The Admission Letter

"Hm."

I looked down at the cup in my hand.

It was shattered.

It broke again.

I swallowed a sigh. How long would it take for this to feel normal? Six years had passed since my power first awakened at fourteen. In that time I'd broken countless cups and obliterated countless objects. A careless grip had snapped door handles clean off, and walls I merely brushed against had burst apart like they were made of paper.

At first, I assumed I simply had poor control over my own strength. So I tried. I eased up. I was more careful. I focused on my fingertips. I moved slowly.

And the result was always the same.

Cracked. Broken. Shattered.

Worse, it only grew more severe as time went on. In the beginning, I could get by as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠long as I was careful around wooden objects. Then I had to watch out for anything made of iron. These days, I could only move like a normal human being if I wore the full set of Suppression Gear the family had provided for me. Even so, holding a single cup without incident was no easy feat.

I stared down at the shards that had once been a cup.

It was the same every time. Pick up the cup. Apply the slightest pressure to my hand. Crack. Crash. The end.

"……"

Haah. I sighed inwardly and bent down, and just as I moved to clean up the fragments scattered across the floor—

Knock, knock.

Someone rapped at the door.

"Young master."

I abandoned the mess and rose to my feet.

"Come in."

At my word, the door swung open. A servant of my house—the ducal House of Arden—stepped inside, bowing his head in respect the moment he crossed the threshold.

"I have news to deliver, my lord."

"What is it?"

"Your admission letter from the Imperial Valterion Academy has arrived."

Ah. So it finally came.

The Imperial Valterion Academy. The starting point of the story the mysterious figure had told me about, burned into my memory. The place where this world's principal characters would gather. The place the eyes of the Calamity Sacred Assembly—this world's main villain organization—were fixed upon. If the tale the mysterious figure told me hadn't been warped along the way, a great many things were about to happen there before long.

While I was mulling this over, the servant continued.

"Also, the head of the house has summoned you."

"Now?"

"Yes, my lord."

I glanced at the cup fragments on the floor. I should clean them up. No—forget it. If Father was calling, I needed to go immediately.

"Understood."

I nodded to the servant. Ah, before I go.

"Please clean this up for me."

I asked him to take care of the cup shards.

"Of course, my lord."

The servant bowed and stepped aside from the door. Before leaving, I took one last look around the room. My sanctuary, where I'd lived since I was fourteen. Once I went to the academy, I wouldn't be able to enjoy this kind of quiet life for a long while. But there was nothing for it. Only by going to the academy could I get my chance to root out the Calamity Sacred Assembly, wherever it was hiding. And there was something else, too—a way to control this power of mine, which was still growing even now. With those thoughts in mind, I headed for the castle.

The moment I arrived at the castle, I was escorted straight to my father's office. I opened the door. Father was seated at his desk, and his eyes lifted from the documents to me.

"So you've come."

"Yes."

I stepped inside and took a seat. Maximum caution. Even more careful than I'd been at the cabin. As if in answer to that effort, thankfully, the chair did not break.

Father studied me for a moment. His gaze ran over my body first, checking each piece in order. Neck. Wrists. Waist. Legs. And finally the coat. The Suppression Gear fastened at every point of my frame. By now, the sequence of his inspection was familiar to me. I relaxed my strength without even thinking about it. However sturdy the chair beneath me might be, if I didn't stay this mindful, it would fall apart in seconds—so caution was the only option.

Father held out a letter.

"Your admission letter."

The seal was already broken. He'd read it ahead of time, it seemed. I took the letter, bearing the crest of the Imperial Valterion Academy, as befit correspondence from the academy itself.

I read it. The contents were simple.

Et cetera. To condense it: This is a notice. You WILL enter the academy!

"……"

Absurd. Weren't academy stories supposed to go, "Please enroll. Enroll at your own discretion"? But this place was all, "You are nobility, therefore you MUST attend the academy. Report without fail!"

What is this, the army?

…Then again, maybe it wasn't that far off. Ugh. I sighed inwardly and set the letter gently down on Father's work desk.

Father asked then.

"Kairen. Are you certain you must go?"

"Yes."

I answered without a heartbeat's delay. At that immediate reply, I saw Father's brow tighten ever so slightly.

"Considering your condition, it will be no simple matter."

I didn't answer.

"Even now, you can barely live a normal life wearing all that equipment."

"Yes, that's true."

It was inconvenient, no question about it.

"There will be many people your age at the academy."

"Yes."

I'd have to be careful not to cross paths with any of them.

"A single mistake could leave someone gravely injured."

I looked at Father for a moment. He wasn't wrong. Crowded places were dangerous. For me, especially so. Someone merely bumping into me could end up seriously hurt. That was why I'd avoided people from the age of fourteen—my family, the servants, the soldiers, and the townspeople alike. I sought out places where no one was to be found, and eventually wandered beyond the Northern Wall itself. I built a cabin there and lived in it.

At first, it had been a choice made so I wouldn't harm the people around me. But then something funny happened. Monsters began to swarm toward the wall, and I stopped them. Once. Twice. Dozens of times. And then, at some point, the soldiers of the North started seeking me out—even on days when no monsters came down. They came to say things like, "Guardian, we thank you for today as well."

I found it strange. I had tried to avoid people, and instead, people had come to lean on me.

But the academy—there, I absolutely had to go. There were many reasons. Things I needed to confirm. Aria Bellot, the protagonist of this world. The Calamity Sacred Assembly, hunting that very protagonist. I had to verify how faithfully the future of this world—the one the mysterious figure had described to me—was playing out as told. I wanted to minimize the damage if I could, and above all, if I didn't go, there was nothing I could do at all. What kind of person was Aria Bellot, really? And how could I control this power of mine, so prone to hurting those around me? I had much to gain, which was why I had to attend.

I could only feel guilty toward Father, who knew nothing of what was in my head.

Phew. Father let out a short breath and asked again.

"You still cannot tell me why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you must go to the academy?"

"……"

It wasn't that I didn't want to tell him. Long stretches of speech were simply difficult. I wanted to explain everything, but whenever I tried to string more than a few words together, my throat seized up ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and the sentence cut off, clean as a snapped thread. Apparently, the price of my tremendous power had been a shortened tongue. It was an utterly ridiculous penalty, honestly. It felt unjust, if I was being frank. My strength was so overwhelming I'd been forced to live alone outside, and now it had even robbed me of my words.

Hm. I let out a short breath. I'd tell him as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠much as I could.

"I have no certainty."

Father's eyes narrowed.

"But I must go."

A brief silence. I held Father's gaze.

"Please understand."

Father said nothing. For a long while, he simply looked into my eyes, and I did not look away. After a time, he spoke with a short sigh.

"Will you not regret it?"

"No."

Staying home would be the real regret.

"It will be difficult. That much is certain."

"I'll endure it."

I could bear it well enough. I always had so far.

"People may come to fear you."

"That's fine."

I was already used to those kinds of looks. The eyes of people seeing me for the first time had all been that way. Which left me only one thing to say.

"I'll be careful."

"Hm."

Perhaps he found conviction in my certainty—a faint smile touched the corners of Father's mouth. And when that smile faded and his usual stern expression returned—

"Very well."

In the end, he nodded.

"Thank you, Father."

"It's nothing."

Father gazed out the window for a moment. Then he murmured, low and almost offhand,

"…Do not push yourself too hard."

A smile rose to my lips. The warmth of his concern spread through my chest. I rose quietly from my seat and bowed my head to Father in thanks for his worry.

"I will be careful. Truly."

"Mm."

Just as my conversation with Father drew to a close—

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked at the door, and it swung open almost immediately after.

"Father."

The one who entered was Lucian Valkart von Arden—my older brother. He was striding into the office when he spotted me and stopped short.

"There you are."

"Hey, Lucian."

Lucian came over to my side.

"You've seen the admission letter, right?"

"Yeah."

Tap, tap. Lucian gave my shoulder a couple of light pats.

"My little brother's already old enough for the academy, huh."

Wearing a face that mingled reluctance with pride, Lucian continued.

"You don't know anything about the academy, do you?"

"Nope."

Lucian let out a soft laugh.

"Yeah, that's so you. Well, no need to study up on it in advance—you'll learn everything once you're there anyway."

"Mm."

"You're worried sick about running into people, aren't you? Don't fret over it too much. The academy isn't exactly cramped."

"Mm."

Oh. Is that so?

What a relief that the academy was spacious.

"Glad to hear it."

That's an older brother for you, I supposed—he'd picked up on what I liked in an instant. Lucian nodded with satisfaction.

"Send word if anything happens."

"Will do."

"And if the academy turns out to be a drag, come straight home."

"Okay."

Tap. Lucian patted my shoulder once more, then met my eyes.

"Don't worry about the North. Things run just fine here even when you're away."

"I know."

I wasn't worried. I knew exactly how strong Father and Lucian were.

"And let me say it once more."

Lucian broke into a wide grin.

"If you ever want to come back, come back anytime. This place—the North—is your home."

Warm words. And the feelings behind them were warm as well. I gave a small smile and nodded.

"I know."

"Good. Knowing is enough."

Lucian stepped back.

"Safe travels."

"Thanks."

Father looked at me as well.

"Mind yourself on the road."

"Yes, Father."

Having said our goodbyes, I left the office at once.

"Young master, your luggage is here."

He'd prepared it in advance, then. I accepted the pack the servant handed me and slung it over my shoulder. Ah, right. Come to think of it—

"Where's Mother?"

Where had she gone? The servant answered without missing a beat.

"She is out hunting, my lord."

"In the Demonic Realm?"

"Yes."

So she'd gone beyond the wall again. A little disappointing, honestly. Of all days, today she could have shown her face at least once. Well—my feelings said one thing, but my reason understood perfectly. Aside from me, Mother was the strongest in the entire family. When a powerful monster appeared, she was the only one who could answer the call.

"Understood."

I'd have to send a letter from the academy. I bid the servant farewell for his trouble and stepped out of the castle.

As I made my way toward the main gate, the servants and soldiers greeted me along the way.

"Young Master Kairen, safe travels!"

"Make lots of friends while you're out there!"

"Young Master, go enjoy your youth!"

Familiar faces, all of them. The same people who had often visited the cabin I'd built. I gave them a light bow, and they bowed back in return. Some smiled. Some wore expressions of quiet reluctance. Watching them, my footsteps refused to move as quickly as I'd expected.

I stopped. I turned around.

The castle of the North. Our home. The familiar scenery. The place where I'd been born and raised. And in the distance, the Northern Wall rose against the sky. Somewhere beyond it sat my cabin—the view that greeted me every morning when I opened my eyes. The place monsters prowled, yet quiet enough that I'd come to love it. I could hardly call my life an ordinary one. Even so, it had been a comfortable place for me.

That was enough sentiment for one day. I picked my steps back up. I wasn't leaving forever. I could return whenever I wished.

A carriage waited beyond the castle gate. The luggage the servant had packed wasn't much: a few of the books I loved to read, a change of traveling clothes, the well-worn tea set I favored, and the Suppression Gear I could not do without to save my life.

The coachman opened the door. I climbed in. Before he closed it, I looked back one last time. People had gathered near the gate. I could see Father and Lucian among them. I looked at them for a moment, then bowed my head.

I'll be back safe and sound.

I sent the thought their way.

The coachman asked, "Shall we depart?"

I turned forward.

"Go."

With a clatter, the carriage lurched into motion. The wheels rolled slowly forward. The castle walls receded little by little, and the scenery swept past in a blur. I gazed out the window.

Imperial Valterion Academy. Aria Bellot. The Calamity Sacred Assembly. The story I remembered. How much would change, I wondered? Would events unfold exactly as I'd been told? Or would an entirely different tale play out before me?

I had no idea.

But one thing was certain.

I had to go. I had to see it with my own eyes. And if at all possible—

Without a single person getting hurt.

I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes for a while.

"Hm."

The carriage rolled steadily onward—

toward the Imperial Valterion Academy.