>WHUUUUUUUSSSHHHH!!!<
The men hurried in the strange, bright night.
They charged toward the center of attention--flying at full speed.
Beads of sweat flew from their faces even as the wind beat them. This was an unprecedented situation. If they weren't careful, then--
>VWWOOOOOSSSHHHH!!!<
With even greater speed, they traversed the sky... until they arrived at the site of destruction.
What they met was a single golden pillar-like barrier.... And the luminous colors of lightning bursting from within it.
Everyone took a step back through instinct.
They instantly knew that if they interfered with the barrier--that is, if they were even capable of that--then the uncontrollable energy within it could consume them.
As they watched from a safe distance, pondering on what could have caused such immense concentration of Magic, three beings suddenly appeared--causing everyone to swiftly take defensive measures.
"Hold your horses." A feminine voice called out to the flustered men.
Appearing like a beam of red light in the sky, a woman--accompanied by two other ladies behind her--descended upon them.
She wore a Grand Mage's outfit, and her hat was seated atop her crimson hair. Her outfit was raven black--as was her hat--decorated only by tiny designs of red ribbons.
No one needed a prophet to tell them of the entity that had just appeared.
Instantly, the men present--Damien Lawcroft, the Vice Head, and several other powerful Lecturers--knelt in respect.
This was no ordinary woman.
"We greet the Grand Mage of the Empire, Serah Crimson!" Their voices echoed through the night--if the currently bright environment could still be called that.
This woman--Serah Crimson--was one of the Eastern Kingdom's three Grand Mages, and was also the only female among them.
However, this minority status of hers did not cause anyone to look down on her as many had done on others in the profession of Magic.
Every Grand Mage received their title as a result of some sort of achievement. They had their areas of specialty too. This woman's specialty was offensive Magic!
That was why everyone revered her so much.
Compared to everyone in the Kingdom, no one was capable of as much destruction--not even Neron Kaelid!
"What's going on here?" She asked, her feet clacking on the hard grounds of Ainzlark Academy.
Her crimson eyes were also fixated on the brilliant pillar before them all. As someone who was an expert in destructive arts, she could appraise this threat well.
"I saw this thing from a distance, so I had these two transport us here." Serah pointed at her retainers behind.
"A--ah, about that..." The Vice Head mumbled.
How could he tell her that even the Academy staff didn't know what the heck this barrier was?!
Usually, he was the top dog of Ainzlark Academy--especially now that the Head was absent. The man reveled in his power and authority, making good use of it while it lasted.
But, in the presence of this overwhelming presence... he was powerless.
"Huh? I believed I asked you lot a question." Serah Crimson narrowed her eyes as she watched the men.
"EEEK!!!" They cowered before her even more.
'Ah, useless idiots...' The exasperated woman sighed and shook her head.
Serah had been mobilized because of the Demon threat on Ainzlark, so she was excited to rush in. That was why, when she saw the brilliant pillar of light, she abandoned the army of Imperial Mages with her.
Instead, she took her loyal retainers and headed straight for the affected area.
Still, not only did she not meet an opponent, but the staff who were here cowered before her.
'Is there no one here with a spine?'
Serah was tall, for a woman. She had fiery eyes, and the beauty she had was the wild and dangerous kind.
Her bust was also extraordinarily huge--just like her Magical prowess--though no one dared to point out the former.
Unless they wanted to die, of course...
"Serah, stop bullying the men with those massive things of yours."
... One man was an exception to this rule.
"They don't know anything, so there's no point!"
The bold man appeared, descending from his heights as he landed on the ground.
As Serah saw him, her face twitched, and the irritated look on her face instantly morphed into--
"NEROOOOONNNN!!!"
>BOOOOMMM!!!<
The earth around her shattered, as she lunged at the dark-haired young man. Her speed was impossible to follow, and everyone around her covered their faces to be protected from the dust and debris that flew around.
>WHOOOSSSHHH!!!<
In a flash, she reached the young man, spread her two hands wide, and then--
"Hey, wait... not here--!!!"
>SPLAT!<
Before she reached him completely--just a few inches more--Serah was met with an invisible wall that completely stopped her advance.
Because of that, she was unable to perform the act she wanted to...
"You mean bastard... you still haven't changed, uh...? How cruel..." The great Serah Crimson whimpered.
... a hug!
"Who's the cruel one, you sexual harasser? Did you want to bury me in those two melons of yours?"
His reply was both harsh and disrespectful.
It wasn't something a mere lecturer could say to a Grand Mage.
The Vice Head, Damien Lawcroft, and the remaining extras, were shocked by this sight.
Of course, they were! This was the first time they had seen both of them interact before.
The retainers, on the other hand, merely sighed.
They were used to this.
"Hey, Neron! Is this how you treat your betrothed? That's seriously harsh!"
"Hey, s--stop that! Don't go around calling yourself that. I mean--"
"What? Isn't it true? Did you forget the promise we made when we were lit--"
"Ahhh! Stop mentioning that! We were young then. You can't keep bringing that up!"
"I can and I will. Hmmph!"
"Gah! Just stop doing this and act your age already!"
"Uhh? Hey, say that again!"
Even the usually stoic Neron was flustered at this point.
The respective characters of both Neron Kaelid and Serah Crimson were broken the moment they encountered each other.
As expected of a match made in heaven--or was it?
