"It was all in vain."
Astina let out a rueful smile as she read the letter.
It was a letter about the Saint Haruna.
Astina had gone to great lengths to gather information about the Saint, but by the time she had done so, matters regarding Haruna had already concluded.
The Haruna that Astina had discovered was just an ordinary girl.
A common girl that could be found in any empire.
However, it is said that she changed after meeting the former saint, Beatrice.
"Rudy was called here by... the former saint..."
That’s what was written in the letter to Rudy.
There was not much written about the depth of the matter.
Such content was not something to casually discuss in a letter.
The exact reason was that too much other information was written down.
But, there was one point that lifted her spirits as she read a bit of the content.
"No one else knows..."
A content smile appeared on Astina’s face.
The start of the letter, which discussed Haruna, felt somewhat disappointing.
Only Astina had come to know the fact that Rudy was a possessor.
Astina had seen several scenes by entering Rudy's dreams.
Sceneries that could never be seen in this world.
Scenes that she could not even imagine.
Such scenes were secrets known only to Rudy and herself.
Stories that could not be shared with anyone.
No one would believe such stories even if they were told.
However, she had gone directly into Rudy’s dreams and learned about this.
She had seen a different side of Rudy and had also witnessed strange food and culture.
It felt like a precious secret just between the two of them.
Astina thought this fact had come to light through his meeting with Haruna and felt a pang of sadness.
But seeing that even Rie and Luna weren't told made her chuckle.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"Oh, really..."
Astina tapped her cheek.
It was to prevent a constantly forming silly smile.
"Well... aside from this..."
In order to divert her mind slightly, Astina read through the other content of the letter.
However, the remaining content did not seem so important.
She already knew the information that the leader of the rebels, Aryandor, seemed to have turned back time, thanks to the information received from the capital.
Truly crucial details were omitted from the letter.
"This letter feels a bit lacking..."
Most of it outlined the flow of events that had occurred, but the important details were missing.
"Well, it doesn't matter."
Astina muttered to herself as she stood up from her chair.
"Where... will you go?"
The maid in front of her asked cautiously as Astina rose from her seat.
"It's about time to go back."
Astina said with a smile.
The semester was nearing its end.
It was time for Astina to return to the academy.
Although the final exams for the first semester were not held yet, Astina had a reason to return to the Academy a bit early.
Astina spoke as she glanced at the calendar.
A day marked with a star on the calendar with the schedule, but without any specific details.
It was Rudy's birthday.
Astina couldn't forget the embarrassment from Rudy's last birthday.
Luna and Rie had unexpectedly joined them for a meal, adding to her humiliation.
And yet, Rudy didn’t celebrate her birthday.
Astina's birthday was in winter.
Though she was away during winter break and couldn't help it, she was still disappointed.
"Shall we go then?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})With a grand plan in mind, Astina started heading towards the Academy.
The scent of chemicals filled the research lab.
Poles responsible for holding the staffs were scattered around, and various documents and mana stones were also strewn about.
If one were to sell the materials scattered here, it would be enough for a commoner to eat and live for three generations, given their value.
"Hmm......"
While the scattered items were valuable, the environment inside was stifling and oppressive.
This place was the Alchemy Department's laboratory.
The room, where stacked items blocked the windows preventing proper sunlight, was a lab.
Yet, there was a person cheerfully laughing and researching.
Her laughing was to a degree where others might wonder if she wasn’t insane, as she was in such a good mood.
"Luna... are you struggling these days by any chance?"
"Eh?"
Ena asked Luna, who was happily laughing.
Luna tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
Recently, every day had been joyous for Luna.
Of course, there were bad incidents like the rebel attack.
However, that incident turned out to be a bit of a good thing for Luna.
The magical tool that Luna had secured.
The incident where she stole that magical tool that Jefrin had installed.
That incident had a huge impact on Luna and everyone else.
In a very good way.
The reason why everyone didn’t lose their memories.
It was because Luna had stolen Jefrin’s magical tool.
When time reversed for everyone in the academy, only Luna remained unaffected.
Because she held that magical tool.
Of course, Luna did not intend this, but when Professor Mcguire disassembled the tool, it turned out to have that capability.
They were still determining exactly what abilities the tool had.
However, Mcguire was certain that the tool was related to time magic.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Specifically, it was a tool related to the mental aspect of time magic.
That was the magical tool Luna had stolen.
The truth was that time had reversed, and everyone was left puzzled.
Why did people's memories remain?
The magical tool that Luna had snuck away provided a clear answer.
Luna, who hadn’t even fought, became the biggest contributor to the Rebel incident.
While Luna was pleased with this, in reality, this was a very minor matter.
The reason Luna was smiling was due to an earlier event.
The time Rudy threw a question that seemed like a confession.
When he finally said he would answer later.
That was the biggest reason that made Luna smile.
This also made Luna anxious.
What if Rudy simply apologizes and ends it?
However, amidst this anxiety, she thought more about what it would be like if Rudy accepted.
"Hehehe... No, I have to quickly finish the task Rudy asked me to do."
"Hmm..."
Ena never expected such a thing.
Even though Ena knew Luna well, she didn’t know much about Rudy.
It was unimaginable that the usually stoic Rudy would say such things.
Of course, Ena, who occasionally says positive things to Luna, thought that it was still a positive event when she saw him feeding Rie.
But she couldn't think of this as a positive thing.
"Luna..."
Looking at Luna, Ena wore a pitiful expression.
To the unknowing Ena, it seemed like Luna was trying her best to be positive.
Rudy, that guy, was always with Rie while working in the student council, and Luna seemed to be left behind.
After hearing about the rebel incident, didn't they say Rudy saved Rie and Yuni?
Rudy, who saved not only Rie but also Rie's family... there was no way this was flowing in a good direction.
"Luna... I'm always on your side..."
Upon hearing Ena's bitter words, Luna tilted her head.
"...Huh?"
Luna, who knew nothing, just smiled warmly.
"I'm always on your side too, Ena!"
"Uh..."
Seeing Luna like that made Ena feel even more pitiful.
Holding such a pitiful heart, Ena, while on the verge of tears, lifted her head.
"Riku...!!!"
"Hm?"
"Where did Riku go! She definitely said she was going to bring tea and snacks earlier!!"
"...Ena?"
Right now, Luna and Ena were in the midst of conducting a staff research led by Rudy.
Riku was not originally needed for that research but...
-Don’t leave me out!!!
However, feeling unjust about doing different work alone, she ended up participating in the research.
For no pay, of course.
Then, the door to the research room opened.
Riku, with a broad smile, held a bundle of snacks in both hands.
"Hey, guys! I brought snacks!"
"Riku!! Why are you so late!!"
"...Huh?"
"Luna must be hungry since she has to use mana!!"
Luna was in the process of combining her staff and a mana stone.
An act that consumes a lot of mana.
It was certainly a valid point.
"Ah... so... I tried to be... as quick... as possible...?"
"You should bring it faster! Hey! When I do that kind of thing, I run so fast you can’t even see my feet!!"
"Ho, how can you not see your feet..."
"That means you should try harder! Try! Eehhh?"
Ena, with her hands on her hips, spoke to Riku.
Poor Riku was the target of Ena's venting.
Riku, not understanding the situation, stared at Ena with a bewildered face.
"Ahaha..."
Luna, observing this scene, awkwardly chuckled while scratching her cheek.
Thus, Riku, in the midst of being the target of Ena's ire, sat down in a corner.
"Hmmph......"
Once Ena’s venting was done, a girl peeked her face into the lab.
"Oh, everyone's here?"
"Yuni...! Ena is bullying me...!!"
Riku, with a crying face, threw herself into Yuni’s arms.
"Hmm? Ena did?"
"Yes...! Ena did...!"
"It’s okay~ It’s okay~."
Yuni patted the back of Riku, who nestled into her arms.
Riku and Yuni.
While they seemed an unlikely pair, they surprisingly matched and they had been getting along well lately.
Recently, Luna and her group were assisting with the staff that Rudy had requested help with, and since Yuni was in charge of the mana stone-related research for it, they spent a lot of time together.
"Oh! Is it snack time?"
Yuni, while comforting Riku, spotted the snacks laid out in front of her, her eyes lighting up.
"Do you want to eat with us, Yuni?"
"Of course~."
When Luna asked, Yuni pushed Riku away from her embrace and walked towards Luna.
"Yu, Yuni?"
"Oh, there’s cake too?"
"Yu, Yuni??"
"Heeey! This is delicious."
"Yuni!!!"
"Riku, you should come quickly too. It’s delicious."
Nonchalantly deserting Riku, Yuni began eating cake.
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