Wind dragons are far faster than lumbering earth giants. Sora and Tabasa caught up to Fukai barely two hundred meters outside the academy walls.
The thief stood on the shoulder of her ten‑meter‑tall earth golem, shrouded in a cloak, glaring at the wind dragon and the pair hovering before her.
Snow Wind Tabasa and the familiar who wields the Sword of Wisdom… troublesome, Fukai muttered.
"Graeme, crush them!" she yelled.
The earth giant lifted one stony arm, its massive fist swinging down toward the dragon. Tabasa pulled the reins tight, sending the wind dragon veering sharply upward as the blow shattered the ground below.
Sora leapt from the dragon's back. "Catch me later, Tabasa!" he shouted, gripping Delphlinka. He dove through the air straight for Fukai.
"Block him, Graeme!"
The giant moved to intercept, raising its left arm as a shield.
"Take this!" Sora swung his blade.
The wind and fire energy the sword had absorbed earlier burst forth together, twisting into a single enormous flaming sphere.
Wind‑Fire Compound Magic: Great Fireball.
The glowing orb—nearly two meters across—roared through the air and collided with the golem's arm.
Boom!
The explosion shattered the giant's left hand into a storm of crumbling dirt and falling debris.
Sora dropped fast, sword glinting, but before he hit the ground, the wind dragon looped in a tight U‑turn. Tabasa bent low in the saddle, reaching out to pull him back on board.
"Nice catch, Tabasa. Let's do that again."
She nodded once, expression cool, and banked the dragon for another approach.
Fukai grit her teeth as she watched the damaged golem stumble. That swordsman… infuriating. Together, they'll overwhelm me.
"Graeme, dissipate!" she shouted.
The golem froze mid‑stride, then its body crumbled. Dust and grit exploded outward, filling the air with a choking cloud. As the sandstorm thickened, the thief slipped away through the chaos.
Tabasa urged the wind dragon higher, blasting gusts to clear the haze. But when visibility returned, Fukai was gone—vanished among the academy's panicked teachers and palace guards spilling from the courtyard.
"She disappeared!"
"She must have gone into the crowd—find her!"
Groups began to form, ready to scatter in pursuit.
"Wait! Don't let anyone leave!" Sora's voice cut through the noise.
Several guards turned on him. "Watch your tongue, commoner! You don't give the orders here!"
"Yeah, stay out of the way before she escapes for real!"
Sora's eyes hardened.
Then Louise and Princess Anrietta appeared from behind the group.
"Everyone, please stop," the princess commanded. At her word, the square fell silent.
Anrietta stepped toward Sora. "Louise's familiar—what are you doing?"
Sora met her gaze calmly. "My name is Sora. I would appreciate it if Your Highness remembered it. And what I'm doing is simple—catching Fukai, the thief of earth."
"What?" The crowd stirred, surprised.
"She's already fled! Stop wasting time!" someone muttered.
Sora smiled faintly. "I said I'll catch her, and I will."
Anrietta studied him for a long moment, intrigued by his quiet confidence. "Very well," she said. "Then show us what you can do, Louise's familiar."
Sora paced slowly around the assembled teachers and guards, his eyes narrowing in thought.
"Your Highness," he said, turning back, "the headmaster promised that if I succeed in capturing Fukai, he will petition the crown to grant me knighthood. If I may be so bold—will you honor that promise?"
Louise, standing behind her friend, nearly groaned aloud. Idiot familiar—now you're bragging to the princess?
Anrietta hesitated, then nodded. "Fukai of the Clod is a well‑known thief. Capturing her would indeed merit a title. Very well, I agree."
Sora grinned and bowed. "Thank you, Your Highness."
He faced the crowd again.
"Fukai hid in this sandstorm. No one flew away, and nothing escaped from the ground. That means—she's still among us."
A ripple of tension passed through the group as everyone began eyeing their neighbors.
"Palace guards, step aside first," Sora said. "She's not among you."
The guards straightened with pride and withdrew, forming a perimeter around the rest.
"Male instructors too—you can go. I've met all of you before, and Fukai is a woman."
The male teachers exchanged glances, then stepped out. Only five female staff remained—including Professor Hugues, Miss Lengebel, and the vice principal.
Under Sora's sharp gaze, nervous whispers spread.
With an easy smile, Sora turned to one of them. "Professor Hugues—you may go."
The plump woman exhaled with relief and hurried off.
He named three more to leave. Now only one woman remained—the assistant headmistress, Miss Lengebel.
All eyes turned toward her.
"It's not me!" she cried. "I'm not Fukai!"
"Don't bother lying," Sora said levelly. "The smell of char and soil from your own magic is still clinging to your cloak. And that cut on your neck—one I gave you three days ago—isn't exactly helping your case."
Lengebel's expression twisted.
"Do you still deny it?" he said coldly. "Guards—seize her."
The palace soldiers lunged forward—but Lengebel suddenly flung off her cloak and yanked a strange metal tube from beneath it, aiming straight at the princess.
"Don't come any closer!" she screamed. "I'm holding a Wand of Destruction! Take one more step and the princess dies!"
Gasps echoed through the crowd. The weapon—a rocket launcher—gleamed ominously in her hands.
Anrietta froze, mind racing. She reached for her wand out of instinct.
"Don't move!" screamed Fukai. "Or I'll fire!"
The princess stopped.
Fukai smirked, clearly convinced she had regained control. "Prepare a horse and a thousand gold coins! Once I reach the border, I'll release the princess. Move fast—or she dies."
The guards hesitated, exchanging fearful looks. None dared risk their ruler's life.
That was when Sora laughed.
A calm, confident, absolutely infuriating laugh.
Fukai whirled on him.
"Oh, go ahead," he said, stepping between her and the princess. "Shoot. Let's see if your Wand of Destruction can break my guard." He raised Delphlinka with theatrical bravado, an unmistakable smirk on his face.
You're from another world, he thought, and you know a real rocket launcher's safety mechanism's already broken. A perfect chance to earn some royal favor.
Anrietta's eyes widened. "You…"
"Don't do it!" Louise cried, running to him. "You'll die, you idiot familiar!" She clung to his arm.
"It's fine," Sora murmured to her. "Delphlinka's reliable."
He set her gently behind him, then focused on Fukai.
"Well? You can't threaten the princess anymore. Are you still planning to fight me?"
Fukai's lip curled. Realizing her escape route was gone, she squeezed the trigger repeatedly—
Click. Click. Nothing.
The weapon didn't fire. Panic flashed across her face.
"Broken?" she muttered, slapping the launcher's side.
Sora sighed. "Even with the safety off, you try bluffing? Pathetic."
In the next instant he lunged forward, driving the hilt of his sword hard into her stomach.
Fukai's eyes rolled back as she collapsed unconscious to the ground.
"Phew... well, that's that," he said lightly. "Lock her up."
He picked up the "Wand of Destruction" and handed it to the guards.
When everyone returned to the academy, Sora's actions became the talk of the day. The faculty and guards praised him for his bravery—defeating the earth golem, exposing the traitor, and shielding the princess herself.
"Fortunately, the Wand of Destruction was broken—otherwise…" people kept repeating.
The male students began to look up to him. The girls, meanwhile, whispered with stars in their eyes. If only someone would stand in front of a Wand of Destruction for me...
Princess Anrietta's attitude toward Sora likewise softened. She no longer called him "Louise's familiar" but addressed him by name. A week later, she personally presided over his knighting ceremony.
Louise, for her part, became noticeably gentler toward her infuriating familiar.
At Sora's request, the broken Wand of Destruction was given to him as a keepsake.
Sora was secretly delighted. Fame, favor, new equipment, and an easy victory? He smirked to himself. If only adventures like this happened more often.