Act 1: Demon Lord Kingdom Analia
Chapter 1: Elle of the Four Grand Magi
WHAT a marvelous day!
The final volume to my absolute favorite shoujo manga, Saint Aela of Gaea, comes out today! As a longtime fan of the series since its debut, I’ve been impatiently awaiting the ending.
The second the bookstore door slides open, I sweep in and purchase my copy before anyone else. I race outside, unable to contain my excitement.
I wanna read it now! I gotta know how it ends! I mean, it’s the final volume! Will Aela defeat the Demon Lord? Who will she end up with? The prince, like I’ve been assuming? Or maybe one of the former Four Grand Magi of the Demon Lord’s Army…
As I’m preoccupied thinking over all the ways the series can end… Bam! I hear a loud crash.
Huh? What just happened? Why do I feel like I’m floating? Is that a truck in front of me? Was that the sound of me being hit by a truck? Oh. Crap.
Those are my final thoughts right before I black out.
✦ ✦ ✦
SOMEONE else’s memories suddenly flood my brain. My mind reels out of control from the overwhelming deluge of information pouring in, bringing me to my knees.
Nngh! What are these visions? Me? Are these my…my…
“Lady Elle! Are you all right?!” one of the maids asks, supporting me before I fall on my face.
Elle? That’s right. My name is…Elle. But for some reason, I have someone else’s memories, too… Are they from a past life?
The memories of another woman whose occupation was “senior high school student” are stirring together with mine.
I look up with a start and press the maid for an answer. “Hey, who am I?! Tell me!”
“Pardon me, milady? Why do you need to know that…?”
“Just answer me already!”
“Y-Yes, milady! You are Lady Elle Falmil Gracedane, one of the esteemed members of the Four Grand Magi of the Analian army!”
That’s right! I’m Elle, right?!
Regaining my confidence, I puff out my chest that doesn’t have much to push out in the first place and put a hand on my hip.
“That’s right! I am Elle! I rose to the rank of Grand Magi in the Demon Lord’s Army at the age of fifteen, the youngest ever to achieve that rank in the history of Analia! I love the Demon Lord the most! And the Demon Lord loves me most! Yeah, that’s right. I’m…” I manage to rattle on enthusiastically until astonishment stops me short.
Right, I am Elle.
And this is Analia, the Demon Lord’s kingdom.
“Hey, you. Gaea is the name of the neighboring country, right?” I ask the maid just to be sure. The maid nods with a curious look, as if she’s wondering why I’m asking her a known fact and if this is some sort of test.
Another wave of dizziness hits me.
All of this… It’s just like…!
The memories of my past life spiral into my thoughts, becoming one with them.
The peculiar world from my past life is drastically different from this one. Practically everything here is different, from how people think about things to what’s considered common sense.
Those past memories are crowded with scenes from a certain manga.
That’s right. They’re scenes from the manga I had adored in my past life: Saint Aela of Gaea.
And I’m filled with despair as I recall its plot.
Was I reborn into the world of Saint Aela of Gaea…? Analia and Gaea—the names match exactly with the manga, including mine.
The armed forces of Analia go by the name Demon Lord’s Army. And I’m Elle Falmil Gracedane, one of the Four Grand Magi who rule over that army. Everything is exactly the same as the manga, including the relationship between the two countries!
Saint Aela of Gaea is the story of Saint Aela, a girl who fights to protect her home, the Kingdom of Gaea, from Analia, a country full of sorcerers where those with power reign supreme.
Despite having been just a normal girl, Aela uses her awakened saintly powers to defeat the bad guys and save the day. And of course, being from a shoujo manga, heart-racing scenes with the cast of good-looking male characters are a huge piece of the story. It was a super-interesting series!
I’m dying to know how the final volume ends.
How could my past self have been such a dummy to die before reading it?! Klutz!
But wait.
If I’m Elle, doesn’t that make me the first Grand Magi that Saint Aela defeats?
When Elle is beaten, the other three Grand Magi say:
“So, it seems that imbecile Elle was vanquished.”
“Heh heh heh. She was the weakest of us Grand Magi.”
“She disgraces the title of Grand Magi to have been killed by someone from Gaea.”
Doesn’t that make me the pathetic character whose early death is mocked?!
“U-Um, are you…truly feeling all right…Lady Elle?” The worried maid takes a good look at my face.
Right. That’s right. I need to calm down first… Besides, I still have time. Time before the battle with Saint Aela! I don’t want to be mocked as the disgrace of the Grand Magi on top of being killed off!
I nod to set her mind at ease. Now I’m curious why my past life’s memories suddenly flooded my mind. If I remember correctly, the maid and I were discussing who the Demon Lord had selected as my fiancé…
That’s it…!
“Hey, you. Didn’t you tell me the name of my fiancé a few minutes ago? Say it again,” I order.
“A-Again? A-As you command, milady. Grand Magi Julius Eldorad Griffith has been chosen as your fiancé.”
Yet another wave of dizziness strikes me.
Actually, I’m already on the floor.
How could I not?! I mean, Grand Magi Julius Eldorad Griffith is the jerk who will say “She disgraces the title of Grand Magi to have been killed by someone from Gaea” when I die!
Upon learning this shocking backstory from the manga, my inner fangirl cries out That jerk was Elle’s fiancé! Who knew! right before I black out.