Chapter 3: The True Heart of a Good-for-Nothing and the Looming Malice

After the exercise concluded.

All the participating students had gathered once again at the shore of Lake Astoria.

“Ugh, I’m exhausted! I-I survived… I somehow managed to survive! Ugh… being alive is just so wonderful…!”

“Good work, Kash. You really hung in there, huh? I got taken out halfway through, though…”

“Even so, Cecil-san, you were amazing with your sniping, weren’t you? Fufu, you looked so cool!”

“Haha… that was just a fluke…”

Kash, Cecil, and Teresa were praising each other’s efforts.

“W-Why… why must I, a noble lady, suffer the humiliation of ‘dying in battle’?! I won’t accept it! I absolutely won’t accept this!”

“Hmph, how unsightly. You misjudged the advance route and got surrounded by the enemy—obviously, that’s what happens.”

“Eek—! Don’t act all high and mighty just because you survived until the end!”

“N-Now, now, don’t say that… Wendy, you still did really well out there…”

Wendy, dissatisfied with the unfortunate outcome, bit her handkerchief in frustration, while Gibul coldly dismissed her. Lynn, flustered, tried to calm the two down.

The other students from Class Two, sitting on the ground, were also chatting lively about the Magical Corps Battle.

“Well, you guys did great. Holding your own against that Leos is more than good enough.”

Glenn, approaching the group, offered words of encouragement with a smirk.

“Y-Yeah… but, is that okay, Sensei?”

Kash turned to Glenn with a hesitant expression.

“I mean… wasn’t this a bet with Sistine on the line? Is a draw really fine with you?”

“…Hm? Oh, that…”

Just as Glenn was about to say something—

“You lot! What was that pathetic performance?!”

A furious shout echoed from a distance, causing Glenn and Kash to instinctively shrink back.

“What was that disgraceful battle?! If you had followed my orders properly and executed the strategy—!”

Looking over, they saw Leos berating his own group of students, a short distance away from where Glenn’s class had gathered.

The scolded students hung their heads, dejected.

“Man… what a jerk…”

Kash muttered under his breath.

“I thought he was this flawless, perfect superhuman… but something feels off about him…”

After thoroughly chewing out his students, Leos stormed over to Glenn, shoulders tense with anger.

“Hey, that’s not how it works, is it? A soldier’s failure is the commander’s responsibility, no?”

“Be quiet! Someone like you has no right to lecture me!”

“Also… now that I look at you, your face is awfully pale. You sick or something? Maybe you should head home and rest.”

Glancing at Leos’s complexion, Glenn shrugged, trying to change the subject.

Indeed, as Glenn pointed out, Leos’s face was so pallid it could pass for someone gravely ill…

“Whose fault do you think this is?! That doesn’t matter! More importantly, our duel isn’t settled yet!”

Naturally, Leos wasn’t fooled and snapped back at Glenn.

“What do you mean it’s not settled? We already called it a draw…”

Glenn scratched his head, muttering irritably.

“That means we both back off from White Cat, right? I mean, it doesn’t seem like White Cat’s ready to get married anyway…”

Thwack!

At that moment, a glove thrown by Leos struck Glenn’s chest without mercy.

“A rematch! This time, I’m challenging you to a duel!”

“You still haven’t given up on White Cat…?”

Glenn narrowed his eyes, looking down at the glove on the ground.

“Of course not! Until I make Sistine abandon magical archaeology and become my wife—!”

“…Alright, fine. Gotta admit, marrying into money’s pretty tempting. So, for this duel…”

Just as Glenn was about to pick up the glove—

“Leos! Sensei! Stop it already! That’s enough!”

Sistine, who had been listening to their exchange from the sidelines, finally lost her patience and stepped between them.

“If I stay quiet, you two just get carried away, treating me like some kind of prize—!”

“I’m sorry, Sistine. I sincerely apologize for that. However…”

“…I’ve got a lot to say, but Leos, you’re somewhat excusable… at least you’re thinking of me in your own way…”

Sistine shot Glenn a sharp glare, burning with both anger and sorrow.

“But you, Sensei—what’s your deal?! Every single time, you go on about marrying into money! And instead of fighting fair and square as a mage, you resort to such cowardly tricks! Do you seriously think I’d accept your proposal even if you won?!”

“…”

Glenn met Sistine’s glare silently, his eyes half-lidded, for a moment…

“…This time, it’s a one-on-one duel, Leos.”

Ignoring Sistine’s words, he picked up the glove and declared to Leos.

“Tomorrow after school, in the academy’s courtyard. Rules: no lethal magic, but everything else is fair game. That’s how we’ll settle this.”

“—?!”

Sistine froze, her expression like that of an abandoned kitten.

“Hmph… are you sure about this?”

“Idiot. If I win this, I can live it up for the rest of my life! If I don’t go all-in here, then when—?”

Slap! A sharp sound rang out.

Sistine had slapped Glenn’s cheek with all her might as he grinned carelessly.

“—I hate you.”

Leaving those cold words behind,

Sistine ran toward one of the stagecoaches prepared for the return trip.

“Sistie?! Wait a second!”

“Sistine’s really mad… why?”

Rumia and Re=L chased after Sistine’s retreating figure.

Leos, watching the girls leave, turned a mocking smile toward Glenn.

“…Yare yare, maybe you should give up on her, huh?”

“…Hmph. Mind your own business.”

As the students watched the exchange with bated breath, Glenn turned on his heel.

“Alright, today’s magical tactics exercise is over! Good work, everyone! Time to head back.”

In an awkward atmosphere, the students began boarding the multiple stagecoaches prepared for them…

“Damn it… Glenn Radars! What an infuriating man!”

Unlike the other students and instructors, Leos set off for Fejite in his personal coach. Sitting heavily on the luxurious seat inside the carriage, he spat out those words bitterly.

“Leos, that’s just how he is. Always has been… haha, he’s not someone you can deal with easily.”

A young man at the coachman’s seat, holding the reins, responded to Leos’s words.

“As a mage, he’s honestly not that impressive. He wouldn’t even come close to you or me. But… even if he’d lose ninety-nine out of a hundred battles, he’d always manage to pull off that one victory right at the start… that’s the kind of guy he is. He has to be.”

The small window separating the coachman’s seat and the carriage was open, allowing the coachman and Leos to sit back-to-back, conversing through the wall.

“You seem to think quite highly of Glenn-sensei, don’t you?”

“Of course. Otherwise, there’d be no point in going through all this trouble.”

With a smirk,

The coachman, wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his eyes, let out a chilling smile.

“…Trouble? You really say the strangest things sometimes.”

“You don’t need to understand, Leos. There’s no point in you understanding… right?”

“Indeed. There’s no point in me understanding.”

For some reason, Leos didn’t press the coachman’s cryptic words and even nodded in agreement.

“Exactly. That’s how it should be.”

The coachman smiled, satisfied with Leos’s response.

“By the way, how confident are you? You’re dueling Glenn, right?”

“And… how do you know about that?”

“Can you win? Against Glenn.”

There was something unnatural, almost distorted, about the conversation between the coachman and Leos. It felt disjointed, as if the gears weren’t quite meshing, like a ventriloquist talking to a puppet… an odd sense of unease lingered.

“I can win.”

Yet Leos showed no sign of noticing this unease.

He responded to the coachman’s words as if it were perfectly normal.

“Glenn Radars. A mere third-tier, third-rate mage. He’s no match for me, who’s already reached the fifth tier.”

“…That’s quite a claim.”

“Naturally. I pride myself on my research into military magic and my unmatched skill in wielding it. …This time, Sistine will be mine.”

With an expression of absolute confidence in his victory, Leos let out a low chuckle.

“Once I have Sistine… the Kleitos main family, with the Fibel family in hand, will completely outshine that irritating branch family. My future as head of the house will be all but guaranteed…”

At that moment—

“Impossible. …You can’t do it. You’ll never grasp glory.”

The young coachman cut him off bluntly.

“First, it’s almost impossible for you to beat Glenn. If someone like you could defeat him, my ‘justice’ would never lose to him either.”

“…”

Despite the coachman’s rude words, Leos said nothing. He simply fell silent.

“And thinking that getting Sistine means getting the Fibel family… you don’t even feel the slightest unease at that simplistic logic. It’s a matter of noble houses, isn’t it? A personal marriage won’t solve something like that. If two major houses rushed into a marriage, even the government would intervene. It’s unthinkable. But you don’t realize it—no, you can’t realize it…”

“…”

Silence. Leos remained silent. Even when insulted so brazenly by a subordinate, he didn’t respond.

His expression… was utterly vacant.

“Well, those are trivial matters. For my purposes, they don’t really matter… but, well…”

With a glance,

The coachman glanced through the small window at Leos sitting inside.

Confirming his deathly pale complexion once more… he curled his lips into a cold, thin smile.

“The biggest reason you’ll never grasp glory…”

“…What is it?”

Leos asked, his expression still vacant.

The coachman paused for a breath.

“…Is that your time’s already up.”

“…”

On the road back to Fejite,

Inside the small carriage, Sistine sat in sullen silence.

Rumia sat beside her.

Across from them, Re=L was dozing off, lulled by the gentle swaying of the carriage and the pastoral scenery burning in the twilight.

But Sistine had no room in her heart to spare for them right now.

Her mind was consumed with thoughts of Glenn.

“…Sensei…”

He’d always been a hard person to figure out.

Sometimes teasing, sometimes kind. Usually unserious and lazy… but when it mattered, he was dependable, with a fiery sense of justice hidden deep in his heart.

Grumbling about the hassle, he still listened to her unreasonable wish to protect Rumia, even training her for it.

Every time she mastered something new during that training, he’d praise her like it was his own achievement, saying she was amazing, patting her head.

But he’d also look conflicted, with a subtle expression, hoping the situation where she’d need those skills would never come… only to tease her right after, maybe to hide his embarrassment.

Lately, she’d started to feel like she was beginning to understand Glenn, just a little.

But this incident… it made everything unclear again.

Seeing him stubbornly repeat “marrying into money” and act so shamelessly, it almost felt like that was his true intention. Unfortunately, Glenn had the kind of personality where that wouldn’t be surprising.

It shouldn’t matter.

Even if Glenn won, she could just reject him.

So… why did her chest ache so much?

“Was marrying into money really your goal? Was that all you saw me as…?”

She wanted to believe otherwise, but she couldn’t think of any other reason why someone as lazy as Glenn would willingly get involved in such a troublesome affair. Unlike the last duel, which he’d impulsively started, this time he’d willingly accepted the challenge.

That meant… could it be that all the time he spent training her was because of some ulterior motive? The poisonous thought slowly spread through her heart.

Once doubt took hold, it was relentless, spiraling endlessly.

Then—

“You can’t say that, Sistie…”

Startled, Sistine looked up and turned to her side.

Rumia was giving her a gentle, calming smile, as if gently admonishing her.

“You know better than anyone that Sensei isn’t that kind of person, don’t you?”

“But… he kept going on about marrying into money, treating me like a prize…! He even used such cowardly tactics to try to win…! And when I told him to stop, he ignored me and accepted Leos’s duel! What am I to him, anyway?!”

“Yeah… that’s why you’re so upset about Sensei, isn’t it…?”

For a fleeting moment, Rumia’s smile held a hint of loneliness as she murmured softly.

“…Huh? What? What about me?”

“Oh, nothing. I think it’s better if you figure it out yourself…”

“…?”

Sistine rubbed her eyes. The shadow she thought she saw in Rumia’s expression must have been her imagination.

Rumia was smiling brightly, as always.

“I don’t quite understand why Sensei suddenly started acting like this either. The other day, when you and Leos-sensei were walking and talking in the academy’s garden, we were watching from the shadows…”

“Huh? The garden walk…? Oh… that time?”

“Yeah… I asked Sensei to do it because something was bothering me. Sorry.”

Rumia stuck out her tongue slightly, looking apologetic.

“So… Sensei was the only one using magic to eavesdrop on your conversation. He was laughing about how he got more material to tease you with… but then his face turned scary, and he stood up and barged in between you and Leos-sensei…”

Thinking back, that was exactly what happened.

Glenn had interrupted them out of nowhere.

What had she and Leos been talking about at that moment?

It was…

“It just makes it even harder to understand… why Sensei challenged Leos to a duel…”

Sistine sighed, holding her head in her hands.

Rumia gently offered her advice.

“…You should talk to him properly, okay?”

“Huh?”

Sistine’s expression was as if scales had fallen from her eyes.

“I mean, Sistie, you’ve been interpreting Sensei’s intentions in whatever way suits you… and every time he mentioned marrying into money, you just got mad without even trying to understand what he really meant, right?”

Now that she thought about it, Rumia was right.

Two men fighting over her, vying for her attention… maybe, just maybe, she’d been a little thrilled by the idea, like she was the heroine of some grand opera.

“Sure, Sensei’s antics this time were over the top. He’s like a kid who doesn’t understand how girls feel. But… he wouldn’t do something just to hurt someone, would he? You know that, Sistie.”

“…”

“So, talk to him properly, Sistie. I don’t like seeing you get disappointed in Sensei just because you’re judging him by his actions on the surface. I want you and Sensei to be close, like always.”

“Rumia…”

Rumia was right.

It was easy to forget because of his usual good-for-nothing attitude, but… Glenn wasn’t just some deadbeat. The fact that she, Rumia, and Re=L were all here, safe and sound, was proof of that.

Just because Glenn didn’t act or react the way she expected… what was she sulking about? She’d always known he wasn’t the type to quietly follow others’ expectations.

“…When we get back to Fejite…”

With a determined smile, Sistine said,

“I’ll talk to Sensei.”

“…Yeah, that’s the way.”

Rumia smiled like a blooming flower.

Re=L, surrounded by their warm smiles… slept soundly, innocently.

As the sun began to sink completely behind the mountain ridge,

The students arrived at the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy in Fejite and disbanded.

Slipping away from the lingering excitement of the students, Glenn quietly headed toward the academy building.

In the quiet, empty hallways of the academy after hours, he climbed the stairs… and reached the rooftop.

“Phew… I’m beat…”

Leaning against the iron railing, he muttered to himself.

As the twilight hues were gradually eroded by the curtain of darkness, the shadows of the town, shaped by the sharply angled rooftops of its buildings, grew vivid in my eyes.

In the sky, as always, the majestic and grandiose silhouette of the illusory Sky Castle loomed.

Such was… the usual scene.

“Tomorrow, it’ll finally be over… Honestly, against Leos, I don’t see any chance of losing.”

Glenn pulled a single Arcane card from his pocket and gazed at it.

It was an Arcane card adorned with the design of The Fool.

Original Magic [Fool’s World]. A complete suppression of all magical activation within a certain radius centered on himself. The ultimate blindside killer. A spell designed to hunt down purebred magicians like Leos.

Even if, by some chance, this Original Magic were to be broken… Glenn had an intuition that he could probably handle it somehow.

Because… Leos lacked an instinct for victory. No matter how great the gap in their abilities, he seemed utterly unaware that victory, big or small, always lay beyond some degree of risk.

For example, in today’s Magical Corps Battle, if Leos had taken the front lines and commanded in real-time like Glenn did… in truth, Leos would have had a high chance of defeating Glenn. But Leos sat back, letting that victory slip through his fingers, without even realizing it.

Bound by conventional tactics and standard strategies, he let winnable victories escape—a common flaw among inexperienced magicians or commanders. No matter how skilled he was at magic, with such a poor sense of the game, Glenn had no intention of losing to him. If he were to lose to someone of this caliber… he would’ve long since perished on some battlefield during his days as an Imperial Court Mage.

“Still, man… I gotta say, this leaves a pretty bad taste in my mouth…”

Suddenly, he recalled the silver-haired girl who had slapped him across the face and stormed off.

(…Yeah, anyone would be pissed… I’d be pissed too… I really did White Cat wrong…)

Yet, somehow, Glenn wore a refreshed expression as he muttered to himself and looked up at the sky.

“Well, this was probably for the best… right, Sera?”

“No, it’s not.”

Out of nowhere, an irritated voice struck him like a slap, and Glenn jumped in place, startled.

“Wha—!? White Cat!? W-When did you get here!?”

“Just now. …I just got here. I’ve been looking for you for a while, you know.”

Sistine pouted, sulking.

Looking over, he noticed the rooftop door had somehow opened without him noticing.

“More importantly… what was that just now? You feel bad about what you did to me, yet you caused that whole mess… is that what you’re saying? And who’s Sera?”

“Ugh… You heard that… Damn, my bad…”

Glenn’s face twisted as if he’d bitten into a sour bug, and he scratched his head in frustration.

“Isn’t it about time you explained? Why did you challenge Leos to a duel… and why were you spouting all that nonsense? I think I have a right to know, don’t you?”

With a huff, Sistine crossed her arms and glared at Glenn.

“You’ve helped me out a lot, in your own way… I don’t want to stay disappointed in you like this.”

“Like I’ve said a million times…”

Glenn looked away awkwardly, muttering as if it were a hassle.

“It’s about marrying up. A chance to maybe not have to work in the future popped up, so I just jumped on it…”

But at those words, Sistine stared straight into Glenn’s eyes.

“Look, staring at me like that won’t get you anywhere…”

Still, Sistine kept her gaze fixed on him, silent. Her eyes carried a resolute will, as if she wouldn’t budge until he told the truth.

Even Glenn, with all his bravado, couldn’t keep up his usual banter in the face of those earnest eyes.

For a while, a heavy silence hung between them…

…until, finally.

“Alright, fine… How about a little fairy tale?”

Giving in, Glenn let out a deep sigh and muttered.

“Once upon a time, in a faraway place, there was a little brat.”

“…?”

Sistine, unable to follow the sudden shift, looked at him with suspicion, but…

“For some reason, that brat idolized the idea of a ‘Mage of Justice’ and genuinely aimed to become one. He studied magic, which he loved, with all his heart and eventually became a mage in the Imperial Army.”

“!”

Mage of Justice. Imperial Army Mage.

Sistine’s eyes widened slightly at phrases she’d heard somewhere before.

“But he was a complete failure. ‘Mage of Justice’ was just something out of fairy tales. The brat was quickly crushed by the limits of magic, his own shortcomings, and the blood-soaked reality of the world. The magic he once loved became something he despised.”

“Sensei… could that be…?”

Sistine seemed to grasp the metaphor behind the story.

Glenn’s lips twisted into a self-deprecating smirk.

“Even so, the reason that brat didn’t give up on being a ‘Mage of Justice’ was, quite frankly, because a really cute girl cheered him on so earnestly… She called it a wonderful dream… That girl was a fellow mage, his colleague…”

Glenn’s story continued, told in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

Sistine listened quietly, her expression solemn, hanging on his every word.

“And eventually, the brat started thinking that maybe he didn’t need to become a ‘Mage of Justice’ after all. As long as he could protect that girl, that was enough. He was, in his own way, charging down the road of youth… But during a certain mission, he was foolish enough to let that girl die.”

“!”

Sistine’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden turn in the story.

Glenn, still in the same tone, shrugged and put on a playful air.

“After that, everything felt pointless. The brat quit being a mage and became a jobless shut-in. What a stupid story. The end.”

Glenn’s tale was told in an absurdly simple, curt way, with a deliberately flippant tone.

“…I’m sorry, Sensei. I shouldn’t have asked so casually…”

But Sistine could see, behind those light words, the immense pain he carried. It was evident in the faint traces of his expression, despite his attempt to act unaffected.

“But I don’t think it’s a stupid story. That mage must have faced struggles we, living peacefully, could never imagine…”

“Nah, I doubt it. Probably not.”

“Even so, I don’t understand.”

Sistine let out a sigh, her expression complicated.

“What does that story have to do with you acting so ridiculous?”

“…You’re like her.”

Glenn scratched his head, looking uncomfortable as he spoke.

“Huh?”

“The girl who believed in the brat’s dream of being a ‘Mage of Justice’… Sera. She was oddly meddlesome, preachy, a bit unreliable… and so earnestly chasing her own dreams. You’re just like her.”

“……”

Being told she was similar, Sistine’s face showed a mix of confusion and silence.

“Honestly, I don’t even know what I was trying to do.”

Glenn looked up at the sky, as if searching for answers.

“My dreams were shattered long ago, but deep down, I might’ve been hoping for something from you, someone so earnest about your own dreams. Maybe I couldn’t forgive Leos for denying your dreams… Or maybe, because you’re like Sera, whom I failed to protect and who died with her dreams unfulfilled, I wanted to protect your dreams as some kind of atonement for her… I don’t even know anymore.”

The sun was setting.

Slowly, ever so slowly, it sank below the horizon.

“All I know is… when Leos got in the way of your dreams and denied them, I was beyond pissed. Before I knew it, I’d thrown down the gauntlet…” I didn’t care about winning or losing… I just couldn’t stand that guy, Leos. I wanted to wipe that smug look off his face, no matter what. That’s all it was.”

Glenn’s story came to a close, and for a moment, silence hung between them.

Finally, Sistine let out an exasperated sigh and spoke.

“Geez, I thought there’d be some grand reason… but in the end, it’s just personal feelings, huh?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Glenn had no room to argue against Sistine’s blunt assessment.

“Picking a fight just because you didn’t like him, without thinking it through… You’re like a kid. So stupid.”

“…Ouch.”

Glenn turned away, avoiding Sistine’s sulky glare.

…But then.

“Still… I was maybe a little happy.”

“…?”

Glenn glanced at her curiously, caught off guard by her unexpected words.

“What Leos said… it’s actually true.”

Sistine murmured, her gaze drifting up to Melgalius’s Sky Castle.

“In reality, I’m nowhere near my grandfather’s level… The more I study magic, the less I feel I can ever match him. Sometimes, I feel like giving up… wondering if I should even keep going down this path…”

“…Yeah… I get that.”

Glenn let out a breath in response to Sistine’s words.

“Chasing dreams sounds nice, but… in reality, it’s mostly just tough, huh? I shouldn’t have butted in without knowing how you felt…”

“But…”

Overlapping Glenn’s lonely murmur, she continued.

“Even if it’s a dream others might laugh at… it seems there are some people out there who’d support it, even at the cost of being frowned upon. That makes me think I should keep trying… For that alone… thank you, Sensei.”

A gentle breeze blew, lifting Sistine’s faintly smiling hair.

Her silver hair, softly held by her delicate hand, glowed red in the sunset, looking mystical and beautiful… Her features faintly evoked the image of someone long gone, someone dear.

Glenn, caught off guard, stared blankly at her smile for a moment…

“Hah! Damn right! Supporting a student’s dreams is, like, the sacred duty of a teacher, you know!?”

Glenn burst into a smug laugh, already back to his usual self.

“Don’t get cocky! You need to learn a thing or two about a woman’s heart! Was there really no other way!? Marrying up, my foot! How rude!”

“H-Hey, the marrying-up part was, like, kinda serious…”

“What was that!?”

Sistine’s eyes narrowed as she pounced on Glenn, as usual…

And Glenn deflected her with a mix of teasing and amusement.

Their usual dynamic was finally back…

“Hmph… What a cunning man you are.”

The one who threw cold water on their moment was…

“Leos!?”

Leos, who had appeared in a corner of the rooftop without any warning or presence.

Perhaps after some rest, or having calmed down, his complexion looked much better.

“How cruel, Sistine… Enjoying a rendezvous with another man, leaving your fiancé behind…”

“N-No, that’s not…!”

Ignoring Sistine’s flustered reaction, Leos approached Glenn and faced him.

“You’re quite the despicable man, Glenn Radars. Spinning your past like some beautiful tale to win Sistine’s sympathy or empathy… Am I wrong?”

“What’d you say…?”

Instantly, Glenn’s eyes sharpened.

“I’ve kept quiet until now, but given my work on national projects involving military magic research, I have access to certain classified Imperial Army information… So I know what you’ve done in the past.”

Leos fixed Glenn with a chilling, icy stare and said,

“…Don’t you, Glenn-san, The Fool?”

“────!?”

In that moment, Glenn paled as if he’d seen a ghost.

“S-Sensei…?”

Sistine looked at the shaken Glenn with unease.

“Think carefully, Sistine. Glenn-sensei brushes it off, but… in the shadows of that story, how many lives do you think he’s taken with those hands? Can you imagine how much blood stains them?”

“……What?”

Leos’s words hit Sistine like a hammer, sending a shock through her.

“He quit being a mage out of petty sentiment and somehow landed this position… But Glenn-sensei, you don’t belong in this sunlit world. Do you?”

“…Ugh.”

“With those bloodstained hands… what exactly do you intend to teach your students?”

“────!”

Glenn, drenched in cold sweat, fell silent as Leos’s cold smirk pressed on.

“Leos! How could you say such things!? There’s a line you don’t cross──”

“You, and all the students, are being deceived by this fraud.”

Sistine, chilled by his soul-freezing smile, forgot her anger in her shock.

“He wins over students with progressive lessons and gains their support… But if they knew Glenn-sensei’s true nature, what would they think of him? Heh…”

Sistine couldn’t believe it.

Was her childhood friend really this kind of person? Smiling like a devil, tearing others down? What had happened to him? He was like a completely different person.

And──

“U-Um… Glenn-sensei…?”

Why wasn’t Glenn refuting anything? His face pale, sweat beading on his forehead, he only glared at Leos with eyes sharp as a reaper’s scythe, silent.

His demeanor seemed to confirm that Leos’s words were true…

“Do you understand now, Sistine? Glenn-sensei is not a man worthy of you. In fact, he shouldn’t even be in our world──”

“Shut up.”

Glenn’s low murmur was like the growl of a demon from hell.

“…I said shut up. This is your warning. Close your mouth and get out of here. If you say one more word… I won’t wait for tomorrow’s duel. I’ll end this right here, right now.”

At that moment, Sistine’s heart screamed as if it might burst.

Glenn, too, seemed like a different person. Those dark, cold, dangerous eyes were unimaginable on the usual carefree, goofy Glenn. Just looking at them made her break into a sweat, her anxiety spiking.

He was a slacker, sure, but he’d always been fundamentally gentle… Where had the usual Glenn gone?

“Oh, my, getting angry because the truth was pointed out? That makes you even less worthy of Sistine… Well, you’ve always belonged to that world, haven’t you?”

But Leos was unfazed, as if he were enjoying the situation, as if he’d been waiting for this moment.

“I said shut up… That’s the second warning…”

“Heh… You don’t belong here. You had a place and role far more fitting. Why are you in this sunlit world? Go back to your world, Glenn.”

And then.

“Third… I warned you.”

In that instant, Glenn kicked off the ground, charging at Leos with blinding speed.

To Sistine’s eyes, it looked as if Glenn had simply vanished.

In that whirlwind-like advance, Glenn drew the Fool’s Arcane, activated [Fool’s World], pulled back his right fist like a taut bowstring, and aimed straight for Leos.

With all his raging emotions poured into that fist, he unleashed it directly at Leos──

“Tch, violence isn’t the answer.”

Smack.

Leos’s left arm, flowing in a smooth arc, effortlessly deflected Glenn’s fist.

Glenn’s body, thrown off balance, slid past Leos…

“Wha──?”

Glenn’s face froze in shock.

He hadn’t even considered the possibility that his strike would be parried.

Leos’s graceful movement, which had deflected the blow, was unmistakably the refined Imperial Military Combat Technique.

(No way──there wasn’t even a hint this guy had trained in any combat arts──!?)

Thud!

A heavy, sharp impact struck Glenn’s back, cutting off his thoughts.

Leos, having parried Glenn’s punch, spun elegantly in place and delivered a spinning back kick to Glenn’s spine.

“Gaaah──!?”

Kicked away, Glenn rolled across the floor, crashing into the iron railing with a clang.

“Guh… Damn──”

He tried to spring back up, but the fight was already over.

“──!?”

Raising his head, Glenn’s vision was filled with──

Four mysterious semi-spiritual creatures—fist-sized red crystals wreathed in flame, each with a pair of wings—floated around Glenn as he struggled to regain his footing.

Meanwhile, Leos’s gloves seemed to have something embedded in them. Glittering, minuscule powder flowed from his hands, spreading into the air around him…

“Tulpa!?”

Recognizing the creatures’ true nature, Glenn was stunned.

Tulpa── also known as artificial spirit. The pinnacle of alchemical arcana, a secret art to artificially create gods, demons, or spirits.

By using a specially alchemically concocted drug to induce an instant trance state, one could forcefully implant the recognition of an imaginary entity into their deep subconscious field. Using pseudo-etheric particles scattered in the surrounding space as a screen, that imagined entity was projected into reality. It was a bold technique that exploited the magical principle of the Law of Equivalent Exchange, which states that the world and the individual correspond equivalently.

In magical theory, gods and demons are powerful conceptual entities widely recognized and shared in the collective deep subconscious field of humanity, given form through some means──products of an implicit consensus in the collective unconscious. The St. Elizares Church’s Holy Knights’ “Angel Summoning” is a prime example.

Tulpa Summoning, however, is an absurd technique that uses a mind-altering drug to replicate the creation of gods or demons single-handedly.

Naturally, a single misstep could render one a husk of a person, making it a forbidden spell──

“Tulpas are powerful. Especially against you… right?”

Tulpa Summoning doesn’t involve altering the world’s laws through spell chants and deep subconscious manipulation. It’s merely an extension of extreme biological reactions, amplified by drug-induced delusions. Glenn’s trump card, [Fool’s World]… was useless against it.

“Oh, don’t move. Those are [Salamander・Fake], Tulpas manifested as the famous fire spirit Salamander… Well, it’s basic Tulpa Summoning, but you know their power, don’t you? Touch them, and it won’t just be a burn.”

“……!”

Glenn gritted his teeth in frustration.

…Utter defeat.

Not only had his own Original Magic sealed his abilities, but Leos’s godlike skill in manifesting Tulpas in an instant was beyond comprehension. The gap in their abilities as magicians was as vast as heaven and earth.

He couldn’t win.

I can’t beat this guy. Not a chance. Total defeat.

Before the crestfallen Glenn, who hung his head in defeat, Leos smirked and dispelled his spell.

Like mist dissolving into the wind, Leos’s Tulpas vanished and drifted away.

“Well, it seems the outcome is already clear without waiting for tomorrow’s duel… But no, no, surely you’re not this pathetic, are you?”

Leos’s grandiose gestures and tone carried a theatrical flair.

“Your valor as a mage… those unbelievable battle records… From those, I’d wager there’s still a peak you haven’t even realized you could reach…”

Looking down at Glenn with a faint, mocking smile, Leos spoke.

“Get serious, Glenn. If you don’t get serious, you’ll never come close to touching me. Tomorrow, I sincerely hope you’ll show me your true strength.”

And with that, he gave an exaggeratedly polite bow, dripping with insolence.

“…”

Staggering to his feet, Glenn turned on his heel and silently left the scene…

“S-Sensei…”

Unsure of what to say but feeling she had to say something, Sistine started to run after Glenn…

“We need to talk, Sistine.”

But Leos grabbed her left arm, stopping her in her tracks.

Without so much as a glance back, Glenn passed through the rooftop door in silence… and disappeared from the rooftop.

“L-Let go, Leos! I have to go after Sensei…!”

She tried to wrench her left arm free from Leos’s forceful grip, but his unexpectedly strong hold kept her arm firmly in place.

“Leave that miserable mutt alone, Sistine.”

“—!”

Until now, she had overlooked Leos’s pushiness and arrogance, chalking it up to him being her childhood friend who had once been kind to her.

But now, even her patience had reached its limit.

“Enough already—!”

Fueled by anger, Sistine raised her right hand to slap Leos across the cheek.

But with a smug, effortless expression, Leos caught her swinging right hand.

Now with both hands restrained by Leos, Sistine squirmed.

“L-Let go! Let me go!”

As Sistine thrashed and shouted…

“Shut up, you little brat. I said we need to talk. Want me to make sure no one ever looks at that face again? …Huh?”

“…? A-Ah…”

Suddenly, Leos’s tone and demeanor shifted, his face twisting into a demonic scowl.

It was as if a vengeful spirit was peering up at her from the depths of the abyss, and Sistine’s heart screamed in terror.

Scary.

Right now, Sistine found Leos Kleitos utterly, overwhelmingly terrifying.

Her shoulders and knees trembled uncontrollably, quaking with fear.

Her spine felt as though it had been pierced by an icy blade, cold and painful.

“…Hmph. That’s better.”

Noticing Sistine had quieted, Leos released her arms.

Sistine didn’t flee. …She couldn’t flee.

She desperately wanted to bolt from this place, to escape Leos like a rabbit fleeing a predator… but her legs were frozen, refusing to move.

What was this? Was this Leos really the “kind big brother” from her childhood? He seemed like an entirely different person now.

“Now… shall we continue our talk?”

Leos smiled pleasantly before the pale, trembling Sistine.

“But, well, the matter’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? Marry me, Sistine.”

“—!?”

Half a step.

Sistine’s foot managed to retreat just half a step.

“What’s wrong? My victory is already assured. Besides, I’m your dreamy childhood older brother, aren’t I? What’s there to hesitate about now?”

“Y-You… you’re not Leos anymore… not like this…”

“Unfortunately, Sistine, you don’t have the right to refuse.”

With smooth, gliding steps, Leos easily closed the distance as Sistine backed away, leaning in to whisper softly in her ear.

“Your friend… Rumia Tingel. Her background and abilities… I’m sure you’d prefer those stay secret, wouldn’t you? Would you be fine if she could no longer attend the academy?”

“—Wha!?”

This time, Sistine felt as though the ground beneath her had crumbled away.

“Hahaha! Look at that, your face finally changed… Yes, for example… if I were to leak this information to the Saint Carol Monastery, that unofficial martial order that secretly hunts Ability Users… how many days do you think she’d last before meeting an ‘accident’…? Heh heh heh…”

“N-No… Ah… A-Ah…”

“And Re=L Rayford… Oh, she’s not quite on Rumia Tingel’s level, but… she seems to have her own share of skeletons in the closet. ‘Project: Revive Life’… Even I, knowing the truth, can hardly believe it… but there are countless underground organizations that would love to get their hands on her as an experimental guinea pig.”

There was no human more fitting of the word demon than this man—Sistine knew it instinctively.

“H-How… do you know…!?”

Her voice hoarse and gasping, Sistine managed to choke out the question.

“N-No way… Leos… are you… with the Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom…!?”

The moment Sistine blurted out those words—

“What did you say…!? You filthy wench…!?”

Leos’s icy sneer vanished in an instant, replaced by a blazing fury in his eyes as he grabbed Sistine by the collar and glared at her.

“Don’t you dare lump me with those vile, wretched, filthy scum…!”

“H-Hii—!”

Overwhelmed by his ferocity, Sistine could only shrink back in terror, her body trembling. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes from sheer fear. She was like a frog paralyzed by a snake’s stare.

“Hmph…”

Leos cast a disdainful glance at her and continued.

“Whatever. Anyway, you’re smart enough to understand, aren’t you? You have no right to refuse. So, what’ll it be? Will you accept my proposal?”

“—!”

He was right. Refusing Leos’s proposal would be tantamount to condemning Rumia and Re=L to death. She could never do that.

“…N-Ngh…”

With a faint nod, Sistine trembled violently.

“Haha, I knew you’d accept my proposal, Sistine. I love you, you know.”

Leos laughed shamelessly—and then said something even more unbelievable.

“Actually, I’ve already arranged the wedding venue. Saint Catarina Cathedral in Fejite’s central district. Don’t worry, I’ve prepared a wedding dress tailored just for you. I knew I’d win, after all.”

“Wha—!”

The sheer speed of this development nearly short-circuited Sistine’s mental processing.

“The ceremony will be this weekend, on Battle Heaven Day. Oh, and I’ve already taken care of notifying everyone and handling the paperwork just moments ago, so no need to worry.”

Sistine could only gape in shock at Leos’s words, each one more outrageous than the last.

“N-No way… That’s way too sudden! That’s not normal at all!”

“As I’ve said repeatedly, you don’t have the right to refuse.”

“B-But, wait…! A-At least, I need to talk to my father and mother…!”

“No need to worry. Your parents won’t be back in Fejite for another month.”

Leos spoke with an unwavering, serene smile.

“After all… your parents are busy chasing after [Angel Dust], traveling across the empire’s regions for their investigation. Quite convenient, isn’t it…?”

“…Huh? [Angel Dust]…? W-What’s that…?”

“All we need to do is register the marriage and make it a done deal. It’s just like the old, traditional ‘bride-stealing’ from ages past. I’m sure your parents will understand… After all, we’re in love, aren’t we?”

“…”

Sistine was utterly lost, unable to keep up with the conversation.

All she knew was that Leos Kleitos was terrifying beyond measure.

“It’s fine, Sistine. Just leave everything to me. That’s all you need to do, and everything will work out perfectly… Yes, everything.”

Leos’s smile remained ever so gentle…

“By the way, don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. The moment you do… Rumia Tingel and Re=L Rayford won’t just be expelled—they’ll be forced out of the country. Keep that in mind, okay?”

His smile was somehow serpentine…

(What is this…? What’s happening…? What’s going on…? This is absolutely wrong… Help… Someone, please help…!)

Giving up on thinking, Sistine clutched her head and crouched down.

(Father… Mother… Rumia… Re=L… Sensei…! Anyone… Someone… Please, save me from this demon…! Someone…!)

And then… the next day.

The official announcement of Sistine and Leos’s engagement was made.

The rumor that Sistine had willingly accepted Leos’s proposal sent shockwaves through the academy.

The unprecedented lightning-fast marriage, set to take place in just one week, caused double the uproar.

The dramatic, opera-like turn of events had the academy’s students, unaware of the truth, buzzing with excitement.

What would Glenn, who had accepted Leos’s duel, do next—?

How would this battle between two men over one girl end—?

All eyes in the academy were on this conflict, expectations rising whether they liked it or not.

…However.

Glenn didn’t show up at the appointed time for the duel with Leos.

In fact, he didn’t even appear at the academy.

From that day onward, Glenn became completely unreachable.

He had fled.

Everyone naturally came to that conclusion…

And with that, Glenn’s reputation within the academy plummeted to rock bottom.

Now, the entire academy was abuzz with talk of Sistine and Leos’s marriage.

“Kii—! So frustrating—!”

“Leos-sama… Don’t marry a girl like her—!”

Marrying Leos, the rumored beautiful nobleman, the very image of a “dreamy prince”… The academy’s starry-eyed female students bit their handkerchiefs, casting jealous and envious glares at Sistine.

“Leos-sama marrying Sistine? No way! It’s got to be a lie…”

At first, everyone uniformly dismissed the news as a rumor due to its unnatural haste…

But with Leos’s official announcement circulating the academy and the sight of Sistine and Leos constantly together outside of class, it became clear the rumor was true…

Some of the female students were on the verge of losing their minds.

“Ugh… The rumor’s real…? Sniff…”

“Tch… Damn useless, that Glenn-sensei…”

The female students could only weep torrents at the sight of Sistine and Leos’s seemingly affectionate behavior.

But a few sharp-eyed students, keeping their distance from the rumors, might have noticed.

Something was off.

Sistine’s happy smile seemed forced, shadowed by something dark.

“…Sistine, we need to talk.”

During a break period.

In the classroom, Wendy and a few other classmates confronted Sistine.

“Are you serious? Are you really marrying Leos-sensei?”

Wendy thrust the wedding invitation she’d received from Leos at Sistine, her expression skeptical as she pressed her.

“Y-Yeah… That’s right… We were engaged to begin with, and… b-being Leos’s bride was my childhood dream, so… I’m really happy.”

At first glance, her smile was flawless, but Sistine’s expression was undeniably stiff.

“Your dream? Didn’t you always go on about studying magic, mastering magical archaeology, and unraveling the mystery of [Melgalius’s Sky Castle]? You used to talk our ears off about it…”

Kash, with a sour look as if he’d bitten into something bitter, voiced his objection.

“Once you get married… that stuff’s gonna be tough, right? You okay with that?”

Sistine’s back twitched faintly for a moment…

“Haha… Sure, it was a dream, but… it’s just a dream, you know. I think clinging to childish dreams and throwing away real happiness would be a mistake…”

No matter how you looked at it, something was wrong.

For Sistine, the quintessential Melgarian, to dismiss her dream of the Sky Castle like that?

Wendy and Kash’s expressions grew even more rigid with suspicion.

“A-And besides, I’m marrying someone who’s always cared for me, you know? I’m sure I’ll be happy…”

“Even so, a wedding this weekend is way too sudden, Sistine.”

Cecil, standing beside Kash, spoke up nervously.

“Indeed. The absurdly short time between engagement and ceremony aside… I’ve never heard of a wedding where neither set of parents can attend. Don’t you feel guilty, holding a wedding and registering the marriage without their approval?”

“Ugh… That’s… Right! It was always the plan! Both my parents and Leos’s parents know about this, and… they’ve given their blessing…!”

“…! Rumia, is this true!?”

Wendy turned to Rumia, who was watching from a distance.

“Your best friend is suddenly doing this… Are you okay with it!?”

“W-Well…”

But Rumia said nothing, only lowering her head with a dark expression.

Something was definitely wrong. What had happened?

The unnatural progression of this story left Sistine’s concerned classmates with unmistakable traces of anxiety and doubt.

“Sistine… You’re not acting like yourself. Could it be… that Leos person is holding some kind of leverage over you…?”

“…Huh?”

For a split second, Sistine glanced at Rumia, who was watching her with worry…

“N-No way! I’m just so happy to have this wonderful marriage that I can’t quite believe it… I’m just in a daze! Don’t worry!”

Sistine laughed, but her smile still felt insincere.

“Hey, Sistine.”

At that moment, Leos appeared out of nowhere.

Kash, Wendy, and the others instinctively tensed.

“I’d like to discuss some details about this weekend’s ceremony. Do you have a moment?”

“Oh… Y-Yeah, I understand, Leos…”

The two walked out of the classroom side by side, appearing affectionate at a glance… but the group watched them leave with suspicious eyes.

“…Rumia.”

Re=L, who had been observing the exchange, muttered softly.

“…That guy… Can I cut him down?”

“Re=L?”

Rumia looked at Re=L’s profile.

Re=L’s eyes, usually sleepy and expressionless, were now sharp and cold, almost unbelievably so.

“Leos? …That guy… He gives me a bad feeling… A really bad feeling… I don’t quite get it, but… yeah, he’s… definitely an enemy.”

“No, you can’t just act recklessly!”

Rumia hurriedly grabbed Re=L from behind as she took a step forward.

“We don’t have any proof! If you do something rash, you’ll be the one who gets caught!”

“But… Sistine… She’s probably suffering because of that guy… I just… have a feeling.”

Re=L clenched her fists tightly.

If you looked closely, her fists were trembling ever so slightly.

“Wait… Just a little longer, please! Sensei… Glenn-sensei will surely do something…!”

“But Glenn’s gone. He disappeared three days ago.”

“…”

“Three days ago, early in the morning, he came to my place, woke me up… told me to absolutely stick with Rumia for the next few days… and then he was gone.”

Rumia’s thoughts drifted back to the events of three days ago…

…Three days ago.

The Magical Corps Battle exercise had concluded successfully, and it was now well into the night, the sun long set.

Rumia was waiting for Sistine’s return in the reception room of the Fibel residence…

“Sistie!? Are you serious!?”

“…I’m serious. I’m… marrying Leos.”

Sistine’s sudden declaration upon her return left Rumia stunned.

She had fully expected Sistine to come back reconciled with Glenn—only to be hit with this bombshell instead.

It was so sudden, so completely unexpected.

“W-Wait a second, Sistie!”

From there, Rumia and Sistine engaged in a heated argument.

What happened? Are you serious? This is absolutely weird! It’s way too sudden, marrying without telling your parents is strange! What about your dreams? What about your promise with your grandfather? What about the academy? Are we going to be separated now? I don’t want that…!

The two went back and forth, repeating the same points over and over, arguing like it was a fight until midnight.

But… in the end, Sistine remained adamant about marrying Leos.

Still, some things became clear.

Sistine hedged her words, but as I pressed her repeatedly, a vague picture emerged… Earlier, when she met Glenn on the academy rooftop to reconcile, Leos showed up… and something happened.

“Just leave me alone! It’s not a big deal, okay!? I’ve loved Leos forever! Becoming his bride has been my dream since I was a kid!”

“S-Sistie…”

There’s no way Sistine truly wants to marry Leos.

She may not realize it herself yet… but Rumia knows who Sistine truly cares for deep in her heart.

Besides, if this were a marriage she genuinely wanted… she wouldn’t be staring at me with that expression, like she’s about to burst into tears.

It’s obvious something happened between her and Leos.

There’s no doubt he’s got some kind of leverage over her.

But Rumia is powerless to do anything about it.

Aside from being somewhat skilled in healing spells, she’s an utterly average mage. Her best friend is in dire straits… and yet she can do nothing. She doesn’t even know what to do.

In times like this, the only person she can rely on is…

“…Sensei…!”

Cursing her own uselessness and overwhelmed with guilt, Rumia bolts out of the Fibel estate, heading for Celica’s mansion where Glenn is staying.

It’s already well past midnight.

Without a lantern or even remembering to use illumination magic, Rumia races through Fejite, guided only by the faint glow of streetlamps scattered here and there.

The late hour cloaks Fejite in silence and darkness, making the city feel like a ghost town.

Fighting back the primal fear of the dark, Rumia finally reaches Celica’s mansion.

(Please… Sensei… be awake…!)

With a prayer in her heart, she frantically rings the bell at the mansion’s front entrance…

How long does she keep at it?

“…Who the hell’s making all that noise?”

Eventually, Glenn cracks the door open slightly, peering at Rumia with ghostly eyes.

“…Rumia?”

“Sensei—!”

In that instant, Rumia slips her body through the narrowly opened door, forcing her way into the mansion… and throws her arms around Glenn.

“…Wha!?”

Stumbling backward, Glenn somehow manages to catch Rumia.

As Glenn blinks in shock, Rumia, tears streaming down her face, desperately pleads with him.

“Sensei, please! Help! Sistie… if this keeps up, Sistie…!”

Sobbing uncontrollably, Rumia tells Glenn everything she knows.

…And then.

Glenn, whose expression had been consumed by emptiness and lethargy, gradually regains light and strength in his eyes as he listens to Rumia’s story…

“…Leave it to me.”

Just one sentence.

Stroking Rumia’s head… he says it with unwavering resolve.

…Her consciousness, which had been swimming in memories from three days ago, suddenly snaps back to the present.

“It’s okay… Sensei said, ‘Leave it to me’…”

As if to suppress her own anxiety, Rumia reassures herself, speaking to Re=L, whom she holds close.

But… since that night, there’s been no word from Glenn.

He even skipped the duel with Leos that was supposed to happen the next day and vanished without a trace.

Even so.

Rumia believes. She keeps believing and waiting for Glenn.

…She has no choice but to keep waiting.

(…Sensei… please… I beg you…)

She continues to believe and pray…

…But.

In the end—Glenn never shows up at the academy.

One day passes… then two… and finally, the weekend arrives…

Today is Sistine and Leos’s wedding.

“…In the end… Glenn didn’t come.”

“……”

Re=L’s muttered dissatisfaction dissipates into the plain room.

Rumia simply remains silent, her expression dark.

The place where Rumia and Re=L are waiting is the transept waiting room of Saint Catarina Cathedral, where Sistine’s wedding is being held.

Right now, Sistine is in the dressing room at the back, being helped by the cathedral’s sisters to change into her wedding dress.

The inner sanctum of the cathedral, where the ceremony will take place, is already filling with Sistine’s classmates, academy staff, and people who seem to be Leos’s acquaintances.

Given the rushed nature of the wedding, the number of attendees isn’t large, but it’s still enough to celebrate a woman’s new chapter in life.

“Hey… Rumia… is Sistine really going through with this… marriage thing? It kinda… looks like she doesn’t want to…”

Re=L asks in a low, listless voice.

A best friend is getting married. Normally, they should be celebrating wholeheartedly… but the air in the waiting room is oppressively heavy and dark.

Just then.

There’s a stir of movement from the dressing room in the back.

“Alright, we’ve got a stunning bride here! Come on, her friends, take a good look!”

A cheerful sister, oblivious to the situation, approaches.

Accompanied by the sister, someone gracefully walks toward Rumia and the others.

“Wow…”

For a fleeting moment, the heavy, dark emotions swirling in Rumia’s chest are blown away, and she stares, captivated, at the approaching figure.

“…!”

Even Re=L, usually sleepy-eyed, widens her eyes in astonishment.

“…Rumia. …Re=L.”

Standing before them is Sistine, clad in a pure white wedding dress.

The tight upper bodice is adorned with intricate embroidery, while the skirt flares out gently below. The dress, with its bold design exposing her delicate shoulders and chest, is softened by a sheer lace cape that gracefully drapes from her neck over both shoulders, chest, and lower back, enhancing her purity and elegance with a refined air.

She wears pure white fingerless gloves on both hands, understated necklaces and earrings adorning her neck and ears, and a luxurious lace-trimmed wedding veil crowns her head—the long veil sways softly with each step Sistine takes.

The subtle makeup, applied to highlight her natural beauty, transforms her aura into something breathtakingly mature, elevating her into a radiant lady.

The Sistine standing before Rumia and the others is beautiful, like a dream.

“What… do you think?”

Though traces of sorrow linger in her expression, Sistine offers a smile to Rumia and the others.

“…Sistine, you’re absolutely gorgeous.”

Re=L murmurs dreamily.

“That frilly dress looks nice. Seems hard to fight in… but I wanna wear one too.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll get to wear one someday, Re=L…”

Sistine smiles gently at Re=L, her expression full of warmth.

“So, Rumia, what do you think? Does it suit me?”

“Yeah, it suits you perfectly, Sistie… I’ve never seen such a beautiful bride… you’re like a fairy…”

But Rumia’s expression is conflicted.

“Sistie, are you sure? Are you really okay with this?”

“I’m sure. Don’t worry, Rumia. For you guys, I’d…”

“…Huh?”

Sistine’s words, spoken softly as if convincing herself, are too quiet for Rumia to catch.

“N-no, it’s nothing! Anyway, you two! The ceremony’s about to start, so get to the guest seats!”

Brushing it off, Sistine forces a bright tone as she urges them.

She’s smiling… but it’s painfully obvious she’s putting on a brave face.

“Sistie…”

“Come on, it’s my once-in-a-lifetime moment! Make sure you witness it properly!”

Still, with Rumia looking like she wants to say something and Re=L still in a daze, Sistine pushes them out of the waiting room.

In the solemn inner sanctum of the cathedral, adorned with pure flowers and filled with a serene atmosphere.

Sistine and Leos’s wedding ceremony finally begins.

As the attendees, seated on long benches to the left and right, watch with bated breath, Leos and Sistine walk side by side down the red-carpeted Virgin Road.

Bathed in the colorful light streaming through the stained-glass windows above, the majestic pipe organ plays a solemn hymn of blessing and praise, its sound filling the chapel.

Leos, dressed as the groom, and Sistine, as the bride, stand before the altar at the far end of the cathedral.

Then, an elderly man—the priest Marco, who is officiating the ceremony—appears before them.

All stand for the hymn, followed by Marco’s reading from the scriptures…

“Love is patient and kind… love does not envy, does not boast, does not seek reward… simply offer your body and soul to the one you love. And so—”

The ceremony proceeds smoothly, without a hitch…

“—Thus, love is a struggle. Do not rest in complacency just because you have sworn an eternal vow of love here today. This joyous milestone in your life is not an end, but a beginning—”

It continues solemnly…

“Henceforth, the path you walk will be fraught with trials, where the voices of demons will whisper to your hearts, testing your love. You must overcome these trials through the struggle of your souls. Stand by each other, believe in love. Protect love, protect your family. Love is a struggle—”

And… the ceremony moves to the exchange of vows.

“Leos Kleitos. Understanding that love is a struggle of the soul, do you, guided by God, take Sistine Fibel as your wife, to be her husband? In health and in sickness, in joy and in sorrow, in riches and in poverty, do you swear to love, respect, comfort, help, support, and devote yourself to her with all your heart for as long as you live?”

“I swear.”

Leos makes his vow.

“Sistine Fibel. Understanding that love is a struggle of the soul, do you, guided by God, take Leos Kleitos as your husband, to be his wife? In health and in sickness, in joy and in sorrow, in riches and in poverty, do you swear to love, respect, comfort, help, support, and devote yourself to him with all your heart for as long as you live?”

“…I swear.”

After a brief silence, Sistine, looking slightly downward, murmurs her vow softly.

Then, Marco, looking out at the attendees, asks:

“In the name of the Lord, I ask those present once more. Do you approve of this marriage? Those who approve and bless this union, answer with silence…”

Silence.

For a while, the murmurs of the crowd fade, and the cathedral is filled only with the solemn, pure notes of the pipe organ.

…And then.

“On this blessed day, in the presence of the great Lord and beloved neighbors, the vows of these two have been made. May God’s blessings be upon them—”

As the vow ceremony concludes and Marco begins the closing benediction—that’s when it happens.

“—I object!”

A booming voice suddenly shatters the solemn atmosphere without mercy.

The pipe organ’s melody abruptly stops.

The gazes of everyone in attendance turn toward the source of the voice.

There, beyond the violently kicked-open doors of the cathedral’s inner sanctum, stands a man.

Striding boldly into the cathedral amidst the murmuring crowd, he faces Leos head-on, glaring sharply.

“Huh? Didn’t hear me? I said I object. I’m dead set against this marriage. No way I’m handing White Cat over to a guy like you.”

The man—wearing the magic academy instructor’s robe, usually worn sloppily but now neatly donned—is Glenn.

—The story flashes back a few days.

Late that night, after Glenn’s defeat to Leos.

Glenn learns from Rumia about Sistine and Leos’s marriage.

Why Sistine suddenly decided to marry Leos is unclear. But given the circumstances, it’s evident this isn’t the marriage she desires.

Trusting Rumia’s intuition, Glenn immediately begins taking action to save Sistine from Leos’s clutches.

But what did Leos say to Sistine?

Without knowing that, he can’t act recklessly.

If, by some chance, Sistine genuinely wants to marry Leos, his interference would be unwarranted.

He also needs information on Leos. Thinking about it, all Glenn knows about him is that he’s “the heir of the Kleitos family.”

So, Glenn skips the duel with Leos, goes into hiding, and pretends to have fled with his tail between his legs. His reputation will take a hit, but if it makes Leos lower his guard even slightly, it’s worth it.

Then, targeting moments when Leos and Sistine are alone, he releases summoned rat familiars to monitor them.

During the surveillance, he once thought Leos’s eyes met the rat’s, making him fear he’d been noticed… but it seems to have been a false alarm.

Soon enough, the truth comes to light.

From their conversation—it becomes clear that Leos is using Rumia and Re=L’s identities as leverage to coerce Sistine into marriage.

Glenn panics.

The heir of the Kleitos earldom? Hardly. Leos is, without a doubt, either a member of The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom—or someone connected to them.

Rumia’s identity is a top state secret, and Re=L’s secret is something even the government doesn’t fully grasp. Only those close to Re=L and… The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom would know.

(But… why target White Cat instead of Rumia? What’s so special about her?)

That part remains unclear… but regardless, since Leos is trying to force Sistine’s hand through threats, he’s now an enemy Glenn must defeat at all costs.

But here, Glenn is struck with dismay.

He has no allies to rely on.

Celica is away on her labyrinth exploration. He can’t contact Albert, who’s on another mission. Sistine’s parents are absent for work, and since they’re constantly traveling, even Sistine doesn’t know their whereabouts. With The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom potentially involved, he can’t involve the academy’s people.

Against a noble, Fejite’s guards would be powerless and likely wouldn’t believe him anyway.

Re=L—no, she can’t be moved from Rumia’s side, not when The Researchers’ agents might be closing in.

Reporting to the military or government—no, that would take too long. This isn’t like the previous academy terrorist incident, which had clear criminal intent.

If Sistine is taken to the Kleitos earldom in the meantime, it’s over. A noble’s territory is essentially extraterritorial; even Her Majesty the Queen can’t easily intervene.

What a situation. By some twist of fate—it seems Glenn must face Leos alone to save Sistine.

And the time left is short—the wedding is already this weekend.

(—Damn it, what is this!? The situation’s way too dire! Is this really just coincidence!? It feels too perfectly orchestrated for that!)

It’s as if his every move is being read, like playing a chess game where the opponent has anticipated every step, cornering him exactly as planned… an unnervingly perfect, unsettling situation.

But complaining won’t change anything.

To save Sistine… a battle with Leos is inevitable.

Leos is strong. Likely far stronger than Glenn.

If he doesn’t fight with everything he’s got—he’ll lose. He’ll die.

So, for the next few days, Glenn scours Fejite’s infamous black markets, spending every coin he has on weapons and magical materials to craft magic tools.

He writes scrolls for quick-activation consumable spell seals, processes gems into amulets, prepares various crystal stones like explosive ones, compounds propellant for the percussion revolver he received from Albert, procures spare cylinders, enchants knives with magical effects, carves runes into throwing needles… gathering as much equipment as his funds and time allow.

(…Feels like I’m back in my mage days…)

In his room, Glenn gazes down at the array of dangerous equipment with hollow eyes, lost in thought.

Indeed, the magical weapons and tools he’s crafted or prepared are the same ones he used during his active days as a mage.

(But how much will these toys even help against that guy…)

There’s no time or luxury to hesitate.

He decides to make his move on the wedding day, to abduct Sistine.

If he takes Sistine, Leos will undoubtedly come after him.

Having his bride stolen in front of the public at the ceremony would force Leos to pursue, for the sake of his noble pride. He’d have no choice. To protect his family’s honor. Letting his bride be taken without a fight would be a disgrace for generations.

(Use White Cat as bait to lure Leos to a battlefield that favors me… and take him down. It’s simplistic, but it’s the only way…!)

…………

…………

…And then.

“Seriously… how the hell did it come to this…?”

Now, Glenn snaps out of his long reverie.

Having long since left Saint Catarina Cathedral behind, Glenn races through Fejite’s maze-like narrow alleys like a gust of wind.

In his arms, Sistine, still in her bridal gown, continues to struggle and shout as she has been for a while…

“Let me go! Please! Sensei, let me go! I have to marry Leos…! Rumia…! Re=L…!”

“…Haaaahhh… yare yare…”

Glenn’s deep, exasperated sigh echoes somewhere in Fejite.