A carefree Ryumu Ren was submerged in a romantic comedy, legs crossed over his mahogany desk, when he sensed a presence attempting—with a laudable but insufficient effort—to blend into the shadows of the doorframe.
"Heh... I know you're there, Rizo. You can come in," Ryumu said in his usual relaxed tone, without looking up from the pages. "You've improved your stealth quite a bit, I must admit. A couple more years and I might not even hear you blink."
Rizo stepped into the office, scratching the back of his neck with a mix of respect and frustration.
"You noticed my... presence instantly," the boy whispered, splitting the sentence with an unnecessary dramatic pause right in the middle.
"Don't feel bad. I know where everyone is on this campus at all times," Ryumu replied, finally closing the book but keeping a finger between the pages so as not to lose his place. His silver eyes gleamed with a spark of amusement. "Aegis sent you for more documents, didn't she?"
Rizo nodded. "Yes, she is... very curious."
Ryumu pointed with a lazy gesture to a corner of his desk, which was buried under a mountain of ancient books, lineage reports, and dusty scrolls. Rizo approached and two things caught his eye immediately. The first was the stack of documents Nalia had tasked him with "acquiring." The second was a letter sealed with the red wax of the Ministry of Magic, opened and crumpled.
"Director Ryumu, will you really let... her know the truth?" Rizo asked with uncertainty.
"Yep," Ryumu said, taking a loud sip from his grape juice box. "The fastest way for Aethel to find out who her new friends are is through her human-calculator friend. Nalia processes information better than Veridia; that girl is too busy trying not to have a mental breakdown, though she seems to be handling it better lately."
Rizo wanted to retreat. While he fully trusted Ryumu, the intensity of the mana the Director exerted, even passively, was difficult to bear. However, he summoned the courage to point at the ministerial seal.
"That... letter," Rizo managed to say.
Ryumu, aware that the boy could barely stand his presence, closed his eyes for a moment. He concentrated and suppressed his own mana until the pressure in the room dropped drastically, allowing air to flow back into Rizo's lungs.
"Yes, it's from the Ministry," Ren said, his tone losing its usual humor for a second. "They want me to investigate something in Latries. A village to the south."
Rizo reached out slowly, and Ryumu allowed him to take the letter. The boy's eyes scanned the lines quickly, and his expression grew increasingly grim.
MINISTERIAL REPORT: Four ministerial aspirants sent to investigate magical anomaly. Contact lost 20 hours ago. Village evacuated. Last transmission: "The structure is not natural, massive undead activity." Priority: MAXIMUM.
"The village of Latries... it says it no longer exists," Rizo whispered, looking up in disbelief.
Ryumu leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression, unusually serious for his character.
"Heh," an arrogant quirk Ryumu only let slip in front of true mages. "Don't make that face, Rizo. If anything were to happen here—which I doubt—it would take me less than a second to return to Zenith. For space-time, it's just a suggestion."
"Will you leave Mochi... in case something happens?"
"Nah, Mochi is at my clan's estate. My supply of juice from the 'other world' ran out, and he's preparing to go get more." After saying that, Ryumu charged the book he was reading with a pulse of his silver mana. The object vibrated for a second before stabilizing. "Take it. If something happens, just open this book to the middle and I'll be here in a blink."
Ryumu tossed the romance novel to Rizo, who caught it clumsily. The Director stood up and headed to the large office window. His expression, for a brief moment, turned unusually grave as he observed the training fields in the distance.
Four of the nine ministerial aspirants went to investigate Latries. If those brats stopped reporting, something truly interesting must have happened out there, he thought as he opened the window. Then, he turned his gaze back to Rizo with his habitual mask of desinterest.
"Anyway... off you go. Take those documents to young Aegis and you decide who holds onto the book. Only open it if you really need me."
Rizo looked at the book in his hands, and an explosive comment escaped his lips as he noticed the cover.
"How did you get Volume 8... if they've only published up to Volume 6?"
"Heh." Ryumu covered a malicious smile with his hand. "I know the author, and he lets me read the drafts before they're published. By the way, get ready—Janeth's death in the final chapter still hurts."
Rizo's expression was that of someone who had just lost their soul.
"Janeth dies?! NOOO! You... you already ruined the ending for me!" the boy shouted, falling dramatically to his knees.
When he looked up to reproach him, Ryumu was gone. Only the large open window and the residual echo of a mocking laugh remained.
◆ ◆ ◆
Shortly after, in Room 301 of the boys' wing, the atmosphere was much denser than usual. Kenji, Rizo, and Toro were gathered around the central table. In front of them, the stack of documents, books, and old reports Rizo had brought from the Director's office lay spread out, meticulously marked with notes on the order and quantity in which they were to be delivered.
"Ryumu must be preparing something big, but what?" Toro asked in his soft tone, breaking the silence. "These documents include our true identities. If Aegis reads them, she'll know exactly where we come from."
The trio stared at each other for a long second.
"Hmmm..." The three let out the same pensive grunt in unison, synchronized by years of living together.
"You know how Ryumu is," Kenji said, pointing at the order of the papers with his toothpick. "If his plan is to integrate them into this, they first need to be minimally informed. He doesn't want the Boss walking in blind."
"Then it'll be up to us... to evaluate when they are ready," Rizo added.
"Rizo, stop with those pauses, for the love of—" Kenji snapped, pointing a finger at him. "You're making me nervous!"
Rizo shrugged with a languid smile. "I can't... help it. This is who I am."
"Enough, guys," Toro intervened, trying to calm the waters. "We still need to decide what to do with the novel Ryumu left us."
Toro looked at Rizo and Kenji. The romantic book, charged with Ren's silver mana, looked out of place among the reports.
"The best thing would be for... the Boss to have it," the three said at the same time, integrating Rizo's pause into the collective shout.
If anyone in that academy needed a panic button connected directly to the most dangerous mage in the country, it was Veridia. Having reached that agreement, the trio nodded with determination. Rizo took the first stack of documents—the one containing the least sensitive information—and prepared to initiate the delivery. Ryumu's game had begun, and they were the ones in charge of moving the first pieces.
◆ ◆ ◆
A few hours later that same night, in Room 106 of the girls' wing, Nalia Aegis sat at her desk. Despite the hour, she wore her pristine uniform; outer order was a necessary reflection of her mental order. She was waiting by the window when, without any warning and with a stealth bordering on the spectral, two sharp knocks resonated on the glass.
Nalia opened the window immediately.
"Sub-boss, here are... the documents you requested." Rizo, whose figure was practically invisible in the darkness of the garden, placed the files on the sill.
"Thank you, Rizo," Nalia managed to say before the youth vanished into the shadows without a trace.
Nalia observed the documents with a mix of fascination and caution. She knew that within this stack lay the pieces that would allow her to unravel the secrets Ryumu hid beneath his indolent facade, but looking at her desk clock, she sighed with resignation.
It's 10:05 PM.
The temptation to stay up all night analyzing every paragraph was immense, but her discipline was an insurmountable barrier.
"No. A healthy brain requires at least 4 sleep cycles," she murmured to herself, quoting her own code of student conduct.
Without another moment's hesitation, she locked the documents in her drawer, put on her silk pajamas, and went to bed. The balance between curiosity and health was vital; after all, tomorrow would be a long day for the "Sub-boss."
◆ ◆ ◆
In Room 308, Veridia had been in a meditative posture for nearly an hour. She had placed a book on her table and, after remembering over and over the moment she pushed Rolf and his lackeys, she extended her hand toward it.
I felt rage. I felt fear. I felt fed up... and I pushed, she remembered. There has to be a way to do it without being angry.
She took a deep breath, visualized the mana flowing through her arm, and shouted:
"Go!"
The book didn't even flinch.
"I don't understand... Yesterday I could push three students and now I can't even move a book," Veridia said, trying to recall every step she took in that moment.
Kaelen, meanwhile, was on the windowsill. His golden eyes followed a figure moving through the shadows of the garden toward the girls' wing. One of the three delinquents. The thin one. Moving with admirable stealth for a human.
Hmph, the archdemon snorted to himself. Compared to the rest, he isn't all bad, but he still has a long way to go.
Veridia stood up quickly, noticing the lynx's interest, and looked in the direction Kaelen was staring.
"What did you see, Kaelen?" she asked curiously, as she only saw the garden darkened by night.
"Nothing. You should go to sleep already. You won't achieve anything with that mediocre meditation you're trying to do."
Veridia puffed out her cheeks with indignation. "It wouldn't be mediocre if you taught me!" After saying that, Veridia fixed her eyes on the book that started it all.
She gripped the grimoire she used to summon Kaelen. Well, I don't think another "Kaelen" will pop out if I take a look. She swallowed hard, summoning the courage to leaf through it. She held the grimoire with both hands; a slight tremor escaped them. Her breathing quickened, and she finally opened the book right in the middle... nothing. In fact, nothing in more than one sense: the pages were blank.
"Whaaaat?!" she exclaimed, flipping the pages frantically. "This is impossible. Why are they all blank?"
Veridia took a moment trying to understand what was happening.
"I get it with the academy grimoires—the students are supposed to fill them—but out of this one came the most arrogant being I know," she said with disappointment.
"Don't waste your time," Kaelen stated without taking his eyes off the window. "That grimoire can only be read by a true mage."
Kaelen's comment was like an arrow piercing her from above: cold and merciless.
"You could have said that without attacking my self-esteem." Veridia made a gesture with her hand, stretching it out in front of her. "Nothing. Releasing mana is too hard." She grabbed an apple and charged it with her mana. "I can charge it into an object, but I can't release it at will."
She tossed the apple to Kaelen, who caught it with one hand without looking away from the window. Veridia, for her part, headed to the bathroom to take a shower before bed.
◆ ◆ ◆
The next day, Veridia woke up to five uniform knocks, perfectly spaced, on her door. By now, she was used to it. She stretched and saw Kaelen, already in his compact lynx form. A silly smile drew on her face.
"Pocket Lynx," she let out, the first thing that crossed her mind, with a trail of drool and half-asleep. Kaelen only managed to scowl.
Before they could process the comment, the sound of the lock yielded to Nalia's spell, who entered the room.
"Good morning, Veri," she said, standing in front of her, grabbing the sheets and pulling them off in one tug.
"Morn... ing, Nali..." Her voice was thick, dragged. She rubbed an eye with her fist and glanced at the clock on her nightstand.
7:30
She saw Nalia's face. She had an expression of urgency that Veridia already knew well; today would not be a quiet day. Veridia got up and stretched to go to the bathroom, but Nalia hurried her, pushing her along.
"Come on, Veri, the day is short," she said, giving her the final push into the bathroom.
The sound of water came from behind the closed door. A moment later, Veridia opened the door already in her uniform.
"What did you find out that has you in such a hurry, Nalia?" Veridia asked, grabbing her backpack while trying to finish waking up.
"I sacrificed one of my five sleep cycles. It was ninety-two minutes less of sleep, but it was worth it," Nalia said as she walked toward the exit.
Veridia stared at her as Kaelen jumped onto her shoulder.
A normal person would have just said: "I got up earlier," Veridia thought as she followed her.
"And what did you find out?"
Nalia quickened her pace slightly, maintaining the mystery. "Classes first, data later."
Veridia closed the gap, bringing her face close to Nalia's with indignation.
"You can't use technical words for gossip and then tell me you'll tell me after classes!" she said as calm left her face and a small vein started to pop on her forehead.
Nalia, paying no special attention to her friend's anger, simply replied:
"Don't make that face. I'll tell you at the new cafe, 'The Golden Bean.' My treat."
Nalia's words instantly extinguished her friend's fuming fire.
"Do they have...?"
"Yes, they have Star Meat Pastries," Nalia responded, interrupting Veridia before she could finish the question.
"Yessssss!" Veridia exclaimed, jumping for joy, forcing Kaelen to dig his claws deeper into her shoulder to avoid falling. "Ow ow ow! I get it... no sudden jumps."
After the incident, both headed to their respective classes. Veridia was now much more impatient for the promised pastries than for the secret information her friend was hiding.
◆ ◆ ◆
Leaving class, Veridia took Nalia by the hand in a great hurry, now being the one with more urgency.
"Just mentioning the meat pastries is enough for all that energy to go to the right place," Nalia commented, letting herself be carried by her friend's momentum.
They crossed through the north path that goes through the forest surrounding Zenith until they reached the edge of Suria, the city whose main source of income derived from hosting the most prestigious magic academy in the country. Right on that boundary was "The Golden Bean," a modern cafe that used compressed steam to texture and heat milk for cappuccinos and lattes—a novel invention by a man who had come out of nowhere.
The girls went in together and looked for a secluded table. One of the waiters approached and handed them the menu. Veridia's eyes sparkled.
"A latte and a tiramisu, please," Nalia asked calmly.
"I'll have... hmmm... this one that says 'Mocha'," Veridia said, energetically highlighting the name. "It says it has chocolate. And two Star Meat Pastries, please!"
The young man took the order, gave a slight nod, and retired. Nalia brought her hand to her mouth and faked a cough to get back on track.
"Alright, Veri, now that we're here..." she said, pulling some documents and records from her bag. "Rizo got these from Ryumu's office."
"It's strange they didn't follow us today," Veridia commented, expectant of her order.
"I told them we would be attending to 'logistics' matters. A classified meeting of Boss and Sub-boss only."
Veridia mentally applauded Nalia's ability to control the chaotic trio, though a cold doubt ran down her back: Will she control me like that too? Nalia methodically arranged the documents on the table.
"Veri, don't wander," she said, gesturing with her hand.
Veridia lightly patted her cheeks with her palms and put on a serious expression.
"Kenji, Toro, and Rizo are fake identities." Nalia turned her notebook. There were three student files attached, with photos from two years ago where the three looked much more formal and less intimidating. "Kenji is Alaric Valerius. He comes from a foreign family of the Anfis aristocracy, known for producing military strategists. Toro is Magnus Stone; his family owns the largest manatite crystal quarries in the north. And Rizo... is Silas Vane."
Veridia looked at the thin boy's photo. "Vane? Like the Catalyst professor?"
"His nephew. A family famous for fast and subtle wind mages."
"Are they nobles? Why do they act like that?"
"That's not the interesting part," Nalia said, lowering her voice with a voracious curiosity as she pointed to the aptitude section. "According to performance records, they are the mages with the best raw talent in the entire academy. In other words, those three should be candidates for Ministerial Mage or even Magic Knight."
Nalia paused when the waiter returned with the order. He left the cups and plates on the table and retired discreetly.
"But they aren't," Nalia continued. "It's as if they were intentionally excluded from the official system."
Veridia made a monumental effort to keep her attention on Nalia's words and not on her Mocha and the pastries emitting a celestial aroma.
"Bu' who... wuld 'o sum'ing li' fat?" Veridia asked, chewing her first pastry.
"Swallow first! Then talk!" Nalia reproached her, giving her a light tap on the forehead with her index finger.
Pock!
"Ouch," she let out a small yelp. "But who would do something like that?" she asked, rubbing her forehead.
Nalia's expression turned tense.
"It's not in the documents, but I can only think of one person capable of doing that... Ryumu Ren."
Veridia let out a long sigh, resting her forehead in her hand.
"This is too much. Kenji, Toro, Rizo... marginalized nobles. The best students excluded from the system. And Ryumu behind it all."
"We don't know if he's 'behind' it or not," Nalia corrected. "Only that he has the capacity to do it."
"Then let's ask him."
Nalia shook her head, carefully putting the documents back in her bag.
"We can't. Ryumu left last night on a ministerial mission. Something about a village to the south."
"When does he return?"
"When he finishes." Nalia adjusted her glasses. "You know how he is. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week."
Veridia looked out the cafe window.
Ryumu Ren... what kind of person are you, really?