Sometimes I wondered if you could even call the mere act of absorbing darkness “Dark Magic.” The part of Dark Magic that dealt with controlling people’s minds was dangerous, and immoral. I wouldn’t ever use it, so that part didn’t matter, but the Dark Magic I had seen other people using could shroud an entire room in darkness, or even create a whole dark dimension. They used darkness on a much bigger scale, and it seemed to just burst out of them. Despite that, my limit was a tangerine-size lump of darkness. Creating another dimension seemed like a pipe dream for me.
Besides, even if I was getting good at absorbing the darkness, I couldn’t actually use that skill if I couldn’t create darkness in the first place. If I could only produce a tangerine’s worth, I would have almost no use for my absorption skill. It didn’t look like I was going to be able to live up to the expectations that the Ministry’s higher-ups had for me—to discover new forms of Dark Magic. I let my shoulders slump, feeling utterly dejected.
But Raphael just smiled kindly.
“I still think it’s amazing that you’re able to absorb it so quickly,” he said. “You surely have a knack for that, Miss Katarina.”
“A knack?” I repeated, looking back at his kind, gray eyes.
“That’s right. It simply isn’t that case that any two people using the same type of magic, and possessing the same amount of it, will be able to use it in the same way. They will each have techniques they’re good at and those they’re not so good at. This just means you’re good at absorbing darkness, but not so good at creating it. So don’t let it get you down so much.” These were the kind words he gave me.
I did also possess Earth Magic, but only a meager amount—all I could do with it was create a Dirt Bump. So I hadn’t learned these facts about magic before.
I guess everyone really is different, even if they use the same type of magic. With this thought, the uneasy feeling that had been building up in my chest began to fade away.
“But, if we just stand here talking about it, we won’t make any progress, so let’s focus on training,” Raphael continued. “Even if you don’t have a knack for something, if you keep trying hard, you should improve, even if only little by little.”
When it comes to magic, there are individual differences between people, so even if I can’t do something, I shouldn’t let it get me down. And if I apply myself, I can still improve, even if only marginally.
These were lovely words, and were exactly what I needed to hear at that moment. Raphael really was a wonderful teacher. He truly understood how his students felt.
“Okay. I’ll keep trying. Let’s get back to training,” I responded, raising my head confidently.
This was met with a chuckle from Raphael.
“Hm?” I cocked my head in puzzlement, prompting another chuckle from Raphael.
“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking, ‘That’s our Katarina,’” he said with a smile.
“Huh?”
What does that mean?
To dispel my confusion, Raphael explained himself.
“I think the ability to absorb darkness really suits you, Miss Katarina.”
“Suits me?” I cocked my head yet again.
“Yes. You shine like the sun, banishing the darkness,” Raphael replied, still wearing an amused smile. This was the kind of dialogue I’d expect from a romanceable character—almost like a pickup line.
“The... The sun?” Seeing me freeze up in spite of myself, Raphael grinned broadly.
He praised me so naturally, and smiled so brilliantly. The force of his smile made me blush, just a little. It was at that moment I remembered that Raphael actually was a romanceable character in the first game. A hidden character, and a sort of final boss at that.
In terms of appearance, he was a beautiful young man with red hair and gray eyes. Not only that, but he was kind, and good at listening to other people’s problems.
Throwing out lines like that, with such a sweet smile—I bet that, if he put his mind to it, there’s no woman Raphael couldn’t romance.
“Now then, shall we try once more?” Raphael invited with a grin.
While still reeling from this reminder of just how formidable he was as a romanceable character, I knew I had to respond.
“Okay,” I replied. With a newfound resolve, I returned to my training in Dark Magic.
When I finished my Dark Magic training with Raphael for the day, it was time for lunch. After checking if any work had arrived for me at the department that morning, I told Raphael I’d be taking my lunch break. We parted there and I headed to the cafeteria by myself.
There were several places around the Ministry where one could enjoy a meal, including some spots that looked like trendy cafés. But I went to the cafeteria, which had the biggest dining area and the most generous portions, almost every day. There, I would enjoy a tasty meal and fortify myself for the afternoon of work that lay ahead of me.
Hmmm... I wonder what the specials are today. As I went to check, someone called out from behind me.
“Oh? Is your training for today over already?” said a very familiar voice.
I turned around to see a beautiful, seductive young man with blue hair and eyes—Sora—standing there. Until I was reassigned to Dark Magic training and deciphering the Dark Covenant, I’d worked with Sora—my colleague at the Magical Tool Laboratory who was hired at the same time as me—almost constantly, so we were close. Only, since he was a romanceable character in Fortune Lover II, there was always a chance he would bring doom upon me if he ever developed a bond with Maria, the protagonist. So I also considered him somewhat dangerous.
Besides Sora, Maria’s boss Cyrus—head of the Magic and Magical Powers Research Department, the Ministry’s most prestigious department—and Maria’s colleague Dewey, a boy prodigy, were also romanceable characters in Fortune Lover II. If Maria, the protagonist, formed a bond with either of them, I would again face the possibility of my own doom.
With that in mind, there were times I thought it would be better for me to keep my distance from all of the romanceable characters, but Sora and I were already good friends. I had also taken to helping Cyrus with his vegetable patch (which he had set up on Ministry grounds in secret). And since Dewey and I were hired at the same time, we also enjoyed a friendly chat whenever we happened to meet. It would have been odd to avoid them entirely at that point, so I decided to maintain my friendships with all of them and closely observe their movements (particularly anything in the direction of romance with Maria). After all, keeping a closer eye on them could make it easier to tell if there was any chance of them developing a bond with her.
Finally, there were two more romanceable characters in Fortune Lover II, but they were both hidden characters, one of whom remained unidentified for now.
As for the other one...
“What’s the matter? Is it really that difficult to choose?” said Sora, his voice snapping me back to reality.
Shoot, I got lost in my own thoughts again.