"Ngh… Ugh…"
Mushiki awoke to find himself lying in a luxurious canopied bed.
After blinking a few times, he cast his gaze around the room.
It was large, the walls covered with antique shelves and closets. Beside his pillow was a stylish little lamp. A plush carpet covered the floor, shining magnificently with the light glimmering in through the gaps between the drawn curtains.
It was a dazzling awakening in this beautiful bedroom, and the elegance of it all was rather striking.
The only problem was that it was all utterly foreign to him.
"What the…?"
A murmur escaped his lips. Maybe it was because he had just woken up, but his ears were ringing, and he could hardly make out his own voice.
Baffled, he tried to recall his memories to figure out what might have brought him here.
His name was Mushiki Kuga. He was seventeen years old, a high school student, and lived in the city of Ohjoh in Tokyo. He remembered that much.
His last memory before falling asleep…had him walking the familiar road home.
Right. He had been on his way back from school. Clearly, something must have happened for him to be waking up here.
…Had he been abducted? Was he the victim of a hit-and-run, sending him off to heaven? Or had he spent the night with a woman who had gotten horribly drunk somewhere…? But none of those possibilities seemed particularly likely.
All that being the case, then maybe he was still dreaming?
His senses still dull, he tried pinching his cheek. It didn't hurt all that much, but he couldn't tell if that was because he really was dreaming or if his fingers were simply sapped of strength.
In any case, there was no point staying in bed.
Stepping down onto the floor, he slid his feet into the slippers laid out for him, crossed the room unsteadily, and opened the door, when—
"…Huh?"
His eyes widened in shock.
As soon as he walked through the doorway, it was as though he had been instantly transported to some unknown destination. The scenery was completely unknown to him.
The sun lit up the deep-blue sky, and a straight paved road stretched along the ground outside, with fountains and trees dotting its length as though to punctuate it with nature. At the end of the thoroughfare, a magnificent building towered above it all like a king perched atop his throne.
This sight was completely at odds with his everyday life, and yet something about it reminded him of the buildings and facilities at school.
Glancing over his shoulder, he was even more taken aback.
There was no sign of the bedroom where he had been until just a moment ago.
Unable to grasp what was going on, he rested a shaky hand on his forehead.
"…I guess I am still dreaming?"
Nonetheless, it looked like he wouldn't have time to continue fretting over this situation.
The reason for that was simple. Unlike the room he had just stepped out of, there were people here walking to and fro.
Maybe they were students? Boys and girls in matching uniforms were proceeding in groups toward the huge building up ahead.
A few of them, perhaps startled by his sudden appearance, stopped in their tracks, glancing his way wide-eyed.
"Um…"
Who wouldn't be surprised to see someone pop up out of thin air like this…? Though, in truth, no one was more taken aback than Mushiki himself.
Anyway, for now, he would have to find a way to explain that he wasn't a suspicious person—and at the same time try to figure out where he was.
He turned to the girl closest to him. "Um…"
Before he could even finish his thought—
"Good morning, Madam Witch!"
The girl gave a reverent curtsy as she called out in greeting.
"…Huh?"
His eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected response.
Before he knew it, the other students standing around him likewise began to offer salutations.
"Morning."
"How are you today, Madam Witch?"
"You look radiant this morning!"
All the while, Mushiki stood there petrified, like a deer in headlights.
"…?"
That wasn't all. The next moment, an older man, probably a teacher, appeared behind him.
"Good morning, Headmistress," the man greeted him politely.
Madam Witch.
Headmistress.
Mushiki could only tilt his head to one side in even greater consternation as person after person continued to address him with those unfamiliar titles.
At the very least, he didn't remember anyone ever having spoken to him like that before.
Moreover, neither title seemed particularly apt for a male high school student like himself.
"…Hmm?"
Confused, he found himself glancing down at his own body—and only then did he finally notice it.
He couldn't see his own feet.
Or strictly speaking, there was something blocking his line of vision.
"What…are these?"
Two large, unfamiliar masses hung from his chest.
Recovering slightly from his shock, Mushiki reached out to touch them with his hands.
"…What?!"
At that moment, his fingers dug into something soft—and he instantly felt a faint, sweet stimulation course through his chest.
"I-it can't be…"
They clearly weren't fake.
Those soft masses were part of his own body.
And now that he stopped to think about it, the fingers and hands exploring them were slenderer and paler in color than he remembered them being.
"…"
Having put two and two together, he took off running, until finally he reached a fountain by the roadside and peered into the water.
Seeing the reflection of the face staring back at him, he was rendered speechless.
That was only natural. What he saw wasn't his own familiar countenance, the face of a high school boy, but rather that of a beautiful woman endowed with long, gorgeous hair and bright, iridescent eyes.
"…"
Yep. There could be no doubt about it.
He had somehow become a girl. To put it mildly, it made no sense. Everything had been one inexplicable sight after another since he had woken up, but it all paled in comparison to this. It was too preposterous to be a dream.
Though to be fair, Mushiki's speechlessness wasn't only due to the fact that he had somehow been turned into a girl.
No, there was a much simpler, more romantic, more absurd reason for his loss of words.
In short, just like Narcissus in the ancient Greek myth, he had fallen utterly in love with the reflection staring back at him in the water.
Only half aware of his own actions, he reached out to touch her cheek.
He could feel his heart thumping, the sound growing louder and louder.
His brain felt like it was about to be overloaded by the unending stream of information that his eyes were feeding to it.
It was unbelievable, terrifying even—and a wonderfully sweet sensation.
Of course, the girl in the reflection was beautiful to behold. Her almond-shaped eyes. The well-defined bridge of her nose. Her luscious lips. It was no exaggeration to say that her features were perfectly balanced—a miraculous, sublime work of art.
But that wasn't all.
No, that wasn't enough to explain the intensity of emotion welling up inside him.
Ah, now he understood, an eerie conviction taking root.
There could be no doubt about it. The word that those wise minds from the past had coined in order to express this inexplicable rush of feelings could be none other than love.
"Am I…in love with her…? No, with myself…?" he whispered in awe before catching his breath.
His memories flooded back to him as he looked upon that face, almost as if they had been waiting for this opportunity.
Right. He knew this girl.
How could he have forgotten? He had met her just before he had lost consciousness.
She was the girl with the flower-shaped bloodstain on her chest.
"Here you are."
A voice like a small chime ringing came from behind him, prompting Mushiki to raise his face with a start.
"Huh…?"
Looking over his shoulder, he noticed a small girl standing there.
Her short black hair was pulled back tightly in a bun, and her clothes were similar in color. Her eyes, peering into Mushiki's face, were likewise black obsidian.
"…M-me, you mean?" he said, pointing to himself.
Though her expression remained unchanged, the girl had just realized something.
"My apologies. I take it your memories have yet to be fully integrated? You must be rather confused, I take it?" She paused for a moment before continuing: "I'm Kuroe Karasuma, attendant to the person you have become. I've been fully briefed on how to proceed should this unlikely development come to pass." With that, she gave him a polite bow.
Mushiki hurried to stand up straight. "…! Do you know something?! Tell me! Just who am I?!"
In response to these questions, the girl, Kuroe, gave him a brief nod. "My lady's name is Saika Kuozaki—the most powerful mage in the world."
"Wha—?"
Mushiki's eyes snapped open at this shocking declaration.
Then, still gripped by the powerful urge that had taken hold of his chest, he murmured:
"What…what a beautiful name…"
"…Excuse me?"
"Huh?"
Kuroe and Mushiki, staring at each other in wonder, both tilted their heads in puzzlement.
◇ ◇ ◇
Twenty minutes had passed since their encounter by the fountain. Mushiki had followed Kuroe to the huge structure towering over the end of the paved road—the central school building.
They were on the top floor, in a room labeled the HEADMISTRESS'S OFFICE on the sign by the door. It was a large space filled with modern equipment, but combined with the bookshelves packed with old-fashioned tomes alongside ancient-looking tools scattered around the walls, it served to give the room a strangely eclectic look.
Standing in the middle of the room, Mushiki was at pains trying to explain how he had ended up in this situation.
All the while, Kuroe, for some reason, after sitting him down in front of a mirror, was busy carefully combing his hair.
Apparently, she couldn't let him be seen with hair in such disarray after just getting out of bed.
"I see. On your way back from school, you found yourself wandering into a mysterious space, where you stumbled on Lady Saika covered in blood. After that, someone attacked you from behind, you lost consciousness, and then you woke up here. Yes?" Kuroe asked after repeating his story back to him.
"That's right," Mushiki answered.
"When you say a mysterious space, what specifically do you mean?"
"Um… Well, how do I put it? There were all these tall buildings lined up in rows, and it was kinda like a maze or a labyrinth…," Mushiki explained, gesturing with his hands.
Kuroe slightly frowned. "A fourth substantiation… So it really was a mage… But who could be capable of forging a space like that…?"
"Huh?"
"No, it's nothing," Kuroe said with a shake of her head before placing the comb back on the table and tying his hair with a frilly ribbon. "Thank you. I believe I now have a solid grasp of the situation."
The beauty staring back at him in the mirror had soared to yet greater heights. Utterly captivated, Mushiki sighed.
"She's incredible… It's like it isn't really me…"
"Strictly speaking, that's exactly right."
"Ah, I guess it is…"
Mushiki spun around on his chair to get a better look at the other girl.
"So, um… Ms. Kuroe?"
"Just Kuroe will do. I'm afraid it feels rather unnatural to be addressed so politely by that face."
"…" Though slightly uneasy about the master-servant relationship that he had found himself in, Mushiki decided to play along. "Um, Kuroe, then. There are some things I want to ask you, too…"
"I'm sure there are. It's quite expected for you to be confused right now. Please, ask me anything. If I can answer your questions, I will," she said with a nod.
Mushiki took her up on that offer. "So this girl… You said her name is Saika, right?"
"Indeed."
"So, um, what kind of guys is she into…?"
"…Excuse me?" Kuroe, her expression blank, tilted her head in response to Mushiki's bashful inquiry.
"Er, maybe that was a bit too personal. Okay. Um, what sort of foods does she like, then…?"
"No, that wasn't the issue." Kuroe stood up straight, and keeping her eyes fixed on Mushiki, she asked, "Is that really the first thing you want to ask? I'm sure you must have other, more pressing questions, no?"
"I guess so… But, um, still. Is it okay for me to ask about that kind of thing? It's probably, like, secret, right…?"
"Why are you beating around the bush at a time like this? Please don't hold back. First things first, I want you to understand the situation in which you find yourself."
"A-ah, well, in that case…" Mushiki cleared his throat, and his cheeks having turned slightly red, he asked, "Um, so about her body measurements…"
"That isn't what I meant," Kuroe interrupted him. "Are you a simpleton? Or is that you in there, Lady Saika, and you're just playing games with me? Surely you have more urgent questions in need of answers. Where am I? for example. Why have I become Lady Saika? That sort of thing."
"Ah, now that you mention it… What's happening to me?! What the hell is going on here?!"
"…" Now that he had started asking what seemed like earnest questions, Kuroe's mouth tightened into a thin line. "Allow me to start at the beginning. As I said earlier, you're currently inhabiting the body of Lady Saika Kuozaki, the world's strongest mage and the head of this mage training school, Void's Garden."
"Yes. Ah, no matter how many times I hear it, it's such a lovely name…"
"…I would have expected the word mage to have been the part to catch your interest."
"Ah, sorry."
As Kuroe said, that was indeed an intriguing word. Mushiki's apology was wholehearted. "So by mage…you mean someone who can cast spells? Like hurling fire or healing allies or something?"
"That's a rather abstract impression, and dare I say it, a few generations out of date, but yes."
"Seriously? You're saying mages really exist?"
"Can you explain what has happened to your body through other, more conventional means?" Kuroe countered.
"…I suppose not," he found himself answering. As the saying went, the facts speak for themselves.
He could certainly think of no other way to explain how he, Mushiki Kuga, had somehow been transformed into a girl named Saika Kuozaki.
"I know you must have your doubts, but for the time being, let's proceed under the assumption that magic does exist."
"All right… So what's going on with my body?" Mushiki asked in a meek voice.
Kuroe lifted a finger into the air, placed it firmly against his chest, and said, "I'll start with the conclusion. You and Lady Saika have coalesced into a single body."
"Wha—?! B-but that's…!"
"I understand it must be difficult to remain calm right now, but I must ask you to please refrain from—"
"Aren't you supposed to get married before doing that…?!"
Kuroe closed her eyes for a moment. When she finally opened them, her expression seemed to suggest that she was taking in some repulsive sight.
"You may have Lady Saika's body," she said, "but perhaps I'll have to knock some sense into you?"
"I'm sorry. That word, it was just so, so stimulating…" Mushiki shrank back.
Kuroe, regaining her composure, continued: "Mushiki, wasn't it? According to your story just now, Lady Saika was fatally injured when you found her last night, yes? It's only natural, then, to infer that someone must have attacked her, wouldn't you say?"
"Right… Any idea who it could have been?"
"I'm afraid not."
"So there wasn't anyone who had a bone to pick with her, then?"
"I would say she had as many enemies as there are stars in the sky."
"…" Hearing her put that so bluntly, Mushiki felt a cold sweat building on his forehead.
"Nonetheless," Kuroe continued, "there shouldn't be anyone capable of killing the strongest mage in the world, the Witch of Resplendent Color, Saika Kuozaki."
"…"
Those calmly spoken yet resolute words forced Mushiki to catch his breath.
"My apologies. Let's continue." Kuroe must have noticed his reaction, as she stopped to clear her throat. "I suspect that, in all likelihood, your assailant and Lady Saika's are one and the same."
"Right… I thought so, too."
Mushiki's thoughts took him back to those final moments.
That ruthless blow that had felled him as he had tried to save the blood-soaked Saika.
He might not have been able to see his attacker's face, but the wound left on his body had been all but identical to that on Saika's.
"You were both on the verge of death and would in all certainty have truly died had not Lady Saika, drawing on the last of her strength, made use of her final magic technique."
"Her final magic technique… What's that supposed to mean?" Mushiki asked.
Kuroe raised her right and left index fingers, slowly bringing them together until they touched. "A fusion spell. It's simple addition. Left alone, you would have both died. So it was better that at least one of you survive. 0.5 + 0.5 = 1. Lady Saika, on the brink of death, found you, also about to breathe your last, and merged the two of you into a single being in order to extend your life span."
"Merged," Mushiki repeated softly, his voice filled with shock as he raised a hand to his cheek—although all things considered, he wasn't even sure if it really was his cheek anymore.
"Yes. Hence the word coalescence."
"…So you're saying there's nothing left of me, then…?"
"Perhaps the injuries dealt to Lady Saika's body were less severe, or it may have had something to do with the amount of magical energy latent in the two bodies. I can't say… It would appear, however, that Lady Saika's body is serving as the base. Having said that, please don't be alarmed. This doesn't mean your body has been lost forever, simply that the parts of you that have been fused are now hidden. I suspect that, in all likelihood, your body is supplementing Lady Saika's injured one."
"Huh? But—"
"I understand you're in shock, but please, wait till I finish explaining—"
"Am I really worthy of this honor…?"
"…Could you please, just for a moment, stop trying to make me feel like an idiot for attempting to help you here?" Kuroe said, her stare piercing Mushiki.
Mushiki did realize he was being somewhat unreasonable, and he did his best to apologize.
"…Now then, from what I can see, that body is entirely Lady Saika's. However, the mind, I take it, is wholly yours, Mushiki?"
"Ah…" His breath caught in his throat.
It did seem to be that way.
If his consciousness had merely been swapped with hers, that would mean that his own body must be somewhere out in the world with Saika's mind.
Otherwise, if his body had simply been transformed into a copy of hers, that, too, would suggest that the real Saika must likewise be out there somewhere.
If what Kuroe said was true, if the two of them, both on the verge of death, had fused into one so as not to perish, then there could only be the one of them.
"So Saika's mind…her soul… Where did it go…?" Mushiki asked, his voice shaking.
Kuroe, after a short pause, slowly shook her head. "I don't know. She may be dormant inside your body. She may have become a wandering spirit, drifting somewhere far afield. Or maybe…" She didn't finish that thought.
It was just a possibility, but even so, it was no doubt too awful to put into words. Mushiki didn't press further.
"…In any event, we need to discuss what to do from here. We're in a state of emergency. It's no exaggeration to say that this is the greatest crisis the world is facing at this present moment," Kuroe said, her expression grim.
Mushiki couldn't help but feel doubtful. "The world…? I mean, sure, losing a beauty like that is a huge deal, but even so… Huh?"
As he spoke, an alarm began to sound throughout the school building.
The next moment, a girl's voice blared out from a PA system: "This is Erulka Flaera. We have confirmed the deployment of an annihilation factor, estimated yield between calamity- and war-grades. Time for reversible annihilation is two to four hours. Knight Anviet Svarner has been assigned to respond. Everyone, maintain a state of heightened vigilance."
"…? What's all that supposed to mean?"
"Hmm." Kuroe held her chin in one hand for a moment before glancing back at him. "This is a good opportunity. Let's go outside. It's time you saw the other side of our world for yourself."
After exiting the headmistress's office, Kuroe led Mushiki to the rooftop of the central school building.
Before stepping out, she had made him leave behind the slippers he was still wearing and change into proper shoes. The heels might have been relatively short, but being unaccustomed to them, his gait was a little wobbly.
"Come along, this way. There are some steps here, so please do be careful," Kuroe said, holding out her hand.
"Sorry," Mushiki replied, accepting her support as he took a somewhat long stride. "Is this…?"
Arriving at the rooftop, Mushiki made his way to the tall fence at its edge, raised a hand to keep his hair from being buffeted by the wind, and turned his gaze to the scene unfolding below.
He could see far into the distance, with a much wider field of view than he had had on the ground.
Centered around the school building was a vast site containing several additional facilities, all surrounded by a high wall. Beyond those fortifications was an expansive cityscape.
"Ah… So it's just a regular city, huh."
"Yes. Perhaps you're wondering where we are?"
"Well… When you mentioned magic, I kinda assumed I had been whisked off to another world or something."
"You've been unaware of our presence, but we've long been operating in the shadows. This Garden is located in the eastern part of Ohjoh City."
"It's closer than I thought… But I don't remember ever seeing anything like—"
"That's because we've erected a field around it, which serves to keep us under the radar of outsiders… Now, I would like you to please stop staring at the ground below and pay attention to the sky above us."
"Huh?" As instructed, Mushiki looked upward.
At that very moment, the tranquil clouds floating above broke apart, and it appeared.
"…? What is…that?"
That was a claw—an enormous claw tearing through an empty sky.
No, empty wasn't quite the right word—rather, a fissure seemed to have torn through space itself, a great crack ripping through the firmament.
That wasn't all—that fissure was growing increasingly larger…
The next moment, as though cleaving the heavens in two, a gigantic shadow reared its head.
"What…?" Mushiki's eyes opened wide in alarm.
Its massive body was covered in what looked like a tough hide, its arms and feet each equipped with talon-like claws, while long horns sprouted out of its head and a pair of wings emerged from its back.
It almost reminded him of an ancient dinosaur—or maybe a giant monster from a sci-fi film.
"Annihilation Factor No. 206: Dragon," Kuroe said practically in response to his thoughts. "With its tough and unyielding body and its tenacious spirit, it won't fall to anything but the strongest of attacks. Its fiery breath could turn all of Japan into a sea of fire in a matter of days. It's a relatively common form of an annihilation factor," she continued, her tone of voice indifferent.
As though in perfect sync with that explanation, the dragon let out a tremendous roar before spewing out a violent torrent of smoldering flames.
"What…?!"
The sky above burned with scorching heat, and though those flames remained a long distance away, they were powerful enough to make his skin feel like it, too, was on fire. He could barely even keep his eyes open.
With that ferocious fiery breath, it was like a scene from some ancient myth.
What on earth would become of the people, the fields, the cities lying in its path?
The answer to that question flashed in front of him.
"…!"
In the blink of an eye, the landscape before him was engulfed in flames, the familiar cityscape, his home until just yesterday, transformed into a blazing inferno.
Flames swept across the ground, along the streets, painting everything before him in shades of black and red.
There were screams. Alarms blaring. Sounds of destruction. All of it mixed together, all of it sweeping through the whole area.
For a moment, his mind was unable to process the sheer scale of the destruction, and he could do nothing but watch in quiet dismay.
"What…? Um…"
After a few seconds, his brain finally freed itself from its stupor and began to take in the situation, passing orders to his arms and legs.
Desperately, he grabbed the shoulder of the young woman by his side.
"Kuroe! The city!"
"I can see. Please calm down, Mushiki."
"You expect me to calm down at a time like this?! How are you able to watch with such indifference?!"
"Because panicking will not improve the situation. Besides…" With Mushiki still shaking her shoulders violently, she pointed at the sky. "If you don't pay attention, you'll miss it."
"…Huh?"
Mushiki followed her finger, his gaze turning upward once more.
At that moment—
"Yeeeaaahhh! Yahoooooo!"
A loud cry rang out, and a small shadow took off from the ground like a bullet being blasted up into the air.
They soared in a straight line, struck the dragon like a bolt of fierce thunder, and sent its huge body tumbling across the sky.
"What…?"
The dragon's deafening howl was powerful enough to send shock waves through the air.
That wasn't an attempt to make its presence known, nor to intimidate its enemies—rather, it was a cry of tremendous pain and grief.
"You're a pain in the ass, you oversize lizard!" With those words, the figure who had sent the dragon flying spread their arms wide.
Then something like a small satellite circling through the air exploded with light.
The next moment—
With an incredible detonation like a nearby thunderstrike, the sky was engulfed in a dazzling glow.
Mushiki had to cover his eyes in the face of that blinding flash.
"…Ugh!"
When he could finally open them again, the humongous dragon had vanished, gone without so much as a trace.
"Wh-what was that…?" Mushiki stammered.
"Knight Anviet Svarner. He's a cornerstone of Lady Saika's chevaliers and an S-class mage at the top of the Garden's ranks. I had little doubt he would be able to handle an annihilation factor of that level by himself," Kuroe answered, still staring at the sky.
"Lady Saika's chevaliers…? You mean, she's even stronger than him?"
"It's ridiculous to even compare them," Kuroe answered coolly.
"…Whoa…"
Dumbfounded for a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief before lowering his gaze.
"Right, the city—"
He cast his gaze back to the sea of flames that had engulfed the cityscape—but found himself at a loss for words.
"Eh…?"
The source of his surprise was simple. Until just a moment ago, the city had been enveloped in bright-red flames, screams erupting all around—but now it had returned to normal as though nothing at all had been amiss.
"Huh…? But the whole city was on fire just now…"
"Indeed. That was no illusion. The city had certainly been devastated by the dragon's flames. Had Anviet not defeated the monster, what you just saw would have been the result laid down in the history of the world."
"…So you're saying that since the dragon was defeated, it never actually happened?"
"To put it simply, yes. Those who dwell outside the Garden won't remember it all," Kuroe said matter-of-factly.
Mushiki could only stare out at the city in shock, hardly able to believe what he was hearing.
Slowly, the dribs and drabs of information that Kuroe had offered him began to fall into place.
"Are you saying this kind of thing happens often…?"
Kuroe gave him an exaggerated nod, her gaze unflinching. "This was the fifteen thousandth one hundred and sixty-fifth occurrence."
"Eh?"
"That is the total number of times that mages, starting with Lady Saika, have saved the world."
"…! B-but that's…?!"
"Yes… The world faces an annihilation event roughly every three hundred hours, on average."
"…" Mushiki could only stare back at her, his incredulity plain to see.
"It isn't only dragons. There is the fruit of wisdom with the power to create star- or planet-destroying weapons, psychic anomalies that bring about endless natural cataclysms, swarms of golden locusts that devour everything in their path, deadly pandemics with massive fatality rates, emissaries from the future hoping to change the course of history, and a gigantic conflagration that would encompass the entire planet with its mere existence… These entities, each of them with the power to destroy the earth as we know it, we call annihilation factors."
She paused for a moment before adding: "The work of mages like us is to use our skills to eliminate those annihilation factors. In the past, there have even been one or two such events that only Lady Saika herself was capable of resolving. Do you understand what I'm saying? If not for her, this world would have surely been destroyed. That is how vital the person with whom you have merged is." She spoke quietly as she told him this, but there was an unmistakable zeal to her voice.
Mushiki's hands were trembling as he took in this shocking revelation. "I-it's unbelievable…," he whispered under his breath.
Kuroe forced her eyes shut. "Indeed. Your apprehension is understandable, but I assure you, it's all true."
"Hold on. You said there's one of these annihilation events every three hundred hours, and there's been more than fifteen thousand of them now…? So counting back, that means she's been doing this for more than five hundred years, right…? And she's still got such beautiful, silky skin… Yep, it's unbelievable, all right…"
"…" Wordlessly, Kuroe unleashed her pent-up fury.
"Ow, that hurts! Stop!" Mushiki was forced to lift his hands over his head in an attempt to shield himself from her repeated strikes.
The next moment—
"…! Eh?"
Like a meteor hitting the ground, a flash of light touched down before them as a man appeared.
"Yo, Kuozaki. So you were watchin' from up here, huh? Must be nice livin' it up."
The man was young and, though slim, had a well-toned, muscular body adorned in a well-tailored shirt complete with a vest and slacks.
He had tan skin, and his black hair was tied back in a braid. He had the sharp eyes of a predator, and a wild smile stretched across his face. Altogether, his appearance reminded Mushiki nothing short of a ferocious animal.
"You're…"
There could be no doubt about it. He was the mage responsible for crushing the dragon just now.
As proof of that, two vajras—golden weapons shaped like claws—floated in the air beside him, crackling with electricity.
Moreover, there were two huge wings at his back, shining like halos. That divine aura was an odd match with his otherwise wild appearance.
With Mushiki staring back in stunned silence, the man's lips puckered as he flashed them a bold grin. "Somethin' up? You look like a pigeon shot dead by a peashooter. Ah, maybe you've been wowed by my awesome magic techniques, eh?" the man said with a flippant shrug.
Mushiki found himself nodding along. "It was awesome. That was you?"
"…Hah?" The man's mouth dropped open, his confusion obvious.
"It was amazing… Such a huge dragon. You must be an incredibly strong mage… Right?"
"Hah…? Wh-what're you blabberin' about…? Did your breakfast disagree with you or somethin'…? And there's somethin' up with your voice, too…" The man pulled back, almost flinching.
Despite his words, however, his cheeks had turned a light pink.
"No. I said it was amazing because it was amazing. I mean, how did you do that?"
"H-how…? I mean, it wasn't all that hard, just my second substantiation, you know…? I—I guess I did tweak the formula a little, though."
"I see! Your spell… I don't really understand it. What was it exactly?"
"Like I'm gonna tell! Why do I gotta share my secrets?!"
"Don't say that. Come on. I just want to know how you pulled off that awesome move. Tell me."
"…F-fine… I guess I can show you a little…," the man mumbled, his lips slowly curling into a grin.
As scary as he might look, he didn't seem all that complicated.
"You'll do it?! Thank you! Um…"
"Hmm?"
"Did you mention your name just now?" Mushiki asked lightheartedly.
At this, Kuroe let out a small sigh that all but said This is bad.
The man had seemed somewhat relaxed up till now, but with this question, veins began to throb on his forehead. "H-hmm…? So that's it…? Basically, I'm just a small fry, not even worth rememberin'…?"
"Huh? N-no, not at all. I just had a bit of a mental block for a moment—"
"Fine! I'll just have to drill it in you till you never forget the name Anviet Svarner again! Arggghhh!"
Anviet (right, that was his name) flared with anger and stomped his leg heavily on the building rooftop.
As his boot made impact, a burst of terrible lightning exploded in all directions.
"…?!"
A net of light crisscrossed the rooftop like a spider's web—and before he knew it, Mushiki found himself petrified.
"Hold on…! Stop!"
"Shuddup! If you're gonna beg for your life—"
"What if Lady Saika's beautiful face ends up getting scratched?!" Mushiki cried out
.
"…" Anviet's cheeks twitched. "I guess there's no need to hold back, huh…?!"
With that, he lowered his hands—and the two vajras floating around him began to rotate at incredible speed, glowing as they charged with electricity.
"Take this! Vajdola!" As he cried out, Anviet thrust his hands forward and unleashed his ultimate attack.
Mushiki's vision was flooded with blinding white light.
"…What?!"
He swallowed his breath, his stiffening body practically pinning him down.
"Mushiki!" Kuroe cried out, followed by a deafening roar.
He was perfectly aware that he had to try to dodge this attack, and yet his body refused to move.
Violence so overpowering that not even reason could stand up to it. A primitive, instinctual urge to survive. Even to Mushiki, who didn't understand the first thing about magic, it was clear as day that this would be a fatal blow. Soon that raging golden lightning strike would tear his body to pieces.
That said—
"…"
What dominated his mind wasn't fear or despair—but a curious sense of unease.
The burst of electricity that should have rent his flesh apart was moving strangely slow, as though time itself had somehow drawn to a halt.
Yet in this slow-motion world, his thoughts continued to turn at the same pace as before. It was a transcendental experience.
Was this what it meant to see your life flashing before your eyes as you approached death?
It was said that, at the moment of death, the human brain starts to think at an incredibly high speed, sorting through its prior experiences in the hope of finding a way out. As a result, time seems to move more slowly.
Nonetheless, it was all well and good for his brain to be dredging through his past memories, but there was nothing in there that would help him get out of this situation.
Don't be afraid. You have the strongest body in the world now.
…
"Huh?"
Out of nowhere, a voice had echoed in his head. Mushiki's eyes widened in alarm.
It was faint and distant but too clear to be an auditory hallucination.
But what on earth was it?
Strangely, the moment he had heard it, an eerie sense of peace washed over him.
Something told him that it was the same voice he had heard before passing out the night before, the voice of his first love.
Your body remembers how to use its powers. Trust it.
"…"
At that moment, Mushiki raised his hands in front of him.
Not even he properly understood what was driving his actions. Nonetheless, he was sure this was the right course of action.
A heat was building up inside him, as though the blood running through his veins was warming up.
Soon a glow filled his field of vision, enveloping numerous thunderbolts, while above his head, radiant rings of light came into being.
One by one, they came together to form something resembling an angel's halo, while at the same time, others joined vertically—almost like a witch's hat.
"…Four points?!" Kuroe's awestruck voice echoed behind him.
In an instant, space began to bend and warp around him—and the world was transformed.
That wasn't metaphor or hyperbole.
Until that moment, Mushiki, Kuroe, and Anviet had been standing on the rooftop of the central school building.
Yet a split second later, everything around them had changed—replaced by a blue sky extending forever into the distance.
That wasn't all. Mushiki looked down below and took in both earth and sky.
On the ground was a vast urban cityscape, and in the sky, a similar metropolitan scene, only upside down.
It was familiar—and yet at the same time uncanny. The tips of so many tall buildings and radio towers were pointed downward straight at them. All in all, it reminded Mushiki of the jaw of a huge beast.
Then Anviet's panicked voice rang out. "A fourth substantiation…?! Hey, Kuozaki! No fair! That's a forbidden—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Anviet's cries were cut off then and there.
The cityscape below had begun to rise, or perhaps that above had begun to fall, both coursing toward him as though to rend him to pieces.
"…The creation of all things. Heaven and earth alike reside in the palm of my hand. Pledge obedience—for I will make you my bride." Though he was only half conscious, those were the words that emanated from deep inside his chest.
Anviet, still hoping to resist, lifted his arms to the heavens—but the lightning that he summoned scattered without effect.
"Ngh…?! D-dammit! Aaauuuggghhh!"
Like a bamboo boat being thrown about by the waves, poor Anviet was consumed by the gaping maw of those towering edifices.
The world was progressively losing its form.
Yet a few moments later, everything returned to normal, with Mushiki and the others back on the rooftop of the central school building. The rings of light that had appeared over his head were also gone.
The only difference was that Anviet was now lying flat on his back.
His high-quality shirt and slacks were stained and torn, barely maintaining their function as articles of clothing. His long hair was covered in dirt, his body riddled with cuts and bruises. Nonetheless, his limbs were twitching at odd intervals, so he must have still been alive.
"What was all that…?" Mushiki stammered in a daze, glancing down at his hands as he clenched them into fists over and over. Those thin and beautiful fingers moved in accordance with his will.
He didn't have the faintest inkling of what he had just done.
Still, he understood that the inexplicable scene that had unfolded in front of him had been the result of his own power.
It was an indescribable feeling, unlike anything he had ever experienced before.
A burning sensation, as though his blood was at a boil as it flowed from his brain to the ends of his fingertips.
A sense of elation, as if his very existence had swelled like an inflating balloon.
Most of all—a sense of omnipotence, as if he could fit the entire world into the palm of his hand.
This strange concoction of impressions struck him all at once, leaving him momentarily stunned.
"D-damn you…!"
"…!"
Anviet's resentful voice, trickling from a body still lying flat on the roof, pulled Mushiki back to the present.
"Um, are you okay…?" Mushiki approached, crouching down to check that the man was all right.
Anviet, for his part, struggled to raise his face, until his bloodshot gaze landed on Mushiki. "I-I'll remember…this… I'll…kill you, y-you—"
Nonetheless, he wasn't able to complete that sentence, as Kuroe trampled his face underfoot.
"Gyargh!"
At once, he fell motionless. Not even his limbs, until now twitching slightly, still moved.
"…"
It didn't look like she had intended to silence him—or even to deal the finishing blow. If anything, it might have simply been an act of carelessness as she approached Mushiki.
"Kuroe?" he called out to her.
Her expressionless countenance was the same as ever—other than that, she was unable to contain a shred of astonishment, mixed with the zest of excitement.
"…I can't believe it. Even with Lady Saika's body, for you to perform a fourth substantiation like that… But this could only mean—"
No sooner did she begin to mutter under her breath than she cut herself off, glancing back his way. "Mushiki."
"Y-yes?" Feeling pressured by her intense stare, he could only nod in uncertainty.
"It's unfortunate that you find yourself dragged into all this," she said. "Even so, I must ask you for your help. The fate of the world rests on your shoulders."
"Uh, I'm not really cut out for all that…," Mushiki answered.
That was to be expected. He was just an ordinary high school student. What was he supposed to do if called upon to save the world just like that?
"…" Kuroe scowled, making him break out in a cold sweat. "Is this not one of those situations where you should just go with the flow?"
"All the same…"
She stopped for a moment to ponder before continuing: "With your cooperation, we may be able to find a way to separate you and Lady Saika. Should that effort prove successful, I would be happy to introduce you to her anew, as someone to whom we all owe our lives."
"What have I got to do? I was just thinking I was in the right mood for a little world-saving," Mushiki blurted out.
Kuroe fell silent, breathing out a resigned sigh. "We need to make the necessary preparations. But we should deal with a certain contentious issue first."
"A certain contentious issue?" Mushiki repeated blankly.
Kuroe responded with a single nod.
◇ ◇ ◇
Around thirty minutes after the scuffle on the roof, Mushiki was led to a large set of doors inside the central school building.
"What's this, Kuroe?" he asked.
"The conference room. The Garden's management department is holding its regular meeting today… Given the circumstances, I would prefer not to attend, but it would be out of the question for Lady Saika to not be present." Kuroe paused there before coming out with a warning: "The management department and various knights should already be inside. I will deal with them as best I can, so please keep any comments to a minimum."
"All right. We can't ruin Lady Saika's image, right?"
"Yes, indeed." Kuroe's expression seemed to suggest that wasn't what she was thinking at all, but she evidently decided to leave it at that.
She knocked loudly on the door, gradually swung it open, and gestured for Mushiki to enter.
Though somewhat on edge, he did as she instructed.
"Whoa…"
The moment he stepped inside, Mushiki let out an audible gasp, despite already having been warned to keep silent.
He couldn't help it. There were already close to ten figures in the meeting room, and they each rose to their feet to welcome him.
"Lady Saika. Please take a seat," Kuroe urged in an attempt to break through his stupor.
Right, he couldn't just stand there in the doorway forever. He made his way awkwardly to the large table and sat himself in a vacant chair.
When he did, the others in the room, still standing, gave perplexed looks.
"M-Madam Witch…?"
"Is everything all right…?"
"Huh…?"
Mushiki looked on quizzically, when Kuroe approached from behind. "Lady Saika's seat is over there," she whispered, pointing to the place at the head of the table.
The seat of honor. Although given the room's unsettling atmosphere, it seemed more like the place where the boss of an evil organization might sit.
"Ah…" He rose to his feet and hurried to reseat himself at the right position.
Only then did the others sit down.
"…"
Well aware of a strange tension that had fallen over the room, Mushiki glanced around at the other members.
Then he slightly frowned. Most of them were dressed in tidy suits, but two were clearly out of place.
One was a girl who seemed to be in her early teens, though her firm eyebrows and slightly reddened cheeks made her look even younger. She was wearing a long white robe, but for some reason, beneath that, she was clad only in a top and a pair of skintight leggings like something from a tribal costume. It almost looked like casual underwear and was a complete mismatch in comparison to the rest of the members.
"…Kuroe, who's that?" Mushiki asked in a small voice.
"Knight Erulka Flaera," Kuroe whispered. "She may look young, but she's the second longest-serving mage here at the Garden after Lady Saika."
"Oh…"
As the saying went, you couldn't judge a book by its cover. Mushiki was struck with wonder.
Next, his gaze turned to the girl sitting directly across from him.
She, too, looked young in years, though not quite to the same extent as Erulka—sixteen or seventeen years old, if he had to guess. She was dressed in the same uniform as the other students he had seen outside.
Her hair was tied back into two long pigtails, her eyes were a lovely almond shape, and her thin, well-defined lips told of great strength of will…
At that moment, Mushiki stopped.
Her face—he had seen it somewhere before.
"…It can't be… Ruri?" he murmured.
"…Yes? What is it, Madam Witch?" responded the girl, her head cocked to one side. She was clearly elated to have been addressed directly by the esteemed Lady Saika.
"Er… It's nothing," he murmured softly.
He hadn't meant to call out to her, but she had clearly heard him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kuroe staring at him in suspicion.
He could hardly blame her. After all, he had suddenly called out the name of someone whom he wasn't supposed to know.
At that moment—
"…!"
Just as he was wondering how he could brush this all off, the doors to the conference room slammed open, and a man, covered from head to toe in bandages, staggered inside.
At first, Mushiki wasn't sure who he was looking at, but when the newcomer gave him a piercing glare, he knew—it was the knight he had fought just a short time ago, Anviet Svarner.
The various faces of the management department stared at the knight wide-eyed.
"Kn-Knight Svarner! Your injuries…?!"
"Don't tell me they're from your fight with an annihilation factor?!"
"Impossible! For Anviet, an S-ranked mage, to end up like this?!"
Anviet clicked his tongue to silence the flustered onlookers. "Shuddup. As if I would ever lose to a drip like that."
"B-but your injuries…?" a man wearing glasses asked—to which Anviet fixed Mushiki with a hateful glower.
At this, the other faces assembled each let out understanding sighs.
"…So it was Madam Witch."
"Ah, I suppose it can't be helped, then."
"You're lucky to be alive, Anviet."
"Don't just nod your heads, you bastards!" Anviet grunted as he threw himself down in the seat beside Erulka.
He must have been in considerable pain, as his body was trembling and his face was twisted in a grimace…but he clearly didn't want the others to realize just how bad a condition he was in, as he didn't make so much as a noise.
"You're late, Anviet," Ruri said, glowering. "What do you have to say for yourself, making Madam Witch wait?"
"…Shut up. Just be grateful I'm here at all," Anviet snapped back.
Ruri shook her head, then turned her gaze back to the others assembled around the table. "In that case, now that we're all here, let's begin. The first item on our agenda today is…" As she spoke, she reached out to the computer terminal in front of her and projected an image over the center of the table. "Since our last briefing, there have been two annihilation events: a number five hundred and eleven, a leprechaun, and a number two hundred and six, a dragon. Both were successfully subdued within the window for reversible annihilation. Injuries sustained by our mages…" In a loud, clear voice, she moved on from one item on her report to the next.
Mushiki couldn't really follow everything she was saying, but he knew that it wouldn't be appropriate to let his boredom show. As such, paying constant attention to his posture and deportment, he resolved to listen along with all due diligence.
After Ruri had finished, several others had reports of their own to share.
"Thank you, all. Does anyone else have anything to add?" Ruri asked roughly forty minutes later once everyone had spoken, glancing around the room.
The assembled members responded with silence.
Perhaps sensing the strained atmosphere, Ruri gave them all a single nod. "In that case—"
But at that moment, Kuroe, until now standing behind Mushiki's back, stepped forward. "Excuse me. Might I be permitted to make an announcement?"
"And you are?"
"My apologies. My name is Kuroe Karasuma, Lady Saika's attendant. Lady Saika permitted me to attend today on account of her ill health."
"What?!" Ruri exclaimed in response to this. "I-ill health?! I-is she okay?!"
"Yes. There is no need for concern. Is there, Lady Saika?" Kuroe's gaze all but impelled him to play along.
"H-huh? Ah, r-right." Mushiki nodded.
"So? What did you want to say?" Erulka asked, chin in hand.
Kuroe gave a nod of assent. "Yesterday, Lady Saika was attacked by an unknown assailant. We suspect they were most likely a mage, but we haven't been able to confirm their identity. It's possible they might try to strike again, so we would like to request a strengthening of the security net."
"…?!"
The faces of everyone gathered stiffened.
"Wha—?! M-Madam Witch was attacked?!"
"And they managed to get away without being identified…?!"
"Th-that's not possible!"
The members of the Garden's management department were visibly shaken.
To be honest, so was Mushiki.
Lowering his voice, he whispered: "Is it really okay to tell them that, Kuroe?"
"There should be no issue so long as we keep Lady Saika's present state under wraps. Rather, this should ensure that they remain more vigilant from now on," Kuroe said flatly while observing the panic of the others present.
Mushiki nodded in understanding. Right. If they said nothing, his assailant could try to strike again while he was still vulnerable.
"Bah! Ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha!"
In the midst of that great confusion, one voice broke out into laughter—Anviet's.
"You're sayin' you let an enemy knock you for a loop, and you let 'em get away without even figurin' out who they were? Ha! Disgraceful! I guess our good old Madam Witch has gotta be feelin' her age, huh?" he scoffed with an exaggerated shrug.
At this, Ruri, who until that moment had been watching Mushiki with concern, turned to Anviet with a scowl. "You've got a big mouth today, Anviet. You can hardly talk, seeing how many times you've lost to Madam Witch yourself. Isn't that right?"
"Hah…?" One eyebrow twitching, Anviet glared back at her.
Yet Ruri sought to fan the flames further. "This mysterious assailant couldn't be you, could it? Did you finally realize you're no match for her and so decided to ambush her in a sneak attack?"
"Haaah?! Wh-why, you—"
"Oh, my apologies. I let myself get carried away just then. There's no way you could be the attacker… If you had tried anything, she would have turned the tables on you before you could so much as bat an eye!"
"I'll kill you, dammit!"
"Bring it on!"
Anviet and Ruri both jumped up from their seats so fast that they sent their chairs flying.
All at once, the room was filled with an oppressive air, light itself whirling around the two opposing figures.
Nonetheless—
"Silence! Fight on your own time!"
Erulka, seated between Anviet and Ruri and clearly irritated, slapped the both of them with the sleeves of her long robe.
"Ngh…"
"…Ms. Erulka."
Though reluctant and still on edge, the two calmed down and retook their seats. The various faces of the management department each breathed sighs of relief.
"Very well. We'll make the necessary arrangements… Do you have anything else to report?" Erulka demanded, her eyes locked on Kuroe.
Taking this as her cue, Kuroe added softly: "Lady Saika would like to make a proposal."
"Oh? And what would that be? Speak."
"First, for the time being, she will refrain from responding personally to annihilation events lower than obliteration-grade. She also wishes to reduce the frequency of these regular meetings."
"Hmm… That can be arranged, but why? Don't tell me she was injured in the attack?" Erulka stared straight into Mushiki's eyes.
Mushiki felt his heart skip a beat in the face of that gaze, which seemed to look right through him.
Nevertheless, Kuroe remained serenely calm as she shook her head. "That would be preposterous. Regardless of the opponent, it's unthinkable that Lady Saika would suffer injury."
"I know. I was joking… But why, then?"
"Lady Saika has another matter to attend to."
"What other matter?" Erulka tilted her head quizzically.
With that, Kuroe gave her a single, confident nod before declaring:
"Yes. Starting tomorrow, Lady Saika will be attending the Garden as a student."
"…Huh?"
All those in the room, Mushiki included, were rendered thunderstruck by those words.