Chapter 5

The Magician’s Assault

“What a day this has been…”

Mioon stretched his body as he walked down the slope leading away from Kazami High School.

It was the afternoon of the day he had formed a contract with a spirit—his first day as a “contractor.”

Curious about the human world, Silphas peeked out from under Mioon’s school uniform, half her face visible as she looked around at the society of the “unawakened.”
From time to time, she asked questions or stared in confusion at things like smartphones and earphones.

All in all, it was a perfectly ordinary, wholesome exchange between a curious spirit and a modern high school boy.

Perhaps, somewhere in a parallel world, this peaceful mood might have lasted longer…

Four hours had passed since Reona disappeared.

There had been no word from her—no telepathic message, no way to sense her condition.
Only the look of disappointment she’d worn before she left remained burned in Mioon’s mind.

“She’s definitely mad at me. Can’t blame her, though… that one was on me.”

With a sigh, Mioon put on his earphones and resumed his usual after-school routine: walking home while listening to music.

This, he believed, was the perfect way to avoid unnecessary trouble.

If you don’t see it, don’t hear it, and don’t care about it—life gets a lot easier.

But today, that logic didn’t apply.

The moment he stepped onto the familiar street, something felt off.
He couldn’t ignore the subtle change in the air—something about the atmosphere was different.

“…Is there some kind of event going on today? Where is everyone?”

He was sure of it now.

The streets were empty.
No pedestrians.
No cars.

The residential area that had still carried signs of life just minutes ago was now deathly silent.
No one at the park. No one at the corner shop. No one on the little stone bridge by the embankment.

The air itself seemed filled with strange particles.

A breeze brushed past his ear, stirring up dust and rustling leaves as the light of sunset cast an eerie glow.
This unnatural weather had swept away all trace of spring, replacing it with something ominous.

Then—

A black shadow sliced through the air, darting past the sunset—
and something tore through the space right behind him.

If it had hit, his heart would’ve burst in an instant, and blood would’ve painted the pavement red.

Instead—

Mioon’s eyes locked onto something at his feet. A single black feather.

The music stopped.

His earphones had been sliced cleanly in half, the pieces falling to the ground.

“…Huh?!”

His heart pounded. Terror struck three seconds late, washing through every vein in his body.

There, stuck in the pavement, was a dagger—no longer than twenty centimeters.

It took him a moment to realize he had just brushed shoulders with death.

“You really shouldn’t wander around alone at this hour… you know?”

A deep voice came from behind.

Mioon spun around.

A middle-aged man in a black suit leaned casually against a stone wall.
But it wasn’t his outfit that stood out—it was the unkempt stubble on his chin, and the sharp gaze behind a Venetian mask.

“W–Who are you?”

Mioon’s voice trembled.

No one around here wore costumes like that. It wasn’t a party night.
It felt… forbidden. Like seeing his face would break some unspoken rule.

“Dodging that strike—impressive. You’ve got some skill.”

The man muttered this to himself, just loud enough for Mioon to hear, then stepped forward.

“We’re just your neighbors, kid.”

“…‘We’?” Mioon started to say—

—but two men in black tailcoats stepped out from the other side of the street.
Both wore the same Venetian masks.

“…What do you want with me? No—wait, you’ve got the wrong guy! I don’t even know you! I’m just a normal student, okay? You’ve mistaken me for someone else!”

“No mistake. You’re the only one walking around so casually, leaking magic all over the place.”

“W–What?!”

His breath caught.

For a moment, his mind froze trying to process those words.

Magic? That couldn’t be real.

A “magician”—something that should exist only in Silphas’ world, not here.

Then the dread hit him full force.

His body went cold as he forced a shaky smile.

“Ha… ha-ha, magic? What are you talking about? Wait—don’t tell me you guys are anime geeks or something?”

“Don’t play dumb, brat! Don’t mock adults!”

The man’s voice cracked like a whip.

He sneered down at Mioon’s frightened expression.

“All right, let’s make this fun. You want the good news or the bad news first?”

“Th–The bad news…”

“What a cautious choice… The bad news is—you die! Tonight! Right here!”

“Execution without trial?!”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be quick. You won’t feel a thing.”

At his subtle nod, the two subordinates moved behind Mioon—just standing there, not even drawing weapons.

But that was enough.

The killing intent radiating from both sides drenched him in cold sweat.

“Wait, wait, wait! Let’s talk this out! What do you want—money?”

“And what if we do? You think you can pay what we’d ask?”

“Of course not! I’m a high schooler, dammit!”

Mioon clutched his head and screamed in despair.
In strength, in numbers, in weapons—he was utterly outmatched.

He didn’t even have the luxury to think anymore.

And neither did Reona—wherever she was.

If her contractor died here, she’d go down in history as the “Shortest Contract Ever.”

(Why is this happening on the first day?!)

He couldn’t understand it. What had he done to deserve being killed by strangers?
And how did they even know about magicians?

It didn’t matter now.

Because—

“My body… it won’t move…”

Panic twisted his face as a terrible realization hit him.

He was paralyzed. His limbs refused to respond. Even his legs—usually his most reliable weapons—hung limp like a corpse’s.

“<Azure Thunder – Chain of Cadena>.”

Almost at the same instant—

Blue lightning snaked from the stubbled man’s palm, linking into a glowing chain that yanked the dagger back into his hand.

Mioon’s mind searched for an explanation.
There was only one.

“Th–That’s… magic?!”

The word escaped before he could stop it.

“So you’re magicians too?!”

“Bingo.”

A frozen prey before a hunter.

Satisfied, the bearded man decided to draw things out.
He grabbed Mioon by the hair and stared into his crimson eyes.

“These eyes… that stubborn face… you remind me of someone I really hated.”

“Don’t take out your old grudges on me…”

His breath grew shallow. His voice trembled, barely a whisper.

“You’re right—you’re not him. But you’ll share his fate.”

He sneered, channeling more magic into the dagger until it shone a fierce electric blue.
The sparks multiplied—an unmistakable omen.

Mioon understood what it meant.

His right to live was about to be taken.

“I don’t wanna die—I don’t wanna die—I don’t wanna die—”

It was all he could say, his mind fraying at the edges.

(If only this were a game…)

In a game, death isn’t final. You can always reload.

But in the RPG called Reality, every player only gets one life.

Memories flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.

That was fine.

At least his last sight wouldn’t be this middle-aged killer’s face.

“Goodbye, little magician.”

The man’s mocking words reached his ears—

—but Mioon heard something else, far away yet filled with hope.

“Sacred power of purification—cleanse Mioon of all debuffs!”

A burst of white light drowned out the lightning and the killing intent.

“Tch!”

The bearded man swung wildly, slashing at nothing as his target vanished.

In that instant, Mioon felt it—blood flowing again, stiffness melting away.

“I—I can move!”

He realized it just as another strike came for him.

He threw himself backward, teeth gritted.

“I’m not dying here!!”

The blade sliced the air inches from his throat.

Using that momentum, Mioon shifted his weight and kicked with all his strength—his specialty.

“Wha—?!”

Caught off guard, the man twisted his body to dodge, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Reo…na…”

Mioon whispered her name.

His hammering heart finally began to slow.

Only she could make him feel safe now.

And sure enough—after hours of waiting—
that small but fierce figure appeared before him again.

“Good… I made it in time! Are you okay, Mioon?”

She turned to him, concern written across her face.

“Hah… Being attacked by assassins out of nowhere? I’d say I’m not okay. But I’m still alive—for now. You finally showed up, huh?”

“Yes. And I found out what your contract ability is. I never imagined it would be …”

“‘Cleanse’?”

“It’s a high-level purification spell—one that heals your partner’s debuffs and weakened state. Out of all abilities, it’s the only one that could’ve saved you just now. It’s like…”

“A miracle!”

Even so, as Mioon stood up, relief didn’t come easily.

Their enemies’ identities, motives, and powers—he knew none of them.

And judging from the man’s expression, one thing was certain:

He had no intention of letting them leave alive.

Mioon understood.

Then the objective was simple.

Event Triggered: “The Magician’s Assault.”
Victory condition: Survive.

At that moment, both Mioon and Reona reached the same conclusion—

They would have to use magic.