A profound silence blanketed the training arena, broken only by the soft patter of falling sand. Everyone stared, utterly stunned by the cataclysm G6 had summoned and then banished with a word.
"Eh? Whatever," G6 said, as if the vanishing of a world-ending tornado was a minor inconvenience.
"'Whatever'?" Earl repeated, his voice sharp with a mix of panic and exasperation as he strode toward her. "You nearly sent us all to our doom! That was not the spell!"
<< Aura of Finality: Deactivated >>
Huh? It… activated on its own?
As the skill released her, a wave of crushing exhaustion followed. Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the sandy ground.
"Are you okay?" Earl asked, his scolding tone vanishing into genuine alarm as he dropped to one knee beside her.
Ah. This is annoying. Am I really overpowered or just weak? Fuck.
"I'm fine. Just leave me alone for a moment," G6 gritted out, her voice strained.
"Use your ring. Channel a hint of your mana into it," Earl instructed, his voice low and urgent.
G6 focused, circulating a small stream of mana to her hands. The sleek black ring on her finger glowed with a soft blue light.
Whoa. The effect is different when you're wearing it. A tingling sensation, like it's soothing my nerves.
"How is it?" Earl asked.
"It's better, I think. Still aches, but I can move," she admitted.
"The earring is restraining your mana output, but the strain on your body was still immense," Earl explained. He offered his hand to help her stand.
"SHE'S HOLDING MY REISE AGAIN!" Keith whined, dramatically patting sand from his clothes.
"Shut up," Dio commanded, his gaze fixed on Earl and G6 with an unreadable intensity. This insufferable geek. "Edmund, Tina. Clean the sand off the table," he ordered, diverting his attention.
"At once, Your Highness," Edmund replied. He, Tina, and Lilia swiftly began clearing the aftermath.
"EARL! IS THE SITUATION UNDER CONTROL?" Dio's voice carried across the arena, sharp and clear.
"It is. Do not mind us," Earl called back without looking away from G6.
"Let's review the fundamentals. Before you attempt to level the Collegium again," Earl said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"Yeah, whatever. You're the one who told me to do it," G6 retorted.
"Listen to me, Rei. YOU WILL LITERALLY KILL YOURSELF CASTING SPELLS OF THAT MAGNITUDE," Earl emphasized, his voice grave. "Your body cannot handle it."
"Stop nagging!"
"Then listen! Your body requires a mana restraint and a stabilizer ring just to manage basic fatigue. Do you understand how serious this is?" he scolded, trying to drill the reality into her.
I know, geek. That's why I'm doing this. It makes me sick every time I'm reminded how restricted I am.
Earl made her start over. For what felt like an eternity, they did nothing but practice 'Wind Blade' and 'Gust' on a loop, repeating them until the output was perfectly measured at a novice's level.
Earl, she quickly learned, was a strict, perfection-obsessed instructor.
After thirty minutes of relentless repetition, G6 muttered, "Gust," her breath coming in short gasps. A moderate gust of wind formed, pushing the target back exactly as intended. She braced her hands on her knees, reaching her limit.
"Not yet," Earl stated.
"Give me a break," she snapped, annoyed.
"Not yet," he repeated, unmoved. "This will build your endurance." He walked over and stooped slightly to look her in the eye, a faint, knowing smile playing on his lips. "Aren't you in a hurry?"
This damn geek psycho. He sees right through me.
"I am not in a hurry, geek," G6 said, shoving him away lightly. "I mean, Earl."
"Ah, Earl is really into teaching Reise. I almost feel bad for her now," Keith mused from the sidelines.
"That is simply Earl being Earl," Dio replied, his arms crossed as he observed.
"Now, let's practice the exchange between Wind Blade and Gust again," Earl began.
Tch. He's so annoying.
"Fine, fine."
"Wind Bla—" G6 was cut off by a voice echoing from the archway leading to the main building.
"Pardon the interruption," a staff member called out, doing his best to project his voice. "There is a sudden summons to the meeting hall. Immediately."
"Meeting hall?" G6 whispered.
"That's rare. Unprecedented, actually," Earl said, his tone shifting to one of serious contemplation.
The group converged at the archway. "Do not bother cleaning up. The summons is immediate," Earl informed everyone.
"Reise, bring only one of your servants," Dio added.
Huh? Is that a rule? Eh, whatever.
"Edmund, with me. Lilia, Tina, wait in my office," G6 commanded.
"Understood, Lady Reise," Tina replied with a bow. The group then moved quickly, leaving the training grounds behind.
As they walked through the grand halls of the Bastion, G6 did her best to brush the sand from her black training clothes, though the evidence of her activity was plain to see.
"We will await your return, Lady Reise," Tina said as they reached the staircase leading to the offices.
G6 gave a curt nod, and the rest of the party continued on their way out of the Bastion.
"Where is this meeting hall, anyway?" G6 asked.
"Ah, that's right. You wouldn't know, my Reise," Keith said, falling into step beside her with his usual playful energy. "It's hidden behind the Royal Collegium Library. They do love to conceal important places among the books."
"Ah," G6 offered a cold, monosyllabic reply that made Keith pout.
"I wonder what this is about," Earl mused quietly to Dio.
"The same thought occupies my mind," Dio responded.
They reached the vast, quiet library and proceeded to a specific bookshelf. Dio pulled a single, unassuming volume from the shelf. With a soft click, a section of the wall swung inward, revealing a lavish hallway. At its end stood a pair of ornate double doors, leading to the meeting room.
When they reached the ornate doors, Dio pushed them open to reveal a room flooded with blinding sunlight.
The meeting hall was vast and opulent, its walls made entirely of crystal-clear windows that let the sun devour every corner. As the group entered, they were met with a collection of confused and slightly disapproving stares. Their ragged state—still dusted with sand from the training grounds—stood in stark contrast to the pristine, formal atmosphere.
G6 was momentarily hidden from view by the three tall men flanking her. It shielded her from the room's occupants and, unfortunately, blocked her own view.
However, the assembly was far more significant than a gathering of minor nobles. The room was filled with the heirs of the Three Pillar Houses, save for the lone presence of Eliza. And presiding over it all from the head of a long, oval table was the Queen herself.
"Mother," Dio addressed her, his tone formal.
Mother? So that's my boss? Tch. That witch.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," Keith and Earl greeted in practiced unison, offering deep bows. "And to the esteemed members of the Three Pillars," they added, acknowledging the other powerful figures in the room.
G6 stepped out from the protective wall of men, and the full scene came into view. The Queen sat at the center of power, flanked on her opposite sides by the eldest sons of House Worthon and House Nocturne.
"Good morning. You all look… rather well-traveled," the Queen remarked, her voice a smooth, amused drawl.
"Good morning, Lady Reise," Eliza called out sweetly, a move that felt deliberately designed to draw every eye directly to G6. All heads turned toward the group's rear.
Tch. I hate women like her. Always trying to pull attention.
"Ah. Likewise," G6 responded with a casualness that was utterly out of place.
She stepped fully into everyone's view. "MY REISE! DID YOU—" Ray Worthon began, his voice booming with concern before he was cut off by the Queen clearing her throat—a silent, potent command for silence.
"Good morning, Your Majesty," G6 said, directing a more appropriate, if flat, greeting to the Queen.
"It appears you are keeping… active, dear Reise," the Queen observed. "Please, all of you, sit."
The four of them took their seats in order: Dio, Earl, Keith, and finally G6. Edmund remained standing a few respectful paces behind her chair.
"This assembly concerns the knight recruitment initiative," the Queen began without preamble. "It was initially scheduled for Captain Kepler's return, but we must proceed without delay."
Looks like someone's in a hurry. Got a hot date?
"Excuse my interruption, Your Majesty," Dio interjected. "Might I ask the reason for such urgency?"
The Queen exchanged a weighted look with the heirs of the Pillar Houses. "It is a matter of prevention. Intelligence suggests the Southern Kingdom has been aggressively recruiting knights for the past two months…" she explained. "This is a preemptive measure."
"Are they mobilizing for war?" Earl asked, his tone sharp and analytical.
"We cannot be certain. However, as the saying goes, prevention is superior to cure," the Queen responded. She began issuing commands with cool efficiency. "Prince Dio, you will oversee all preparations for the recruitment. Earl, effective immediately, you are to be stationed at the Bastion. Inform Zen and Brenda to remain there as well."
She turned her gaze. "Keith, I want you focused on Eliza's endurance training. We must strengthen her healing capabilities; it could save us a fortune in potions should the worst occur."
A heavy silence fell over the room. This was not a simple discussion; it was a strategic mobilization.
Kingdoms war, huh? Not really my type of scene. Way too messy. Loud. Attention. The best way to deal with it is to silently end the string puller.
"I also want a census of all Adventurers across the kingdom who hold an A-Rank in Physical Enhancement Magic. And identify any… special cases," the Queen added.
Special cases? What's that?
"Special cases?" G6 asked, the blunt question cutting through the room's solemn decorum.
"Indeed. On rare occasions, commoners are born with a unique magical affinity that resonates with a noble bloodline. The odds are approximately one in two million," the Queen clarified.
"You mean they're probably some noble's illegitimate kids?" G6 said, a sharp smirk playing on her lips.
The entire room froze, every eye locking onto her as if she'd voiced a terrifying, unspoken truth. "Or they could just be special," she added flatly, then sank back into her seat, using Keith's broad frame as a shield.
The Queen merely let out a soft, airy laugh. "That will be all. You have one week to prepare." She turned her attention to the other Pillar heirs. "To the elder siblings, maintain vigilance over your domains. The Nocturnes, you will need to compensate while Earl is stationed at the Bastion. Worthons, you are both accomplished S-Ranks; continue your work on advanced spells and potions."
Ray and Ron Worthon offered a curt, synchronized bow. The Nocturne heirs—Earl's older brother and sister—simply nodded their understanding, their expressions unreadable.
"Oy, Keith," G6 whispered, leaning toward him.
"What is it, Reise?" he whispered back.
"Where are your siblings?"
"What do you mean? Captain Kepler's my brother," he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
What? Really? That Captain everyone's been talking about? The one Tina was gushing over yesterday?
"Really? That talk-of-the-town Captain? Then why are you here? Are you the family's black sheep?" G6 asked, needling him purely for her own amusement.
"Kepler is just the eldest! He gets the spotlight first!" Keith pouted, rising to the bait effortlessly.
"A typical loser's defense mechanism," G6 retorted.
Their hushed bickering began to seep into the quiet room, their low voices becoming the only sound.
"And for Reise," the Queen called, her voice slicing through their argument.
Me? What does she want now? Tch.
G6 sat up straight, schooling her features into a mask of neutrality. "Yes, Your Majesty?"
"How is your remedial training progressing? Are you managing well?" the Queen asked, her tone dripping with false concern.
"Yes. With the… generous help of Keith, Earl, and… Prince Dio," she replied, her voice soft but laced with a sarcasm only she could hear.
"I am glad to see you are getting along with them again," the Queen said, her smile not reaching her eyes. "I trust you are not forgetting our… understanding, correct?" Her voice was sweet, but the hidden threat beneath was as clear as glass.
"Of course not… Master," G6 replied, layering the title with mocking deference.
The Queen laughed, a light, tinkling sound that felt utterly disconnected from the tension in the room. "Then you are all dismissed. Thank you for attending on such short notice."
Everyone stood and bowed respectfully, beginning to file out of the room.
"Reise, a moment, if you please. Stay behind," the Queen commanded.
Dio, Keith, and Earl halted their departure, their gazes snapping between G6 and the Queen. "Do not fret. I will return her to you shortly," the Queen assured them, her smile placid.
"Edmund, wait for me outside," G6 instructed, then walked calmly to stand before the Queen.
As the others left, the heavy ornate doors shut behind them, sealing her in a soundproof chamber of sunlight and power.
__
Outside, the three men and the steward walked down the lavish hallway back toward the library.
"What was that about?" Keith asked, breaking the contemplative silence.
"Her Majesty has been showing… particular interest in Reise this past week," Earl mused, adjusting his glasses.
"Let us not speculate on matters that are not our concern," Dio stated, though his own curiosity was plain on his stern face.
"Give me a break, Dio. On her first day here, you lost your composure simply because she wouldn't speak to you!" Keith teased.
"Indeed. Keith told me everything. You were a rather… lame flame," Earl added, fueling the fire.
"I will personally roast both of you," Dio warned, a faint shimmer of heat wavering around him.
Edmund followed quietly behind them, perhaps the only one with an inkling of what the private audience might entail.
They reached the library door and stepped back into the hushed world of books. They were immediately greeted by a frantic Brenda.
"WHERE IS LADY REISE?" she demanded, her voice desperate.
"Great, another geek," Keith muttered under his breath.
"You shut up!" Brenda snapped at him without even looking his way. "Earl, what's wrong? Why isn't she with you? Is there an emergency?" Her distress was palpable.
"There he is!" Brenda said, her voice ecstatic with panic as she spotted Edmund and rushed to him, grasping his shoulders. "Did I do something to offend Lady Reise?!" she asked, her eyes welling with tears.
"My Lady Brenda, whatever do you mean?" Edmund replied, bewildered.
"Her changing clothes are gone from the storage room! She's not coming here anymore! What did I do wrong?" she pleaded.
"My lady simply finds it more convenient to keep her clothes in her villa or office. Please, rest assured, Lady Reise is not angry with you," Edmund explained calmly.
"Truly? I thought… I thought I had lost the honor of attending to her grace," Brenda said, her relief mixed with a devotion that seemed to border on something far deeper than mere admiration.
"What is wrong with your cousin, Earl? Is she losing her mind?" Keith asked, baffled by the display.
"I confess, I do not know," Earl answered, equally perplexed.
"Oh, be quiet!" Brenda whined, finally noticing Dio. "Oh? You're here too?" Her casual tone with the prince spoke volumes of their long acquaintance. She composed herself. "You all may go. I will wait for Lady Reise."
"I will wait," Dio stated.
"As will we. We arrived together," Keith added.
"Do not get in my way," Brenda said, her focus singular and intense.
"What?" both Earl and Keith asked in unison.
They were completely unaware of the terrifyingly effective manipulation G6 had performed. She had subtly mirrored the face of her brothers that Brenda had a crush on, a psychological trick to hijack the woman's existing affections and redirect them toward herself. The result was a Brenda who was now utterly and completely smitten with Lady Reise—G6.
Yes, G6 was a frighteningly manipulative woman.
"Are you not returning to the Bastion yet, Your Highness?" Eliza asked, directing her full, simpering attention to Prince Dio.
Dio offered her a brief, cold glance. "I am waiting for Reise."
"I see… Lady Reise is not yet dismissed by the Queen…" she replied, her tone laced with a hint of faux sympathy.
"Why don't you go on ahead, Eliza?" Keith intervened, stepping into the awkward silence. "We can discuss our training arrangement later."
"Oh, that's right. We are to be trainee and mentor once more," Eliza said, bestowing a sweet smile upon him.
"That's right. Dear Eliza," Keith responded, his smile so forced it was almost a grimace.
"Then, if you'll all excuse me, I should prepare for my training with Sir Keith. I wouldn't wish to intrude," Eliza said, a masterclass in subtly painting herself as the delicate, out-of-place flower.
"There is no need. You may wait and return with us to the Bastion. It is our common destination, after all," Earl stated, his tone leaving no room for argument—a simple, professional assessment. "Brenda, a word regarding your reassignment," he added, deftly shifting focus to his distraught cousin to discuss departmental logistics.
_____
[THE MEETING ROOM]
The ornate door clicked shut, sealing them in a sun-drenched cage. The moment it closed, G6's posture shifted from faux-submission to a predator's easy stance.
"What is it, boss?" she asked, all prior pretense of decorum gone.
"You can drop the act now," the Queen said. Her tone was still calm, but the warmth had bled out of it, leaving something cold and analytical.
G6's brows furrowed slightly. What is she playing at? Don't tell me… does she know I'm a fake?
"What do you mean?" G6 asked, her voice a flat, neutral slate. Panic was an amateur's emotion.
"I was informed by the main palace's Apothecary Department," the Queen began, her eyes sharp and assessing. "Not long after you arrived… you requested a 'white drop'."
White drop? Hmm… the small, unlabeled vial I found stashed under the bed.
"What about it?" G6's response gave nothing away.
"Reise…" The Queen's voice underwent a subtle shift, the stateswoman's mask cracking to reveal something that sounded like genuine concern. "Did you try to kill yourself?"
G6 remained silent. Not out of a lack of defense, but from tactical patience. She waited, letting the Queen reveal her hand.
"The day you acquired it was the very day you came to my chambers. You asked me if there could be another woman better suited for Dio, someone who could make him happy."
Oh? The original Reise did that? Wait. This isn't an accusation; it's a confession. This is a crucial piece of the puzzle.
"I could feel the despair clinging to you. I saw the darkness in your eyes, the emptiness in your smile that day. You must forgive me for not realizing the depth of it, for not pulling you aside sooner." The Queen's worry now felt real, raw, like a mother's heartache.
G6 let out a heavy, measured sigh and tilted her head back to observe the ornate ceiling, as if bored by the conversation. "Don't be, Your Majesty." Her voice was chillingly calm. "You weren't wrong."
She brought her gaze down, and the grey of her eyes seemed to swallow the light in the room. They were no longer the eyes of a troubled noblewoman.
"I did indeed try to kill myself that night," she stated, a clinical report of a past event. "And in a way, I suppose I succeeded. The weak thing that lived in this skin… she died."
She took a single, silent step forward.
"But death doesn't always bring an end. Sometimes, it's an awakening. It woke something in me that had been sleeping. Something the precious Reise spent her entire life trying to silence."
Her lips curved into a smile that held no warmth, only a razor's edge.
"Something untamed. Something that doesn't feel the cold because it is the cold. Something… dangerous." Her voice dropped to a whisper that seemed to lower the temperature in the room. "Something that knows, in its very bones, that the only purpose of light is to be extinguished."
The Queen was utterly still, her regal composure the only thing holding back a visible shudder.
"You saw a shadow in my eyes that day?" G6 continued, her head tilting. "That wasn't a shadow. That was the shape of something real staring back at you. That darkness is out now. It is me."
She took another step, her movement silent and fluid, a stark contrast to the rustle of the Queen's gown.
"And you can't begin to imagine the things I would do, the lines I would erase, to take what I want. Not as a petulant child, but as a fundamental law of nature. A threat does not ask for permission. It simply is."
It wasn't a boast. It was a statement of fact. A warning from a force of nature.
The silence that followed was heavier than any spell.
The Queen absorbed this, the concern on her face slowly solidifying into a mask of grim understanding. "I will still continue to support you," she stated, her voice regaining its steel. "I will pry no more, for now. I know you are still Reise. Just… not the Reise I knew."
She met G6's lethal gaze without flinching. "Sometimes… a necessary darkness is what a kingdom needs to survive the light."
The phrase struck a chord deep within G6. It was familiar. A core tenet, a slogan whispered in the halls of her former life.
'A necessary darkness on the sidelines is what keeps the world in balance.'
This queen wasn't just offering comfort. She was speaking a language G6 understood. She wasn't afraid of the monster; she was considering how to use it.
G6's eyes fixed on the Queen, her expression unreadable.
Ah. She's one of those.
The thought was a swift, cold categorization. She was familiar with the type from her old life: the powerful figures in government who understood that some problems existed in a moral grey area the law couldn't touch. The ones who hired her kind to deliver a darker, more final form of justice.
"Take back what you feel you have lost, Reise. Then we will talk further," the Queen said, her tone shifting from strategic ally back to something resembling maternal concern. "But no more self-destruction." The command was gentle but firm. "And, do not push yourself too hard. Do not attempt Cryomancy yet; I have not heard back from my master on the matter."
"Fine," G6 said simply, filing the information away.
Did she just completely ignore all my murderous intent? Or did she just accept it?
"Let us go. I am sure those children are waiting for you outside," the Queen said, gracefully guiding G6 back toward the hidden door.
They walked in a silence that was its own form of conversation. When the bookshelf swung open, the eyes of their waiting audience were immediately glued to them, searching for any sign of what had transpired.
"You see? They have been waiting for you," the Queen observed brightly, the perfect monarch once more.
"Then I'll be leaving," G6 said.
Before she could turn away, the Queen spoke again, her voice low but sharp. "I am aware of those… extreme intentions, Reise. I nearly lost my composure in there." She offered a small, knowing smile—not the smile of a mother, but of a proud master looking upon a formidable apprentice. Then she left, her exit as regal as her entrance.
The others could only stare, utterly confused by the Queen's final, cryptic words.
Is she a psycho? Wait, Dio seems too normal for that. Maybe she's a masochist. That damn crazy witch.
"Shall we return to the Bastion, Lady Reise?" Edmund inquired, breaking the silence.
"Alright, let's go. Thanks for waiting," G6 replied, her voice returning to its usual casual bluntness.
And so, the new generation of the Three Pillars walked on, united by duty, circumstance, and the unknowable future that lay ahead, each step taking them further into a destiny now irrevocably changed by the unforeseen darkness that may occur and by the dangerous darkness walking among them.
— To be continued… —