The Pane dining hall was filled with the fragrant aroma of freshly baked bread. Morning light streamed through the tall windows, mingling with the pale glow of the Aethera lamps to create a soft, warm atmosphere. "Ten cream puffs." 　Mash Burnedead said this over the counter. "[surprised]You again!" 　The renowned baker, Aunt Gerda, pressed a hand to her forehead and wailed. "[gentle]They're fifteen Rook each. That'll be one hundred fifty Rook. You really planning to eat all that?" "Yeah." 　Mash answered with his large, round brown eyes half-closed as usual. His black bob cut was neat, not a single bed hair out of place, his bangs trimmed straight across just above his eyebrows. His 174-centimeter frame was wrapped in the academy's white shirt and navy slacks, but since he couldn't use magic, he hadn't been issued a robe. He always wore them casually, like his own clothes. 　On the back of his left hand, there was no mark at all. 　In this world of Magna Solkia, everyone wielded magic using the magical element Aethera that saturated the atmosphere. Through the mark lines within their bodies, they took in Aethera, started fires, drew water, opened doors. But Mash had no such mark lines. 　One of the Markless, only three percent of the population. "[sad]Eating this much... are you sure your magic training's going alright?" "I can't use magic." 　Gerda's hands stopped. "[surprised]...Huh? You're Markless?" "That's right." 　Mash picked up one of the cream puffs piled high on the plate. (...Seems like that's all anyone ever asks me.) 　Mash thought as he chewed. Markless people can't use magic. So what? They've still got muscles, don't they? 　He rested his elbow on the table and gazed absently out the window. 　Spreading before him was the vast campus of Eadil Magic Academy. A boarding school located at the eastern foot of the Vergant Mountains in the central part of the Fortia continent. Roughly twelve hundred students. The Cresta dorm he belonged to was known for its free and open atmosphere, and the Pane dining hall was always lively. Thirty kilometers west of the campus towered Calm Peak, where the concentration of Aethera was abnormally high. A ten-minute walk to the gate town of Tirna. The cream puffs from the kiln at his favorite pastry shop, Liefe, were twelve Rook each—a little cheaper than here. (Well, these have more cream, so it's fine.) "...Are you listening?" "Yeah. Fifteen Rook." "[angry]That's not it! If you're Markless, finding a job, getting married—it's all going to be hard! You've got to care more about this!" 　Care? About what? 　Mash stuffed a second cream puff into his mouth and thought vaguely. A law called the Markless Emancipation Edict had been passed a hundred and twenty years ago, so discrimination was supposed to be gone. Sure, substantial prejudice still seemed deeply rooted, but muscles could handle anything. "Muscles are more durable and convenient than magic." "[sarcastic]...With those muscles, you're crushing the cream puff." 　In Mash's hand, the cream puff squished and collapsed. Cream dripped down to his wrist. "Controlling my strength is hard." "[crying]Just do whatever you want." 　The Orm Lecture Hall was a grand auditorium that could seat six hundred. On the ceiling floated a star chart powered by Aethera, its pale blue light slowly tracing constellations. At the lectern up front, the magic history teacher was reading from the textbook in a boring voice. "The Luminous Cataclysm. A great disaster caused by an Aethera rampage approximately three hundred and fifty years ago, with an estimated four hundred thousand casualties—" 　Mash sat by the window, eyes half-closed. (Why does it take so much trouble just to start a fire?) 　Beside him, a boy with blazing red hair slicked back was desperately running his pen across parchment. His glittering golden eyes were dead serious, determined not to miss a single word of the teacher's lecture. "[whispers]Mash, listen properly. Don't tell me later to show you my notes." "Dot, you're so diligent." "[angry]You're just way too laid-back!" 　Dot Barrett. A 176-centimeter classmate who belonged to Noble dorm. For better or worse, he was stupidly honest, and his emotions showed immediately on his face. Even now, his eyebrows were raised and his mouth was twisted into a frown. "But I heard it's because of the Luminous Cataclysm that the current magic management system was created." "[surprised]Don't suddenly say something serious." "I only listened to the opening." "[sarcastic]Stop pretending you understand from just that." 　The teacher's voice continued. "—The current Visal system was established eighty-five years after the Luminous Cataclysm. Visal is a title for advanced magic users certified by the Ministry of Magic, attained by only zero-point-three percent of the total population. The average annual salary is eight million Rook. To obtain it, one must pass a three-stage examination of written, practical, and ethical—" 　Mash's head was full of muscles. (Exams... can't you pass them with muscles?) 　Visal was all about handling Aethera. A Markless person could never become one. But for Mash, the simple question of "why can't I?" loomed larger than the fact that he "couldn't." "Dot." "[serious]What? I'm still in the middle of writing my notes." "Do you think you can become a Visal with muscles?" "[angry]There's no way you can, use common sense!" 　Dot's golden eyes sparkled with anger. (Common sense, huh.) 　Mash gazed out the window again. 　The Lava Forest visible in the distance was twelve kilometers southwest of the academy. A treasure trove of medicinal herbs, but deep within lived the Garmhaze—a magical beast three meters long. He'd defeated one with his bare hands before. (If I beat that thing, doesn't that make me Visal-level?) 　That was when it happened. 　BOOM. 　A heavy tremor, as if reverberating from the pit of the stomach, shook the entire lecture hall. "[scared]W-what was that?" 　The star chart on the ceiling flickered violently. The teacher clung to the lectern. "Everyone, please remain calm—" 　The next moment. 　From the gaps in the stone floor, black haze erupted all at once. It writhed as if alive, spreading throughout the classroom. "[scared]What is that?!" "[scared]Smoke! Is it a fire?!" 　Screams. The sound of desks toppling. The footsteps of students fleeing in panic. 　But Mash remained seated in his chair, staring blankly at the black haze. "Something's smoky." "[angry]'Something's smoky' isn't the point! Why are you so calm?!" 　The haze enveloped student after student. The bodies of those enveloped flashed with light. Some fell to their knees with pained cries. Others collapsed on the spot. 　Throughout the classroom of forty, bursts of light flared. "[scared]Mash... isn't that Lance and Finn?" 　Where Dot pointed with a trembling voice stood two male students. 　One was Lance, always characterized by an aggressive and arrogant attitude. The other was Finn, who had been clutching a textbook with timid, uncertain eyes. 　Both their bodies were being enveloped in light. "[crying]Ugh... aaaah!" "[scared]What is this... s-stop it..." 　Voices of agony. The light intensified, swallowing their forms completely. 　A few seconds later. 　Standing where the light had vanished were Lance, now unmistakably a girl, and Finn, also a girl. "[surprised]...Huh?" 　Mash tilted his head. "Did their vibe change or something?" "[angry]It's not their vibe, their bodies changed! Why are you the only one who's fine?!" 　Indeed, around Mash alone, the black haze swirled as if avoiding him. (...Man, it's smoky.) 　Mash stood up. 　And walked over to a nearby window. 　He stretched out both arms and grabbed the edges of the window frame with a firm grip. Beneath his uniform, the steel-like muscles no one knew about bulged. 　Creak. 　The window frame embedded in stone let out a shriek. "[angry]H-hey, Mash! What are you—" 　CRACK. CRACK. CRACK. 　The entire window frame was ripped out from the wall, roots and all. 　Stone fragments scattered, and outside air rushed in. The black haze rode the wind and was sucked outside. "Smoke is bad for your health, so I ventilated." 　The classroom fell silent. 　Even the collapsed students stopped their pained cries and stared at Mash, dumbfounded. Their faces showed they didn't know which to be more shocked by—the bizarre phenomenon or Mash's utterly unreasonable action. "[surprised]...Seriously, what the hell are you?" 　Dot's voice echoed strangely loud. 　Everything after that happened in a flash. 　Students in their transformed states were carried one after another into the Sail Medical Ward. Many still lay unconscious on the white beds. Those who had woken up screamed at the sight of their own bodies. 　The school physician, Doktor Bazen, flipped through medical charts with a grim expression. "...A Curse Mark Hex." "[whispers]Curse Mark... Hex?" "An ancient curse. It disrupts the target's mark lines, reversing their physical sexual characteristics and psychological tendencies. It's classified as a forbidden curse. Why would something like this..." 　Sweat beaded on Bazen's forehead. "There's something called the Seven-Day Fixation Law. If it isn't broken within seven days—that is, one hundred sixty-eight hours—the change becomes permanent." "[scared]Permanent... you mean they won't be able to go back?" "That's what it means." 　The color drained from Dot's face. (Seven days...) 　The only ones unaffected were Dot and Mash. Dot felt more unease than relief at the fact that he alone hadn't changed. (I'm the only one who hasn't changed at all... Can I even be of any use?) 　He clenched his fists tightly. "Dot." "[surprised]Huh?" "The cream puffs are still back at the dining hall." "[angry]Now is NOT the time for that!!" 　Mash blinked, puzzled. "I opened the window with my muscles, and I ventilated the room. So, next is cream puffs." "[crying]How can you be so laid-back... aren't you scared at all?" 　Mash tilted his head. "Scared of what?" "Everything! Everyone's been changed, and if we don't fix it within seven days, they'll stay like this forever!" 　Dot's voice trembled. His golden eyes wavered sadly. 　Mash stared steadily into those eyes. "If we've got seven days, we'll manage." "[surprised]...How can you say that so confidently?" "I'll manage it with muscles." "[sad]...It's a magic curse. It's not something you can fix with muscles." "You won't know until you try." 　Having said that, Mash looked outside the window. The sky, which had been so clear just moments ago, was now overcast before he knew it. (It was sunny just a bit ago.) 　He thought that, absently. "...Dot." "What?" "I'll give you half my cream puffs." "[surprised]Huh?" "Because you've got a kinda gloomy face." 　Dot fell silent for a moment. 　Then, he let out a small laugh. "...That's just like you." "Hm?" "Nothing." 　From deeper in the medical ward, someone's quiet sobbing could still be heard. 　From the hallway, hurried footsteps and the voices of teachers giving orders. 　Thus began the great incident that would shake the magic academy to its core.