By the time he left the lab, the sun should still have been pouring pale sunlight on its entirety from far away. It was indeed sloping, and at any moment, it seemed as though it might be hiding its appearance with a whimper.
　But I didn't expect that within a short distance of reaching the chancellor's office, he would disappear as if he was being hid by God.

　With the season's chilled breeze, the temperature is lowered and the body heat is taken away as it traces over the skin. It's also the sun has gone down, and just before entering the main school building, the sun's resistance is barely visible.
　It will probably disappear within a few minutes after that too.

　Ciel, who has no business with the chancellor, turns back to the women's dormitory, and the usual members enter the school building. It's a group that has an air of stuffiness about it in this academy. It's a scene that, from the side, looks like a fierce man who stood up to protest.

　I'd like to see a little more distance between them, as Ars, and walk at the front of the pack. The conversation between Tesfia and Alice, which can be heard from behind, is mainly for the main purpose of doing something about the events that Ars wasn't there. The point is that during the time when Ars was viewed by the public as a criminal, even if for a time, they too had a hard time at the academy.

　In contrast, Ars, who walks at the front of the pack, is a little heavy on his feet. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this as well. However, due to her nature, she never actually overtook Ars, and there were a few times when she consciously slowed down.
　I wondered if their conversation sounded like cheers in a good mood.

　Knowing that he was giving them a hard time, Ars remained silent.
　And so the chancellor's office that he reached was the same as before, with a few distracting knocks as if the sound alone was indicative of Ars's condition.

　Immediately a voice leaked out of the room, granting entry.

'Are you always like that?　Or should I say the same as always........Loki must be in trouble.
'No, I'm used to it, and since it wasn't caused by Al, it was inevitable.

　At Sisti's first words, Loki stated the fact that he was on the edge. Even though the other party was the chancellor, he didn't take a step back in a torrential fashion and broke off his mouth.

'You could say that,'

　

　Then Sisti sat back down in front of the long desk and said...............

'Good work .........Als.

　The words that were spun like a whisper sounded like they contained a lot of emotion. Therefore, they sounded as if they were not filled with feelings. However, the voice is a clear word of comfort that passes surprisingly well in this room.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find the best way to get the most out of this article.
　The soothing air that surrounds them naturally lifts the cheeks of Loki, Tesfia and Alice. As if to renew such a full mood, Sisti shifted the topic of conversation to the two girls waiting at Ars's side.

''You two have returned well. I've arranged for the receptionist to accept the request to complete the request from now on, so I want you both to go to the student center. You'll be the ones in trouble if you don't get your credits waived.

　Tesfia and Alice reply to Sisti, who advises them so, with their voices overlapping.
　So the two of them have done their business now, but an unnatural silence that tilts their heads in a small way as a matter of course. Only Ars and Loki were able to detect the chancellor's intentions.
　However.

''Chancellor it's fine. You can't make me an outcast now, can you?
Yeah. I can't get out of the habit of associating myself with the military. It's a wonder that things don't change afterwards to the point of being anticlimactic.

　The meaning implied in the unspoken words is only exchanged between Sisti and Ars. This is followed by "Where and what were you guys doing? The simple question was.

　'A walk in the outside world,' said Ars, his voice casual.

'I see. I thought it would be hectic for the time being since the protective wall was lifted, but... diligent.

　Tea-opening dialogue.
　In fact, even though the protective barrier has been lifted and its replacement Babel is now in operation, it has not completely taken over the potency of Babel. If the potency of Babel, and its origin, has changed, then there are demons that are agile enough to sense it. Until now, the presence of Latifa, with the astounding Kronos magic power in her body, had built an awe-inspiring protective barrier.

　It had instilled an instinctive fear in the demon's race for survival. That's why the demons who felt a glimpse of Cronos in that protective wall, especially with regard to the low rate, didn't rush in at close range. However, it was also true that its effectiveness was a windfall.

　In terms of a glimpse of Kronos, it was certainly a colorful one from Latifah's erosion rate. The only thing that couldn't be denied was the decline in its efficacy.
　Hence, the tendency for low-rate demons to close the distance even more than before was to be expected.

　Ars lightly dismisses the chancellor's manner of speaking. After all, it was just a walk after all.
　It's a problem that will eventually be solved if the association runs well.

''But ... I didn't think we'd really pull it off.
Well said. 'I think the Chancellor made you aware of that. The bankruptcy of this country, or rather the problems of the seven countries I'm just looking for a theoretical solution from it.

　Surely, Sisti thought, he had forgotten what he had done when they first met. That's why, as Chancellor, she once again tried to give him what he had forgotten he needed to learn. Although it was unusual, he had asked Tesfia and Alice to mentor him, also to share his time in this academy.

　I'm sure he won't fit in. That's a foundation impossible. The environment in which they were raised is so different.

''Huh~this is why the kids who can do this are...''

　Somewhat glad that he remembered. Sisti overflowed with such dismay.

　The reason Ars established the association this time was also distantly related to Sisti in the first place. It should be said that she imparted unwanted wisdom to the young Ars in the military. A fatal flaw that was found only because she was the one who took on the defense during her time in the service. But she herself knew it was an idealistic view. And, inevitably, she foresaw that the seven nations would surely fall apart.

　Whether it would be from within, Sisti couldn't have foreseen it, but as it turned out, her prediction was correct.

　She herself had never thought at the time that her words of comfort would be reflected in reality in this way. She had a dim premonition of the general nature of Ars's research to make his own life easier.
　That, to his credit, he would find it essential to the Seven Nations. And now that he had noticed, he also knew he would never let it go.

　But Sisty also thought he understood painfully why the military would allow Ars into the academy. His research was certainly worthwhile. However, he could understand why the Governor would decide that it was probably not a priority over himself.

　What Ars lacks, having grown up in the military since his childhood, he only knows the outside world, the world he doesn't know. It is the inner world that is closest to him. He has come to this point without knowing the path that everyone should take, which is to touch people.

　The bill was definitely eating away at Ars's heart. The sign of this would have been retirement. The wishes he wished for were the ones he chose to make within the limited world he saw. So, expand the world more...................and then it's surely not too late. That's what Sisti thought.


　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


　Ars and Sisti's first meeting was in the midst of upheaval. It was the first large-scale battle since the Great Calamity that repelled the great invasion and caused many casualties.
　It seemed like a prolonged and thorough battle against the demons, but when the lid was opened, the number of people involved was decisive. The high-ranking demon that was believed to have led the invasion had disappeared. Rationally, someone must have defeated them.
　Shortly after, the two met when a force was assembled to destroy the remnants.

　The three titans at the time, Viziest, Froese, and Sisti, who had taken on the defense as one of their own, had all been sent to this great invasion.
　It was when Sisti visited Viziest's troop room to check on the movements of the remnants of the hunt for the remnants and the corpses of the mages, and to be partly in charge of the command of the troops.

　That's when I first learned of it. Why had that solitary Viziest, who seemed to love to fight alone, established a unit? The unnatural aspects of the unit are obvious when you check the members of the unit.
　The inclusion of the programmed student in the unit is so unnatural. On top of that, the disappearance of a high rate of disappearance determined a lot of the invasion.

　However, no one has confirmed the defeat. The significance of confirming these two strange coincidences made the then Sisti to visit the troop room of the 'Special Magic Attack Unit'.

　When he saw one boy there, who was about to disappear, Sisti took extra care of him. She knew that it was the program student in question, though.
　The color in his eyes was a deep black, like a bottomless pit.

　Maybe that's why Sisti felt sorry for the boy, who was seeing reality far too quickly.
　He told himself that he probably wasn't listening, and that's okay, so he kept talking.

　Sisti changed her posture and sat down on the floor with Ars, who remained unresponsive at all times, so that they could come together to support him from behind.

'It's tough for those without power to live, both inside and out. A man's beauty or ugliness is determined by how he acts. You can be driven so hard and still manage. Those who are only puffed up with inner peace won't realize it until the moment their life is gone. We are beautiful and ugly creatures, human beings we just have a choice to make in the midst of it all. Live your life in a way that you are not ashamed of. Be the beautiful person you think you are....

　With that, Sisty hugged Ars, who was young and frayed, to her chest. She placed a hand on her head and continued to slide her hand through her hair to brush it.

'I'm sure that one day, not too long from now, the seven countries will fall apart. I'm sure they can't resist it to our degree. If that's the fate of our foolishness then we'll probably end up on the wrong side of the road. Still, don't you think you'd like to be the person you want to be until the end, don't you?　It's a good idea to take on a lot of sadness and hardship, but when you've done what you've found, you'll be able to see the true nature of your work as a wizard. So, nothing is in vain, there is always a meaning, if you believe that, then maybe it will be a little easier for you... and that was a little difficult.

　Sisti, looking down at her dark hair languidly, told herself as she told herself. The reasons why he would be torn down, and the conclusions he had reached as a mage. He was talking about the significance of being a mage, such a futile thing. Surely he thought that something would be useful to him, somehow.

　Maybe it was something that comforted him in many ways, but he didn't think it was beneficial to the young boy.
　Sisti ended the digression in the room alone with him, saying that she had been talking to herself for too long.

　From then on, they sat in silence for a long time, stroking Ars's head and sometimes hugging. Time must have passed strangely quickly, even if words were not exchanged. He knew nothing about the boy except his name and that he was from the Mage Training Program.

　Still, it was probably the only thing that felt like a boy in this bleak army. Probably because the boy would be among the first mentioned powers.

　It was something that Sisti herself hadn't even noticed that she had been doing for over an hour. And it was a rather reserved knock on the door that caused her to round up, and it was a knock that echoed in the room.
　As expected, she could see the familiar, stern-looking figure behind her, as if to say that she couldn't wait any longer, through the doorway.