October 15, 1614 Central Calendar, 15:11

Tranquila District

Autumn.

As one of the four seasons in one year, it marks the transition from summer to winter for the Holy Milishial Empire, whose territory lies entirely in the world’s temperate zone. As the tree leaves withered and began to fall from their trees, they paint the predominantly white townscape of the Tranquila District, with various shades of orange.

During this time, the citizens of Runepolis, especially the younger ones, would frequently visit Tranquila to view the fall foliage and take photos of it with their magic cameras. The Tranquila District, the lively and diverse “Student Town” of the Imperial Capital Runepolis where students from all over the Empire gathered to study in the best of the Empire’s schools located within the district, became even more crowded with people, bringing fortune to business owners throughout the town.

“Hmmmmm…………”

Inside a bookstore located in the Tranquila District, a pair of blue eyes are staring at rows of books displayed on a shelf among the store’s aisles. With one hand on the chin, the owner of those eyes, a well-dressed little gentleman, stood facing the shelf and pondering in this section of the bookstore without moving an inch.

“Hmmmmmmmm…………”

And for the umpteenth time, a humming sound was heard from the person. Other customers of the store kept their distance from him and continued browsing the books, ignoring him.

“Err…… Young Master, you’ve been doing that for nearly half an hour now. Haven’t you decided what book you will choose?”

A voice interrupted the youth’s musings, and he turned to look at the source. There is the shopkeeper, a kind uncle calling out to him from his desk near the store’s front door. The distance between them is close, only two meters apart, so he can hear the shopkeeper’s words clearly.

“Hmm… I’m not sure, all of these books looked interesting, but I don’t know where to start…” The boy sighed, running a hand through his short, slightly spiky silver hair. He then noticed something in the shopkeeper’s tone and turned to fully face the older man with a raised eyebrow, “Uncle, what did you call me just now?”

The shopkeeper wasn’t sure why the boy asked him that, or why he addressed him ‘uncle’ so casually, or where he was wrong in what he said earlier, so the shopkeeper answered with a bit of nervousness in his voice.

“…Young Master……?”

He was met with a groan from the young man, who ruffled his silver hair a bit roughly. He then let out a slight chuckle and opened his mouth to speak.

“Uncle… no need to call me that. I’m a commoner just like you.”

“Huh!? But I thought…” the shopkeeper trailed off, his eyes wide in astonishment and confusion.

“Is it because of my hair color? I knew it, should’ve worn a hat or something… Look, if you don’t believe me, I can show you a proof, here is my identity card—”

But before the young man could show the documents to prove his identity, a loud beeping sound rang from inside the pocket of the young man’s jacket. Quickly reaching the object that emitted the noise, it was revealed to be a grimoire with its screen flashing a set of numbers.

“This number… from Robin, huh? ……Uncle, if you’ll excuse me, I got a call to answer.”

“Uh… yes…”

With an apologetic tone of voice, the young man bowed slightly to the shopkeeper before putting the grimoire close to his right ear and began speaking to the caller from the other side of the grimoire.

“Yes……… I’m buying some books. I suppose the meeting is over?”

As the dumbfounded shopkeeper looked on, the young man continued talking through his magic phone and walked deeper into the store’s aisle, ignoring the sound of the store’s bell ringing and another visitor walking into the bookstore.

Nadia Smirnova, a student of the Runepolis Magic Academy, was walking through the sidewalk of the Tranquila District with a paper bag in hand. After finishing today’s school, she decided to go to a bookstore to look for materials in preparation for the upcoming school year. At first, she invited her close friends, Sofia Trussardi and Annette Pendragon, to come along, but during the grimoire conversations, an apologetic Annette told her that she was busy with the family business at the moment, while Sofia cried over the magic phone that she, too, was unable to accompany her.

Thus, Nadia had no choice but to go to the bookstore alone, much to the concern of her friends who still remembered the incident where she almost got robbed if not for Robin’s intervention. Nadia was able to persuade them not to worry, although Annette sternly warned her to be careful and to call them if anything went wrong.

As Nadia was nearing her destination, she found herself pushing against the tide of pedestrians milling along the sidewalk. She can see the shopkeepers merrily selling their goods to the curious visitors, mostly young couples with bright expressions who are eager to collect souvenirs from their trip to the Student Town. Some are walking leisurely, admiring the vibrant orange shade of the fall foliage across the other side of the street. Whenever a car passed by on the leaf-littered street, it pushed the leaves and air aside, prompting Nadia to pull her dark blue jacket closer to stave off the cold but fresh air of the capital.

Someone nearly bumped into her, a man walking hurriedly while holding a flat, mirror-like square device close to his ear and talking to it. He briefly stopped what he was doing to utter a short apology to Nadia and resumed his way. Shrugging, Nadia continued walking.

The sight of people talking or pressing something on the same kind of device has become quite commonplace ever since the Empire’s leading manufacturer of communication devices, the Aikon Corporation, announced its latest product several months ago.

Grimoire.

Originally a term used to refer to a mage’s spellbook in ancient times and in countries outside the Empire, it is now used to refer to the small manacom fit in a person’s palm, yet capable of communicating between long distances just like its bulky desk-mounted counterpart did. Since Nadia is a good friend of the inventors of the device, she knows how a grimoire works to some degree.

A grimoire is comprised of a small crystalline screen, a casing containing shrunken magic circuits, and a small computer already filled with components of the spell used for communication magic. That way, whenever someone wanted to contact another grimoire, they no longer need to chant the spell to fill the magic circuit. They only need to input the specific pattern of magic wave unique to the grimoire they want to contact, represented by a set of numbers, while the mana is provided by the inbuilt magic battery, and the computer will arrange the spell in an instant. Once the other grimoire received the transmitted magic wave, they can start talking. Voice communication is not the only thing the grimoire can do, as the latest Aikon 117A can also send letters in the form of text communication. It still even has room for the company to squeeze in a simple functional calculator and a magic-powered clock function.

Without a support infrastructure such as a magic wave transmission tower to extend the range, a grimoire’s emitted magic wave alone can reach up to 200 meters in all directions. In addition, if the magic battery is running out of mana, there is an option to use the person’s own magic power. However, this is highly risky and the users are not advised to do that unless in an emergency situation.

The manacom, already the crystallization of magic technology that allowed people to connect with each other regardless of obstacles or range through wireless communication, now can be held in one’s hand and be used everywhere and anywhere. Immediately after the Aikon Corporation announced the release of the grimoire, many interested nobles and businessmen that find it to be a handy tool have lined up to order it, causing Aikon Corporation’s sales to skyrocket.

Its nature as a cutting-edge technology caused the grimoire at present to be an expensive product affordable only to rich citizens. However, Nadia, a simple young girl from the east coast who has to save money to make her ends meet in Runepolis, also has one. Why is that?

It happened suddenly and out of nowhere. One month ago, Nadia’s friend, Meteos Roguerider, who is also one of the inventors of the grimoire, suddenly came to her and gave the device for free with that charming smile of his. Not only one, but two grimoires, one for her and one for her grandmother living on the east coast. Although it doesn’t feel right for her to receive something without giving something in return, he looked sincere enough that Nadia couldn’t bring herself to reject that and hurt that smile, so she received them with a slight feeling of resignation.

Just like what Meteos had told her, Nadia immediately packaged the other grimoire to send it to the east coast. She smiled when she remembered the joyful voice of her grandmother from the device when they were connected for the first time, and they began to communicate routinely since then. Her thoughts wandered back to the one who allowed all that to happen.

“Meteos…” Nadia murmured wistfully.

The silver-haired boy and his friend Walman disappeared immediately after school hour ended, so they rarely met, and since they are known to be very busy, Nadia never called them except when she really needed it, not wanting to disturb them.

Without realizing it, she had arrived at her destination, a bookstore with dull white walls just like the other storefronts on the block. Shaking her head and after taking a deep breath, Nadia opened the door. Upon entering, she was greeted by the sound of the doorbell ringing and the warm breeze that caressed her skin. Ignoring a slightly confused-looking shopkeeper, Nadia proceeded to one of the aisles, looking for the textbooks.

As she was exploring the aisles, Nadia’s grimoire rang from inside the paper bag, its continuous beeping sound indicated that someone had contacted her for voice communication. She immediately picked it up and stared at the numbers displayed on the screen.

“These numbers are from…… uuh, I forgot whose number is this…”

Deciding that she will not get an answer unless she answered the call, Nadia pressed the screen to accept the call and put the grimoire closer to her ears.

“Hello?” she asked.

“Hello, Nadia, how are you?”

Nadia was relieved upon hearing the familiar voice of Professor Robin Calvello from the other side, making a mental note to better memorize the numbers of her contacts.

“Um… I am in a bookstore right now, Miss Robin.”

“I see. By the way, Nadia, can I ask you for a favor?”

“I don’t mind, what is that?”

“It’s quite simple,” Nadia heard a muffled chuckle before Robin’s voice continued, “At ten o’clock tonight, can you call Meteos and tell him to go to sleep?”

“……Eh!?”

Her eyes widened at the sudden request; a slight blush suddenly crept into her cheeks at the mention of that name.

“What’s wrong? Can you do it or not?”

“Err… I really don’t mind, but why me?”

“You see… you know Meteos has a habit of staying up late to work, right? It worsens lately. You noticed how tired he looked in school, right?”

“Yes…”

“I am so worried that he might get sick, but no matter how many times I tell him he never listens… If he got sick and got hospitalized, what should I tell his parents?”

Nadia listened silently as Robin continued to speak. She was aware that Meteos often stayed up late at night doing whatever work he did, but she had heard from a nurse back in her hometown that staying up late is detrimental to someone’s health, especially for a growing boy like Meteos, so Robin has the right to worry about his habit. After all, as the master, Robin is responsible for her apprentices’ well-being, as entrusted by Meteos and Walman’s parents.

“………”

“So I think that if it’s you who speak to him, he might listen. He seems to be very nice to you, after all. Can you do that?”

She bit her lips before answering, “…I understand, I’ll do it.”

“Atta girl, now I gotta go, it was nice speaking with you! Goodbye!”

“Have a nice day, Miss Robin.”

Immediately after that, the call was cut off and Nadia put her grimoire back into the paper bag. With a light sigh, she continued what she was supposed to do in this place: searching for books.

Nadia, who wanted a head start in studying, had saved enough money to buy a high school-grade alchemy book at a price range of 10 to 30 zollarks. If possible, Nadia wanted the book to be as comprehensive and contain as much information as possible, but that would make the book expensive.

“The good ones are more than 30 zollarks… I can’t buy those…” Nadia mumbled in disappointment.

As she continued to ponder and stared at the selection of the textbooks in front of her, looking for a good book with a reasonable price, Nadia was too engrossed in her thoughts to notice a presence coming from the other end of the aisle. She only felt it when what seemed to be a person’s hand appeared in the corner of her vision, and Nadia turned to look.

“Boo.”

“………!”

Nadia yelped at the sudden voice. It was then that she got a better look at the one who startled her, blood once again rushed to her cheeks, causing them to turn into an adorable shade of red. She quickly pulled a random book from the shelf to cover her face, hoping that no one saw her embarrassing state.

It was him.

Even though he wore a neutral expression, his blue eyes were filled with mirth, looking pleased with his little prank. Nadia looked up shyly to see that her friend, the elusive Meteos Roguerider, was still standing there. He was leaning slightly against the bookshelf using his left hand, while his other hand is holding a book. Meteos waited patiently until Nadia composed herself and managed to look him in the eyes.

“Nadia,” he greeted.

“M-Meteos.”

Giving a slight chuckle, Meteos got off from his leaning position and continued to speak, “Sorry for startling you. I didn’t expect you to be here.”

“No… it’s okay. What are you doing here?” Nadia asked, but then inwardly smacked her forehead for asking that question.

‘Wait, no! This is a bookstore, duh! Of course he’s here looking for books!’

Meteos hummed, “I just looking around, trying to find books that catch my interest, but it seems that I have found one,” he said, showing Nadia the book he is holding. She guessed that it is some kind of novel, judging from the size and thickness of the book, with a dull green cover and a golden debossed title in Milishian script.

“Thunderbolt…?” Nadia read the book’s title with slight hesitation. ‘Quite a strange title for a novel. What is this book about?’ She wondered.

“Maybe an error in localization. This is actually a foreign book, and the author is from Mu. Here, look.”

Meteos opened the cover to reveal the first page, where underneath the blocky Milishian script, there are words written in much more curvy and exotic letters. Even though Nadia cannot understand the words, she is educated enough to know that this script belonged to the country across the Minerva Ocean, the Kingdom of Mu.

“I see…” Nadia murmured.

“Un coup de foudre,” Meteos spoke suddenly.

“Huh?”

“It’s what those Muish letters read.”

“What does that mean?”

“Literally? It means, ‘a bolt of lightning’. It’s also a Muish idiom for an astonishing occurrence that delivers a kind of electrifying feeling… ah, yes, the ‘love at first sight.’”

The meaning of the foreign words sent shivers through Nadia’s body. Un coup de foudre… to fall in love at first sight. It perfectly described her feelings the first time she laid her eyes on the young man in front of her. The silver bolt of lightning had struck Nadia’s heart on that day.

Unaware of Nadia’s thoughts, Meteos continued to speak.

“The last time I was here, I didn’t pay much attention to it. But now that I’m here again, I want to give it a read. I don’t know what this title means for the book, but I guess I’ll find out once I got back home. Speaking of which, Nadia, what about you?”

With her trying to ignore the warm sensation that once again adorned her face, Nadia explained to Meteos the reason she visited this bookstore, to find a good textbook but still affordable for her. When she finished explaining, Meteos closed his eyes for a moment, a hand on his chin.

“Hmmm… a good alchemy textbook, huh… Follow me.”

Meteos beckoned Nadia to come after him. The two of them moved to the next aisle and stopped on one shelf. After Meteos bent down to pick up one of the books, he showed it to Nadia.

“If you want the best textbook for high school and college level, this is the best that I will recommend to you.”

Nadia’s stomach dropped at the price tag shown. If Nadia’s entire savings can barely buy a book that is slightly higher than 30 zollarks, what made Meteos think that she can afford a book as expensive as 185 zollarks? What part of ‘affordable’ he doesn’t understand?

“Uh… Meteos, I can’t buy that. It’s too expensive.”

As Nadia spoke to Meteos, the boy just stared at her with an unreadable expression on his face, causing her to squirm in discomfort. A moment later, his blue eyes seemed to gain a strange glint for a moment and he said these words to her in a determined tone of voice.

“I’m paying.”

“Wha—"

“I said I’m paying. If that’s all, let’s go to the cashier, then.”

“W-wait! This is not right! Meteos!”

Nadia called out to him, but he just motioned her to follow him and walked to the shopkeeper at the front of the store. With hasty steps Nadia followed Meteos to the front, her hand managed to cling to his arm. On the other hand, Meteos didn’t seem to be bothered with it and continued walking toward his destination.

“What are you doing!?” Nadia exclaimed.

“I am not going to let some nonsense like lack of money prevent someone as talented as you from learning. Therefore, I decided to pay for this book for you. It’s simple as that,” Meteos stated matter-of-factly.

“Are you serious!?”

“I am, now let me pay these.”

When both of them reached the shopkeeper’s desk, Meteos called out to the older man while Nadia watched the transaction from behind with a mixed feeling of confusion and disbelief at her friend’s sudden action. When he was told that the total price for his novel and Nadia’s alchemy textbook is 250 zollarks, Meteos without complaint pulled the required amount of money from his wallet and paid them in cash.

“Put them in separate bags, please.”

“I understand. Is this everything today, Young Master?”

“Yes. Uncle, I told you earlier about this,” Meteos reached for his student ID issued by the RMA and handed it to the shopkeeper.

“………”

“See? I’m just an ordinary citizen. I’m neither a nobleman nor I want to pretend to be one.”

Meteos’ student ID clearly displayed the surname ‘Roguerider,’ instead of the only family with silver hair that the shopkeeper knows of, the enigmatic noble House of Pendragon. With the death of Lady Pendragon five years ago, said house currently has only two members with no known relatives, so the shopkeeper thought that the young man in front of him is one of their previously unknown relatives. However, his assumption was denied. To be honest, from Nadia’s perspective, she would have thought the same if he never told anyone.

“Well, to be fair, this is our first time meeting, so I can understand. But here’s more proof if you still don’t believe me,” Meteos shrugged. He then reached for his hair and plucked a strand of silver hair, then showed it to the stunned shopkeeper. From the root to the tip, it was colored silver in its entirety.

Nadia cringed at the act, which she had heard that Meteos had done so many times whenever someone asked about his heritage. At this rate, if he keeps doing that, he will go—no, Nadia was too horrified to even think about it. From behind Meteos’ back, she shook her head rapidly to banish those thoughts. However, she then found a contradiction in what her friend said just now and what he had said much earlier.

‘Didn’t he say he was here before…?’ Nadia thought with a slight frown, ‘Or maybe he meant he was here before and it’s his first time with this shopkeeper?’

“………But I’ve never seen any people with naturally silver hair other than the Pendragons before…” the shopkeeper asked.

“Come to think of it, you’re right. But it doesn’t change the fact that I am the son of Roguerider family, born and raised,” the boy said somewhat proudly.

“R-right.”

With a satisfied nod, Meteos received the two paper bags from the shopkeeper and turned to face the blonde behind him.

“You’re coming?” he asked, offering one of the bags to Nadia.

“…Um!” she gingerly picked up the paper bag and together they walked out of the bookstore after thanking the shopkeeper.

As they exited the store, they found that the bright late afternoon that day was replaced by a darkening sky. Strong wind blowing from the Minerva Ocean brought the dense rainclouds above Runepolis, while on the ground, the littered leaves were picked up by the gust and flew away. The citizens outside began to quicken their pace to avoid the impending bad weather as the sound of distant thunder began to echo from afar.

“Looks like a storm is coming,” Meteos said as he stared at the sky, “I guess we must go home quickly, lest we will be caught up in the rain.”

“Yes…”

Using their arms to shield their faces from the flying leaves, Meteos and Nadia ran to a tram stopping nearby to head to their homes among the light drizzle that began to fall from the sky. It was after they boarded the tram and sat on the chairs that it turned into a downpour, creating loud noises as they pounded the windows, roof, road, and other surfaces. Occasionally the sky was lit by a lightning flash and the rumble of the thunder followed moments after that. The storm made the already cold air even colder, so much that even though they were wearing jackets, Meteos and Nadia can feel it in their bones.

“Well, this is most unfortunate. But at least we don’t get wet from the rain,” Meteos said from his seat next to Nadia, while glancing outside the window to see people frantically running around for cover or opening their umbrellas amidst the rain.

The tram had already begun to move to its next destination. As he glanced around the interior, he saw that the tram surprisingly has few passengers in it. Meteos was about to let his body relax for the trip when he noticed that Nadia is staring at the floor with a frown, her hands gripping the bag that he had given her tightly.

“Is there something wrong?”

“………”

“Nadia?” he asked again with a growing feeling of concern.

Various thoughts and feelings were swirling inside Nadia’s heart. It’s not that she is not grateful, but she remembered what her grandmother had said to her before she departed for Runepolis.

“No one gives of themselves for nothing, for everyone has an ulterior motive.”

For Nadia, Meteos, who after their first meeting, continued to shower her with this kind of treatment at every chance, confused her. She can’t read his intentions at all. And with what just happened at the bookstore, she finally mustered enough courage to confront Meteos about this.

“I don’t understand…”

“Hm?”

Still staring at the floor, Nadia continued, “Why are you doing this?”

“Oh. Do you mean the book? Don’t worry about that. I’ve got plenty of money from my work, so—”

“That’s not what I’m asking!”

“………”

Meteos went silent when Nadia raised her voice and turned to face him, her blue irises, which have a gleam not unlike a clear sky, now staring against Meteos’ deep ocean blue ones intensely.

“You know you aren’t gaining anything from doing all of this, so why bother?”

‘Why, you ask? Twenty-five years from now, the history as we know it will witness a great change, a change where our homeland will suffer and fall from grace. I don’t know why I was reborn in this world, but in this second life, I will not let this country be humiliated by anyone ever again. But I cannot do everything alone. You, Nadia, are one of the brightest minds that I ever met. That’s why I don’t mind doing all of this, after all, this is the least I can do for now to support and nurture those who are able to change our future… but how am I supposed to tell her about this without sounding like a mentally ill patient? Besides… somehow it doesn’t feel right for me to be so frank with her…’

“I…”

Meteos’ gaze faltered as he averted his eyes from their stare-off. Unsure of what to say, he swallowed and began thinking about an answer. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a deep sigh before opening his mouth, choosing his words carefully.

“Nadia, do you remember that you once told me that you came from the east coast, right?”

“…?”

“You lived with your grandmother, a humble vendor with a meager income, yet she wanted only the best for you and saved enough to send you here in Runepolis, and you, who doesn’t want to burden your grandmother, wanted to finish your education as soon as possible. That is the reason why you are aiming for skipping high school, isn’t it?”

Nadia was taken aback by those words.

“Then what does it have anything to do with this…”

“You are really a good person, Nadia. Your desire is something that I can relate. After all, I also don’t want to burden my two parents. That’s why I’m working hard right now, or at least I believe I am. I know I’ll never be able to repay them for allowing me to be born in this world, but still…”

‘Is that why? Because Meteos saw himself in me?’ Nadia thought, stunned.

At that moment, Meteos finally turned to look Nadia in the eyes once again.

“…Besides, do I really need a reason to help a friend?” he said with a pained smile, hoping that Nadia will buy his sorry excuse of reassuring words.

“!!!”

It was enough to make blood rush to Nadia’s face once again, as she became flustered and abruptly turned away from him.

‘Oh come on! She doesn’t believe me!?’ Meteos screamed inwardly, cursing himself for his lack of skills in speaking.

However, amidst the sounds of the rain, he heard Nadia’s faint muttering.

“Meteos… you idiot…”

“………”

As her friend’s last words replayed again and again in Nadia’s mind, she heard Meteos sitting on her side chuckling. It then turned into full-blown laughter, causing her mind to be filled with confusion as she stared at the laughing Meteos.

“Haah… come to think of it, this is the first time in my life that someone called me an idiot,” he muttered with a smirk.

Nadia’s eyes widened at the words; her confusion transformed into panic as she realized that Meteos had heard her muttering. Seeing the look on her face, Meteos waved his hand, “Don’t worry, I’m not mad. To be honest, I find it rather refreshing. It reminds me that there still so many things that I still don’t know.”

“A-are you sure?”

“Mm-hmm.”

A smile broke on Nadia’s face.

“No, I was wrong, you’re not an idiot. You’re weird!”

“Hah! Is that so!?”

The two friends laughed together. Even though the storm outside showed no signs of letting up, the air between Meteos and Nadia is just like a sunny day. To kill the time, both of them talked about each other’s likes, dislikes, and many more for the rest of the trip, getting to know themselves better. Since they shared the same hobby of reading, the topic of their conversation switched from one book title to another.

At some point, when they ran out of topics to talk about, Meteos decided to open the novel he had just bought and read it together, revealing it to be a Muish romance novel. It was a new experience for both of them, as it is the first time Meteos ever read a book of that genre, listening to Nadia’s enthusiastic remarks as they read through the pages. On the other hand, Nadia found out that Meteos is fluent in Muish language and managed to learn one sentence or two from him.

As they talked, Nadia was able to get more comfortable in Meteos’ presence without getting flustered all the time, while Meteos found Nadia’s personality and her dedication for the sake of her grandmother to be something admirable. However, there is something about her that Meteos can’t describe with words, something that was bugging him.

Eventually, the tram stopped in front of the Runepolis Magic Academy’s building complex, Nadia’s destination. It was time for them to part ways for today.

“Is everything alright?” Meteos asked.

“Mm. I will call someone from the dormitory to bring me an umbrella. So don’t worry,” Nadia reassured.

“I see. Be careful on your way, then.”

As she disembarked from the tram, Nadia ran as quickly as possible to reach the tram stop’s shade. She then turned around and waved to Meteos, who still need to board the tram to reach his apartment, with a big smile on her face.

“See you again!”

“Yeah!”

The sight of Meteos returning her smile while giving a small wave is the last thing she saw before the tram’s door closed and it started to move again. Leaving Nadia waiting for her friend from inside the dormitory. Just then it occurred to her that she forgot to thank Meteos for the book.

“…! Maybe I’ll just do that tonight…”

The sound of the rain is the only thing that accompanied her as the tram began to become smaller and smaller, heading to its next destination.

The storm had ceased as the nightfall came, reduced to an occasional drizzle and an overcast that covered the capital city of Runepolis. However, that does not stop the Sleepless Magical City from shining brightly into the night.

After Meteos disembarked from the tram at the last stop near his apartment, he called for Walman to pick him up with an umbrella and headed home. His friend had just come home from buying groceries when the storm happened, and he went out with a slight annoyance. After that, Meteos told him about what he had heard from Robin earlier and they proceeded to have dinner with only the two of them. Meteos and Walman eagerly dug into their dinner, a stew made of seafood and peas that they cooked together.

“So… all-nighter again tonight?” Walman asked. He then picked up a sliced loaf of bread and soaked it into the soup and brought it to his mouth without hesitation.

He raised an eyebrow when Meteos, who had finished his dinner earlier, surprisingly shook his head.

“No, I’ll attempt to sleep early this time,” he said before sipping a glass of water.

“Oh… what happened? Is it because of Miss Robin pestering you even when she is away?”

Meteos clicked his tongue in annoyance, earning a victorious smirk from his friend as he knew he was right.

“By the way, the weather is good for sleeping.”

“Hm? Yeah, you’re right. Alright, I’m going back to work,” Meteos said, getting up from the dining chair and going to his desk to continue his work with his plans.

Two hours later at 10 o’clock, Robin called just as they were finishing their activities for the night. Meteos had gone to the apartment’s rooftop to speak and was just done talking with his teacher. Just as he was about to walk inside, his grimoire rang again.

“Huh?” Meteos muttered as he checked the grimoire, “From Nadia?”

‘Right now, the grimoire can only display the numbers, it cannot yet save contacts with names. Noted for future development,’ he thought as he accepted the call.

“Yes.”

“Um… hello?” her voice, clear with the grimoire close to his eyes, sounded hesitant.

“Nadia. Good evening.”

“…!! Good evening, Meteos.”

A soft chuckle escaped Meteos’ lips, “Can I help you with something?”

“Err… actually, I’m calling you because Miss Robin told me to…”

“Oho? What did she tell you?”

“She told me to call you at ten o’clock tonight to… to…”

“To what?” Meteos probed.

“…to tell you to go to sleep! Yes, that’s it!”

“Aah! Hahahahahahaha!” he couldn’t help but put one hand to his forehead as he laughed, “As expected from Miss Robin! So I take it you’re supposed to make sure that I’ll go to bed on time in case I didn’t listen to her?”

“Yes… more or less so…”

“Then no need to worry. I’m planning to finish my work for tonight and go to bed. Is that all?”

“Wait! There’s one more thing… You have given me this for free this afternoon, among other things that you did for my sake ever since we’ve met, I’ve never had the chance to express my gratitude to you.”

Although they are blocks apart, Nadia’s voice continued to flow from the speaker of the grimoire, as if the girl herself was present and whispered directly to his ear. Amidst the silence of the night, Meteos can hear her voice clearly, with no other noise interfering between them. He finally realized something about her that was nagging on his feelings ever since this late afternoon.

“…Thank you, for everything.”

It was her voice. Soft and pleasant to the ears, like a melodious lullaby that makes him feel like he is floating in the air whenever it was sung. It was soothing.

It was…

“…beautiful,” he breathed. He finally found the word to describe it.

A loud sound from the other side jolted Meteos back to his senses, panic and worry engulfed him as he yelled to the grimoire.

“Hey, what’s happening there!? Is everything alright!?”

“…Y-yes, everything is alright, I just accidentally dropped my grimoire to the desk. Don’t worry, it looks okay.”

“I… I see… be careful next time, then…” he sighed in relief and continued, “And Nadia, just concentrate on your studies and make your grandmother proud, that’s all I want to ask.”

“Mm! I will do my best!”

Although he can’t see it, Meteos can feel from the other side, Nadia was smiling. At that moment, perhaps because of the cold air, he felt his eyes droop and sleepiness began to overcome his senses. After letting out a quiet yawn, Meteos decided that this is the time to end the call before going to sleep.

“Alright, then, it’s time to go to bed. Nadia, thank you very much for reminding me.”

“Yes, no problem.”

“Good night.”

“Have a good rest, Meteos.”

With that, he hung up the call, but did not immediately walk inside the building. Meteos just stared at the screen of his grimoire and once again tried that new word.

“Beautiful…”

As he hit the bed and closed his eyes, he did not see in his dream the ocean of fire that haunted his many nights before, nor the monstrous mass of steel and flames that brings death whenever it sailed. It was a peaceful and serene dream, with a melodious tune dancing in his ears.

‘Your voice…’

Currently Publicly Available Information

GRIMOIRE

A manacom, which is a magical tool to transmit signals and information through the use of magical power, shrunken in size to fit into the palm of a human’s hand, allowing the user to make and receive calls on the move. It features the latest magic circuit and computer technology that allowed such a significant reduction in size to be possible and is regarded as the next generation in magical communications technology.

Although a grimoire uses a differently patterned magic wave for transmission compared to the desk-mounted commercial manacom, it can be accepted by the already existing magic wave transmission tower, allowing them to communicate with their desk-mounted counterpart in addition to communicating between grimoires.

With the recent policy by the Holy Milishial Empire, the Aikon Corporation, the producer of grimoire, is looking forward to expanding their market to not only inside the Empire, but also beyond.