Time had flown by; it had already been a month since we—Twilight Moonbow—enrolled in the Stroemeria Magic Academy.
Everything was a blur at first, and I was desperate just to keep pace, but I felt like I was finally settling into school life. The lecture content was gradually clicking, and my understanding of how magic actually worked was far deeper than it had been before.
With the day's classes over, I was tidying up my desk when...
"Uuuuugh..."
A low groan drifted from the seat beside me. I glanced over to find Carol slumped against her desk, her eyes fixed in an intense glare.
"Carol?"
I called out, but she didn't react. I followed her gaze and saw him—Log, surrounded by a group of girls. They were bombarding him with questions, but it was obvious they were just using academics as an excuse to talk to him.
Despite the attention, Log didn't look annoyed once, answering them all in a calm, steady voice. He’d changed quite a bit since last year's guided exploration. He had become honest and approachable, to the point where even the senior explorers at the Silver Rabbit of the Night Sky doted on him now.
I hadn't noticed it before because he was usually around older people when he wasn't with us, but seeing him among a circle of his peers, he really did seem mature.
Still, it was rare for the usually cheerful, smiling Carol to look so blatantly sour. Then again, I suppose no one likes seeing the person they like getting along so well with others. Even I’d felt a knot in my chest seeing Master Orun and my sister chatting happily together.
I knew exactly how she felt.
"If you're that bothered, Carol, why don't you just join them?"
At my soft suggestion, Carol’s shoulders jumped. She bolted upright, her face turning bright crimson.
"I-I'm fine! Whatever, let's just leave him alone and get out of here!"
She grabbed my hand and gave it a sharp tug. I scrambled to grab my things as she dragged me out of the lecture hall at a brisk pace.
She really doesn't realize it, does she?
Looking at her from behind, the answer seemed far more obvious to me than it was to her.
After leaving the academy, Carol and I headed to a room inside the Downing Trading Company. Inside, we found Carol’s older siblings—Luella and Fred.
The two had once been affiliated with the Cult, forced to work under a high-ranking executive known as the Doctor. But after the Doctor’s death and their reconciliation with Carol, they’d cut ties with the organization. Now, they were based in the city as members of Amunzaas’s action unit.
Noticing the sound of the door, Luella looked up from her chair and smiled.
"Welcome home, you two."
"We're home!" Carol chirped, throwing herself into Luella’s arms.
Luella’s eyes widened at the sudden impact, but her expression soon melted into one of quiet resignation as she gently stroked Carol’s hair. I couldn't help but smile at the sight.
It really feels like they’re a family again. It’s nice.
Once Carol stepped back, Luella’s expression turned solemn.
"Carol, Sophie—the operation is set for five days from now."
"Finally!" Carol leaned forward, her voice full of energy.
I nodded along, though a nervous flutter settled in my chest. I’d already heard the general outline, but having an official date gave it a whole new weight.
"I'll explain it one more time," Luella said, placing a document on the desk. "It’s one of the human experimentation facilities once managed by the Cyclamen Cult. There’s a possibility that survivors are still inside. In five days, the Amunzaas action unit will launch a raid on the facility to rescue the test subject children."
"I can't really recommend joining us, though. Especially not you, Sophie," Fred added.
"...Why?"
"I don't know your past, and I know misery isn't a competition. But tell me... do you actually have the resolve for this?"
Fred had dropped his usual lazy drawl; his voice was deadly serious.
"The world has its dark corners. A world you’ve never seen, Sophie."
I knew that whatever Carol and the others had witnessed while imprisoned by the Cult was beyond my imagination. I took his warning to heart before I answered.
"...I do. I've been prepared ever since I first heard about this mission."
I realized my voice was trembling slightly as I spoke, but the feelings in my heart were real.
"I'm still not strong, and there's so much I don't know... but even so, if someone is suffering, I don't want to look away. Back in the Regrif Territory, I decided once and for all who I wanted to be."
I chose my words carefully, speaking slowly.
"Like the moon in the night sky, I want to be someone who brings light even to the darkest places. If someone is trapped in the shadows, I want to be the one to notice them. Even if it’s terrifying... I want to keep my eyes open."
I took a small breath. I wasn't sure if I’d expressed it well, but that was everything I had to give.
Luella blinked, then murmured softly, "...How arrogant."
Yet, there was a faint trace of warmth in her voice.
"Well, as long as you have the guts not to freeze up when things get ugly, I guess it’s fine," Fred added with a light shrug, slipping back into his usual tone. The tension in the room eased, if only a little.
"Oh, that reminds me. Did you two see the extra edition of the paper?"
I blinked in surprise. "The extra edition?"
"I haven't read it... what's it about?" Carol asked.
"Apparently, the Great Labyrinth of the East has been conquered."
"Eh?" My voice cracked. "Already?"
"Right? They were only at the 96th Floor at the start of the year. It was only three months ago that the summit meeting officially made 'conquest' a shared goal for all nations. Don't you think that's a little too fast?"
"...But the East doesn't have Deep Floors like the South, right? So, maybe it’s possible—"
"It isn't," Luella cut me off flatly. "Amunzaas wiped out all the promising explorers in the East last year. Common sense says it’s impossible for five unknown geniuses to suddenly appear and fill that void."
"And get this—all five of the conquerors are only fifteen or sixteen years old," Fred added. "Kids with no names and no records suddenly pulled off one of the greatest feats in the world."
A cold shiver ran down my spine. "Something like that... normally..."
"It should be impossible," Luella said. "Which is why we have a hypothesis."
I held my breath. Carol furrowed her brows.
"Don't tell me..."
"There's a high chance those conquerors are test subjects from the Cyclamen Cult."
"——!"
My heart throbbed heavily.
"We don't have proof yet, obviously," Luella continued. "But the timing, the ages, the circumstances... everything lines up too perfectly."
Thank you for reading to the end. I would be happy if you read the next chapter too.
One announcement! Recently, a spin-off serialization of this work has begun! This is all thanks to the readers who have supported the work up to this point. Thank you very much.
The spin-off is a daily-life-centered story with Selma as the protagonist. In terms of chronological order, it is set about two years before chapter one of the main story, but as a story, it is not directly connected to the main story, and I hope you enjoy it as an "IF" type episode. For that reason, there may be minor contradictions with the main story, but I would be happy if you could read it casually, with the feeling of "peeking into Selma's daily life at this time."
Also, the illustrations are handled by Yonezou-sensei, the same as the main story's manga adaptation, so I think you can enjoy the atmosphere of the art and the world-view with peace of mind.
It is a story depicting a relaxed time with a slightly different flavor from the main story, so if you are interested, please do take a look.
Work link is here ⇒ https://manga.nicovideo.jp/comic/74343