In a world where magic decides everything, the prestigious floating magic academy of Celestia is a battleground for gifted nobles and geniuses.
Lyra, 17, is a quiet girl who loves books more than people. She spends every day unnoticed in a corner of the library, reading. But Lyra hides an earth-shattering secret: she possesses a staggering magical talent no one at the academy knows about.
One day, Aiden, the academy's biggest troublemaker, accidentally witnesses Lyra's true power in the librar
The Invisible Throne of a Quiet Mage - The Night Before the Tournament, a Knight's Secret and the Judgment of Betrayal
The morning light blurred white against the window glass of the Biblio Arcana.
Lyra sat in her usual spot on the third floor, east wing. She unconsciously fiddled with the end of her long silver braid as she stared down at the open book in her lap. But not a single word entered her head.
*(The Library Witch)*
Ever since that day when she had erased the tornado, that nickname had spread throughout the academy. Students passing by would look at her, then avert their eyes. They whispered, deliberately loud enough for her to hear. *For a commoner...* *How creepy...*
Lyra gripped the page of her book with trembling fingers.
*(All I want is to just read my books...)*
The summons that had arrived at her room in the girls' dormitory yesterday remained lodged in her chest like a thorn. *Ability Measurement* — a formal magical inquisition attended by the academy council and professors. If she was measured, it would be over. She knew better than anyone just how terrifying her own power was.
A soft *tap* sounded.
Lyra looked up. From the shadow of the neighboring bookshelf, a girl quietly emerged.
Short, neatly trimmed ash-brown hair. Only the left side of her bangs was pinned back. Calm amber eyes that seemed to have erased all emotion. A thin old scar ran horizontally from her jaw to just below her ear. She stood with her back perfectly straight, her posture unwavering.
Edith.
A student from the knight division. Lyra had never spoken to her. No — she had barely even shared the same space with her. And yet, here she was, staring at Lyra's hands.
"Lady Lyra. Your hands are trembling."
Her voice was calm — neither too low nor too high.
"...Um, I..."
Lyra closed the book and placed her hands on her lap, as if to hide them.
Edith did not add unnecessary words. She simply watched Lyra with those amber eyes. It was not a gaze that sized her up. It was the eye of a well-trained observer, one that missed no small change.
"Let's move. There are too many people here."
"B-But... I'm fine here..."
"There's a place out of sight. The Floris greenhouse garden. I'm entrusted with its care after classes. I can at least offer you some herbal tea."
Edith began walking without waiting for Lyra's reply. After a few steps, she stopped and turned back. There was not a single wasted movement. Lyra hurriedly rose from her seat, as if afraid of being left behind.
――――
The Floris greenhouse garden was located at the western edge of Celestia Academy.
It was an enormous glass greenhouse for cultivating herbs used in magical pharmacology practicals. Even within the academy floating in the sky, this place alone felt heavy and humid. The scent of soil, the green fragrance of leaves. Lyra took a deep breath and passed through the gate.
Edith was already boiling water at a small wooden table in the corner of the garden. Ether mint leaves swayed gently inside the kettle.
"...It's so beautiful here."
At Lyra's murmur, Edith gave a faint nod.
"I boil it with fire magic. I can't guarantee the taste."
She poured the pale green liquid into a ceramic cup. Steam rose white into the chilly air. Lyra wrapped both hands around the cup. Warmth slowly spread through her fingertips.
She took a sip.
"...It's good."
"Good."
Edith prepared a cup for herself and sat down across from her. Her back remained perfectly straight.
"May I speak?"
Lyra nodded slightly, hiding her face behind the steam of her cup.
"My family is a fallen knight house, called 'fallen-leaf nobles.' My father lost our territory, and now I live on the outskirts of Orthaim with my younger siblings. To remain at the academy, I do odd jobs like this."
A matter-of-fact tone. A voice without emotion, as if merely confirming facts.
"For my siblings, I will become a knight. I will rebuild my house. I will do whatever is necessary for that."
She lowered her eyes to her cup. Her amber pupils wavered beyond the steam.
"A few days ago, in the library basement, I happened to see something."
Lyra's fingers twitched on the cup.
"The moment you made books float. It was an immense amount of magical power. If that were measured, it would be dangerous."
"...You saw that?"
"Yes."
Edith looked directly at Lyra.
"I sensed that malicious adults would target you. So I decided, on my own, to serve as your guard."
"My... guard?"
Lyra's voice cracked in surprise.
"Don't concern yourself. This is my own decision. Lady Lyra, you have no right of refusal."
"Th-That's..."
"I will cut down any scoundrel who approaches you. That is all."
She said it so matter-of-factly that Lyra was at a loss.
*(A guard... I don't need one. But—)*
Lyra placed a hand over her chest.
*(So this is what it feels like to be protected.)*
It was the first time in her life. The first time she had ever wanted someone to protect her. The first time she had ever wanted someone by her side.
Edith quietly stood up.
She gently placed a hand on Lyra's shoulder.
"If you need me, I will come. As soon as I am able to sense it."
Her hand was rough and calloused, but very warm.
"...Um."
"No reply is necessary."
For just an instant, Edith's lips softened.
――――
Night came.
Stars floated above Celestia Academy, and the lights of the surface town of Stellamund twinkled far below like orange grains.
The Gladius Arena lay sunken in darkness.
An oval outdoor combat arena. Seating capacity: twelve hundred. Designed with magical barriers protecting the spectator stands, it hosted practical drills and duels during the day. But now, no one was there.
In its center stood Aiden.
His messy, bright red hair swayed in the night wind. The freckles scattered across his face glowed faintly white in the moonlight. Old bandages wrapped both hands. Beneath them, countless scars from duels.
"...I can't focus at all."
He muttered.
*(Lyra's ability measurement is tomorrow. The academy council people are coming. Is she going to be okay on her own?)*
Aiden's green eyes gleamed sharply in the darkness.
*(It's because I saw her power. Because I made a fuss. Because of me, she—)*
His usual lightness had completely vanished. His voice was low. Only when he was serious did Aiden's voice become like this.
"I want the power to protect."
He snapped his fingers. Wind swirled up. But it vanished immediately.
"Damn it... it won't stabilize."
His magic core was unstable from birth. His magical power tried to rampage, ignoring his will. It resonated excessively with the surrounding ether particles and lost control. Aiden had always laughed it off.
*(This is no time for laughing.)*
Aiden clenched his fist.
"One more time."
He raised both hands and concentrated his magic. Wind swirled, and dust danced.
—At that moment, the arena's barrier flickered unnaturally.
"...Huh?"
The pale blue magical barrier sparked and crackled, then activated entirely from outside the wall. The entrances were sealed with curtains of light.
"Hey, what the hell is this?!"
Aiden ran toward the edge. But the barrier kept him trapped inside, its pressure building inward. That wasn't all. A low sound, like ringing in the ears, began to fill the entire arena.
"...Ugh."
Interference magic.
A malicious spell designed to disrupt consciousness and destabilize magical control. Aiden's magic core began to shake violently.
"S-Stop... it..."
A murky black light began leaking from his body.
――――
Outside the arena, at the top row of the spectator stands.
Several shadows stood there.
Morgan Valstein.
A tall, imposing man with silver hair swept back. Head of the Celestia Academy council. Patriarch of the great noble house of Valstein.
With cold eyes, he looked down upon the magical barrier glowing in the darkness, and the boy writhing within it.
"How fragile. A magic core, driven mad by a mere resonance."
Beside him stood several men in black cloaks. Noxgard — an elite magical combat unit privately employed by Morgan. Composed of former soldiers and bounty hunters, men with no local ties.
"Tomorrow's tournament. The moment that boy's match begins, activate the interference magic at full power. Make him detonate in front of the audience."
"At your command."
The man in black bowed deeply.
"The forbidden magic, Charis Ortum. That boy's magic core is the perfect vessel. If I make it detonate and condemn him as a rebel, no one will suspect my ritual."
Morgan's mouth twisted into a hard line.
――――
The next day.
The day of the Gladius Tournament.
The oval arena was filled with the heat of twelve hundred spectators packing the stands. Students, teachers, visiting nobles. Even nobles from the surface came to witness the famous duels of the floating academy.
Lyra stood in the shadow of a pillar.
Edith stood beside her. She wasn't supporting Lyra's arm — rather, she leaned against the wall just behind her, quietly watching their surroundings.
*(Aiden...)*
Lyra stared at the center of the arena.
Aiden stood there. His usual goofy grin was gone. He was strangely quiet. No — too quiet. His green eyes scanned the stands, and when they found Lyra, his lips softened just a little.
His opponent was a third-year noble. A fire-attribute user.
"...Here I go."
The match began.
The noble student launched a spear of flame.
Aiden countered with a blade of wind. The two spells shattered against each other, shaking the air. Cheers erupted. Lyra felt something stirring uneasily within her.
—Something was wrong.
Aiden's movements were stiff.
*(Aiden, just now—)*
His magical power was clouded.
With each exchange — three, four clashes — a black haze seeped from Aiden's body. The crowd began to stir.
"...Almost time."
In the VIP seats, Morgan muttered.
—That was the moment.
*DOOOOOOOOOM!!*
A massive shockwave exploded outward from Aiden's body.
Black-purple magical power, close to darkness, swirled like a tornado. The oval arena groaned as if screaming. The magical barrier protecting the stands shattered into pieces.
"""KYAAAAAAAH!!"""
Students screamed and fled in panic. Teachers rushed out, trying to deploy defensive magic.
But the detonation would not stop.
Aiden was on his knees on the ground, pressing down on his own body with both arms. His green eyes were wide open, his teeth clenched.
"Damn it... stop...! Get back inside!!"
He was shouting at his own magical power. Blood was seeping from his fingertips as he desperately tried to control it.
Lyra couldn't even scream.
*(I want to help him. Because he... he helped me.)*
He had protected her from the tornado. He had found her book secret amusing, but he hadn't laughed at her.
*(I have to go.)*
"Lady Lyra, do not move. We're falling back."
Edith slipped in front of Lyra, becoming a shield. Lyra stared at her back.
"—Everyone, listen!!"
Suddenly, a deep, resonant voice rang out from the VIP seats.
Morgan Valstein had risen to his feet.
"Just now, the academy's barrier records detected a spell reaction resembling the forbidden magic, Charis Ortum. Forbidden magic has been used within this academy. This is no mere adolescent outburst. —This is an act of rebellion aimed at overthrowing the academy!"
The arena fell silent.
"The student in question, Aiden, is to be detained as a traitor. Noxgard, forward."
From four directions around the arena, men in black cloaks appeared. Each carried magic-sealing shackles.
Teachers raised their voices.
"Lord Morgan, please wait! The investigation is still—"
"Investigation? Look at this detonation and tell me it was an accident? It is my duty to deliver judgment before the children of this academy are harmed."
The Noxgard seized Aiden's arms and twisted them behind his back.
The magic-sealing shackles clicked as they locked around his wrists. The shackles interfered with Aiden's magic core, forcibly draining his magical power.
"—Guh."
The strength drained from Aiden's body.
"Aiden!!"
Lyra screamed.
But no voice came out. Her throat seized up, and she coul
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