Munirp News, 10th January 3033

"Breaking News! The truth behind the forced embargo on the entry of the heroic Black Heirs!"

"It is with happiness that Munirp News brings you this information—after long consideration between the highest circles of nobles in the Bourgeoisie, as well as the most prominent organizations, it has been established that an investigation into the Watchers' corruption was going to be launched. This sort of investigation hasn't happened since the age of the Ice Wolf and will be backed by the support of the Cleaner's Workshop, the Church of Onnea, the Gold Church, as well as many private investors. The Royal family also seems to have an eye on the matter even though they are already busy thinking about a replacement for the late ex-Baron Howards.

Let's not forget that Howards' title has been revoked by the Crown, due to the atrocity committed by his family. It is only thanks to the efforts of the famous Devil's Hand Glenn as well as his Black Heir friends that 134 victims were saved from the Howard's Mansion.

As a temporary solution to the Black Heirs' situation, their entries have been permitted under the careful watch of the RMG, the Royal Mechanicalized Guard, and the Magi Brotherhood. With the increasing apparitions of Rifts within King's Rise's walls, the strength of these mighty warriors will be more than welcome to bolster the ranks of the Cleaner's Workshop and other peacekeeping organizations.

Page 2-3: Silence from Beyond the Wall, could the enemy be scheming something?

Page 4-5: One month since the Devil's Hand disappeared, was he a legend born too early? A testimonial from a Seekers team leader.

Lina sighed as she threw away the journal. She rested her head against the back of her chair, refusing to accord a glance at the boy staring at her a few tables away.

'Milady, I believe your Practical Magic class is starting in a few minutes,' Tiamanes reminded her with a polite tone. The girl grunted and forced herself up, the nearby boy imitating her. She dragged her feet to the Practical magic classroom, a large amphitheater serving as training grounds. Her classmates were already sitting in the tribunes surrounding the practicing area, giggling and speaking non-stop.

Lina glanced on one side, finding that same pack of hyena-like girls who always seemed to glare at her and her right hand. On the other side were the boys staring at her with both fear and hunger, scrawny and pimply. The few warriors in the class were too concentrated on an intense arm-wrestling fight, opposing Liam and another guy in the Magic-Engineer class.

'School never changes, does it...?' She thought to herself for the thirtieth time since she entered Exan's University.

A month ago, after she received the three recommendation letters promised as rewards for her brother's shenanigans and watched said idiot fighting a dragon, she decided she needed to take her education more seriously. There were three letters to Exan's University, one for Janica, one for Lina, and one for Liam. Initially, Lina had considered refusing to return to school, but her teachers, Sahro and Liara, had convinced her to go.

"If you don't go for yourself, go for your brother at least," Liara insisted back then, "So that he didn't almost kill himself for nothing. Whatever he's doing."

And so here she was, waiting for the usually late professor of the Practical Magic class, Madam Violette.

There were three main courses at Exan's University: the Mage course, the Knight course, and the Engineer course. Of course, Liam and Janica both chose the Engineer course, while Lina decided to concentrate solely on her mage's powers. She spent the whole week at University, learning more about the world and magic while practicing Aura with Sahro and Liara on the weekends. Whenever she had problems with her homework or stuff she couldn't understand, she would find help from Uncle Manalok, who would always grumpily explain to her what she needed to hear.

'It's been a month since that call...I still have no news from him. Do you think he's okay, Tiamanes?' Lina asked her friend, worried.

Tiamanes cleared his throat, 'Milady, to be completely honest if your brother can already defeat dragons, there's isn't much left in the world that can threaten him. Of course, he still hasn't reached my true self's toenail, but he is still impressively strong.'

Lina bit on her nails, grimacing. 'Strong or not, that idiot has always been on the reckless side. Damn it, why won't he just answer my phone? I swear, I'll cut him in pieces the day he comes back from slaying dragons and making friends with ancient artificial intelligences.'

'...No offense Milady, but I doubt you'll be able to harm your brother, much less cut into him,' Tiamanes hesitantly said, worried about upsetting his host.

"Alright, alright...Class, please?" A gust of Mana washed over the tribunes, shutting the students' conversations. Someone sneakily sat next to Lina, a golden-haired boy with bright blue eyes—the same idiot who was stealing glances at her earlier. He had a confident grin, and an aquilin nose, and was quite handsome. In Lina's eyes, though, he barely had one-third of Sahro's attractiveness. It was probably a new student—she had never seen him before today.

"Hey—" The boy tried to speak, but the teacher interrupted him. She was a lady with long, gray hair reaching to her waist, and she was wearing a long, cyan robe.

"As I mentioned in our previous class, today will be entirely devoted to spars! I will be overseeing all of them, of course, so do not worry about being hurt or hurting your opponent. Everything is allowed—magic tools, spells, Curses, divine powers, and Aura. Martial prowess will also be evaluated. Depending on your results, you might or might not pass the class. I hope you're all prepared!" Her voice carried a hint of powerful Mana, echoing in the large amphitheater. "Mr. Renard, Mr. Volin, in the area if you please."

Lina smirked as she watched the two boys, a Squire and an Advanced Initiate bowing to each other respectfully.

'Milady, remember that you are not supposed to show your Aura to the other students. Please be careful.'

'Who do you take me for, Tiamanes? And why would I need my Aura when I'm already capable of taking care of all these idiots with my magic only?'

Tiamanes hesitated. 'Milady, you are similar to your brother in your recklessness. You already broke more than a few bones since starting your classes, after all—'

Lina coughed, interrupting the entity.

"Miss, pardon me." The boy next to her suddenly grabbed her shoulder.

"I pardon you," said Lina graciously. The boy blinked, before coming back to his senses.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Are you an illusion specialist?" He asked with a charismatic smile, "Because whenever I look at you, everyone disappears."

Lina looked at him for an instant, before turning away, containing her laughter.

'Shit, they also have pick-up lines in this world? He's the first one using one!' She hid her mouth with her hand. The teacher noticed her and her expression darkened.

"Miss Lina? Since you seem to find Mr. Renard's fate so amusing, maybe you'll enjoy taking his place?"

Lina froze, only noticing then that Renard's previously majestic mohawk had disappeared into ashes after he failed to protect himself from one particularly well-aimed Fire Bolt. The girl cleared her throat and hastily jumped into the arena, fleeing from the flirtatious boy. Madam Violette looked at her disapprovingly and shook her head.

"The number one spot of your class does not allow you to act like a princess, Miss Lina. This is the university, not your brother's house."

Lina raised an eyebrow. 'Did she finally discover who my brother is? Damn, it took a whole month.'

"I will keep that in mind, Madam Violette," Lina said politely, not letting the teacher's taunt get to her head.

"Good," Madam Violette nodded. She pointed at one of the girls giggling in the stand, the leader of the hyena pack. "Miss Magali, if you could entertain Miss Lina?"

Magali froze as she gazed at Lina. The latter grinned widely, waving her purple hand.

"Miss, I- I'm not sure my skills are up to Lina's standards—" Magali tried to excuse herself but was magically pulled away from the tribunes.

"I'll be the judge of that, Miss Magali. Now, let's have a friendly, fair spar. Show me both what you have learned." Madam Violette slammed her foot on the floor, announcing the start of the duel. Magali swallowed heavily.

"Clypeus Ferreus Magnus!" Magali hurriedly shouted, her Mana swirling to form a solid, iron barrier before her. Lina grinned and flicked her finger in her opponent's direction, channeling her Mana without uttering a word. An explosion suddenly destroyed the iron barrier, revealing the awestruck Magali behind it.

"Ferro Defensionis—" Magali tried conjuring another spell, but Lina's fingers suddenly grabbed her throat, breaking through space to reach her. Twenty meters were separating them, but they were reduced to nothing in front of Lina's Wormhole magic.

"Lina is victorious," Madam Violette announced, before adding half-heartedly, "...for the thirtieth consecutive time. You can return to your seats, Miss Magali, Miss Lina."

Lina happily returned to her chair while Magali rubbed her throat, her face pale. Lina grabbed a water bottle from her dimensional pouch, a gift from Liara, and quenched her thirst. Using her Wormhole magic was quite taxing on her body, strangely. In her usual sparring with Sahro and Liara, she would reinforce herself with Aura, making it impossible for her to feel the difference. In school, though, she was forced to shoulder the effort.

"Wow, Lina, remind me never to challenge you—I'd lose my heart even faster than Magali lost that duel," shamelessly said the boy next to her. Lina choked on her water, coughing heavily. She turned at the boy in disbelief, refusing to acknowledge his large grin.

"How—" She wiped her chin, "What do you want?"

The boy made a serious expression and pressed his hands against his chest. “I want to give you my heart, but I'm afraid you already stole it the day I laid eyes on you.”

Lina slapped her forehead, her cheeks tinging with a hint of red. "Stop it with the cheesy lines, I don't even know your name!"

"I am Ary Rosenborn, of the Rosenborn family," Ary jumped on the occasion. "I am eighteen, 5'8, and an Advanced Initiate. I love magic, you, and Exan's books. I live in Emberhollow, District XXI, and—"

"Wait," Lina raised her hands, stopping him. She rubbed her forehead and grimaced. "Did you just say you love...me? But you don't even know me?!"

Ary grabbed her hand gently, his eyes shining, "I have all eternity to get to know you, don't I?"

Lina hurriedly pulled her hand away, unsure of how to react. She wanted to push Ary away and tell him she wasn't interested, but...he was kind of cute. A little too honest and forward, but cute. A relationship, though, with someone she barely knew? It seemed strange, considering she came from another world and planned to return to Earth, but...

'Milady, are you seriously considering this scoundrel's declaration?' Tiamanes questioned in utter disbelief. Lina suddenly shook her head and cleared her throat.

"Uhh—I'm flattered, but let's just be friends, alright? I'm not sure I want a relationship right now, Ary."

Ary nodded respectfully, "Of course, I understand. I will be patiently waiting for the day you give me a chance to show you my love—"

"Stop! You're fucking embarrassing!"

The class went on without further incidents. Liam and Janica had a fun time sparring against each other, testing their last weapons and even an automaton prototype. It was Friday, and Practical Magic was the last class on her schedule.

Yawn.

Janica and Liam suddenly appeared on Lina's side as she left the Academy, walking in the direction of the transit. They were both wearing large grins that made her shiver from head to toe.

"Well, well, well...One month in, and the spark of love already found you, it seems," Janica said as she massaged her friend's shoulders. Lina blinked, flustered.

"H- How did you hear about this?"

Liam scoffed, "How could we have not? We heard Ary's pick-up lines in the whole amphitheater!"

Lina's face turned as red as a peony and she hurriedly hid in her hands. "Noooo...Damn it, these damned hyenas are going to pester me with this for the rest of the year..."

Janica smiled, "You know, it might do you some good. Soften you up a little. You still haven't made any friends besides us, after all."

"They're the ones refusing to approach me," Lina retorted, before looking away shamelessly, "...It's not my fault if the few that did lose their teeth at my fists. They didn't need to bother me like they did..."

“What about Ary then?” says Liam with a knowing smile, ”he's the second best-looking guy in our year after all, right after me of course."

Janica sneered, earning herself a glare from her boyfriend. Lina sighed heavily and pushed them away gently.

"I- I don't know, alright? It's all too sudden, and I'm not sure I want to think about it."

Liam and Janica gasped and hurriedly scrambled away. Lina looked at them, wondering what she said that made them flee, only to realize it wasn't her fault. Ary was taking long strides in her direction, a large smile on his face.

"Lina, do you mind if I accompany you home? I just want to get to know you better." He asked with puppy eyes. Lina bit on her lips, hesitating.

'Milady, I recommend against it. You do not know if this boy doesn't have some hidden agenda or—'

"Sure," Lina decided, partly because she wanted to annoy Tiamanes and the other because she was thinking back about what Janica said. Maybe it would indeed do herself some good if she could put some time into making new friends...

"Really?" Ary's eyes widened in surprise, "I- I didn't expect you to accept. Alright, great!"

Lina sighed and turned to the blond boy. "Listen, I do not know you, nor do I like you or dislike you. I don't want to give you false hopes either."

Ary blinked at her confusedly. "What do you mean, false hopes? I do not hope, I simply know. You are my soul mate."

'How can he say those things so brazenly?' Lina wondered as she walked away in hopes of calming Ary down. The boy happily followed her as they strolled through Knowledge's Step, District XVIII. The transit wasn't far from the University, and soon enough, they were in the wagon, in the direction of Silverhomes, where Lina's home was waiting.

"You live in Silverhomes?" Ary asked curiously. Lina nodded silently.

"With your brother, is that right?"

"Yes, yes, my brother..." Lina sighed. 'Ah, maybe he's part of the ones who approached me for my brother. Tsk...'

"I read the journal earlier..." He looked at the wagon's ceiling, pondering. "He really is a cool man. I think my parents want me to become like him."

Lina scoffed, "I'm sure they do."

Ary smiled dejectedly and turned to look outside the window. Lina raised an eyebrow at the sight but didn't comment on it. Ary followed her all the way to 33rd Longhorn Street, only stopping in front of the mansion's gate.

"My heart will rest in peace, knowing that you returned home safely," Ary said with a charming smile, a hand on his chest. Lina sighed and waved him away.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Thanks for wasting your time accompanying me. I'll see you next week at school."

"Have a great evening, Lina," Ary said with a bow. Lina sighed.

"Yeah, go in the mansion, Lina," A cold voice suddenly said from behind her as a crackling sound shook reality. Lina and Ary turned, their eyes widening as they saw reality being ripped away into a small opening. A deep purple hand reached out of the rift, Mana swirling madly around it. A man with raven-black hair, a black suit, and purple eyes came out of the Rift, a cold, wicked grin on his face. He had an aura of someone truly powerful, someone who was far beyond Lina and Ary.

'Thank Onnea...' Tiamanes sighed in relief.

"So you're interested in my sister, hmm?" the man coldly said as he reached for Ary's shoulder, the pressure around him almost unbearable.

Ary gulped heavily as he encountered his soon-to-be brother-in-law.

The Devil's Hand.