Temporary laboratory in the Yukline mansion.
I peered closely at the ash powder through the microscope. I infused it with mana, tore it apart with 「Telekinesis」, and tried to 「Understand」 it down to the level of individual particles.
“......Professor! Look at this!”
Just then, Kelodan shouted loudly and pointed at the blackboard.
Tak— tadadak— tatak—
An elaborate report was being written across the green surface.
[ It’s Sylvia. I captured one puppetized Debutant and separated them from the ash powder. These are the results of my research. ]
How the ash powder had encroached upon the Debutant. What the process of puppetization had been.
It was a work bordering on an anatomical chart, analyzed and transmitted directly through Sylvia’s own magic.
......As I quietly watched, a thought surfaced in my mind.
“Separation.”
The separation of ash powder and Debutant.
What if I added a circuit to the formula of the 「Barrier」 that neutralized the ash powder’s control?
And afterward, what if I constructed and completed that barrier “inside the Magic Tower”?
“It’s possible.”
Implanting circuits into a specific magic—so-called “patchwork magic”—was something I had already done dozens of times. My 「Telekinesis」 itself was a magic created that way.
“Huh? What exactly is possible, sir?”
Kelodan asked.
“......I will create a ‘barrier that decomposes ash powder’ and deliver it to the Debutants.”
“A barrier, sir? That’ll take too long, won’t it?”
I shook my head.
Since it was not an entirely new magic, the mana consumption would not be severe. 「Decomposition」 itself was a common magic used even in waste disposal sites.
“It is entirely possible.”
If I devised it, and Sylvia and Epherene’s talents were added to it, then naturally, it was possible.
“Um, Professor......?”
I silently glared at the blackboard and pondered. There was no need to write down the formula. All of this would proceed entirely inside my head......
“Attention—!”
A shout that disrupted my concentration.
Feeling a murderous impulse, I turned toward the entrance.
Eleven men and women whose names I did not know stood in a line. They were knights of the Imperial Palace.
“Attention!”
Just as the knight shouted again.
A familiar voice drifted in from behind him.
—Hmph. Noisy.
It was the Emperor’s voice. I was about to offer the proper courtesy, but stopped short.
The creature that appeared so haughtily was not the Emperor.
—In this possessed state, my ears are sensitive. Do not make such a racket.
It had abundant red fur, and its long tail swayed gently, but its legs were short.
It was a cat of elegant appearance.
“Your Majesty?”
—Yes, Deculein. It is one of the spells I learned. Going outside is simply too bothersome, you see. Hey. Do not touch my tail.
“My apologies!”
“......”
For a moment, I was at a loss for words.
Of course, possession was a part of “Harmonization Magic.” 「Perfect Possession」, which borrowed the mouth and eyes of a living creature as she was doing now, was quite difficult, but if it was the Emperor, then naturally, she could learn it.
To begin with, look.
Was the Emperor’s current breed not a Munchkin?
The quality of the mana the Emperor possessed was currently second grade, and after undergoing her awakening event later, it would reach first grade. A peerless prodigy with the talent to master not only magic and swordsmanship, but every skill in the world.
The official description that expressed Emperor Sophien in a single sentence was—
“The human closest to God.”
Her laziness might be a blessing to this world, or it might be a curse.
—Lower your back.
“Yes!”
The short-legged cat jumped onto the back of the knight who had bent over.
—Urk!
The first attempt failed.
Compared to the knight’s large body, its legs were far too short.
—You there. Lower yourself more.
“My deepest apologies!”
The Munchkin climbed onto the back of the knight, who had gone down completely on all fours. As if satisfied, it fiddled with its philtrum using its own tail and laughed, hmph.
—You who are supporting me. Do not move even a little. My legs are short, so this is precarious.
The Emperor patted the knight with her front paw.
“Yes!”
—Do not shout, either.
“......”
“Everyone, make way!”
Just then, even the court mage “Georg” appeared. It seemed the rumor that the Emperor Cat had made an appearance had already spread widely.
“Your Majesty! To have mastered possession magic so perfectly......!”
—Troublesome fellow. How did you know?
Georg looked at the red cat with moved eyes, but soon hardened his expression seriously.
“Chief Professor Deculein. What do you intend to do from here?”
“I intend to invent a barrier spell that decomposes ash powder.”
“......Invent a barrier?”
“Yes. A ‘barrier that decomposes only ash powder.’”
“You mean to create a new barrier?”
Georg asked suspiciously.
“That is correct.”
“How long will it take to devise that barrier?”
“It will not take even a day.”
“What?”
“It is a simple task, nothing to be surprised about.”
“No, explain in more detail......”
There was no time to waste on explanations.
I spoke kindly, but firmly.
“Whatever happens, I will take command. I will also take responsibility.”
Georg clicked his tongue, but nodded.
“......Very well. However, if you are to create a barrier, what about the formula scrolls? You must have written something down so far.”
Georg asked.
I looked at Georg without saying a word.
“......”
“......?”
That silence continued for quite some time.
I was thinking about how to explain it, but even that time felt wasteful.
I simply tapped my temple with my finger.
“It is all inside my head.”
—What?
The cat asked.
If I had to add anything.
“It is mental calculation.”
* * *
Whether it was three in the morning or three in the afternoon.
Within a time they could no longer distinguish, Sylvia and the children blankly looked up at the blackboard.
“......”
“......”
“......”
A vast formula filled the entire blackboard.
Beneath the magic circle Deculein had personally invented was the following sentence.
[ Can you operate this barrier? ]
“It’s possible.”
Sylvia answered on behalf of everyone who had lost their senses. Lucia, who had been gauging her reaction, also shrugged.
“......Yes. It isn’t impossible. If we can draw this formula.”
Deculein’s explanation of the barrier was detailed and kind. Even a Debutant could understand it sufficiently.
The problem was that the barrier’s magic circle was far too large.
Its total area was on a level that would cover the entire third floor.
“We’ll make this lecture hall the center of the magic, and I’ll go outside and draw the formula on the third floor. As for the mana...... There are lots of mages here, so we can do it, right?”
Epherene said that and looked around the inside of the lecture hall.
Fifty people besides herself. If they gathered the mana of fifty people, activating the barrier would not be difficult.
“Still, won’t we need a catalyst? If we’re going to construct the barrier ourselves......”
At Julia’s concern, Sylvia removed her necklace.
An artifact whose entire chain was made of mana diamonds. It was a keepsake of her mother, packed with various effects including mana storage and magic amplification.
“Use this as the catalyst.”
“......Are you sure?”
Lucia, who knew the necklace’s value, asked in surprise. Sylvia did not answer.
“Hmph...... If you’re going that far.”
With a sigh, Lucia also removed the bracelet from her wrist.
“These two should be enough. My bracelet is also a family heirloom worth twenty million elne.”
“Twen, twenty million...... All right. Then I’ll draw the formula.”
As Epherene said that, snip— she cut off her long hair in one stroke. Lucia was appalled.
“Are you insane? Why would you cut that? Your hair can’t be used as a catalyst, you know? Do you not have a brain?”
“Oh, come on! Who said I was using it as a catalyst? It gets in the way when I move!”
“Ephi, it’s okay. Ignore her, ignore her.”
Julia stopped Epherene. Then she neatly trimmed the hair that had been cut however it pleased.
“There~ Now you’re pretty.”
“......”
Next, Sylvia also twisted up her long hair. Her ponytail-like hair flowed down behind her pale nape.
“Wow. Miss Sylvia. You are beautiful.”
Looking at Eurozan and the others as they applauded in a daze, Epherene felt a sudden regret.
I could’ve just tied mine up too, couldn’t I?
“Epherene. You’re fast, so draw the formula. I’ll draw their attention so the enemies can’t get to you.”
“Attention?”
“Yeah. Like during that practical lesson.”
At Sylvia’s words, Epherene nodded.
Then, a short sentence written on the blackboard consoled them.
[ I will trust you and wait. ]
I will trust you and wait.
Those words alone were enough.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
Having finished their preparations, the two dismantled the lecture hall’s barrier.
At that very instant, kuung—! the sound rang out again, but Epherene and Sylvia opened the door without hesitation.
Debutants swallowed by ash powder, and a massive golem made of ashes.
Sylvia drew their gazes, and Epherene manifested 「Self-Telekinesis」 and clung flat to the third-floor ceiling.
Swaaaaaa—!
Sylvia scattered pure white mana over the golems’ bodies like paint. That white soon transformed into superheated flames, incandescence.
The golems’ bodies burst into flames in an instant.
At the same time, Sylvia covered the ground in vivid blue. The color soon became ice, and the Debutant monsters on top of it floundered without being able to take even a few steps.
But then, at some point.
“......”
A thick mass of ash powder like a kraken’s tentacle seized Sylvia by the waist. She was lifted into the air and slammed down onto the ground.
“Ah......”
That was the end of her groan. Without showing even her pain, she immediately erased the tentacle. However, as if she had suffered internal injuries, the inside of her abdomen burned hot.
“......”
Staggering, Sylvia looked down the dark corridor.
Click— clack—
The sound of heels.
—A useless act.
Sylvia gazed at the being that emerged from the darkness.
External visiting professor Louina. The former chief professor of the Kingdom Magic Tower had become a monster assimilated with ash powder.
—......You possess a curious talent. I’m jealous.
Her voice was grotesque. It was a smoky tone, as if something were clogged in her throat.
—I’m jealous, so I should kill you.
Heh— the corners of her mouth stretched toward her ears as though they would split apart. From that maw, ash powder rushed forth.
It was in the shape of a giant blade.
Kwaaaaaaa......
Sylvia made the area into her domain. The sword of ash was erased without ever reaching her.
—So this is...... the Three Primary Colors.
Having witnessed that phenomenon, Louina muttered in admiration.
—A magic close to a miracle, one that opens reality, interferes with phenomena, and recreates all things in the universe.
Taking advantage of her muttering, Sylvia drew iron bars and imprisoned her.
—An absurd Origin that can manipulate this entire world however it pleases......
Tap, tap— after tapping the bars and licking them with her tongue, Louina soon clenched both fists. With her face twisted like a rakshasa, she spat out in hatred.
—This fucking goddamn world is so unfair! Does this make sense? Fuck, does this make any sense?!
At that instant, ash powder exploded. The bars were destroyed, and Sylvia was struck in the stomach by Louina’s fist.
A straight punch loaded with speed and weight.
“Ah!”
She was sent flying and slammed into the wall. For a moment, her chest seized up. As if a broken rib had pierced her lung, she could not breathe.
—Hmph. You keep erasing my ash with your petty tricks, but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to beat you to death.
A difference far too clear.
The thought that she might die.
Pain heated her entire body, and fear made her tremble.
“......”
Even so, Sylvia did not run away.
She did not know how long she could endure, but at the very least, she would endure until her mana ran out.
“......I won’t lose.”
Also, if enduring was itself victory.
Then to Sylvia, who had lived each day as though enduring it, it was something far too familiar.
......
Tick—
Tick—
Tick—
“Everyone. Stay focused and wait.”
Lucia had taken on the role of commanding the Debutants in the lecture hall. All forty-nine of them had already warmed up their mana, so they were only waiting for the barrier to be completed.
Tick—
Tick—
Tick—
The sound of the second hand rang out in the silence.
The pounding of hearts.
Hands trembling like leaves.
Lucia wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Tick—
Tick—
Tick—
The Debutants’ breathing grew rough. Some of the more weak-hearted looked so grave they might faint at any moment.
“Don’t lose your nerve! If you don’t do this properly, don’t think you’ll have a decent life in the Magic Tower starting next semester!”
At Lucia’s sharp cry, everyone forced themselves to come to their senses.
Ti...ck...
Ti...ck...
Tick... tock.
At that moment, the second hand, which had been gradually slowing, came to a halt.
It was the signal from Ifrin.
“Now!”
All members of Debutan, including Lucia, released their mana. The timing was perfect.
Gooooooo...
Their mana first condensed into the catalysts.
Silvia’s necklace and Lucia’s bracelet. Having received the mana of forty-nine people, the two treasures delivered that mana to the barrier’s spell formula.
Blue mana shot forth like a lightning flash.
Fwooooooooosh—
It was a light that seemed as though it would shatter the retinas.
The inside of the lecture hall blazed like a supernova.
The mana throughout their bodies was consumed in an instant, and the exhausted members of Debutan collapsed one after another.
“Ngh...”
Lucia forced herself to endure and poured in more mana, but it was not enough.
Thud—! A pain like the back of her neck snapping shot through her.
“Ugh!”
Her vision blurred and her body swayed. Lucia eventually fell sprawling to the floor. In that state, she looked toward the center of the barrier.
The brilliant light was dying down.
Like a bonfire that had burned out.
...I can’t leave it like that.
She thought as much, yet her body refused to move.
Lucia blinked vacantly.
It can’t end like this...
Through that space between almost closing and not quite closing,
a vision surfaced.
A familiar person looked down at her with a cold expression.
The assistant professor of Deculein.
Allen’s face.
The very next moment, the catalysts’ light blazed back to life more brilliantly than any light source. Mana surged forward, blazing like the sun.
Before long, the spell formula was completed, and—
The entire floor was enveloped in a flash of light.
It was the manifestation of the barrier.
......
‘Mommy. Why did Meowie die? I loved it so much. I cherished it. It’s not supposed to die, is it? Why did it betray me when I loved it so much?’
‘That’s just how life is, dear. It went away to a better land. It’s not betrayal; it’s waiting for Silbi in a distant land.’
‘Liar... Then, then, Mommy, how long will you stay with Silvia?’
‘Hmm~ How long will I stay~?’
‘Waah. Waaah. Aaah.’
‘Sorry, sorry. Don’t cry~’
‘Huaaang. Huaaaaaaang.’
‘Because I’ll stay until our Silbi wants me to.’
‘Ah. Then, then...’
Silvia always dreams.
Because the scenery she longs for exists not in the present, but in the future. Because the present is nothing more than a stepping stone for the days to come.
Sitting up all night studying grimoires, or grinding up her entire meal to drink because it was a waste of time to eat, or climbing the floating island every week to gather information...
She did not do all that simply because she ‘wanted’ to.
Not because it was ‘fun’.
The mother who left her side in an instant.
The day she departed for the land beyond the rainbow, together with Meowie.
From the moment you, who colored her life, disappeared, until now, having become a mage of the Magic Tower.
The world is still achromatic.
Like a smeared oil painting—thick and opaque.
To Silvia, the present is a place she does not wish to linger.
She has often wished that if she turned the clock hands, squeezed her eyes shut, and opened them, it would be the distant future.
That she might grow a little older, become numb to everything, that this memory might hurt a little less.
If she became an archmage and ascended to that sky, Mommy would be able to see her. Mommy would be proud of her, too.
To her, today was...
merely a preparation period to make the picnic of the distant future more enjoyable.
Whiiiiish...
A lonely wind blew. Thanks to that gust rushing through the enclosed Magic Tower, Silvia realized that the barrier had manifested.
—Ah~ They went and did something useless. These brats.
But her mana was spent, and Luina was still on the other side.
Silvia placed a hand near her collarbone. The mother’s keepsake that had always enveloped her was no longer there.
—You die first.
Luina released a wave of ashes. Silvia had no mana left to defend.
“......”
Silvia closed her eyes tightly.
The surging ashes stopped right before her nose, but she could not even see that.
She merely swayed and toppled over.
Tap—
Something behind her supported her.
It was as solid as a wall.
Silvia lightly opened her eyes only at that strange sensation.
His face was not visible.
Only a broad chest was holding her up.
“...Silvia.”
Thanks to that voice, Silvia realized who he was. She tilted her head up.
He was looking at her.
“Do not worry. I will not let you fall.”
Words spoken as though smiling.
Silvia wanted to say something to him. Yet her lips would not move. She could not so much as twitch a single fingertip.
It was mana exhaustion.
“You always repay trust. From now on, it is the professor’s responsibility.”
Silvia leaned against him. Smiling faintly, she closed her eyes. She fell asleep clutching his collar.
“Rest easy.”