How long had it been since he'd clutched that note? Keefree stood by the window of a cheap inn, gazing down at the still-dark streets of the royal capital, Grasfilia. The cobblestone roads were empty. The streetlamps' magic lights cast cold, white illumination. In his breast pocket, the blueprints Verteria had given him. The star-spire tower's schematics. The underground passage diagrams. Guard rotation times. Lookout blind spots. Every detail meticulously inscribed. *(Orugio.)* Just thinking the name made the seal on his back pulse with a gentle heat. Four days ago, since he'd been captured in that tower's underground dungeon — this heat hadn't faded. The permanent seal Orugio had cast — proof of a forbidden art that would never vanish — throbbed beneath his skin. *(Wait for me.)* Keefree threw on his coat. The pre-dawn chill filled the old inn's corridors. His footsteps descending the stairs echoed far too loudly. --- Behind the star-spire tower, there was a service entrance unknown to the public. The white monolith, 120 meters tall, gleamed dully under the starlight. Keefree pressed himself against the wall and held his breath. According to the blueprints, there should be stairs leading underground from here. An iron door. Locked. Keefree placed his right hand against it. He closed his eyes. Into the seal on his back, he poured his feelings. *(I want to save Orugio.)* Golden light spilled from his fingertips. *Creeeak...* The sound of metal warping. The lock's interior deformed, and with a click, it released. Keefree silently pushed the door open and descended the dark staircase. --- The underground passage was thick with damp air. Water seeping from the walls struck the stone floor in a steady rhythm. Only Keefree's footsteps, guided by the blueprints, echoed through the narrow corridor. *(Right here.)* The moment he rounded the corner— "[cold]Who goes there!" Two patrol knights. Their silver armor reflected the magic lights' glow. Staves in hand. Regular knights of the Seven-Pointed Council. Keefree stopped. His heart pounded painfully. Yet, strangely, he felt no fear. "[cold]Intruder! Restrain him!" The knights raised their staves. An incantation began. Keefree thrust both hands forward. *(Orugio — give me strength.)* The seal on his back blazed. His feelings transformed into heat, surging through both arms, concentrating at his fingertips. The sensation of magic, deliberately moved for the first time in his life. *(So this is—)* Golden light erupted from both hands. *BOOM!!* A shockwave tore through the passage. The two knights were slammed against the wall, the sound of armor crushing stone echoing. Staves clattered from their hands. They crumpled by the wall and lay still. "[whispers]...Hah... hah..." Keefree dropped to one knee. His whole body trembled. His control was still crude, and the shock had recoiled into his own body. But— *(I... used magic...)* Twenty-eight years ago, he'd been judged to have no magical aptitude. Ever since, he'd thought of himself as inferior. He'd never quite forgiven himself for being unable to use magic. But now. The light that had burst from his hands had undeniably repelled those knights. Keefree rose on shaking legs. Before emotions like joy or fear, a single, pure feeling — *I have to go* — propelled his body forward. --- The underground dungeon block was darker than he'd imagined. Torchlight barely illuminated the narrow passage. Dampness, the smell of iron. And a faint scent of blood. Following the blueprints, he stood before the target cell. Beyond the iron bars, darkness. Keefree placed both hands on the bars. The seal's light spilled forth again, and the metal groaned and warped. Creating a gap large enough for a person, Keefree slipped inside. On the stone floor, a figure. "[whispers]...Orugio." Silver hair lay disheveled, spread across the stone. Whip marks covered his shoulders and back. Dried blood clung to his shirt. His pale blue eyes were closed. *(I was too late.)* Keefree crouched down. He reached out. His fingertips touched Orugio's cheek. Cold. In that instant— Orugio's eyelids slowly opened. "[whispers]...Keefree." A hoarse voice. Dried blood at the corner of his lips. And yet, those eyes were unmistakably looking at Keefree. And then — he smiled, slowly. "[gentle]...I knew you'd come." Something deep in Keefree's chest clenched tight. Everything he'd been holding back for four days crumbled. His shoulders shook as he stifled his voice. Tears spilled over, falling onto Orugio's cheek. Keefree lifted Orugio into his arms. He felt the wounded body against him. Warm. Still alive. "[whispers]...Of course I did." His voice trembled. Orugio wrapped one arm around Keefree's back. His hand gently touched the spot where the seal was. "[gentle]...This place... it's been warm this whole time." Orugio whispered. "[gentle]It told me you hadn't given up. Thinking that... I could endure it too." Keefree couldn't say anything. He just tightened his arms around Orugio. The seal on his back grew warmer with their shared body heat. How long did they stay like that? --- Night broke. Through the star-spire tower's windows, the morning sun began to stream in. Supporting Orugio's shoulder, Keefree climbed the stairs from the dungeon to the first floor. Orugio's steps were heavy. But the light had returned to his eyes. As they emerged into the first-floor corridor, Verteria stood there. "[cold]Good morning. The petition for inquiry has been accepted." A short purple bob. Odd eyes of different colors — left red, right silver. The fourteen-year-old girl spoke in her usual composed voice. "[cold]The incorruptible faction councilors are gathering in the chamber. Councilor Drasven likely never imagined an inquiry would be petitioned. The real battle begins now." Keefree nodded. "[serious]...Let's go." --- The council chamber on the star-spire tower's first floor was a grand hall, impressive with its high ceiling and stained glass. Magical symbols were carved across the walls, telling the history of the Seven-Pointed Council. A round table stood at the center. Around it, dozens of councilors and observers had already gathered. When Keefree entered the chamber supporting Orugio, a murmur spread. "[angry]What is this!" Councilor Drasven rose, his corpulent body swaying. His cold, gleaming eyes glared at Keefree and Orugio. "[angry]Trespassers! And a forbidden art user, no less! Restrain them at once!" The knights moved to act — at that moment. "[cold]Hold, please." A white-haired councilor raised his hand. The leading figure of the incorruptible faction. "[cold]The petition for inquiry has been formally accepted. Detention in disregard of procedure will not be permitted." Councilor Drasven's face flushed crimson in an instant. Verteria quietly stepped forward and spread a thick stack of documents on the podium. "[cold]I will now present evidence of multiple criminal acts committed by Councilor Drasven." Her voice carried clearly through the vast chamber. "[cold]First, this is a copy of the bribery ledger for faculty and councilors within the Great Lecture Hall. The total sum: 1,200 gold coins. Next, testimonial memos regarding the human trafficking of apprentice magician girls. And—" Verteria held a single letter high. "[cold]A secret correspondence selling knowledge of seal magic to a military officer. The transaction amount: 2,000 gold coins. The exchange was scheduled for dawn the day after tomorrow." The chamber erupted. "[angry]Forgeries! All of it, forgeries!" Councilor Drasven pounded the table. But one councilor in the observer seats rose, his face pale. "[scared]...The ledger... this name... that's me..." With that single utterance, the atmosphere in the chamber shifted entirely. The murmurs turned to quiet fury. The knights surrounding Councilor Drasven took a step back. --- That was when it happened. From the back of the observer seats, a single girl stood up. Long, straight crimson hair. Burning golden eyes. A small flame-shaped earring on her left ear. It was Mirael. "[crying]...I was the one who informed on him." Her voice trembled. Everyone in the chamber looked at her. "[crying]I wanted Professor Keefree to notice me. So... I was jealous. I told Councilor Drasven... that Orugio was researching forbidden arts." Tears spilled from Mirael's golden eyes. "[crying]But I was only used. The councilor promised... in exchange for keeping quiet about it, he would arrange a military position for me..." Her voice dissolved into sobs. "[crying]I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Professor Keefree... Orugio..." Keefree looked directly into Mirael's eyes. It was the first time. The first time he'd looked into her eyes so directly. But — he said nothing. Before words, a quiet resolve that ending this situation was everything showed on his face. Mirael met his gaze and continued to weep. How much destruction had her twisted love wrought? She was accepting it now, in this place. Not complete repentance, nor forgiveness. But as her own resolution. --- "[angry]I've had enough!" Councilor Drasven shouted. "[angry]Knights! Terminate this session by force! Detain them all!" Armed knights began to move. In that instant— Keefree stepped forward into the center. Into the seal on his back, he poured all his feelings. The nights spent with Orugio. The lessons in the secret room. The warmth of the day their lips first met. And — the pain he'd carried for these four days, and the feelings he'd never abandoned. Everything. The seal shone gold. Through the fabric of his clothes, the symbol emitted a clear light. That light spread throughout the chamber, illuminating even the ancient magical symbols on the walls. A gentle, yet overwhelming light. Everyone froze. "[serious]The permanent seal is a formula that cannot activate without a heart that wishes to protect someone." Keefree's voice was quiet. Yet it reached every corner of the chamber. "[serious]It cannot be used for military purposes. Even if carved onto a soldier without such feelings, no power would be born. The Seven-Pointed Council sealed this as a forbidden art for 200 years — not because this power was fearsome." He paused, then said clearly: "[serious]It's because they couldn't monopolize it." The chamber fell utterly silent. The expressions of the incorruptible councilors changed. A murmur spread through the observer seats. "[cold]...I see. So that's what it was." The white-haired councilor nodded deeply. He stood and declared: "[serious]Councilor Drasven, you are to be detained immediately. An investigation will commence on suspicion of corruption, human trafficking, and illicit dealings in forbidden arts." "[angry]Wha— What—!!" Councilor Drasven's shout never finished. The incorruptible faction's knights restrained him and dragged him from the chamber. His corpulent body disappeared, hauled away. --- The emergency resolution was carried out swiftly. Orugio's arrest was annulled as unlawful detention without due process. His innocence was recognized, and the ban on related persons entering the Great Lecture Hall was simultaneously lifted. "[gentle]...It's over, isn't it." Orugio, his body wounded, placed a hand on Keefree's cheek. "[gentle]I won't run away this time." Keefree placed his own hand over Orugio's. "[serious]...Neither will I." In the corridor outside the chamber. In the space where they were alone, those words resonated with undeniable weight. After the inquiry, Verteria had received support from the incorruptible councilors to continue her research. She silently readjusted the stack of documents in her arms. It was the moment her resolve — to use knowledge for justice — was recognized by the outside world for the first time. Mirael left the chamber alone. Her back was small and hunched. But