Kuhn, Yuni, and I followed Haruna.
And the place we arrived at was.
“…Why have we come here all of a sudden?”
A place very familiar to us.
It was the student council room.
Haruna looked at us with a smile.
“I will be here during the war.”
“What?”
“Hmm?”
I, too, tilted my head at her words.
Although I had heard that Haruna had something to protect, I was puzzled to hear that it was located in the student council room.
“What's here?”
“You won’t be able to see it with your eyes.”
“Hmm?”
Haruna stretched her hand towards the ceiling.
Then, the surroundings started to ripple.
“What, what’s this?”
“This is……”
Kuhn and Yuni widened their eyes at the sight.
This must have been their first time witnessing such a scene.
But I knew.
“…Spatial magic?”
It certainly resembled spatial magic, but it looked fundamentally different.
Something was happening in the spatial domain, but it felt different from what we were used to.
It was as if the world was turning upside down.
The rippling space gradually changed, and a place other than the student council room began to appear.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at Haruna.
“Where is this?”
“This is the Holy Land of Terasant. The place where the Saints face their end, as I mentioned.”
Surrounded by numerous jars.
So, these are…….
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Haruna walked towards the jars.
“These are all the remains of Saints. They have been cremated and stored here.”
“This place…”
“It’s a location created with dimensional magic. The student council room serves as its door.”
“The student council room?”
Why the student council room of all places?
The student council room couldn’t exactly be called a safe space.
If it were truly a safe place, the vice principal's or principal's office would have been a better location.
“I also don’t know why the door is here. It was simply the will of our ancestors.”
“Ancestors?”
“Do you know how this academy was founded, Rudy?”
I wasn’t very familiar with that.
I only knew that it was an academy built in the early days of the empire.
“In the past, magic, religion, and politics were united in strength. They were equal groups. That’s why the order was so powerful, and why this academy emphasizes equality. It’s also why spatial magic is called a divine power.”
Despite differences in status, they supported each other, speaking informally and growing their abilities.
Was that the reason?
Because everyone was equal in the past?
I had no idea there was such a reason behind the aspects I hadn’t paid much attention to.
“However, as time passed, these three paths diverged, some aspects merged, and some devolved. But as I just mentioned, traces of these three being together are still found in many places.”
Haruna stretched her hand forward.
"The traces left in this academy are right here. The place where the Saints' bodies are stored, the Holy Land of Terasant."
Thinking about it made me start to see other aspects.
“So, is that why a Saint comes every Homecoming Day?”
“Yes. Of course, they come for reasons other than predicting the future.”
“Do they come to check if this sanctuary is well?”
“Yes. It’s good to have a quick understanding.”
I recalled thoughts from past Homecoming Days.
Why a Saint comes every year to predict the future.
It was a bit strange from the start.
Why would a Saint come if they couldn't provide a proper prediction of the future?
I wondered if there was some kind of deal between the Church and the academy, but I had no idea about this past.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})“Anyway, Aryandor will probably target this place. Because it also contains the remains of Lady Beatrice.”
That raised a question in me.
“But, why leave the remains here? If Aryandor comes here, wouldn’t it be to obtain those remains?”
Haruna shook her head.
“Rudy, have you not seen the power of these remains?”
“…Me?”
When did I ever.
I had no clue about such a thing.
“Remember the incident when we brought back your body from the future?”
“…Ah.”
“This place provides the best environment for a Saint to exert their abilities. It allows them to do things they normally couldn’t.”
“Why would the remains have such power…?”
“The Saints do not lose their power even in death.”
“Even in death?”
“A Saint’s body is connected to Saints in other dimensions. The basis of this connection is these remains. Based on this ability, they can see the future and the past. These remains need to be preserved so that Saints from other dimensions can see our dimension, and I can exert my proper abilities.”
The basis of dimensional magic.
That was what these remains were.
Crossing dimensions to scan the future and the past, and connecting different dimensions was this place’s role.
“We can’t just eliminate this place. We have to protect it at all costs.”
“…”
Then Yuni put a hand on my shoulder.
“Just protect it, right? Then there shouldn’t be any problem.”
Her words made me chuckle as if it was nothing significant.
Yuni was right.
We just need to prevent Aryandor from coming here.
“Yeah, we just need to protect this place. But, can Aryandor enter here?”
“Yes, this place can be entered using spatial, temporal, and dimensional magic as keys.”
I nodded and smiled.
“Got it. Then I’ll make sure he can’t even get close. That should do it, right?”
At that, Haruna smiled.
“Yes, that will do.”
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})I left the place Haruna had explained and headed towards where Cromwell was.
During the move, I suddenly noticed something odd.
People outside were moving in an organized manner.
I watched those people before entering the vice principal's office where Cromwell was.
“Have you returned?”
“Yes, I’ve roughly grasped the situation.”
“Good, then we should also prepare.”
“Prepare, you mean…”
“They’ve made their move.”
Was this about Aryandor moving?
And the people moving outside…
“Are we ready for war?”
“Yes, we will block them at the canyon like last time.”
The canyon that the enemy must pass through if they come from the rebel side.
Geographically, it’s an advantageous place for us.
But there was a problem.
“What about the soldiers?”
“We’ve prepared to a certain extent. But it’s still vastly insufficient.”
Last time, the Royal army was already stationed at this place.
The problem now was the lack of soldiers.
“We need to buy time until Astina arrives.”
“In an unfavorable situation?”
“Still, there’s no need to worry too much. We have many capable people, and we have a corresponding plan.”
“A plan, you mean…”
“It’s crucial not to let the enemy into the canyon. If the rebels enter the canyon now, it will be breached quickly. They will push through with their bodies using the undead.”
The canyon could maximize damage to the enemy, but it wasn’t a place that could be completely blocked.
There was no wall built there, and we couldn’t physically block it ourselves.
If we lured them into the canyon, we could inflict significant damage, but we couldn’t fully leverage the terrain's power.
“So, you plan to stop them in front of the canyon?”
“Yes.”
“But…”
Is stopping them in front of the canyon a good plan?
That was also doubtful.
Fighting a frontal battle with our limited number of soldiers was suicidal.
“Don’t worry. I have prepared a separate method.”
“…A method?”
“Anyway, we’re moving to the canyon. I’ll explain the strategy in detail later.”
“Yes, understood.”
A method...
“I really hate this. I truly hate it. Really, really, truly.”
“Haha, if people could avoid doing things they hate, then no one would do anything.”
“But why do I have to do this… There are many more capable people than me…”
A vast plain.
A daunting canyon lied behind.
And far off, a cloud of dust rises.
Despite the great distance, I could see the entities there.
An undead legion, leading with giant golems and bone dragons.
It was the rebels.
The fact that they were the enemy was truly daunting.
“This task should be for Professor Cromwell or Professor Mcguire... Not just them, there are other professors too. I’m just a first-year professor… What was Professor Cromwell thinking, assigning this to a rookie professor who’s only been here for a year…”
“Haha, he must trust you a great deal to assign you this task.”
Two people stood at a distance from that dust cloud.
The strategy planned by the academy was simple.
The strong ones block with overwhelming force.
From the academy's personnel, two were selected.
The user of electric magic, first-year Professor Gracie Lifegold.
The user of flash magic, Principal McDowell Cliver.
A combination of the academy's most senior and the youngest professor.
“War, huh… I’ve never done anything like this…”
“Everyone has a first time.”
“Have you ever done it, Principal?”
“Haha, a few times, yes.”
“What, what was it like the first time you did it…”
“It was similar to how you feel now. And when it ended, it was truly terrible. The ground was rivers of blood, and bodies piled up like mountains. I can’t even remember how many times I threw up.”
“Heeek…”
“But.”
McDowell smiled kindly.
“Thanks to that, the people behind me were able to be safe. A lot of blood was shed in that war, but I was able to protect my people.”
“…”
“Someone has to do it, right? What would happen if you got scared here and now?”
Gracie turned to look back at the canyon.
Past this canyon is the academy.
If those monsters ahead enter the canyon, then the students, the professors, and the civilians living there will all die.
“You’re a professor, aren’t you? You have to protect the students, the academy.”
“…Right.”
Gracie clenched her fist.
And then looked ahead.
The approaching army was visible.
She was scared.
Her legs were trembling, and cold sweat was running down.
The thought that she might die here today crossed her mind.
But she couldn’t back down.
Because backing down would truly be the end.
“Can you do it now?”
“I have to… I’m a professor, after all.”
Gracie’s mana surged.
Her hair turned white, and blue lightning swirled around her.
McDowell nodded at the sight.
“Then I’ll go first.”
“Yes, I’ll follow you.”
McDowell extended his hand forward.
“Flash, beam of light.”
A giant light leaked from his hand, and thus the war began.
