As the large-scale event of Primus, the Stage of Ascension, drew closer, less than a week remained.
Smooth and unhurried footsteps echoed through the silent hallway.
A neatly worn robe over a standard school uniform, no different from other students.
With every step, her long lavender hair swayed gently.
The name on the badge pinned to her chest read: Iris Lumiere.
The petite girl carried a soft smile on her lips.
***
Tap. Tap.
Her destination was where an old friend resided.
And—
[Mana’s Design – Letter Yurt]
[Present]
The personal office of a newly appointed professor, who had been tasked with gathering information.
Since the command had been issued under the binding constraints of both body and mind, Iris harbored no doubts.
Knock, knock.
“Excuse me~.”
After knocking twice, she stepped inside, her gaze landing on the lone figure seated at a refined wooden desk.
“Hello, Professor! I’m Iris Lumiere from the Healing Department!”
“…Hello.”
White hair.
Gentle eyes with a subtle curve.
A refined yet youthful appearance.
The girl who greeted Iris carried an air of elegance, with a touch of weighty presence.
Then came the question:
“Has Evan not arrived yet? He’s usually in the office around this time.”
“He mentioned he had to stop by the dormitory. Said he forgot something.”
“But he should be back soon.”
The new professor, showing little interest in Iris, said as much before returning her focus to the documents on the desk.
Meanwhile, Iris quietly took a seat on the guest sofa, her eyes subtly scanning the office.
Even the wallpaper patterns were scrutinized—her gaze seeking information.
Her objective was to assess whether Letter could become a potential variable in the apostles’ upcoming grand undertaking.
Her attention briefly halted on a robe adorned with golden insignias hanging on a stand.
‘Ancient Dragon, Orphion…?’
A living calamity.
An entity beyond extermination.
The folly of opposing such a being had already been recorded in countless historical texts.
Likewise, provoking a girl marked with the dragon’s insignia would be just as foolish.
There was no need to invite such an ominous presence into the apostles’ plans.
That was why Iris had designated the new professor as a person of interest.
***
Shortly after—
Knock, knock.
Two gentle raps at the door signaled the arrival of a familiar presence.
“Evan~.”
“Huh? Iris?”
Iris approached her childhood friend with a bright smile, her demeanor effortlessly natural.
Evan, on the other hand, wore a mix of surprise and delight.
“What are you doing here?”
“I was waiting for you.”
Her words were casual, nothing more than what might pass between close friends—a simple favor or promise.
“Last year, we struggled with long lines. So, for this year’s Stage of Ascension, let’s plan ahead.”
“Alright, 9 o’clock?”
“9 is too late. Let’s meet at 8:30.”
“Well… okay.”
With Evan’s confirmation, Iris waved lightly and left the office.
As the door creaked shut behind her, Letter’s gaze remained fixed on the documents on her desk.
However—
“Evan.”
“Yes?”
Her small lips parted once more.
“Do you like Iris?”
“Wh— What?! L-Like her?!”
“Hmm. I’d prefer a simple yes or no.”
A long pause followed before Evan, hesitantly, nodded his head.
Only then did the small figure rise from her seat and step closer to him.
“Then, clear your schedule after the Stage of Ascension. For about a week.”
Lightly tapping Evan’s back with her small hand, Letter left the office.
At that moment, Evan had no way of understanding what she truly meant.
He merely thought, ‘Does she want us to go on a trip together? For a whole week?’
***
As time passed, and only two days remained until the Stage of Ascension—
Letter sat in her usual spot within the dormitory library, flipping through various tomes.
Then, a reply to a letter she had sent days ago arrived.
However, its contents were—
[Interesting. I’ll be arriving at Primus soon, so don’t do anything foolish.]
“…This is bad.”
The message was brief, yet carried a grave weight.
Despite the late evening hour, Letter hurriedly dressed herself.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“To see the Headmaster.”
“The Headmaster? Why?”
“…”
“Well, because… my godfather is coming. I need to inform the Headmaster in advance.”
“Oh. Alright! Be careful!”
The moment she uttered the word godfather, Isabelle flinched but did not stop her.
After all, Isabelle knew all too well what kind of being their godfather was.
As soon as Letter stepped out of the faculty dormitory, she made her way straight toward the Headmaster’s office.
She had already sent a message through her portable communicator, requesting an urgent meeting, but she couldn’t afford to wait for a response.
The moment Letter confirmed that the headmaster was present in the office, she knocked without hesitation.
She needed to deliver the news of the Ancient Dragon’s impending visit to the academy as soon as possible.
‘He’s bound to stay and watch the Stage of Ascension anyway.’
Mere seconds passed before she was finally face-to-face with Headmaster Ainel.
Ainel, puzzled by Letter’s sudden request for a meeting, asked why she had come at such a late hour.
“Is there a problem with the Stage of Ascension?”
“Ah, it’s not exactly a problem… or maybe it is?”
“Hmm?”
“Well, Orphi— no, my godfather will be coming to the academy.”
The moment Letter mentioned the Ancient Dragon’s visit, Ainel’s face froze, second by second.
And as Letter added the very unfortunate news that Orphion would likely stay to observe the event, Ainel let out a heavy sigh.
Simply because—there was no one who could change the Ancient Dragon’s mind.
“…Understood, for now.”
A light sigh escaped as Ainel nodded.
Seeing the headmaster’s reaction filled Letter with guilt.
‘I feel bad…’
If she thought about it, she hadn’t written to Orphion because of the Stage of Ascension.
It was because of her students.
But since it had resulted in the Ancient Dragon visiting the academy, it was now her responsibility to ensure that Orphion behaved himself.
She needed to discuss countermeasures regarding her students while ensuring that the academy remained unharmed.
***
That was why, the very next morning, as soon as Orphion arrived, Letter dragged him straight to her office.
Of course, from the perspective of her assistants, Irina and Evan, it was shocking enough to faint.
They had merely come to Letter’s office early in the morning as usual—only to find the Ancient Dragon himself sitting on the guest sofa, legs crossed.
“U-Uh, is the tea to your taste…?”
“It’s decent.”
Even Irina, an actual royal, found it difficult to hold a conversation.
Technically, they had known since the entrance ceremony that Letter and the Ancient Dragon were closely connected.
“I’ll be heading to class now, so please wait here.”
“Hmm, I heard the café here has great drinks. Can I go check it out?”
“No. If you like it, you’ll abduct the whole place and take it back to your lair.”
“…Well, I won’t deny that.”
“See?”
Seeing the Ancient Dragon Orphion in person left them speechless.
At first glance, he appeared to be nothing more than a sharp-featured man, but no matter what his exterior looked like, it was just a shell.
That was why both Irina and Evan could do nothing but silently observe the conversation between Letter and Orphion.
Nothing beyond that was permitted.
“Well then, I’ll be going. Class is about to start.”
As Letter stepped out of the office, her assistants followed close behind, trailing after her like ducklings.
Only when they confirmed that Orphion wasn’t following them did Irina and Evan finally let out a deep breath.
Then, they turned to Letter and asked what was going on.
However, it was impossible for Letter to explain everything in detail.
It would take an extremely long conversation to help them understand the complex relationship between herself, her students, and Orphion.
Not to mention—Letter was currently hiding her true identity.
“Hmm, I had been exchanging personal letters for some counseling, but somehow, the remote counseling turned into an in-person meeting.”
So, in the end, Letter only provided her assistants with a heavily condensed explanation.
At the same time, she made it clear that she, too, was flustered by the situation.
Fortunately, Irina and Evan were understanding.
Even they could tell that no matter how capable Letter was, there was no stopping the will of the Ancient Dragon.
“Uh… good luck, Professor.”
“…Thanks, I appreciate it.”
***
By the time the three of them arrived at the auditorium—
Back in the office, still alone, Orphion moved toward the dark and ominous energies lurking in the surroundings.
“You sure set up a lot of little tricks…”
What he faced were shadow spells.
They were scattered throughout the office, primarily for surveillance purposes.
Recognizing that all these trivial spells were the work of Karian, Orphion raised his hand to crush them.
However, after a brief moment of thought—
‘There’s no way Asher wouldn’t have noticed this. So, did he just leave them be?’
If he could notice them, then there was no way his old friend wouldn’t have as well.
For now, he decided to leave the spells untouched.
After all, their only target was Letter Yurt.
‘He’s deliberately leaving them all visible to erase suspicion, huh.’
In the end, Orphion remained in the office, waiting for Letter to return.
Though he wanted to wander around the academy, the consequences of doing so wouldn’t be light.
Somewhere within the vast grounds of the academy, he could even sense the presence of a Spirit King.
He couldn’t yet tell whether it was fire or ice, but if it were the latter, things would get very annoying.
More importantly, something quite amusing was unfolding deep beneath the academy’s underground.
Rather than ignoring his old friend’s request and wandering around, it was better to sit still and observe what was happening below.
“Lord L-Laciel, please have mercy—”
Shlck!
“Ugh…!”
“You served a false god. How unfortunate.”
“…So noisy.”