The first impression was like a single Edelweiss.
Her long, flowing white hair and graceful face resembled a flower.
Just moments ago, that magic circle had been handed over by Ainel under the pretense of testing the professor’s qualifications.
Now, it belonged entirely to the perfect young girl before them.
Even in the brief movement of her hand as she stirred the magic circle, there was a quiet elegance.
‘Yurt family, was it…?’
Even as she lightly sipped the tea brought by Ainel’s secretary, she exuded the dignity of a noble lady.
It was clear she had been educated in the refined manners of the aristocracy.
Her attire, neither overly extravagant nor plain, was also to Ainel’s liking.
It was restrained, without burdening the eyes, yet still lovely to behold.
However, beneath that beautiful exterior lay a prodigy—the kind who could make a long train race through the skies instead of over land.
Ainel, judging that this young girl had at least reached the fourth tier in magic, readily accepted her as a member of Primus.
***
“There’s a curriculum left behind by the previous professor, so you can refer to that as needed.”
Naturally, there would be some resistance.
To those who hadn’t seen the elegant flow of mana she wielded, she was merely a youthful girl.
That was why Ainel turned to the ancient dragon before her and requested the use of his name. For now, the only name this girl possessed was that of the Yurt family.
“If she is under the protection of Orphion, no one would dare underestimate her.”
“Hm.”
The ancient dragon, after a brief moment of thought, slowly turned to gaze at the girl beside him.
She met his stare with unwavering eyes, her expression as composed as ever.
“…As you wish, Godfather.”
“How do you know what I’m going to do?”
“You wouldn’t listen to me anyway.”
“You know me well.”
***
Seeing the unexpectedly close interaction between the dragon and the girl, Ainel was slightly surprised.
After all, their lifespans were vastly different.
‘Then again, with a child like this, even an ancient dragon wouldn’t be able to help but cherish her.’
Ainel could only assume it was because of her exceptional talent.
Regardless, this was the first time she had seen a dragon care for a human child this much.
The dragon, who had been quietly watching the girl, let out a small chuckle before saying, “A professor’s authority must not be taken lightly, for the weight of their teachings depends on it.”
And with that, he accepted Ainel’s request.
It was only after this that arrangements were made for the girl and her sister, Isabelle Yurt, to settle into their new residence.
“If you have any questions about life in Primus, you may ask the caretaker, Jade.”
With a slight smile, Ainel said her parting words and escorted her guests out of the dean’s office.
Only when the sound of their footsteps faded down the hallway did Ainel finally let out a deep sigh.
‘…Things are going to get noisy for a while.’
***
From the beginning, this attack had never been something to take lightly.
Ainel had merely maintained a calm facade in front of the ancient dragon.
In truth, she should have been overwhelmed with work.
The fact that the victims were students of Primus—individuals closely tied to the key forces of the Empire—meant this incident had already surpassed the level of a simple robbery.
But more than anything else…
Princess Irina Ardenia had been on that train.
The very thought sent a chill through Ainel’s spine.
‘If anything had happened to her…’
‘This was an act of terrorism.’
‘Or perhaps… a declaration of rebellion against the Empire.’
The Imperial Palace was already on edge due to the erratic behavior of the First Princess, Lilian Ardenia.
It was nothing short of a miracle that the attack on the Primus-bound train hadn’t resulted in casualties.
“…We were lucky.”
***
Kazar Ardenia—the noble bloodline of the divine beast, reigning over all.
One of the successors of that sacred lineage, Irina Ardenia, was finally walking down the long halls of Primus once more.
Yet, her thoughts remained unsettled.
‘Who could it have been?’
The attack had been sudden.
The assailants had stormed into the first-class cabin where Irina had been seated.
Thanks to the knights guarding her, the blood of the divine beast had remained unscathed.
However, the true savior who had resolved the crisis was still unknown.
The only thing she remembered was the countless streams of mana flowing outside the train.
In the end, those delicate magic circles had protected the passengers.
The first person who came to mind was the Archmage of the capital.
But his name had not appeared on the passenger list.
And so, Irina’s curiosity would have to persist a little longer.
“…I’d at least like to say thank you.”
As she walked, lost in thought about the events on the train, she eventually arrived at the dormitory.
***
“Oh, the news has already spread…”
She wanted nothing more than to sink into the soft bed, but a few letters had arrived for her.
She decided to respond to them first.
— Sssk.
The first letter she opened was from her older sister, First Princess Lilian.
Ever since a few weeks ago, Lilian’s taste in men had drastically changed.
Her letter mostly concerned the train attack, with one question appearing more frequently than the rest.
[Who was it that protected my precious little sister? Irina, if you know their name, could you tell me as well—]
“…Sorry, Sister. Nothing has been revealed yet.”
At least, no one she had encountered in first class had been responsible.
Still, she couldn’t outright refuse the request of her notoriously eccentric sister.
— Sssk. Sssk.
[There are rumors that it was a mercenary hired by the dean, or that it was some hidden function of the train itself. I’ll inform you as soon as the truth is revealed—]
Choosing the gentlest tone possible, Irina penned her response.
Only after reading it over twice did she move on to the second letter.
— Thud.
“Huh? There’s a photo inside… Haha, they must’ve really enjoyed the bread. Everyone’s smiling.”
The letter was from the orphanage Irina had been secretly supporting.
Attached to it was a photograph of the children.
The letter was filled with gratitude from the young orphanage director, Karian.
Perhaps that was why, as she read, an affectionate smile naturally spread across her lips.
[The children are truly grateful. Especially Erit, who wanted to knit a scarf as thanks… Ah, but it’s supposed to be a secret. Please pretend you don’t know—]
“…A scarf, huh? I’m looking forward to it.”
With a brief glance at the photograph of Karian and the children sharing a meal, she picked up her pen once more to write a reply.
Irina’s letter, detailing the events of her day, was soon sent to a certain orphanage on the outskirts of the city.
***
— Sssk.
A thin, bespectacled man with a generally neat appearance picked up the letter that had just arrived.
Silently, he returned to his office and began reading.
At that moment—knock, knock.
A few light taps sounded on the wooden door.
“Karian! Can I come in?”
“Ah, yes. Come in, Lone.”
The door swung open, and a young girl rushed in, throwing herself into his arms.
Excitedly, she spoke of something she had just seen.
“A star fell from the sky, all sparkly and whoosh! What do you think it was?”
“Hmm… A shooting star?”
“Yes! A shooting star! I actually saw a real shooting star!”
“Haha, that’s amazing, Lone. I’ve never seen one in person myself.”
With a gentle smile, Karian listened as the girl chattered away, making sure not to miss a single word.
***
By the time the sky began to turn golden, he carefully set her down.
“I’ll be going out to get some groceries now.”
A short while later, as he negotiated the price at the market,
“…Would you mind lowering the price just a little?”
“Hah! You think we can run a business for free?”
“The children are still growing. I want to make sure they eat well for dinner.”
“You said the same thing last week, you know.”
“Ahaha. Did I?”
Up to this point, everything was just part of his usual routine—haggling with the market vendors while buying groceries.
However, just as his shadow stretched across the entrance of a small grocery store tucked into an alley…
“Hmm, without salt, the flavor won’t be the same.”
Pausing in his steps, the man murmured to no one in particular.
Then, he carefully set his groceries down on the ground.
— Step.
— Step.
Instead of entering the store in front of him, he turned left and walked into the alleyway.
“Who are you? I don’t recognize your faces.”
Once again, he spoke into what seemed like empty air.
But at that moment, shadows began to take form, surrounding him.
“Karian, you shouldn’t have killed Zerna.”
“You’ve been digging through the underbelly of the shadows for years, and now you think you can get away with anything, huh?”
“…Did you really think you’d walk away unscathed after taking down our boss?”
The air was thick with killing intent.
The gleam of countless blades shone in the dim alley, all aimed at him.
The setting sun was dipping below the horizon, its red light fading into the distance.
“…Pian gets cranky when she’s hungry. Are you planning to calm her down in my place?”
“Like I care! Just di—!!”
— Swish!
— Thud. Thud. Thud…
“Guh…!”
Countless sword slashes carved through the space around the man.
At some point, he had drawn two daggers, moving so swiftly that the attackers hadn’t even sensed the moment he had struck.
And just like that, his presence vanished without a trace, as if he had been a mirage all along.
***
— Slash!
All at once, the world split in two.
The sight of everyone still standing was suddenly divided—cleanly cut from top to bottom.
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the alley.
By the time Karian adjusted his slightly askew round glasses, his face wore an expression of mild inconvenience.
The grocery store had already closed for the night.
“…Dinner’s going to be a little bland tonight.”
Scratching the back of his head, he sighed and bent down to pick up the groceries he had set aside earlier.
At that moment, a letter slipped from his coat pocket and landed softly on the ground.
It was the letter from Princess Irina that he had been reading earlier.
Pausing for a brief moment, he unfolded the letter and continued reading.
Then, his eyes stopped at a particular line near the end—a casual remark about the Primus-bound train attack.
[From what I’ve heard, the ancient dragon Orphion was on the train as well. I don’t pity the attackers, but… what an unfortunate group of people.]
“…An ancient dragon? At the academy?”
An odd feeling crept over him.
A strange, inexplicable sense that he shouldn’t ignore this.
“…Aritha.”
As the first disciple of the Sage, Karian Desar summoned one of his closest aides.
From within the elongated shadows, a woman emerged.
He had only one request for her.
“Could you find out what exactly happened at Primus?”
She didn’t reply.
Instead, she simply nodded before melting back into the darkness.
Without another word, she disappeared completely.
Watching her vanish, Karian turned and started walking back toward the orphanage.
Dinner was in less than ten minutes.
“Salt, salt, salt… Haah. I should just buy it in bulk next time.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.