Extra Chapter:
Princess of Asura and the Mage Knight

Ars, the royal capital of the Asura Kingdom, was the home to many people, common folk, nobility, and royalty alike.

At its center was a white, pristine-walled castle that loomed over the residential districts of the city. It was the Silver Palace, home to the royal family. This was the site of several of the most nefarious acts committed in the name of the kingdom's eternal power struggle. Once, a red-haired boy named Ares was caught up in this struggle. Yet, he managed to escape its grasp.

But others weren't so lucky. The nobility constantly created plots, deceptions, and betrayals against each other.

Unbeknownst to all of them, however, was the fact that an unknown variable would enter the twisted game, disrupting the course of the wars waged in the castle. This variable would be thrown into the struggle due to the life-altering "Displacement Incident," the disaster that teleported all residents of the Fittoa Region to the four corners of the six-sided world.

This is but one part of the story of how those events were set in motion…

A 17-year-old boy was standing watch over the young lady he was hired to protect.

His name was Derrick Redbat, the third heir to the family of the Redbats. He was a magician, one of the advanced tier—making him quite a suitable bodyguard for the young lady. He had graduated top of his class in his year at the illustrious Asura Institute of Magic.

Inhaling the aromas of the Lily Garden contained inside the Silver Palace of Asura was the Second Princess of Asura, Ariel Anemoi Asura. She'd inherited beautiful qualities from both of her parents: her mother, the queen consort, providing her with luscious hair and lovely characteristics; her father, the ruler of Asura, providing her with a charismatic voice that demanded the attention of whomever she spoke to.

Occasionally, the charming girl would visit the Lily Garden, calling it the most precious place in all of Asura to her. Her only companions were her two bodyguards; no one else dared to approach her, deeming it uncouth to even attempt to exchange words with the angel-like beauty.

However, the atmosphere around the three of them was significantly more tense than usual. The princess's other bodyguard, Luke Notos Greyrat–a boy with great renown as a young swordsman–was holding up a letter. His normally contained tone was now elevated as he read it out to his liege.

"Dear Princess Ariel, I'd like to say a few words. First and foremost, I'm sorry. I'm deserting my job as your bodyguard. If we ever meet again, I'd like to explain better," Luke spoke.

Ariel's closed eye twitched. She was hoping this was some bad joke–she wouldn't put it past her third bodyguard to do such a thing. She motioned for Luke to continue reading the letter to her.

"I know how upset this will probably make you, but I ask you not to let my so-called family know about my desertion. And Ariel, If I could tell you one last thing. I know you dislike the idea of becoming queen, but I'd like to see you on the throne one day. From Ares Boreas Greyrat."

Ariel abruptly got up from her seat. Luke followed her example, crumpling the paper in silence.

"What makes that boy think he can just leave? Especially while he was attending me, a job that I gave him?" Ariel huffed. She had spent the majority of the past three years growing close to Ares; for him to throw it all away like it was nothing irritated her.

"I have no idea what went through his mind, Lady Ariel. If you'd like, I can arrange a search party for him," Luke offered, furrowing his eyebrows with contempt for the boy.

"That won't be necessary. Although I offered him everything I had, even my body, he still deserted me. I thought of him as a good friend, but I suppose that sentiment wasn't shared. I don't have any use for a bodyguard who isn't loyal," She declared, walking away from her seat.

"A shame," Derrick spoke, following the two of them.

Derrick thought that Ares was promising. On top of being second in line to the head of the Boreas Greyrats, he was a North God swordsman, wielding tricks and techniques completely unknown to the average defense-based Water God bodyguard. He was even being privately tutored by a disciple of the previous North God, which made him all the more interesting.
He had defended Princess Ariel more than once from assassins, which exposed the fact that someone was vying for the death of Ariel. But now that he was gone, Derrick doubted that he and Luke could protect Ariel with utmost certainty. With Ares, that was never an issue. He and the Princess were close enough to sleep together constantly, protecting her from any threats that could arise during the night.

Of course, Derrick doubted that protecting Princess Ariel was the first thing on Ares's mind when he slept with her, but that fact was beside the point. There was no one to fill up that responsibility, and it would be increasingly dangerous without that someone. For a moment, his mind wandered to the possibility of a female bodyguard. He pushed that thought away, reasoning that something like that would cause more problems than it would fix, mainly for the poor hypothetical girl herself.

"Could I protect her…?" he asked himself under his breath, voicing his anxieties–then shook his head to clear his mind of the thoughts. The three continued walking forth.

However, this was the moment that would change all of their lives irreversibly. They didn't know what had happened at the time, but in that same instant, the Fittoan Mass Displacement Incident occurred.

A thunderous boom rang out before the trio.

"Lady Arie— What—?!"

Luke's hand shot to his sheathed blade, as if on instinct. He stepped forward and locked eyes with something that froze him in place.

It was an enormous beast standing on two legs that had just trotted out from among the neighboring trees–A Terminator Boar.

Terminator Boars were much more than infamous in the capital of Asura. Many years prior, a Terminator Boar along with 20 Assault Wolves had slaughtered every living person in a small village without sparing a single villager. News of the tragedy spread through the kingdom like wildfire. People went as far as to discipline their children using them, telling them that if they didn't get to bed on time, a boar would come and snatch them up.

Derrick was a countryman, so he knew the tales of such creatures. He was certain he could recognize their appearances from a mile away. Their crooked jaws, their dark tufts of hair sprouting from their heads, their unfeeling red eyes.

"Just…how?"

How was a Terminator Boar here of all places? Derrick's mind raced as he told himself that there was no way something that big could make itself into the palace walls. Could a noble have arranged this? That wasn't right. Not even the most influential people in all of the nobility could manage to pull off smuggling a Terminator Boar into the heart of the capital.
"Luke, Lady Ariel! Get back!" He yelled, placing himself in front of the boar.

If I have to pay for Lady Ariel's safety with my life, so be it. God, you can take my life. Just let Lady Ariel live, I beg of you.

"Lady Ariel, take the throne and usher Asura into a new era of prosperity!" He shouted, raising his wand toward the Terminator Boar. He began to chant urgently, speaking as fast as he could.

However, his incantation was cut off.

"Aaaaaaaaah!"

With an intense shrill, an angel tumbled from the heavens. Her hair was white, and she was wearing shoddy clothes–ones that a commoner would wear. The angel cried out in pain as she landed on the ground, covering her with bruises and instantly fracturing both legs.

The three of them stood back in shock as their fright turned into befuddlement. After a few moments of silence, they hesitantly approached the fallen angel. Almost immediately, they noticed her injury.

"Ah! Her legs!" Ariel cried. Yet, the angel didn't hear her words. Her eyes were filled with fright and desperation as they locked with the Terminator Boar. The angel knew that she had to do something if she wanted to stay alive.

So, without holding back, she cast a spell. Numerous spells, drawing from her knowledge of magic. In the span of a few seconds, her spells impacted the creature. The boar was frozen, slammed into by an earth lance, and shattered all within mere moments of each other. She had expelled an exorbitant amount of mana at the boar, channeling the same amount of mana that could power at the very least ten advanced-tier spells.

"Ha…" She exhaled, trying to get up on her feet. When she noticed she was injured, the angel's mind stumbled to try to heal her. To an outsider, it looked like she was full of determination. In reality, her consciousness was fading. She had a splitting headache–she wasn't used to pain in the slightest.

If the angel's mind was in the right place at that moment, she would have understood that she was completely drained of her magical power.

"Ah…Ah! A-Are we saved? Who are you? What is your name?"

The angel heard a voice from behind her. She turned around, her eyelids beginning to shutter.

"It's… Sylphiette."

Sylphiette said that and promptly fainted.

The princess and her guardians rushed her to the nearest healer. While Sylphiette was being nursed to health, a murmur erupted among the nobles who had witnessed her actions.

Many people declared that she was the hero who saved the second princess from certain death. On the other hand, some wary nobles spoke up and expressed their concerns. The young girl, contrary to what her looks suggested, was powerful. She managed to eliminate such an infamous creature without a moment's hesitation–most notably, without incantations.

The only person that they knew could cast spells without using incantations was the Asura Institute of Magic's headmaster. It was suspicious. Why had this extremely powerful mage been dropped into the Lily Garden seemingly out of nowhere?

All of the nobles who had been discussing agreed to keep the girl's existence under wraps. They questioned the girl's intentions, debating whether or not she intended to harm the princess or something else.

Upon hearing this, Ariel stated clearly that it did not matter to her what her identity was. She only cared about the fact that she had saved her life. To that, Luke agreed. He said that if Sylphiette was truly sent to kill the princess, she would have had no reason to save Ariel.

If Sylphiette was a man, surely Luke would have stayed silent, he had to admit to himself. Despite feeling no consistent attraction toward her, his impression of her only improved because she was a young, beautiful girl.

After hearing them out, the nobles conceded and noted that they made a good point. In the end, they decided to simply interrogate the girl once she woke up. And so ended their discussion.

Sylphiette

"Huh?!" I shouted in surprise as my eyes fluttered open to a horrific sight unfolding before me. I was in the sky, I knew that. But I couldn't tell if up was down or if down was up. My vision was flashing between the ground and the clouds and it was making me nauseous.

"Eek! Aaaaaah!" I was flying.

No, I wasn't flying at all. I was falling, falling, falling, falling at a dizzying rate. I couldn't breathe. The air was rushing past my nose and my mouth, I couldn't breathe.

This wasn't a dream, no, not at all. I could feel it in my head and everything that makes me me. This was real, and I had to do something. If I didn't, I'd die. Death from falling.

I can't die. I want to see Lumi. Lumi could save me. But she's not here right now!

"Waaaaaaah!" I cried out. I fired off a sizable wind spell, surrounding my whole body in an enveloping breeze. Who was it that told me about birds riding the wind to fly? I can't remember.

I started slowing down–thank goodness. Right after my brief moment of relief, the spell I cast dissipated. And now, I'm falling again, falling, falling, falling closer to the ground.

What should I do? I don't know! I have to fly! How do I fly? Humans can't fly! I'm not human, so do I have a shot? I'm part human, so can I–?

Lumi tried to fly once, didn't she? She broke her legs. It hurt her a lot. I don't want to end up like that. But I don't want to die either! What should I do? She made something, something soft to land on, right? Right? My head hurts, I can't think clearly. Is that what I do? Something soft. Water is soft! It's not hard, so it's soft!

I tried to cover myself with water. But it instantly fell apart. I know! Wind again! I can do that! I tried it again, trying to launch myself into the air. The sun blinded me, and I lost control of my spell. Fire? Wouldn't that hurt? I can't use Earth, or can I? I'm sure I can! Any of them works! I just don't want to die!

"Aaaaaaaah!"

When I woke up, I felt like I was dreaming. The bed I was laid to rest on was far too luxurious for this to be real.

What? Why am I here…? I peered up and noticed the room I was in–it was filled with so many strangers! I sat up and scooched backward. Mom told me not to talk to strangers before. Of course, any strangers I met would have just shown me a face of pity and walked away. I was tired of that look, the discrimination I faced just because of my green hair wore me down.

But there was someone who would never make fun of it. The person I loved the most in the world aside from my parents. Lumi. Ah… Lumi! Where are you?

I looked across the room, searching for her in a bout of hope. But the only people I recognized were a trio of three lavishly-dressed nobles. At least, I assumed they were nobles. The girl in the center took my breath away. I couldn't imagine seeing such a beautiful girl back at home. Not that she's prettier than Lumi, that's just impossible.

Even so, what is this place?

"Good morning."

My eyes shot to the one who spoke. For a split second, I thought it was a younger version of Mister Paul. But that couldn't be. Mister Paul was much too prideful to dress like that. Maybe this was his son?

No way. I would've known if Lumi had another brother.

"My name is Luke Notos Greyrat. Could I have yours?" the boy asked me.

Ah… Greyrat? That's Lumi's family name! I perked up. Did this boy look like Mister Paul because they were related? Maybe Lumi was here as well, but she was just waiting for me in another room.

"Mister… Luke. Do you know where Lumi is?" I asked.

"Lumi?" He asked, puzzled. "I'm not sure who you mean. Do they have a family name, by chance?"

"Yes! Her full name is Lumina Greyrat." I spoke.

He pursed his lips. "A Greyrat, you say? Who is her father?" He asked, still looking a bit confused as to who I was talking about. But I was getting somewhere, I just knew it!

"Mister Paul Greyrat." I said. The room erupted into whispers.

Uhm, what's going on? Did I do something wrong?

"Paul Greyrat had a daughter? I never knew about this," He said, raising his eyebrows. He motioned for the nobles to quiet down.

"So you… don't know who she is?" I asked tentatively.

"I'm afraid so," He said.

I should've known… if Lumi was here she would've burst into the room the moment she knew I was here. I curled up and buried my face in my knees.

"What's this? Is something the matter?" he spoke in an elevated tone of voice. He rushed over to try to grab my hand, but I didn't let him. I shook my head and backed away from him on my bed.

Chuckles erupted among the nobles who were present in the room.

"Haha! Looks like there are girls who aren't affected by your charm!"

"I don't think she likes lady-killers like you, Luke."

"C'mon. We put you up to this because you're supposed to be the best at handling girls!"

What are they talking about? Charm? Why aren't they talking about my hair? Is this boy taking the attention off of me? That's nice of him…

The boy huffed and turned back to me. "I'm sorry if I've done anything to scare you, miss. Allow me to express my utmost gratitude. You, like an angel with beautiful white hair, saved my life. I am truly thankful for your actions."

Huh? "W-white hair?"

In my confusion, I looked at the side of the bed. There was a dresser there, but that wasn't what I focused on. On top of the dresser was a massive, polished mirror without so much as a blemish on it. Miss Zenith told me that mirrors were extremely expensive, so how could these people afford them? When I peered at my reflection, I gasped in shock. My hair–the thing that I hated above all else, the thing that ruined my life before I met Lumi–was now completely white.

"...Is this me?" I held up a hand, and like magic, my reflection followed my movements perfectly. Without a doubt, my hair was white.

"What do you mean?"

I could hardly hear the boy anymore. I crawled toward the mirror to get a better look. This was everything I had dreamed of and more. But just how?

"W-Why is it…?"

A few moments passed in silence. Luke stepped aside and began chatting with some of the other people in the room. They looked like they made up their minds about something, and then they walked over to me.

"Don't be afraid. We're just going to be asking you a few questions," One spoke.

"Where are you from?"

"Whose underling are you?"

"From whom did you learn magic from?"

Their questions overwhelmed me. I had to stop myself from shouting at them to leave me alone. But I tried to clear my head enough to answer their questions.

"M-My name is Sylphiette. I-I'm an only child and my father is a hunter named… Laws. I come from the Fittoa Region, and I lived in Buena Village," I explained. As I answered their questions, I felt myself growing used to their presence.

"M-My best friend, also my tutor, was named Lumina. She taught me everything I know about magic. For her birthday, we went to visit Roa. Before I knew what was happening, I woke up way up in the air! And somehow, I landed and managed to survive. That's how I dropped in from the sky, and how I killed that creepy monster."

When I was finished with my story, they looked at me funny. They began to discuss among themselves again–seriously, why did they do that so much? Didn't they believe me? I thought they saw me fall from the sky!

The girl that I had met–I think she was a princess–stood up.

"I understand your hesitance to accept her. However, I ask that you be reasonable in your judgment. This girl, whether or not she is telling the truth, saved my life. Above everything else, she is the sole benefactor that prevented my life from being taken. For now, let's discuss this elsewhere. I wish to leave her alone for a while."

Her voice was commanding to the point that I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She drew me in with her words effortlessly. She has to be a princess. I just know it.

The nobles agreed, and then they all began filing out of the room one by one, their chattering beginning to fade as they walked away. After they had all left, it was just me alone with the princess. Her guards were waiting for her by the door.

She strode over to me as if walking on air.

"Miss Sylphiette, was it?"

I nodded. "Mhm," I looked into her sky-blue eyes as she spoke.

"Don't be anxious. I'll do everything in my power to protect you from any trouble that could arise. If there's anything I can do to help you feel at ease, ask away."

Something that could help me feel better? Lumi's the first thing that pops into my mind, but… I knew the next best thing.

"Could you let me go outside?" I asked.

"Certainly. Is there anything else?" She spoke, smiling amiably.

"Yes. Could you get me a sword? Even a wooden one is fine," I requested. To my words, the two bodyguards near the entrance tensed up. She noticed them and motioned them to stop. Both of them looked at her strangely.

"What do you plan on doing with it?" She asked, a hint of reluctance seeping into her voice.

"I want to train my swordsmanship," I explained. She looked flabbergasted as if she had no idea what I was saying.

"Swordsmanship? Why would you need such a thing when your magical prowess is already incredible?" She asked me.

Hehe. That's what Mister Paul asked me too. I smiled at the princess.

"Lumi once promised me that she'd stay at my side forever. But she's strong, so much stronger than me. That means I have to get just as strong so I can protect her as well. She doesn't use a sword, you see? That's her one blind spot. Even though I'm not the best at it yet, I want to surprise her and one day become a swordsman who can use magic."

The princess widened her eyes. Then, she gave me a radiant smile–one so comforting it nearly took my breath away.

"You have an extraordinary heart, Sylphiette. Pursuing strength not for the sake of it but for the sake of protecting others. You truly impress me." She reached over and grabbed both of my hands. This time, however, I didn't back away.

"I'll make sure you get that sword. And if I can manage it, I might be able to help you with your training."

"Ah, really? Thank you so much, princess!" I exclaimed. To think she would go that far to help a stranger! She was so admirable. I wanted to be just like her one day.

"It's no issue. Also, if you would, please call me Ariel," she said, massaging my hands with hers.

"Of course, Miss Ariel!"

Thus, Sylphiette unintentionally curried favor with the Second Princess of Asura, Ariel Anemoi Asura. The implications of this would forever change the outcome of the royal power struggle in the Silver Palace. However, this was not the end of Sylphiette's story. Her experiences in Ars would embolden the person she was destined to become.

But that's a story for another time.

Author's Note:

Thank you for reading Volume III! It means a lot that you would read this far, so thank you. I've got some interesting developments planned for the next volume, and I hope you will enjoy the large, arc-defining canon divergence with Paul that's coming up.

Again, I'd like to advocate for the AO3 version of Lumina Greyrat, as whenever the story calls for it, I will only be able to write the more adult content there since FFN has a policy against it here, and I'd like not to take any chances with it here and risk the entire series being deleted here.

The next chapter should be released by October 31, Halloween!

Next Chapter: Setting Foot on Wind Port