Chapter 1: Glenn 1/2

And so it went.

Glenn and the others chased after the escaped Re=L, scouring every corner of the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy—main building, annex, library, courtyard, student union, magic arena… every facility within the academy grounds.

“Damn it… Can’t find her anywhere…”

After searching high and low, they ended up here: the chapel, a place of worship set within the academy’s premises. This chapel, dedicated to the Saint Elizares Church—the empire’s national religion—was filled with a solemn air. Scattered across the rows of pews were devout students quietly offering their prayers.

Glenn, utterly exhausted, slumped into the last row of pews, taking a break.

“Could it be… Re=L’s already left the academy grounds…?”

Sitting beside Glenn, Rumia murmured anxiously.

“…If that’s the case, we’re out of luck. Fejite’s a big place.”

Glenn, half-resigned, glanced around.

“The Lord said: ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself. Forgive…’”

At the altar, a priest in clerical robes stood at the pulpit, reading from the holy scriptures, delivering a sermon to the students.

“B-But, Sensei! Re=L’s been living at my house, you know?”

As Sistine pointed out, Re=L had recently, due to certain circumstances, started lodging at the Fibel residence where Sistine lived.

“When night falls, I’m sure she’ll come back!”

“I wonder… Her aversion to this study-abroad thing didn’t seem normal. I’m not so sure she’ll come back quietly…”

Glenn shook his head with a sigh.

Re=L was Number 7《The Chariot》, an operative of the Imperial Court Mage Corps’ Special Missions Annex.

Though she appeared to be a young girl, her petite and delicate frame concealed extraordinary physical abilities and combat skills far beyond those of an ordinary person. Her survival techniques were top-notch.

If she set her mind to it, Re=L could survive indefinitely in the wild without any supplies.

In a situation like this, if she chose to flee, there’d be no stopping her.

“…Ugh, what am I supposed to do? If this keeps up, she might actually get expelled.”

Covering his face with his hands, Glenn looked up at the stained glass above… when it happened.

It seemed the priest’s sermon had just concluded.

The students who had been praying began to file out of the chapel hesitantly…

Clack. The priest, who had been delivering the sermon, approached Glenn with the sound of footsteps.

Glenn glared irritably at the priest standing beside him.

“…What? If you’re here to preach or recruit me, go bother someone else. I’m an atheist…”

Then—Glenn realized.

Beneath the wide-brimmed hat the priest wore low over their eyes gleamed a sharp, hawk-like gaze—

“…Wait, you!? Is that you, Albert!?”

““Huh!?””

Glenn’s startled exclamation made Sistine and Rumia instinctively stare at the priest.

“Hmph.”

With a swift motion, the priest shed the cumbersome robes and hat in an instant, revealing the familiar Imperial Court Mage Corps uniform. It was like a magic trick, executed with dazzling flair.

“As always… how do you even do that?”

“It hasn’t been that long, has it? Since the social ball, I suppose. Now…”

Albert, having revealed himself, fixed Glenn with a piercing, almost accusatory stare.

“This situation with Re=L… How could you let this happen under your watch?”

“Y-You knew…? Man, this is embarrassing…”

“I have something to discuss with you all. …Wait here.”

With that, Albert turned on his heel and headed toward the back of the chapel.

It was the same altar and pulpit where, just moments ago, he had been delivering a sermon to the students.

“…?”

As Glenn and the others watched curiously, Albert stepped back up to the pulpit and abruptly reached inside it from behind… pulling something out with a slow, deliberate drag.

““Whaaat!?””

Rumia and Sistine’s eyes widened in shock.

“Mmph—! Mmmph!”

That “something” was none other than… Re=L.

Her head, torso, and legs were bound by three glowing ring-shaped magic arrays. Albert held her by the back of her collar, her body dangling helplessly from his grip.

It seemed she had been completely subdued by Albert’s Black Magic Ritual [Restriction].

In her current state, Re=L couldn’t move a single finger of her own accord.

“I’d praise your skill in apprehending Re=L so efficiently, but… couldn’t you have picked a better place to detain her, former priest? Aren’t you picking a bit too much of a fight with God?”

“Hmph. I abandoned faith long ago.”

Albert snapped his fingers in response to Glenn’s exasperated quip, releasing the spell.

The glowing rings binding Re=L vanished.

“…Now, have you cooled off, Re=L?”

Albert set the freed Re=L down on the floor, asking calmly.

“Muu…”

As if resigned, Re=L puffed out her cheeks in a sulky pout, hugged her knees, and sat down on the spot, looking thoroughly displeased.

“Very well. Let’s all have a talk. About Re=L’s future, of course.”

And so, with Albert leading, the discussion among those involved began.

“Hey, can’t you pull some strings with the military higher-ups to squash this failing expulsion thing? Can’t you negotiate with the opposing factions or something? She’s the princess’s guard, after all, even if it’s just a former title.”

Glenn proposed this right away, but…

“Impossible. For one, the princess has already been officially stripped of her royal status and is considered a ‘commoner’ in name. The pretext of being her guard won’t hold. Nor should it.”

Albert stated the facts plainly, dismissing the idea.

“Moreover, the anti-military faction plans to replace Re=L with one of their own as the princess’s personal guard starting next term. It’s an obvious attempt to curry favor with Her Majesty, but that’s precisely why they won’t back down from pushing for Re=L’s expulsion through negotiations.”

“Argh, damn those political hacks! So freaking annoying! Go play your games in hell!”

Glenn could only scratch his head furiously with both hands.

“…So, what does that mean…?”

“It means that to avoid failing expulsion, Re=L has no choice but to accept St. Lily Magic Girls’ Academy’s offer and achieve results through short-term study abroad. We have to tackle this head-on, the honest way.”

Though he already knew, hearing it confirmed made Glenn let out a deep sigh.

“…Hey, did you hear that, Re=L? You need to make up your mind.”

But Re=L’s expression darkened noticeably, and she quickly hid behind Rumia and Sistine, looking as if she might burst into tears.

“…I don’t want to… I don’t want to go…”

“Man, you’re stubborn… How many times do we have to say it? If you keep this up—”

Glenn, exasperated, pressed his temple and tried to reason with her.

“Try to understand her a little, Glenn.”

Surprisingly, it was Albert who took Re=L’s side at this moment.

“Huh? What’re you talking about?”

“I’m saying that forcing Re=L into this study-abroad program is, frankly, harsh.”

“…Why? That’s not like you, Mr. Duty-First. Isn’t this just her being selfish…?”

Glenn frowned, ready to argue back.

“Have you forgotten? Re=L is… far more ‘childlike’ than her appearance suggests.”

“!?”

Albert’s words made Glenn freeze, falling silent.

“Re=L, explain clearly why you’re refusing this study-abroad program. So everyone can understand.”

At Albert’s calm prompting…

“…I… I don’t want to be apart from Glenn, Rumia, or Sistine… Being alone… scares me… That’s why…”

Re=L’s halting words hit Glenn like a blow to the back of his head.

Albert let out a soft sigh before continuing.

“Re=L is the world’s first successful case of [Project: Revive Life]. A magically created human, born from replicating the body and mind of Illushia Rayford, a former assassin of the Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom.”

“…”

“She hasn’t been alive in this world for long, and even that short time has been spent mostly in a world of conflict. The mind she inherited from Illushia was shaped in an abnormal environment, far from ordinary. Physically, she may look like a fourteen- or fifteen-year-old girl, but… Re=L is still a ‘child.’”

Glenn couldn’t help but look at Re=L with a bitter expression.

“To someone like Re=L, you, the princess, Fibel, and the rest of that class are her emotional anchors… her ‘dependencies.’ Forcing her to leave them, even temporarily, is like taking a newborn baby from its mother. Try to understand.”

Albert’s painfully logical observation left Glenn speechless.

It was true. Re=L had been living so naturally in the sunlit world lately that Glenn had somehow forgotten. He’d overlooked her underlying emotional immaturity.

Re=L had once ‘depended’ on Glenn, projecting her lost brother onto him. During the [Field Study Expedition], she had indeed grown emotionally, resolving to find her own path and taking a hesitant step forward.

But—how could he have assumed that meant ‘Re=L is fine now’? Making such a resolution didn’t mean her dependency or emotional immaturity would vanish overnight. The growth of a person’s heart, naturally, takes time.

Depending on someone isn’t inherently bad; it’s a normal part of growth that everyone goes through.

His job as a teacher was to watch over, guide, and support Re=L so that one day she could stand on her own emotionally…

“…Ha. Guess I’ve still got a long way to go…”

Feeling humbled by this realization, and wryly noting how much he’d started to act like a proper teacher, Glenn turned back to Re=L with a bitter smile.

“Sorry, Re=L. I tried to force you without listening to your side.”

“Mm…”

“But what do we do…? Realistically, if you don’t go on this study-abroad program, you’ll really get expelled… Hmm…”

As Glenn grappled with the problem, back at square one…

“Um, Sensei… I have an idea…”

Rumia spoke up hesitantly.

“What’s that?”

“Well… what if Sistie and I went with Re=L to St. Lily Magic Girls’ Academy for the short-term study abroad?”

“Oh! That’s a great idea! If we’re there, Re=L might feel more at ease, right?”

Sistine clapped her hands, agreeing enthusiastically as if it were a brilliant plan.

“Since Re=L is my guard, maybe it’d be better if I went along too.”

“…That feels wildly wrong somehow, but… yeah, fair point.”

Glenn shrugged, dumbfounded by Rumia’s suggestion.

“But is that even possible? Something like that…”

“It is.”

Albert answered Glenn’s question immediately.

“The military higher-ups have deemed it the most efficient option for her guard duties. Plus, they want to keep the privilege of having the former princess’s personal guard under their control. Bernard《The Hermit》 is already working on the arrangements. Offers for Rumia and Sistine to join the study-abroad program should arrive soon. In fact, the reason I revealed myself to you today was to inform you of this.”

“Whoa, seriously?! Man, you work fast! You could’ve led with that!”

Glenn turned to Re=L with a bright expression.

“Good news, huh? Rumia and Sistine will be with you! That should make it okay, right?”

But…

“…What about Glenn? You’re not coming?”

Re=L’s face remained shadowed. She reached out, gently clutching Glenn’s sleeve.

“I… I want Glenn to come too…”

“…Me? …Nah, that’s impossible, you know…”

Faced with Re=L’s pleading, upturned gaze, Glenn gave a wry smile.

“I mean, St. Lily Magic Girls’ Academy is a girls-only school, right? Guys aren’t even allowed on the grounds. No amount of maneuvering can change that…”

“No. Glenn, you’ll accompany Re=L as a temporary instructor dispatched from the Alzano Imperial Magic Academy.”

Out of nowhere, Albert said something utterly incomprehensible.

“Huh!? What’re you talking about!? That’s obviously impossible! I’m a guy!”

“No need to worry. Arrangements have already been made—”

Just as Albert said that—

BOOM!

The chapel wall was suddenly blasted apart from the outside by magic—

“Yo! Called, and here I come—JAJAJAJAAAAN!”

Beyond the gaping hole in the wall stood a woman with a smile as radiant as a midsummer sun.

Her luxurious blonde hair fluttered, her bewitching beauty stole the breath, and her alluring figure exuded enchantment. Her name was—

“Celica!?”

The recently returned magic professor, Glenn’s mentor, and the continent’s greatest mage, a Seventh Rank—Celica Arfonia.

“What the hell are you doing, back at the academy for like five minutes!? Is picking fights with God trendy now or something!?”

“I heard the situation! Just leave it to me!”

Ignoring the stunned group, Celica strode confidently toward Glenn.

She took a small vial from her ample cleavage, put it to her lips, and drew its contents into her mouth. Then, she suddenly grabbed Glenn with both hands, restraining him—

Tiptoeing slightly, she leaned in close to Glenn’s face—

ZUKKYUUUN!

With that imaginary sound, Celica kissed Glenn without a hint of hesitation.

“W-W-W-WHAAAAAT!?”

Sistine’s face flushed bright red as she let out a shrill cry.

“K-K-KISS!? A KISS!? That’s unfair—indecent! What are you doing, Professor Arfonia!?! Awa-awa-awa—!”

“~~~~ !? (Whoa…)”

Rumia, too, turned beet red, covering her face with her hands but peeking intently through her fingers at the two locked in a passionate kiss.

After a full three seconds of stunned silence…

“—Pwah!? Cough!?”

Snapping out of his daze, Glenn shoved Celica away.

“Y-You jerk, what the hell was that!? What did you just make me drink!?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! It won’t hurt~! 《The principle of yin and yang resides within me・I draw my bow against the creator of all things・to reshape their form》—!”

Snapping her fingers smugly, Celica chanted the spell fluently—

And the change happened almost immediately.

“Guh… W-What!?”

Purple sparks crackled, smoke began rising from Glenn’s body, and strange creaking sounds emanated from various parts of his form.

“M-My body’s burning…!? And… something feels… weird… Urghhh—!?”

With a lurch, Glenn’s face contorted in pain, and he fell to his knees.

“S-Sensei!? What’s wrong, Sensei!?”

“Stay back… Just watch.”

Celica grabbed Sistine’s arm, stopping her from rushing to Glenn’s side.

Meanwhile, Glenn’s figure was completely shrouded in rising smoke, obscuring him from view. The unnatural creaking sounds continued… until finally…

“GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!?”

After one final scream, silence. All sounds ceased.

As Sistine and the others watched with bated breath, the smoke enveloping Glenn slowly cleared.

“Cough, cough… What the hell was that? Celica, stop pulling weird pranks…”

Glenn, brushing away the smoke irritably, reappeared before the group.

But—Sistine, Rumia, and even the usually unflappable Re=L… all of them stared at Glenn’s emerging form, blinking in stunned silence.

“…Hm? What’s with you guys? Something on my face…? Wait, why’s my voice so high-pitched all of a sudden? Did I catch a cold…?”

Puzzled, Glenn scratched his head, and long hair tangled around his now-slender fingers.

“W-What’s this? My hair’s gotten so long…? Something’s off here.”

“Um… You’re… Glenn-sensei, right…?”

Sistine’s odd question made Glenn shoot her a skeptical look.

“Huh? What’re you talking about? Who else would I be—?”

As he spoke, Glenn thumped his chest…

Boing. A sensation that shouldn’t have been there greeted him.

“…Huh?”

Glenn looked down at his chest.

Two hills, straining against the fabric of his shirt, were unmistakably present.

“Hmm, according to my Original Magic [Combat Power Scanner], your combat power is about equal to Rumia’s… around 87, I’d say? Not bad, not bad—Wait, WHAAAAAT!?”

Glenn’s eyes bulged as he grabbed his chest with both hands, squeezing.

“WHAT THE HELL IS THISSSSSSSSSSSSS!? BOOBS!?”

“W-Wait!? Sensei, what are you grabbing!? A woman shouldn’t touch her chest so carelessly—Wait, huh!? B-But in this case, is it okay!?”

Ignoring Sistine’s flustered outburst, Glenn turned away from the group, reaching toward his groin…

“GYAH—!? Something’s there that shouldn’t be, and something’s gone that should be—!?”

Confirming the change in his body, Glenn zoomed toward Celica at lightning speed.

“Celica, what the hell did you do to me!?”

“Transformation magic! I used White Magic [Self-Polymorph] to turn you into a woman!”

Celica replied nonchalantly, flashing a bright smile and a thumbs-up.

“Good news, huh? Now you can go to St. Lily Magic Girls’ Academy as a temporary instructor… Pfft… Heh… You’re actually pretty cute! Ahahahahahahaha—!”

Surveying Glenn from head to toe, Celica clutched her stomach, roaring with laughter.

“My gratitude for your cooperation, Lady Arfonia, former Special Missions Executive Number 21《The World》.”

“This your doing, huh!?”

Glenn swiftly grabbed Albert by the collar and roared.

“Don’t bark. It’s all according to the higher-ups’ strategy. You’ll transform into a woman and be dispatched to St. Lily Magic Girls’ Academy alongside Re=L.”

“Are you kidding me!? Don’t just casually drag me into this—!?”

“By the way, the mastermind behind this strategy is Eve Ignite, the Special Missions Annex Chief《The Magician》.”

“That witch—!? I’ll make her cry someday, I swear!”

A feminized Glenn rants and raves, while Albert brushes it off coolly.

To any onlooker, it looked like nothing more than a lovers’ quarrel.

“And Celica, what’s with you!? Why’d you even accept this request!?”

“Well, this Albert guy said he was your old comrade from your military days, right? He was singing your praises, saying things like ‘He always saved me,’ ‘He’s a reliable man,’ and ‘The only human I respect.’ Hahaha! To think you were that great—makes me proud!”

“Huh!? No way! That’s gotta be just polite flattery—”

“I like this Albert guy! He’s got a good eye, or rather, he’s a rare kind of decent man these days! So, Glenn, help him out!”

“You’re way too easy lately, aren’t you!? You okay, Seventh Rank!?”

Celica, clearly thrilled to hear her beloved disciple praised, left Glenn unable to shake a sliver of unease.

“Anyway, Glenn, you’re coming along. No issues with that, right, Re=L?”

“Mm. No problem. If Glenn’s coming with me…”

“It’s a huge problem, I tell you!?”

“Y-Y-Yes, exactly! A huge problem! I mean, if Sensei turns into a woman, I-I’ll be in trouble! So, please, turn him back already! A-And, it’s unforgivable! H-Her chest is… bigger than mine—!”

“Um, Sistie? Let’s calm down a bit, okay?”

Rumia, with a wry smile, soothes a teary-eyed, spiraling Sistine.

The situation was starting to resemble a quagmire…

“Tch… Come on, Glenn, read the room a little. Do you seriously think I’d force you to turn into a woman just to mess with you?”

Noticing Albert’s unexpectedly grave expression, Glenn falters.

“W-Well… I mean…”

“Well, half of it is to mess with you.”

“Hey—!? You’re getting a real nasty streak, aren’t you!?”

Ignoring Glenn’s bloodshot glare, Albert calmly moves to the main point.

“Now, about this incident… Don’t you find it odd?”

“…Odd?”

“Re=L facing expulsion for failing… Given the current power struggles at the top of the government, it’s not entirely implausible. But… The suspiciously perfect timing of this short-term study abroad offer for Re=L, right after her expulsion…”

“It’s too convenient to be a coincidence… is that what you’re saying?”

Albert nods silently, and a heavy atmosphere descends on the room.

“Re=L is a product of [Project: Revive Life]… the darkest corner of the Empire’s magical world, with even The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom involved in its forbidden curse. This incident might not just be about the upper echelons’ power struggles—there could be other motives at play behind the scenes.”

Glenn scratches his head with an exasperated sigh.

“…Damn it. Hearing that, I’ve got no choice but to tag along, do I?”

“I’m counting on you. Right now, we’re swamped chasing the trail of The Researchers of Heavenly Wisdom.”

“Oh, right, you made some progress since that ‘social ball’ incident, huh? Good work.”

With a resigned shrug, Glenn gives in.

“Glenn…”

Re=L looks at him with eyes like a fledgling clinging to its mother.

“Yeah, yeah, fine. This time, I’ll step up for my cute little sister figure.”

Glenn flashes a wry smile, ruffling Re=L’s hair vigorously.

“Mm… Thank you… Rumia and Sistine, too…”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, it’s fine! It’s for Re=L, after all.”

“Something about you just makes it impossible to leave you alone, you know? Like a troublesome little sister I gotta look after.”

Rumia and Sistine laugh carefree, responding in kind.

“But… that means we’ll have to cancel our weekend plans to watch the opera with Wendy and the others.”

“Yeah, we’ll need to prepare a lot for the study abroad…”

“Kinda disappointing, but oh well. It’s for Re=L!”

Sistine and Rumia chat casually, seemingly unbothered.

“…”

Re=L, however, gazes at them with a shadowed expression.

“…Ugh, damn it! Why do I have to be a woman…? What am I supposed to do with this body? I can’t even get married anymore… biologically speaking!”

Glenn, meanwhile, grumbles under his breath with a gloomy, stagnant look.

“Relax, you’ll be fine. It’s set up so you can return to your original body!”

Celica slaps his back enthusiastically, clearly enjoying herself.

“And think about it—this is a golden opportunity!”

“Huh? Opportunity? What are you talking about…”

“I mean… St. Lily Magic Girls’ Academy! An all-girls school!”

At Celica’s words, Glenn’s brow twitches.

“A girls’ school. A garden of blushing maidens. A world of nothing but girls. A dreamy paradise filled only with refined, high-class ojou-sama…”

Celica leans her alluring figure toward Glenn…

“Close your eyes, and you can picture it, right? In an air of refined elegance… beautiful, fairy-like girls frolicking innocently together…”

She whispers seductively, her breath hot against his ear…

“If you play your cards right as their teacher and earn their trust… you might end up so popular you’re overwhelmed. But that’d be kinda cute, wouldn’t it?”

“…”

“Right now, you’re a ‘woman’… Yes, you can become a resident of that dreamy, ideal paradise.”

Like a devil slipping into the gap between conscience and desire, Celica’s bewitching smile is the epitome of temptation.

“…A world no ‘man’ could ever enter—you can become one of its residents.”

“U-Um… Sensei…?”

Sistine cautiously calls out to Glenn, who’s suddenly gone quiet.

“Hey, White Cat… I…”

Abruptly, Glenn spins around—

“This short-term study abroad… I’m suddenly insanely pumped for it…!”

His smile shines brighter than ever, like a radiant summer bloom.

“HYOOOOH!? I’m FIRED UP—LET’S DO THIS—! VIVA SHORT-TERM STUDY ABROAD! I’M GONNA CRUSH IT—!”

“…《For now・Blast off》”

Sistine mutters a spell under her breath with a deadpan stare.

“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—!?”

A ferocious gust sweeps Glenn skyward, as usual, crashing through the stained glass above.

Celica, having fanned the flames, clutches her stomach, desperately stifling her laughter.