"I'm not going. I absolutely refuse to go!"
"Now, now, don't say that—let's hurry up and collect already!"
I had no idea what she was talking about. She was in the same position as me—completely uninvolved, right?
With Citry shoving me firmly by the back, I headed toward the central tower—the only structure still standing amid the scorched remains of the school building.
The vast grounds were blanketed in the charred remnants of the Black World Tree, scattered like snow, while the Academy's mages sat slumped on the ground everywhere.
Perhaps as an aftereffect of the Abyssal Flame Annihilation attack, the temperature had risen considerably. Just walking made me break into a light sweat.
...Wasn't this basically environmental destruction? Well, sure, I'd thought "That settles it—we won!" too—but to think she'd burned that massive tree to nothing in a single strike, the same tree that had shrugged off countless attacks from an army of mages. What a terrifying old woman.
If Citry hadn't been there, I could've just pretended I knew nothing and gone back to the Clan House... Why was it that having a member of the Mourning Specters around inevitably (and against my will) made me take things seriously?
Even as my motivation hit rock bottom, I walked along as I was pushed, when suddenly the Resonance Stone in my pocket began to vibrate.
Good grief, Franz was such a pain. But this whole incident should've proven it—that old woman who set things on fire was far more capable and useful than someone like me.
I activated it and immediately reported in.
"Hey, hey, Franz. The Black World Tree situation's been resolved."
"!? ...Hah, hah... S-So it's taken care of. G-Good work!"
Even though I was delivering good news, Franz's tone was unusually rough.
"I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but we're heading to the surviving tower to... collect things."
"Hah!? What!? Collect!? What exactly do you plan to collect!!"
That was... exactly the thing I didn't know. That's why I said I wasn't sure!
I glanced up casually at the half-destroyed tower, then looked back at the victory celebration that had erupted behind me.
The old woman was commanding her subordinates—the members of the Magic Staff—having them gather up the ash.
"Don't let your guard down! That tree's been completely burned, but the absorbed mana hasn't disappeared! That thing wasn't just any... Monster. Gather the ash!"
Her eyes blazing, she shouted commands with a ferocity that recalled some ancient witch, her words carrying an inexplicable authority that could command obedience by voice alone.
As expected of a Level 8 from the Imperial Capital—she wasn't just about setting things on fire.
In any case, I promptly reported the new information to Franz.
"...It looks like that Black World Tree wasn't just any Monster."
"I already know that!! Does some regular Monster just waltz in and destroy a magic academy protected by multiple barriers!?"
Franz sure had stamina when it came to shouting. The Knights were supposed to be the elite of the elite, the envy of every citizen, but looking at Franz, it seemed the reality wasn't quite as glamorous as people imagined.
"Being in the Knights must really be tough. Something goes wrong—even if it's not your fault—and you have to act. Plus, there's so much to protect."
"!? K-Sa-Ma—guh—! The foresight... hasn't... faded yet!"
Franz sounded like he was in pretty bad shape. And the foresight still hadn't worn off?
Could there be some kind of time lag? It was hard to imagine something more catastrophic than half of Zebludia's greatest magic academy being destroyed— Just then, a mound of ash burst apart, and Lucia rose up from within.
I had no idea when she'd gotten caught up in it, but Lucia—now completely blackened—spotted me without a moment's hesitation, as if by magic, and marched over with a scowl.
...What exactly did I do to deserve this?
"Sorry, Lucia's here, so I'm gonna hang up."
"?! H-Hey! Thousand Transformations, we're not done talk—"
"Klein, while Kirukilu's keeping Lucia busy, let's go!"
Why!?
At Citry's words, Kirukilu—who had been following behind us—swiftly planted himself in front of Lucia.
Lucia looked momentarily confused, but then fixed me with a glare far sharper than before.
"Brother! Citry!"
"Klein, come on, come on, come on!"
I... I wanted to talk, though...!
Voices calling me back. The command of the Abyssal Flame Annihilation. Kirukilu's roar. Pushed along by Citry's uncharacteristic assertiveness, I had no choice but to step inside the tower.
§ Perhaps because the monster had been rampaging, there was almost no one left inside the tower. The mages had probably all gone outside to repel the tree monster.
Citry continued to push me forward without letting up, explaining things with her usual enthusiasm.
"When you think of Zebludia Academy of Magic, you think of a treasure trove! After all, it's the oldest academy in the empire that also serves as a research institution for magic! Rumor has it the Academy's treasury holds treasures that would astonish even Hunters—what a wonderful opportunity for collection!"
"Oh, really."
...By the way, what exactly did she mean by "collection"?
We walked through old hallways—well-worn, one might say steeped in history—and climbed a spiral staircase leading to the upper floors. It was a staircase famously unused by anyone at the Academy, since all the mages there could fly.
It had been a long time since I'd last been here. But I clearly remembered the impression I'd received the very first time I visited—as an escort when Lucia came to enroll as a student.
Portraits of famous mages who had graduated from the Academy adorned the walls, and intricate dragon sculptures were placed here and there. The very air felt distinctly different from the outside—apparently, it was because the atmosphere of the Academy was steeped in the dense mana of its faculty and students.
Even back then, Lucia had a composure beyond her years, though she did seem a bit nervous that one time. Well, I was probably a hundred times more nervous.
As I walked, lost in nostalgia, the pressure on my back suddenly stopped.
Citry spoke in a small voice brimming with barely concealed excitement.
"Huh? Nobody here? Could it be that... we can collect not just one thing, but the entire treasury? Don't tell me that's the plan!?"
"That's not the plan..."
What an outrageous thing to say. The entire treasury—that wouldn't be collection anymore, that would be outright theft.
Could it be that you weren't Citry, but Riz with a haircut?
...No, no, even I wouldn't mix up Citry and Riz in broad daylight. Besides, Riz was a "Thief" with practically no greed to speak of...
Citry wore a look of deep disappointment. If I let my guard down, she might very well sneak off and "collect" something.
Before she could entertain any more dangerous ideas, I grabbed her hand and headed up the stairs.
"Ah—"
"Come on, let's go meet Lucia's teacher already."
...Wait. Hold on. Why was I climbing the tower again? I didn't have any business with Lucia's teacher.
This was bad. No matter what, I always got swept up in Citry's momentum.
She'd been using the word "collect" as if it were the most natural thing this whole time—but hmm, I just didn't get it. Was this a problem with my mental processing?
I wanted to figure out what was going on, but I didn't even know where to start.
"I see... So we're collecting directly from Lucia's teacher!"
"...I think your perceptiveness being too sharp is actually a weakness, Citry."
Citry was so quick on the uptake that I had no idea what she was talking about. Maybe my own perception was just too slow... but I wanted to go home.
The moment I let out a deep sigh, a glowing magic circle suddenly appeared beneath our feet.
Strange characters spread outward in a circle around us, and Citry looked around in a panic.
"This is...!?"
"Ah... It's just a summons."
I'd been caught in a similar magic circle the first time I'd come with Lucia. Apparently it could only be used within the Academy grounds—a teleportation circle that forcibly summoned someone to a location.
I'd panicked the first time, but since this was my second experience, I was fine.
The moment I was about to explain to the panicking Citry, my body suddenly went limp and I sank to my knees.
My hands and legs wouldn't respond. In the same state, Citry collapsed against me like a ragdoll.
Wait—this wasn't the same circle as before?
And without even time to cry out, my consciousness rapidly faded—and vanished entirely.
§ When I came to, I was sitting on an expensive-looking crimson carpet.
The first thing I felt was a ticklish sensation on my cheek.
I tilted my head and looked beside me. A familiar pink-blond head—it seemed Citry was leaning against me. When I tried to move my limbs next, I noticed I was bound in chains.
But what on earth—actually, it was rare for Citry to be unconscious longer than me.
It was all so sudden I couldn't think straight. While my mind wandered aimlessly, a voice called out.
"So you've finally awakened, Lucia's brother."
A woman's voice that carried a distinctly cold impression. I raised my head at the familiar sound.
My brain finally started working, and I began to process the scene before me.
It was a familiar room.
The ceiling was high, with light filtering through somewhat mystical stained-glass windows. Bookshelves lined the walls from floor to near-ceiling, and through the windows between them, nothing was visible but sky.
Countless stakes had been driven into the floor around us in a circle—some kind of magic, perhaps? Beyond them, mages of all ages and genders stood surrounding us.
And directly in front of us, Lucia's teacher wore an inscrutable smile.
Lucia's teacher—the head professor of Zebludia Academy of Magic, the empire's greatest fortress of sorcery—was not purely human.
She looked like a young girl no different from Lucia.
Long silver hair pulled back so as not to get in the way, golden eyes, and a robe with a somewhat rounded silhouette that obscured the lines of her body.
At first glance she appeared human, but even someone who knew nothing about her would likely sense an inexplicable feeling of something being "off" upon seeing her.
Believe it or not—she was an exceedingly rare being who carried the blood of both "human" and "Spiritfolk."
Her body bore the traits of both humans and Spiritfolk. She was about the same height as Riz, and the tips of her ears seemed to be slightly pointed.
Spiritfolk living in the Imperial Capital were already few in number, and none of them ever spoke of this person.
The miracle flower of Zebludia. One of the greatest mages in the Imperial Capital, said to have been personally recruited by Radlick Atrum Zebludia when he ascended to the throne.
Human yet not human. Sage Crasta, the Immortal.
Perhaps because she was an overwhelmingly powerful being? Even though she wasn't glaring at me, the sheer pressure I felt made me instinctively look around and hastily offer a greeting.
"O-Oh... G-Good morning?"
What on earth was going on?
Ignoring my confusion, Lucia's teacher addressed Citry.
"You, Citry, beside him—stop playing possum. It seems you really are the woman Lucia described."
"...Zzzzz."
Citry clung to me all the more desperately.
I understood everything, accepted it, and let out a sigh.
"So that's how it is..."
She'd been talking like a thief, but it seemed she wasn't Riz after all.
She was just the bad kind of Citry. Today's Citry was the bad kind, it seemed.
It should've been Lucia! Back then, if I'd just stayed put and let Lucia catch me instead of letting Citry push me forward—but it was too late for regrets.
Seeing me with no recourse but to force a sheepish smile, Lucia's teacher declared in a voice so cold it sent chills down my spine.
"We shall now begin the trial. Lucia's brother. You stand accused of causing the partial destruction of this esteemed Academy. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"