A Glimmer of Hope on the Road Ahead (Please Vote with Monthly Tickets)

(Heartfelt thanks to 'Thunder l Thor' for the 10,000 reward, and to 'Unmei no Kukou,' 'in Moonlit Play,' and 'Do You Believe God Is Doing Good Deeds' for their rewards!)

The sky gradually darkened.

After a full day of classes, Sakura Matou returned to the door of that gloomy house she called home, her heart heavy once more.

Today, Sakura Matou's fear of her home had deepened even further.

The reason was simple. Knowing full well what her brother was like, Sakura Matou knew that after what had happened today, he was probably in an even worse mood than usual and would be even less kind to her.

On top of that, Sakura Matou knew that her grandfather was constantly waiting for the power protecting her body to run out, so she could be subjected to the worms' corruption. That only made her more afraid.

Noah's instincts had been right.

Sakura Matou truly was somewhat special.

Just as Noah had sensed, Sakura Matou was not a magus, yet she could not exactly be called someone who was not a magus either.

Because Sakura Matou had indeed been born into a family of magi.

It was simply that she had not been born into the Matou Family's direct bloodline, but into another family of magi. From the moment she was born, a magus's blood had flowed through her veins, and she possessed exceptional talent for magecraft.

Yet fate was cruel.

The most fundamental inheritance of a family of magi was the Magic Crest.

It was a supreme treasure left behind by generations of family members, who spent their entire lives pushing the magecraft they had learned to its limits and researching it until it could be crystallized. It was then passed down to the next generation, allowing them to continue that