The second son of the House of Duke Kadenmeier.

Delgart Kadenmeier.

Originally, he had been under the Emperor, but at present, his family followed Serdea, princess of the Eastern Empire, and was backed by tremendous authority.

Delgart, too, had inherited that family prestige exactly as it was.

The reason was that the eldest son of the House of Duke Kadenmeier had died because of Divine blood.

Because of that, even though Delgart was the second son, he had risen to a position where he could essentially swallow the family whole as the duke’s heir.

Naturally, his authority did not fall even at the academy.

If anything, after coming to the academy, his standing soared even higher than it had inside the ducal house.

The heir of Duke Kadenmeier, who had the princess’s trust.

And the fact that he held a succession right that was not vague, but extremely certain, made him stand out.

Of course, there were several nobles at the academy with positions similar to his.

Unfortunately, however, none of them had a succession structure as perfect as Delgart’s.

Most of them had siblings.

Thanks to that, Delgart’s popularity had been tremendous from the very first day he arrived at the academy.

Most of the nobles fawned over him in order to become close with the future duke.

Even if they did not flatter him that much, they were careful to avoid falling out of his favor somehow.

There was nothing good about being pointlessly disliked by him.

Delgart was certainly enjoying a pleasant life, and even now, that life had not changed.

And yet.

“.......”

Delgart Kadenmeier was not in a very good mood.

It was because of what had happened yesterday.

‘......She dared reject my offer?’

Delgart recalled what had happened yesterday with Lady Arsenna.

More precisely—

‘A pleasure to meet you, Lady Arsenna. If it is alright with you, would you dine with me?’

‘I’m sorry, but I do not think that will be possible.’

He recalled her rejecting the offer he had extended, cutting it off without even a sliver of hesitation.

“Hah.......”

Delgart let out a hollow laugh.

In all the time he had lived, aside from his father, he had never once experienced being refused.

An “offer” meant that if he said they should do something, they did it; if he said they should go somewhere, they went.

In other words, he had never heard an answer other than “yes.”

And to him, the refusal of a count’s young lady, whose rank was far lower than his own—

“......After being abandoned by some stupid-looking baron, no less—”

Was more than enough to scratch at Delgart’s pride.

“Let’s see what happens.”

Delgart made that vow.

Repeating over and over again in his mind what Rine had considered an extremely trivial matter and simply forgotten.

####

Late at night.

Alon sat alone in the dormitory, organizing the events of the day in his own way.

‘......Something unexpected did happen, but the situation is still not bad.’

Yutia’s sudden appearance had truly been unexpected, but thinking about it now, her appearance was actually quite welcome.

Because thanks to her, he had obtained extremely important information.

‘The ritual will be held at the Grand Festival.’

In one sense, it might have seemed like nothing much.

But to Alon’s group, who had not yet obtained any information, it was extremely important.

After all, there was a very large difference between searching for something with a point that could serve as a standard, and searching for something without any standard at all.

“.......”

Of course, even so, not everything had been resolved yet.

The important thing was where the Apostles would carry out the ritual, and more than anything, although the Grand Festival was said to last three days, it was effectively an event that ran for four days, so they also needed to determine the exact time.

‘The second day, when everyone gathers, is the most credible, but.’

As long as they did not know how the Apostles of the Church of War would move right now.

Even if they could roughly identify the period, they absolutely had to find the ritual site.

Tap—

Having thought that far, Alon looked out the window.

The academy was dark, dark.

Before long, he used a very small amount of divine power on his eyes.

Woo—

With a very small resonant sound, the world Alon saw changed.

And what appeared for an instant were traces of Divine blood—no, traces of the Church of War.

‘......They do seem to be moving here and there, certainly.’

Since he had restricted his divine power, it vanished in an instant, but even so, traces of the Church of War were definitely scattered here and there.

......The problem was that this alone was not enough to clearly find the place where the ritual would be held.

‘It would be nice if I could use just a little more divine power.’

He was thinking that far only briefly.

Then Alon suddenly recalled what Yutia had said earlier.

‘Teacher.’

‘I’ll give you the real answer to your question next time we’re alone together.’

‘I don’t want to become a liar to you, Teacher.’

‘Really.’

With a small smile.

But with eyes that looked somewhat anxious as she waited for his answer.

“......When we’re alone together, huh.”

Of course, they had been alone together then as well.

The problem had probably been that Penia and Rine were outside, listening in on the conversation through the concealment magic they had cast.

‘......Yutia.’

Without realizing it, Alon rubbed his chin.

She had clearly said it.

That she would give the real answer next time.

And that meant what Yutia had said was not the will of the Wanderer.

Then how exactly had Yutia known how to make a consecration barrier?

......Of course, Alon had a vague guess as to why she might have been able to do that.

No, he had no choice but to guess.

‘......If Yutia has the memories of the first one.’

All of this.

If Yutia had the memories of the first one, then all of it made sense.

Because of that, he remained blankly still for a short while.

“Hoo—”

Then Alon lay down on the bed.

Even if he worried about it now, in the end, he could hear the answer from her later.

‘For now, let’s focus on the Church of War.’

Thinking that, Alon closed his eyes and naturally reached to pet Blackie—

“?”

Alon stopped while trying to stroke Blackie, who should have been on his chest.

Because the familiar sensation that should have been there was not there.

So, puzzled, Alon looked down and realized there was nothing on his chest where Blackie should normally have been.

“Ah.”

Soon, he let out a low exclamation.

Come to think of it, he belatedly remembered that Yutia had borrowed Blackie earlier.

‘Teacher.’

‘What is it?’

‘Could I perhaps borrow Blackie?’

‘......Blackie?’

‘Yes. There’s something I want to check through Blackie. Would that be alright?’

In the short conversation that followed, Alon had entrusted Blackie to her, and he recalled Blackie’s expression from back then.

It had not been frightened like last time, but even so, it had looked at Alon with an expression that seemed to say it was not exactly eager.

‘......Well, it should still be fine.’

If Blackie had been trembling like an aspen tree the way it had last time, he would have hesitated, but somehow, it had not been to that degree.

So Alon shrugged and closed his eyes.

It was late at night.

####

At that same time.

The corridor of the women’s dormitory at the Imperial Academy.

Since it was nighttime, walking around the corridors was impossible, and aside from the dorm supervisor, who patrolled once every hour or two, there should have been no one in that dormitory corridor.

“.......”

“.......”

But there were two women—

No, Penia and Rine.

The reason they had deliberately come out into the academy at this hour of the night, when they could not be seen.

It was because they had a purpose.

That purpose was—

“......You’re ready, right?”

“Let’s go.”

To meet Blackie......!

Of course, the two of them knew Blackie was with Yutia.

To begin with, when they left Yutia’s room, they had known Alon had handed Blackie over to her.

Was that all?

They also knew “how” Yutia would use Blackie.

After all, Yutia, who could check the situation around Alon however she wanted through the brooch, must have known.

How to “use” Blackie.

In other words, the reason these two had gathered here late at night was to go to Yutia, who was making use of Blackie, and meet Blackie together with her.

When Blackie was with Alon, that was impossible in many ways.

Of course, someone might have thought the two of them strange for doing this.

It was late enough at night that everyone would be asleep, and at this hour, Yutia might not be playing with Blackie.

However, Penia and Rine.

No, at least Rine was certain.

If it was Yutia, who must have checked the surrounding situation again and again through the brooch, then she would absolutely be playing that way.

On top of that, if the dorm supervisor caught them walking around at night like this, it would certainly become dangerous, but they were confident they would not be caught in the first place.

So they moved without hesitation toward the dormitory building where Yutia was staying.

Not long after, they were able to arrive at Yutia’s lodging.

Perhaps because it was lodging for professors rather than ordinary student lodging, Rine and Penia saw a building that looked closer to a penthouse than a dormitory, and soon began moving toward where Yutia was without difficulty.

Then, at some point.

“......Hm?”

Rine wore a puzzled expression.

“?”

Penia stopped with her, as though asking what was wrong.

Rine seemed to think about something for a moment.

“No—the ‘detection’ doesn’t seem to be on......?”

She said that.

“Detection?”

Penia asked, growing puzzled along with her.

But Rine did not find that strange.

It was only natural that Penia did not understand what Rine meant.

Because the detection Rine was talking about was not “mana.”

‘......It should definitely have been felt by now—’

Rine tilted her head.

Even if no one else knew, Rine knew.

Yutia always scattered a certain energy around herself.

It was not mana, nor was it divine power, but something indefinable. Still, Rine had a vague idea of what its true nature was, and she knew Yutia always used it to check her surroundings.

However.

“.......”

Right now, she could not feel that energy.

The energy that had always been there.

Because of that, she paused briefly.

‘Could something have happened......?’

Rine’s thoughts soon reached that point.

Of course, she knew Yutia was absolutely not someone who could get caught up in something like that.

Even recognizing only a fragment of her, that evaluation could be made.

But this was the first time something like this had happened.

“Let’s go right away.”

Rine immediately arrived in front of Yutia’s lodging, and without hesitation, climbed toward the balcony on the third floor.

And.

Rine and Penia were able to see it.

Inside the balcony window.

“Good—”

With a loosened smile on her face, lying on the bed while hugging Blackie, who had taken Alon’s form, rubbing her body against it as though she herself were a cat.

“.......”

“.......”

Yutia, who looked truly happy.

And seeing that, Rine gained one realization.

It was not that “detection” had not been turned on because something had happened to Yutia.

It was simply that, because she was purely enjoying her happiness, the detection she usually maintained at all times had shut off.

Because of that, while the two of them were staring at the sight with blank expressions.

Yutia, looking pleased, gently opened her eyes, and her eyes met those of Rine and Penia standing beyond the balcony.

“.......”

“......,”

“.......”

Along with the arrival of a suffocating silence.

[Kkyu.......]

Blackie’s drained voice echoed through the room.......