They called him the “Silent Tactician” long before the blood dried on the banners. Before the journal was found. Before history remembered the cost.

At the heart of an elite academy where talent alone isn't enough, Nitsuo stands not with power or prestige—but with silence, strategy, and an unreadable gaze. To most, he’s just a quiet second-year. To a few, he is the mind behind impossible victories. Behind his team’s laughter, behind the storm of noble politics and magical duels, he records everything—in a worn leather journal that one day will be all that remains.

Each student here dreams of glory. Each battle is more than a test; it’s a war for identity. Magic is studied like warcraft. Words are weapons. Feelings are hidden behind masks, until a single moment—a mistake, a duel, a glance too long—cracks them wide open.

But Nitsuo didn’t come here to win. He came to carry a promise. And while his comrades clash and grow, while quiet rivalries bloom into unspoken feelings and accidental flirts stir the hearts of more than one, a war far beyond the school walls brews in the dark.

Because legends aren't born—they’re remembered. And The Silent Tactician doesn’t speak to be heard. He writes so his story won't be lost.

Location: Academy Grounds – Library Study Room


My body has adjusted, mostly. The spirit crystal Yukari left behind is doing more than just sustaining me — it's healing me, slowly but surely. I can sense mana again. Not in the way I used to — wild, rushing like a river — but steady, quiet. Like drawing breath through a cracked window.


Even so, the doctors say it will be a year before I can use magic safely.


But I've found new strength in stillness.


I spend most of my time reading, studying, watching.


There was a barrier spell layered wrong — an inner circuit that shouldn't have weakened so fast.


A professor forgot a student's name — but that 5 student vanished in 2 week?


And the Mirror Holders? No signs of forced entry. No mana traces at the gates. Nothing.


I haven't said anything yet. Not even to Lily. Not even to David — though he returned from headquarters three days ago, his eyes heavier than before.


Anna dragged Gideon into a painting contest.


Riya burned half a flowerbed by accident (again).


And Elric made stew that somehow tasted like cake.


But the shadow behind the academy walls grows longer.


Someone here is helping the Mirror Holders.


But I can feel it — the way a strategist senses terrain before battle.


But I've never needed strength to see the board."


Let them think I'm too weak to be a threat.


Chapter 23 - Chapter 23 - The Shadow Among Us