SRS 133

“We’ll move to the barrier zone, so keep your eyes closed. It’ll be hard to endure.”

“What’s hard to endure?”

“The sight you’ll see during the space transfer? It’s a view seen by a god, so it’s only natural that a mortal like Yohan would find it hard to bear.”

Wait, a sight a god sees?

Yohan’s eyes went wide.

“…Is it really alright for me to join this ‘space transfer’?”

The headmaster answered in a tone that suggested the question was unnecessary.

“Of course it’s not fine. But I’m fine. I can defy minor restrictions. I haven’t held the headmaster’s position for this long for no reason.”

“……”

Yohan gave up hope that the headmaster would provide a normal explanation or story. He realized that questioning things would only give him a headache, so he quietly closed his eyes. The headmaster held Yohan’s shoulder and snapped his fingers.

Yohan felt worst dizziness he had ever experienced in his life torment his insides. It felt like his intestines were twisting and his viscera were changing positions. He couldn’t take it and passed out.

“We’ve arrived.”

The headmaster’s voice reached him, and the pain faded. Yohan carefully lifted his eyelids when the headmaster suggested that he could open them. The scene he saw was a sight he hadn’t witnessed since his admission.

The place Yohan stood was above the clouds. Or perhaps it was inside them.

The boundary between the top and the inside was unclear, but Yohan stood there with the headmaster. He could tell at a glance that he had soared to a very high altitude.

“This is…”

“It’s the barrier.”

The headmaster answered before Yohan could even finish the question and gripped Yohan’s shoulder tightly.

“Be careful. If you lose your hold on me here, even I can’t guarantee Yohan’s life. The boundaries split between the clouds. Below this might be Fantasiademia, or just a village in the Nameless Realm, or it could even be a forbidden area.”

“What’s a forbidden area?”

“Oh, didn’t you learn about it in class?”

“I didn’t.”

“That’s right. Education on forbidden areas is a common elective for second-year students.”

The headmaster agreed and added more information. Yohan narrowed his eyes out of habit and let out a sigh.

“Well, advance study isn’t bad. There’s no side effect to knowing early. Five major forbidden areas exist in the Nameless Realm. They’re regions created between dimensions where the layers’ connection is unstable, so even a god can’t intervene. But ‘can’t intervene’ doesn’t mean ‘unable to access,’ so we’ve periodically sent professors to explore them. As a result, we learned that each area has specific attributes and that you’ll be dragged to an unknown dimension if you lose your way. So we banned students and citizens, and they came to be called forbidden areas.”

Aha.

Yohan understood immediately thanks to the long explanation, and his mouth’s corners trembled.

So right now.

“Are you saying Mikael is in a place where he might fall into such an area?”

If the person weren’t the headmaster, Yohan would’ve screamed to ask if he was sane. Unfortunately, Yohan’s opponent was the headmaster, and he wasn’t sane either. Yohan felt heat boil in his head and noticed the headmaster’s light grew even brighter.

“That’s how it is!”

“……”

The cheerful answer was within expectations. Yohan gave up and looked ahead. If Mikael was in such a place, he had to help him as soon as possible.

“What should I do to save Mikael?”

“Over there, do you see the rift?”

Yohan moved his gaze along the headmaster’s fingertip. It was hard to see because the fog was thick, but he saw a mysterious light, either blue or gray, flashing in the distance.

“Is that light the rift?”

“Yes. I’ll take Yohan to a safe distance. Once the distance closes, Yohan should ask the divine beast to repair the rift.”

“How do I make the request?”

“Just wish for it. Yohan’s already the divine beast’s master.”

It was a doubtful explanation, but there was no other way. Yohan said he would do so and hugged the divine beast in his arms tightly. The headmaster moved Yohan closer to the rift. He caught a glimpse of a person near the rift once the distance closed.

“Mikael!”

He was using his power next to the rift. A single half-wing had sprouted from his back. Yohan realized what kind of power he used. He was horrified and struggled in the headmaster’s arms without realizing it. The headmaster held him tighter so he wouldn’t drop Yohan.

“Let me go!”

“Yohan. Don’t get excited. Don’t you have work to do?”

“……”

He saw Mikael struggle. His face was pale, and his hair was soaked with sweat. His hands were bloody, yet the headmaster was calm, so Yohan couldn’t help but hate such a divine being.

The headmaster surely knew everything. He knew Mikael’s identity and the punishment he faced. It was impossible for him not to know, since he was a god too. Did he bring Mikael here and force him to use divine power while knowing all that? Yohan felt unbearable irritation and called the divine beast. If the divine beast was what the headmaster wanted, and if it could help Mikael, he had to do it.

“…I want you to repair the rift. Can you do it?”

He held the divine beast up and looked at it in the eyes. As he asked, the pure white pigeon blinked and flew out of Yohan’s hands. Its beak touched Yohan’s forehead. At that moment, Yohan felt an unknown power, not divine power or mental strength, drain from his body.

“……!”

Yohan stumbled and fell forward. His eyes closed on their own. He seemed to have exhausted all his energy. He lost his balance and fell as if his soul had left his body. The headmaster supported Yohan and watched the divine beast’s movements.

The divine beast drew power from its contractor. It flapped its wings toward the rift, and hundreds of glowing feathers fell toward it. The strange thing was that the feathers were bigger than a gryphon’s, even though the divine beast was small.

The light touched the rift, and explosions erupted.

“Mikael! Get out of there!”

Yohan called Mikael because the loud noise startled him despite his blurred mind. Mikael, who was unleashing divine power with a tired face, looked up.

“…Yohan?”

“Cough!”

“Yohan!”

Yohan’s heart ached as the divine beast used its power. Red blood stained his mouth as he coughed in agony. Mikael’s pupils dilated when he saw this, and he kicked off the clouds and soared. The headmaster reached out with his free hand toward Mikael, who was struggling to stay aloft with his half-grown wing. Divine energy bound Mikael’s waist and guided him safely to Yohan’s side.

“Yohan, Yohan! Are you alright? How are you here… Don’t tell me…!”

Mikael checked on Yohan even though his own body was in bad shape. He glared at the headmaster. The Nameless One ignored the ominous energy and held onto the two students.

The sky shook from the continuous explosions. A fierce gale blew as an aftereffect, but it couldn’t reach the headmaster or the students. Yohan realized that the headmaster was protecting him and Mikael.

Who on earth was this man? What was that rift, and what kind of being was the divine beast? Why did the headmaster bring him and Mikael here? And why was Mikael here? There were too many unknowns. Yohan stared at the headmaster’s light, which didn’t even show a face. He felt the divine beast pull his energy again and fell sideways. He didn’t know if the person who caught him was Mikael or the headmaster.

“You’ve worked hard. The rift’s repair will remain as an achievement for you and Mikael. Don’t forget that only a corresponding good deed can wash away a sin, so keep moving.”

He heard a message that felt both kind and indifferent. Yohan sensed it was the headmaster’s voice and lost consciousness as he couldn’t endure the continued drain of energy.

***

I have to help with Mikael’s treatment…

That was the first thought that came to mind the moment he woke up. He wanted to open his heavy eyelids, but couldn’t. A mournful sound reached him from somewhere.

Coo, coo. Coo, coo.

The bird’s chirping sounded sorrowful. Something soft brushed Yohan’s eyes.

Yohan opened his eyes. A snow-white pigeon cooed at his bedside and touched his forehead with its wings.

“…Divine beast?”

He called the creature with a cracked voice. The divine beast fell backward in surprise, then it scrambled up and hopped around Yohan. It flapped its wings as it jumped toward Yohan and hugged his forehead.

Coo, coo.

The sad coo made Yohan feel like the creature was apologizing. He moved his heavy hand with difficulty and stroked its forehead. The events from before he fainted came back to him one by one.

Rift, divine beast, the headmaster, and…

“Mikael…”

He called him and looked around. This wasn’t Room 304. It was a strange place, and he gathered information about the new location as he blinked.

Creak.

“Oh, you’re awake already? Your recovery shouldn’t be complete yet, so your mental strength is quite impressive. Don’t worry about Mikael. I used my status to temporarily lift his divine punishment.”

The closed window opened, and the Nameless One entered the room with his glowing face.