The Royal Magic Academy was rubble. Charred stones smoldered, half-burnt parchments fluttered through the sky like academic snow, and the faint echo of an exploding lasagna still haunted the cafeteria ruins.
For Rei, this should have been a time of mourning, rebuilding, or maybe therapy. Instead, he found himself dealing with something infinitely worse than exploding brides: gossip.
The nobles, the merchants, the terrified peasants—all had gathered outside the smoldering wreckage, whispering rumors that cut through the ash like blades.
"They say she's returning."
"She? Who?"
"His elder sister."
"The elegant one nightmare."
Even demons hiding in the crowd shivered, their tails curling nervously.
Rei froze where he stood. "…No. Absolutely not. She's not coming back. She's in seclusion. Deep seclusion. Like—locked-away-in-a-cursed-monastery-with-a-hundred-seals seclusion!"
[System Notification: Incoming Trauma Event.]
