There were three major known eras; The Era of Sovereign Ascendance, the Age of Umbral Dominion, and the Era of the Shattered World.

"The age of the Sovereign Ascendance dictates the age of the emergence of the Four Empires. The Aetheria Empire, Verdant Empire, Aurora Empire, and the Nurs Ancifa Empire."

I read the contents of the book out loud.

"It marks a relatively recent epoch, spanning only around 700 years."

So far, it was stuff that I was already somewhat aware of.

"The Age of Umbral dictates the age of the Mirror Dimension expansion. Taking place approximately two millennia ago, this era signified the commencement of the struggle."

Flip

I skimmed through the pages and immersed myself in reading. The more I read, the more confused I became. In the end, this was a history book.

It detailed everything about the past.

"Let me guess, the Era of the Shattered World is when the Mirror Dimension appeared, right?"

Flip

"The oldest known era. Where the earliest records recount the shattering of the world and the emergence of a new dimension. This realm came to be known as the Mirror Dimension, where unimaginable creatures roamed its depths."

I was indeed right.

I continued to flip through the contents. The information was rather interesting. However, there was something that continued to bother me the more I read the book.

It went to the point where I had to stop myself from reading.

"...Is there nothing before the Age of the Shattered World?"

The more I read, the more obvious it became that the oldest recording known was the 'Age of the Shattered World.'

The book hinted at it with words such as, 'the last known record', and so on.

But...

"What about before that?"

Why wasn't there anything about the age before the Age of the Shattered World?

"Maybe there was nothing important...?"

Even so, surely there should've been records of the civilization before.

"I mean, Ancient Egypt was about five thousand years old... Maybe the people of this world weren't capable enough?"

I doubted that to be the case. But thinking about the technological level of this world, they were indeed a little lacking compared to Earth.

That said, they did have magic.

"....It might just be this book."

It was worth checking out in the library later. I eventually closed the book and sighed.

"Hmm."

It was certainly interesting information, but I still struggled to comprehend Delilah's intent behind showing me this.

"What sort of connection is there between the organization and this book?"

There didn't seem to be any connection with it. In fact, it only left me with even more questions.

Still, it wasn't as if she had given the book to me for nothing. There had to be something important in the book.

There was no way Delilah would give it to me for no reason at all.

It was for this exact reason that I opened the book again and immersed myself in reading. This time, I didn't skim through the contents and made sure to memorize everything.

As much as I hated learning history, for some reason, I found the information to be extremely interesting.

Flip

***

The next day. The sound of scribbling rang out in the classroom. The preparations for the festival that was set to take place in three weeks were already in full swing.

Everyone was busy. Especially the cadets who not only had to get performance ready for the festival but at the same time prepare for the upcoming examinations.

"Kill me!"

Some of the cadets were already having a mental breakdown.

Kiera to be precise.

"....I want to die! Just stab me with a long sharp sword. Whatever it takes."

From the way she was talking, it was obvious that she wasn't very excited about the upcoming exams.

I didn't know exactly how good her grades were, but judging from her expression and words, they were probably not very good.

"Slow, quick, I don't care. Anything is better than this..."

"Ey~ It's not that hard. Just memorize the book. You're so dumb."

Next to her, Josephine shook her head with a laugh. Surprisingly, she was one of the more studious cadets. Not that I knew much about her.

"What did you say?"

"Hm? It's not that hard?"

"No, the part before that."

"MemoUakh!"

Josephine let out a strange sound as Kiera's fist smacked against her head.

"Bitch, don't pretend like you didn't say it."

"Akh... My head. Fuck, I think I'm starting to understand how it feels to be like you..."

"Uh?!"

"Can the two of you stop?"

It was Evelyn who put a stop between the two. Leon, who sat a few rows back also interjected.

"The Professor is about to come."

"Tsk."

Only then did Kiera finally stop complaining and focus her attention back on the paper in front of her.

I watched them interact from my seat before turning my attention away from them.

Talking about the festival, I hadn't signed up for anything. I thought about the stand-up, but I still needed to work on my delivery.

It wasn't quite there yet...

There were so many activities to choose from that I struggled to pick any. In the end, I just left it blank.

In case someone left their selection empty, then they would be directly assigned a role by the Academy. The same was true for cadets that didn't make the cut in certain roles like 'Guide' as there could only be so many people that could be selected for such roles.

'Actually, now that I think about it, I should be assigned a role today...'

I was curious about what it was going to be.

"Ah, it seems everyone is here."

As per last time, a cheerful voice echoed across the class as Professor Bridgette entered the classroom. Sporting her trademark smile, she glanced around the classroom before taking out a small stack of papers.

"I've received everyone's files, and have sorted through them. I will now be reading the names of the activities you have been approved for."

Taking one of the papers, she started to read.

"Anders, you have applied for the Guide Role. After careful review, the board decided to approve your request."

Raising her head, her gaze fell on two people

"Josephine, the same goes with you. You will work alongside Anders to ensure that all the guests will be guided around the campus during the start."

"Eh...?"

Unable to contain her shock, Aoife raised her head and let out a strange sound.

'She must've applied for the role, I guess.'

Seeing the shock in her eyes, it was clear that she had also applied for the Guide role. There were only two spots for it, and therefore, it was clear that she hadn't been selected.

The Professor went on to list the other approvals without offering her an explanation.

I took in Aoife's shocked expression and made sure to stamp it in my mind. It felt oddly satisfying.

'Uh, shit... This feeling again.'

I looked away from her.

Was there something wrong with me?

"Next up, Kyle...."

One name after another started to be recounted as more and more cadets started to get assigned roles. Some were happy to get their selected roles, while others were left disappointed.

Strangely though, there was someone who seemed to be happy for no reason.

"Haha, fuck yeah..."

I felt her gaze burn the back of my head when the list for the cooking activity was listed. Her reaction came out of nowhere.

'Is she happy that she didn't get selected or something...?'

If so...

Why did Aoife also look relieved?

"For the stand-up. Unfortunately, none of the members of the class made it."

Bang!

I was taken aback again. Turning around, I saw Leon hold his fist close to his face. Though his expression appeared blank, he seemed strangely happy.

".....Was he that embarrassed last time?"

I was starting to feel sorry for him.

"I think that's all for those that made it."

Putting the papers down, Professor Bridgette looked up again as her eyes scanned the classroom.

"For those that made the cut, congratulations. For those that haven't, please don't worry. We've already assigned you all roles in the theater club."

Theater club?

"Think of it as an honor. Haha, who knows? If you're lucky, you might even get a chance to participate in the upcoming play. Everyone will be watching."

While I was still confused by her words, she continued,

"But don't get your hopes up. The group that will be performing are all renowned actors. Your main job will be to tend to their needs and set up the stage for them. That being said, the Director has agreed to let the more outstanding cadets participate as extras. If you end up doing well, you might receive bonus credits."

Clap Clap Professor Bridgette clapped her hands twice and directed everyone's attention towards the blackboard.

"With that settled, let's continue with the lecture."

***

The class went on for an hour. Once it was done, all cadets dispersed and headed toward their designated Activity.

I looked at the slip in front of me and headed towards the Leoni Hall.

That was where the play was going to be held.

"A play, huh..."

I didn't know how to feel about the situation. From what I heard, the chances of us cadets getting selected for the play were almost slim to none.

Not that I minded since I wasn't interested in acting.

I wasn't a very good actor so it was only going to end up with me embarrassing myself.

That meant that my job was just setting up the stage and props. That sounded easy enough.

"I'll take it."

All I cared for were the credits.

The Academy Campus was large. It took me about ten minutes to finally arrive at the destination, and when I entered the hall, I was surprised by the chaos that caught my sight.

"Over here!"

"Yup! Place that here!"

"No, not that one!"

"The lights are centered! Set it up properly."

If there was one word I could use to describe the current situation, it'd be 'Chaotic'. With people talking over each other, and props being moved around everywhere, there was no semblance of order.

"Ah, cadet!"

The moment I came in, someone tugged my arm and I turned my head to meet the eyes of a young woman with blonde hair and green eyes.

Judging from the clothes she was wearing, she didn't seem to be a cadet. Perhaps an organizer?

"Yes?"

"Are you here for the theater activities?"

I thought about it before nodding.

".....I am."

"Okay, good!"

The woman seemed delighted and I was suddenly dragged away by her. I wanted to ask her where she was bringing me, but just let her be.

I soon came to regret that decision.

'What am I....'

Standing at the center of the stage, I directed my gaze toward the four figures seated at the far end, below the stage.

Holding onto a paper, I glanced at it for a brief moment before looking up again.

".....You may begin."

The fuck...?