Seventh School District, the Windowless Building.
Within the countless light points formed by machinery, a man suspended upside-down in a life-support chamber filled with weakly alkaline culture fluid quietly watched the data window unfolding before him.
Aleister Crowley gazed at the woman on the holographic projection screen outside the glass dome and spoke in an inorganic tone: "So, what's the reason for contacting me at this time?"
On the other side of the world, at the Anglican Church headquarters in England—St. George's Cathedral in Lambeth Palace.
This was a building in the classic Gothic style, with gray-white marble as its base and adorned with white and gold reliefs. Due to the time difference, the sun was setting over England. The slanting rays shone through the brilliantly colored stained-glass windows, casting a gorgeous lavender hue inside the empty cathedral.
At the center of the cathedral's deepest steps, a faint phosphorescent glow emanated. As the view zoomed in, it was hard to imagine that in front of the altar dedicated to the Cross of St. George, there was—quite abruptly—a computer monitor?
Sitting on the altar, watching the monitor that displayed Aleister—his silver hair cascading to his ankles, dressed in a green surgical gown—a blonde-haired woman in a pale pink nun's robe paid no mind to the appropriateness of her actions in such a sacred place. She chuckled softly.
"It's about time for the Daihasei Festival over there too, right?"
She opened her clear blue eyes. While tending to her hair—so long it almost reached below the third step and was more than twice her height—she continued, "As Board Chairman, don't you think you should make an appearance or something?"
"Do you think this appearance of mine is fit to show in public?" Aleister replied flatly, entirely unbothered.
"Then there's no need for formalities. Let's get to the point."
"The point? You mean the issue of magicians infiltrating Academy City?"
"What else?"
The blonde woman set down her comb and smiled faintly. "Taking advantage of a lapse in vigilance—doesn't Academy City always end up like this around this time of year?"
"Only this year. In the past, there haven't been so many magicians trying to invade Academy City." Even upon hearing about threats to Academy City, Aleister remained composed. "The identity of the infiltrators?"
As she spoke, she picked up a letter. "From what I've confirmed, there are two with known names—one is a high-ranking official of the Roman Orthodox Church, and the other is a hired courier. Their goal seems to be a transaction."
"A transaction?"
This was beyond Aleister's knowledge. Though he had been one of the world's most powerful magicians centuries ago, he was not omniscient. The 'courier' hadn't even arrived yet—how could he know what the item of the transaction was? Outside of Academy City, without the UNDER_LINE surveillance network, his intelligence capabilities weren't much better than the outside world.
"Mm, the item transported by the 'courier'..."
The woman nodded and then bent down to retrieve a silver greatsword from a box—its crossguard shaped like a shielded radiant star. "The one in my hand is a replica."
"It's said to be a precious spiritual item capable of 'piercing a dragon and pinning it to the ground,' called the 'Stab Sword.'" She murmured in a prayer-like tone. "If it falls into the hands of someone unworthy, then the Anglican Church will be placed in an immediate predicament."
Her words implied she spoke on behalf of the entire Anglican Church. Her identity was clear: the highest-ranking Archbishop of the Anglican Church—Laura Stuart.
"A tactical weapon from your side of the world... I see."
Aleister's voice remained as calm as ever.
"'I see'—is that all? Hoh? You seem rather confident. Not the least bit concerned about the potential harm it might cause."
"There will be those interested in it—so long as you don't mind it being completely destroyed."
"So confident? You can't appear in person, so let me guess… the Habsburg girl? The so-called first of the science side in your hands?" Laura stated affirmatively.
"Yes."
"Oh..." Laura gently touched her pink lower lip, revealing a look of intrigue. "Speaking of her, I think there's some intelligence she'd find quite interesting. The royal princesses seem rather curious about her. Especially the Second Princess. It's not impossible they might pay a private visit to Academy City."
"I'll pass the message along."
"Oh? Don't be so cold."
Leaning forward with her chin in hand, Laura's clear blue eyes held a hint of schadenfreude. "You probably aren't interested in information about minor characters, but what about moves from the Vatican or Roman Orthodox Church?"
Despite her elegant demeanor, Laura Stuart was hardly a pure-hearted person.
Looking back on her actions, Laura always maintained a delicate balance between good and evil—doing just as many bad things as good ones.
Noting the subtle change in Aleister's expression on the monitor, Laura's smile grew deeper.
"It seems God's Right Seat is preparing to act."
"..."
"Which means that boy might have a rough time ahead."
Aleister silently opened a new surveillance feed, one showing the airport in the 23rd District—Selene arriving to receive someone.
Selene cherished her family deeply. Simply sending her the gathered intelligence would suffice. No need to issue mandatory tasks. She would decide whether to intervene on her own. Aleister figured Selene wouldn't want her mother's trip disturbed by trash like that. She could handle it herself—there was no need for him to worry excessively.
Elsewhere on another screen, the spiky-haired boy stood uneasily at a lively concert venue.
Looks like you're the one with free time.
Let's add to your workload.
...
23rd School District, International Airport.
Crowds were gathering in the arrivals area. On the airport terminal's digital boards, flight data from major global routes flickered without pause. Passengers disembarked continuously from parked aircraft.
No surprise. This ultra-large-scale event—drawing over 1.8 million participants—and one of Academy City's rare public-access days of the year was bound to attract attention. One look at the flood of reporters, already storming in with long lenses and professional gear before the Daihasei Festival even officially began, made it obvious.
Right now was merely the semi-open warm-up phase. Once the Festival fully kicked off, Academy City would be almost completely open to the public. Add the arrival of students' parents, family members, and tourists from across the globe—the eventual crowds would be staggering.
At the same time, Selene noticed many individuals in either eccentric attire or clearly clerical robes. People from the magic side were showing up—though this wasn't the time or place to drive them away.
Selene glanced around. Soon, the private airbus in front of her docked and secured in place. The cabin door opened. The stair truck aligned and locked.
Surrounded by sharply dressed bodyguards and conservatively uniformed housemaids, a noble-looking blonde woman with short shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, and a slender figure emerged, holding the hand of a small child in a duckbill cap.
"Whew..." Selene let out a breath and stepped forward.
Holding little Ferdinand's hand, Katie had barely stepped off the plane when she spotted her dazzlingly beautiful daughter in the crowd—a sight that made her pause.
Even more beautiful than before, little Selene.
Tall and curvaceous, with long silver hair as radiant as fresh snow, reflecting the sunlight, and crimson gemstone-like eyes. Wearing the autumn uniform of Tokiwadai Middle School, utterly mismatched with the formal wear around her, Selene stood with an aura that declared, I am the center of attention.
Then, Katie noticed a blind spot. Her brows furrowed slightly.
Among those who came with Selene to pick up the arrivals, it was either middle-aged professionals or a mobile team composed of Judgment officers and suppression robots. Katie didn't see a single friend or classmate of Selene's.
She and Brauchitsch had noticed this issue back when Selene was younger.
Their daughter had always been naturally aloof. While studying in Vienna, she had made plenty of friends and never seemed to have conflicts, but none of those friendships were very deep. She had never attended any classmates' parties, nor invited anyone over.
Katie had once supported Selene's choice to travel halfway around the world alone to attend school in Academy City, partly in the hope that in this student-centered city, her daughter might make real friends and grow as a person.
But from what she had heard... dear heavens, Selene seemed to have gone into full enterprise mode. She started a Schicksal Research Institute, an arms group, and even became one of the twelve directors of Academy City.
Still, there was one exception. Looking at the tuft of gray hair peeking from behind Selene, Katie thought quietly:
One is good enough!
Of course, Katie would never show this thought outwardly. Any concerns she had, she would discuss with Selene privately. She would never do anything in public or in front of outsiders or her daughter's subordinates to embarrass her or undermine her authority—not even the slightest.
"Sis... sister!"
Then, Katie instinctively felt her hand go empty. The tiny bean sprinted like a cannonball straight into Selene's leg, hugging it with a bright, childish grin.
"Hey, little Ferdinand." Selene lifted him up by the back of his collar with one hand, then caught him with her other.
"Ah, Selene! You girl—and Ferdinand too!"
This counted as a greeting between Selene and little Ferdinand. No matter how others saw it, Ferdinand seemed delighted—gagaga, giggling nonstop. Back in Vienna, Selene always greeted him like this when she returned home. Katie had nagged her about it countless times.
Looking closely—after more than half a year, the baby fat on Ferdinand's cheeks had diminished a little. His features now bore clear traces of both Brauchitsch and Katie.
"Selene, put Ferdinand down. He's a young man now. Let him walk on his own."
Katie's firm voice reached Selene's ears without room for objection.
Alright then. Selene set Ferdinand down. Seeing the tiny boy in his duckbill cap and mini vest, she was already mourning his future.
To put it bluntly, the Brauchitsch branch of the family still held traditional values even into the 21st century. As the eldest son, Ferdinand was destined to be incompatible with the lifestyle of idle playboys. After turning six, his life of "hellish" training would begin.
"Mother, welcome to Academy City." Turning around, Selene reflexively opened her arms—only to be immediately pulled into a warm embrace. Looking down, she saw the joy flashing in Katie's emerald eyes.
Selene didn't resist. Her official age on file here was still under 15. She was still a child.
"Hmm?" After a moment, Katie released her and raised her head in surprise. "Selene, you didn't push me away or say something childish like, 'I'm all grown up now.'"
"I have grown up..."
Selene folded her arms, but before she could finish, Katie lightly lowered her arms and gave her a look—eyes wide with an expression of forced cheer and veiled warning.
"Etiquette, grace... my darling, don't forget them."
"Milady. Mission accomplished." As always dressed in the pitch-black butler uniform, back straight as a pine, Sebas gave Selene a slight squint—a barely noticeable tease.
Likewise, at this moment, both Sebas and Alyssa were no longer their original bodies.
"Ahem..."
Clearing her throat, Selene quickly changed the subject. "Mother, allow me to introduce some of my key people here in Academy City."
"This is Shuji Matsuzaki, head of research projects at the Schicksal Research Institute," she said, gesturing to a man in his thirties in a lab coat among the welcoming party.
"Pleased to meet you, madam. I'm Shuji Matsuzaki," he said, bowing politely.
"And this is Aoki Youichi, head of the security department," she said, pointing to a tall, robust man with tanned skin.
"Good day. I'm Aoki Youichi."
To each of Selene's subordinates who bowed, Katie returned an appropriate smile and gently helped them rise. Her graceful and dignified demeanor left a warm impression.
...
While the adults exchanged pleasantries, off to the side, another pair—one big, one small—faced off.
Little Ferdinand stood with his hands on his hips and asked curiously, "Who are you?"
For some reason, he felt a bit hostile toward the gray-haired, blue-eyed girl wearing the same school uniform as Selene.
"Who are you?"
Alyssa folded her arms and looked down at the little bean with an arrogant gaze.
"I'm Selene-sister's little brother!"
"I'm Big Sis' companion Honkai Beast!"
Though he didn't know what a "companion Honkai Beast" was, that didn't stop little Ferdinand from thinking this person was annoying—competing with him for his sister.
"Selene-sister had snowball fights with me and built snowmen!"
"Big Sis took me on countless food street tours!"
"Sister fed me herself!"
...
"Big Sis hit me once!"
"Sister..."
This was getting more and more ridiculous. Selene covered her face—she couldn't bear to watch.
"Ara~ Ara~ Little Selene, aren't you going to introduce this pretty classmate to Mommy?"
"Uh... it's a long story. Mother, let's get in the car first. This isn't the place for a chat."
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