Abnormal Type-Moon

Julis immediately saw the light arrow shooting toward her after Roy's warning. She quickly tilted her head aside and narrowly dodged the sneak attack by mere millimeters.

From the bushes, a short, stout shadow flashed past. Missing the strike, it tried to escape.

"Attacking me again and again? Not this time!"

Julis's anger flared up instantly as she took off chasing the shadow.

Roy watched Julis's departing figure with a slightly complicated expression.

Did she not worry at all about walking into a trap?

Or did she think her skill and courage made losing impossible?

Ahead, Julis followed the shadow into a grove of trees.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind swept through.

A spinning axe came flying from the side of the forest, hurtling fiercely forward. Its rotating path cut through trees like paper, seemingly capable of smashing through even concrete walls.

"Bloom, Anthurium!"

Julis reacted just in time, waving her hand to summon a huge shield of fire before her.

The spinning axe slammed directly into the fiery shield, holding for a second before breaking through and continuing toward Julis. But in that moment of hesitation, she stepped aside from its trajectory.

However, while the axe held her attention, the shadow had already vanished.

Julis searched around the axe's direction for a while but found nothing. Finally, she returned and pulled the axe embedded in the ground out.

"Didn't catch them, huh?"

Roy's voice came from behind.

"There are clues, though. This axe is taller than me; hardly anyone at school can wield a weapon this big."

Julis held the axe upright—its blade was even above her head, clearly nearly two meters tall.

"To wield a weapon like this and break through one layer of my Anthurium—that person's arm strength is extraordinary. I couldn't find a second like him in the entire Seidoukan Academy."

Julis's usually clear expression darkened slightly.

Roy only had to think a moment to know who she meant.

"That was the explosive battle axe, Lester?"

"That's right. His arm strength is top-tier in the entire Seidoukan Academy. But he relies too much on brute strength and struggles against witches and magicians' abilities, which is why he lost to me."

Julis nodded but looked a little puzzled.

"It's just... this is a bit strange..."

"You mean, using that axe for a sneak attack would expose his identity too much. Lester wouldn't be that stupid, right?"

"Exactly."

Julis stared at Roy, surprised.

She didn't expect him to make the same judgment after just one meeting with Lester.

"Lester is indeed hot-headed, but he's no fool. He should at least know to switch weapons during a sneak attack."

This attack basically shouted suspicious in big letters.

"Follow me."

Roy nodded noncommittally and started walking toward the forest exit.

"Where are we going?"

Julis paused.

"To find the culprit."

Roy stopped and glanced back.

"Of course, if you don't want to, we can set off now, part ways, and forget it."

"You know who the culprit is?"

Julis hurried to catch up, eyes wide in surprise.

"You've only been here a few days, but you know the people so well?"

"Of course not. I only know the people I'm interested in. I don't even bother learning the names of those I'm not."

Roy casually shook his head.

"But actually, I'm a magician. I have abilities like tracking!"

Among the Genestellar generations, some people can connect their bodies with the omnipresent elements in the air, manipulating prana to cause changes in the elements—doing magic just like in fantasy stories. These people are called "magicians" if male, and "witches" if female.

They are extremely rare, making up less than 5% of the Genestellar, but their abilities vary wildly—commonly controlling fire or ice, rarely healing or detecting, and so on. These powers can appear in witches and magicians alike.

For example, Julis herself is a witch who can control fire.

"You're really a magician…"

Julis was momentarily stunned, a faint bitterness appearing on her face.

That terrifying speed alone was enough to make Roy stand out among tens of thousands of Genestellar students at the Asterisk City, and with his magician abilities on top of that, his strength was far greater than she had imagined.

Someone like him, after all, probably still looked down on her.

"That's right, I'm a magician. Actually, I personally prefer the term 'magus.'"

Roy nodded seriously.

He really was a magician; he wasn't lying to her.

"If we catch the culprit, dinner's on you tonight. Deal?"

"That kind of reward is way too easy…"

Julis sighed somewhat gloomily, but for Roy this was probably just a trivial matter. She didn't say more and quietly filed that favor away in her mind.

At the outermost edge of Asterisk city are six schools arranged like the six points of a hexagram, resembling snowflake tips.

Walking out from the school leads to the outer Harbor District.

Though the Harbor District lies between the school and the city, it was almost completely deserted—only countless androids transporting goods passed through, and even the freight trains were driverless. Normally, almost no one ever came here.

As night gradually fell, a cold wind with a hint of chill blew in from the sea.

Roy led Julis into the Harbor District, quietly without alerting anyone, and stopped in front of a warehouse.

In the sky, a bird flapped its wings and landed in Roy's hand.

"Looks like this is the place."

Before Julis could get a clear look at the bird's shape, it vanished from Roy's hand.

What kind of ability does this guy have, anyway?

A flicker of doubt passed through Julis's mind before she refocused on the matter at hand.

"A warehouse in the Harbor District? Do people usually hide in places like this?"

"What if it's not a person?"

Roy said as he stepped forward.

He reached out and drew a rune that blocked light in a place Julis couldn't see. Before she even noticed, the two of them had entered optical invisibility.

Only then did Roy push open the warehouse door.

"So it is..."

Inside the warehouse were stacks upon stacks of androids—all humanoid.

Some were short and stout, some tall and slender, and others were heavily built. There were countless androids, all fitting one of these three body types.

Crucially, each android held a Lux weapon.

The short, stout androids wielded bow-shaped weapons.

The tall, slender androids held pistol-shaped weapons.

The burly androids carried giant axe-shaped weapons.

Compared to a chaotic mass, these androids clearly resembled a well-organized military force.

"Those attacking me weren't humans, but these androids?"

Only now did Julis realize, her expression turning angry.

If it had been the real culprit attacking her, she might have complimented their guts. But attacking with androids, then trying to frame others using their body shapes and weapons—that was so despicable, even with her princess's composure, she felt like cursing the culprit.

***

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