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By chance, it seemed that everyone’s schedules had aligned as all the club members were gathered. Marya and Braum were arm-wrestling with a table between them.

“Urrrggh… Grraaahhh!!”

Braum exerted so much force that it seemed like his blood vessels might burst from his scalp, but in the end, he was defeated by Marya.

Thud!

His body slumped onto the floor.

“Cheer up!”

“Ugh… I’m humiliated.”

Marya, triumphant in victory, swept the silver coins that were piled on the table. The scent of illegal gambling lingered, but Ronan didn’t intervene. After all, they needed a reserve for later.

Aselle was seated in a corner, engrossed in a conversation with Shullifen.

“My younger sibling is also a mage.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. They’re undergoing training to enroll in Philleon someday. This is just a casual question, but based on your upbringing in the countryside, what do you think they would prefer more among pottery and glassware cups?”

Ophelia was probably sleeping on the second floor of the club building. Ronan, amused by the bustling scene, chuckled. It was a far cry from the desolation when he first arrived, and he didn’t mind the liveliness now.

***

“I’m here, Varen.”

Ronan took only a single sheet of paper and left the building. He was headed for Philleon Tower 13, where Professor Varen Panacir resided.

As he opened the door, he saw a well-dressed were-lion sitting on a huge sofa, completely burying himself in his book.

Marpez, the dream bird, Cita’s parent, was curled up on his lap, tending to its lush and vibrant feathers. Varen, closing the book, greeted Ronan.

“Oh, Ronan. It’s been a while. Are you doing well with your assignments?”

“No, I don’t think I have a talent for growing things. This is already my fifth attempt.”

Ronan sighed deeply. The assignment Varen had given him during the last class was to cultivate the Bread Aloe, a plant that served as a primary food source for various fantasy creatures.

It was an easy plant to grow, requiring only sunlight and water, but Ronan managed to turn it into a graveyard of Bread Aloes. Varen chuckled as he stroked his mane.

“Well, it’s regrettable, but there’s nothing you can do about it. Don’t give up, and you’ll eventually see results.”

“Hmm?”

Ronan raised an eyebrow. Varen’s response, with a hint of excitement in his tone, was unusual for him. Normally, he would be solemn, mourning the deaths of innocent creatures.

“Is something good happening?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“Very.”

“Hehe, you caught me. Would you like to try this?”

Varen stood up and brought out a tea set. It was not the usual black tea. The liquid had a blue hue and emitted a strangely familiar aroma. When Ronan took a sip, his eyes widened.

“What is this?”

“It’s the potion made from the herb you successfully cultivated in the beginning.”

“Well, you’re giving me all this just for that?”

“I prepared this for you from the start, Ronan. Please use it wisely.”

Ronan noticed that the bottle cap had a lion’s head emblem on it and chuckled. Suddenly, a wave of self-loathing washed over him. While some struggled to grow simple Bread Aloes, he had succeeded in cultivating a rare and unknown herb. He handed a piece of paper to Varen.

“Thank you, I guess. I also have a gift for you.”

“What’s this?”

“It’s a club activity plan.”

“Uh-oh!”

Varen almost dropped his teacup. Marpez, who had been splashed with the tea, woke up startled. Varen, trembling, asked with a shaky voice.

“W-Where are you planning to go this time? Why…”

“Read it, and you’ll understand why.”

“Ah… Aaah…”

Varen felt darkness closing in on him. The shock from the last unauthorized phantom horse borrowing, the Wyvern Massacre, and the clash with the Zaifa still haunted him. Taking a deep breath, Varen picked up the paper and began to read.

“Hmm? Surprisingly, things seem normal this time.”

“Of course. How else would they see me?”

“The Dawn Magic Tower is known for its library. Are you going alone?”

“Yes, I don’t need to bring anyone along.”

Varen raised an eyebrow as if in surprise. Ronan added that he had submitted the club activity plan simply to extend his outing time.

After examining the plan carefully, Varen nodded in agreement. There didn’t seem to be any issues worth mentioning.

“Very well, you have my permission. Just continue doing things like this next time.”

“Well, all in all, there haven’t been any problems so far. Thanks for the tea.”

Ronan left the office. As Varen gazed at the empty seat, he muttered to himself while stroking Marpez.

“This time, nothing bad will happen. Right?”

– Siiiiiippppp

Slurp!

Varen finished the remaining tea in his cup. His gaze happened to fall on the bottom of the teacup. Sediment from the herbs was arranged in a skull-like pattern. It seemed too precise to be merely a coincidence. Varen set the cup down and whispered to himself.

“Please…”

***

Ronan had planned the trip for an extended period, but he didn’t see the need to bring anyone along for this tedious research.

Two days later, it was time for departure. He packed his belongings and headed to Skydock, located in the northern part of the city.

He was going to ride the Griffin Airship to the Dawn Magic Tower. In the club activity plan, it was written that he would go on horseback, but in the world of human affairs, plans can change unexpectedly.

– Fwoosh!

– Pfthuh!

Skydock, an establishment that operated flying transportation, had a spacious runway. Pegasus, having completed their tasks, flew in with carriages. A griffin, done with its flight, was tearing into a piece of meat nearby.

“I never thought I’d be riding something like this.”

Ronan mumbled to himself as he observed the airship he would be taking. It was grandiose, far exceeding the modified carts used for transporting prisoners. The airship was a small vessel with wheels, carried by eight griffins.

As expected, the ticket price was not much different from renting a phantom horse. Ronan paid the sum without hesitation. Merchants in Ido who refused to accept the Philleon Academy’s promissory notes were a rare sight.

Ronan boarded the airship. Its interior was luxuriously furnished, seemingly targeting the upper-class clientele.

Through large, round windows, passengers had a clear view of the outside scenery. All seats were arranged in front of the windows. Two elegant sofas were placed on either side of a central table, facing each other. Each table had a bottle of wine placed on it. Ronan chuckled as he saw this extravagance.

“Money is quite something.”

Despite the hefty price, there were plenty of passengers on board. Walking along the aisle, Ronan finally found his seat.

On the opposite sofa, there was already someone seated. A girl with hair that resembled the color of ripe blackberries. Her face was somewhat familiar. Ronan’s eyes widened.

“Elizabeth?”

“Oh, Ronan?”

Elizabeth, who had been gazing out of the window, turned her head. She, too, seemed somewhat surprised. Seated on the sofa, Ronan asked in disbelief.

“Why are you here? Did you run away or something?”

“Run away? What are you talking about?”

Elizabeth chuckled as if amused by the notion. Of course, she was dressed in the same academy uniform as Ronan, so running away was unlikely. Chuckling, he took out a cigarette and lit it. Ronan, who forgot for a moment, was reprimanded by a stewardess.

“Sir, smoking is allowed on the deck.”

“Oh, I can go up to the deck?”

Ronan put away his cigarette. The stewardess, looking slightly embarrassed, spoke up again.

“Ahem, please smoke on the deck.”

Elizabeth laughed softly as she watched Ronan put away his cigarette. Then she spoke up again.

“Well, it’s good timing. We can have a chat.”

“That’s true. I didn’t really want to mingle with those students anyway.”

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. Among the passengers, Ronan noticed several students wearing uniforms indicating their affiliation with magic. It was indeed an academy where wealth flowed. Elizabeth, scanning the students, mumbled to herself.

“Hmm, among these students, I’m the only one from the first year, it seems. They all look quite pitiful.”

“True, I thought they were just good at controlling telekinesis.”

“To be honest, my telekinesis is barely at the level of being considered. Fire is where I excel.”

Elizabeth created a small flame at the tip of her index finger. For a moment, he had forgotten. The girl in front of her was a genius who could control all three elements.

While they were chatting about this and that, the airship began its ascent. Stewardesses were going around explaining various safety precautions.

Since the vertical takeoff and landing were possible for the airship, there was no need for assistance in case of emergencies. Ronan finally spoke, crossing his legs.

“Well, I was getting bored, so this works out. Let’s have a conversation.”

“Sounds good. After all, I didn’t want to hang out with those sheep.”

Elizabeth agreed with a smile. The journey to the Dawn Magic Tower, located at the eastern tip of the continent, would take more than ten hours even by airship. Having someone to talk to was a welcome development.

“But hey, do you have any friends? You always seem to be alone.”

“D-don’t meddle in my affairs.”

Elizabeth blushed like someone who had been stabbed in a sensitive spot. Ronan chuckled and poured wine from the bottle that was on the table into his glass.

The airship, steadily ascending, was soon reaching the clouds. The flapping of sixteen pairs of wings created a loud noise echoing throughout.

***

It had been quite some time since the outside had turned dark. Beneath the airship, bluish-black clouds spread like a dense layer, obscuring the view of the ground.

“Damn it…”

The flight was going smoothly, but despite the moon being in its late night phase, Ronan still couldn’t fall asleep. He attributed it to Elizabeth, who was babbling nonsense with a tipsy demeanor.

“Hehe, isn’t sister Adeshan… just perfect? Beautiful, magnificent… Ah, I want to get married to her.”

“You should never drink again.”

Ronan sighed. It was actually his fault for letting her drink, even though her curious gaze and tipsy state were quite endearing. Ronan scratched his head and muttered to himself.

“How did you get like this after just one sip, are you faking being drunk?”

“Hehe… that’s right. Acalusia’s princess wouldn’t get drunk from something like this… Keuk! Shall I show you something amazing?”

Elizabeth snapped her fingers, and at the same time, a small lion made of fire leaped onto the table. Ronan, lost in thought, grabbed her wrist.

“Damn it, stop it right now.”

This was why he couldn’t fall asleep. If he had dozed off for a moment and woke up to find the airship plummeting, it would undoubtedly be Elizabeth’s fault. Ronan took Elizabeth and went up to the deck.

“Aah, refreshing. Where are we…?”

Even amidst the strong winds that tousled their hair, Elizabeth laughed heartily. She still didn’t seem sober. Ronan took her as far away from the cabin as possible to the bow of the ship.

“Alright, let’s talk about Adeshan. How did you become so close?”

“I can tell you all about that…! Hehe, where should I start from?”

“From the beginning.”

“Ahaha! You have great insight…”

Ronan stood next to her and took out his cigarette. This was already the fifth time he had heard this story, but there was no helping it. Drunk Elizabeth was surprisingly docile, only when she talked about Adeshan.

“Well, you see… I was in the early days of school, and I was having trouble finding the library…”

Eventually, Elizabeth’s voice started to flow in a drowsy, slurred manner. In reality, the story was quite ordinary. She couldn’t find the library because she had no friends, and Adeshan helped her, and they became friends from then on.

“So… hehe, did you see her hair? It’s like silk woven from the night sky… I feel like I could be strangled to death by it…”

However, the part where she praised Adeshan was long enough to extend the conversation. Inserting questions in between made it even more effective. Suddenly, a question popped into Ronan’s mind, one that he was genuinely curious about.

“Why do you treat Adeshan so well? You don’t even look twice at people without abilities.”

“Don’t compare sister with those other sheep. Keuk. Sister is different.”

“What makes her different?”

“Come on, um… well…”

Elizabeth suddenly trailed off. Ronan noticed that her shoulders seemed to slump as if a weight had descended upon her.

“Elizabeth?”

There was no response. Only the faint sound of irregular breathing reached his ears. Elizabeth leaned her head against his shoulder and seemed to be still. Ronan belatedly realized that she had fallen asleep. A transparent liquid was dripping slightly from her slightly parted lips.

“Such a handful…”

Ronan muttered under his breath but decided not to wake her up or make a fuss. It was better to have some drool on his shoulder than to deal with her causing a commotion.

How much time passed while maintaining this state? Gradually, the horizon pointed out by the bow began to turn red. The airship’s altitude had dropped significantly.

As they broke through the thick layer of clouds, a massive structure came into view in the distance. The cylindrical tower, consisting of 24 floors, seemed like a pillar connecting heaven and earth. Even without explanation, it was clear. Ronan muttered in awe.

Behind the tower, there was a vast circular garden spread out. The towering cylindrical structure looked like a pillar connecting heaven and earth. Even without explanation, it was clear. Ronan muttered in awe.

“Dawn Magic Tower.”

Beyond the tower, the deep blue sea of the Eastern Dawn stretched out. It was the Eastern Dawn Sea, the sea to the east of the continent.

Before long, as if pouring down, the red sun rose above the horizon. The pouring radiance turned the world crimson.

Ronan found the situation amusing. The Dawn Magic Tower, receiving the dawn rising from the Dawn Sea. He had been chuckling to himself about the low-level joke. Suddenly, the griffins carrying the ship began to make loud, eerie sounds.

– Whoosh!

– Kiiik! Kiiik!

“What’s going on?”

Ronan frowned. The sharp voices were so ominous that it felt like a bad omen.

At that moment, in the direction of the Dawn Magic Tower, a series of red flashes began to flicker one after another. What was that? As Ronan squinted to get a better look, he couldn’t help but mutter a curse.

“Fuck.”

Gigantic fireballs, as many as seven, were flying towards the airship. The flames were making a menacing sound as they burned through the atmosphere.