I was still in a daze from how fast everything had happened. One moment I was in the underground facility, and the next I was above ground, staring straight into light. Way too much light actually.

  “Aria.”

  That name still felt strange, but at the same time, it felt right. Though I didn’t really have the time to think about it the moment I was dragged outside, sunlight crashing into me like a physical blow.

  “Wow…” I muttered, squinting uselessly. “The sun’s way too bright…”

  I tried to take a step forward and immediately failed. My eyes burned and tears welled up on their own as I raised both hands to shield my face, stumbling like someone who had forgotten how to walk.

  Two years. Two full years in complete darkness come to think of it. No wonder my eyes were screaming.

  “Oh, the poor girl,” Emma’s voice cried out from behind, “First time seeing sunlight in years.”

  I ignored her. Not because I wanted to, but because opening my eyes for more than a second felt like staring straight into the sun.

  Then “Giddy up.”

  Before I could protest, the ground vanished beneath my feet.

  “Wha—!”

  Instructor Demo had hoisted me up, tossing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. My stomach lurched as I bounced once against his back.

  “H-Hey!” I protested weakly. “I can walk!”

  “Yer can’t,” he replied flatly. “Yer blindin’ yerself.”

  That was… unfortunately true. I let out a groan, arms dangling uselessly as he carried me forward. The world rocked with each step he took, sunlight flickering between my fingers no matter how hard I tried to block it out.

  This would have been a lot better if it were a princess carry.

  Then again, considering I used to be a full-grown man back on Earth, that might have been even more embarrassing.

  …Yeah. Sack of potatoes it was.

  Since I couldn’t see, I listened instead. Sounds poured in from everywhere: people chatting, mouths chewing food, drinks being poured, merchants shouting out their wares. There was so much of it that it felt overwhelming. And yet, strangely, it all felt distant, like I wasn’t really part of it.

  It took another hour before I could finally open my eyes. When I did, I found myself in a wide, open field, crowded with people. There had to be around 500 of them. I counted in quick succession, because if I didn’t, new training dummies I didn’t recognize would pop up and throw me off. There were almost as many carriages and horses waiting nearby.

  “Tha’s as far as I’m takin’ ye,” Instructor Demo said as he tossed me to the ground.

  I landed gracefully or I think I did. My legs wobbled when the sunlight hit my eyes again, and I nearly collapsed, but my body steadied itself before it became a problem.

  “From now on,” he continued, already turning away, “ye’ll follow them to Fort Kespare. Tha’s where the 9th Corps is.”

  Before I could even say goodbye, I blinked, and he was gone. I felt strangely grumpy and a little sad because I didn’t get to give him a proper farewell. Still, something told me I would meet him again someday. That was just the kind of man he was.

  “You’re the new Warrant Officer, right?” A voice came from right behind me.

  I turned around and found a handsome man grinning down at me, flashing a set of perfect white teeth. He had lightly tanned skin, golden hair that caught the sunlight, and bright blue eyes that sparkled far too confidently.

  My first impression of him was a womanizer.

  Reason one: he was way too handsome.

  Reason two: there were two girls waiting for him by the horses, each holding a staff in hand. They looked like his companions, clearly mages, watching us with unreadable expressions.

  “Um…”

  I remembered the warnings Instructor Demo and the people in white gowns, Emma especially, had drilled into me. I couldn’t tell anyone I was a homunculus unless they were generals or high-ranking nobles. To everyone else, I was just a gifted girl trained by Instructor Demo since childhood.

  “Yeah. I’m Aria.”

  I raised my hand halfway, unsure if that was even the right gesture.

  “Name’s Deryk,” he said, offering another brilliant grin. “Nice to meet you. Fresh graduate from the Mage Academy. 3rd Order mage.”

  “Yeah…” I muttered, already feeling tired.

  “So,” Deryk said, clearly not intending to stop talking anytime soon, “is it true you started training when you were just three years old?”

  I had no idea how that was even possible. The only three-year-olds I knew were barely steady on their feet, shouting random words and falling over for no reason.

  Then again, this wasn’t Earth.

  People here were influenced by mana. They grew stronger, got sick less often, and, apparently, developed far faster than what I considered normal.

  “Yeah… it was harsh.”

  “Harsh?” Deryk looked genuinely shocked. “You don’t mean you wanted to kill yourself rather than go through that demon’s boot camp, right?”

  “Umm…”

  “You’re telling me if a hundred soldiers trained under him, half of them would consider deserting just to get away?”

  “Ummmm…”

  Yeah. Truth be told, he was exactly the kind of person I never wanted to train under again. Maybe he wouldn’t beat normal recruits the way he beat me, since I was special, but the idea of him doing even half of that to regular soldiers made my spine itch.

  “Yeah… I guess,” I said with a small, awkward laugh. I wasn’t sure whether to curse him or praise him, and I really didn’t want to risk him somehow hearing about it.

  “You’re really something special,” Deryk said, looking at me with respect.

  Before he could say more, an officer in a black uniform shouted from atop his horse. “You two! Mount up. We’re moving out now.”

  Then he noticed me properly, my height, my build, and frowned. “You, girl. Get in the supply carriage.”

  I didn’t even hesitate to follow that. Thankful that I wouldn’t have to ride a horse, I climbed straight into the carriage and settled in among the crates. Honestly, it was the best order I had received all day.

  [(0)]

  I seriously regretted following that order.

  First of all, the carriage was really, really, really bumpy. I had completely forgotten this was a medieval fantasy world where technology wasn’t exactly developed. On top of that, this carriage was built for supplies, not people.

  The whole thing rocked and rattled nonstop. My butt hurt like hell, and no matter how I shifted, it still hurt. To make things worse, the road wasn’t even paved, it was just dirt and stones the whole way.

  If I was being honest, getting carried by Instructor Demo had been way better.

  “When are we going to stop?” I asked Deryk. He was one of the few people I knew well enough, and he was riding close to the carriage.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “I don’t think we are,” Deryk replied, flashing that annoyingly shiny smile of his. “Last I heard, Fort Kespare’s in pretty bad shape, and the 9th Corps is in an emergency situation. I doubt this caravan stops before we reach the fort.”

  “Are you kidding me…” I muttered. “Aren’t the horses going to get tired?”

  “Hmm…? Oh, you mean the Saky.” Deryk said as he gently patted the horse’s, or I guess, Saky’s crest. “They’re a special breed used by the military. We don’t use regular horses anymore.”

  “So what’s the difference?”

  “They’re strengthened with mana. As long as they can breathe it in, they’ll keep going without needing rest,” he said casually. “Feed them mana directly, and they last even longer.”

  I gave up hoping for a break after that and climbed up to the driver’s seat instead, sitting beside him. It was awkward at first, but still far better than getting tossed around like cargo.

  As we rolled across the plains, mountains filled my view. Not hills or small ridges, but massive peaks stretching as far as I could see.

  “Yeah,” Deryk said, staring up at them. “The Shiena Kingdom’s famous for its mineral resources, and these mountains. Pretty easy to guess where most of it comes from.”

  I nodded, remembering hearing about it before, during my… questioning-winning battle with Instructor Demo. Some lessons really did stick, whether I wanted them to or not.

  “I actually want to ask some questions,” I said as we continued rolling down the road.

  “Sure.” Deryk smiled. “As long as it’s not about my private life!”

  I ignored his laugh and gathered my thoughts. I had these questions for a while now.

  “I asked Instructor Demo about magic, since I’m not really familiar with it,” I said, making sure Deryk was listening. “I wanted to know more about 5th Order mages and above, and also about Wild Magic.”

  “Oh, you want to know about that?” Deryk chuckled, raising a few fingers. “Alright. First, let’s talk about 5th Order mages.”

  “Do you know why people move up in orders?”

  “Because of their strength?”

  “Close, but not quite. Strength and casting ability matter too, but in the end, it’s mostly about understanding magic.”

  Deryk formed a small ball of water, letting it spin lazily around me, then drift toward the driver before vanishing into thin air.

  “See, people can only use Wild Magic once they reach a deep understanding of magic itself. That’s why they’re 5th Order. They understand magic so that they can create spells no one else can even understand.”

  “So, in other words,” I said, “even if someone’s only 1st Order, or not ranked at all, if they understand magic, they could use Wild Magic?”

  “Yep.” Deryk nodded, then laughed. “That kind of case is extremely rare, though. You’d have to be an Archmage in your past life to pull that off.”

  Any small hope I had was crushed again. I didn’t have mana, and I didn’t even know what magic in this world really was without it. I leaned against the wagon’s wall, feeling completely drained. If this were a movie, I would probably be turning white as I quietly cried inside.

  “Oh…” I said, quickly trying to change the topic before I got crushed again. “Then why don’t nations use 5th Order mages?”

  “They can’t.” Deryk shook his head. “Unlike regular mages who use magic to make a living, like us, anyone who reaches the 5th Order genuinely loves magic. Like, really loves it. They don’t want to use magic for a nation. They want to pursue it for themselves, to develop it even further. Only a handful would fight for a nation. The rest just follow their own path.”

  “Okay…”

  To fight the boredom, Deryk and I ended up chatting about whatever came to mind. Somewhere along the way, I completely forgot to ask about the war situation. Stupid me!

  A full week passed, and just as Deryk had said, we didn’t stop even once. Whether walking or running, the caravan kept moving nonstop. Then, out of nowhere, a green bird I had never seen before appeared in the sky, flying straight toward us at frightening speed.

  “HALT!”

  The same soldier who had first shouted at Deryk and me, who I later learned was First Lieutenant Henry, raised his voice.

  “What’s going on?” I asked Deryk.

  For some reason, he was always riding near me, along with his two lady companions. I had learned their names during the trip, Isabella and Dorothy, and we had chatted a few times along the way.

  “That’s a Wind Bird,” Deryk answered, watching it with interest. “The military uses them to carry messages. If I had to guess, it’s from Fort Kespare.”

  As if the gods themselves were confirming it, Henry scanned the letter once more before turning and shouting to the entire caravan.

  “We received word two days ago! The 9th Corps successfully held off the Imperial siege. They’ve ordered us to arrive by next week!”

  “We’re close,” the driver said gently, noticing the worried looks on our faces. “Two more days, assuming nothing goes wrong. And I doubt the Imperials would attack again so soon after failing a siege.”

  “Yeah, I bet they got their asses kicked by General Cedric!” Deryk said, clearly excited.

  “General Cedric?” I asked. From the sound of it, he was someone important.

  “Yeah. Lieutenant General Cedric Airviss. That’s his full title. He’s the commander of the 9th Corps.” Deryk grinned with obvious pride. “A Wild Magic user, too. They call him the Moon Bringer. And he’s the current head of Duke Household Airviss.”

  So he was a noble and a commander on top of that. One of the really high ones, too since rank went up from Baron, Viscount, Count, Marquess, Duke. That put him near the very top. Which probably meant he already knew what I was, an artificial human.

  “We’ll speed up in case we encounter any Imperial scouts or stragglers!” Henry shouted. “MOVE!”

  Just like that, the entire caravan picked up speed, rolling forward far faster than before.

  [(0)]

  It didn’t take long to reach Fort Kespare., true to the driver’s word. We were moving so fast that it only took a few hours, and when the fort finally came into view, I couldn’t help but stare.

  The walls were massive, tall stone towers rising alongside enormous gates that dominated the landscape. It looked magnificent, and yet… strangely empty. I could barely see anyone patrolling the walls.

  “You’re the caravan assigned for resupply and reinforcements?” I overheard a guard asking as Henry rode up.

  “That’s right.” Henry nodded, handing over a set of identification papers.

  “Great.” The guard slapped a hand to his helmet. “We’re doomed.”

  “Don’t say that.” Another guard, a woman, her voice filled with exhaustion, cut in. “Sorry about him. We really do appreciate you coming.”

  “Don’t worry about it.” Henry grimaced. “I was stationed at Fort Kespare just a few weeks ago. I know exactly how you feel.”

  I tilted my head, not quite understanding what he meant, until another guard suddenly appeared atop the wall.

  “The Imperials have begun their siege again! All personnel to battle stations! All carriages, horses, and noncombatants are to evacuate into the fort immediately!”

  Panic erupted instantly. People shoved forward, desperate to get through the gates, while the guards struggled to check identifications fast enough. However, it was impossible as people just rushed through, some people even getting crushed beneath their feet.

  “Why is everyone in such a rush?!” I barely managed to squeeze through the crowd, my shorter height saving me from being completely crushed.

  “They’re probably attacking the Northern Gate, but we’re at the Western Gate!” Deryk shouted from somewhere in the chaos. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out they might also att—”

  “YOU! All mages assigned as reinforcements, with me!”

  “Wait! I didn’t even get any trai—”

  And just like that, one of my friends, or at least, I think he was, was dragged away by a group of soldiers. The other mages including Isabella, and Dorothy, were pulled along soon after, rushed up onto the walls, Deryk still shouting that he needed training as he disappeared from sight.

  “Welp… I guess that’s life.” The words slipped out on their own, mostly because my mind was still spinning.

  “It is,” the driver said. Somehow, he had ended up right next to me. “In life, you never know what’ll happ—”

  “YOU!”

  A different guard suddenly stormed up to him. “All merchants are to report to Sector Nineteen until further notice!”

  “Wai—” The driver didn’t even get to finish before he was dragged away, screaming at the top of his lungs. “I still need to get paid for my goods!”

  …So he was a merchant. I had spent over a week riding with him and only figured it out now. That explained the lack of military crests on his carriage. He wasn’t a resupply unit. He was selling his goods to the army. It also explained why his carriage was packed far more tightly than the others. He was trying to squeeze in as much profit as possible.

  “YOU!”

  A voice suddenly barked right beside me and I jumped.

  I turned to see another guard glaring down at me. “You are Warrant Officer Aria, newly assigned to the 9th Corps, correct?”

  “Um… yes?” I answered, unsure if lying would somehow make things worse.

  “GOOD!” He grabbed my arm without warning. “Come with me. Lieutenant General Cedric wishes to see you!”

  “Huh?”

  Lieutenant General Cedric, the commander of the 9th Corps from what I remembered correctly. He wanted to meet me? Right now? While the Imperials were attacking? When I had only just arrived?

  “This is an order!” the guard shouted, already hauling me away. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DISOBEY!”

  “What is wrong with this fort?!” I yelled as I was dragged deeper inside. “Why are you dragging everyone away?!”

  I caught glimpses of others who were also from the caravan being hauled off in different directions, all of them just as confused as I was. Seriously, what was wrong with these people?

  “And why the hell are there so many people here when we’re under attack?!”

  Unfortunately, no one answered. The sunlight disappeared from my view, swallowed by stone and shadow.

  [(0)]

  Saky are a wonderful creature.

  They were said to descend from Olion, the Hero’s Horse, the bravest steed to ever charge a battlefield, and the fastest to outrun even the wind.

  Unlike ordinary horses, Saky feeds on mana. Their bodies are stronger, their endurance unmatched, and fear rarely takes hold in their hearts.

  They fall ill far less often, recover faster, and can maintain incredible speed for a long time.

  A single female Saky can give birth to up to ten foals at once, and over her lifetime, raise nearly a hundred.

  Sadly, for these reasons, Saky has been prized as the perfect war mount.

  But they are more than tools of battle.

  They form bonds. They choose their riders.

  At the Saky Festival, you’ll ride them, learn about them, and perhaps earn the attention of a Saky who finds you worthy.

  Not everyone will be chosen. But those who are, will never forget the feeling.

  - From the Poster, “Saky Festival”