Chapter 2: A Clue

The world was ablaze in crimson, like fresh blood.

A biting, cold wind roared through the surroundings.

Red clouds, at the same height as himself, streamed backward in countless fragments.

In the distance, a scarlet sunset burned away. Overhead, he gazed at the illusory Sky Castle.

This was far above Fejite—on the main deck of the《Ship of Flames》.

And then, in one corner of the vast, sprawling deck, a complex patterned magic circle suddenly emerged.

The next moment, a single demon materialized on that circle, taking form with substance.

A humanoid figure, as if forged from pitch-black armor of darkness, sealed within a scarlet robe—such was its bizarre appearance.

Lazare Asteel—no, now it was Accelo Iero《Iron Cavalry General》.

‘I’ve returned here once again…’

By fusing his soul with a Demon General Star, Lazare had come to share the memories of the former Demon General Star, and he suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia.

Perhaps because the fusion was still fresh, the memories as a Demon General Star were only vaguely accessible. Yet, there was a faint certainty that he had once commanded this《Ship of Flames》to rule the skies of the world.

Recalling that former exhilaration, Lazare couldn’t help but give a wry smile.

Of course, that expression was hidden deep within the darkness he cloaked himself in, unseen by anyone.

‘But this… this is the power of a Demon General Star…’

Clenching a hand that was itself a black gauntlet, he felt the overwhelming surge of dark power coursing through him.

In a word—magnificent.

An overwhelming sense of omnipotence, beyond human comprehension, dominated his entire being. Without needing words, he understood that he now stood at the pinnacle, far surpassing every existence on this earth.

Oh, how small and insignificant humans were compared to his former self… mere dust in comparison.

At the same time, there was an irreparable sense of loss… but no regrets.

‘Yes… this is for my god… everything is for my master… I will surely reclaim what was lost in that battle two hundred years ago.’

Renewing his resolve, the demon decided to focus first on perfecting his incomplete state.

The standards of existence between humans and demons were far too different. Mana was what bridged the vast gap in their existential power, and thus, a subtle lack of mana had caused the soul fusion to remain incomplete.

As a result, the functions of the《Ship of Flames》, which relied on him as its power source, were still not fully operational.

It would take some time, but if he could steadily gather external mana from the atmosphere… As the demon thought this and headed toward a trapezoidal structure leading to the ship’s interior at the deck’s edge—

Suddenly, he noticed something and stopped in his tracks.

Before the gate leading to the ship’s interior—an uninvited guest was waiting.

“Kukukuku… I’ve been waiting for you, Lazare.”

A top hat, a frock coat fluttering in the wind. Eyes as dark and deep as if peering into the abyss—

Jatice Lowfan.

The mad justice stood there alone, arms crossed, waiting.

‘You… ah, I recognize that mana. When I was still human, you were the one skulking around behind my back, sniffing out my plans… and overturning the board I had so carefully set in Fejite, piece by piece… it was you, wasn’t it?’

At the demon’s accusation, Jatice laughed, shoulders shaking as if he found it immensely amusing.

‘And what do you want? Don’t tell me, at this stage, you’re here to propose an alliance?’

But the moment the demon asked this—

“Hah?”

The world was suddenly gripped by a sensation as if the temperature had plummeted below freezing.

Jatice, who had been laughing until now, glared at the demon with eyes of someone facing their parents’ murderer.

“Don’t spew such nauseating nonsense, you scum… I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”

‘Hmph… it seems I’ve upset you. Which means…’

“Obviously. I, the embodiment of absolute justice, have come to purge you, the absolute evil… that’s all there is to it.”

‘…’

“Here, with no one to interfere, I can kill you one-on-one without holding back… kukukuku… you’re my stepping stone… so do your best to become the foundation of my justice…”

Jatice let out an endlessly brazen, unfathomable laugh.

But to this, the demon responded with words laced with pity.

‘Foolish. No matter how much you bluff, you are, after all, just a human. Why can’t you understand that before a greater, more powerful existence, humans are nothing but powerless dust?’

“…”

‘Leave. To me, who has surpassed humanity, you, a mere human, are nothing but trash.’

“You say some truly pathetic things, Lazare. You were once human yourself, weren’t you?”

Unfazed, Jatice spread his arms wide and spoke.

“Let me teach you. Humans are magnificent. The strength of their will unlocks infinite possibilities and evolution—the supreme existence. Oh, why did you abandon your humanity? To me… you, who gave up being human, are the one who looks like nothing but trash…”

‘…’

“Humans are wonderful, and that’s exactly why there’s meaning in my pursuit of absolute justice. I have a duty to eradicate the ‘evil’ that corrupts and degrades the fruit of humanity… even if it means sacrificing a few humans in the process. Now, let’s begin, Lazare… it’s time for judgment…”

With that, Jatice let his relaxed body snap into motion, swinging both hands… and from his gloves, a massive amount of Pseudo-Etheric Particles scattered, carried by the wind.

Then, Jatice’s imagination manifested in the mortal world—dozens of angelic Tulpas appeared, surrounding Jatice and the demon, their wings fluttering behind them.

Yet, even in this situation, the demon showed not a single trace of unease.

‘…One question. Do you seriously think you can win?’

“According to the calculations of my Original Magic…”

Jatice smirked, speaking nonchalantly.

“At this moment, my odds of winning are—0.0021%.”

‘…’

“I’m still far from Glenn’s level… without a doubt, I’ll probably die here.”

What was so funny about that?

Jatice laughed. Endlessly, gleefully, he laughed.

But the demon dismissed it as the reckless abandon of a mere madman.

‘…Pathetic. Your arrogance and hubris, ignorant of your place… that’s your limit.’

“Kukuku… I’m honored by the compliment. …As thanks, die.”

‘I’ll teach you. There’s not even a one-in-a-million chance you can win, human.’

“Then let me teach you something, demon trash…”

Finally, Jatice flashed a supremely broken smile and declared boldly.

“The function of justice doesn’t include the variable of odds.”

‘Tch… this madman…!’

As if further dialogue was unbearable, the demon took a stance against Jatice.

“Fuhaha, hyahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha—!”

Jatice charged at the demon, laughing maniacally—

The surrounding angels, scattering feathers, rushed at the demon in unison.

—High above, in the unseen skies.

A grand battle between mad justice and an otherworldly demon quietly began.

The battle with Lazare on the grounds of the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy had temporarily subsided.

The sun had fully set, and the chilly night, characteristic of the empire’s climate zone, had arrived.

The ship, illuminated by the cold white moon, cast shadows in the dark sky like a monstrous beast.

Due to the emergency standby order issued in this crisis, the students who had to spend the night at the academy were still gripped by anxiety and confusion, even as night fell.

In such circumstances, in the classroom of Class 2, Year 2, at the academy—

“…You’ll tell us, right?”

“I think it’s about time we knew.”

Kash, Wendy, and all the other students of Class 2 had gathered.

The flames lit on the candelabra faintly illuminated the students’ faces, pulling them from the darkness.

Their collective gaze focused on Glenn, Rumia, Sistine, and Re=L.

Glenn looked halfheartedly in another direction, while Rumia remained silent, weighed down by sorrow.

Sistine could only watch the two anxiously.

“What exactly are you, Sensei, and Rumia and the others?”

Cecil’s hesitant question voiced the thoughts of every student gathered there.

Lynn fidgeted nervously, Kai and Rodd wore complicated expressions as they gauged the room, and Teresa silently observed the situation.

Alf, Bix, Cycer, Luzel, Annette, Bella, and Kathy were there too.

Even Gibul, sitting alone at a desk in the corner, staring out the dark window.

The atmosphere was thick with a stubborn resolve—no one would back down until they heard the truth.

“…Haa… As expected, I can’t dodge this one, huh? Fine. I’ll tell you.”

Finally, Glenn let out a deep sigh and began speaking slowly.

“First… I’m a former mage of the Imperial Army… well, a soldier. I’m retired now, though. Celica pulled some strings to get me this job as a magic instructor at the academy… that’s all.”

“Well, we kinda figured you were involved with that sort of thing, Sensei.”

Kash nodded at Glenn’s words.

“You seemed pretty chummy with Albert-san, who’s clearly a military guy.”

“So… Re=L too…?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Scratching his head, Glenn continued.

“She’s a member of the unit I used to be part of. She was sent here as a transfer student to protect Rumia.”

Re=L, sitting daintily beside Glenn, tilted her head as he patted her. She seemed completely clueless about why everyone had gathered.

“And to add, White Cat’s family… the Fibel family, is Rumia’s guardian. According to White Cat, Rumia’s real mom and her parents were close friends when they were young.”

Choosing his words carefully, Glenn spoke cautiously… then fell silent.

For a while, an indescribable silence filled the classroom.

“…You’re leaving out the most important part, aren’t you?”

Finally, Gibul, sitting in the corner, spoke up with a hint of irritation.

“To be blunt, based on observing your usual behavior, we could roughly guess that much about you, Re=L, and Sistine.

And to be honest, this Fejite City Hall bombing incident is probably just another case of you getting caught up in some trouble, as usual. Other classes might doubt you, but no one in this class is naive enough to question that. What we want to know… isn’t that.”

“Shut up, I get it.”

At Gibul’s point, Glenn sighed deeply and responded with a sulky tone.

“…Rumia is… well… how do I put it…”

As Glenn reluctantly tried to continue—

“Sensei… I’ll tell them.”

“Rumia?”

“It’s my duty.”

Smiling faintly at Glenn, Rumia began to speak slowly, hiding nothing.

She was a member of the imperial royal family, once second in line to the throne. She was born an Ability User, and because of that, she was stripped of her royal status and cast out into the world.

The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom, a magical society, were targeting her ‘Ability.’

Because of this, she had dragged everyone into various incidents.

And this time, with the [Project: Flame of Megiddo]… her very existence had plunged all of Fejite into the brink of destruction.

Rumia laid it all bare, without embellishment, speaking plainly.

Believing that, at the very least, this was her sincerity.

“…That’s everything, I think…”

When Rumia finished, it felt as though the darkness of the night had deepened.

…Silence. The students, who had listened intently to Rumia’s heavy, shocking revelations, could only remain silent in the face of such weighty truths.

“…Everyone, I’m so… sorry…”

Unable to bear the silence, Rumia whispered as if her voice might fade away.

“It’s all my fault… Sensei, Sistie, and Re=L getting hurt… everyone getting dragged into danger… even now, because of me, Fejite is facing the threat of annihilation…”

Silence. The students remained silent.

“I’ve always… thought this. I shouldn’t be here… I don’t belong here… But… I was selfish, leaning on all of you…”

“Rumia…!”

At Rumia’s confession, Sistine looked down with a pained expression, clenching her fists.

“…?”

Re=L, as usual, stayed silent, seemingly oblivious to the situation… but her sleepy eyes seemed to glisten with moisture.

“My selfishness has caused so much trouble for everyone… I’m so… sorry…”

Finally, with those words—

Rumia bowed her head before everyone… and that’s when it happened.

“…Why?”

Wendy’s voice, stiff, muttered softly.

“Why are you only saying this now?”

Her words carried a hint of blame, tinged with anger.

“…Yeah, exactly… it’s way too late for that.”

Kash followed Wendy’s lead.

“Hey! That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think—?”

Unable to stay still, Sistine started to stand, but—

“…Sensei…?”

Glenn grabbed her arm, silently shaking his head, urging her to watch how things unfolded.

Ignoring Glenn and the others—

“…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…”

Rumia could only apologize, her voice filled with sorrow and pain.

And then…

“I… should have disappeared from everyone’s sight much sooner—”

As Rumia began to murmur those words—

Bam! Wendy slammed her hands on the desk, kicking her chair back as she stood.

“Why didn’t you tell us about this sooner!?”

She shouted with a frighteningly serious expression.

“Huh?”

“If we had known about your complicated circumstances… we could have helped you in some way, even before now!”

“…Huh?”

“Sure, compared to Sensei and the others, we might be powerless kids with no real strength… but even so, there must have been something small we could have done!”

“That’s right… we’re Sensei’s students too, you know?”

To a bewildered Rumia, Kash and Cecil continued.

“Carrying such a heavy burden… it must have been… unimaginable for us, how hard it was for you, right…?”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t understand even a fraction of the pain you were carrying.”

With Lynn and Teresa’s apologetic words as a starting point…

“I mean, Rumia, you’re not at fault at all, right?”

“Yeah, you made it sound so serious, I braced myself thinking there was some huge dark secret behind that angelic smile… but it’s not a big deal, so I’m relieved.”

Rodd and Kai chimed in.

“Man… a former princess, huh… no wonder…”

“Damn it… the unattainable flower just shot up to the heavens…”

“Give it up, Bix… it was a hopeless love to begin with…”

Alf, Bix, and Cycer added.

“More than that, I’m more shocked that you didn’t trust us!”

“Right?”

Annette, Bella, and Kathy echoed.

The entire class, looking at one another, spoke up in turn.

Not a single person blamed or criticized Rumia.

Sistine blinked in surprise at the unexpectedly warm response from the students.

“E-everyone…? W-why…?”

Naturally, the most confused was Rumia herself.

“I’m… an Ability User, you know…? They say I’m the reincarnation of a demon…”

“A beautiful, tragic girl with forbidden powers? That’s practically a reward for me, haa, haa…”

““““Luzel! Shut up for a second!”““”

After swiftly shoving the one perverted student into a locker in the corner—

“Hah, an Ability User? Who cares! Sure, ignorant people might have prejudices, but Ability User discrimination is an outdated way of thinking.”

“We’ve been together all this time, haven’t we? No matter what secrets you had, there’s no way we’d ever think we’d be better off without you!”

Kash and Wendy scolded the flustered Rumia.

(…Your Majesty… you…)

At that moment, Glenn recalled Queen Alicia VII, whom he had once served.

The Ability User Protection Act—a law that explicitly protected Ability Users from discrimination and included educational plans to reduce prejudice among young people, a crystallization of her efforts.

Despite opposition claiming it was a waste of budget and would tarnish the royal family’s authority, Alicia had pushed through those policies with unwavering determination.

The bonds Rumia and the others had formed might have been supported, in part, by that motherly love.

“…B-because of me, I keep dragging everyone into danger… even now…”

“Hmph. Don’t underestimate us, Rumia.”

With an irritated tone, Gibul brushed off Rumia’s words dismissively.

“We’re magicians too, you know. We can handle the sparks that come our way ourselves.”

“Gibul-kun…”

“To begin with, choosing to live as a magician means, to some degree, living in the midst of conflict in the future. That’s the resolve we came here with. If I have time to blame you, I’d rather blame my own powerlessness for not being able to do anything… as a magician.”

As if to say there was nothing more to discuss, Gibul turned away with a huff.

A warm, swelling feeling slowly rose within Rumia’s chest.

“E-everyone… are you… forgiving me?”

“Forgive? You haven’t done a single thing wrong, have you?”

“Well, if there’s one thing you did wrong, it’s probably keeping quiet and not trusting us until now, huh?”

Tears began to spill from the corners of Rumia’s eyes, hot and unstoppable.

“Can I… really stay here?”

“Of course you can! You’re our friend, aren’t you?”

“More importantly, how about we all go grab some food? I’m starving!”

“Didn’t they say the cafeteria’s serving hot meals right now?”

“You can’t fight on an empty stomach… and we won’t come up with any good ideas to break through this situation either.”

“Exactly! Let’s overcome this together!”

In front of the students laughing so freely and openly…

“…Thank you… everyone, truly… thank you…”

Rumia shed hot tears alone.

“Rumia… I’m so glad… really…”

Sistine, who had been watching Rumia and the students with bated breath, was also crying.

“Mmm…”

Re=L, in her own way, seemed deeply moved, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her clothes.

(You guys…)

Then, quietly stepping away from the students surrounding Rumia as they headed toward the cafeteria…

Glenn walked alone down a quiet, dimly lit corridor, lost in thought.

(What’s this… you all have grown beyond my imagination… No, I’m the one who’s been the clueless kid here… Haha, what kind of teacher gets taught by his students…)

Of course, things wouldn’t go so smoothly.

Prejudice against Ability Users ran deep. The fact that Class 2 showed such understanding toward Rumia was likely because they had spent so much time with her.

It was still uncertain how other students, or the older instructors and professors bound by outdated prejudices and values, would view her.

Even so…

(Those kids… I’m certain they’ll overcome it.)

Glenn let out a faint smile. It might have been the first time since losing Sera, abandoning his dream of being a mage of justice, and leaving the military that he smiled so genuinely and refreshingly.

At the same time, an emotion naturally welled up from the depths of Glenn’s heart—

(…I want to protect them…)

He clenched his fist tightly, as if to etch that resolve into his soul.

(It’s got nothing to do with being a mage of justice… I want to protect them…! I won’t let some filthy demon destroy that gentle world…!)

With a clear determination, Glenn walked forward.

“I’ll protect them… no matter what…! Whatever it takes…!”

Glenn’s fierce vow…

Echoed softly through the dark, empty corridors of the academy.

Tending to the wounded. Calming the students’ chaos.

Attempting contact with the outside world and gathering various information.

After various tasks and preparations, the emergency strategy meeting against the《Ship of Flames》took place past midnight, when the anxious students had finally begun to fall asleep… after the day had changed.

“Now, I will report the results of my analysis of Fejite and its surroundings, conducted using the academy’s large-scale magical calculator through the Ley Lines.”

The emergency strategy meeting began with a situation analysis report by Christoph《The Hierophant》, a member of the Imperial Court Mage Corps’ Special Missions Annex.

Gathered in the academy’s large conference room, hastily converted into a strategy headquarters, were Headmaster Rick Walken of the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy, leading the group, along with relatively uninjured instructors and professors like Halley, Baron Zest, and Celica as their representative. The Special Missions Annex team, excluding Eve, who was unwell, was also present.

Additionally, those at the center of the series of events—Glenn, Sistine, Rumia, and Re=L (who was already dozing off before the meeting began)—were there, along with Rize Filmer, the student council president, representing the academy’s student body as part of the student council executive committee.

“…As such, the entirety of Fejite is currently enclosed in an unbreakable Dispel-proof barrier, extending from high above the sky to deep underground… making it impossible to contact the outside world or expect external reinforcements.”

Christoph concisely reported various magical analysis results and summarized.

“In other words, the day after tomorrow… no, since the day has changed, tomorrow at noon, the [Megiddo’s Flame] that the《Ship of Flames》will unleash on Fejite… To stop it, we have no choice but to board that《Ship of Flames》ourselves and defeat the Demon General Star《Iron Cavalry General》Accelo Iero.”

“What a situation…”

The instructors and professors gathered could only clutch their heads in despair.

“Hmm, by the way, Chris-boy. How are the citizens of Fejite doing right now?”

Bernard, who had been lounging back in his chair with his feet propped up on the desk, casually listening, completely ignored the heavy atmosphere and asked Christoph.

“Regarding that matter, I consulted with Fejite Patrol Agency Director Ronald earlier. With the series of disasters since yesterday morning and the sudden appearance of that mysterious ship in the sky… there was temporary chaos among the citizens, but the Fejite guards have been deployed around the clock in a state of high alert, suppressing the disorder. For now, there have been no major riots.”

“I see, that’s good to hear. Man, Fejite’s guards are really top-notch, huh?”

“However… you can’t silence the mouths of people, and rumors that the ship in the sky will burn Fejite to ashes are gradually spreading among the citizens, increasing tension. It’s uncertain how long order can be maintained… In any case, the Patrol Agency is fully occupied with suppressing the citizens’ anxiety and confusion.”

“Hmm… well, that’s to be expected.”

“…The same goes for the academy’s students.”

Then, Rize, the student council president, began to speak.

“All the students are magicians. Thanks to their usual training, major chaos has been avoided. However, the mental strain is significant… and with the emergency standby order, it’s uncertain how long we can keep them confined to the academy…”

The emergency standby order was a measure to utilize the students, who were, after all, magicians affiliated with the empire, as necessary manpower in times of crisis—a legitimate obligation for the students.

“Mmm, either way… we need to deal with that《Ship of Flames》as soon as possible.”

“There’s no other choice… by noon tomorrow, Fejite will be wiped off the map.”

Headmaster Rick’s summation cast an even heavier silence over the conference room.

“…Let’s continue.”

Christoph, giving everyone enough time to process, resumed speaking.

“From the magical analysis, it has been determined that the

“…Meaning?”

“If we defeat the demon, the《Ship of Flames》will lose its ability to exist and return to its original isophase alternate-dimensional space.”

“Then it’s simple! Gather the academy’s flight magic devices! We’ll board it ourselves and take that guy down!”

“Unfortunately… I believe that will be difficult.”

Halley boldly declared, but Christoph shook his head in denial.

“Why!?”

“According to the analysis, the interior of the《Ship of Flames》is heavily equipped with flight-type golem dolls designed for aerial combat. Even if we attack from the air, humans won’t be able to get close due to the enemy’s overwhelming air forces. Additionally, an unanalyzable, Dispel-proof spatial distortion has been detected within the ship. It seems to be a defense mechanism integrated into the《Ship of Flames》itself, not a simple enchantment, likely a spatial barrier to block unauthorized intruders.”

“No way…?”

“Yes. Even if we board the ship, we won’t be able to infiltrate its interior. In other words… as we are now, we can’t even fight the demon hiding deep within that ship.”

Christoph’s report plunged those gathered into deeper despair.

The enemy’s stronghold possessed overwhelming forces and defensive capabilities.

And beyond that, the strongest foe—a demon—awaited.

In such a situation, how could they possibly seize victory? Could any historical genius strategist or master tactician find a way?

Everyone in the meeting let out a deep sigh… and then it happened.

“…We can board the ship.”

All eyes turned at once to the one who muttered those words.

It was Celica.

“Yeah, I can… break through the swarm of aerial forces the enemy throws at us. And I can take a few people onto that ship with me.”

“Celica-kun, is that true?”

“Hey, no matter how much of a Septende—Seventh Rank you are, ground combat and aerial combat are completely different… Right now, because of the isolation barrier, we can’t even summon a single Fressberg, the empire’s prized air force mount!”

Halley countered skeptically, as if he found it hard to believe.

The Fressberg was a massive magical beast resembling a swan, with long wings, a graceful neck, and dazzling decorative feathers, its streamlined form breathtakingly beautiful. It possessed the ability to manipulate wind with its wings.

Trained and tamed for combat, controlled through domination magic, the Fressberg cavalry could slice through the skies at unmatched speeds, far surpassing the Pegasus Knights of the neighboring Rezalia Kingdom or the Dragoons of Dragria in the northeast. They were, in truth, the unrivaled kings of aerial combat worldwide.

“In the end, humans are grounded beings. No matter how skilled you are with flight magic, you can’t beat something designed as an aerial weapon! Besides, you’re already physically and spiritually battered, aren’t you!?”

“Oh? Heh heh… Worried about me, Halley?”

“W-who’s worried about an outdated witch like you!?”

Celica, shaking with amusement, laughed, while Halley flared up in anger.

“Don’t worry. I’m not planning some reckless suicide run with flight magic. If we’re fighting in the sky, we just need something suited for the sky. The downside is, it takes time to prepare… Let’s see… even rushing it… it’ll take until around noon tomorrow.”

““““That’s too late!?””””

Instantly, everyone in the room shouted at Celica in unison.

“Look, Celica-kun… do you understand?”

Baron Zest said, exasperated.

“By noon tomorrow, the [Megiddo’s Flame] will fall on Fejite… I can’t even imagine what your method is, but if we wait that long, it’s over!”

“Yeah, you’re right… So, if we could just withstand one hit of the [Megiddo’s Flame], that’d be great… Any ideas for something like that?”

“As if such a thing exists… You’re as absurd as ever, Celica-chan.”

Bernard sighed, exasperated, and those around him nodded in agreement.

“Can’t we manage one hit somehow? If we could, I’d be able to take enough firepower to defeat that filthy demon onto the ship… Right, Halley? Right? You don’t know any way to handle that, do you, Halley?”

For some reason, Celica, hands behind her head and grinning, began teasing Halley.

Halley, in turn, gritted his teeth in annoyance.

“…Halley-kun?”

“Tch… Sharp-eyed witch…!”

Prompted by Headmaster Rick, who seemed to sense something, Halley adjusted his glasses and spoke.

“The [Megiddo’s Flame]… under certain conditions… can probably be blocked.”

““““What!?””””

Halley’s shocking statement drew all eyes to him at once.

Then, Halley pulled a piece of metal from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“What’s that?”

“A fragment of the accursed《Shield of the Power Angel》… that the demon shattered.”

Apparently, after that battle, Halley had collected the fragments and conducted his own investigation.

“It was originally made of Orichalcum… nearly indestructible, so its internal spell structure was impossible to analyze. But thanks to the demon breaking it and exposing a cross-section, I was able to analyze it.”

“Halley-kun, you analyzed it!? The《Shield of the Power Angel》is a relic from a much older era, practically a product of lost magic!”

“Yes, somehow. The shield’s energy reduction field… While a perfect recreation is, as expected, impossible, I can create a degraded replica using all my expertise in convergence and diffusion magic. With rushed work, it’s not impossible to reproduce it by noon tomorrow.”

The room buzzed with excitement at Halley’s unbelievable statement.

“However, to use this as a defensive barrier for Fejite, we’d need top-tier barrier magic expertise… Unfortunately, I’m somewhat lacking in that field. So…”

Halley glanced at Christoph.

“Hey, you there… You’re Christoph Fraul, right? The Fraul family is renowned worldwide for barrier magic. If you provide technical support, I’ll create a shield to block the [Megiddo’s Flame] over Fejite… I swear it on the name of the genius Halley Astry. What do you say?”

“If that’s the case, I’d be happy to assist.”

Christoph smiled in response to the somewhat grumpy Halley.

“Oh… A glimmer of hope…”

“B-but there are still mountains of problems! What about the spatial distortion inside the《Ship of Flames》!?”

“From what we’ve heard, it’s impossible to Dispel…”

As the room heated up again with the next issue…

‘The spatial distortion in the《Ship of Flames》? Ridiculous. That’s easily overcome.’

Suddenly, a weary, decadent voice echoed through the room.

“Nameless!?”

Glenn shot up from his seat.

At the focus of everyone’s gazes… in the corner of the conference room stood a girl with eerie wings, a near-perfect doppelgänger of Rumia—Nameless, who had appeared unnoticed.

“W-who the hell are you!?”

“W-when did you…!?”

Those unaware of Nameless flinched at her bizarre appearance, but…

“It’s fine. She’s shady as hell, but… she’s an ally.”

Glenn forcibly calmed the room and urged Nameless to continue.

“Hey, Nameless. What do you mean you can break through the spatial distortion in the《Ship of Flames》… Is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true. With her… Rumia’s true power.”

All eyes turned to Rumia at once.

“Rumia’s true power…? Her ‘Sympathetic Amplifier’?”

By now, everyone in the meeting was aware of Rumia’s ‘Ability,’ especially after her dramatic use of it to activate the《Mana Dam》earlier.

‘That’s not it.’

Nameless snorted, dismissing Glenn’s question.

‘That thing you call… what was it? Kanno… something? Anyway, the power you’re mistaking it for is just a fragment of light leaking from Rumia’s true power.’

“…Seriously? What kind of power is that?”

‘I’d rather not explain it here. This secret should be shared only with those I truly trust. But rest assured, “the spatial distortion in the《Ship of Flames》can be overcome”… That’s enough for you right now, isn’t it?’

The room erupted with questions about Nameless’s identity, but she remained silent, unfazed by the barrage.

(Ugh, no good. This jerk’s gone into her silent mode.)

Glenn, who had seen Nameless do this during their exploration of the Taum Celestial Temple, knew she wouldn’t budge. She’d claimed before it wasn’t that she wouldn’t talk, but that she couldn’t.

(Fine, whatever. It’s annoying, but we won’t get anywhere like this…)

Knowing Nameless’s tendencies, Glenn gave up and moved the discussion forward.

“For now, let’s ignore this smug fake Rumia, yeah? We’ve got a bigger issue to deal with, don’t we?”

At Glenn’s words, the room fell silent again.

“Right… ‘How do we defeat that filthy demon?’… The final and greatest obstacle.”

Once more, a heavy silence dominated the room.

Everyone was in despair. The demon was too strong—on another level entirely.

Was there even a way in this world to defeat that demon?

“White Cat… As the one here most knowledgeable in magical archaeology, let me ask you… In the fairy tale The Magician of Melgalius, how exactly did the mage of justice defeat《Iron Cavalry General》Accelo Iero?”

“W-well…”

Sistine carefully sifted through her memories.

“As I mentioned before… the protagonist, the mage of justice, fought Accelo Iero several times but… in the end, he never managed to defeat him.”

“Right… Yeah, I thought that’s how it went…”

Glenn let out a deep sigh.

“Oh! But now that I think about it… near the end of the story… during the grand battle in the city of death and despair, ‘Melgalius, the Demon Capital,’ between the mage of justice and the Demon General Stars… Accelo Iero was defeated by a certain person!”

“…A certain person? W-who!?”

Glenn’s face lit up with a flicker of hope as he looked at Sistine expectantly.

“I-I don’t know… Loran Ertoria’s The Magician of Melgalius is generally a highly polished story with consistent foreshadowing and narrative flow… but that part alone feels off.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Well… with no foreshadowing or buildup… in that chapter, the mage of justice’s ‘disciple’ suddenly appears out of nowhere. There was never any hint of such a person before.”

“A disciple!?! N-no way…!?”

“Yes, Accelo Iero was defeated by that disciple…”

“What!? How!?”

“Um… well… the way he was defeated is also bizarre… ‘The disciple poked Accelo Iero’s chest with a small stick, and suddenly, Accelo Iero died.’”

“That’s way too convenient! Get it together, Loran Ertoria!”

As Glenn clutched his head and shouted…

“What the hell are you talking about, Glenn Radars?”

Halley snorted irritably at Glenn and Sistine’s strange exchange.

“No, uh… H-Hal… Hades-senpai. The thing is, for some reason, hints for defeating those demons are often found in the fairy tale The Magician of Melgalius…”

“Hey, you just almost said my name normally, didn’t you? Why’d you correct yourself?”

“But man, this time it’s seriously no help at all…”

“Don’t ignore me, you bastard!”

Ignoring Halley’s hysterics, Glenn sighed.

“Hmph… A fairy tale is just a fairy tale. Stop clinging to it and face reality.”

At that moment, Albert, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

“N-no, wait, you don’t know, but it’s surprisingly…”

“I said face reality.”

Albert coldly cut off Glenn’s words and continued…

“I have one idea about how to defeat that demon, Glenn.”

He said calmly.

“What!? Is that true!?”

All eyes in the room instantly turned to Albert.

“…”

Albert’s hawk-like, piercing gaze remained fixed on Glenn.

Inevitably, the attention that had gathered on Albert slowly shifted to Glenn.

As the gazes began to focus on him, Glenn’s expression subtly twisted with bitterness.

“G-Glenn-kun… could it be… you… no way…?”

Glenn closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He recalled the scene he had seared into his memory moments ago.

The precious sight of Rumia and the Class 2 students, bound by an unbreakable bond—

He replayed that scene in his mind over and over, etching it deeper into his memory…

Then, Glenn opened his eyes and spoke with resolute determination.

“Sorry for the delay in speaking up. There’s… a way we might be able to defeat that thing.”

“Is that true!?”

“Yeah… probably something only I can do in this world…”

At once, the room erupted with a collective “Ooooh!”

A way to counter [Megiddo’s Flame], a method to board the《Ship of Flames》, and now a means to defeat the demon.

Finally, the pieces to break through this situation were coming together.

The funeral-like atmosphere from earlier transformed into a conference room brimming with hope.

But, even so—

“…Sensei?”

Rumia noticed… Glenn’s expression was somehow dark and somber.

Before Rumia could resolve her doubts,

“Very well… let’s evaluate the feasibility of Celica-kun, Nameless-kun, and Glenn-kun’s methods… and work together to devise a concrete plan to defeat that demon.”

Headmaster Rick summarized, and the room once again erupted into heated discussions.

The strategy meeting continued until the eastern sky began to brighten with the dawn.

And then—