THE space within the confines of the crystal wall looked very much like something out of a dream. Mia was out of breath. She had formed so many large pieces of crystal and melded them together. Crystal was a mineral that was recognized as a precious mining resource all over the world. That must be why she felt this worn out.
Even breathless, Mia squeezed the wand with steely determination and stared Ren squarely in the eye. Her eyes conveyed a whole range of emotions, flitting one after the other: confusion, fear, resolve.
When the pebbles crunched under Ren’s foot, signaling his approach, a small tremor shook the girl’s shoulders and she flinched.
“Cool your head, Mia. You heard the chief, right?” Ren asked in as restrained a tone he could muster under the circumstances to soothe her.
Mia slightly nodded, glaring Ren down all the while.
“The spell to take over the world and the effect it creates—it’s not your fault you didn’t know about that stuff. And don’t go blaming yourself for lacking the brains to figure that out on your own, either. Your old man just never told you. No… He couldn’t tell you.”
Even though he taught his daughter such dangerous magic, he chose to omit those vital pieces of information. It was no different from teaching a bomb expert how to work with said bomb, but never explaining what the detonation switch did. It had been her father’s weakness that had sealed his lips shut, for this was a testament to how much his original point of view as a “sorcerer above the constraints of human morals” had shifted to that of just an “ordinary man”.
Ren didn’t know what had sparked the change in Mia’s father. However, what was clear was that the man had loved Mia. He had experienced love, an emotion that was useless to a true Supreme Ruler of Evil.
Because he had known love, he couldn’t bring himself to speak about what the effect of the spell to take over the world would be. …For he had been in love with an ordinary human. He was no evil sorcerer, rather, he was a failure as a sorcerer. Who could this good-for-nothing raise if not a successor that was equally unfit?
He had showered his darling daughter with affection, and so she tasted loneliness and alienation after he had died, but also learned what it was to love and be loved by someone. This, in turn, morphed into roots of righteousness in her soul, and thus the girl had become the polar opposite of evil; she overflowed with virtue …That was who Mia truly was—a lonely, misunderstood Champion of Justice.
“Mia, come on, take the time and think about this. You don’t have to rush. I’m not asking you to give me an answer right now, but talk to me. Your thoughts, your worries, anything that comes into your head. Let’s think about this properly and reach a decision. If you take the time, then, surely…” Ren reasoned with her, talking in a slow, soothing manner.
Mia couldn’t bear it. Shaking her head vehemently, she poured all her confusion and anger into her voice and screamed, “And how will ‘taking my time’ make this any better, pray tell?! What are you going to do to help me if I decide that I do not want to go through with this, huh? This is all I have! This is my will, the will of my father, my grandfather, my entire lineage! I do not want to think. I do not want to agonize over this anymore. For this is something I have to do!”
Convictions instilled in her concerning her destiny and blood ties had Mia in their clutches, coiled tightly around her heart in a cunning binding spell.
Ren scowled, painfully aware of this fact, feeling his temper flare up, he shouted, “You have to do this?! The will of your entire lineage? What the hell does that matter? What about you? What ran through your mind when you learned what would happen if you activated the great magical art of darkness?”
“Wh-What r-ran through my mind?”
“Yeah! The world will be restored to its original splendor and mankind will cease to be. When you learned that, did you think that you’re up for the task to become a tyrant prepared to commit genocide against an entire species, or did you think you’d rather not do it? Which one is it?”
Did she want to activate the spell, or did she not? …That had been clear from the very beginning.
The answer’s obvious, but it’s… Mia unconsciously bit into her lip. She couldn’t accept this. The teachings her father had instilled in her, her pride as the Supreme Ruler of Evil, the entirety of her life principles up until now, all of them worked together in synergy to suppress Mia’s own will.
That was why she didn’t want to think. That was why she didn’t want to worry. Because if she started thinking, the answer would end up slipping from her lips. Because she knew it would mean she would lose the resolve to wave her wand.
“…I have to…do it. I have been trained for this moment ever since I was a little girl. World domination is our cherished ambition, a destiny I must fulfill,” Mia rasped out, her throat constricting, each breath more difficult than the last.
Tears she valiantly tried to hold back with all her might spilled, rolling slowly down her cheeks. Ren’s frown deepened, his face darkening into a terribly somber expression. However, after a short while, he cast his eyes down as if he had given up on something.
“I see…” he muttered, “So that’s your desire?”
“Yes. That is my will. That is my choice. For I am the Supreme Ruler of Evil.”
This was the only way of life for Mia, the path that she had chosen for herself. Or that, at least, was what she was trying to convince herself of, proclaiming to be the villain while desperately trying to stamp down her stubborn emotions that threatened to burst out from under her control.
“…All right,” Ren affirmed softly, raising his face again to take a good, firm look at Mia’s face.
She in turn stared right back at him with wide, startled eyes. Despite having essentially just said he understood her choice, the man’s foot slid forward a step. Mia stumbled back and readied her wand.
“Wh-What is it?! Are you going to fight me?”
“Why would I? I told you, I get it. I won’t do a thing. I’m just moving closer to you.”
“Moving closer?! S-Stay back! I am going to perform the Great Magical Art of Darkness ‘Miangaia’ now!”
“Mee-ahn-guy-ah? Your naming sense is as awful as ever, I see. Is this a hereditary trait passed down in your family? I feel sorta sorry for your clan,” Ren taunted, drawing nearer all the while.
Mia shrunk back, making a few quick steps backwards, and after having put some distance between them, raised her wand.