Edge of Middle District, 7th Squad Barracks (Halbert POV)

“Are you ready?” (Aria)

The sound of Captain Aria’s calm voice rang out across the empty training field as I faced my opponent and took a stance before confirming that I was prepared to start the spar.

“I’m ready.” (Halbert)

Reflected in my eyes was Vice-Captain Edward and in the background nearby, I could hear the rest of the 7th Squad Knights faintly cheering me on.

“Go get him, rookie!” (Alain)

“Give it your best shot!” (Lillian)

“If you beat Edward, it’ll bump your score up a bit!” (Charlotte)

The sound of their cheering gave me a bit of courage, but after a moment, I took a deep breath and quietly emptied my mind to focus all of my attention on the fight. I watched intently as Vice-Captain Edward took a stance before confirming he was prepared to start too.

“I’m ready.” (Edward)

A greatsword with a crystal clear blade and an elegant looking longsword were the only things between me and Vice-Captain Edward. The noontime sunlight rained down on us, making the sharp edge of Vice-Captain Edward’s blade glimmer while mine glistened beautifully as Captain Aria’s voice rang out again.

“Then, begin!” (Aria)

The second Captain Aria announced the start of the spar, I immediately activated my body strengthening magic with a short chant while Vice-Captain Edward chantlessly activated his in response.

“Grant me the strength to go beyond!【Body Strengthening】!” (Halbert)

I have a long way to go before I can activate my body strengthening magic chantlessly like Captain Aria and Vice-Captain Edward can, but I’ve at least managed to shorten the chant down to one phrase!

Mana flooded my body as everything suddenly felt lighter and my kinetic vision sharpened. Then, I put strength into my legs and kicked against the ground, dashing towards Vice-Captain Edward. The distance between us closed in an instant as I made a quick slash at his waist. The instant before my sword made contact, I quickly channeled mana through it and activated【Mana Edge】to sharpen the blow, however, the sound of clashing metal that echoed in my ears when I dashed past him told me that Vice-Captain Edward had blocked it with ease.

Didn’t work, huh? Well, I expected that. After all, everyone in the 7th Squad Knights is incredibly strong. I know the best that I’m the weakest out of all of us, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give up so easily!

The moment my foot touched the ground, I immediately spun around while twisting my body to take another swing at Vice-Captain Edward.

“Haaah!” (Halbert)

But it ended with the same result as the last swing. Vice-Captain Edward blocked it with ease as I shifted my legs again to return myself to my normal stance while Vice-Captain Edward called out to me.

“You’ll have to do better than that, Halbert. Show me how much stronger you’ve gotten!” (Edward)

The moment Vice-Captain Edward finished speaking, light-element mana instantly burst outward from his sword, solidifying into a yellow coat of mana that covered the blade as he counterattacked by swinging towards me.

Here it comes! His signature technique,【Luminous Stream】!

The moment our blades clashed, a strong impact entered my arms through my sword as I took a step back before Vice-Captain Edward transitioned into another swing at me from overhead. I held up my blade and blocked it, but he just instantly shifted into another swing that I followed up to block again before the cycle repeated over and over again while his sword left streaks of light in the air as an afterimage.

After a few moments, our swords had clashed dozens of times and sweat was dripping down my face as I rolled out of the way to just barely dodge a swing. The intense pressure from Vice-Captain Edward’s assault finally eased up when I managed to get out of his attack range, but I was already starting to run out of stamina and my instincts were telling me that it wasn’t over. As soon as I got up, I could see him readjusting his stance before his body started to lean forward again.

If this keeps up, I won’t even get a chance to strike back. I’ll definitely lose in a battle of attrition. I have to break through his defense with one big hit!

I calmed down the turmoil in my mind and inhaled another breath of the cool air while realizing what I had to do to win. However, that was easier said than done. After all, my hands were already slightly shaking from blocking Vice-Captain Edward’s sword technique and my legs were only in marginally better condition. My body was telling me that I would not be able to endure the next exchange of blows, which only accentuated what I had to do even more. Vice-Captain Edward’s sword technique had no openings. My only chance at victory was to attack before he did!

Don’t collapse, Halbert. You’ve already gotten this far, so don’t give up now!

My mind raced through all my options as I thought about what sword technique I could use.

A basic sword technique definitely won’t work, and I can tell my normal lightning-element sword techniques won’t be strong enough either. Damn it, what can I even use?

It was like time slowed down as I watched Vice-Captain Edward start to dash towards me, before all of a sudden, a strange sense of tranquility spread throughout my body. It was like a wave of calm that washed away the fear and panic running rampant in my mind. My hands stopped shaking, and the uncertainty clouding my eyes finally cleared up as I heard Captain Aria’s voice bubble up from the depths of my memory.

“Fast and powerful, yet inherently violent. Those are the attributes of lightning. And if you let your lightning run wild, it will strike you before your opponent. So the most important thing about using lightning is to control it. Control the violent nature of your lightning, then concentrate it. Focus its speed and power into your sword before releasing it all in a single instant. Watch closely, Halbert. This is【Levin Flash】.” (Aria)

The image of Captain Aria using a lightning-element sword technique appeared in my mind. One that was on a completely different level from any of my sword techniques.

It was the sword technique of a swordmaster.

The speed and power were incomparable. All of it was concentrated into a single swift motion. There wasn’t even a trace of the violent nature of lightning as it sliced through the air at an incredible speed, and even though it was only cutting through empty space, it felt like there wasn’t a single thing in the world that could stand up to the crimson flash of that sword. The only things left behind in the arc of that swing were the sparks of scarlet lightning from its afterimage.

Control it. Condense it. Concentrate it, Halbert. Remember how Captain Aria did it.

I gripped the handle of my sword tightly as an incredible sense of clarity rushed through my heart.

Then time returned to normal speed as Vice-Captain Edward took a step forward to chase after me while I strained every muscle fiber in my arms to swing horizontally at him while channeling lightning-element mana into my sword. Every last ounce of mana I had left shot through my arms and converged into my blade as I struggled to crudely recreate the brilliant glow of Captain Aria’s sword technique.

I could tell that it wasn’t even close to Captain Aria’s, but still... Even if it was just a clumsy imitation, it was still the strongest sword technique I had right now!

My sword was fast enough to be a blur even to my enhanced kinetic vision as it shot towards Vice-Captain Edward’s side, but he held up his sword and activated a sword technique of his own as he grit his teeth and blocked my swing head-on. A brilliant yellow glow covered his blade the moment our blades made contact before a burst of blue lightning propelled my sword even further forward.

This is it!

I could feel my swing start to break through his defense before suddenly, the resistance from his sword lightened up and another force hit the flat of my blade from below, shoving it upwards slightly.

What!?

My line of sight honed in on his blade and it was then that I realized the force that pushed my swing upwards was his sword.

Vice-Captain Edward had just barely deflected my swing.

My sword missed him by an inch as he leaped backward to mitigate some of the initial impact from my swing before shifting his sword again, and in an instant, the tip of his sword was pointed at my throat.

“You’ve lost, Halbert.” (Edward)

“Edward is the winner.” (Aria)

Captain Aria’s voice rang out once more to announce the winner of the spar and I finally released all the tension I had before as my legs buckled and I fell backward onto the ground. After a moment, Vice-Captain Edward sheathed his sword before extending a hand to help me up.

“That last swing was good, Halbert. For a moment there, I thought I was fighting against Captain Aria herself.” (Edward)

“But it still wasn’t enough to beat you, Vice-Captain Edward… I gave it my all, but in the end, you deflected it so easily. Even after all this training, it feels like I’ve barely made any progress at all...” (Halbert)

I grabbed his hand with a bitter smile on my face, but as he was pulling me up, I heard him sigh before his voice rang out again.

“It wasn’t easy.” (Edward)

“Eh?” (Halbert)

“Halbert. You’re not the only one training, you know. After my tie against that bastard, I’ve been training hard too. One week. It took me this entire week to just barely get the hang of the same deflection skill he used. And I can only do it successfully about half the time. It was just luck that I managed to deflect your last swing this time, but if it was the Edward Novarel of one week ago, he definitely would have been hit by that last swing of yours. Don’t say that you’ve made no progress, Halbert. You’ve gotten stronger. Your efforts have not betrayed you.” (Edward)

After I regained my balance, Vice-Captain Edward let go of me and let out an embarrassed cough before turning away, but what greeted him was the rest of the 7th Squad Knights gathered behind him.

“Edward, I always thought you would be too snobby and arrogant to ever show someone else your gentle side, but it looks like you finally found the courage inside of you. I’m so proud.” (Lillian)

“Yeah, despite your narcissistic tendencies, you still have what it takes to encourage the rookie like that. It was almost as touching as that one time my little angel, Lucy drew a picture of me. It’s still framed on my bedroom wall to this day!” (Alain)

“Oi, I’m not snobby or arrogant! Just what kind of person do you think I am, Lillian!? And the last person that should be lecturing me on narcissism is a sister-obsessed weirdo like you, Alain!” (Edward)

Vice-Captain Edward started to yell at them as his face tinted red from a mixture of embarrassment and anger, whereas Sir Alain and Miss Lillian had tears in their eyes as they crowded around us. Miss Charlotte, on the other hand, was writing on a notepad while staring at Vice-Captain Edward with a smile.

“Hmm, this side of Edward is pretty good. The gap between the usual high-born noble side and the rare caring superior side is cute. This’ll add at least 3 points to your harem member score!” (Charlotte)

“I guess this is what it feels like to be a mother watching her child grow up…” (Lillian)

“Grr! You guys-!” (Edward)

It seemed like Vice-Captain Edward finally snapped as he chased the rest of the 7th Squad Knights back towards the barracks. I just stood there, a bit at a loss for words as I watched their antics, but right before he ran back inside, I could hear Sir Alain call out to me.

“Just take a break for now, Rookie! You must be tired! We can have our spar tomorrow if we really need to!” (Alain)

Haaa. Well, he’s probably right. I should take a break...

I looked down at my hands that were starting to shake again after that last exchange of blows before raising my head to gaze at the sky. The sunset was beginning to dye the sky a beautiful shade of purple. It was getting late.

I took a deep breath and exhaled as the sound of steady footsteps approached me.

“Captain Aria... Have I gotten stronger?” (Halbert)

“Yes. You have...” (Aria)

Her quiet voice rang out again to answer mine as I continued to stare at the sky. But this time, her voice was different compared to earlier. Her voice sounded a bit warm, and the calmness in her words eased the doubt in my mind more than anything else.

Yeah. Captain Aria would know better than anyone, wouldn’t she? I’ve gotten stronger. Regnis, Zane, just wait for me, you two. I can’t just keep staring at your backs forever. I’ll catch up soon.

The shaking stopped. My hands weren’t trembling anymore. And a smile couldn’t help but form on my face as I lowered my head before turning towards Captain Aria.

“Yeah. Let’s get back to training then.” (Halbert)

Solria, Shopping District, The Ironclad Forge (Kyle POV)

“Ah. It’s pretty late, isn’t it?...” (Kyle)

The evening twilight had already settled in on the Imperial capital, blanketing the shopping district that we had just returned to after the long first week of our training camp. However, despite the dark night sky, the noisy atmosphere of the shopping district was still in full force as the alchemical lamps lining the streets lit our surroundings with a warm tint. Dozens of people walked by us as I stopped staring at the sky and lowered my head with a bitter look on my face.

“... Which is probably why the Ironclad Forge is closed…” (Kyle)

Yes, in front of us was the same brick and stone smithy with the same chimney sticking out of the building, but the inside of the store mirrored the night sky outside. You could see through the windows that there wasn’t a single light on.

I let out a disappointed sigh as I turned around to face Regnis and Sophie.

“Sorry. I thought we would make it back sooner.” (Kyle)

“It’s fine. We’ll just come again tomorrow.” (Sophie)

“They’re already closed so there’s nothing you can do, Professor Kyle.” (Regnis)

“Yeah, you’re right. Well, I guess we can just proceed with the original plan for now then. Go home and rest, you two. After surviving this past week of hellish training, I think you two deserve it.” (Kyle)

Well, the source of their determination may have changed a bit during this past week, but they still passed the first part of Professor Kyle’s training camp with flying colors, didn’t they? Although, unfortunately, neither of them have unlocked a hidden bloodline power or anything crazy like that yet, but we still have another week before the tournament, so who knows what will happen?

I smiled at the two of them as a sense of pride welled up inside my heart. Regnis nodded silently in agreement to our plans while Sophie mumbled something to herself before quietly letting out a disappointed sigh.

“... Tsk, just as I feared. No dinner today, huh?...” (Sophie)

Actually, the truth is I may have heard what Sophie had mumbled to herself, but luckily, it was something that I decided to completely ignore.

Perhaps for my own sake it was better to just pretend that the resolve in their eyes was still purely because they wanted to get stronger to protect their friends and completely untainted by my previous mental manipulation.

After I chuckled dryly to myself for a moment, I made plans with Sophie to meet up at the Ironclad Forge tomorrow morning before we all split up and went home.

***

It was now well into the evening, and the twilight had silently given way to the darkness that covered the sky. I could see the stars shining beautifully as I made my way back home with my backpack slung over my shoulder.

“Haaaaa~” (Kyle)

I let out a relaxing sigh as I rounded the corner towards the Irisveil Mansion while enjoying the quiet atmosphere that pervaded the noble district. It was a world of difference from the liveliness of the shopping district and a strange sense of anticipation bubbled up inside me as I thought about seeing Aria again for the first time in a while. A breath of the crisp night air entered my lungs as I walked up to the front door.

A moment later, I opened it to see the same old living room as always. The only difference was that it was slightly disorganized, but it was like a weight was lifted off my heart after seeing that and the corners of my mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards into a relieved smile.

I thought the house would be an absolute mess after I was gone for a week, but it looks like I worried too much. I guess I’ve been so used to Eliza’s shenanigans that I’ve forgotten. Aria’s a proper adult who can take care of herself.

“Aria, I’m home.” (Kyle)

I gently called out to Aria as I entered the house, but after a few moments, it was clear that the only response I was going to get was silence.

Hmm, I guess she isn’t home yet. The lights are on though. Did she forget to turn them off? Well, she already exceeded my expectations with how clean the house still is, so I guess it’s fine to let something small like this slide every once in a while. I’ll go unpack my stuff first then make dinner. Ah, should I make Aria’s favorite? Well, it will be her first fresh meal in a while so I guess making it a bit special wouldn’t hurt.

The familiar scent of home eased my heart as I walked over to the stairs while thinking about what to make for dinner.

Solria, Middle District, Irisveil Mansion (Aria POV)

I hugged the pillow in my arms a little tighter as I let out a quiet sigh.

“Haaaaa~” (Aria)

What am I doing?...

I couldn’t help but glance around at the slightly familiar room as I sat on the bed in my pajamas. The room was a bit plain and it only had the essentials in terms of furniture, but everything in it reminded me of a certain person who was important to me.

Well, actually, it was probably because this was that person’s room, but that wasn’t the main issue at hand.

The real problem was… I was lonely. I missed Ky.

I hadn’t felt this lonely in a long time. And even though I had everyone at the barracks to help me ease the loneliness during the day, in the end, I still had to come back to this empty house every night…

It’s like being able to eat as much delicious food as you want before suddenly starving again...

I glanced over at the desk which had some notebooks and a few bags of alchemy materials before moving my gaze out the window. It was Friday night. The stars were shining brightly with the moon in the beautiful night sky, but all I wanted was for the moon and stars to disappear as fast as possible so that the sun could rise and it would be tomorrow already.

Just one more day.

A few moments passed as I continued to stare out the window before I slumped backward onto Ky’s bed while hugging his pillow. Then I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before starting to fantasize about what tomorrow would be like.

Tomorrow. He'll be back tomorrow morning.

He’ll open the door, walk back in, and call out to me like usual. Then I can cure my crippling Ky deficiency, and everything will be ok again.

The corners of my mouth couldn’t help but curve upwards into a soft smile as the sound of a familiar voice suddenly echoed through my mind.

“Aria, I’m home.” (Kyle)

Yeah, he would sound just like that.

“Hehe~” (Aria)

I giggled softly to myself and rolled around in Ky’s bed while hugging his pillow as I continued to daydream before suddenly, I heard the sound of a door opening followed by a thud.

Eh?

I immediately froze before slowly sitting up in Ky’s bed. And it was then that I saw a certain person who had just awkwardly dropped his backpack while standing at the entrance to the room. A head full of snow-white hair that was tied into a ponytail poked its way past the door as a pair of golden eyes stared straight at me.

I swore that my heart stopped while I blankly stared back at Ky, but for some reason, there was still blood rushing to my face as it started to burn up.

“... I’m sorry…” (Kyle)

After a moment, Ky broke the awkward silence and turned away with a dazed look in his eyes as he smiled blankly at me. I could see a slight blush on his face as he tried to close the door, but I immediately threw his pillow away, leaped out of his bed, and grabbed his arm to stop him before he could leave.

“W-Wait! I-It’s not what you think!” (Aria)

***

“So you were in my bed because your back was aching?” (Kyle)

“Y-Yeah. My back has been aching a bit since this morning! T-They say a firm mattress is better for back pain, right? But my bed was too soft, so I was planning to u-use yours. It was only for today though!... O-Only for today...” (Aria)

I just barely managed to choke out my response in a shaky voice as I averted my eyes from Ky and glanced around the rest of the dining room before taking another bite of food. It was the first time in a while I had some of Ky’s cooking that wasn’t reheated, and today’s dinner was even my favorite, beef and potatoes, but my mind was currently more preoccupied with my current situation than eating. I couldn’t tell if my face was still completely burning red, but I could definitely still feel some heat when I touched my cheek.

Kyaaaaa!

My embarrassed scream echoed out internally in my mind as I quickly swallowed the food in my mouth in a panic before hiding my face from Ky.

It’s red, isn’t it!? It’s definitely still red! C-Calm down, Aria! If you don’t calm down, then Ky will be able to tell you’re lying!

W-Wait, actually, now that I think about it… my story is super suspicious, isn’t it!? I made it up on the spot so of course it’s not going to be the perfect alibi, b-but aren’t there too many holes in the story?

He just saw me jump out of bed and tackle him with no problems! And it’s not like I’ve been pretending my back hurts either!

I held my hand up to my chest. I could feel my heart racing after thinking about how suspicious my explanation sounded, but I tried my best to calm down before thinking about what to do next.

It’s too late to change my story now! I need to change the subject to something else!

I raised my arms and pretended to stretch a bit before trying my best to stop the shaking in my voice.

“A-Ah, but for some reason, I’m feeling fine now. S-So just forget about it, Ky.” (Aria)

I let out a fake laugh and smiled awkwardly at Ky.

“Y-Yeah… Well, I’m glad you’re ok then.” (Kyle)

Ky’s awkward response had a slightly embarrassed tone in it as he answered, and there was a look in his eyes that seemed to say he wouldn’t pry any further for the sake of my dignity...

“Wait! I’m telling the truth, I swear!” (Aria)

“It’s ok, Aria. I… believe you.” (Kyle)

He doesn’t believe me! He definitely doesn’t!

My face was now bright red again and I lowered my head to hide my raging blush from Ky for a moment before reaching across the table to grab Ky by his shirt while mumbling to myself.

“... Forget it…” (Aria)

“E-Eh?” (Kyle)

“Forget it! Wipe it from your memory! Forget everything you saw!” (Aria)

My scarlet blush had already spread out to the tips of my ears and I raised my head again in a flustered panic to yell at Ky to forget everything before starting to shake him roughly.

“How!? I don’t have the power to erase my memory at will!” (Kyle)

“Just smash your head against the wall or something until you forget!” (Aria)

“It doesn’t work like that! All I’ll end up with is a broken wall!” (Kyle)

“I’ll do it myself then! Just hold still! All I need is one clean hit!” (Aria)

“Oi, why does it sound like you’re trying to put me out of my misery instead!?” (Kyle)

Royal Academy, Boys’ Dormitory (Zane POV)

You can make it, Zane… Come on... just a few more steps, and you can finally rest!

I let out an exhausted breath as I slowly took another step towards my room. My legs felt heavy, my head was starting to hurt from the sound of the birds chirping outside, and the morning sunlight shining in through the windows was making my eyes sting as I slowly walked down the hallway towards my dorm room, but it was nothing compared to the suffering I had endured this past week while helping Master Sylfey finish the preparations for the tournament.

My line of sight wavered for a moment as my mind drifted back to a few minutes ago when I finally escaped from that hellhole of paperwork.

Master Sylfey was sitting at her desk while surrounded by piles of paperwork like usual, except this time, she had dark bags under her eyes even worse than mine. They made it seem like she hadn’t slept in days, and she was halfway through an application from the magic department when she finally gave in to her fatigue and fell asleep at her desk, which then allowed me to quietly make my escape.

I know we’re really behind schedule, but she’s crazy! It’s a miracle how she even lasted that long. It’s only been a night without sleep for me and I’m already close to my limit, but I don’t think she’s had a wink of sleep in two days until now! At this rate, she’ll probably end up collapsing from exhaustion before she even starts teaching me!

Damn it. If only Ky stayed instead of running off to train Sophie and Regnis. Then I could have pushed all this onto him and I would be relaxing right now instead! Why am I the only one who has to suffer so much before even starting my training!?

I finally arrived in front of the door to my room as aggrieved tears were starting to well up in my eyes and my body was screaming at me to just give up and collapse right there, when all of a sudden, I heard the sound of a door opening followed by a yawn. I turned towards the source of the sound to see Regnis leisurely walk out of his room.

“... Ah. I must be going crazy too... I’m already starting to see things…” (Zane)

I mumbled to myself before chuckling bitterly for a moment as I convinced myself that this was just an illusion. However, right as I decided to just ignore everything in front of me, Regnis finally noticed me and the uncharacteristically relaxed look on his face instantly morphed into confusion as he called out to me.

“What have you been doing, Zane? Why do you look like an absolute mess?” (Regnis)

Eh?

“Y-You’re real!?” (Zane)

“What are you talking about?” (Regnis)

I stared at Regnis in disbelief for a moment, but after rubbing my eyes to reaffirm that he was, without a doubt, standing right in front of me, I came to a certain realization.

Wait. If Regnis is here, then that means…

“If you’re back then he must be too!” (Zane)

“What?” (Regnis)

“Where’s Ky!?” (Zane)

I’ll find him. I’ll definitely find Ky and push all this off onto him if it’s the last thing I do!

It was like I sprung back to life as I grabbed Regnis with a desperate look in my exhausted eyes while a good portion of my fatigue was shoved to the back of my mind to be ignored until I managed to dump my responsibilities onto Ky.

“Professor Kyle? He should be at the blacksmith-” (Regnis)

“What are you waiting for then!? Let’s go!” (Zane)

Solria, Shopping District, The Ironclad Forge (Kyle POV)

“Alright, here you go, Miss Sophie! It was a bit tricky to shape the finer details at first, but all it took was a few tries to get used to for someone with my level of talent!” (Lucas)

“Ah. Thank you.” (Sophie)

Lucas let out a prideful laugh and handed Sophie her new handguns as Uncle Grayhill let out a disappointed sigh.

“That’s enough, boy. Where’d your modesty go?” (Uncle Grayhill)

“Well, I think it’s fine to let him be a little prideful of his work. After all, it genuinely was a difficult request and from what I can see, Lucas recreated my blueprints almost perfectly.” (Kyle)

“A little pride’s fine, but if ya let him run his mouth freely like that, he’ll never learn to be humble. A true blacksmith is one who doesn’t need to brag about his skill because his work does it for him!” (Uncle Grayhill)

Uncle Grayhill crossed his arms and nodded to himself with a smile on his face, but Lucas’ angry voice cut him off before he could continue preaching about the virtues of a true blacksmith.

“Hey! A few months ago, weren’t you bragging about Miss Aria’s sword to everyone you met? You should’ve seen it, Ky! Even the mailman couldn’t hear the end of it from the old man!” (Lucas)

“Ah.” (Uncle Grayhill)

Uncle Grayhill’s face turned a little red from embarrassment as he cleared his throat awkwardly before gushing about Aria’s sword.

“A-Ahem. Well, the lassie’s sword was different! It was pure orichalcum! How many blacksmiths in the world do you think dream of even touchin’ a bit of orichalcum, boy!? And we had the chance to forge a whole sword out of it! How could I not brag!? Ahhh~ It was incredible. The orichalcum must’ve been at least five times as hard as steel, yet it still folded so cleanly. Even the sharpenin’ was smoother than any other sword I forged before!” (Uncle Grayhill)

“Tsk. Whatever, you hypocrite.” (Lucas)

Lucas clicked his tongue at Uncle Grayhill then turned to face me and Sophie again as Uncle Grayhill continued to reminisce about forging Aria’s sword in the background.

“Anyway, what are you two going to do with them now? Aren’t they supposed to shoot magic or something?” (Lucas)

“Oh, right. Sophie, you brought the alchemy supplies, right?” (Kyle)

“Of course.” (Sophie)

I turned towards Sophie who handed her new handguns over to me with an excited sparkle in her eyes. She placed a few bottles of enchanted ink on the counter before pulling her old rifle off her back and unveiling it.

“So how are we going to modify the alchemy system?” (Sophie)

“Well, I already have a general idea of what circles to modify. The real problem will be blending in the new alchemy circles in so it runs smoothly, but it shouldn’t take too long. If we start now, we can probably get a working prototype done by lunchtime.” (Kyle)

"Actually, about lunch-” (Sophie)

Sophie wiped away a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth as she began to ask me about lunch when suddenly, she was cut off by the sound of the door being kicked open.

I turned towards the entrance to the shop to see Zane run in while Regnis followed behind him.

“Kyyyyy!” (Zane)

Zane was panting heavily as he entered the shop, and his disheveled appearance along with the dark bags under his eyes made it obvious that he was almost at his physical limit as he stumbled over before collapsing to his knees in front of me. I turned to Regnis for an explanation, but the bewildered look on his face told me that he had just about as much of an idea of what was happening as I did.

“Zane? What’s with the bags under your eyes?” (Kyle)

“Quick, come with me to the academy!” (Zane)

Eh?

Zane grabbed my leg with a desperate glint in his exhausted eyes as suddenly, my intuition warned me it was going to be something tiresome.

“Please, Ky! I need your help! You’re the only one who can save me!” (Zane)

Ah. Why do I feel like this is going to be a pain in the neck?...