Iskar and Kreutz.
In the distant past, the two houses had been both shield and brother to the northern reaches of the Lavatie Empire.
Kreutz’s archduke and Iskar’s margrave—the grandfather of the now-deceased Aion—had supposedly been comrades as close as any two men could be.
But then—
On the day the usurper stole the imperial throne, their fates diverged.
Refusing to serve a master drenched in blood, House Kreutz turned its back on the Empire and departed, becoming independent within the Rustian Federation.
House Iskar, on the other hand, remained in the Empire. Given its location, it considered the duty of defending the barrier above all else and rejected Kreutz’s proposal.
Though a border now stood between them, the two houses did not let go of their final connection. Praying that they would one day reunite, they promised to bind their children together in marriage.
Aion and Serya.
The two had been promised to one another before either had even been born.
But many long years passed with a border dividing them.
In that silence, the old promise naturally faded away. The bond that never came to pass became nothing more than a weathered old tale.
And yet....
We meet again here?
Aion had known of Serya for a long time, but he had only actually seen her once.
That had been when they were both very young.
It was strange even to him that he had recognized her face.
“...A misunderstanding? What misunderstanding are you talking about?”
At Aion’s calm question, Serya flinched.
After hesitating briefly, she replied in a tone stripped of as much emotion as possible.
“Even if you risked yourself for me... it does not mean my feelings will change.”
“...Ah.”
She was confident.
Almost solemnly so.
Aion fell silent for a moment as he looked at her serious expression.
“We are... already over. Aion, I cannot promise you any other reward for what you did.”
Pfft....
It seems she thinks I recognized her and saved her because of it.
It was not an unreasonable conclusion.
It was far more believable than saying he had confronted a bicorn head-on just to save an unfamiliar female student.
Aion slowly shook his head.
“Serya, I did not save you because I recognized you.”
“...What?”
Serya’s eyes widened in bewilderment.
“What... do you mean?”
“At the time, I did not have the leisure to see who I was saving.”
“I see....”
A short silence followed.
The tips of Serya’s ears turned red.
Slowly, yet unmistakably.
Her gaze wavered. The eyes that had stared straight at Aion drifted briefly through empty air before returning to him.
“Th-that is... No, I was only....”
Her lips moved, but no words followed.
At last, Serya sharply swirled her robe around and turned away.
“A-anyway!!!”
She did not look back.
The cool, decisive stride she had possessed only moments ago was nowhere to be found. She all but ran down the path through the hazel grove and vanished.
Aion watched until her back had completely disappeared, then slowly looked away.
Hazel leaves rustled in the wind.
Moonlight settled quietly upon the empty bench.
What an absurd coincidence.
The first time he had met her had been in the North.
After that meeting, he had never expected to see her again. Yet here he was, encountering his former fiancée at Axion Academy.
【Fire: Heh... hehehehehe....】
【Life: Please restrain your laughter a little... snrk....】
【Lightning: Heeheeheehee! Rejected! Rejected again! Damn it! You were rejected twice without even confessing! Heeheeheeheeheehee!】
Aion muttered as he endured the Ultimate Points’ mockery.
“...Be quiet.”
***
The next morning.
The peculiar reunion from the night before faded with the morning sunlight, and the campus was filled with the excited energy of new students.
Second Lecture Hall, large tiered classroom.
The moment Aion opened the door, a clamorous buzz struck his ears.
“Hey, which dorm were you assigned to?”
“Me? I heard it is the newly built annex.”
“Then you must be in Sirwen. Lucky you.”
“More importantly, every class is canceled during the first week.”
“Right. ...Except this one.”
Laughter and chatter erupted throughout the room.
The faces of the newly admitted students held more excitement and curiosity than tension.
Among them were already those gathering in groups, raising their voices as though attempting to form factions.
“It is only going to be a theory class anyway. Why call us in during the first week?”
“They probably just do not like the thought of us relaxing in peace. Ugh....”
Avoiding the commotion, Aion set down his bag at an isolated seat in the back and looked at the blackboard.
[Fundamentals of Magic Circle Design]
— Instructor: Professor Helsen Barkas
While every other professor had announced that the first week was an orientation period and canceled class, this was the only course that had scheduled a regular lesson.
Creak—
When the door opened without a sound, the noisy lecture hall fell silent in an instant.
“Quiet.”
A sharp voice cut through the room.
A gaunt man in stained clothing climbed the podium.
Tap—
With deep shadows beneath his eyes, he slowly swept his irritable gaze over the students.
Despite his shabby appearance, there was something cold and subdued about him.
“Did you come all the way to Axion just to chatter?”
The lecture hall froze as if drenched in cold water.
Helsen Barkas.
He was an extraordinary professor from the first impression alone.
“You seem to think you have become something just because you entered the continent’s only—and greatest—magic academy. Do not be mistaken.”
Snap—
Helsen broke a piece of chalk with an audible crack.
The lecture hall stiffened again.
“To my eyes, you are not yet mages. You are not even uncut gems. You look like monkeys expecting me to call you mages just because you wear robes and wave wands around.”
Tap, tap, tap—
He immediately began filling the blackboard with an enormous magic circle.
It was a complex circuit of intertwined circles and geometric patterns, enough to give anyone a headache just by looking at it.
“It is a composite magic circle designed by a fifth-tier mage. By the next class, infer how many magic circles it is composed of.”
An assignment from the very first class.
The students’ faces crumpled.
Unconcerned, Helsen tapped the blackboard and added,“I will give the student with the most useful answer a special reading pass for the third floor of the Arcanum Library.”
“...Wh-what?!”
“A special reading pass for the third floor!?”
At that moment, the students’ eyes changed completely.
The Arcanum Central Library.
The heart of Axion, where countless pieces of the continent’s knowledge were said to slumber.
The third floor, in particular, was a strictly restricted area for ordinary students—a treasure vault filled with ancient grimoires and rare spells.
“Is that really true, Professor Helsen?”
“You are not just teasing us, are you!?”
A flood of questions poured forth.
As they did, the Ultimate Points, who had been listening in silence, spoke.
【Fire: They are more interested in material gain than learning.】
【Life: Why? That seems perfectly fitting for students their age.】
【Lightning: Heehee! Come to think of it, this guy does not even know a single proper spell yet, does he?】
It was a rather painful observation.
As Lightning had said, the only magic Aion could currently use was basic telekinesis.
【Waterflow: Other than basic telekinesis, he cannot use anything.】
【Fire: We were all like that once. Though I suppose none of us entered this place completely empty-handed... No, that would be spitting in my own face.】
【Earth: Thinking back, we should have failed the entrance examination. The very fact that we did not proves justice is dead. Tch....】
While self-deprecation and reflection mingled in their conversation, Professor Helsen dismissed the students’ questions with an annoyed wave of his hand.
“Enough questions. That concludes today’s class.”
Without even checking the attendance sheet, he moved to leave the classroom.
Then he stopped at the door.
“Next class, we will see the level of this year’s freshmen. Ah, right... I suppose I should at least point you in the proper direction.”
Without looking back, he added quietly,“I did not say a single unnecessary word in this class.”
***
Back in his dormitory room, Aion dropped onto the bed and stretched at length.
“Haaaah—.”
After loosening up, he sat at his desk and opened his notebook.
Inside was an imperfect but complete copy of the magic circle that had been drawn on the classroom blackboard.
“...This is a problem.”
His first assignment already looked difficult.
He had no foundational knowledge of magic circles, while his competitors were elites who had already rushed to the library.
And he had only two days.
Aion recalled the students who had remained before the blackboard even after class, desperately copying down the magic circle.
As he stared intently at his notebook, he suddenly raised his head.
“By the way, I have a question.”
【Fire: What is it?】
“You said there were eight Ultimate Points.”
【Life: That is right.】
“But several of you never appear at all.”
The Ultimate Points had spoken one after another, but ever since Yggdrasil had been installed, there were Ultimate Points who had never once appeared in the blue windows.
At Aion’s question, Fire snorted.
【Fire: ...Ah, those fools. Leave them alone for the time being.】
【Earth: A few more old people chattering would only make things noisier. It is more helpful for them to lie there quietly.】
“...Understood.”
Aion did not ask further.
Nodding, he returned his gaze to the magic circle.
Then he pulled a thick introductory textbook on magic circles toward him from the pile at the edge of his desk.
Before he could even turn the first page, a sigh escaped him.
【Earth: ...Why are you sighing?】
“I do not know whether I can finish this within two days.”
It was a fight with no apparent chance of victory.
Even so, Aion placed his hand on the book.
At that moment—
Ding!
As if trying to sweep away his worries, Yggdrasil assigned him a task.
***
[!] A new task has been assigned.
***
『Task: Composite Magic Circle Deconstruction Analysis』
— 『Task Overview: Professor Helsen Barkas has assigned you the task of interpreting a composite magic circle.』
— 『Objective: Complete analysis of the composite magic circle.』
— 『Assigned Reward: Intelligence +3, Wisdom +3』
***
Aion’s eyes widened as he read the reward list.
“Im...possible....”
Intelligence and Wisdom were stats Yggdrasil had never granted through a task before.
Moreover, the reward was a total increase of six points.
【Fire: ...What did you say? I did not hear you properly.】
“...It is too early to conclude that it is impossible.”
Without hesitation, Aion opened the book.
Flip—!
Watching him, Life quietly said,【Life: ...What did I tell you? Students at this age are all like this.】
Fire agreed.
【Fire: ...Certainly. It is an age when material gain matters more than learning.】