Work to restore the student dormitories was well underway.
The students of the Royal Magic Academy all possessed remarkable magical talent. Thanks to their tireless efforts, the injured had already been treated, and the removal of the rubble was nearly complete.
"Hey there, Hero! Thanks for the help!"
"Sir Hero! Please, let us show our gratitude properly next time!"
"Uh, haha... Thanks."
Among the students helping to clear the debris was a boy with flaming red hair.
Reiji Wolf was currently surrounded by a crowd of students as he used Fire Arma—a body-strengthening spell—to carry heavy construction materials.
Watching him from a short distance away were Celestia and Irene.
"He talked so much about wanting to be a hero, but now that he’s actually one, he looks like he’s in over his head," Irene remarked.
"Well, that’s just like Reiji," Celestia replied.
In the wake of the recent attack, Reiji’s reputation had become unshakable after he defended the Academy single-handedly. In truth, his growth of late had been staggering; he had already far surpassed the level of an average student.
Reiji was currently apprenticing under the head knight of House Rosemilian to hone his swordsmanship, and he was also receiving secret instruction on the Holy Sword from a mysterious mentor. Though Reiji wouldn't reveal his teacher’s identity, the combat prowess he had displayed the other day proved the training was bearing fruit.
Currently, Irene held the rank of Academy Top Student, with Celestia in the Second Seat... but by the next exam, Reiji would likely leapfrog to the top of the rankings.
"Hmph. I wish I could have seen Reiji in action, too."
As Irene spoke, a trace of loneliness flickered across her profile.
"He was amazing, wasn't he?"
"Yes... he fought like a fierce god," Celestia said. "He was even beginning to master the abilities of the Holy Sword. Seeing him handle things put me at ease, which is why I rushed to find Your Highness."
"I'm late in saying it, but thank you for coming to my aid."
"I collapsed right at the end, so if anything, I was the one who was saved."
The two shared a soft laugh.
After having her consciousness severed by the masked figure, Celestia had awakened in the Royal Castle Infirmary under Irene’s care. There wasn't a single scratch on her body, despite being caught in the center of such a fierce battle.
"Um, Your Highness," Celestia started hesitantly. "Regarding the matter with Claude..."
"Oh, him?" Irene’s voice plummeted to sub-zero temperatures. "I had him stripped of his rank."
"What—?"
"The Royal Order should be official by now. He has been disinherited. He’s barred from the castle and the Academy. I have to corner him so he can never cause trouble again." Irene clenched her fists so hard they shook. "Someone like him... I wish he’d just disappear from this country forever!"
Her rejection was absolute.
However, Celestia felt compelled to push further. The memory of that masked figure was burned into her mind, refusing to fade.
"It’s something you mentioned before, Your Highness... but what if he has some kind of hidden intention?"
"What intention could possibly justify this?" Irene glared at her. "What kind of 'intention' involves unilaterally breaking off his engagement with you? Or telling me that associating with commoners is beneath my dignity and that I should throw my pride to the dogs?"
"That’s..."
"I’ve thought about it, too! I wondered if he was just trying to distance himself from me. But would someone go as far as accepting disinheritance for that? He told me to my face that 'Disinheritance is a trivial matter.' If we’re the ones misunderstanding, then why won't he deny it?!"
Tears welled in Irene’s eyes.
"I thought about it so much. Truly... I thought, and thought, and thought until I couldn't think anymore! But I found nothing!" Irene screamed, as if trying to convince herself. "There is no hidden meaning. That man... Claude is our enemy!"
Celestia fell silent.
Irene’s logic was sound. Celestia herself had been cast aside and insulted by him; how could she possibly justify trusting him after that?
No doubt they would continue to view Claude as a villain. The three of them, Reiji included, would work together to grow stronger and live their lives in spite of him. That future felt... right.
But why?
The vision of that future was so vivid and natural that it felt unnervingly artificial.
"Ugh—!?"
A sharp, violent headache lanced through Celestia’s skull.
"Tia!? Are you all right!?"
"...My apologies. Just a bit of dizziness."
"Do you need the infirmary? I'll walk with you."
"No, I'm fine... I can go alone."
The pain was agonizing, but it was a sensation she had grown used to. Leaving the worried Irene behind, Celestia headed for the infirmary.
My head hurts. It hurts. It hurts.
Amidst the static in her thoughts, she felt a sensation that was different from anything she had experienced before.
Was it magic? No, it wasn't magic. It was something similar, yet fundamentally different.
Celestia’s body housed the Secret Rank Magic known as Lost. For a long time, she had sealed away this dreaded power that could collapse civilizations, but she had recently begun to use it to protect what she held dear. By repeatedly channeling Lost, her senses had become incredibly refined.
And those refined senses were telling her something now.
This headache—it could be erased with Lost.
But there was a premonition. A warning that she shouldn't touch whatever this was. Her intuition was screaming at her to stop.
Even so, she steeled herself. The iron willpower her former fiancé had once called "stubbornness" pushed her forward.
"—Lost."
With a faint chime, like the sound of thin glass shattering, the world changed.
No—it was revealed.
"What... is... this...?"
Thin threads were extending from the heads of every human being.
The students working on the reconstruction, the teachers, and even Irene. Countless threads grew from their heads, stretching toward the sky far above.
Most people had only a single thread.
But from Irene’s head, seven threads extended.
Celestia looked at her own reflection in a window. Eight threads were growing from her own head.
And Reiji—
"......!?"
The red-haired hero stood in the distance. From his head, countless threads sprouted. It wasn't just ten or a hundred. Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands—too many to count—burst from him. The sight was bordering on grotesque.
Celestia stood frozen in bewilderment. What was this?
"Ugh...!"
The headache returned with a vengeance. Blood began to drip from her nose.
"Ghh...!"
Her vision warped, and she could no longer maintain the spell. In an instant, the world returned to normal.
But there was no relief. She had seen it. She had learned.
There was something wrong with this world.
She instinctively knew she had to unravel this mystery. But she lacked the strength. If she tried to use Lost again now, it would only be cut short.
In that case, she simply needed to increase her power. And Celestia knew exactly which magic user could help her do that.
"Your Highness—!"
She was about to call out to Irene when—
BOOM!
The sound of a massive explosion thundered from the direction of the school grounds, the shockwave vibrating in her chest.
'......I found him!'
The moment I heard Zest’s voice, my eyes snapped open.
I had just finished packing my things and left the Einhart Manor. After Zest regained consciousness, I’d had him constantly scanning for Logen’s mana signature, but I hadn't expected to find him at such an abrupt moment.
'Logen is in the Royal Capital right now! ...Wait, there's more! Chimeras are rampaging through the city!'
Again!?
Dammit, the city’s forces are all scattered for reconstruction work. I have to go.
"Master Claude...?"
Chesa, who had followed me out, looked at me with a questioning tilt of her head.
"Something urgent came up. Chesa, stay here."
"...Am I not useful to you?"
Ugh, well... it’s hard to say "no" when she puts it like that! But I’m a villainous stepping stone. I have to be cold.
"You're a hindrance. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"
"...I understand. My apologies. I wish you victory in battle."
I activated Dark Arma and sprinted off at full speed.
Wait... wasn't that exchange a little weird? It was almost like she knew exactly what I was going to do.
'The—The number of Chimeras is twenty! No Apostles in sight, but there are more monsters than last time!' Zest reported urgently.
Twenty? That's better than twenty Apostles, but Chimeras are still far too strong for ordinary soldiers to handle. I have to hurry.
'—!? One Chimera reaction just vanished!'
What?
'A second one is gone. This is...'
The Chimeras were being picked off one by one. There was only one person capable of that.
Reiji Wolf.
As expected of the future hero. He’s doing the heavy lifting for me. If he keeps this up, I’ll make it in time!
I tore across the plains until the Royal Capital came into view. Beyond the walls, pillars of smoke were rising. Every second counted. I vaulted over the high castle wall and landed hard on the cobblestones.
I was about to manifest Zest when I locked eyes with two people.
"Claude!?"
Irene and Celestia.
The two of them spotted me immediately, their faces hardening into masks of contempt. I couldn't have picked a worse time to run into them.
As I debated my next move, Irene glared at me with piercing eyes.
"What is with that hideous expression!? Don't tell me this chaos is your doing, too!?"
Ah... was my face doing that thing again? It really is a convenient mask. People just fill in the blanks themselves.
"Heh... I wonder."
"You... You're the lowest of the low!"
I didn't actually say it was me, but whatever.
I didn't have time to play games with them. I turned to leave, but I felt a gaze burning into me. It was Celestia. She wasn't angry or disgusted; she was staring at me with a look of profound intensity.
No, she wasn't looking at me. She was looking... above my head?
"............Nothing," she whispered.
What’s "nothing"? My hair? I’ll have you know I spent time setting it. A stepping stone can't afford to look unkempt in public.
'I can't tell what Logen is planning,' Zest muttered.
True. An attack at this timing is bizarre. There’s no tactical reason to split his forces between the last attack and this one. If he has a goal, it’s probably Irene. Maybe I should stay near her, but I’m worried about the monsters in the streets.
Hmm... maybe I can convince Irene to go back into the basement.
"Irene."
"W-What!?"
"Why don't you come to my room again?"
"Death! Execution! Beheading!" Irene shouted, her face turning a vivid shade of crimson.
Total rejection. Well, I suppose it technically isn't my room anymore anyway.
"...'Again'?" Celestia murmured, getting hung up on the strangest detail.
This was no time for idle chatter. Even as we spoke, more Chimera mana signatures were winking out. Reiji was putting in the work. It would be best to wipe out the monsters before Logen made his move.
But then—
'This mana...!'
Ah... Zest, you can stop the scan. Even I can feel this.
From the direction of the Royal Castle, Logen’s mana swelled to a massive peak, directed specifically at me.
It was a blatant provocation. He was telling me exactly where he was.
Fine by me. It saves me the trouble of hunting him down. Whatever he’s plotting, everything will be solved once I crush the source.
"You'd best be careful," I said.
"Hey, wait! Claude!"
I ignored them both and headed for Logen. I’ll leave the Chimeras to Reiji. Since he’s gotten used to protecting people while fighting, he should be fine on his own.
Which means Logen... is mine.