Published: January 24, 2026
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After finishing my conversation with Chris and parting ways, I quickly took care of adjusting my storage magical tool.
Now, I was searching for Shion while walking around Celeste, the capital of the Principality of Hitia.
As the capital of the magic powerhouse Hitia, many large magical tools that cannot be seen elsewhere were in operation.
Each building was taller than those found in other places.
Normally, one might feel oppressed by this, but perhaps because the city blocks were uniformly arranged, it didn’t feel particularly cramped.
When I was a child, I lived in the Village of Dawn, about two hours away by carriage from here.
Since I had visited Celeste several times, a feeling of nostalgia welled up as I looked at the cityscape.
That said, I wasn’t familiar with the area, nor did I know the places Shion frequented within Celeste, so finding her was proving difficult.
An hour had passed since I started searching. I wanted to find her on my own if possible, but I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
So, I returned to the Downing Trading Company Main Store to ask Ms. Telshe about the places Shion might visit, and I sensed a strong presence of ice spirits.
I hadn’t felt them when I left the Downing Trading Company earlier, so it seemed we had just missed each other.
Thinking this, I headed toward the area dense with ice spirits and reached the rooftop.
Among the many tall buildings in Celeste, the Downing Trading Company’s building was taller than most, allowing a panoramic view of the city from the rooftop.
Shion was sitting on the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the city.
“Finally found you. So you were here all along.”
“Hm? Orun? Didn’t you have something to do?”
“I’ve already finished adjusting the storage magical tool. Chris gladly took care of the other one, so I left that to her. By the way, as expected from Downing Trading Company. Everywhere I looked, there were only state-of-the-art facilities. If I had more time, I’d love to explore them properly.”
As I expected, my storage magical tool did not contain the special technique my grandfather had crafted and sealed within it.
Since I had borrowed Downing Trading Company’s equipment to modify the technique, I could continue to use the same storage magical tool as in the previous world without issue.
“They’re not called one of the world’s leading magical tool companies for nothing. Well, I’ve only studied magic at the academy, so I don’t really understand what’s so amazing about their equipment,” Shion said with a shy smile.
The Principality of Hitia has a facility called the Stromeria Magic Academy, where one can learn about magic and magical tools.
This academy is the main reason why Hitia’s citizens generally have a deeper understanding of magic and magical tools than those of other countries, making Hitia known as a magic powerhouse.
Interestingly, the academy actively accepts students from outside Hitia.
Of course, foreigners undergo some screening, but it’s said to be much more lenient than usual standards.
Shion had been attending this academy since she was little.
“An academy, huh? Now that you mention it, I never heard your childhood stories in the netherworld. Until when did you attend the academy?”
“Until I was fifteen. I entered at seven, so I attended for about eight years. At first, I had no choice because my family insisted, but after I heard that Orun had died that day (…), I went of my own will. To fulfill the promise we made to ‘go to the outside world,’ you know.”
As she said this, Shion had a look that was both reminiscent and guilty.
‘That day’ was when the Village of Dawn was attacked by the Cyclamen Cult, and Philly Carpenter, a supernatural ability user skilled in cognitive alteration, altered my memories.
In reality, Oliver and I survived, but by the time Amuntzarse and the principality learned the truth, we had already moved to the Nohitant Kingdom.
Because the village was in ruins and no survivors were confirmed, it was believed that everyone who lived there, including Oliver and me, had died.