People have different ways of falling asleep.
Some are so sensitive that even the rustling of a blanket can wake them up.
“Mmnya—.”
On the other hand, some can sleep soundly even if someone snores next to them or runs around making a racket.
Elena from the Dessert Research Club was entirely the latter.
She had the ability to doze off anywhere, at any time.
Once she lay in bed, she would be so deep in sleep that she wouldn’t even notice if someone carried her away.
Even in the midst of the Bloodstone Cult’s invasion, Elena moved like a special unit within Ian’s search party.
“Mmm—.”
However—
Even people who can sleep anywhere have moments when they wake up for no apparent reason.
Most of the time, it’s because of noise, pranks, or natural disasters like earthquakes.
And if it’s not because of any of those…
“…Mnya?”
Then, it’s usually something ominous.
Early morning.
Elena woke up.
Usually, Lina or Danya had to come and shake her awake, so it was an unusually early awakening for her.
— Blink, blink.
Still wrapped in her blanket, Elena blinked.
Normally, she would have gone right back to sleep, but this time, she didn’t.
Strangely, her mind felt clear.
Elena tilted her head in confusion.
Despite waking up midway, she wasn’t drowsy at all. She felt completely awake.
Was something big about to happen?
Something was definitely off.
Perhaps the sun was rising in the west today.
“Mmng—.”
Stretching out of habit, Elena sat up and brushed aside a strand of hair that had ended up in her mouth while she slept.
“It’s still dark…”
Elena wasn’t used to darkness.
She was always asleep when it was dark.
What time was it?
Checking the time, Elena’s eyes widened in shock.
“8:30…?”
By now, the sun should have been high in the sky.
So why was it still so dark around her?
Why hadn’t Lina or Danya come to wake her up?
There were too many strange things happening.
Elena rubbed her forehead.
It was a habit she had whenever she woke up, as she often found pillow marks left on her skin.
But even that didn’t help her calm down.
A sense of unease filled her heart.
“…Gulp.”
She swallowed dryly.
Feeling the chill in the air, she rubbed her arms and walked toward the entrance of the tent.
— Rustle.
With trembling fingers, she pulled back the fabric.
Taking a deep breath, Elena stepped outside.
Her eyes adjusted to the view in front of her.
“…Ah.”
A short gasp escaped her lips.
Her breath turned white in the cold air.
But beyond that mist—
The world was red.
Elena stood frozen, staring at the sky.
The clouds were stained a dark crimson.
— Shudder.
Goosebumps ran down her body.
The clouds looked as if they had been drenched in blood.
If it rained, it felt like red blood would pour from the sky.
Everything was dyed red.
“W-What is happening…”
Elena’s lips trembled as she muttered to herself.
It felt as though the apocalypse her teachers had spoken of had finally arrived.
Her legs trembled violently.
She nearly lost her balance and fell—until she spotted the figures of Danya and Lina standing in the distance.
“S-Sisters!”
Elena ran toward them.
Her clothes got stained with dirt, but she didn’t care.
“Elena.”
Lina greeted her briefly.
Danya stood motionless, still looking up at the sky.
Even her pink hair seemed to be dyed red.
“T-The sky…!”
Elena tried to shout something but shut her mouth.
Danya and Lina had eyes just like she did—they were undoubtedly seeing the same scene.
No, in fact, they could probably see it even better.
Danya’s senses were several times sharper than hers.
Elena realized that Danya had closed her eyes, as if she were sensing something.
Soon, Danya raised a finger and pointed to a corner of the sky.
“…It started from that direction, nyah.”
Elena and Lina turned their heads to follow Danya’s fingertip.
She was pointing toward the distant mountain range.
“Where is that?”
Elena tilted her head.
Danya’s lips parted—slowly.
“The Academy.”
“…Huh?”
“The Academy. In the direction of the Shadow Forest.”
Muttering absentmindedly, Danya suddenly started running.
◆
“Urgent dispatch!”
The entire sky over the continent had turned red.
The eastern front, where forces fought to repel the monsters summoned by the Bloodstone Cult.
In one of the royal military camps, where the imperial flag fluttered, a soldier rushed inside.
The tent of Asteria, the Third Princess.
But the person receiving the report in her stead was Silvia Laurent.
“Urgent? Who is it from?”
“From Danya Catsnesia!”
“…Danya?”
Silvia’s sharp eyes narrowed.
Danya and the members of the Dessert Research Club had been assigned to track Ian Blackangers.
That meant they had likely found something important.
Silvia quickly unfolded the note and skimmed through it.
The contents were unexpected.
— The sky has turned red. Something feels off. The location is west of the academy, near the Shadow Forest. We’re heading there.
Danya’s instincts and senses were unparalleled.
For her to change course in the middle of tracking Ian—it had to mean something significant.
Perhaps she believed that the crimson sky and Ian were somehow connected.
“…Hmph.”
Her head throbbed.
Until the sky had turned red at dawn, the war situation hadn’t been too bad.
But now, it felt like they were missing something.
What was it?
At that moment—
“Urgent dispatch!”
Another report arrived.
“From whom?”
“A message from Aria!”
— Another prophecy has been received. If we endure and protect, salvation will come.
Protect.
But something important was missing.
‘…Protect what?’
The prophecies always had a missing piece, as if a screw was loose.
If they were going to give a revelation, why couldn’t they say everything clearly from the start?
It was always infuriating how, only in hindsight, everything turned out to be correct.
“Wait a moment.”
Muttering to herself, Silvia quickly scanned the map.
“Are the Bloodstone Cultists attacking Lichten Academy?”
“No, they are not.”
It was real.
Across the continent, the Bloodstone Cult had launched attacks in various ways.
There had been no reports of attacks on the academy.
…Which meant—
The moment Silvia’s eyes sharpened—
— Shrrrk!
“It’s here, Silvia.”
The tent flap was pulled aside, and the scent of blood wafted through the air.
Standing there, drenched in the blood of high-ranking creatures, was Asteria.
The eastern front was especially infested with these dangerous entities.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Yeah.”
Asteria removed her headgear, revealing her pure white hair, which rippled like flowing water.
At the same time, the filth on her armor was completely washed away—a cleansing spell.
“About that sky—”
“We need to go protect the academy right now.”
Silvia interrupted the princess before she could finish.
For someone just returning from battle, being told to immediately head to the academy must have seemed abrupt.
But Asteria only nodded as if she was used to it.
“You’ve made up your mind. Can we be sure we’ll find Ian?”
“Yes.”
“How many troops do you need?”
“As many as possible.”
“That’s impossible.”
Asteria shook her head firmly.
“We can’t pull troops from the front line. You know that. Even if this is necessary—”
“Yes. It’s exactly what the cult leader planned.”
Their conversation skipped steps, but that was because they trusted each other’s judgment.
Asteria gazed at Silvia for a moment.
Determination filled her eyes.
Silvia was an invaluable presence on the battlefield. Keeping her here would be the logical choice.
But Asteria couldn’t stop her.
If she weren’t a princess, she would have gone herself to search for Ian.
“I’ll let you go, Silvia.”
“Thank you.”
“Find him—for both of us.”
“I will.”
Silvia nodded firmly and stepped out of the tent.
◆
Lichten Academy.
Standing on the student council balcony, Iris gazed up at the sky.
“…This is bad.”
At first glance, it looked like an evening sunset.
But it was far too red—like the entire sky had been stained with blood.
As the daughter of the Lichten ruling family, the Lipensteins, Iris had a natural instinct for leadership.
And that instinct was screaming at her—she needed to act.
Even though nothing had actually happened apart from the crimson sky, something was coming.
— “This is weird. Look at the sky.”
— “What do you think is going to happen?”
— “Shouldn’t we take cover somewhere?”
Murmurs of worry spread among the academy students in the streets.
“The academy is still peaceful, but…”
Across the continent, every major city was in chaos from the Bloodstone Cult’s invasion.
Even in places where large battles hadn’t broken out, small-scale terrorist attacks continued.
But Lichten Academy—was an exception.
The professors and senior students had formed a security force, but even that didn’t fully explain why the academy remained untouched.
Yet, despite this eerie calm, fear was spreading.
The student council president had already left, abandoning the academy to protect his hometown.
“…That bastard.”
Iris muttered a rare curse under her breath before sighing.
How could she blame someone for wanting to protect their family and home?
But Lichten Academy and the city of Lichten were her home too.
Yes.
A place that had to be protected.
Iris looked up at the sky.
An ominous feeling gnawed at her.
“…Better to be overcautious than underprepared.”
She turned and strode toward the student council office.
Pulling open a desk drawer, she inserted a key and turned it clockwise.
— Clunk!
The moment the lock clicked, a powerful wave of mana pulsed outward.
When she stepped back outside—
A translucent barrier had formed around the academy.
The protective barrier.
Lichten Academy’s ultimate defense system—one that only the student council had the authority to activate.
The professors would no doubt come demanding an explanation.
But this time, Iris decided to trust her instincts.
She pressed the broadcast button.
— This is an announcement from the student council. As of this moment, Lichten Academy is declaring an emergency disaster situation. All students are to immediately proceed to shelters or safe locations. Further details will be provided soon.
A blaring alarm filled the academy.
