Ritsuka woke up with his face pressed against a cold white floor. He let out a low groan and tried to get up. When he finally stood, all he could see was a completely white room—the floor, walls, and ceiling were nearly devoid of color.
"Where am I now…? Why is it that every time I wake up, I'm always in a different place?" he muttered while rubbing his hands together, brushing the dust off his body.
He looked around.
"This place… it looks like a hospital," he said quietly.
But when he turned around, his eyes widened instantly.
A large glass window stretched behind him. Beyond it lay a vast, silent expanse of snow-covered mountains, cold and desolate.
"Where exactly am I…?" he whispered.
Then Zelretch's words surfaced again in his mind—that he would wake up in the facility responsible for kidnapping his sister.
Ritsuka's brows immediately furrowed. He knew it now… where he was.
"Is this place the one responsible for Rikka's kidnapping…?" Ritsuka muttered.
"It looks like Zelretch brought me straight here."
He clenched his fists, then slowly stretched his body.
"Wait for me, Rikka," he said softly.
"Your brother is coming to save you."
Not long after, the floating mass of water appeared, reconnecting him with the gathering. Zelretch's voice echoed from within it.
"Ritsuka, I can only help you up to this point," Zelretch said.
"From here on, you'll have to move on your own."
Ritsuka turned toward the water mass.
"That's fine, Zelretch. This is already more than enough," he replied sincerely.
"Wrong," Zelretch answered immediately.
"From now on, call me Master. Because from this moment on… you are my disciple."
Ritsuka fell silent for a moment.
"A disciple? Wait, I haven't agreed to that—" Ritsuka said, but his words were cut off.
"There is no refusal," Zelretch interrupted firmly.
"From now on, you are my disciple, Ritsuka. A disciple of the Wizard Marshal."
Laughter echoed from the water mass.
"Hahahaha! Ritsuka, it looks like you're officially the disciple of this old vampire now," Koko joked.
"Let's just hope you don't end up becoming his blood bank."
"That won't happen," Kagaya said calmly.
"Zelretch would never do something like that to Ritsuka."
"Who knows," L added flatly.
"We never truly know what goes on inside Zelretch's mind."
Zelretch snorted and waved his hand dismissively.
"You're all so cruel, ganging up on an old man like me," he said jokingly.
"I have a fragile heart, you know."
"Ahem!" Ritsuka cleared his throat, trying to regain their attention.
"So… can I start moving now?" he asked.
"Oh, it seems we momentarily forgot your original purpose for coming here," Zelretch said lightly.
"Ritsuka, before you move, there's one thing I need to tell you," Kagaya said.
"The light child mentioned that he added a new feature. With that water mass, we can now record everything you do."
"Huh? There's a feature like that?" Ritsuka asked, surprised.
"It was just added," L explained.
"With this feature, we can monitor your actions from here."
"I've already tested it," Koko added.
"It feels like a drone camera. If you activate it, we can help you directly with instructions and advice."
Ritsuka thought for a moment.
"All right, I'll activate it," he said. He then touched the water mass.
"Like this, right?" Ritsuka asked.
"Yes, that's good," Kagaya replied.
"We can see your face clearly now."
"Remember, Ritsuka," Zelretch said.
"You can use your status as my disciple in that place. That way, you'll get answers as to why you and your sister were kidnapped."
"Oh? So this old man actually has quite a high status in your world, Ritsuka?" Koko teased.
"That's how it is," Zelretch replied casually.
"You'll understand eventually, Koko."
Ritsuka began walking through the corridors of the facility.
"What kind of place is this…?" he muttered while touching the cold white wall beside him. He glanced toward the large windows lining the corridor.
"This is clearly a research facility," L said with certainty.
"And it's located in a snowy mountainous region. They must be hiding something."
Ritsuka continued down the corridors, yet not a single person was in sight.
"Was this built with future technology?" Kagaya asked, carefully observing the facility's design.
"This place is extremely futuristic," Koko added.
"If they built something like this in a snowy region, it must have required an enormous amount of funding."
Suddenly, a loud shout rang out from behind Ritsuka.
"Stop! Don't move!"
Ritsuka froze. When he turned around, he saw a group of people wearing identical uniforms, standing with their weapons aimed at him.
Without hesitation, Ritsuka raised both hands, signaling that he had no intention of resisting.
"Who are you?" one of them asked as he stepped forward. Several others immediately aimed their firearms at Ritsuka.
"Firearms?" Koko reacted instantly.
"Then this place is definitely not just an ordinary research facility. Are they affiliated with a nation?"
"Ritsuka, don't resist," L said firmly.
"You don't yet know their numbers or their full strength."
"Use your status as Zelretch's disciple now," Kagaya said calmly.
Ritsuka nodded slightly. He slowly began lowering his hands, intending to reach for the gem-like sword hidden behind his body.
But before his hand could move any further, a louder shout rang out.
"Stop! What are you trying to do?!" one of them barked, fingers already on the trigger.
"Ritsuka, idiot, don't make any sudden movements," Koko said quickly.
"They're on high alert. Calm them down first."
"Ritsuka, don't move yet," L said firmly.
"Repeat exactly what I say."
Then L began speaking, and Ritsuka repeated his words clearly and steadily.
"Sir, I will comply. My hands are raised. I am not carrying any lethal weapons, and I have no intention of harming anyone."
The guards remained tense.
"Who are you, and what is your purpose for coming here?" one of them asked sharply.
"I was sent here under my master's orders to assist this facility," Ritsuka replied calmly.
The guard did not lower his guard.
"Who is this master who sent you?" he asked.
"My mission here is under the direct instruction of the Wizard Marshal," Ritsuka said firmly.
The uniformed personnel exchanged glances, clearly confused by his statement. However, one magus standing among them stiffened instantly.
"W–wait," he said nervously.
"Do you mean… you are a disciple of the Wizard Marshal?"
From the water mass, L's voice was heard.
"Now, state Zelretch's full name to them."
Ritsuka took a brief breath, then spoke clearly.
"My master is Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg."
"That's quite a long name," Kagaya commented quietly.
"Wow," Koko chuckled,
"That old man has a name that's hard to pronounce. I'm surprised Ritsuka didn't mess it up."
"Hahaha," Zelretch only laughed softly.
Ritsuka's brow furrowed slightly. The chatter was distracting him, making it hard to focus.
"That's impossible," the magus said suspiciously.
"Where's your proof that you're truly his disciple?"
"I have proof," Ritsuka replied calmly.
"It's on my back. I'll turn around slowly so you can see it."
He carefully turned around.
Their gazes immediately fixed on the gem-like sword mounted on Ritsuka's back.
"That… it resembles the Wizard Marshal Zelretch's jeweled sword," one of them murmured.
"And this magical energy—there's no mistake. This truly belongs to him."
The leading magus's expression changed drastically.
"Lower your weapons. Now!" he barked.
"You fools!"
One by one, they obediently lowered their firearms.
"We sincerely apologize, Disciple of the Wizard Marshal," the magus said, bowing with aristocratic etiquette.
"We failed to recognize you earlier, and we deeply regret that we were unable to welcome you properly."
"It's fine," Ritsuka replied calmly.
"I was sent here by my master without prior notice."
The magus then asked with much greater respect,
"If I may ask, what is your name?"
"My name is Ritsuka Fujimaru," he answered simply.
Suddenly, something fell behind them with a clatter.
Ritsuka turned his head. One of the guards looked tense, clearly nervous. The magus frowned deeply, irritation flashing across his face.
"Please forgive us, sir," he said quickly.
"The guards here are not trained to deal with honored guests. I will ensure they receive better training in the future."
"T–there's no need to go that far," Ritsuka said quickly.
However, the guard who had dropped his weapon stepped forward. He lightly tugged on the magus's sleeve, signaling that he wanted to speak privately.
"Sir… we need to talk," he whispered.
The magus frowned again.
"What is it?" he replied quietly.
"It seems your subordinate wishes to tell you something," Ritsuka said neutrally.
"Please, go ahead."
The magus let out a short breath.
"All right," he said, following the guard a short distance away and listening.
"What is it?" he asked in a low voice.
"You understand what it means to pull me aside while I'm speaking with an envoy of the Wizard Marshal. So this had better be important."
"S–sir… this is about Ritsuka Fujimaru," the guard whispered.
"He is the 48th Master candidate, obtained through blood donation," he continued.
The magus's face instantly went pale, cold sweat forming on his temples.
"Don't joke around! Wasn't the 48th Master candidate supposed to be nothing more than an ordinary civilian?" he said tensely.
"Are you sure you have the right person?"
"Yes, sir," the guard replied quickly.
"I clearly remember his photo and his name. He was listed last in the records, which actually made him easy to remember."
"Are you sure?" the magus asked again, seeking confirmation.
"Yes."
The magus swallowed hard.
"Wasn't the 48th Master candidate supposed to be brought in… by kidnapping?"
"Yes."
"Has the retrieval team returned yet?"
"No."
The magus's face tightened further. His heart pounded violently.
Then the guard spoke again, this time hesitantly.
"And, sir… there's one more thing I need to report."
"What is it?" the magus asked curtly.
"Well," the guard continued,
"Do you remember the woman who was slapped by the Director earlier for falling asleep during the meeting and then thrown out of the conference room?"
"Yes," the magus replied quietly.
"I remember. The Director slapped her quite hard. What about her?"
A bad premonition crept in.
"Her full name is Rikka Fujimaru," the guard said.
"The 47th Master candidate, who was also brought here through kidnapping."
He swallowed, then added,
"And you know, sir… in Japan, members of the same family usually share the same surname."
The words hung in the air.
The magus's face was now drenched in sweat.
"Are you sure?" he asked softly.
"Yes," the guard answered without hesitation.
Silence fell—
and their fatal mistake was finally laid bare.