New Chapter 16: "The Qualification of Rank One or the Despair of the Forbidden Archive"
The hospital room was filled with the quiet light of morning. The frenzy that had shaken the entire academy until yesterday‚ and the roaring sounds of magic that had vividly colored the final match‚ now felt like memories from a distant day.
Aria sat down beside the bed and gently wrapped the sleeping girl's hand in both of hers.
「……Iris」
There was no reply.
Her fingertips‚ cold as a stone sunk to the bottom of a winter spring‚ mercilessly pulled me back from the sweet intoxication of victory to the boundary of reality.
Beneath the lining of the left chest—the anti-magic fiber that Rinne had sewn in—the 'Ancient Heart Fragment (Artifact)' was quietly ticking with a warm amber rhythm (thump‚ thump).
However‚ when I glanced at the pocket watch at my waist‚ the blood-red digital display continued to count the girl's remaining life with cruel accuracy.
『85 days 10 hours 33 minutes』
One second. Another second.
No matter how much I tried to stand still‚ the world moved forward without mercy.
「……Even though I won」
The solitary mutter‚ which reached no one's ears‚ quietly dissolved into the white hospital room air.
I had defeated Solan. That absolute-zero silence should have been shattered by our gritty session. And yet‚ Iris still hadn't opened her eyes.
At that moment‚ there was a modest knock—kon—on the hospital room door.
「Pardon me」
The one who entered was Kotone. As usual‚ she was holding a hologram terminal‚ but the eyes behind her silver-rimmed glasses had completely hidden their usual carefree attitude and were instead tense and strained.
「The official results are out」
What she held out was a single thin metal card.
No larger than the palm of a hand‚ it featured geometric magic circles engraved in multiple layers on a silver-white background‚ with the academy's crest pulsing with a faint blue light at the center.
「Magic Ranking First Place‚ Authentication License」
Kotone quietly announced.
「In the kingdom‚ this is the only 'Absolute Key' that exists」
Aria accepted the license with her still white-discolored right hand from the lingering chill of absolute zero‚ somewhat hesitantly. The moment she touched it‚ the crest glowed strongly in response to the faint magic power in her palm‚ and a low‚ clear electronic tone echoed through the hospital room.
『Rank.1──Authentication Complete.』
「……So this is first place」
「Yes. And at the same time——it is the qualification to enter the deepest part of the Royal Magic Academy‚ the 《Forbidden Archive (Archive)》」
With those words‚ the air in the hospital room grew taut.
The Forbidden Archive. The nation's highest secret‚ accessible only to successive first-place rankers. The place where the 'truth' that the kingdom had hidden for hundreds of years lay dormant.
Kotone looked straight at Aria.
「Surely……everything will become clear there」
The way to save Iris. The reason why your body is breaking down into white. And——the true form of this mad world that it is hiding.
Aria once again gently grasped the sleeping Iris's cold hand with her whitened right hand. She took a small breath as if to confirm the heat of the heart fragment quietly pulsing at her chest‚ and stood up.
「……I'll be going」
Leaving behind only those short words of resolve‚ he quietly began walking toward the door that opened only for the first ranker.
Late at night.
When the entire academy had fallen into a deep sleep‚ Aria was walking through the silent corridors of the central tower. Outside the windows‚ a white moon faintly illuminated the academy's stone pavement. The hallway that had been filled with the lively laughter of students during the day now carried only the dry echoes of his own footsteps‚ stretching deeper and deeper.
Kon. Kon. Kon.
The footsteps marking a steady rhythm were the only thing telling him that he was still standing in reality.
A few steps ahead‚ Nagi walked without once looking back.
「……You're really taking me with you」
Aria muttered softly.
「You became first place」
Nagi replied flatly‚ still looking straight ahead.
「No one has the right to stop someone who has earned the qualification anymore」
Eventually‚ the two arrived in front of a massive elevator leading to the deepest underground part of the academy.
A heavy steel door engraved with multiple layers of magic seals. Normally‚ it was an inviolable area where an ear-splitting alarm would sound just by approaching within a certain distance.
Beside it‚ Kotone‚ who had arrived earlier‚ was operating her hologram terminal and looked up.
「Starting external analysis……」
Countless blue windows unfolded one after another into the dark space. Magic power waveforms‚ residue concentration‚ multi-layered barrier structure. A vast amount of analysis data began to flow all at once——and the very next moment.
『ERROR』
『ACCESS DENIED』
『UNKNOWN PROTOCOL』
All the blue screens switched to blood-red warning alerts.
「……No way」
Kotone gasped.
「My analysis magic (program)……was completely rejected」
There had never been a single barrier in this academy that she couldn't break through before. Even with her monstrous analytical ability‚ the Forbidden Archive's walls did not even allow "contact."
「So from here on‚ it's a world only for the first ranker」
Aria quietly muttered and slowly placed the silver license onto the authentication stand with her whitened right hand.
——Click.
With a small sound‚ the card's crest began to glow golden.
『Rank.1 Authentication... Confirmed.』
A low‚ clear mechanical voice echoed through the cold underground space. In response‚ the ancient magic circles engraved on the floor sent amber light racing along them one by one. Like giant blood vessels awakening from a long sleep‚ the pulsing light spread deep underground.
Z……t.
The thick stone wall that had been sealed for hundreds of years opened silently to the left and right.
Not even a cold wind flowed. What existed there was overwhelming silence.
No‚ that wasn't enough. The very concept of 'sound' had been completely deleted from this space.
Aria involuntarily held her breath. There wasn't even any ringing in her ears. Even the beating of her own heart felt terribly distant.
It was different from Solan's absolute-zero silence——it was an abyss that rejected life activities themselves. It felt as if he had stepped into a void cut off from the world.
Deep in the darkness‚ countless pale system logs flickered quietly like a starry sky. That cold light faintly‚ and like a dead person‚ illuminated Aria's whitened right arm.
A shiver ran down his spine.
This place was not a library that stored knowledge. It was a massive tomb that sealed away the 'sins' the world itself had continued to hide.
Unconsciously‚ Aria tapped her thigh with her index finger—ton‚ ton. It was a habitual gesture.
That small rhythm alone barely kept his ego‚ which was about to be swallowed by perfect silence‚ anchored to the side of reality.
Aria quietly inserted the silver license into the obsidian-like cold central processor.
——Click.
A small authentication sound fell into the soundless space. The next moment‚ the entire Forbidden Archive was dyed in a deep-sea-like pale blue light.
『Master Authentication Complete』
Floor‚ walls‚ ceiling. Geometric magic circles crawled up as if filling the entire field of vision‚ and countless pale particles of light danced into the air like stardust. Eventually they formed a single massive spherical hologram centered on Aria and began to rotate quietly with an inorganic driving sound.
『Top-Secret Designated Materials──Viewing Authority: Rank One』
Aria gasped at the text floating in the space.
And then——the first record that the kingdom had concealed for hundreds of years was unraveled.
---
【First Truth: "Short-Lived Species・Iris Project"】
「……!」
The bloodless text coldly recorded as data that beings called short-lived species carried the "system" of burning their lifespan as compensation for emotional magic from the moment they were born.
In the kingdom's magical theory‚ there was 'no' method to repair this flaw.
Only one possibility was mentioned——that only the 《Longevity Witch》 living on the top floor of the 'Tower to the Heavens' outside the world might have reached the theory to rewrite that fate of death.
「The……outside……world……」
A hoarse voice spilled from Aria's lips.
The way to save Iris had never existed inside this kingdom (box) from the beginning. There had been hope. But it had been carelessly left behind on the other side of an unreachable cage.
The spherical hologram continued to rotate quietly‚ unconcerned with Aria's despair.
---
【Second Truth: "Ancient Heart Fragments (Artifacts)──Total Number: Three"】
Aria involuntarily touched her own left chest. Beneath the anti-magic fiber‚ the amber catalyst pulsed with a faint heat‚ as if resisting the hologram's blue light.
There were currently three confirmed heart fragments in the world. Only one had been discovered within the kingdom—the one now in his chest. The remaining two were recorded as existing outside the Great Barrier.
「……Two more」
Hope and despair weighed heavily on his chest at the same time. If he collected all of them‚ he might reach the "Zero-Type" ensemble that could save her. But to do that‚ he would have to risk this life and travel to the ends of the world.
---
【Third Truth: "Boundary Gate Management Authority"】
Projected in the air was an image of a massive stone gate so tall it required looking up. Multiple layers of heavy sealing formulas. In the center‚ only a single line of text floated.
『Opening Authority──Rank One Only』
「So……it was me」
The reason no one in the kingdom could open the gate leading to the outside world was not due to total magic power or the presence or absence of talent. It was simply a matter of 'qualification.'
The door of despair that only Aria—who had defeated Solan and obtained this proof—could open.
And then——the final record slowly rose into the air.
---
【Fourth Truth】
What unfolded was a vast three-dimensional map of the entire kingdom. However‚ the moment his gaze shifted to its 'outside‚' Aria's breathing completely stopped.
「……Huh?」
The kingdom was not the world.
The hologram showed a vast‚ lifeless 【Gray Earth】 that rejected all life. In the middle of that gray sea floated a tiny circular barrier. That was the full extent of the kingdom they had been made to believe was "the world."
Like an isolated island floating in a sea of deadly poison.
No——it was a terribly small 【Terrarium】 isolated from the outside world by thick glass.
Outside that terrarium‚ countless silver-white forests stretched endlessly‚ and at the center stood a single massive tower piercing the clouds‚ quietly reaching toward the heavens.
Below the map was a single cruel line of text.
『Outside World──Ultra-High Concentration Residue Contamination Zone』
『Estimated Survival Time──Normal Humans: Approximately 3 minutes』
Aria was at a loss for words.
The world was not the kingdom. The kingdom alone had been cut off from the perishing world and sealed with a lid.
「Survival time……three minutes……」
The color completely drained from Aria's face‚ illuminated by the pale blue hologram light.
To save Iris‚ he would have to throw himself into the 【Gray Abyss】 where life would turn to stone in just three minutes.
An overwhelmingly huge and quiet despair slowly sank to the bottom of his chest within the silence of the Forbidden Archive.
---
The pale blue hologram slowly melted and disappeared into the abyss of silence.
Having witnessed the 【Four Truths】 of the world‚ Aria let out a deep‚ heavy sigh. The depths of his chest tightened with physical pain.
He had learned it. No——he had been made to learn it. The wisdom of this tiny kingdom (terrarium) was not enough to save Iris. Unless he confronted the very laws of the world‚ that girl's life could not be preserved.
He stared at his whitened right hand and quietly lowered his gaze——that was when it happened.
In the corner of the soundless space‚ he noticed a single old chair placed there alone.
It had no luxurious design or magical decorations. It simply told the story that someone had sat there for a very long time; only the leather on the armrests was unnaturally worn and faded.
「……This is」
As Aria was drawn closer‚ a small magic terminal embedded in the side of the chair reacted with a faint amber light.
『Browsing History Detected』
『Last Viewer──Solan Arclight』
A quiet mechanical voice echoed in the void. The moment he heard that name‚ Aria involuntarily gasped.
「Solan also……came here」
The moment his whitened fingertips touched the surface of the terminal‚ countless personal logs floated into the air. They were not official reports. They were the painful search history of a single boy‚ never intended to be shown to anyone.
『Search for ways to save the world』
──No matching data (NOT FOUND)
『Search for ways to completely stop residue contamination』
──No matching data (NOT FOUND)
『Search for ways to save the lifespan of short-lived species』
──Solution within the kingdom: Does not exist (NOT FOUND)
The inorganic strings of text lined up indifferently.
Hundreds of times. Thousands of times. Only the footprints of asking the same questions and being met with the same despair filled the screen.
Aria unconsciously bit his lip hard.
Solan had been searching. For a way to save this mad world. For a way to protect lives that would become sacrifices like Iris. For an 'absolute right answer' where no one had to be taken away.
But this tomb of silence had never once given him hope. It had only continued to thrust the same cruel answers at him‚ over and over.
——Does not exist.
——Does not exist.
——Does not exist.
Eventually‚ the last few short lines of a note quietly opened.
『Today again‚ no answer was found』
『A way to save the world』
『A way to save the people I care about』
『……Then』
『Just stop the hands of time (the world) entirely』
『That way——no one will have to lose anything more』
Aria gently closed his eyes.
His chest ached as if it were being torn apart.
「It was different……」
Solan had never wanted to coldly rule the world from the beginning. He had never wanted to hurt or discard people.
He had tried more seriously than anyone to save the world——and had reached this absolute despair faster than anyone else.
The only salvation he chose at the end was the 'absolute-zero silence' that froze everything and preserved it forever.
Aria gently placed his whitened right hand on the ice-cold armrest of the chair.
What reached his skin was a coldness like ice.
Yet deep within that coldness——the resounding echoes of the fierce solitude of a single young man who had sat here alone for hundreds of days‚ enduring despair‚ remained.
「……I'm sorry」
Whether those words were directed at Solan‚ whom he had fought‚ or at the world he could not save——even Aria himself did not know.
The Forbidden Archive gave no answer.
Only the empty chair that had lost its owner stood quietly in the light of the blue system logs.
By the time he left the abyss-like Forbidden Archive‚ the night had grown very late. There was no one in the academy corridors. Only the pale blue moonlight streaming through the windows quietly illuminated the empty stone pavement.
Aria walked slowly alone along the path back to his room.
When he lowered his gaze‚ the 'white' eroding his right arm had crept a few more millimeters toward his elbow. The sensation in his fingertips was terribly faint‚ and even the coldness of the night air he touched felt vague.
「……There isn't much time」
The pocket watch at his waist was blinking with a blood-red light. 85 days remaining. Only that cruel number kept him anchored to reality.
He returned to his room‚ closed the heavy door‚ and sat down on the bed.
On the desk were the scars of that fierce battle. The fragments of the ebony baton that had shattered in the final match——the remnants of solitude that Solan had gripped until the very end. Next to it‚ the silver-glowing first-place license. And the 'Ancient Heart Fragment' sewn into the lining of his left chest.
Aria gently covered them with his whitened right hand.
「……I wonder if I can really go」
Outside the kingdom. The sea of residue with a survival time of three minutes. The tower leading to the heavens. An immense journey to save Iris.
The more he thought about it‚ the more anxiety pressed on his chest‚ as if the ground beneath his feet might crumble.
It was then.
The heart fragment in his left chest pulsed faintly but surely.
——Thump.
——Thump.
It was less a heartbeat and more a beloved rhythm‚ like someone gently knocking on a door.
Amber heat overflowed softly from his chest. One particle‚ then another. Golden particles of light filled the dimly lit room like fireflies dancing in the night sky.
「……Eh?」
He instinctively reached out. The light swirling in the air slowly wove a single silhouette.
Golden hair translucent in the moonlight‚ a white dress‚ a gentle smile like spring sunlight——.
And then——.
「Geez‚ Aria」
Pop. The warmest‚ most familiar voice in the world burst in his chest.
「You're staring at the clock again」
「…………Iris?」
「You can't make such a dark face」
The girl puffed out her cheeks and gently landed in front of Aria. However‚ her figure was so faint that it let the moonlight through‚ and the spine of the bookshelf on the other side could be seen through her.
「W‚ wa……」
Aria reached out with trembling fingers‚ trying to gently touch that beloved cheek.
However——his fingertips passed straight through her outline without any resistance.
「……Ah」
Both of their movements stopped at the same time.
Iris smiled a little sadly‚ looking troubled.
「As expected‚ you can't touch me」
That fact gouged deep into his chest like a knife.
But the next moment‚ she placed both hands on her hips as usual and smiled a little proudly.
「But you know‚ I promised‚ right? I absolutely won't allow Aria to break alone」
That dazzling smile‚ so bright it brought tears to his eyes‚ was no different from that day.
He couldn't touch her. He couldn't embrace her. And yet——her soul was definitely here.
The threads of anxiety unraveled from Aria's eyes‚ and a smile naturally spilled out.
「……Yeah. Let's go together‚ Iris」
「Of course!」
The girl nodded vigorously with a full-faced smile.
At that moment‚ within the silent room‚ the amber rhythms emanating from both of their chests——awkwardly but surely overlapped.
——Thump.
——Pop.
It was still just a tiny dissonance.
However——it was the definite 'first beat' of the immense journey to save the world.
---
New Chapter 16: "The Qualification of Rank One‚ or the Despair of the Forbidden Archive"
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