Hold up! It was easy enough for a god who was used to offerings, but there was just no way Sophie could accept something so nice. If a god and the ultimate witch said it was a “good stave” with a “good magic gem,” then there was no telling how much it might be worth. Fearing that the stave could be right up there with the enchanted bag that cost a whole nation’s budget, Sophie rushed to decline the offer.
“That’s just too much!” Sophie said. “It’s far too fine for a novice like me!”
Lunetta looked puzzled. “Hmm? You’re already well past novice status, Sophie. You’re past the intermediate level and just short of advanced—somewhere around there.”
“That’s not the problem!” Sophie objected.
“Then just what is the problem, master?” Azuello asked.
“What’s the problem?” Wait, am I the one being weird here?
Thinking that that couldn’t possibly be the case, Sophie spun around looking for help, only to see Vyce waving his hand as if it couldn’t matter any less. And what’s with that lazy look on your face?!
“Go ahead ’n’ take it,” Vyce said. “Lunetta hardly uses staves. It’s a waste to have treasure like that just sittin’ around.”
“That’s right,” Lunetta added. “And there wasn’t a soul in the castle who was fit to wield it.”
Seriously? Sophie’s eyebrows sank as she stared at the stave being held out to her. Even then, I can’t just go taking it like it’s no big deal...
“Sophie, this spell takes a considerable amount of magical energy,” Lunetta explained. “You won’t be able to help without a stave.”
“It would be my honor to accept this stave...!”
Just like Lunetta, Sophie couldn’t win against her own curiosity.
With that out of the way, Sophie and Lunetta set about drawing the magic circles. Lunetta finished hers quickly, so she took the extra time to study Sophie’s to make sure it was working properly, ensuring there were no mistakes and that magical energy was flowing where it needed to, all the while giving her advice on putting it all together. From the sound of it, her suggestions were meant to simplify the spell or to improve its efficacy. Desperately trying to commit it all to memory, Sophie scribbled away as she completed her work.
As if they were intrigued by what they were seeing of Professor Lunetta’s Enchantingly Fun Magic Circle Classroom, a few magicians were glancing at them as they worked. It was just the least bit unpleasant. Can’t they just strut right up to see for themselves or ask questions? Nah, they probably can’t.
They were the same ones who’d been treating Lunetta as the Landslayer Witch until mere moments ago, as if the black-haired and black-eyed witch were a curse. It’d be just a bit much for them to suddenly pop up and say, “Howdy! Would ya mind showin’ us that magic circle too?” Yeah...just a teeny bit much. Not that there was anything wrong with having that sort of straightforwardness or mindset, though. Sophie hoped they’d open their eyes just a bit more.
“Magic circles require an immense amount of magical energy, so normally, a magic gem made solely for that purpose is necessary, but this magic circle can save a great deal of magical energy. And with Azuello with us, we have nothing to fear,” Lunetta explained with a nod.
Sophie wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Nice work!” Livio said with a smile. It was the smile of an angel, and the radiance of it sank deeply into Sophie’s tired frame.
“Now then, let’s use Sophie’s magic circle to travel to the forest,” Lunetta said. “I added a protective spell on my own magic circle to ensure no unwanted alterations are made to it.”
Lunetta made sure to say the latter half in an especially loud voice. It was a welcome warning for them: Trying to erase the magic circle won’t do you any good. Magic circles normally lost potency after they’d been used once, but if the magic circle was meddled with before it could be used, it would be much more difficult to return. She’d taken precautions against just that.
Still, with the castle now just a vacant strip of land, they were unlikely to try anything so foolish—probably not, at least.
“Sophie, place the stave right here, and spread out your magical energy as if you were casting a defensive spell,” Lunetta said, guiding Sophie. “There—just like that. Next, remember what the forest looked like. What were the trees like? The flowers? What about the air?”
Sophie closed her eyes as she followed Lunetta’s guidance, drawing up the scene in her mind.
In that forest...there’d been white trees.
They were pure-white trees, as if they’d been covered in snow. There’d been small flowers densely covering the ground where they stood. The air had been clear enough for them to encounter a god.
“Where was the magic circle?” Lunetta continued. “What were the horses like?”
The man had drawn the magic circle where Lunetta had charred the grass with her fire magic. Sophie had a distinct memory about what sort of magic circle it was.
Waiting nearby were the jet-black Matcha and the bright-red Kataf.
“I cast a protective spell over it, but I’ll leave the magic circle to you two,” Lunetta had said, bowing her head at the horses.
With their gorgeous manes blowing in the wind, the two steeds had nodded, as if to say, Yup, leave it to us.
I wonder if they were attacked by any monsters? Then again, even if they did run into monsters, they’d just give them a swift kick into next week, no doubt about it. They were strong, smart, and beautiful horses.
I really want to see them again, Sophie thought as the corners of her lips curled up.
“Sophie, pay attention to Azuello’s and my magical energy, and bring yours together with ours,” Lunetta went on. “That’s right. Next, imagine that feeling that divides what’s inside and what’s outside. Something blocked. There—now connect them.”
All the blood in Sophie’s body felt like it was boiling.
It bubbled up inside her as her hands shook and sweat fell from her brow. Sophie laughed before she realized what she was doing. She herself didn’t know what was so funny, but it was as if something terrifying were bursting up from within her, but she was holding it back and squeezing it out with the utmost care. It was just like that night when she’d lost herself before Livio’s overwhelming beauty and kindness.
Aah, ha ha! What is this? It’s like it’s not even my body!
“Now, the incantation.”
“Directrill!”
Sophie felt like she could hear a loud noise ring out next to her ears.
“Sophie!”
Snapping back to consciousness, she saw Livio’s flustered face was very close. She exhaled as a breath stole past her lips.
Sophie realized that she’d apparently stopped breathing, then finally noticed that she was in Livio’s arms.
“Livio...?”
“I’m so glad you’re all right,” Livio replied. “You collapsed as soon as the transfer was finished.”
“What?”
Now that was a shocker!
Was it the fact that Sophie had collapsed? No. That had been surprising, but that wasn’t all. What was really surprising was the fact that Livio had squeezed her in a tight embrace. Y-You’re not doing my heart any favors here!
“Don’t startle me like that...!”
That’s my line, thank you very much! Sophie thought. Naturally, she couldn’t voice a word of it.
Sophie slowly raised her hand and patted Livio on the back. Wow, I didn’t realize my hand could feel this heavy. Come to think of it, I’ve been using nothing but new magic, huh? Sophie thought, reflecting on her actions.
“I’m really sorry.”
She’d promised to get stronger to make Livio happy, and now this. Her face fell in despair, only for Vyce to laugh.
“Stop with that apologizin’ habit of yours, little miss,” Vyce said. “You’ll just wind up making less of yerself and the other person. We made it through just fine, so that means it’s all okay. Just laugh it off.”
“You did an excellent job,” Lunetta said, nodding.
“Verily,” Azuello said, applauding—with his massive, fluffy forepaws. That’s way too cute! Sophie smiled.
“Thanks for worrying about me, Livio,” Sophie said. “And for supporting me too.”
“C’mon now... If you smile at me like that, I’ll let you get away with anything!”
“C’mon now,” he says—how cute is that? Livio’s smile seemed to practically float away from his body as he laughed, whisking all of Sophie’s exhaustion away with it.
Sophie had worked hard to try her hand at a new spell and succeeded, and if she got to see Livio’s smile—his lethally beautiful smile that made her want to cry tears of gratitude for the whole world over—then to Sophie, this was paradise.
“Yowch.”
And with Matcha there to give Livio a sharp nuzzle jab, it was heaven...even if there was a veritable mountain formed out of monster corpses behind the two horses. Those were just frivolous little details.
Everyone was fine, and that was all that mattered!