Summer vacation had originally been reserved for a trip to Louise's hometown, but those plans had to be scrapped because of the sudden mission.
Sora sat in the room, listlessly reading a book.
When Louise had first accepted the mission, her head had been full of enthusiasm and friendship—but once that cooled, worry crept in. Could she really complete something so important with her current abilities?
"Hey, Sora… why do you think I can't use magic properly?" Louise snatched away the book he was reading and looked at him, as if begging for reassurance.
Sora hesitated for a moment, then decided to finally tell her about Void.
"What!! I—I'm a Void user? Void?!"
After hearing Sora talk about Void, Gandálfr, and the Founder, Louise let out a scream of disbelief.
"Yes," Sora said. "You should be a very talented mage. But instead of matching the four major elements—water, fire, earth, and wind—your attributes lean more toward the Void system."
Drawing on what he'd learned and adding his own deductions, Sora continued, "Magic should actually have five systems. It's just that most people can't sense the Void system at all. You're one of the rare people suited for Void. That's why any spell you cast from water, fire, earth, or wind keeps failing."
"Really? Really?" Louise asked, eyes wide, her voice a mix of hope and nerves.
Sora raised his right hand in a solemn gesture. "It's true. You're a genius Void mage, Louise."
Louise broke into a bright smile, but it quickly faded again.
"But… I still can't use magic. The magic of Void—the Founder's magic—I don't know a single spell."
Sora pulled the Founder's prayer book from beneath his pillow and handed it to her.
"This is a book the Founder used. I thought you might be able to sense something from it. It may well contain Void magic."
"The Founder's prayer book!" Louise breathed.
She realized it was the treasured artifact Tristain's royal family had guarded for generations.
She opened the front page and gently, reverently stroked the blank parchment.
Sora's eyes narrowed slightly. Had something just flashed by?
"Wait a second, Louise," Sora said suddenly, reaching out and grabbing her hand.
Louise flinched, then immediately lowered her head, face turning red.
"I-it's still daytime. Don't…"
"Huh?" Sora stared at her, baffled. "What are you talking about? I meant the writing here."
He placed Louise's hand over the prayer book. As he did, he faintly saw some script appear. When he leaned in for a closer look, the writing vanished again.
He experimented, moving her hand back and forth several times, until he realized that about two inches above Louise's fingertips, the letters seemed slightly raised and sunken, like handwriting seen through a magnifying glass.
Squinting, Sora focused on the ring on the ring finger of Louise's right hand. The water-blue gemstone shimmered faintly.
It was one of the four gemstones passed down from the Founder.
Could it be…?
"Louise, take off the ring for a second," Sora said. He tugged it off her finger a bit more roughly than intended, then held the gem between his eyes and the prayer book.
Lines of text sprang into view. As Sora moved the gemstone, more and more writing appeared across the parchment.
"Sora?" Louise asked, puzzled.
Sora looked up at her, eyes shining.
"Louise."
"Y-yeah?"
"I—I figured out how to read this book."
"Eh? Eeeeeeeeh—!" Louise screamed, eyes as round as saucers.
Sora handed the gem to her and motioned for her to try.
"It's true! I can see the writing through the gem!" Louise said, practically vibrating with excitement.
"However… I don't recognize these characters," she admitted, frowning.
"Since it belonged to the Founder, the text is probably from six thousand years ago. I'll go borrow a book on ancient scripts from the library," Sora said, suddenly energized. He rushed out, full of enthusiasm.
Louise played with the gemstone and the prayer book like a child with a brand new toy.
Sora soon returned, carrying a massive tome several hundred pages thick, which he dropped onto the floor with a thud. "Here it is: 'Analysis of Scripts from Six Thousand Years Ago.'"
He then fetched a blank notebook from the cabinet, turned to Louise with a spark in his eyes, and said, "Let's translate this book."
Louise agreed.
The two of them lay on the floor side by side, prayer book and reference text spread out together.
Louise used the gemstone to read the Founder's prayer book, then translated it word by word aloud; Sora wrote everything down in the notebook.
The prayer book wasn't very thick—about a hundred pages—and there were no long, continuous passages, which made the work easier.
From morning until night, they worked steadily, translating all the spells recorded inside—more than ten in total.
"It's getting late. Let's leave the rest for tomorrow, Louise," Sora said at last.
"Mmm," Louise murmured, rubbing at her tired, sore eyes.
Sora looked down at the notebook in his hand, a strange expression forming. "Louise, come try this. Void magic."
One of the pages he'd translated clearly recorded a Void spell.
On the very first page, it said:
Explosion: "Aiolu Snu Feer Aaron Sakusha"
"Beozs Yul Spiel Cano O'Shea"
"Geira Isa Winxiu Hagar Peokon Iru…"
Far longer and more complex than any ordinary spell.
So this is Void?
Louise nodded firmly. "Okay."
They headed out to the square beside the dormitory building, and Sora handed her the page with the spell on it.
"Give it a try, Louise," he said, offering her an encouraging look.
Louise gripped her wand with both hands, nodded nervously, opened the notebook, glanced over the lines, and then began to chant while swinging her wand.
"Aiolu Snu Feer Aaron Sakusha."
"Beozs Yul Spiel Cano O'Shea."
"Geira Isa Winxiu Hagar Peokon Iru…"
As the incantation progressed, a powerful oppressive force radiated from Louise—strong enough that even Sora felt it pressing on him.
A tangible brilliance began to shine from her body.
White light. Void.
Sora shielded his eyes and watched Louise intently.
Once she finished reciting, Louise opened her eyes wide and thrust her wand forward.
"Explosion!!!"
A bolt of white light shot from her wand, streaked across the square, and slammed into one side of the Academy's pentagonal outer wall.
The white light sank into the stone—and then erupted outward in a blinding flash from within.
"This is bad—Louise!" Sora shouted. He rushed toward her, scooped her into his arms, and sprang backward. They crashed to the ground together.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The earth-shaking roar rolled across the square like a thunderstorm breaking overhead.
The shockwave blasted out with tremendous force, flinging them backward until they slammed into the dormitory wall.
"Ugh…" Sora, cushioning Louise behind him, slid down the wall with her in his arms.
They looked at each other, then turned their stunned gazes toward the site of the explosion.
Nearly the entire two-hundred-meter stretch of outer wall had collapsed, shattered by the blast. At the center of the impact, a crater more than ten meters deep gaped like a giant wound.
"I… did that?" Louise asked in disbelief.
Sora nodded. "Yeah. That's the power of Void—your power, Louise."
"That's amazing," Louise said, breaking into a bright, genuine smile. "With this, I can help you and Anrietta too."
"Yeah. You're incredible, Louise," Sora said, praising her directly.
"Really…" Louise's smile lingered for a moment, then her body gave out and she slumped backward.
"Louise!" Sora caught her and realized her face had gone completely pale; her body felt limp and weak.
All around them, teachers and students who had stayed at the Academy were rushing toward the square, drawn by the massive explosion.
Sora carried Louise back to her dorm room, laid her gently on the bed, and pulled the quilt over her. Then he stepped out again.
"Headmaster," Sora called, walking up to the old man.
Several floating fireballs lit the gathering crowd. The Headmaster stood among them, stroking his beard as he studied the enormous crater with a grim frown. Teachers and students buzzed with anxious chatter.
"Gandálfr—Sora. Do you know anything about this explosion?" the Headmaster asked, suspicion in his eyes.
Sora knew he couldn't hide it from this man—especially since the Headmaster was the one who had handed him the prayer book in the first place.
However, he didn't want Louise's identity as a Void user exposed.
So he stepped closer and whispered the details into the Headmaster's ear.
A sharp gleam flashed in the old man's eyes.
Then, turning back to the crowd with a genial smile, he said, "Alright, everyone, that's enough for tonight. Return to your rooms. I'll have the royal palace send specialists over tomorrow to inspect things. It's likely there was a malfunction in the defensive barrier."
Hearing this explanation, the teachers and students began to calm down.
The Academy's magical barrier was on par with the one defending the royal palace, strong enough to endure attacks from even Square-class mages. That kind of force could explain the devastation.
Still, for the Academy's barrier to malfunction at all—it had been many long years since anything like that had happened.
Gradually, the teachers and students dispersed and headed back to their rooms.
The Headmaster held Sora back, his gaze suddenly sharp. "So it really is Void, then?"
"Yeah," Sora replied. "We found a way to read the Founder's prayer book. We tried one spell, and… I didn't expect it to be that powerful."
The Headmaster nodded. "Powerful indeed. The barrier is linked with the Academy's outer wall. To break through it means the destructive force exceeded Fourth-tier magic. That is Void, without a doubt."
"You said Miss Vallière collapsed. Take me to her," the Headmaster added.
"Right."
The two of them went to Louise's room. The Headmaster took one look at her pale face and cast a small diagnostic spell.
"Qilu Yadofen Smoke." [Magic Power Test]
A hazy glow fell over Louise, and the light that reflected back was faint and feeble.
"Miss Vallière has exhausted her magic and fallen unconscious. With rest, once her magic power recovers, she'll wake up," the Headmaster said.
Sora exhaled. "I understand. Thank you for coming, Headmaster."
"No need for thanks," the old man replied with a fox-like smile. "Now that Void has reappeared… when Tristain is in danger, I'll be counting on you."
Sora's cheek twitched. "…Yeah, yeah. It's late. You should get some rest, Headmaster."
Unbothered by the dismissal, the Headmaster chuckled and took his leave.
Once things had quieted down, Sora moved a chair beside Louise's bed and sat down.
He brushed a hand gently over her pale cheek, eyes full of tenderness.
"Thank you, Louise," he murmured.
He reached out again and took her hand.
Louise's furrowed brow relaxed, and her expression softened into one of peaceful relief.
Still holding her hand, Sora remained seated in the chair—and, little by little, he drifted off to sleep at her bedside.