Volume 1
Chapter 2: Kitten and Puppy
To put it plainly, Glenn Radars, the new part-time instructor, was utterly devoid of motivation.
Having taken over from his predecessor, Glenn was tasked with teaching all mandatory classes for Year Two, Class Two. Black magic, white magic, alchemy, summoning, History, magical history, numerology, natural philosophy, runic linguistics, astrology, magical materials, tactical magic theory, magical device crafting—every subject was handled with sloppiness and indifference. No one knew why, but it almost seemed like Glenn was determined to teach as carelessly as possible.
The passion for magic and the thirst for arcane knowledge that everyone at the academy shared were completely absent in Glenn.
As a result, a staggering disconnect formed between Glenn and the students, as well as the other lecturers, breeding unnecessary friction. Sistine Fibel, the de facto leader of his class, clashed with him daily, hurling complaints his way. But Glenn’s apathetic attitude showed no signs of improving. If anything, it grew worse by the day.
At first, Glenn at least made an effort to explain the textbook, jot down key points on the blackboard, and conduct something resembling a lesson. But that didn’t last. Apparently, it became too much of a hassle. His classes devolved into copying the textbook verbatim onto the blackboard. Eventually, even that proved too tedious, and he started tearing out textbook pages and pinning them to the board.
When Glenn began nailing the textbook itself to the blackboard, Sistine’s fury finally reached its breaking point.
It was one week after Glenn’s appointment as a lecturer, during the fifth and final period of the day.
“Enough is enough!”
Sistine slammed her desk and shot to her feet.
“Hm? I’m doing exactly what you wanted—keeping it nice and sloppy, right?” Glenn quipped shamelessly, continuing to hammer the textbook to the blackboard. With a hammer slung over his shoulder and nails clenched in his teeth, he looked like a weekend carpenter.
“Stop with the childish excuses!”
Shoulders trembling with rage, Sistine stormed up to the lectern.
“Whoa, easy there. You’ll get gray hairs stressing out like that,”
“Who do you think is causing this stress?!”
“Look, all that anger’s already turned your hair white at your age… Poor thing,” he said, feigning pity.
“This isn’t gray, it’s silver! Stop looking at me like I’m pathetic! Ugh, enough! I didn’t want to say this, but if you refuse to change your attitude toward teaching, I have my own ways of dealing with you!”
“Oh? Like what?”
“I’m the daughter of the Fibel family, a prestigious magical lineage with considerable influence at this academy. If I speak to my father, I could have you removed from your position.”
“…For real?”
“Dead serious! I don’t want to resort to this, but if you keep refusing to take your classes seriously—”
“Tell your dad I’m counting on him!”
Glenn flashed a gentlemanly smile, beaming from ear to ear.
“—Wha?”
His reaction left Sistine speechless.
“Man, what a relief! I can get out of this gig before the month’s up! Thanks, Silver-Hair, you’re a lifesaver!”
“You—!”
Sistine’s patience had reached its limit.
She couldn’t tell if Glenn genuinely wanted to quit or was just mocking the Fibel family’s influence.
Either way, she could no longer tolerate his behavior. As a proud scion of the Fibel family, a lineage steeped in magical tradition, she couldn’t allow someone who disgraced the path of magic and her family’s honor to go unchecked.
Her decision was swift, spurred by her youth and inexperience.
Sistine removed the glove from her left hand and hurled it at Glenn.
“Ow?!”
Snapped with a flick of her wrist, the glove smacked Glenn’s face before falling to the floor.
“Can you handle this?”
The classroom fell silent as Sistine pointed at Glenn, her voice ringing with resolve.
Murmurs of astonishment rippled through the class, growing into a wave of excitement.
“You… serious?”
Glenn furrowed his brow, his usual flippancy replaced by a rare, serious expression as he stared at the glove on the floor.
“I’m dead serious,” Sistine declared, glaring fiercely.
Rumia rushed to her side. “Sisti, no! Apologize to Glenn-sensei and pick up the glove—now!”
But Sistine didn’t budge, her fiery gaze locked on Glenn.
“…What’s your goal here?”
Meeting her stare, Glenn asked quietly, his eyes narrowing.
“Change your reckless attitude and teach properly.”
“Not ‘write a resignation letter’?”
“If you truly want to quit, a demand like that would be pointless.”
“Huh, too bad. But if you’re making demands of me, you realize I can demand anything of you too, right? You didn’t forget that part, did you?”
“I’m fully aware.”
Glenn’s expression shifted to a mix of exasperation and disbelief, as if he’d bitten into something sour.
“…You’re an idiot, aren’t you? A young lady of marriageable age saying stuff like that? Your parents would weep.”
“Even so, as the future head of the Fibel family, I cannot overlook someone like you who degrades magic!”
“Ugh, you’re too intense… Way too intense. I’m melting here…”
Glenn clutched his head, staggering as if overwhelmed.
The class watched the tense standoff with bated breath.
Glenn studied Sistine. Despite her bold front, her body was rigid with tension. And no wonder—the outcome of this magical ritual could force her to comply with any demand Glenn made.
Yet Sistine stood her ground, driven by her belief in magic and the pride of her bloodline. At her age, Sistine Fibel was already a mage of unparalleled conviction.
“Well, well. To think there’s still an antique out there clinging to this moldy old ritual… Fine by me,” Glenn said, a wicked smirk curling his lips. He picked up the glove and tossed it into the air.
“I accept your duel.”
As the glove fell, he swiped at it with a dramatic flourish—only to miss. Awkwardly, he scooped it up from the floor.
“But I’d feel bad hurting a kid like you, so this duel will be settled with [Shock Bolt] spells only. No other methods allowed. Got it?”
The class held its breath as Glenn laid out the rules.
“The acceptor has priority in setting duel rules. I have no objections,” Sistine replied.
“And if I win… let’s see…”
Glenn’s gaze raked over Sistine from head to toe. Leaning in close, he flashed a crude, lopsided grin.
“On second thought, you’re quite a catch. Alright, if I win, you’re mine.”
“—!”
For a fleeting moment, Sistine faltered. Rumia gasped, her face paling.
Sistine had braced herself for such a demand, but hearing it aloud—so irreversible—shook her resolve, if only briefly.
“…Fine. I accept,” she said, her voice trembling slightly as she forced herself to stand tall, ashamed of her momentary weakness.
Glenn savored her struggle, watching her mask faint regret and fear with a defiant glare. Then, he burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.
“Bwahaha! Kidding, kidding! Don’t look like you’re about to cry!”
“—!”
“I’m not into kids. So my real demand is: no more lecturing me. Feel better now?”
Rumia, overhearing, sighed in relief.
“You… you’re mocking me?!”
Realizing she’d been played, Sistine’s face flushed crimson as she lunged at Glenn.
“Come on, let’s head to the courtyard,” he said, brushing her off and strolling out of the classroom.
“Wait! I’m never forgiving you!”
Fuming, Sistine chased after him.
A mage’s duel is an ancient, time-honored magical ritual.
Mages are beings who wield immense power, unraveling the laws of the world. A fireball cast with a spell could obliterate a mountain; a bolt of lightning could split the earth. If mages fought without restraint, entire nations could fall.
To resolve conflicts without such devastation, mages established a disciplined form of combat: the duel. The left hand, closer to the heart, is best suited for efficient spellcasting. Throwing a glove from that hand at an opponent signals a challenge to a magical duel. If the opponent picks up the glove, the duel is accepted. If not, it’s declined. The acceptor has priority in setting the rules, and the victor may impose one demand on the loser.
This structure favors the acceptor significantly, discouraging frivolous challenges unless the skill gap is vast. Through this system, mages have historically curbed private magical conflicts.
In the modern empire, with its codified laws, duels are largely a relic, rarely used to settle disputes. Hiring a lawyer and taking matters to court is far more efficient and binding.
Yet, among traditionalist mages—like Sistine Fibel, scion of the prestigious Fibel family—the duel endures.
In the academy’s courtyard, encircled by evenly spaced conifers and carpeted with lush grass, Glenn and Sistine faced each other, standing ten paces apart.
“Hey, Kash, who do you think’ll win?”
“I’m rooting for Sistine, but… her opponent’s got Professor Arfonia’s backing, so… tough call. What do you think, Cecil?”
Classmates and onlookers, drawn by rumors of a lecturer-student duel, formed a loose ring around them, turning the courtyard into an impromptu arena.
“Ready whenever you are,” Glenn said, snapping his fingers with a cocky smirk, his gaze fixed on Sistine.
Sistine, tense and vigilant, watched his every move, sweat beading on her brow.
The black magic spell [Shock Bolt] was the first basic spell taught to academy students. It fired a weak electric current to paralyze the target with a shock, a non-lethal self-defense technique.
When cast, a glowing line of energy shot straight from the caster’s fingertip toward the target. As a straightforward spell, victory in a [Shock Bolt] duel hinged on one thing: chanting the incantation faster than the opponent.
“What’s the holdup? Not coming at me?” Glenn taunted.
“…Tch!”
In magical combat, the standard tactic was to act second, countering the opponent’s spell with one of countless defensive incantations.
Yet, in this duel, restricted to [Shock Bolt], Glenn was goading Sistine to strike first—despite speed being the sole determinant of victory.
There was only one explanation: Glenn was supremely confident in his [Shock Bolt] casting speed. He likely had a condensed incantation, trimmed to its bare essentials, fast enough to outpace even Sistine’s swiftest chant.
He must be a mage specialized in magical combat. That would explain why a slacker like him was hired as a lecturer. No mage without merit could teach at this academy.
While academic prowess and combat skill were distinct, history was replete with low-ranked mages who excelled in battle.
“Come on, I’m not gonna eat you. I’ll give you a free shot, so take it easy,” Glenn said.
His confidence now seemed like that of a seasoned mage. Though Sistine resented his behavior, she began to regret her impulsive challenge.
(But I won’t back down.)
She glared sharply at Glenn, who stood relaxed before her.
(As long as I’m me, I can’t let a man like him run rampant. Even if I end up humiliated, I’ll stand against him. That’s my pride as a mage… Here I go!)
Steeling herself, Sistine pointed at Glenn and chanted.
“《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit—》!”
In an instant, a glowing line of energy shot from her fingertip, streaking toward Glenn.
He faced it with a smug grin—
“GYAAAH—?!”
A sharp crack of electricity rang out.
Glenn’s body convulsed, and he collapsed in a heap.
“…H-Huh?”
Sistine froze, finger still extended, sweat dripping down her face.
Before her lay Glenn, sprawled pathetically after her spell.
“This…?”
“Uh… Sistine wins… right?”
The onlookers buzzed, stunned by the outcome.
How could someone who boasted so loudly and acted so grand fall so easily? Wasn’t he supposed to be a combat specialist?
“D-Did I… mess up the rules?”
Sistine glanced at Rumia for help, but Rumia only shook her head, at a loss.
“C-Cowardly…”
Just then, Glenn staggered to his feet, recovering from the spell’s effects.
“Sensei!”
“To think you’d ambush me before I was ready… Is that the honor of a proud mage?!”
“Uh, but you said I could come at you anytime…”
“Whatever. This duel’s best of three. I’ll let you have the first round. Nice handicap, right?”
“Huh? Best of three? Was that a rule?”
“Round two! Let’s do this fair and square!”
The second round began abruptly.
Caught off guard, Sistine watched as Glenn took the initiative.
“《O thunder spirit, with violet lightning’s shock, strike—》”
“《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit—》!”
Sistine’s incantation finished before Glenn’s.
“UGYAAAH—?!”
A loud zap echoed as Glenn was shocked again, collapsing and twitching on the ground. It was a repeat of the first round.
“Not bad…”
Glenn wobbled to his feet, knees shaking, clearly forcing himself to stand.
“Uh, Glenn-sensei?”
“Heh. Guess I played around too much, even if this is best of five. My bad,” he said with a smirk.
“You said best of three…” Sistine muttered, giving him a deadpan stare.
That’s when—
“WHAAAT—?! The queen herself is over there—?!”
Glenn suddenly shouted, pointing off in a random direction.
“Huh?!”
Sistine instinctively followed his gaze.
“Gotcha, sucker! 《O thunder spirit, with violet lightning’s shock, strike—》”
“《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit—》!”
Once again, Sistine’s incantation finished first.
“PIGYAAAH—?!”
Glenn writhed under the electric surge.
Sistine pressed a hand to her temple. “Sensei… are you…”
“Get ready! It’s not over yet! This is best of seven!”
“Sigh…”
“《O thunder spirit, with violet lightning’s shock, strike—》”
“《O violet lightning of the thunder spirit—》”
“ZGYAAAH—?!”
…
Glenn chanted. Sistine finished faster and struck him down. The cycle repeated endlessly.
No matter what tricks Glenn tried, his lengthy incantations couldn’t outpace Sistine’s concise ones.
By the time Glenn insisted it was a “best of forty-seven” match, it was over.
“Sorry, I can’t. Please, have mercy. I can’t stand anymore. Keep this up, and I might awaken to something weird,” Glenn pleaded, sprawled on the ground, twitching.
“Sigh…”
Sistine looked down at him, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Look, a [Shock Bolt]-only duel is insanely unfair to me! If it weren’t for these rules, I’d have crushed you!”
“You never shut up, do you, Sensei?”
Sistine could only shake her head in disbelief.
“Also, you’ve been using three-phrase chants this whole time… Sensei, you can’t do a one-phrase [Shock Bolt], can you?”
“H-Haha, w-what’re you talking about? I-I have no idea! One-phrase chants are heresy anyway! They’re an insult to the beautiful incantations crafted by our forebears! Not that I can’t do them or anything!”
“You can’t…”
Sistine felt like crying at his sheer patheticness but rallied, recalling her original goal.
“Anyway, I won the duel! So, as per my demand, starting tomorrow, Sensei, you’ll—”
“Huh? What’re you talking about?”
“What?”
His unexpected response left Sistine frozen.
“Did we make some kinda deal? Don’t remember. Getting zapped a ton thanks to someone kinda fried my memory,” he said, grinning.
Glenn was far worse than Sistine had ever imagined.
His words ignited her fury. “Sensei… are you saying you’d break a pact made between mages?! Are you even a mage?!”
“Thing is, I’m not a mage,”
“Wha…”
His shameless declaration left Sistine speechless.
“I’m not a mage, so don’t come at me with mage rules. Kinda puts me in a bind, y’know?”
“What… are you even saying…?!”
Sistine couldn’t comprehend Glenn. To think someone trained in magic would deny being a mage. Did he have no pride in his craft? No respect for the sublime wisdom that unraveled the world’s mysteries?
“For now, I’ll let this slide as a super-close draw! But next time, you’re done! Farewell! Bwahahahaha—ow!”
Still reeling from the shocks, Glenn stumbled repeatedly but managed a grandiose laugh as he fled.
Left behind was a crowd of disillusioned spectators.
“What a clown,” one muttered.
“Can’t even do a one-phrase chant for a basic spell like [Shock Bolt]?”
“Ugh, so pathetic…”
“Breaking a mage’s pact? That’s low…”
Amid the barrage of criticism, Rumia approached Sistine, her face etched with concern.
“You okay, Sisti? No injuries?”
“I’m fine… but…”
Sistine’s expression darkened as she stared in the direction Glenn had fled.
“I’m thoroughly disappointed,” she growled, as if facing a sworn enemy.
Despite appearances, Sistine had held a sliver of respect for Glenn. He was a senior mage, after all. Though he lacked motivation as a lecturer, she’d believed there was something to learn from him as a fellow pursuer of magic.
But no more. She couldn’t forgive him. He was insulting magic itself. As long as he remained at the academy, Glenn was her mortal enemy.
“Glenn-sensei…”
Rumia could only stand by, helpless, as her furious friend seethed.
Three days after the duel that tanked Glenn’s reputation at the academy, his lack of effort in teaching remained unchanged, and the students’ opinion of him was abysmal.
Yet Glenn seemed unbothered, coasting through his days with lazy nonchalance.
Eventually, the students began treating his classes as free study periods. Driven by their own thirst for knowledge, they refused to waste time on his lessons. They opened their textbooks and studied independently.
Glenn never objected. Before long, it became an unspoken agreement between him and the class.
“Alright, let’s get class started…”
That day, as usual, Glenn arrived late, his eyes as lifeless as a dead fish, and began his halfhearted lesson.
The students sighed, opened their textbooks, and prepared to study on their own.
It was a familiar scene, but one earnest, diligent student still tried to glean something from Glenn’s lackluster teaching.
“Um… Sensei… I have a question about your explanation…”
About thirty minutes into the class, a petite girl timidly raised her hand. It was Lynn, the same girl who’d been brushed off by Glenn on the first day.
“Oh? What’s up?”
“Uh… the translation of the incantation you mentioned… I don’t quite get it…”
Glenn sighed, visibly annoyed, and picked up a book from the lectern.
“This is a runic dictionary,”
“…Huh?”
“It lists runic words up to third grade, sorted by tone. By the way, tone order means…”
As Glenn began explaining how to use the dictionary, even Sistine—who’d resolved to ignore him—couldn’t stay silent. She stood up.
“Don’t bother, Lynn. Asking him anything is a waste of time.”
“Sisti…”
Caught between Glenn and Sistine, Lynn fidgeted nervously.
“That man doesn’t understand the nobility of magic. He mocks it. There’s nothing to learn from him.”
“B-But…”
“It’s fine. I’ll teach you. Let’s work together, okay? We’ll leave him behind and reach the depths of magic’s greatness someday.”
Sistine smiled reassuringly at the flustered Lynn.
That’s when it happened.
No one knew what set him off.
“Is magic… really so great and noble?”
Glenn muttered under his breath, as if to no one in particular.
Sistine couldn’t let that slide.
“Hmph. What’s that supposed to mean? Of course it’s great and noble. Not that someone like you would understand.”
She scoffed, her words sharp and dismissive.
Normally, the lazy, apathetic Glenn would’ve mumbled, “Oh, is that so?” and let it drop. But—
“What’s so great about it? What’s noble?”
For some reason, he pressed the issue that day.
“…Huh?”
Caught off guard by his persistence, Sistine faltered.
“I’m asking: what makes magic great? What makes it noble?”
“It’s… well…”
Irritated by her inability to answer instantly, Sistine bristled. Sure, she’d grown up hearing that magic was great and noble, internalizing it as fact.
“Come on. If you know, enlighten me,”
But it wasn’t just hearsay. Taking a breath to gather her thoughts, she responded with confidence.
“Magic is the pursuit of the world’s truth.”
“…Oh?”
“It seeks the origin of the world, its structure, its governing laws. Magic unravels these mysteries, answering the eternal question of why we and the world exist. It’s a path to elevate humanity to a higher existence. In a way, it’s akin to approaching divinity. That’s why magic is great and noble.”
Sistine was convinced her response was a critical hit.
So, Glenn’s reply caught her completely off guard.
“…What’s it good for, then?”
“Huh?”
“I’m saying, what’s the point of unraveling the world’s secrets? What’s it actually do?”
“B-But I already told you! It’s to ascend to a higher existence…”
“And what’s a ‘higher existence’? God or something?”
“…That’s…”
Sistine trembled with frustration, unable to answer immediately.
Glenn pressed on, his tone bored and relentless. “Let’s get real. What benefits does magic bring to people? Medicine saves lives. Metallurgy gave us iron. Without agriculture, we’d starve. Architecture lets us live comfortably. Most things called ‘arts’ in this world serve a purpose, but magic? Am I crazy, or is it the one art that’s utterly useless?”
Glenn’s words held a harsh truth. Only mages could wield magic or reap its benefits. Non-mages couldn’t use it, nor did they gain from it. It was a simple fact, but the core reason magic didn’t serve the masses. Unlike metallurgy or agriculture, magic’s practice didn’t directly or broadly improve lives.
Worse, most mages believed magic should remain a guarded secret, staunchly blocking its benefits from reaching the common folk. To the average person, magic was a sinister, terrifying force—something they’d never encounter in everyday life.
Yes, magic didn’t demonstrably serve humanity. Glenn’s dismissive, utilitarian perspective was crass, but it was grounded in reality.
“Magic… isn’t about something as base as being useful or not. It’s about seeking the true meaning of humanity and the world…”
“But if it’s useless, it’s just a hobby, right? A pointless slog that doesn’t benefit anyone else—just self-indulgent nonsense. Magic’s basically a means to pass the time, nothing more. Am I wrong?”
Sistine could only grit her teeth. Why couldn’t she counter such a crude argument? Why was she being so thoroughly outtalked?
As the future head of the proud Fibel family, who’d dedicated her life to magic, having her entire existence negated by this man was unbearable. Yet, no matter what she tried, she couldn’t shake Glenn’s argument. He stood firm on an unyielding fact.
As Sistine’s lips quivered with rage…
“Alright, my bad. I lied. Magic’s plenty useful,” Glenn said suddenly.
“…Huh?”
His abrupt reversal stunned Sistine and the class, who’d been watching with bated breath.
But then—
“Yeah, magic’s real useful… for killing people,” he said, his eyes narrowing coldly, his lips twisting into a chilling smirk.
The words, delivered with a dark intensity, sent a shiver through the entire class.
This wasn’t the usual, lazy Glenn. He seemed like a different person entirely.
“Fact is, no art’s better at killing than magic. A swordsman kills one person; magic wipes out dozens. A tactically trained division? A single squad of mages can burn it to ash, tactics and all. Pretty useful, huh?”
“Don’t mock it!”
Sistine couldn’t let that slide. She could tolerate magic being called worthless, but degrading it as villainous was too much.
“Magic isn’t like that! It’s—”
“Look at this country. They call it a ‘magical superpower,’ but what does that mean to other nations? Why does the Imperial Court Mage Corps get a massive budget every year? What’s that about?”
“Th-That’s—”
“Why do your precious duels have rules? Why are so many of the basic spells you learn offensive? What’s that about?”
“—That’s—”
“What did your beloved magic do during the Great Magical War two hundred years ago? The Holy War forty years ago? Do you know how many heinous crimes rogue mages commit annually in this empire using magic—and how horrific they are?”
“—!”
“See? Past and present, magic and murder are inseparable. Why? Because magic’s a rotten art that’s evolved and thrived on killing!”
At this point, Glenn’s argument veered into exaggeration. Magic had its destructive side, no question, but it wasn’t only that.
Yet, the usual carefree Glenn was gone. His face twisted with a rare, hateful intensity, overwhelming the students into silence.
“I don’t get you people. Studying this useless, murder-happy art so diligently? Instead of wasting your lives on this garbage, there’s gotta be something better—”
Slap!
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Sistine had stepped forward and struck Glenn’s cheek with her palm.
“Ow! What the—?!”
Glenn glared at her, speechless.
“It’s… not… like that… Magic… isn’t… like that…”
Before she realized it, tears welled in Sistine’s eyes, and she was crying.
“Why… do you keep saying such awful things…? I hate you!”
With that, Sistine wiped her tears with her sleeve and stormed out of the classroom.
An oppressive awkwardness and silence lingered in her wake.
“—Tch.”
Glenn scratched his head irritably, clicking his tongue.
“Ugh, I’m not feeling it. Class is self-study for the rest of the day.”
Sighing, he left the room.
Glenn didn’t show up for any classes after that.
After school, the gentle hues of twilight soothed the eyes.
Having skipped all his classes, Glenn had spent the day on the rooftop balcony of the academy’s east wing since his clash with Sistine. He did nothing in particular—just idled away the hours aimlessly.
“…Maybe I’m just not cut out for this,” he muttered, leaning limply against the iron railing, staring into the distance.
From the rooftop of the five-story, opulent main building, the academy grounds looked much the same as they had years ago. Cobblestone paths wove intricate patterns, floating gardens hovered, an ancient castle-like annex loomed, herb gardens flourished, the Forest of Bewilderment sprawled, ancient ruins dotted the landscape, and a teleportation tower stood tall—a surreal blend of nature and artifice. And, as always, a phantom castle shimmered in the sky.
“No way I’m suited for this. I hate magic, and here I am, a magic instructor? What a joke,” Glenn said with a bitter chuckle.
His thoughts drifted to the silver-haired girl who’d been hounding him since his first day. What was her name? Sisti… something? He couldn’t quite recall. Didn’t matter.
“Man, that white-haired girl walloped me good… So damn cheeky from day one…”
Come to think of it, their first encounter was nearly colliding at a crossroads, wasn’t it?
“What’s with her ‘magic is great’ nonsense? Ridiculous.”
He’d only observed her for about ten days, but it was clear the silver-haired girl was deadly serious about magic, tirelessly honing her skills without a hint of doubt. She ignored magic’s darker, dangerous side, idolizing its glamorous aspects, chasing lofty ideals like “world truth.” A child.
But if she was a child, what did that make him, snapping at her like that?
“…Just a kid myself, huh?”
Maybe, just maybe, he was jealous of her. Jealous of her unwavering belief in magic’s greatness, her ability to pour all her passion into mastering it. He, who couldn’t muster enthusiasm for anything.
“I really don’t belong here…”
Honestly, he wasn’t confident he could avoid saying more cruel things to her. His hatred for magic ran deep, unshakable. He didn’t care what happened to himself, but obstructing someone striving for their goal was wrong. That much he knew.
“Sorry, Celica…”
Glenn pulled an envelope from his pocket. Inside was his resignation letter, secretly prepared because he doubted he’d last a month as a lecturer.
Right then, he resolved to live off Celica’s charity no matter what.
“Alright, time to practice groveling when I get home. If I beg hard enough, Celica’ll forgive me… for going back to being a jobless shut-in!”
Embracing this utterly deplorable optimism, Glenn turned to leave the railing.
“Hm?”
The academy’s main building was flanked by east and west wings, angled to connect at a bend. From the east wing’s rooftop, Glenn could see straight down to the west wing.
Something moved near a window in the west wing.
“…What’s that?”
That room was a magical laboratory, wasn’t it? No student should be there this late.
“《Come to me from afar, my keen eye sees through a thousand leagues—》”
Closing his right eye, Glenn chanted the three-phrase incantation for the black magic spell [Accurate Scope]. Instantly, a vision of the laboratory’s interior, as if viewed from right outside the window, played across his closed eyelid.
Inside was a lone girl.
“That blonde kid…”
He remembered her—the girl always trailing the silver-haired one like a puppy. Rumia, wasn’t it? That’s what the silver-haired girl called her.
“What’s she doing this late?”
Rumia had a textbook open, using it to draw a circle on the floor with mercury, forming a pentagram. She inscribed runic symbols inside and outside the star, placing catalysts like mana crystals at spiritual nodes.
It looked like she was practicing magical circle construction alone.
“Huh, a Flux Pentagram… That takes me back. A Mana Cycle Array, right?”
This circle didn’t do anything special. It was a learning tool to visualize the flow of mana through a magical array. Mastering its construction without reference marked the first step in circle-building basics.
“She’s pretty sloppy, though… Look, the seventh node’s fraying. Ugh, the mercury’s pooling… Oi, that’s not where the catalyst goes—oh, she noticed.”
It felt oddly familiar, like a mistake he’d seen before.
“Come to think of it, I used to mess around with Celica doing this when I was a kid,” Glenn mused.
That was probably his first real magical act, wasn’t it? A trivial spell with no grand effect, yet he remembered how it thrilled him back then.
Unaware of Glenn’s spying, Rumia finished the circle after much trial and error and chanted a spell. The array didn’t activate, and she tilted her head, puzzled.
“Idiot. That’s not gonna work,” Glenn muttered.
Rumia cross-checked the textbook and the circle, tweaking small sections and chanting again. No luck. She slumped, defeated.
“…This is dumb.”
Unable to watch any longer, Glenn dispelled [Accurate Scope], sighed, and left the rooftop.
“Keep at it, kid.”
Bam!
The magical laboratory’s door was suddenly flung open, startling Rumia so much she jumped.
“G-Glenn-sensei?!”
There stood Glenn, scowling in the doorway.
“This place is as rundown as ever,” he grumbled, surveying the room.
The spacious laboratory was lined with shelves holding skulls, bottled lizards, crystals, and other eerie magical materials. Tables were cluttered with parchment inscribed with magical circles, flasks, and twisted siphon-like glassware. A large mana furnace and alchemical cauldron sat in the back. The room’s shady atmosphere hadn’t changed a bit, and Glenn found it oddly nostalgic.
“W-Why are you here…?”
“That’s my line. Students aren’t allowed to use the magical lab for personal experiments, right?”
Even as he said it, Glenn knew it was a flimsy excuse. He’d been on his way to the headmaster’s office to submit his resignation when he passed the lab. Curiosity got the better of him, and he peeked through the door’s gap. Sure enough, there was Rumia, struggling with her experiment. Before he knew it, he’d opened the door.
“S-Sorry! It’s just… I’m bad at magical circles and falling behind in class… Sisti, who usually helps me, isn’t here today, and I really wanted to review this circle…”
“So you snuck in. How’d you even get past the magical lock?”
“Uh, hehe… I kinda snuck into the administrative office…”
Rumia stuck out her tongue playfully, holding up a key.
“…You’re more of a troublemaker than you look,” Glenn said, shrugging in exasperation.
“I’m so sorry! I’ll clean up right away! I’ll accept any punishment later!”
As Rumia rushed to tidy up, Glenn grabbed her arm.
“Sensei?”
“Nah, finish it. You’re almost done. It would be a shame to scrap it now.”
“B-But… it’s not working… I was about to give up anyway…”
Rumia sighed, her expression tinged with sadness.
“I don’t know why… It worked before… The steps should be fine…”
“Idiot. You’re just short on mercury.”
Glenn stepped over to the circle, grabbed a jug of mercury, and held it up like he was pouring a drink. Narrowing his eyes, he studied the array, tilting the jug with steady precision. A thin stream of mercury dripped onto the circle, not a tremor in his hand.
With a swift motion, Glenn traced the circle’s lines with the mercury stream, his movements mechanical and exact. There was no hesitation, no faltering.
“…Wow,” Rumia breathed, eyes wide with awe.
“Amateurs trying to skimp on materials always end up breaking the mana pathways,” Glenn said, setting the jug down. He slipped a glove onto his left hand, knelt, and used deft fingers to manipulate the mercury, repairing frayed sections with expert precision.
“You kids get paranoid about invisible stuff but slack off on what’s right in front of you. Proof you’re over-romanticizing magic… There.”
Glenn stood, tossing the glove aside.
“Try activating it again. Five phrases, like the textbook says. No shortcuts.”
“Y-Yes!”
Rumia positioned herself before the circle, took a deep breath, and chanted in a clear, melodic voice.
“《Spin, spin, O primal life—form a path in the cycle of reason—》”
The circle flared white, flooding the room with light.
“—!”
As the glow faded, the array hummed to life with a bell-like chime. Mana flowed through it, seven-colored lights racing along the lines in a dazzling dance.
The interplay of radiant hues and gleaming silver created a fantastical spectacle.
It was mystical—and, above all, simply beautiful.
“Wow… It’s gorgeous…”
Rumia stared, overwhelmed with emotion.
“Pfft, is it really that impressive?”
Glenn glanced at the circle with a jaded eye.
“But… the mana’s glow is brighter than anyone else’s I’ve seen… So delicate yet powerful… Sensei, you’re amazing…”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Anyone can do this. You built most of it anyway. Probably used high-quality materials and catalysts, right?”
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“…Sensei?”
Rumia noticed Glenn hurrying to leave the laboratory.
“Heading home,” he grunted.
“Ah—wait, hold on a sec!”
Panicking, Rumia grabbed the sleeve of his jacket to stop him.
“…What?”
“Uh, um… well…”
She seemed to realize only after stopping him that she hadn’t thought it through. Her eyes darted nervously.
“Er, right! You’re heading home now, aren’t you, Sensei?”
“Hm? …Yeah, I guess.”
Truth be told, he’d planned to march to the headmaster’s office and submit his resignation, but now, for some reason, he wasn’t in the mood. Tomorrow would do just fine.
“How about we walk part of the way together?”
“…Huh?”
Rumia’s unexpected suggestion made Glenn raise an eyebrow.
“I just… I’ve been wanting to talk with you properly, just once.”
“Pass.”
Glenn shot her down without hesitation.
“Oh… okay,” Rumia said, her shoulders slumping, her eyes downcast with a hint of sadness. She looked, oddly enough, like a puppy abandoned by its owner.
“I’m not walking with you…”
Glenn muttered under his breath, feeling oddly thrown off. It was like seeing a pitiful stray and feeling a tug of guilt.
“…But do whatever you want if you’re just tagging along.”
“Oh! Thank you, Sensei! Alright, it’s a bit of a waste, but I’ll clean up quick, so wait for me, okay?”
Rumia’s face lit up with a bright smile as she hurriedly began tidying the magical circle.
Glenn watched her innocent enthusiasm with a weary shrug.
“Wow, Sensei, look at that!”
As they left the academy and reached Fejite’s main street, a sight caught their eyes: the phantom castle floating in the sky.
The long, gently sloping avenue stretched toward the horizon, opening up a clear view of the celestial fortress. At twilight, the scarlet canopy of the sky set the majestic castle ablaze in golden hues, its grandeur amplified by the fiery glow.
“My friend’s obsessed with that castle. I’m not into unraveling its mysteries like she is, but… seeing it so beautiful and grand like this… I can’t help but want to visit it just once.”
“…That so?”
While Rumia gazed skyward, her cheeks slightly flushed, Glenn’s response was ice-cold.
“That castle’s why idiots get the wrong idea about magic. What a damn eyesore,” he grumbled.
“Sensei?”
His words sounded less like a jab at someone else and more like a bitter, self-mocking sigh.
“Come on, quit gawking and move.”
“Oh, right…”
Glenn started walking, and Rumia scurried to keep up.
The two navigated Fejite’s bustling main street side by side.
Well, “side by side” was generous—Glenn strode ahead with long, careless steps, while Rumia hustled to match his pace.
It was evening, so the street wasn’t as crowded as midday, but there were still plenty of passersby. Glenn, completely forgetting Rumia was trailing him, focused on dodging the crowd.
“Sensei… you actually like magic, don’t you?”
Out of nowhere, Rumia, now walking beside him, said something absurd.
“What makes you think that?”
“Well… when you were fixing my circle… you looked like you were having so much fun.”
Glenn froze, pressing a hand to his mouth, at a loss for words.
Fun? He looked like he was having fun? With magic?
“Hah… no way,” he scoffed, brushing it off.
“You probably figured it out already, but I hate magic. Fun? Not a chance.”
“Hehe, if you say so.”
Rumia just smiled knowingly.
Her expression, as if she could see right through him, irritated Glenn for reasons he couldn’t pinpoint.
“But… even if you really do hate magic, what you said today was a bit harsh, don’t you think? Sisti… Sistine was crying.”
So the silver-haired girl’s name was Sistine.
“You should apologize tomorrow, okay? For Sisti, magic is a precious link to her late grandfather. She loved and admired him—a great mage—and she’s always looked up to him. Becoming a mage as great as he was… that’s her promise to him, even now that he’s gone.”
“…Got it. Guess I did mess up there,” Glenn admitted.
If someone indirectly trashed a person you revered, calling their life’s work worthless, anyone would be furious.
“Putting that aside, what’s your deal? You drag me out here just to lecture me?”
“Oh, no… that’s part of it, but not all of it…”
Rumia fell silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts.
“Can I… ask you something?”
“Depends.”
“Um… before you became a lecturer at the academy… what did you do, Sensei?”
Glenn paused, then puffed out his chest with exaggerated pride. “I was a freeloading shut-in.”
“Huh? A shut-in? Freeloading?”
“You know Celica, that high-and-mighty woman running the show at the academy? When I was a kid, she practically raised me like a mom. Thanks to that, I’ve been mooching off her ever since. Pretty impressive, right?”
“Haha… why do you sound so proud of that…?”
Rumia could only manage a wry smile.
“But that’s not true, is it?”
Her confident tone threw Glenn off. Why was she so sure?
“It’s not a lie. You think a guy like me looks like the hardworking type? I’ve been leeching off Celica’s wallet for the past year, no joke.”
“A year… and before that?”
“Ugh, fine, I got carried away. It’s been ever since I graduated from the academy. Working just doesn’t suit me, y’know? I was… searching for my true self or whatever…”
Rumia stared at him, clearly unconvinced.
“Alright, enough digging into my dark past! My turn to ask!”
Desperate to avoid that topic, Glenn forcibly changed the subject. He had zero interest in this Rumia girl, but he’d take any distraction.
“You guys—why’re you so obsessed with magic? Sistine, you, all of you—why take it so seriously? It’s just magic.”
“Well…”
“I said it today, didn’t I? Magic’s a rotten art. You don’t need it, and when it’s around, it only causes trouble. Why bother with something like that?”
It was a casual question to shift gears, but Rumia took it with surprising seriousness. She looked down, lost in thought for a moment.
“I can’t speak for why others study magic, but… I have my own reason.”
“Oh? What, chasing ‘world truth’ or ‘human evolution’ or some nonsense?”
“Haha, no way. Something that noble’s way beyond me.”
“…Huh?”
For the first time, Glenn felt a flicker of genuine interest in Rumia.
“Then why pursue magic?”
“Well… I want to make magic truly serve people. To do that, I need to understand it deeply.”
Glenn took her words as a veiled jab at his anti-magic stance. “Tch, the old ‘it’s how you use power’ cliché? ‘A sword doesn’t kill, people do’?”
“Yes, but… I’m thinking a bit beyond that.”
“?”
“You’re right, Sensei. An art with so much potential to harm people—like magic—would probably be better off not existing. If it didn’t, at least no one would get hurt by it. But the reality is, magic does exist.”
“…True enough.”
“Since it’s already here, wishing it away isn’t practical. So we have to think: how can we keep magic from harming people?”
“….”
“But you can’t even begin to answer that without knowing magic inside and out. Without understanding it, magic’s just a scary, demonic force—a tool for killing, lawless and taboo.”
“So… instead of blindly shunning magic, you want to master it with reason and ensure all mages use it responsibly?”
“Yes. I don’t know if a mediocre talent like me can pull it off, but…”
“What, aiming to be a bureaucrat at the Ministry of Magic? A magical security officer?”
“Hehe, maybe. If that’s a path to my goal… then that’s my aim for now.”
Glenn sighed deeply, as if lecturing a naive child. “Let me tell you, it’s a fool’s errand. Sure, you might climb the ranks with effort. But what you’re aiming for? It’s too lofty. The darkness in magic runs deeper than one person can handle.”
“I know. Even so…”
“Why? Why pick a path that’s so unlikely to pay off?”
Rumia gave him a gentle smile, then gazed into the distance, as if recalling something precious.
“I… want to repay someone.”
“Repay? What’s that about?”
“It was about three years ago. I’d been exiled from my family for… reasons, and I started living with Sisti’s family. Back then, I got captured by some evil mages who were going to kill me…”
“Damn, you’ve had a rough life for someone so unassuming. Exiled for ‘reasons’? Wait, are you, like, from some big noble family or something?”
“N-No, no way! Nothing that grand! Really! We were poor! Poor!”
Rumia frantically waved her hands in denial.
But poor families didn’t “exile” their kids—they abandoned them. “Exile” was a term for the elite.
“Hang on… you…”
Something clicked, and Glenn leaned in, peering at Rumia’s face. His eyes narrowed, as if trying to see through her.
“…Sensei? What’s wrong?”
Rumia looked back at him, her expression tinged with anticipation.
But—
“Nah, nothing. …So? What’s the rest of the story?”
Shaking his head as if dismissing an impossible thought, Glenn urged her to continue.
Rumia sighed, a touch disappointed, then picked up her tale. “Back then, I was unstable after being exiled. I was scared, trembling, crying, thinking, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ I’d given up. But then, out of nowhere, another mage appeared and saved me in the nick of time.”
“Sounds like a setup. Bet that guy was waiting for the perfect moment to swoop in. What a show-off,” Glenn snorted.
“I was terrified of him. He cut down those evil mages without hesitation, saying it was his job. But every time he killed, he looked so… pained. Yet he fought to protect me until the end. And I… I was too scared to even thank him.”
“Hm.”
“I only spent a short time with him, but… I think he was truly kind. He fought to protect others, even if it hurt him. If those rogue mages hadn’t gone astray… he wouldn’t have had to make such a sad face for my sake…”
“Hm.”
“He saved my life. After that incident, I decided it was my turn to help him. I want to guide people so they don’t misuse magic. To do that, I need to understand it. If I walk that path… maybe one day I’ll get to thank him. For giving light to the lonely, crying little girl I was in the darkness.”
At that, Glenn’s shoulders shook with stifled laughter. “Pfft… that’s way too convenient. A plot twist like that? Even a cheap novel would blush. It’d never sell.”
“Hehe, maybe. But they say truth is stranger than fiction.”
Despite having her heartfelt story laughed off, Rumia just smiled calmly.
“Hah, no way.”
The conversation petered out after that.
Glenn kept striding along at his own pace, while Rumia, inexplicably cheerful, trotted after him like a puppy. They maintained this dynamic until they reached the familiar crossroads where they’d first met.
“Oh, Sensei, I go this way. I’m staying at Sisti’s mansion.”
“Got it. See ya. Be careful getting home.”
“I’ll be fine! It’s close.”
“Maybe, but you never know. Just watch yourself.”
“Hehe, you’re kinda a worrier, aren’t you, Sensei?”
“Idiot. It’s ‘cause you’re so reckless.”
“Haha, I’ll be careful. See you tomorrow, Sensei!”
“…Yeah.”
Glenn found himself watching Rumia’s retreating figure as it grew smaller.
She turned back several times, spotting him and waving happily each time.
“…She’s such a dog,” he muttered.
The offhand remark felt oddly fitting.
If Rumia was a dog, then that Sistine girl was a cat, wasn’t she? All haughty and prim—yeah, that tracked. Glenn caught himself entertaining such pointless thoughts.
“Still… she seems scatterbrained, but she’s got a lot going on in that head of hers…”
He mulled over what Rumia had said.
“…‘We have to think’… huh?”
Glenn pulled the resignation letter from his pocket, holding it up to the sky, peering at it as if he could see through the envelope.
“Now… what to do?”
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