In the Astria Mansion, within the office.

Ian Astria was seated at his desk, immersed in his work.

Suddenly, a knock echoed through the office.

Knock, knock

Setting aside the documents he was reviewing, Ian called out.

"Enter."

The butler bowed to Ian.

"What's the matter?"

"A guest has arrived, seeking an audience with the head of the family."

"The head of the family?"

Ian wasn't the head of the family at the moment.

He was performing the duties as the heir, but the true head was still his father.

Ian's brow furrowed.

"Who is this person who suddenly wants to meet my father?"

"I'm not certain. They brought the Astria family crest, so I allowed them in."

"The family crest?"

The Astria family crest wasn't given out lightly.

It was reserved for those whom the family was indebted to or of significant importance.

"Did they have any identification or anything else?"

"No, they didn't respond to my questions."

"Hmm..."

Possession of the family crest implied the individual was of importance to the Astria family.

Even without identification, the butler wouldn't have dared turn them away.

"Very well, let them in."

Upon Ian's instruction, a figure entered from behind the butler.

Enshrouded in a robe, their face concealed by a hood, the figure remained mysterious.

"I'll bring some tea."

Having shown in the guest, the butler bowed and exited the office.

"Please, have a seat here."

Ian gestured to the seating area in front of his desk.

"My father is currently at the Astria estate, so I am receiving guests in his stead."

Despite this explanation, the guest remained silent.

Ian looked intently at the guest before cutting to the chase.

"From where did you acquire our family's crest?"

"...Perrian. It was given by that person."

The guest's voice had a grating quality to it.

It was unpleasant to the ear.

Moreover, Ian bristled at the casual manner in which they referred to his father, the Duke of Astria.

Glaring at the person, Ian pressed on.

"So, what brings you here?"

"Hmm..."

The figure slightly lifted their hood to gaze at Ian.

Though the hood was raised, the person's face remained obscured, hidden behind a scarf.

Continuing to stare at Ian, the visitor finally spoke.

"I've lost information regarding Ephomos."

"...Ephomos?"

Ian's frown deepened.

He had never heard of Ephomos.

Ephomos had vanished when Ian was still a child.

Thus, he had never fully heard the tale.

"I don't understand what you're referring to."

"Hmm..."

The guest let out a sigh.

"Where might Perrian be?"

"Don't so casually use my father's name. More importantly, what are you talking about with Ephomos?"

The guest, still fixing Ian with a steady gaze, opened their mouth to speak.

"I am Daemon, a necromancer of the rebels."

"What?"

Ian's eyes widened in disbelief.

This was the same name as one of the rebel leaders who had invaded the Liberion Academy.

"I am here due to a contract your father made with us. But since you seem unaware of its details, discussing it further appears pointless."

"My father made a contract with the rebels?"

"No, the rebellion started after the contract with your father. Anyway, there's nothing more to say."

The figure stood up.

"If you don't want the Astria family to face ruin, you should inform your father quickly."

"What?"

Ian felt a surge of anger.

After speaking, the figure walked towards the door.

"Spatial Control."

As Daemon reached for the door, a barrier materialized in front of him.

Ian had blocked his way with space magic.

"So, a rebel dares to infiltrate the Astria family and thinks he can escape?"

"Ha!"

Daemon laughed, as if amused by the absurdity.

Unperturbed, Ian focused his mana again.

"Capturing you half-dead will be a fine achievement for the Astria family."

"You can't even discern friend from foe."

"Spatial Slash."

As Ian chanted, the space horizontally split open, aiming precisely at the figure's legs.

Thud. The legs were cleanly severed, and the figure fell.

"Khehehe"

However, no scream was heard.

No blood flowed from the legs.

Daemon opened his mouth, as if to mock Ian.

"Didn't expect me to be prepared for this, did you?"

Ian approached and removed his mask.

Revealed was a half-rotten face.

"An undead."

"Let's meet again later. Even if you don't know, your father will need us."

With those words, the figure collapsed, as if mana had been severed.

Ian stared intently at the body.

"Ian sir, I've brought the tea."

The butler's voice came from outside.

"Come in."

After entering with the tea, the butler looked down.

"What in the world!"

His eyes widened at the sight of the body on the floor.

"How did this happen?"

"It doesn't matter. Clean it up."

"Understood."

"Oh, and one more thing."

Ian sighed and then spoke.

"I'll be visiting my father. Prepare for the journey."

"Rudy, here you are."

"Ah, thanks."

"Hehe, no problem."

I was in a research lab with Luna.

Coming to this lab with Luna brought back fresh memories.

I often used this lab at the beginning of my first year...

We were organizing our belongings in the lab.

It wasn't much, so the two of us managed just fine.

It's been about a week since we returned from the Railer territory.

I had started to slowly work on my staff project.

With Professor Mcguire currently away from the academy, Luna had also agreed to help me.

Astina and Rie seemed to be focusing on their magic studies these days.

Rie had been training her magic, perhaps troubled by what Robert said during our last encounter with the monster, and Astina was learning telekinetic magic from Cromwell.

Seeing them so focused made me worry if I was hindering Luna's studies.

Luna assured me that it was fine as she was studying diligently on her own.

Still, feeling a bit guilty, I planned not to rely on Luna's help in the latter part of the project.

I figured Luna's tasks could be handled by Professor Gracie.

With these thoughts, we were nearly done organizing the lab.

After finishing,

Luna and I sat down.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

Luna asked, tilting her head curiously.

"I have something in mind"

I walked over to my bag and pulled out a piece of paper.

Then, I spread the paper out on the desk.

"Eh?"

Luna looked at the paper, puzzled.

"This isn't a staff, is it?"

"It doesn't look like a staff, but its function is similar."

"Hmm Can we really make it like this?"

"Professor Robert said it would be fine."

Luna stared at the paper with a perplexed expression.

"But this is"

She then picked up the paper.

"These are gloves."

"Right?"

The staff I intended to create...

It was actually in the shape of gloves.

To be exact, it was closer to a magical tool than a traditional staff.

After observing Robert's fight, I concluded that it didn't necessarily have to take the form of a staff.

I had three abilities I used in battle: dark magic, Priscilla, and martial arts.

Here, I pondered.

Which ability would benefit most from the support of a magical tool?

However, I didn't really have a choice in the matter.

Priscilla wouldn't become stronger with the use of a magical tool, as she grew stronger with more mana and mental strength.

Since dark magic could be supported with an ordinary staff, I considered how to enhance my martial arts.

That's why I chose gloves.

I thought they were the best form to augment martial arts.

"Hmm"

Luna intently examined the gloves, then puckered her lips thoughtfully.

"Attaching the mana stones seems like it's going to be really tough"

"Don't worry about that."

"Huh?"

I chuckled.

"That part has been taken care of by Professor Gracie."

After all, Gracie was known for taking things easy.

I acknowledge her hard work during the semester, but that's not an excuse for laxity.

Besides, such idleness wasn't really beneficial for Gracie either.

Engaging in research could lead to self-improvement, potentially increasing her salary, and bringing the joy of expanding knowledge.

All of this was actually for Gracie's own good.

Eventually, she would understand my intentions and appreciate them.

Luna looked at my contented expression and seemed sympathetic.

"Poor professor"

"..."

With that, we commenced our research.

While Gracie was tasked with creating the main mana stone, we had to work on mana stones for auxiliary abilities.

Clunk.

As we delved into researching mana stones, the lab door opened.

"Oh, you seniors are really dedicated."

It was Yuni.

She was holding a beverage in her hand.

"Are you almost done with your work?"

"Yes, there wasn't much left to do."

Yuni distributed the drinks among us.

Luna, receiving her drink, smiled brightly.

"Thanks, Yuni! You're the best!"

Luna said while affectionately ruffling Yuni's hair.

Blushing, Yuni responded.

"No, it's nothing."

"What do you mean nothing? You're so adorable."

Luna hugged Yuni and nuzzled her cheek, finding her absolutely cute.

"Uh"

Yuni appeared uncomfortable and unsure how to react, a situation we see seen quite often recently.

Ever since the rebel invasion incident, the relationship between Yuni and Rie had significantly improved.

Yuni would follow Rie around, showing a cheerful demeanor.

A while back,

Yuni brought various pieces of furniture from their royal home, which Rie found out.

Seeing this, Rie assigned Yuni a task.

The task Rie gave her was to socialize more with the people around her.

Though Yuni wasnt bad at interacting with others, there were occasional misunderstandings, mainly due to her upbringing as a princess.

Rie advised Yuni to minimize such incidents and try to gain the favor of those around her.

Since then, Yuni had been striving to behave like an ordinary student, actively trying to be liked by others.

She did things like buying drinks, as now, and was careful with her actions.

After hearing this, Luna began to praise Yuni generously, believing that encouragement was crucial in such matters.

"It's okay now! I have to report on my tasks too!"

Yuni squirmed out of Lunas embrace.

"Alright, alright~."

Luna released Yuni with a pleased smile.

"Uh I'll give my report now."

"Okay."

Yuni handed me the documents she had brought.

The task I had assigned to Yuni was to secure a contract for mana stones.

We needed more mana stones in the lab, so it was necessary to make a separate contract.

For this, we utilized Yuni's status as a princess.

Originally, I had asked Rie to handle this, but according to her, Yuni needed this experience, so she delegated the task to Yuni.

"I managed to get medium mana stones for 4 gold each, and large mana stones for 10 gold each. I requested no more than 10 of the large mana stones."

"How about the payment?"

"We agreed to pay in cash. They will deliver the goods as they become available."

"Hmm"

I smiled, satisfied with the outcome.

"Good work."

"It's just the basics"

Yuni started to speak in her usual manner but then stopped herself and opened her mouth again.

"Th-thank you"

"Uh"

Luna, seeing this, smiled joyfully.

"You're so cute!!"

She hugged Yuni tightly.

"Aah!!"

Only after being thoroughly cuddled by Luna did Yuni later finally manage to escape her embrace.

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