bit as impressive as I’d imagined.
The light didn't heal me completely, but the bleeding stopped, even if the pain lingered.
Leonis pulled his hand away. "It’s only first aid, but will you be alright?" he asked casually. "I’m not exactly a specialist in healing."
"It’s more than enough. Thank you."
I’d been on the verge of death only moments ago. Simply being alive felt like a stroke of luck.
Leonis stood up and turned his attention to Cedric, who lay motionless on the ground. Seeing him like that felt like a stark reminder of the harshness inherent to this world.
"Him too, just in case."
Leonis held his hand over Cedric. Just as before, a faint light spread out. Cedric’s chest began to rise and fall with shallow breaths; he was alive.
"He’ll live," Leonis said matter-of-factly. "He fought well. We can leave the rest to the others."
Leonis seemed so used to this. Having experienced death twice now in this body, I was beginning to understand. In this world, death was a common, almost casual occurrence. Despite the grief and resentment it caused, people didn't seem to question the fragility of life itself. Even after living here for more than ten years, it was a sensation I couldn't quite get used to.
"Lord Luka!"
A familiar voice called out. I turned to see Allen running toward us.
"Are you alright!?"
"Yeah... somehow," I managed to reply, surprised by how steady my voice sounded.
Allen scanned the surroundings before his eyes landed on Leonis. "Lord Leonis, thank you so much!"
Leonis gave a small shrug. "Think nothing of it. This is our mission, after all."
In the distance, the roar of another explosion echoed. The battle for the Royal Capital was far from over.
Leonis surveyed the area. "There’s no point in staying here." He twirled his dagger deftly. "Shall we move?"
"Where are we going?" I asked.
Leonis paused for a moment before answering. "The Royal Castle."
Allen tilted his head in confusion. "The castle?"
"Yeah. The fighting elsewhere is wrapping up. That’s the only place left."
Leonis started walking, and we followed close behind. Once we passed through the Academy Gate, we were met with a full-blown war zone. Smoke choked the air, and the flashes of magic detonating in the distance lit up the burning streets of the capital.
Suddenly, three men in black robes leaped out from an alleyway ahead of us.
"There he is! That's the one!"
"Kill him!"
Their magical power swelled, but Leonis didn't hesitate. He took a single step forward.
A silver light flashed.
A series of wet, heavy thuds followed.
That was all it took. The three Apostles collapsed almost simultaneously. Leonis didn't even bother to look back.
"Come on," he said lightly. "Let's move."
Allen let out a shaky breath. "Incredible..."
I couldn't help but ask, "What are these people exactly?"
Leonis looked up at the sky. Above the city, the gray flames that had been raging earlier had already dissipated.
"They belong to an organization called the Ash Necros," he explained quietly as we ran. "A group that seeks the destruction of the world."
He said it so casually that the weight of his words took a second to sink in. Why would such a group even exist? Do people just wake up one day and decide they want to end the world? It made no sense to me.
"Then what was that ritual they were doing earlier?" I asked.
Leonis slowed his pace slightly as he answered. "Likely a ritual using an Original Tome."
"An Original Tome?"
"There are several 'Original Tomes' in this world." He gave a small, knowing smile. "They are grimoires that are practically part of the world itself—artifacts that existed back in the age of the Heroes."
Allen interjected, "Those people mentioned wanting noble blood."
He’d voiced the very thing I’d been wondering about. Leonis nodded.
"Rituals require sacrifices," he said flatly. "That was likely one of the requirements."
Sacrifices for a ritual... I suppose there’s a matter of quality involved. If they needed noble blood, then the blood of a Duke's son would certainly be a high-priority target.
Leonis kept his eyes forward. "An attack of this scale must have a commander."
In the distance, the towers of the Royal Castle rose above the city. The white castle walls—the heart of the Kingdom—stood tall against the smoke.
"The castle is our first priority. It seems they’re serious about crushing the Kingdom this time." Leonis tightened his grip on his dagger. "Everything will end once we get there."
We pushed through the chaos of the burning capital and headed for the heart of the realm.
A single shadow moved along the cobblestone path leading to the Academy.
Yuka glided through the white, snowy landscape, her footsteps nearly silent. Despite the fresh snow, her tracks were barely visible.
The Academy Gate came into view. Two men in black robes stood guard, much like the ones who had attacked the mansion.
"More of them?" one grumbled. "You'd think they’d be busy elsewhere in the capital."
"This place is just full of small fry. Easiest job in the city."
One of them suddenly knit his brows. "Hm?"
He felt a flicker of movement. He looked toward the source, but saw nothing but falling snow.
"Just my imagination, I guess."
The moment the words left his mouth, a faint swish cut through the air, followed by a silver flash. A small hole appeared in the man's throat.
"Eh...?"
Blood surged from the wound. Before he could comprehend what had happened, he collapsed.
His companion spun around. "Hey—"
He didn't finish the thought. A clean strike opened his throat diagonally, spraying a crimson line across the white snow. Neither man had been given the chance to scream.
Yuka quietly flicked the blood from her blade and passed through the gate.
The Academy grounds were as much of a battlefield as the rest of the city. She searched frantically, her eyes scanning the area with desperate intensity. Then, she spotted a large group gathered in the central plaza.
Clutching a sliver of hope, she headed toward them.
The smell of blood grew thicker as she neared the square. The corpses of black-robed men lay scattered across the snow, but Yuka didn't slow her pace.
In the center of the plaza, a large number of people were being held—bound nobles, terrified students, and cowering teachers. Yuka walked silently into their midst.
The hostages gasped at the sudden appearance of the girl.
"Wh-who are you?" someone whispered.
Yuka didn't answer. She slowly scanned the faces of the hostages, checking them one by one.
But he wasn't there.
A cold dread stirred in her chest. She stopped in front of the group and finally spoke.
"I have a question," she said. Her voice was quiet, yet it carried clearly to everyone present. "Was there a student here with silvery-blonde hair?"
The hostages traded confused looks.
"He is fourteen years old," Yuka continued. "Slightly taller than me. Lord Luka of the Noctille house."
One man finally spoke up. "He—he was here! Lord Luka left the Academy just a few minutes ago!"
"I saw him too!" another added.
They weren't lying. Luka had indeed left the grounds and was now somewhere in the city.
"Do you know which way he went?"
"I'm not sure... but he headed off in that direction."
The man pointed toward the East Gate. Yuka didn't waste another second. She turned and vanished from the plaza, heading in the direction they had indicated.
Lord Luka, please... please be safe.