Published: August 10, 2026
"Lord Ferdinand, where are you going!?"
Without any explanation—or rather, because there was no way to explain the details—Ferdinand set off straight into the sky. Following Ferdinand's runaway Mount, the Guard Knights and Heisshitze hurried after him in a panic. Ferdinand looked back and stopped them.
"It is dangerous, so wait below the White Building! If you insist on accompanying me, then get to the upper sky faster than I do! If you remain in a half-baked position, you will die!"
Even while shouting that, Ferdinand shook off the Guard Knights and raced upward at tremendous speed. I had no time to look back to see whether anyone was following. I could only grip the reins desperately so I would not fall.
On the way up, the first bell began to ring. Clear bell chimes rang out through the library, the Central Building, the scholar building, the knight barracks, and the attendant building from each dormitory, echoing across the noble academy still untouched by sunlight.
"Use Raiden Shaft's Spear."
Ferdinand, who had climbed high enough to see the entire noble academy, said that as he drew out his stave. As he told me to pour in plenty of mana, Ferdinand transformed it into a one-handed sword and filled it with mana.
"Raiden Shaft's Spear?"
"Yes. When I give the signal, close your eyes, transform it into a spear, and drop it. No matter how terrible your aim is, and no matter how little throwing range you have, if all you do is drop it, you should manage. It is a magic circle that covers the entire noble academy. There should be no way for it to miss."
It was an extremely harsh way to put it, but he was not wrong. No matter how much mana I poured into Raiden Shaft's Spear, my skill was so poor that actually hitting an enemy was difficult.
...I know that! But Ferdinand-sama, I really wish you would remember that truth can hurt people even more deeply sometimes.
"Lord Ferdinand, what are you planning to do!?"
"Lady Rosemine, please stop him!"
The moment Ferdinand took a stance with the sword he had fully charged with mana, I heard those voices. It seemed the Guard Knights who had been desperately trying to keep up had finally caught us. Most of them were my Guard Knights, and I could also see a few blue cloaks.
Ferdinand looked down at them and muttered, "Unlike Eckhardt, they are completely unreasonable," but was I the only one who thought there was no one who could be compared to the Guard Knight who obeyed him absolutely?
"I told you it was dangerous. Why are you below me? Do you want to die? Get to the upper sky at once."
Ferdinand grumbled irritably while waiting for the Guard Knights, whose faces had gone pale, to move above us one after another. I could tell he was under considerable pressure.
"Lord Ferdinand, at least wait to attack until they have reached a safe position. If you attack my Guard Knights, I will stop you with everything I have."
"I would not do anything that vile."
Heisshitze, who had rushed up after us, asked, "What are you going to do?" But Ferdinand did not answer him. Instead, he raised the sword overhead.
"You have no obligation to answer. ...Rosemine, we're doing this."
"Yes!"
Just as Ferdinand said, I closed my eyes, drew out my stave, and chanted, "Lanze." I could feel the spear shape in my hands. Since I had been told to pour in as much mana as possible, I kept sending more and more mana into it. Even with my eyes closed, I could tell. I could hear the crackling sound of sparks flying from mana.
"That is enough. Drop it."
"Lord Ferdinand!? Lady Rosemine, wai—"
I could hear anxious voices and attempts to stop us from all around, but if we did not activate the magic circle and head for the Garden of Beginnings, Gervasio would end up obtaining The Book of Mestionora. We could not allow the one from Lanzenave who had murdered nobles in Arensbach, stolen their mana stones, and tried to kidnap young noblewomen to become the Zent of Jurgenschmidt.
...I'm absolutely going to stop him!
I let go at once and dropped Raiden Shaft's Spear. The instant I did, the Mount jolted, and I nearly lost my balance, startling me into opening my eyes. Raiden Shaft's Spear fell toward the pitch-dark noble academy like a blue meteor.