The Extra’s Academy Survival Guide - Chapter 128

Magic power erupted from the hands of Lenos, the eighth seat in the Apostles of Telos.

The magic power that flowed from his hands wrapped around his arm as it took the form of a massive bow.

An arrow made of pure magic power was fired, flying straight towards Lucy’s neck… But it couldn’t break through Lucy’s defensive magic circle, which she improvised on the spot. It fell on the ground, disappearing.

Swoosh.

There were four apostles remaining.

The second seat, Reuben, the third seat, Taldarek, the sixth seat, Clive, and the eighth seat, Lenos.

As soon as Lucy had arrived, she took down two of them. From the Apostles point of view, the fight had already become a losing battle. However, they couldn’t just stand around in surprise.

The Apostles spread their wings as if they agreed on something, then they then took flight to widen the distance between them.

They felt the difference in their power. Since they couldn’t see a way to win right now, they had to make it difficult for Lucy to deal with them.

Their goal was to create distance between each of them so they wouldn’t all be taken down by a single wide-ranged attack. At the same time, they would be giving Lucy a hard time, as she would have to be conscious of attacks from all sides.

So, while Lucy was busy taking down one of the apostles, the rest of them could plan a counterattack.

However, that only worked if they could follow Lucy’s movements.

Bang!

It happened the instant he blinked.

In the brief moment his world turned dark, Lucy’sDivine Judgmentstruck Reuben like a flash of lightning. He didn’t even have a chance to realize what was happening, let alone react to it.

Then, as the robes wrapped around him burned, Reuben screamed out in pain.

Taldarek turned his head, reacting to the sound… but Lucy had already jumped in front of him.

“What…?!”

The advanced Spatial-type magic, Space Leap, was a magic that consumed a massive amount of magic power. But for Lucy, the amount of magic power necessary for something like that was trivial.

If she were to leap over a long distance, even Lucy would become exhausted. However, a short-distance leap of that level could be used repeatedly, without much effort.

That meant that there was no point in trying to keep a distance from Lucy.

“Keuheuk!”

Then, Lucy grabbed Taldarek’s collar as he looked down at the other two apostles.

She still didn’t show the slightest bit of emotion. Rather than fighting, it looked as if she were taking care of an annoying task.

Clive and Lenos were both veteran Scared Magic magicians that had endured all sorts of hardships.

However, it was the first time they had ever felt such an overwhelming difference in power.

Lucy Mayreel, a genius magician, descendant of the Archmage, and the overall top student at Silvenia Academy.

It wasn’t that they had never heard her name, they had just never even imagined that she would be capable of such strength.

No matter how special she was, she was still a student. It should have been obvious that a student wouldn’t be able to go up against the top magicians of the Holy Father Building.

However, Lucy Mayreel didn’t go to the academy to learn about magic in the first place. Even though she still had room to grow, she was already a nearly perfected talent.

No matter how many magicians of the Holy Father Building there were, it was impossible for them to defeat Lucy Mayreel.

That fact was as natural and acceptable as the providence of this world.

“Keuhk Eughk…”

Barely able to stand up after getting swept away with the seats from the first attack, Verdio looked up into the air of the chapel. Looking at Lucy, who was reigning over all of them while remaining completely unmatched, his jaw dropped in awe.

While he had run away for a bit to try and recover, Lucy Mayreel had already defeated more than half of the apostles. He had heard rumors of her strength, but he had no idea that it was at such a level.

Verdio forced himself to stand up as he gathered his thoughts.

The subjugation of the Holy Blue Dragon was an ambitious plan for the sake of the religious group. Every member of the Apostles of Telos were considered to be a major source of power, at a national level. He had mobilized six of them for the mission.

He had brought all of them except for two, who would guard the Holy Capital during the absence of the Holy Father. So, it was no different than them utilizing all the manpower they had.

“……”

Verdio had no way of knowing why Lucy Mayreel was aware of what was taking place in this cathedral.

However, it was clear what he needed to do.

“Let’s secure a way out! Our priority is to escort the Holy Father Eldane.”

The signal came from Archbishop Verdio.

In case the plan went unexpectedly, he had prepared a plan B—to quickly rectify the situation and flee the scene.

The Apostles, who weren’t able to do anything against Lucy, heard the order. Soon, the apostles that were scattered all around the chapel clenched their teeth as they stood up.

Most of them were crippled, but still alive. Lucy didn’t kill others.

“We’re retreating from the cathedral immediately.”

Verdio quickly judged the situation.

He didn’t know how, but their plan to revive the Holy Blue Dragon using Velbrok’s tooth had been leaked.

Otherwise, Lucy wouldn’t have appeared at such a perfect time to interrupt the ceremony.

If Lucy decided to stand in their way, they wouldn’t be able to summon the Holy Blue Dragon like they had planned. In the first place, all the apostles were already gravely injured. The plan had to be considered a failure.

Since things had become like that, what he needed to think about was cleaning up the mess.

He had planned to resurrect and subjugate the Holy Blue Dragon in order to raise the power of the religious group, and the stage he had chosen to do it on was Acken Island.

Nothing good would come from the truth being exposed publicly. It was necessary to shut the mouths of everyone that knew of it.

However, Lucy Mayreel wasn’t someone that could be silenced through force. And it didn’t seem like she was the type that could be persuaded either.

So, the only choice was to use authority and hierarchy to silence her.

“You’re running away?”

An enormous amount of magic power grew in Lucy’s right hand. It was such a large amount that it seemed unfathomable for such a petite body.

The amount of magic power looked like a mountain. Even the apostles, who had experienced much hardship, had no choice but to swallow to wet their dry mouths.

Then, when that large amount of magic power turned a dark red color, they quickly realized this was ‘Celestial Magic Power’. The Apostles realized what Lucy was trying to do as they quickly ran away.

Time Prison. Among the celestial magic spells, it was one that specialized in subjugating opponents.

If you were even grazed by it, your entire body would stop. You would then become unable to move until the caster released the spell.

“Brother Taldarek…!”

Taldarek charged towards Lucy without hesitation, taking the celestial magic power into his body. It was a noble feat for him to take action without the slightest bit of hesitation. He wasn’t afraid to sacrifice himself.

“Brother Clive, take care of the Saint. Sister Lenos, you go that direction with the Holy Father…! The rest of you, follow me!”

Verdio’s head started to spin.

He quickly went up to the podium, grabbing ‘Velbrok’s tooth necklace’. The object would be the most conclusive evidence that the religious group had been trying to resurrect Velbrok. That was why it was also the most important thing for them to hide.

At that point, it would have been impossible to defeat Lucy Mayreel through force.

However, no matter how important of a student she was to the school, she wouldn’t survive against the authority of the Holy Father.

If someone were to ask what the Holy Father and Archbishop were doing there, they could say they were holding an informal service before entering Acken Island and beginning their planned schedule.

If he could manage to hide their plans to resurrect Velbrok like that, then Lucy would become the terrorist that broke into the cathedral, attacking the praying clergymen with her magic.

No matter how convincingly or honestly Lucy spoke, if there was no hard evidence it would be impossible to prove their crimes. And if they were to use the Holy Father’s authority as well, they could even punish her without having to fight. There was no way they wouldn’t reprimand a student that recklessly used magic in a place where the Holy Father was present.

“Brother Clive! Make sure to bring the Saint…!”

Clive was a man with a rather small stature. The weapon he used was a dagger that was crafted with various gems.

Clive went over to Clarice, who had barely regained consciousness as he grabbed her arm.

“Ugh… Ughh…!”

Clarice staggered as she stood up, but when she saw the apostle right in front of her, she let out a gasp.

Verdio held Velbrok’s tooth necklace tightly in his arms as he watched.

Then, as he quickly made his way to the exit, he signaled to Clive.

“Excuse me, Saint.”

Apostle Clive understood the signal as he lifted Clarice, who was unable to fight back. He then carried her over his shoulder.

“Y-You…! Let me down…! Just what do you think you’re doing…?!”

The biggest variable in Verdio’s plan was Saint Clarice. That was because she knew the truth and had the power to speak up against the authority of the Holy Father.

Just thinking about what would happen if the Saint were to come forward and publicly reveal what the Religious Group had done was enough to give him a headache.

That was why it was necessary to get the Saint under control first. They would deal with the school later. After all, the Holy Father Building was the one that gave the Saint permission to attend school. So, the authority to revoke that decision also rested with the Holy Father Building.

In terms of time, all of it took place in less than ten seconds.

Verdio figured out all the key points and conveyed them in an instant. He had created a plan that utilized the apostles in the most efficient way possible.

Then, when he was heading towards the back door of the school’s cathedral…

Naturally, Lucy wasn’t just going to sit still and watch it happen. After putting the hardened Taldarek aside, Lucy stood back up on the podium as she cast the advanced lightning magic Divine Judgment once more.

Whoooooosh!

Wind began to erupt from her petite body as it engulfed the cathedral. It was just the aftermath shock that was created from the flow of magic power, but the surrounding debris was unable to withstand it as it flew around on the floor.

Thunderbolt.

Lucy’s advanced magic could be summarized in that one word. It cut through the air in an instant as it smashed into the cathedral’s ceiling, striking Verdio directly.

However, just before it reached Verdio, Hubress wrapped his body in Sacred Magic and took the brunt of the attack himself.

“Keuheuk…!”

Shortly after, he lost consciousness. Dust rose and his wings were broken. His body no longer moved.

The best magicians of the Holy Father Building now felt like nothing more than expendable items.

The fact that he had thrown himself in front of Lucy’s attack wasn’t something that could be explained through loyalty alone. That was in the realm of faith.

Now, there were only four apostles that remained conscious.

One was guarding the Holy Father, one was holding onto the Saint, and two were guarding the area around Verdio.

But the two guards near Archbishop Verdio were already in bad condition after having been attacked by Lucy. It was a miracle that they were still even able to stand up. The apostle that was in the best shape was sent off to protect the Holy Father. The rest of them were on the verge of collapsing.

Then, right after Verdio gave his final signal with all of his remaining strength—

Verdio waved his hand at the apostles, and they began to flee in unison in all different directions.

Lenos flew through the broken stained glass as she headed south of the cathedral, holding onto the Holy Father tightly. Clive held onto the Saint as he smashed through a window, running west.

Then, the worried Archbishop Verdio and the two apostles accompanying him quickly ran through the back door of the cathedral, heading north.

The Holy Father, the Saint, and the Archbishop had all run off in different directions.

Lucy was more than enough to subdue all three of them, but time was of the essence.

The most important thing for Verdio to do at the moment was to create time to dispose of Velbrok’s tooth necklace, which he held onto tightly. It was the most important piece of evidence that would reveal the darkness that was taking place in the cathedral.

It was a relic, and originally a part of the Holy Blue Dragon. It was definitely not an item that would break easily. However, it was small, which made it easy to hide.

Throwing it into the sea… burying it in the ground… it was easy to destroy the evidence. He thought it was a waste, as it was a relic of enormous value, but it was still nothing compared to the shaky prestige of the Holy Father Building.

Taking the corridor that led to the back door of the cathedral and stationing an apostle in case Lucy was chasing after them, Verdio ran out frantically. It was Reuben. He had already been directly hit by one of her magic spells once, so he was barely able to keep moving. However, he grit his teeth as he gathered the remaining bit of divine power he had to block the corridor.

He probably won’t last long.

“All… For the sake of Telos…!”

Leaving Reuben—who was clenching his teeth as he shouted—behind, Verdio continued to run.

What he needed to do was find a place to throw the tooth away, a place where no matter how hard they searched for it, they could never find it. At least, not within the school’s districts.

The cathedral wasn’t all that big, so it didn’t take long for the back door of the school’s cathedral to come into sight.

Nearly all of the Apostles of Telos had been lost.

The only one left by Verdio’s side was a blonde woman with burnt hair. The fifth seat, Felver.

“Archbishop Verdio… If we keep running away like this, it won’t be long before you’re caught…!”

“We only need a little bit more… If we can just destroy the evidence, retrieve the Saint, and publicize news of the violence we suffered here in the school, then…”

Clang!

As he spoke, Verdio kicked the back door of the school’s cathedral open.

However—

Fwooooosh.

The beginner fire magic, Ignite.

Unlike a normal fire, it was a flame with a strong firepower that swept over Felver’s body.

Flames of that level made it hard to just consider it a beginner’s fire magic. Still, it wasn’t unstoppable. But Felver had already been severely wounded from fighting with Lucy.

“Keuk…!”

The ends of the apostle’s robe, which was lined with gold, was set on fire.

She tried to put out the fire by waving her sleeve in the air and covering it in divine power, but from the flames a blonde man came rushing in, holding a dagger.

Clang!

She managed to pull out a staff to block his dagger, but as the man cast a Spiritual Skill, an explosion erupted from the dagger instantly.

Spiritual Infusion. The explosive magic circle that was pre-engraved in the dagger dealt a fatal blow to Felver, who was already in a weakened state.

Booooooooom!

At the square in front of the school’s cathedral at midday, all the nearby students were startled as they turned around, looking towards the untimely explosion. A girl fell to the floor, letting out screams as other students ran to call the faculty.

As the rising smoke subsided, a figure of a man slowly began to reveal itself. It went without saying—it was none other than Ed Rothstaylor.

“You…”

Archbishop Verdio took off his ragged clergy robes as he looked at his opponent. It was their first meeting.

Judging from the situation, it seemed he had been waiting for Verdio to come out from there. Anticipating their evacuation route, he had arrived first and waited for him.

If that was the case, then there was a high chance that he was directly related to Lucy, who had raided the cathedral. That also meant he probably knew what was taking place inside.

All of a sudden, Verdio’s head started to spin. He used sacred magic to instantly create wind. Compared to a standard lower-rank wind magic, it was rather weak in strength. However, it was enough to create dust in the square, blocking Ed’s view.

When Ed covered his eyes with his elbow for a moment, Verdio forced his tattered body to run towards the eastern end of the square.

From there, the path would directly lead to a small forest in the east. Once he could pass through that, he would be able to reach the eastern coast. The eastern edge of Silvenia Academy.

[Young Master Ed…! That guy is escaping…!]

“What’re you doing?! Chase after him!”

Mugg was sent flying. Verdio drew out the remaining bit of magic power he had, shooting down Mugg. Ed could only open his mouth in awe as he saw a clergyman do what was difficult for a magician with good magic power resonance to achieve.

[Keuaaaaak!]

However, Mugg clenched his teeth as he continued to fly, chasing after him.

Dash!

Ed didn’t want to lose track of him either.

Archbishop Verdio entered the Eastern Forest as he ran, barely avoiding the thickly towering trees that were all over. Although he was quite old, he was rather agile. Perhaps because it was a crisis, he had more physical energy than usual.

However, the majority of the forest on Acken Island was Ed’s territory. Having lived a life of survival out in the wild for over a year, there wasn’t a single corner in a forest on the island that he hadn’t been to.

Running along the trail, rolling down a pathless area, pushing through the fallen leaves, and sprinting across the creek as he ran away.

Ed followed him after him, chasing Verdio from a distance. Ed had the advantage of chasing him through the forest. So, little by little, the distance between them was getting smaller.

“Heuk, Huff…!”

Soon, the coastal area came into view. Verdio pushed his way through the trees as he tried to hide himself in the thick grass.

“……”

And then, Verdio pulled a box the size of his fist from his pocket. It was a relic box that contained Velbrok’s Tooth Necklace.

As he wandered through the forest, he was looking for an inconspicuous place to throw it away when he had the chance.

“Mugg! Don’t take your eyes off of him for even a second! If he throws away that necklace, you have to remember exactly where he threw it!”

[You can count on me…!]

As the distance narrowed bit by bit, Ed’s hand finally reached Verdio’s collar.

With the inertia of running after him still remaining, he pulled his collar down as Verdio fell straight into the dirt floor. Of course, Ed also got tangled up as he fell down as well.

“Ke…Keuk…!”

Thud! Roll!!!!!

Crummah!

The two of them rolled down the hill, kicking up dust. The two of them continued to roll on the dirt floor, which was covered in fallen leaves, for over ten seconds… It was only after they slowed down and reached a flat piece of land that they were able to stand up.

“Huff… Huff…”

“You… You guys… You were the ones that ruined everything…?”

In the middle of the forest, Ed and Verdio were covered in dust as they faced each other.

“Quit talking so much and put that necklace down.”

“Since you’re aiming for this necklace, that means you know the truth. Were you also the one that sent that magician…?”

“Why… Are you curious…?”

As Ed spoke, he lowered his guard as if he were going to explain the situation… Then, he suddenly jumped towards Verdio.

He tried to grab the necklace he was holding in his right hand, but Verdio barely managed to avoid Ed’s hand by folding his elbow.

Ed then grabbed onto Verdio by his neck as he lifted him up. However, Verdio kicked him in the stomach with his foot.

Ed let out a gasp of air and he was briefly pushed away, though he didn’t let go of the hand that was holding Verdio’s collar. Lifting him back up and smashing him onto the dirt floor, a massive shock ran down Verdio’s back.

“Keuheuk!”

Verdio coughed. He had great stamina for a clergyman, but it was still nothing compared to Ed.

Ed then put his knee on Verdio’s chin, crushing him as he also used his foot to stomp on Verdio’s right hand, which was holding the box.

“Keuaaaaaak!”

But no matter what, Verdio didn’t loosen his grip. When Ed went to take out his dagger, Verdio attacked Ed’s side with his elbow as he flipped over.

As Ed had lost his balance, Verdio tried to run away once more. However, Ed quickly grabbed ahold of him when he ran after him, tackling him to the ground.

After rolling around on the dirt floor, he tried to get on top of Verdio again. Then, in the moment Ed turned his face away, Verdio’s first went straight towards Ed’s face. Ed quickly ducked to avoid it as he struck Verdio right back in the face.

“Keuheuk…!”

Even completely covered in dirt, bleeding all over, and was struggling to stay conscious… Verdio never loosened his grip on the box.

Ed didn’t plan on losing to him, either. As the two of them continued to roll in the dirt, there was no time for either of them to cast any magic. The only thing they could do was trade fists. Grabbing each other by the neck, lifting each other up, running away, grabbing each other’s legs, stepping on each other, strangling one another, grabbing handfuls of dirt and throwing it into each other’s eyes, grabbing rocks to slice each other on the shoulder…

After fighting for a long period on the dirt, until they were both full of injuries… Verdio finally lost all his strength.

“Ke…Heuk…”

“Seriously… You’re a persistent bastard… You… Need to chill out…”

“Telos… Our God… Telos…”

“Just give up already. Seriously… Why are you doing so much…?”

Ed used the dagger he took out to lightly stab one of Verdio’s vital points.

“Keuaaaaaaaaaaack!”

Verdio screamed out in pain, eventually releasing the grip in his right hand. The relic box, which he had been clenching the entire time, rolled onto the ground.

Ed picked up the box, looking at what was inside. The relic, which still had magic power inside of it, was Velbrok’s Tooth Necklace. It’s just as Adele had said.

“…It still… Has magic power flowing in it…?”

That wasn’t a good sign.

Most likely, they were using the relic to serve as a stimulus to accelerate the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon Velbrok. And it looked like… It was still doing its part…

Boom

An ominous earthquake sounded out. The trees in the forest began to tremble little by little as Ed’s body began to vibrate to the rhythm of the ground.

Even Verdio, who was completely bloodied and leaning against a tree stump, couldn’t withstand the vibrations as he fell onto the floor.

“H-Heuuk… Cough…”

The sound was him losing his breath while coughing up phlegm. Ed also had scratches all over his body, but Verdio was completely ruined.

Ed was too far ahead in terms of physical specs for him to take on. He had only been able to fight him thus far by using his mental strength.

However, Ed was completely exhausted as he leaned against a nearby tree sitting down. He exhaled heavily … looking up at the sky.

“This time as well… We were a little too late… Huff… Huff…”

“So what if you’re late?”

Fwoooooosh.

Then, a heavy wind made of magic power blew past. As if swimming through that wind, it was none other than Lucy that arrived, landing on a tree stump.

***

As she had also just come from a battle, her clothes were a mess.

Only her witch hat was fine. Her coat and skirt were covered in dirt, and it seemed like she had completely removed her knee socks, which she was usually forced to wear with her loafers, because they were uncomfortable.

It seemed that aside from Verdio, who Ed had chased after, she had already taken care of the other apostles that had fled in the other directions.

“……”

The wind burned, since Ed’s body was full of scratches.

Ed forced a smile as he spoke.

“I’ve managed to finish things somewhat cleanly over here, too.”

Ed’s condition was not the greatest, despite saying he managed to finish things somewhat cleanly.

Lucy was getting unusually upset. That was because the was a man that always got himself involved in incidents, always ending up covered in blood and injuries, was forcing himself to run around with his teeth clenched.

Even though it was all to survive, it rather seemed as if he were killing himself.

“…….”

Even though it wasn’t her body, she felt upset. However, that didn’t mean Lucy was the type to complain to him in a worried tone with tears streaming from her eyes.

But… Lucy did wobble over, sitting next to the exhausted Ed. Leaning together on a tree stump, she gently buried her head into Ed’s shoulder.

“…Thank you for helping.”

“……”

“There must have been a lot of things you didn’t believe when I told you. Time turning back, the resurrection of the Holy Blue Dragon…”

“I believe everything you say.”

After hearing the news in Saint Clarice’s carriage, the first person he sought out was Lucy.

He already knew in detail where the enemy was and what they were planning to do. So, all he had to do was get to the right place at the right time and destroy them with force.

However, the cautious Verdio was a stubborn man, always looking for a new plan, regardless of the situation.

So, to see that man’s final move, Ed had waited for him at the back of the cathedral.

“To be honest, I did have my doubts. But after entering the cathedral, I was convinced. It’s just as you had said, the clergymen were gathered together, conspiring…”

“Yeah… That makes sense…”

“And… I already felt this weird feeling of Deja vu. A strange familiar feeling for some reason… As if I was seeing a similar scene all over again.”

Hearing those words, he couldn’t help but tilt his head. If Lucy felt that way because of time rewinding itself, then everyone else should’ve felt a similar strange sense of Deja vu. There was a high chance that Lucy was just mistaken.

Lucy wrapped her arms around Ed as she put her head on his shoulder. She looked upset, but there wasn’t anything Ed could do for her.

However, there were still things that needed to be taken care of.

Rumble.

Roooooooooooooooor!

The vibrations continued to shake the Earth.

Little by little, the intensity of it was increasing.And then, the Holy Blue Dragon let out an ear-scraping roar.

From the Eastern Forest, it was hard to fully see because the trees were rather dense. They could only guess its appearance from the silhouette that loomed through the leaves.

A calamity was coming.

Ed let out a gasp. It was much greater and more powerful than he had thought. Ed was already familiar with the Holy Blue Dragon, since he had knowledge of the future. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but gasp as he looked at the gigantic disaster.

“…Velbrok’s Tooth Necklace still has magic power in it. It’s acting like a magnet, in which its very existence draws out Velbrok.”

“……”

“It wasn’t the end just having defeated Archbishop Verdio. We needed to take this relic and get it off the island. As far away as possible from the Holy Blue Dragon’s seal as possible. Now it’s too late.”

Ed struggled to stand upright as he looked straight at Lucy, continuing to speak.

“But everything has now been revealed. Who it was that made this hell, how they did it, where they did it, how we can stop them, and how we can deal with them when they try to escape. Even how we can revert everything back to a time before this all took place. Everything has now been revealed. The problem is… there’s no one here that can ‘remember’ all of this.”

Adele was the one that turned back time. The Holy Blue Dragon was coming back, so she was going to have to turn back time once more to stop a bigger calamity from taking place.

And Clarice was the only one that wasn’t affected by Adele’s power.

Those were the only two people that remember everything, even when time turned back. So, one of those two needed to remember everything that Ed had discovered, to explain it to them later.

“That’s why… whichever one of the two… what I… end up saying… You need to go find and tell them… right away… Before… Adele turns back time…”

“……”

Lucy looked up at Ed quietly. He was completely covered in blood like usual.

It looked like he was doing all he could to solve the problem, even to the point that he would end up hurting himself just to find a new solution. That appearance of his made her feel sick.

“…No.”

Her answer was surprising.

“What?”

“I don’t need to do that.”

Lucy was still being held in Ed’s arms when she used magic to tear off one of Ed’s sleeves.

Then, concentrating on the piece of his white shirt, she imbued it with magic power. Shortly after, the piece blackened as burnt markings began to appear.

At first, it looked like the black traces she left were nothing more than burnt marks… But gathering them all together turned them into a series of letters.

She was writing a letter by burning his clothes, using heat that was made from magic power.

It sounded easy when you said it like that, but the delicate act of controlling one’s mana to such an extent was beyond the realm of a human. The thickness of each stroke needed to be extremely thin to form the shape of a letter. It was truly amazing that she was able to control heat so delicately like that.

Not just her insane amount of mana, but also the ability to resonate and control it. He was reminded once again of the fact that she was a girl that had managed to master things to the extreme.

The piece of his shirt that was covered in words flew through the air through the use of magic power. It headed towards the school. Most likely, it was probably headed towards the sacrificial magic circle where Adele should have been praying.

“Alright… thanks.”

The Holy Blue Dragon roared. It sounded as if Earth was being torn apart.

On a relatively remote corner in the eastern forest of the island, Lucy… quietly cushioned herself in Ed’s arms.

“You know, I made a promise with that old man. I said that I would save this school from a major crisis at least once.”

“Yeah, I know. You told me last time.”

“Yeah. So, since time keeps on repeating itself over and over again, I must have been running out every single time to face that dragon without fail. At least, for some reason, I have the feeling that that’s what happened.”

Ed couldn’t be sure of it, but Lucy’s words were true.

Among the many times it happened, Lucy Mayreel never failed to jump forward, trying to stop the Holy Blue Dragon. She wasn’t confident that she could win, and she even put her life on the line… But there was no way to escape from it.

“I… came to this school to keep my word to that old man… So, maybe I was just waiting for this moment. I really feel like ‘this is the moment I’ve been waiting for.’”

“Yeah?”

“After all, this is the last thing I need to do. How long have I waited to finish this promise I made? But now, that tedious wait will finally come to an end.”

Suddenly, Ed felt the magic power surrounding Lucy’s body weakening.

Ed noticed it right away. Lucy was disabling the various blessings and defensive magics that were cast on her body.

“So, if I’m just going to end up dying after struggling anyway… and it’s completely worthless to try and stop it… I don’t think there’s any reason for me to try so hard this time. Since time will turn back anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want to die in your arms.”

The meaning of those words… Ed didn’t know, either.

Using his body, which struggled to move… he patted Lucy’s back, hugging her.

Lucy put her chin on Ed’s shoulder… she looked up at the sky of a world that was on the verge of destruction.

Then she spoke in a dazed tone, just as she always had.

“This will all be a memory that we’ll forget. One that will never come back…”

“Probably…? That would be the case…”

“Then, I’ll use this chance… to say something I wouldn’t normally say.”

It was embarrassing, but… It also wasn’t overly romantic either. She was only stating a fact as it was.

And perhaps, it was something that Lucy would never be able to confess to Ed her entire life.

“I feel empty without you.”

“……”

“So don’t disappear from me…”

After she said that, Ed kept his mouth shut for a moment…

“…That’s not that hard of a request for me to do.”

As he answered her, he stroked her head.

Then he quietly looked up at the sky.

The Holy Blue Dragons’ scales were like black dots that poured down like arrows.

Ed quietly closed his eyes as he felt Lucy’s warmth.

Then, the scales came pouring down. Among the downpour, Lucy and Ed held each other close and didn’t fight back.

Scales pierced their bodies as blood spurted out, but neither of them screamed in pain.

They only felt each other’s warmth as they bled out for a while… They held each other close.

And like that, Ed and Lucy died.

Even after the rain of scales passed, the two continued to hug each other tightly… As if they could still feel the warmth between each other.

It all seemed in vain, but… It was a beautiful death.

***

“Ed… What’s the matter…? Are you sick…?”

Yennekar’s voice.

“Huh? What?”

“You’ve been in a daze since earlier. It makes sense that you would be nervous, since the S-Saint is staring at you so bluntly…”

“Ah, is that so…?”

I shook my head as I tried to get a grip on myself. I hadn’t been particularly busy recently. Since the Joint Combat Practice was about to take place, there wasn’t any need to go and put a strain on my body.

So, why was I having trouble getting a grip on myself? I was just planning to read my book while resting.

That thought kept coming to mind as I put down the Introduction to Celestial Magic book that I was reading.

Only then did I remember the situation.

I had come here, sitting on a bench in front of Glockt Hall, to wait for the Joint Combat Practice. I came to check the lineup and make sure that all of the duels were happening as I remembered them.

But suddenly, Saint Clarice, who wasn’t supposed to participate in Joint Combat Practice, appeared… and stared at me bluntly…

Then, all of a sudden, she came right up to me.

With an expression on her face, as if she were determined to succeed on a mission, she walked towards me without hesitation. Seeing her act like that, I instantly realized something was wrong as I closed my book and put it down.

“…….”

However, a pounding headache rang through my head, as if it were ripping apart my head.

Along with the sight of Saint Clarice approaching me… there was a strange crackling that sounded like static pushing down on me.

It was like watching a TV with unstable electromagnetic waves… Several images seemed to overlap with each other.

The silhouette of the Saint walking towards me split into dozens. However, I felt as if each one of them were approaching me in a slightly different way.

Dealing with the headache… to gather my thoughts.

I looked down at the cover of the book I had put down, deciding to not read it… I lowered my head.

It was the last book written by the Archmage Glockt, ‘Introduction to Celestial Magic’.

[ Magic Skills Details

Grade: Proficient Magician

Specialized Field: Elements

Common Magic:

Fire Element Magic:

Wind Element Magic:

Celestial Magic: