Chapter 1

Tsumugi looks up from her manuscript at her captive. She taps a button on her chair, the ambient glow of the Magitech-Dendrites coursing through the walls of this place suddenly flare up with new life. The near blinding light feels comforting, like she’s in an operating room.

“‘It is entirely possible that the golden age of the Neo Magical Academy has come to an end’… I’m rather proud of that line. It has a catchiness to it, wouldn’t you agree?”

When there’s no response, she gives her a wry smile and adjusts her glasses to begin her analysis. A network of thin lines spread out along her vision. They coalesce into an array of circles, reticules, cubes, and spheres. Each one relays a wealth of information through a system of electric signals that flow directly into her cerebral cortex via an intricate network of magitech-dendrites connected to a matrix of intracranial ports that create a direct path to her brain before unfurling a tapestry of stitched together thoughts.

A millisecond passes. First, the images of a sunflower, an apartment building, and a lightning bolt come to mind. She has a fierce countenance, one that’s exacerbated by her broad shoulders. Undoubtedly, she’s handsome, not beautiful, but handsome.  Perhaps a genetic idiosyncrasy brought on by the unique population within the Neo Magical Academy? She’s a tall girl, not gigantic, but definitely taller than the average mongoloid female. Mongoloid. No, that’s a backwards term. East Asian. Oriental? She taps her glasses. The problem with processing information this quickly is that there’s no time at all for internal biases to be put aside or for obvious information like the target’s height to be overlooked. 

Second, she sees the visage of an army. She feels the heat of a hundred torches being raised. She’s a conqueror. One with nearly a hundred raids on Monarchian Facilities under her belt. Based on the forces she’s been able to bring to bear before, she’s been classified as one of the greater of the Neo Magical Academy’s student council. So she’s a thief. A glorified thief. Tsumugi pulls up a database and searches for her face. Then the next millisecond passes.

“Kagami Kentomi… that’s a pretty name. Did you pick it out for yourself or did your parents give it to you?”

“Parents.”

The captive– Kagami… says her first word. There we go, now it’s a real conversation.

“So you’re human, then? Or are you just pretending to be one?”

“...”

“Fascinating.”

Her glasses highlight pronounced vocal cords, a built body and the more pronounced portions of her brain. Unsurprisingly, they are the portions mapped to strategic thinking, persuasion, leadership and… regret. All to better take things that aren’t hers, of course. She thought that someone of that stature would wear more regal or militaristic clothes but she’s dressed in plain clothes, no different from a person she would meet on the street. 

“Any family?”

Humans have a predilection towards answering questions. Even if she doesn’t say anything, her brain lights up like a firework. Strange. Usually it’s just five to seven connections, but this girl seems to have close to a hundred. Maybe ninety or so. 

“Parents got busy? How many siblings might you have?”

Her brain sparks, but it’s ambient noise, it tells her nothing.

“Perhaps you’re the type to think of friends as family?”

Same thing. That was silly of her to think of in the first place, who has the time for ninety friends? Tsumugi herself doesn’t even have time for one. 

“Or perhaps… partners?”

Bingo. The captive struggles against her restraints but it’s no use, she’s held firmly in place. There are metal cuffs placed on all four of her limbs. Each one is kept static by two super magnetic fields. If she tries to move in one direction, she’s quickly pulled in the other direction at a speed of a little over several kilometers per second. Tsumugi grins to herself. She designed it herself, after all. Though, she also made sure to encase the whole device in a box made of adamantite, a transparent, extremely hard material. The way its molecular structure coalesced made it so that it’s saturated with pores just large enough to allow both air and sound to travel unimpeded. She designed that too. 

“Wives.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Ninety–nine wives.”

“Really? But you’re so young.”

No older than eighteen. Twenty at the oldest. Tsumugi’s eyebrows lift slightly. Sure enough, her brain scan reveals that there isn’t even a hint of dishonesty in her words. 

“ And the Vice President at that age as well. Very very impressive.”

“You flatter me, Monarch, though we’re both about the right age for our respective professions.”

“Perhaps in the Neo Magical Academy, yes. But in our world… the real world, that is, we value experience and professionalism first and magic second, so people like me are a rarity.”

Kagami laughs mirthlessly. 

“I do enjoy that ego of yours, Monarch. It’s quite entertaining.”

“What of it? Would you not have one if you were in my position? It’s really quite… freeing. What with being out here and not being in there.”

She flicks her pinky in Kagami and the restraining device’s general direction. There’s a certain schadenfreude pleasure that tickles Tsumugi’s fancy whenever she looks at her. A bona fide member of the Neo Magical Academy’s student council. And not just any member, the vice president, right here, right in her grasp. She grins wickedly, savoring the idea that at last, the Monarchs just might have dealt the Neo Magical  Academy a true death blow. The loss of their god-queen was difficult enough as-is, but if she had also managed to capture a member of the student council, then the Neo Magical Academy just might collapse in on itself overnight. And it wasn’t just any Monarch who did it, it was her. None other than Tsumugi Nanashi who brought down the Neo Magical Academy. How can she not have an ego?

“It’s rather comfortable being in here, actually. You should try it.”

“I’ll pass.”

A double-edged effect of the restraining device is that the super magnetic fields have a tendency to immobilize the iron in the bloodstream, limiting oxygen circulation. She’s tested early prototypes on herself and the pins and needles-like sensation sets in immediately. By her calculations, it should be about several hours before the early onset of gangrene sets in. No matter, it will only be one hour before she’s vivisected. That leaves plenty of time. 

“You know, I have to say that to an extent, I do envy you.”

“Explain yourself clearly and with plain terms, Monarch.”

“It’s no secret that it is most often the powerful that lose touch with our empathy. You and I should both know how easy it is to forget the value of a single human life. Or, even a single nonhuman life, in your case. I expected nothing to come of that ambush and yet…”

She splays her arms out. 

“Here you are. Like a gift.”

“She’s my wife, I couldn’t just leave her behind.”

“Technically, you could have, she walked into an obvious trap. Surely, someone with an intelligence so low wasn’t long for this world anyways?”

“...what?”

She isn’t confused. Matter of fact, Tsumugi thinks she understands perfectly well but just doesn’t want to. She rages against her restraints. Surprisingly, she manages to squeeze out a centimeter or two before being forced back into place. A more advanced version of the extreme strength common in the denizens of the Neo Magical Academy showing itself, perhaps. 

“Have you no shame?!”

How pitiful. At least face grief with pride. 

“She was just a girl! Just a sweet, innocent girl.”

“Yes, those typically are the traits of people who fall into traps.”

“I won’t forgive you… I’ll never forgive you!”

“I take it we’re finished here?”

“Curse you!”