There are attributes to mana.
While playing the game, you’ll naturally come to understand these attributes, but for a ‘mana pragmatist’, how you utilize that mana is more important than the attributes themselves.
What kind of miracles can you produce using mana?
Rather than studying mana itself, many people have focused on using it to kill demons or make daily life more convenient, which has led to the development of magic engineering and, consequently, the advancement of human civilization.
Thanks to magic engineering, magic trains operate in this world, people wear wristwatches similar to smartwatches, and though the phones are a bit large, long-distance communication is possible.
The few who care about the attributes of mana tend to do so when the ‘compatibility’ of their own mana becomes critical at a certain moment.
For instance, if your mana has the fire attribute, you might struggle significantly against an opponent with a water attribute.
Angels possess 99% resistance to the seven attributes of mana used by humans on the surface.
If a skill normally deals 100 damage, angels reduce it by 99%, leaving only 1 point of damage.
When players first encounter angels in the game, they are often bewildered.
— What are you supposed to do if they resist all seven attributes?
Whether you scorch them with fire, impale them with ice spears, conjure gusts of wind, trap them in the earth, hurl light orbs at them, send dark spears flying, or attack with illusions, the damage always amounts to just 1.
There are three main ways to deal with these angels, beings from the heavens who wield mana of a higher order than the inhabitants of Earth.
First.
— If you can only deal 1 damage at a time, why not just keep attacking until they die?
Relentlessly bombard them with attacks until they perish.
This is theoretically possible, and some players have actually cleared the game this way.
But it’s incredibly inefficient.
Grinding like this is tedious even in a game, where you can invest time, but in real life, you’d be walking a tightrope with death at every turn while barely inflicting 1 damage per attack.
And if, like Angelica, they possess regenerative abilities?
You’d have to find another way.
Second.
Attack them with mana that doesn’t correspond to the seven attributes they resist.
There are various approaches to this, but typically this involves using powers from ‘non-human’ entities.
For example, the power of spirits or magic beasts.
Or you could remove attributes altogether or balance them, like Yunia does.
— If there is resistance to attributes, can’t you just balance them so no specific attribute manifests?
This is one of Yunia’s lines in the game.
It reminds players of an iconic line from a famous painter named Bob, but through this line, players learn how to conquer angels.
In the case of expressing mana, all seven types of mana are used.
You can create magic by evenly matching the mana of all attributes without any shortage or excess.
In the game, this is referred to as ‘non-attribute’ mana, though players often call it ‘universal attribute’ since it doesn’t exploit weaknesses but consistently deals 100% of the damage.
The third method involves using a power that erases mana itself.
Though angelic power—divine power—is said to differ fundamentally from the mana humans use, it’s still derived from mana. Therefore, a force that nullifies mana itself would render them powerless.
That’s right.
With the power of the [Azure Flame], even beings composed of divine power—such as angels—can be eradicated.
That’s why the angels react so sensitively when the [Azure Flame] appears on Earth.
So here’s the question.
During the incident in Habsderk 10 years ago, when Rattatosk was vanquished, if the power of the [Azure Flame] appeared and that’s why the angels intervened…
Why has an angel appeared now, possessing Angelica?
This can be answered within the main storyline.
“It might be… that the angels are the reason I came to the Academy.”
With Yunia’s words, what many dismissed as mere legend starts to take root in people’s minds as something that might come to pass, marking the beginning of the main story.
“In the year 1000 of the Continental Calendar, humanity shall perish.”
“That’s…!”
“It’s an ancient prophecy foretold by the [Grey Witch].”
The prelude to the destruction of humanity has opened.
That is the prologue of this game.
* * *
[A little later, in the lounge of the Old School Building.]
“…There shouldn’t be any major issues, right?”
“There will be many problems, but at least for us, I don’t think there will be any major issues.”
I returned to the Old School Building with Yunia.
Or rather, we were forcibly escorted to the lounge by the instructors of the Old School.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“You’ve told me so many things, Phoenix, but I ended up keeping so many things hidden from you.”
Yunia fidgeted with her fingers and lowered her head deeply.
“Even when it comes to subduing that angel….”
“It’s no big deal.”
“What?”
“Miss Yunia, have you forgotten?”
I pointed to my eyes.
“I’ve already told you about it. Isn’t that enough?”
Future Sight.
“Oh! That’s right. Then—”
“That’s enough.”
Yunia, her voice brightening, started to speak louder, so I reached out and pressed a finger against her lips.
“There are too many ears listening. Or rather, someone might be watching right now.”
“…”
I subtly pointed toward the corner of the ceiling. A magic stone-powered fluorescent light was softly glowing with mana—something that hadn’t been there the first time we came to the Old School Building.
“Unless we set up some kind of barrier, someone will always be watching and listening wherever we go. This is hardly our private room.”
“…That’s a bit unsettling.”
Yunia smiled bitterly.
“Think of it positively. If you look at it another way, it means that the Academy is always watching us, so if we ever face a crisis, help will come quickly.”
“What kind of crisis?”
“Like if you left your wallet in your room, you could ask the person watching to lend you money and solve the crisis that way?”
“…That’s oddly trivial but an effective solution.”
Yunia reclined on the sofa.
“What do you think will happen to Angelica?”
“I’m curious about that too.”
“You don’t know?”
“Someone covered my eyes, so I couldn’t see what happened.”
I mimed covering one eye with my hand and winked with the other.
“Oh, that’s… Um, I see.”
Yunia glanced around cautiously and then reached toward her stomach, drawing a small circle just below her chest with her fingers.
A gesture signaling she understood. It was the blind spot of the surveillance camera embedded in the ceiling.
“Given the situation, do we have no choice but to wait for word from the Academy?”
“You don’t need to wait.”
The door to the lounge opened, and Ludmila entered with Evangeline.
“Are you both alright?”
“Yes. I wasn’t injured. As for Evangeline….”
“The teddy bear can be replaced. Since no one got hurt, it’s fine.”
Neither of them seemed to have any major issues. At least outwardly.
“Whew, really.”
Evangeline plopped down on a solo sofa, looking over at Yunia.
“…The special admission student isn’t a special admission for nothing. Turns out she might be the disciple of the [Great Sage] or something?”
“My master was a grandmother, not a grandfather.”
“Or maybe you’re the disciple of the [Grey Witch]?”
“…I told you, my master was a grandmother.”
Officially, the Grey Witch is a beauty with long, silver-gray hair.
She sometimes changes her appearance to look like an old woman or even changes her hair color entirely, so Yunia doesn’t realize that her master is actually the Grey Witch herself.
“Even if there’s some connection, I’d be just a very distant junior. The successor of a great hero wouldn’t be struggling in some remote area, barely getting by… Ahem.”
Yunia cleared her throat, cutting off her words.
“More importantly, what happened outside?”
“All students have been sent home. The Dean of Academic Affairs personally made each student take an oath.”
“An oath?”
“Yes. They’ve sworn to keep quiet about today’s events. The story being spread is that Angelica was severely beaten by the Old School students as a result of the attack on the Old School Building.”
Ludmila made a gesture of thrusting a spear into the air.
“They’ll be told that Angelica was beaten so badly by the cold winds of the north that she lost consciousness. That’s the story for the other students, and it’s the same for the staff.”
“And going forward, unless there’s an exceptional situation, we won’t be allowed to leave the Old School Building. Especially you two.”
Evangeline pointed back and forth between Yunia and me.
“Especially Miss Yunia. By tomorrow, I bet the instructors coming to the Old School will be all over her.”
“Why?”
“Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it? Yunia has essentially presented a new discourse on mana.”
Some might call it the discovery of an 8th attribute, while others might view it as groundbreaking research into the source of mana.
“Instructor Kadisha is already eager to dive into researching mana. As for Instructor Esta…”
“She’s likely on guard duty and training. That’s what I’d like to do as well.”
Ludmila added, extending her hand forward.
“Balancing the seven attributes into one…”
From Ludmila’s hand, seven distinct colors of mana began to slowly seep out.
Pa-ang!
But before long, that mana was engulfed by green wind.
“It’s difficult. But if I succeed in refining it, I could advance to the next level myself.”
“I’m in a similar situation. And more importantly, if angels really are beings aiming to destroy the world, then we must stop them.”
Evangeline also showed strong enthusiasm.
“Well.”
At that moment, Yunia glanced at me, giving a silent signal that she needed my help.
It felt like something that would inevitably lead to trouble—
“There is an easy way to control it.”
Yunia’s reputation as someone who never causes trouble made me close my mouth.
“Phoenix.”
“Why?”
“Um…”
Yunia swallowed hard.
“I’m going to show you something. Can I sit down?”
She subtly gestured towards the other two with her eyes.
“What the—”
“Looks like it’s exactly as we thought.”
Ludmila and Evangeline exchanged glances and then turned their eyes toward me.
“With Phoenix’s help, can we balance the mana?”
“Not guaranteed—but it helps to some extent. Is it okay if I sit?”
“If you’re showing it to them, I suppose it’s fine—”
“Then—”
Yunia stood up suddenly.
“I’ll show you.”
With a very serious expression, she sat on my lap.
“Y-Yunia?”
“Both of you, watch closely.”
Sitting tightly against me, as if I were a chair.
“Phoenix? Can you hold me from behind so I can focus?”
“Of course.”
There was no ulterior motive, no inappropriate intention.
Rustle.
I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind, supporting her mana pockets with my arms.
“Um—”
“Phoenix.”
Before the other two could say anything, Yunia spoke first.
“You don’t need to pull your upper body away. Just do it like last time.”
I didn’t say anything amateur like “How did we do it last time?”
“Like this?”
“…Yes.”
Burying my face next to Yunia’s neck, I pressed as closely as possible to her.
“Both of you, watch carefully. It’ll be your turn next.”
