Beneath a ceiling that rose high overhead,
a vast space stretched out.
Stained glass poured down bands of color,
and the sunlight turned them into something dazzling.
This was the royal palace of the capital.
And at the center—
the throne.
“Hellennia, come in.”
An old man’s low, authoritative voice.
Seated on the throne was the ruler of the Kingdom of Le Ferdian,
King Arferian II.
Beside him, the commander of the royal knights stood in silver armor,
silent.
From beneath a black cloak,
his gaze never once left the person entering.
“Your Majesty.”
A woman approached with her head lowered.
Hair tied neatly back.
Elegant posture.
Each measured step carried the restraint and poise of nobility.
The king asked,
“Are preparations going well?”
Hellennia nodded and answered.
“Yes, Your Majesty.
It has been reported that the adventurers who entered the capital this term
are demonstrating far greater capability than the previous class.”
“Ha ha ha. That’s good to hear.”
The king stroked his chin with his fingertips,
a pleased smile on his face.
“I hear expectations are especially high this time
for the team that includes Count Fresian’s second son.”
“Yes.
Under Erein’s lead, Team Link Force has been showing outstanding results.”
The king nodded.
“You have my gratitude, as always, for your efforts.”
“Your words are more than I deserve, Your Majesty.
I am only fulfilling my duty.”
Just then—
From a distant door came a metallic *click*,
and a court official in a white uniform entered.
He dropped to one knee, offered his salute,
and reported quietly.
“Your Majesty. Preparations are complete.”
Without turning his head,
the king replied shortly,
“Very well.”
Hellennia’s eyes narrowed by the faintest degree.
She already knew what that word—*preparations*—meant.
◇
A sealed interior without a single window.
The heavy marble walls were carved with sigils that regulated mana flow,
and the floor was scarred with countless weapon marks,
worn into it over time.
At the center,
around thirty trainees moved with urgency.
“Spirit!”
“Again!”
“Formation is breaking—reset!”
Voices echoed.
Metal struck metal, slicing through the air.
Sweat and lingering mana mixed together,
as if the temperature in the hall had risen a full step.
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This was a section of the palace few were allowed to approach.
And within it—
a special training facility.
The Royal Adventurer Academy.
Every trainee here came from a noble house.
Only those with both talent and “proper standing” could be admitted,
and the number accepted each term was strictly limited.
In other words,
this was not merely a school.
Strengthening national power.
Binding noble families.
From the beginning, its purpose was political.
As noble balance cracked and royal authority wavered,
the king was retying the knots—
under the name of *education*.
The one who oversaw it all—
“Your focus is slipping. Again!”
A crisp, clear voice.
Hellennia.
The academy’s overall commander.
Under a red robe, combat gear wrapped in leather.
Along her belt were tools of strange shapes—
neither armor nor standard artifacts.
She looked like a mage.
But no one called her an ordinary mage.
Her epithet was *Almighty*.
Not confined to spells—close combat, toolwork, survival,
tracking, disarming traps.
A living embodiment of practical battle,
capable in nearly every adventurer discipline known.
Not only students—
even active adventurers regarded her as “a wall you can’t climb.”
“Move like it’s real out there!”
“One mistake outside and you die!”
When the shouting ended,
the training began to settle.
Weapons cleaned.
Positions reset.
Quick stretches.
Movements that interlocked without orders.
Skill built over time,
and teamwork tempered into habit.
Then someone crossed the hall,
wiping sweat as he approached.
“Lady Hellennia!!”
Kind-faced.
Solid build.
A stride that pulled eyes without trying.
Hellennia turned her head.
“…Erein.”
At the name,
the man smiled and stopped in front of her.
“Final training before enrollment—completed.
All members accounted for.”
Behind him,
the members of Link Force stood in a disciplined line.
Even the other trainees fell into formation without prompting.
A single, tightly organized front.
And Erein at its center.
Hellennia’s gaze shifted slowly to his hands.
On both hands,
gauntlets shaped in a deep red hue.
Fine patterns.
Meticulous craftsmanship.
And embedded within them—
several gemstones that drew the eye.
“The stones set in that gauntlet… are those mana stones?”
“Ah, yes.”
Erein smiled lightly and lifted a hand.
“My father sent them from my hometown, Poen Village.
They say a mana-stone mine was discovered near our territory recently.”
“…In Count Fresian’s lands?”
“Yes, that’s right.
They’re newly made equipment.”
Hellennia stared at the gauntlets for a moment.
Then she raised a finger
and barely brushed one of the red stones.
“Performance?”
“It hasn’t been long since I started using them…
so it’s hard to give a precise evaluation yet.”
Erein shifted the gauntlet and added a note.
Hellennia spoke low.
“…Erein.”
“Yes?”
“Could I receive… one sample of this mana stone?”
“Of course.”
He nodded without hesitation.
“The next time my household sends someone to the capital,
I’ll have them bring it. I’ll send word in advance.”
“Good.”
Hellennia clasped her hands behind her back.
Then she turned and walked up onto the platform.
As her foot reached the center,
all eyes gathered at once.
Hellennia spoke.
“Attention.”
Her voice rang through the hall.
“You’ve all worked hard for a full year.”
Her gaze swept across them.
“In three days,
the schedule for B-rank promotion will begin in earnest.”
A quiet stir ran through the trainees.
“Unfortunately, some of you here
won’t meet the requirements and won’t be able to participate in the evaluation.”
Hellennia stared forward and added,
“But don’t be discouraged.
There will be another chance next year.”
And then, one last line—
“…Short is better, right?”
Hellennia smiled faintly.
“That’s it. Dismissed.”
She stepped off the platform
without even looking back,
and disappeared toward the exit like a gust of wind.
A strange aftertaste lingered in the hall for a moment.
Celine broke it first.
Light purple hair still damp.
A robe neatly arranged.
A female mage specialized in wide-area spells.
“Erein.”
“What?”
“About those mana stones in your gauntlet.”
Erein looked down at them, brow tilting.
“Hm?”
Celine hesitated, then exhaled once.
“I think I’ve seen something like that… in a book.”
“Yeah? What kind of thing?”
Celine answered shortly.
“…The Origin Gem.”
“…The Origin—what?”
“The Origin Gem.”
Her expression turned serious.
“They said it was a mana stone the first human mage
brought from another world.
My memory’s fuzzy, but… I think I saw it in the library records once.”
“Hm…”
Erein rubbed his chin, thinking.
Celine continued.
“Most mana stones are blue-toned, right?
But it said that one had a red hue…”
Erein smiled lightly and nodded.
“There’s no way the mana stones in my gauntlet
are that ‘Origin Gem’ you’re talking about.”
“Why not?”
“Because a gemstone that rare—something from a legend—
wouldn’t be stuck in here *in multiples*.”
Celine nodded and laughed along.
“True. Yeah.”
Then, as if reaching deeper into memory—
“I think the record said… there are only five.”
“Five?”
“Yeah. And none of their locations are known.
That’s what I heard.”
Erein stared down at his gauntlet again.
Celine added,
“Lady Hellennia asking for a sample…
maybe it’s because of that gem.”
Just then,
a girl carrying a small prayer book approached.
A dark green robe.
Lilia, Link Force’s cleric.
“Erein, Celine. What are you two doing, standing so close?”
Her tone was light,
but jealousy seeped through the edges.
“N-no, Lilia. It’s not like that.”
Erein threw both hands up and shook his head hard.
“There’s seriously nothing to misunderstand…”
“Still…”
Celine puffed her cheeks and stared at Erein,
her eyes quietly sharp.
Erein let out a small sigh.
Celine shifted the mood as if to move on.
“Ah—about that gem we were talking about.”
“The Origin Gem?”
Lilia blinked and tilted her head,
then waved a hand as if it were ridiculous.
“I’ve heard of it.
But the last record says it was used 300 years ago by Lady Creseria, doesn’t it?”
“After that, both the owner and the storage location were lost…
and there haven’t been any official reports since.”
“Wow… Lilia, you really know your stuff~”
Celine clasped her hands in admiration.
Lilia acted like she didn’t hear the praise.
Her expression stayed fixed on Erein.
Celine adjusted her robe and said,
“Sigh… I’ve got something I need to check.
I’m heading to the library.
See you tomorrow, both of you.”
She slipped out of the hall and shut the door.
Almost like she was fleeing.
Lilia stared at the closed door for a long beat,
then spoke.
“…Erein.”
“Hm?”
“Uh… so… tonight…”
She started, stopped,
looked away, then back again.
Her lips hovered around the rest of the sentence—
BOOM!!
A sudden blast.
A thick pillar of dust shot up from the far side of the hall.
“…?!”
Erein snapped his gaze over and sprinted toward it.
“Wait, Lilia! I’ll go see what that was!”
Lilia stayed where she was.
She lowered her head, disappointed,
and watched Erein’s back for a moment as he ran away.
“Ren, what happened?!”
Erein’s voice boomed as he came in,
arms swinging with exaggerated urgency.
Ren, the fighter, looked up while brushing dust off himself,
face flustered.
“Senior?”
“Drop the ‘senior.’
We’re teammates now.”
Ren scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
“Ha ha… it still feels more comfortable.”
Erein gave a small, incredulous laugh and looked past Ren.
“…This is completely caved in.”
The floor had been punched deep.
Cracks spread outward, still holding the shape of the impact.
“Ah.”
Ren nodded.
“It’s a technique I’ve been practicing lately.”
“A new one?”
“Yes. I improved it a bit from what I showed you before.”
Erein followed the cracks with his eyes.
“…It’s a lot stronger than last time.”
He checked the gauntlets on his own hands once,
then looked back at Ren.
“Impressive.”
Ren looked down at the back of his hand.
A mana stone with a faint red glow
was embedded deep in the center.
Erein spoke.
“We got two spare pairs delivered.
We split them first—just you and me—as a test.”
Ren nodded.
“Yes.”
“If the performance is this solid,
I should make an official request soon
so the entire team can wear them.”
Ren’s eyes lit up.
His head snapped up.
“Wow… you really are incredible, Senior!”
“…There you go again.”
“And you’ve got high status!”
“And you’re handsome!”
“And your character shines!”
“And most of all, you’re thoughtful enough to care about the team like this—!”
“Hey, hey, stop it.”
Erein panicked and clapped a hand over Ren’s mouth.
“People are going to get the wrong idea!”
“Mmph… mmph…”
Ren struggled for a second, then calmed down.
Erein slowly pulled his hand away.
“…Anyway.”
He muttered under his breath.
“Seems the performance is reliable enough…
no matter who uses it.”
In the training hall under the lowering sun,
Erein stretched lazily.
His gaze drifted back—naturally—
to the red gauntlets on his hands.
