a few days later...
Alyssa Catherine had just realized that she had died once, been reborn once, and was living in the body of this short, light-weight noble girl… when the door to the room slammed open.
"Are you okay?! Great! Good, good!"
Her mother – Lady Winchester Catherine – walked in with a bright expression that did not match the one who had cried her eyes out last night.
Before Alyssa could react, her mother clapped her hands loudly.
"Get ready to go, Alyssa! The carriage of Masio Academy Number One is waiting outside the gate!"
Alyssa: "…What… Academy?"
"Masio! Masio Number One! The heart of the empire! I submitted my application when you were… five years old!"
Alyssa: "..."
"Oh, right, I also… cough… contributed some construction funds so that you could enter school a year early."
Huh?
Just woke up from a near-death fever, not knowing if she could stand, she was… sent to school?
Angelica—or Alyssa—felt her soul was mute.
"Mom, my body is still weak…" She tried to use the softest voice she could.
Mama immediately pressed her hand to her forehead.
"No fever! Your face is rosy! Your spirit is good! You can go to school!"
"Mom, I just woke up—"
"It's important to broaden your knowledge, especially when you're this weak. You have to study more than others so you won't be bullied, do you understand?"
"…I understand, but—"
"Let's go!!!"
And so, less than an hour later, Alyssa was wrapped in a thick coat, stuffed into the carriage, and the door closed with a "click".
The carriage started – and something else started too
Alyssa sat flat in the chair, her feet barely touching the ground because she was too short, her arms holding a small bag containing a few autumn clothes and a cup of warm water.
She was speechless.
—I died from betrayal and was resurrected to start a new life.
—I was taken away to school before I could think?
—Really?
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The carriage wheels rolled smoothly. The forest ran back like a dark green strip. The sound of the horse's hooves was slow and steady, making the carriage shake slightly.
Alyssa leaned her head against the wall of the carriage, trying to calm down.
But then—
A slight chill ran down her spine.
She opened her eyes wide.
In her chest, a thin, silken light… slowly spread.
It wasn't the magic power she summoned.
It wasn't natural energy.
It was—
Her Holy Blessing. Slowly returning.
"No… wait a minute…" Alyssa whispered softly.
Alyssa's body was as weak as a dry leaf, unable to withstand such great power. Yet that power poured into her of its own accord, like spring water returning to its owner.
The holy power of the sky recognized its master, even when the master wanted to escape.
It was warm. Smooth. Like a breeze sweeping through her lungs, making breathing a little easier.
But it also made her heart beat faster, blood rushing to her face.
"Slow down… I told you to slow down…"
No one listened.
The holy power was like a child seeing its mother after twenty years of separation, not caring how small she was, just hugging her tightly.
A faint light radiated from her chest, very weak but enough to illuminate the corner of the car.
She was startled and pulled her shirt back to cover it.
No one could see. No one.
Oh heavens, if anyone finds out that the weak youngest daughter of the Catherine family has any signs of…
Holy Power.
She will be dug up like a radish.
Wind rises
Outside the window, the pale blue sky drifts by, clearer than when she was in the room.
And as if sensing her gaze, the sky trembles slightly, the wind suddenly changes direction.
A voice whispers like a mist:
"…Don't be afraid, Holy Maiden."
Alyssa tightens her grip on her coat.
I am afraid. This body hasn't even walked around the yard without gasping for breath, while you are trying to cram the whole world into me.
She lowers her head, breathing slowly.
But strangely—
The Holy Power doesn't hurt her like the first time.
It is adjusting. Gentle. Mixing with her blood like warm water.
She feels every vein dilate, every weak muscle fiber soften, her lungs expand a little.
Obviously—
The holy power had not only returned. It was also healing Alyssa's body from within.
Alyssa leaned against the carriage, slightly surprised.
"…If this is the case, then it's not bad."
The sky whispered again, like a child asking for praise:
"…Yes."
Alyssa let out a soft laugh, as soft as a breath.
Destination – Masio Magic Academy #1
The sound of the carriage's horns grew louder as the road widened. The carriage slowed down. Alyssa opened the window.
And what appeared—
A huge jet-black gate, engraved with countless ancient magic symbols, so tall that it covered half the sky.
Behind it were ivory-white towers that reached the clouds, flower gardens that crystallized magic power, and hundreds of uniformed students entering.
The number one key magic academy of the Silverhorn Empire—
Masio #1.
Alyssa clenched her fists.
In her previous life, she was the captain of the Mage Team – someone that the Masio Academy admired.
In this life, she was just a weak, small 14-year-old girl, perhaps considered "a little too confident".
But the holy power within her was shining, gently heating up as if to say:
"We have returned to where we belong."
Alyssa stepped out of the car, her small legs still trembling slightly.
She took a deep breath.
"…Alright."
A new life.
A new body.
A new academy.