Prologue: A New Storm Brewing

In the blink of an eye, the delightful autumn break—the long inter-semester holiday—came to an end.

At the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy, the second semester had begun.

Returning to the academy after about a month and reuniting with friends, the students were all buzzing with excitement, reminiscing about their autumn break memories together.

The classroom of Year Two, Class Two, where Glenn served as homeroom teacher, was no exception—

“Haaaaaa!? Dragon slaying!?”

“No way, that’s a lie! I mean, I heard about the extreme weather in the Snowria region, but still!”

“Heh heh! It’s no lie! …Though, to be honest, it was mostly Professor Arfonia who took down the dragon…”

—Centered around Sistine, Rumia, and Re=L, the classroom was abuzz with lively chatter.

“Gee… Here we go again, another round of annoying days…”

Glenn surveyed the bustling lunch break classroom, propped up on his elbow at the teacher’s desk.

“Well, it’s not bad for passing the time.”

Though his tone dripped with exasperation, Glenn couldn’t help but feel a faint smile tug at his lips, warmed by the reunion with this noisy academy scene.

—That said, he couldn’t afford to be entirely carefree. There were plenty of concerns weighing on him.

(Ever since we returned from the Snowria trip, Celica has been on leave for a while…)

In the battle against the Silver Dragon they encountered in Snowria, Celica had pushed her already frail body to its limits, causing her health to deteriorate. She had taken leave to recover.

And also… to care for the mysterious girl they had found after that battle.

(That mysterious little girl… she still hasn’t woken up. She just keeps sleeping, like she’s dead… though there’s no doubt she’s alive.)

No matter what magic they tried, nothing worked. In the end, the girl still hadn’t opened her eyes.

Seeing how she refused to wake despite all their efforts, it almost felt as if she were rejecting consciousness itself… as if she were waiting for the right moment, preparing for the time she was destined to awaken.

Celica continued to quietly and diligently care for the mysterious girl at the rebuilt Arfonia estate. She remained silent, revealing nothing.

(Sigh… that’s not the only thing bothering me…)

The deciphering of [Memoirs of Alicia III] was, as ever, progressing at a snail’s pace.

The origins of the Alzano Empire, the secrets of the royal bloodline, ancient civilizations, Melgalius’s Sky Castle, and—the [Akashic Records]. The truths supposedly recorded in the journal remained elusive, not even a shadow of them in sight.

(This isn’t just any cipher. There’s some kind of ancient language or symbols from an ancient civilization woven into the code… This is gonna take time.)

Twirling the journal in his hand, Glenn gazed out the window.

High above, in the vast sky, the majestic silhouette of the illusory Sky Castle glimmered as always. Bathed in the radiant sunlight, it shone with solemn brilliance today as well.

The real threat of the Demon Generals, the unsettling movements of the empire’s upper echelons, the oddly quiet Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom of late, the rising international tensions with the Rezalia Kingdom—and Celica’s true identity.

There were mountains of concerns, and once he started thinking about them, there was no end.

“But, well…”

Sensing a presence, Glenn slid his gaze sideways.

“Hey, Sensei! The warning bell for afternoon classes has already rung! What are you spacing out for!? Are you ready or not!? Starting the new semester like this is just—”

“Now, now, Sistie. Sensei’s probably just tired from everything…”

There stood Sistine, as usual, with her brows furrowed and a finger pointed at Glenn’s nose in full lecture mode, while Rumia tried to calm her friend with a wry, ambiguous smile.

The familiar banter between Glenn and the girls was watched with amused grins by the other students of Class Two.

The scene was so perfectly ordinary that—

(…For now, let’s just savor this “peaceful everyday life,” shall we?)

Facing the girls, Glenn flashed a smirk and stretched.

And so, he forgot.

—That everyday life could crumble in an instant, toppled by something sudden and utterly unexpected.

Clatter!

A wave of unease rippled through the classroom, followed immediately by the dull sound of something collapsing.

As Glenn rose from the teacher’s desk to head toward the blackboard, he turned to see what had happened—

Had she fallen from her chair? Re=L lay sprawled on the floor.

“H-Hey… Re=L-chan? You okay!?”

“…What the heck happened?”

Even the voices of nearby students—Kash and Gibul—elicited no response from Re=L.

As the entire classroom’s anxious and worried gazes focused on her, Re=L lay limp, her limbs splayed powerlessly, her breathing ragged.

“…Hey, Re=L… What’s wrong?”

Crossing the murmuring classroom, Glenn approached and gently lifted Re=L into his arms.

Re=L seemed to have completely lost consciousness.

And—she was cold. The small body in Glenn’s arms was chillingly, unnervingly cold.

“…Re=L. Hey, Re=L? What’s going on…? What happened…?”

As the illusion of everyday life shattered with a crashing sound in his mind, Glenn called out to Re=L.

“Huh? Wait… Re=L, what’s wrong!? Come on, snap out of it!”

“No, Sistie, don’t! You can’t move her!”

The voices of Sistine and Rumia, caught in their exchange, felt distant, barely reaching Glenn’s ears.

It was the start of a new semester—and the prelude to a fresh wave of turmoil.