The rebellion is finally at an end, leaving Allen to recuperate with his students in the eastern capital. But neither he nor his home city have long to tend their war wounds in peace. When the unassuming tutor is awarded the title of the legendary warrior he’s long admired, he finds himself facing not only the predictable backlash from what remains of the conservative aristocracy but also a challenge from his idol’s former comrades in arms! Can he prove himself to some of the mightiest soldiers alive? Of course, Allen’s own standing is far from his only concern. His partner Lydia has mysteriously lost her magical power, while his student Stella’s is just as inexplicably growing. His friend Gil is contemplating drastic measures to atone for family crimes. The sinister Church of the Holy Spirit continues to advance its plots abroad. And in the royal capital, a new conspiracy is brewing.

All paths converge on the eastern capital. With the frontiers secure, the armies of three ducal houses march on the last bastion of the insurrection and its foreign allies, determined to relieve the besieged beastfolk population and put an end to the civil war. But the frantic Lady Lydia Leinster races ahead, burning her way through every obstacle in her desperation to learn the fate of her missing partner, Allen. As she spirals out of control, her growing power threatens to incinerate her humanity along with her enemies. Only the combined efforts of Lydia’s friends and Allen’s students stand a chance of restoring the rampaging swordswoman to her senses before it’s too late, but their undertaking won’t amount to much if the rebellion’s last gasp destroys the city with them in it. The upheaval in the kingdom is drawing to a close, and it will take the birth of a new legend to make its end anything but tragic.

After failing the final exam for his dream job at the royal court, promising young sorcerer Allen wants nothing more than to retreat to a simple life in the countryside. Unfortunately for him, he can’t even afford the train fare! His only solution is to get a job, but his one lead is anything but modest—Duke Howard, one of the kingdom’s most powerful nobles, needs a private tutor for his daughter Tina. Despite her academic brilliance, Tina is incapable of casting even a single spell. To make matters worse, entrance exams for the prestigious Royal Academy are fast approaching, and magical aptitude is mandatory! Can Allen use his unique brand of spellcasting to help Tina overcome her magical impairment, a mystery that not even the kingdom’s finest sorcerers have been able to solve? And does her father, the duke, even want him to?

Zelos is back in the Far-Flung Green Depths—but at least he’s not alone this time. Celestina, Zweit, and a squad of knights have joined him for a training camp, looking to get some combat experience against the deadly monsters that lurk the forest. Their levels are already skyrocketing, but things are getting tougher by the day. Will they all make it out alive? And will they be the same people when they return? Not that leaving the forest will be the end of their worries: more dangers await them outside, as does a certain girl with whom Zelos might have more in common than the two of them first expect. And of course, with the training of his students coming to an end, Zelos is set to face another enemy that no amount of magic can vanquish: the looming specter of unemployment...

The Temple of Confucius (Kong Temple) in Qufu is the definitive monument to the world's greatest sage. From its humble origins deep in China's past, the home of Confucius grew in size and stature under the auspices of almost every major dynasty until it was the largest and most richly endowed temple in the Ming and Qing empires. The decline of state-sponsored ritualism in the twentieth century triggered a profound identity crisis for the temple and its worshipers, yet the fragile relic survived decades of neglect, war, and revolution and is now recognized as a national treasure and a World Heritage Site. Traces of the Sage is the first comprehensive account of the history and material culture of Kong Temple. Following the temple's development through time and across space, it relates architecture to the practice of Confucianism, explains the temple's phenomenal perseverance, and explores the culture of building in China. Other chapters consider the problem of Confucian heritage conservation and development over the last hundred years—a period when the validity of Confucianism has been called into question—and the challenge of remaking Confucian heritage as a commercial enterprise. By reconstructing its "social life," the study interprets Kong Temple as an active site of transaction and negotiation and argues that meaning does not hide behind architecture but emerges from the circulation and regeneration of its spaces and materials. The most complete work on a seminal monument in Chinese history through millennia, Traces of the Sage will find a ready audience among cultural and political historians of imperial and modern China as well as students and scholars of architectural history and theory and Chinese ritual.

Serephione Granzeus is your average three-year-old girl...or so she thinks, until she meets Lou, the super-fluffy Holy Guardian White Tiger. Memories of her past life as a Japanese businesswoman come flooding back to her, and she realizes she’s part of a fantasy book she read before, but as the villainess. Yet her past life isn’t all that she remembers; she can recall her life as the original Serephione, and her sadness, and her pain... After making a contract with Lou, she comes up with a plan to change the plot and avoid the villainess’s dark fate: become an adventurer and avoid everyone from the book! But the more she diverges from the plot, the more unpredictable the other characters become. How will she keep everyone from learning her secrets and spoiling her plans?