"The Intruder"

Jingle~

Once she confirmed the newcomers posed no threat, the mysterious white-haired, red-eyed Miko sheathed the Teaching Swiftblade at her waist.

But her hand remained on the hilt, making it clear she had not let down her guard.

She was about to warn the two before her against making any sudden moves with a fierce glare when the looks Siglica and Mo Bai gave her struck her as strange.

Siglica was gazing at her with curiosity and delight.

The blood-soaked intruder, meanwhile, was stroking his chin as he studied her.

"Y-you're the Miko, aren't you? The famous Miko everyone at the Academy talks about!"

As Siglica spoke, the Miko could almost see stars sparkling in her eyes.

"Siglica..."

Even Dania, standing beside her, looked a little helpless at her friend's reaction.

Siglica was like that. Once something caught her interest, she threw herself into it with excitement.

Perhaps it was because she loved birdwatching. After all, capturing a lively little bird at a moment worth recording took intense concentration.

To her, looking at the mysterious Miko everyone at the Academy had been talking about was probably like observing an unfamiliar white bird.

Still, Siglica's behavior seemed fairly normal to the Miko.

Siglica was an Academy student, after all, and she had attacked just now to protect her friend.

But the other one...

The Miko glanced at Mo Bai, whose missing eye was already growing back through Reverse Cursed Technique.

She could not make sense of this outsider, an intruder who had suddenly attacked an Academy student.

Even now, he was standing right where he was, simply studying her.

"So it was you. The presence I sensed in the Viewing Classroom was exactly like yours. You really are the Miko."

Mo Bai nodded, agreeing with Siglica.

"Huh?"

Siglica looked confused when