It was a devastated place, and the scraps of abandoned houses were scattered everywhere, making me suspect that there had been a cataclysmic event.

　The place that must have been crowded with people has no trace of its former life.
　Trees and vines are wrapped around the abandoned houses and they are weathered, so it won't be like this in a few years. In fact, it's been more than a hundred years since the land was abandoned.
　It was a scene that could be described as a ruined civilization.
　Age has enveloped such a scene of destruction, and even the sense of sorrow has faded.

　The heavens are endlessly clear and azure, and in the tremendous distance, hazy light draws a horizon line that fills every corner. The lush greenery fully absorbed the sunlight, giving off colors that were full of vitality, reminiscent of the womb of life. It is truly a majestic landscape that is full of life.

　Even the animals were alive and running around on the green carpet, running through the trees. Someone had said that humans were the pests of this planet, and I suppose this had resulted in an affirmation of that.
　The reason for this was the emergence of an entity that I would hesitate to call a living being. An unnatural, unnatural creature has blended into the natural order of things.

　The emergence of these strange monsters, the creatures in books, fairy tales and imaginary stories, which led to the return of this land to its original ecosystem, was a turning point in human history and a countdown to destruction. These deformed monsters were not the fantastical ones we see in books, but more evil and frightening beings.
　God's agents, saviors of the stars, these monsters are the very natural enemies of mankind.
　These deformed monsters were collectively called demons by humanity.

　♢ ♢ ♢

　Right now, one young boy, young in years, was crossing blades with multiple odd-shaped things.
　Some of the opponents were huge men who seemed to be using tree trunks and other objects as a club. He lightly lifted the blade with one hand, a deadly blade meant to be a fatal blow, with one hand.
　The boy uses a knife. It's also a distorted shape........or should I say, a shape that seems to scare you. It was truly a weapon for defeating the relative deformed demons.
　The knife had a thin chain tied to the butt of the handle and was drawn from a sheath lowered at his waist.

　Even so, it is no doubt an unreliable gain against a demon with a huge frame that is several times larger than a boy's.

　The shapes of the demons are diverse. It's not just that they are the same species, they range from the highest to the lowest, and the common denominator is that they all have an evil and ugly shape.

　It was hard to believe that they belonged to this world.
　Like the giants and beastmen of the first eye, the upper half of a human being's upper body looks somehow close, but the lower half of the body is exactly that of an animal.
　And the demons were uniformly characterized by dark skin.

　For each boy, there are at least ten of these deformed demons. It was only visible to the eye, and the signs of peeking out from behind and from the bushes could be glimpsed from everywhere. Perhaps it was their absolute predatory advantage, but there was an insult like a hunting beast toying with its prey.
　Anyone could not help but despair at this situation. He would not be allowed to even resist.

　However, the boy did not show the slightest sign of dismay. On the contrary, his footsteps were light on the ground.
　The jet-black hair swayed slightly in time with his gait. At the same time as the edge of his mouth rose, the demons attacked at the same time.

　A huge body that blocked the sunlight to the point that it was mistakenly thought to be nighttime was covered up----at the moment, the first demon's yell turned into a muffled sound in the middle and was cut off. It popped as if it were being crushed by something from left and right.
　If you look at it, the boy is in a clasped pose. Exactly like a demon was crushed from both sides.

　Dark green bodily fluids poured down, but the ferocious demons were not frightened by it.
　They knew that. The boy used his lightly held knife to cut both sides of the demons one after another.
　It was a spectacle like an absolute strong man trampling a swarm of ants - it could be called overrunning.

　If you notice, the boy isn't even moving around that much. And the figure of the knife that should have been held in his grip had somehow left the boy's hand.
　I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one for you. They fly not in a straight line, but in a purposeful stitching motion.
　The only thing that could be heard was the eerie sound of the metallic sound of the chains being pulled.
　At the end of the chain, a demon with its body drilled into the end of the chain came to a stop without a twitch. The silence is so unnatural that it's hard to tell if it's even dead.
　The demon that had been spitting out droplets so ferociously had stopped moving to the extent that it was pierced by a knife in front of its prey.

　The chains ran all the way to the thick trees, and the strange sounds of screaming decapitation continued to stand.
　That's when the boy opened his mouth for the first time.

'I suppose that's all you've got,'

　I didn't have to ask anyone, but I was alone and complete.

　I traced my finger down the chain. I marked one of the chains with a series of small rings.

''207 chain formula, [Chain [Resonaut]]

　The boy flicked his finger at the circle of chains strung.
　When the air is slightly shaken, it is pierced, and the chained demons all fly out from within at once.
　The entire area was dyed in the color of the demon's bodily fluids and turned into a horrific landscape littered with chunks of flesh. It was as if they were separated from the beautiful and colorful world....

　In such a situation, the boy's body was free of any body fluids. Even so, the boy took out a water bottle from the pouch in an area where a strange smell could be heard.

　He took a glance around, let out a sigh, and opened the canteen in hand. Inside was a nondescript, yet crystal clear piece of unclouded water.

　The boy looked up at the heavens.
　The beautiful sky, the pure white clouds, all different shapes. The boy even envied the clouds, which moved freely, not knowing the speed at which they flowed or where they would end up. This view, ironically, is only found in a world where demons are present.
　There are opportunities to go outside where demons are rampant in the world on a mission, but it's probably not a view that people who aren't so lucky don't have a connection to. But perhaps it's a sight that we instinctively miss. Longing for the world as it once was.
　That it's only when you lose it that you know its value.

　And with his gaze glued to the endless sky, the boy raised his arms and bathed in water from above in one go.
　The flow of water, which wasn't much, soon stopped.
　The boy shook his face to shake off the water and looked up into the sky again.

　This had become a habit for the boy. The sky, which was beautiful, looked differently when viewed with a head refreshed by the water.
　Perhaps he didn't have the vocabulary to describe how much it had struck the boy's heart.

　The boy resigned from the scene, as if he was sorry to be there.
　That's also because the demon's body fluids would attract other demons to him.

　The boy's name was Ars Regin. It is the name of a sorcerer who reigns supreme over the top of the opposing forces in a long-running battle with demons.




　♢ ♢ ♢　




You're not having second thoughts, are you?
No. I'm sure I've done enough work. We've already taken back Zentray and Couvent, both continents. All we have to do now is relax.

　He said clearly to his boss, who was dressed in a white military uniform. On his chest, a number of medals were neatly hung down.
　The old boss, with his hands folded across his long desk and a troubled look on his face, was troubled and struggling to think.


'But you're already a valuable asset to our country, and indeed to humanity,' he said. I can't just say I'm quitting and say yes, I see. I can't allow you to retire.
'With all due respect, Viceroy, I believe that those who have served in the military for ten years and have achieved a certain level of success should be allowed the freedom to leave the military. It has been ten years this year since I was six years old and I have served in the military. I wouldn't say that the recapture of the continent is an objection, would you?

　It is certainly stated so in the regulations, but a mage is a status in itself, and a mage is a profession to be revered in the first place. It's not that I don't like the fact that I'm not in the same boat as you.

　And yet, the dark-haired man cannot understand that. Rather, he has no interest in it. He was born and raised in a unique environment, so he may not be able to understand it. And moreover, military service at the age of six, this was not something that would have been possible under normal circumstances. It is customary for people to be over the age of fourteen. However, only he, at the age of six, was recognized for his qualifications as a magician, and his magic power surpassed that of high-ranking magicians at a young age. It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.

　The Governor is the one who is close to the age to retire from military service, but he never imagined that the dark-haired man, who is still in his mid-teens, would be the first to ask for retirement.
　It felt like the bill he had imposed on the boy he had known since he was a child was now being paid.

　Every wizard in the military has a high income. Even though they are funded by the people's taxes, their importance is recognized by all of humanity.

　There was one of the seven great powers that were responsible for the defensive wall of this Arzecil continent, and the great power Alpha was the most prominent among them, and it had achieved outstanding results in warfare. The majority of its war results were raised by just one man. He is Ars Regin, a single-digit number (single) wizard who offered to retire. His black hair is slightly covered by his eyes, and his hands are fitted with the same pitch-black gloves again.

　A hundred years ago, a demon that appeared out of nowhere had reduced the human population to a tenth of its former size and reduced the number of countries scattered around the world to seven.
　Today, humanity's sphere of existence has been reduced to 1/700th of the world's land area.

　It's only recently that the concept of magic has been converted to military force, and the magical technology of the time was no match for the powerful monsters and magical beasts that could be fought off. Magic was just a part of our daily lives. The reason it developed so rapidly is because of the invasion of demons.
　Demons eat people, destroy cities and countries.
　I'm sure you'll be able to see that the decline in population was halted thanks to the sublimation of magic technology into a military force. And then the seven nations drew a circle to draw a sphere of survival and a line of defense. And the chalk tower that rises in the center of the tower is the greatest achievement of mankind. They managed to block the invasion by putting up a protective wall from the top of the tower to cover the seven countries. This was a true feat of magical research. More than fifty years later, mankind was busy training wizards to retake their territory.

How about a long vacation? Of course, I promise to provide you with a comfortable life, and I'll do everything I can to help you achieve your goals. I'll support your research and provide you with the facilities to do so.
And you expect me to turn myself in when I'm called up?

　The Governor nodded with an aged, stern face, with carved wrinkles in it. It's a good thing that we're not just talking about recapturing it," he said. It's not just a matter of recapturing it, but also of defending the country.
　You will be able to see that the number of witches and wizards killed continues to increase every year, but the great nation of Alpha has been successful in its warfare and has reduced the number of casualties. It is also thanks to a sixteen-year-old boy.
　In the ten years that Ars has been in the military, Alpha has the lowest mortality rate for mages in seven countries.
　The seven nations are no doubt comrades in arms defending the chalk tower, the key to human survival. But the reality is different. It is a national disgrace to ask for help from another country, and a decline in national power is a matter of prestige. In other words, we are in a co-operative relationship, but we are also competitors.

I understand.

　Ars agreed to it without hesitation. He knew from the beginning that there was no way he could retire from the military without a fight. This was a compromise.

　For better or worse, the current Alpha was too dependent on him. The Governor had taken steps to make this happen, but there was no way he was going to grow up to be a good magician, and it had to be said that he hadn't been able to do it in time.

　The Governor sat back deeply in his chair and let out a tired sigh. He had a feeling that one day this day would come. He was the exception among the exceptions, the result of being sought only for results in the military, a den full of selfish and calculating people.

　It's inevitable that he was brought up in such a world and has little humanity to serve others, but at the same time, it's too late to do anything about it.

"I'll release the information as soon as I'm ready. Until then, I'll stay home.

　Ars straightened his posture.

'Yes, sir.'

　He resigned from the scene with a deep snap of his back.


　Maybe he hadn't gotten involved with people too much to carry out his intentions. In that sense, putting him in the academy might change something.


　The only way to do that is to have him acquire the lost culture from now on. However, even if his determination didn't change, I personally even thought that was good.
　But an army is the defender of humanity, that's why when Ars finally told him to turn himself in, he had to nod, even though he struggled to do so.
　The only thing I could not do as Governor was to miss him now.

　So if he was willing to defend something of his own volition, then and only then might Beric be the first Governor not to give orders for the first time.


　Governor Beric Saarevianu reset his thoughts for a moment, deep wrinkles darkening further. He pulled out a list of names from a stack of papers on his desk and pressed the card-like device to his ear.

　He succeeded in dispatching the retired officer in one fell swoop, but he was far from the front lines, the key to his defensive walls. Even if a demon appeared, it would be difficult to kill it instantly without him. It goes without saying that Governor Beric was busy organizing new units to prepare for emergencies later on, such as personnel transfers.


　♢ ♢


　At the entrance ceremony for the Second Academy of Magic, in a corner of the sprawling academy in Belitsa, a city in the great nation of Alpha, there was only one empty seat in the vast hall where a large number of young people who wanted to become wizards were sitting in a vast hall. None of the students were particularly concerned about whether they were unwell.
　They are all promised a future as wizards when they are allowed to enter the Academy of Magic.

　They are elites who have passed the most difficult examinations because of their talent. In order to protect the continent of Arzecil, which is made up of seven countries there is only one school in Alpha--one school for each country--magic. They knocked on the door of the academy.
　They were not ordinary people when they entered the academy. The students of the Academy of Magic are the guardians of the country and, by extension, of humanity. At the same time, they are also the arrows that spread the land.
　It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.
　Of course, there are no fools who enter the academy without knowing that. Rather, they go ahead and follow that path. You will find that the status of a magician is an occupation that is not easily eaten. At the same time, it is a noble profession. It is also a noble occupation, and one that defends the country at the risk of one's life. That's the reason why the people yearn for it as a sweet sounding, intoxicating job.

　And the use of magic is basically forbidden. Only rudimentary magic that is essential to life is allowed - magic that is not even explicitly classified as elementary as a standard for magic - but the power of magic, a power that has infinite possibilities, is what young people are looking for It's impossible not to be attracted to it.
　That's why you have to enter a military or military-controlled academy where the use of magic is fully permitted. You need to ask for a student ID, or rather a license, to be issued there.



　On the day of the entrance ceremony, Ars had arrived at the school early. The reason for this is because the packages that were sent in advance will arrive soon. There is a lot to organize and do.
　Since it's a wizard training institution, the site area is also quite large. There are more than a thousand mage chicks enrolled in this three-year-old institution, and all of them live in a dormitory on the grounds. The facilities for housing and training witchcraft research in a wide variety of ways are housed in the vast grounds. That alone takes up one fifth of the largest city in the country, Belitsa.

　It is so large that it would not be possible to visit all the buildings in a day. Therefore, students are given a school insignia when they enter the school, which is necessary to move through the transition gate, the circle port, which aids in transition magic. This is a handy item that allows them to move to the transference gates that are located throughout the school.

　Although Ars was also a new student, he had no intention of participating in the ceremony. This is because it was an academy that he was forced to enter at the direction of the Governor. As I advised, it was no different than a reprieve to spend time on myself. His mind was already occupied with the three years before graduation, immersed in research.

'You're a freshman too?'

　The woman who called out to me was still very new, wearing a wrinkle-free school uniform with sleeves. Her pale chestnut-colored hair swung gracefully around her shoulders, and she wore a coquettish smile. There was a brand new school insignia on her left breast, and Ars took a glance at the insignia, which was tilted by the bulge in her chest, to check it out.

'Yes, but you too?'
Yeah, I've waited too long to get here.

　I smiled softly with an almost tongue-in-cheek smile, and my face relaxed from the joy of finding a new student just like me, and my hair was blowing in the pleasant spring season breeze. It's a very broken word for a first meeting.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
　That's when--.

Alice, what are you doing here? The doors don't seem to have opened yet, but I heard you can wait in the school building.

　The girl called Alice turned around when she heard such a voice from behind her vivaciously.
　Her red hair approached from afar, swaying from side to side behind her.

'I'm sorry Fia, I'll be right over.
I'm gonna go run some errands.

　Alice tilted her head. Was it strange that the new students were running errands on the day of the entrance ceremony?

'You're not heading to the ceremony?'
I need to get to work.
I'll see you at the ceremony.

　Smiling, he waved his hands from side to side in front of his chest.

'If only.'

　He manages to break up with her by lying to get through the moment. Naturally, I'm not going to be at the ceremony. I just gave a brief eye bow to the approaching redhead and turned away.

'You haven't had much luck this morning,'

　He begins to walk to the prepared laboratory with Alice, who is walking away from him, leaking such things.