A light rain began to fall as they reached the coastal highlands of the Southern Continent. The Obelisk of the Stars, suspended in the sky, was also clearly visible.
It was the eye of The Stars, a sign that they had entered the Timekeeper’s field of vision.
Strictly speaking, this place was no longer part of the Holy Alliance. The city on the highlands was neutral territory, keeping its distance from every faction. It wasn’t governed by the Broomflower Kingdom, and was more like a Free Federation concession in Iseran.
The rangers patrolling the area all wore silver wing insignia. They belonged to the Council of the Wings of Freedom and kept order along the Travelers’ Road.
Zinora breathed a sigh of relief. To her, the Obelisk meant safety and the protection of the Eternal Dragon—even though what had happened to Barry had left the little princess with little hope in the gods.
The closer they got to Lunsa City, the more people they saw coming from every direction.
It was the start of the school year, and people were arriving from all over the continent to take the entrance exams, hoping to become students at Saint Lensa War-Soul Academy.
Saint Lensa’s teaching was renowned across many planes. Its students weren’t necessarily the noblest by birth, but they were certainly the most outstanding.
Visitors from other planes were common, too. Plane merchants often traveled through Free Federation territory, so people with unusual features were nothing out of the ordinary here.
But a High Sun Elf really was a rare sight. Nolan carried the elf girl through the crowd entering the city, and Zinora’s ragged clothes drew curious glances wherever she went.
The Free Federation was an absolutely neutral trading paradise on every plane. It competed with no faction, and no one dared provoke it.
The Free City of Iseran was Lunsa, the holy city built from massive white stones that stood before them.
Once they passed through the city gates, Lunsa’s bustling side opened up before them. The streets teemed with people, shops lined the roads, and beautiful buildings stood everywhere they looked.
Every Free City was connected to the Prime Plane. Magic-crystal technology, far more advanced than anything in the lesser planes, could be found everywhere here, giving the city a thoroughly modern feel. Even the passersby were dressed in strikingly fashionable clothes.
Once they were inside the city, the little princess felt too embarrassed to make Nolan carry her any farther. She gritted her teeth and managed a few steps, hoping to find somewhere to change into clean clothes and rest. But contacting her mother was still the most urgent thing.
Suddenly, someone bumped into Zinora from behind, and they both fell to the ground.
“Ow!”
The careless fool cried out in pain and sprawled at the feet of a young man passing by. The female warrior at his side immediately shoved the troublemaker away.
“Get lost!”
The female warrior was arrogant, but the handsome young man in his luxurious clothes didn’t seem to mind. He merely took a few surprised looks at Zinora’s pointed ears and golden hair. Then his gaze lingered on her face, and he stared as if he’d seen a goddess.
The young man seemed to be in a hurry and didn’t stop. Nolan helped the frail little believer to her feet, dusted off Zinora’s ragged skirt, then turned to the other person.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine.”
The one who’d knocked Zinora down was a frail street urchin whose gender was hard to make out. They looked disheveled and unkempt, their face so filthy it was impossible to see clearly. Still, the two who’d survived an assassination attempt weren’t exactly in much better shape.
Nolan had been about to ask the little fellow if they’d like to embrace Chaos and never go hungry again. But remembering what they needed to do, Nolan changed the question. “Could you tell me how to get to Saint Lensa War-Soul Academy?”
The street urchin was a mess, but had a pair of beautiful, wide eyes. They blushed slightly and pointed vaguely toward a white spire in the distance.
“O-over there.”
“Thanks.”
The street urchin ran off without looking back.
It should’ve been an insignificant little incident, but as Zinora picked up the backpack, she grew thoughtful.
“That’s strange. I feel like I’ve heard that person’s voice somewhere before.”
Just then, a charming girl with long, dark-blue hair appeared on the magic-crystal screen overhead. She held a microphone and danced passionately onstage.
That was Messiah, the Star Songstress who performed for the Wings of Freedom. A superstar known across every plane, she was rumored to have arrived in Nolanland ahead of her tour, drawing countless admirers to the city.
Nolan looked up, eyes blazing.
That’s right. This kid was the first qualified Apostle Nolan had picked out. So what if Astetaya had a Saintess? Nothing could gather faith like an idol.
“By the way, how did you know I was coming here?”
“Because I’m a student at Saint Lensa, too…”
Nolan took the backpack. A black line seemed to crack across their forehead. “Where’s my admission letter!?”
Nolan had been carrying Zinora the whole time, so the backpack had been on the little elf’s back, too.
Zinora tilted her head, looking completely baffled. Then she shrieked, “Ah! That street urchin! They’re a thief!”
Nolan covered their face. Aside from the ever-rising R-rating, this was the second thing that had left them so mortified they wanted to disappear.
(╯°Д°)╯︵ ┻━┻
The Destroyer of Worlds had actually been robbed by a pickpocket! If Astetaya and Peiluntitan found out, they’d laugh themselves silly!
“Anyway, let’s report to the academy first. As long as we can prove who we are, this stuff is no big deal.”
Zinora stared blankly for a moment. Then something suddenly occurred to her, and her expression slowly froze.
“Ah!”
“What is it?”
The princess looked ready to cry. “M-my admission letter is gone, too.”
She’d almost forgotten. Right now, she had nothing—not even her guardian knight. All her belongings had burned with the carriage.
The two looked at each other and fell silent.
All right. They had no choice now but to take the entrance exam on their own merits.
The thief might’ve been despicable, but they hadn’t lied.
Exhausted in both body and mind, Nolan and Zinora reached the foot of the white spire. Sure enough, a long line stretched before them. Young applicants crowded together, each with grand ambitions.
Only then did Nolan realize how much effort the Duchess had gone to in securing that admission letter—and saving Nolan from all these tedious entrance procedures.
The handsome young man from earlier was here, too. But a staff member led him through another entrance, and he seemed to have a remarkable status.
Without a second thought, Nolan followed close behind, took the first believer by the hand, and slipped inside before the doors closed.
At this rate, they’d be waiting in line until dawn!
“Oh? It’s you two?”
The young man in the passage was surprised to see them, but the female warrior drew her sword and stepped forward first.
“You ill-mannered brats! Who let you in?”
The female warrior glared furiously. Her helmet hid her expression, but her temper was clearly explosive. A green wind-element Soul Spirit had already gathered into a fiery aura around her.
Nolan was just about to knock them out and sneak in by taking their place when the young man raised a hand to stop his furious attendant. His smile was playful.
He was clever. In an instant, he understood why the two had sneaked in—and saw through the identity hidden beneath Nolan’s cloak.
“Meeting like this must be fate. I’d be happy to see you two on your way, but whether you pass is up to you.”
“Thanks.”
Nolan shot the female warrior an annoyed look, then led Zinora, who was apologizing profusely, farther in.
The four of them entered a quiet hall and registered their names one after another. At a staff member’s gesture, Nolan took off their hood and wiped their face clean.
The striking silver hair immediately caught the young man’s attention. He casually wrote down his own long, complicated name, then glanced at the handwriting on the application. His pupils tightened. “You’re Nolan Joestar?”
