My name is Kamito Kazehaya.
After parting ways with the girl named Elise, I set off alone toward Areishia Spirit Academy.
That old woman only told me that Restia was still alive, but gave no further information about her.
So what was the truth? I would have to see her myself to find out!
However…
"What are those things up ahead?"
According to the map, he should be close to the boundaries of Areishia Spirit Academy.
But Kamito could clearly sense that something was wrong with the atmosphere around him.
Traces of battle could be seen everywhere on the ground, and some trees were even stained with dried blood.
"Could there have been a large-scale battle here?" Kamito crouched down and surveyed the surroundings.
Something was definitely off. Although it had been several years since he last fought seriously, his powers of observation were still quite sharp.
Kamito scanned the area cautiously. If danger appeared, he would immediately detect it—or at least, he hoped so.
Step, step—
Rustle…
Footsteps sounded from not far away. Kamito quickly hid behind the grass, watching carefully.
"Hurry and carry the wounded back! The next attack is coming soon!"
A young girl who appeared to be the commander was giving orders, leading a group of girls dressed in school uniforms.
Each of them carried an unconscious, bleeding girl on her back as they hurried toward Areishia Spirit Academy.
"What… is going on here?"
Why were there so many injured people?
Wasn't that old woman supposed to be the Academy Director?
Why were so many students hurt?
Countless questions swirled through Kamito's mind, but he found no clear answers.
"I guess I'll only get answers once I see that old hag myself."
Just as Kamito was about to move toward the academy, a sudden rustling from behind caught his attention.
Behind him!
Damn!
Before Kamito could react, a dark object dropped in front of him, and something coiled tightly around his shoulder.
"Ugh!"
A choking sensation gripped his neck—he couldn't breathe.
It was a whip!
Without realizing it, someone had looped a whip around his neck!
How could this be? Had his skills really deteriorated this much? To think he hadn't even noticed someone approaching at this range!
"Another one from the Holy Nation, huh?"
A girl's voice came from behind him, filled with anger and frustration. The whip around his neck tightened even more.
"You scum who started this war deserve nothing but death!"
Her voice carried not only fury but also sorrow, and a faint tremor of grief. What had she gone through to sound like that?
"Wait… I'm not from the Holy Nation…"
Kamito grasped at the whip around his neck, finally loosening it slightly so he could speak.
"It was the old— I mean, Headmistress Greyworth who called me here!"
Kamito almost slipped and called her "old hag" out of habit, but he was certain that if he did, he'd be dead right here and now.
"I don't believe you! There've been plenty of scum trying to sneak into the academy lately!"
"Rinslet was gravely injured because she trusted strangers like you!"
Although she and Rinslet weren't exactly friends—and they often argued whenever they met—among all the academy students who looked at her as the 'sinner's sister,' Rinslet had been one of the few who actually talked to her.
And yet, because she had trusted the wrong person, she had been attacked and wounded by the Holy Nation's agents!
"This time, I won't ever believe any of you again!"
The girl's voice hardened with determination. Instead of relaxing her grip, she pulled the whip even tighter. The tension between them drew her closer to Kamito.
Kamito's face turned red from lack of oxygen. At this rate, he would soon lose consciousness.
Not good… I'm going to black out…
Suddenly, Kamito felt something brush against his eyelashes—a strand of crimson hair.
Before he knew it, the distance between them had closed completely.
Realizing how close the other person was, Kamito immediately released his grip.
Sorry about this, young lady!
Had he given up?
Perfect!
Sensing Kamito let go of the whip, the girl seized the opportunity to pull hard, intending to strangle the intruder into unconsciousness and then drag him to the Headmistress for interrogation.
But the next moment, something bumped against her chest—or rather, something touched her chest.
The girl's face flushed bright red as she shouted, "What are you doing?! Take your hand off me!"
Unknowingly, Kamito's hand had reached a place it absolutely should not have—and he had even squeezed slightly.
"If anyone's letting go first, it should be you! My life's literally in your hands right now!"
Kamito refused to back down. Instead, using his well-honed reflexes, he made his move.
"Ah—!"
A startled cry escaped the girl's lips. Because she stepped back, the whip around Kamito's neck loosened.
"I'm free!"
Feeling the long-lost rush of air in his lungs, Kamito quickly rolled forward to put some distance between them.
When he turned around, what he saw was a girl with bright crimson hair.
Her body was small—she looked no older than eleven or twelve—but her outfit was unmistakably the uniform of Areishia Spirit Academy.
"When did that old hag start admitting little kids into the Academy?"
Kamito was well aware of Areishia's admission standards. There was no way the academy accepted someone as young-looking as this red-haired girl.
In every sense of the word—small.
"A… a child?"
His voice wasn't loud, but as a qualified Elementalist, the girl clearly heard him even amidst the tension.
"I… I…"
Her head hung low, her expression hidden, but the way she tugged angrily at her whip made it obvious how upset she was.
"I'm fifteen! Not a child anymore!"
The girl shouted in anger, glaring at Kamito with fiery eyes.
"You've got to be kidding me," Kamito blurted in disbelief.
"If you're sixteen, how can that part be so small?"
After all, Kamito had just seen Elise's… impressive figure not long ago.
And during their conversation, he'd learned that Elise was also only sixteen.
Her sixteen…
Your sixteen…
Heh.
It wasn't that Kamito wanted to mock her—but she really was that small.
"You… you… you—!"
"Pervert! Deviant! Beast!"
The furious girl could barely form words. Raising her whip, she channeled brilliant flames into it.
"In the name of Claire Rouge!"
"I'll burn you to ashes!"