…She had thought she was getting closer.
After reuniting with him, after learning from him how to use magic.
After overcoming her struggles and awakening to the true value of her Bloodline Magic.
She had thought she could draw nearer to him — the one she admired, the one who kept walking forward. But—
Rose appeared out of nowhere. His teacher.
She'd heard the name. She knew what kind of person she was.
Since she was his teacher, she figured she probably wasn't as bad as people made her out to be. She'd steeled herself for surprises in terms of personality.
But she never expected to be caught off guard by her appearance first.
To think she'd be so young, so beautiful.
And to think she doted on Ermes so utterly.
Honestly, she panicked. But at the time, she didn't think the panic was that bad. They had their own history — just the two of them. She had the pride of having drawn closer to him through magic.
But all of that shattered the instant she watched that teacher-student duel.
A clash of soft and hard magic using the same Primal Inscription. A straightforward exchange of the same Bloodline Magic, culminating in a conversation through magic — a battle in name only, in which each side revealed the true depths of their power.
Truthfully, she was captivated. And above all — during that fight, he wore an expression of joy she had never seen before.
The back she thought she'd drawn near to felt impossibly far away once more.
…And to make matters worse, that evening Rose regaled her with stories from their time as teacher and student, stoking her competitive spirit even further.
Today, when she'd thrown down the gauntlet before entering the Dungeon, she'd been completely fired up.
—That El and I have our own things too, just the two of us.
Things had gone smoothly up to a point. She'd been able to perform as expected, drawing on everything she'd cultivated.
So all that remained was the Dungeon's boss — the very opponent she'd been powerless against before. By overcoming it with her current strength, she could prove how much she'd grown. That's what she'd believed.
—And yet, here she was now, in this state.
"…"
"…Ahh, how should I put this."
Katia hung her head, her expression somber.
Not realizing why she was performing so poorly, she received Rose's words — tinged with a hint of exasperation.
"…You love El way too much, you know."
"!"
She didn't understand the logic.
But she understood clearly that she was making an utter fool of herself in Rose's eyes.
"Sorry. Honestly, I underestimated the situation too. I didn't realize it'd get this bad, and I shouldn't have goaded you like that…"
"…Could you please not apologize? I don't really know why, but it actually makes me angrier…!"
Katia blushed, glaring up at her with tearful eyes.
Rose brushed the reaction aside and casually pointed out the cause of her poor performance.
"I get wanting to show off in front of the person you like. Getting worked up and trying to push your magic power further — that's not a bad thing. …But this time, your feelings have gone way ahead of yourself. You're spinning your wheels, is what it comes down to."
"Huh—"
So simple it was almost surprising as a reason.
But, Katia protested.
"B-But! El said that feelings are important when using magic—"
"I didn't say 'as long as you have feelings, you can use magic.'"
"!"
But the follow-up drove the breath from her lungs.
"True, feelings are what underpin magic. But at the same time — and more than that — magic is an existence that demands meticulous logic. Have you been ignoring that? Is your magic power refinement sloppy? Are you cutting corners on output? Are you being careless with control?"
"!"
It hit the mark. More than hit the mark — it was a bullseye.
She blushed even deeper. Embarrassing, and pathetic.
Focusing solely on her own feelings, believing in them blindly, neglecting everything else while wielding magic.
—She had just seen a person destroyed by exactly that, not long ago.
The realization that she'd become the same thing sent a fresh wave of shame through her.
"…But"
It might be an excuse, but there it was — she'd been in a rush.
She glanced over at Ermes, who was fighting.
His situation should have been extremely disadvantageous. Two against one. The gap in ability. The added combat power from their coordination. He should have had every reason to simply give up and accept that even holding his ground was impossible.
And yet — he was holding his own. Operating even more vivaciously, even more freely with his magic than before.
Accurately reading their movements and delivering optimal responses. To him — who was evolving at a terrifying pace even in this very moment—
"If I don't want to be left behind, I can't stay like this…!"
Yes — with all her heart, the young woman told the witch.
Rose received those straightforward words, held her breath for a moment — then smiled softly.
"…I see. I understand how you feel."
"Understand? But you're—"
"I feel the same way."
"—What?"
Unexpected words from Rose.
They carried such genuine earnestness that Katia was caught completely off guard.
"Sure, right now I'm stronger than El. If we fought a hundred times, I'd win all a hundred — that's how big the gap in our abilities is. …But only for now."
"…"
"Without fail, without stopping, that guy will keep evolving. Sooner or later, he'll surpass me. And after that… I might never be able to catch up again."
Because — she paused there.
"—We have Bloodline Magic."
"!"
"Because of the Curse dwelling in our bodies, our ceiling as mages is already determined. Mine seems higher than an average mage's, but it's still there. His, on the other hand, has no limit. Sooner or later, he'll definitely overtake me. As his teacher, I'm incredibly happy about that… but as a fellow mage, well, it's a little complicated, you know?"
"…Lady Rose."
"But—"
At the somber turn of conversation, Katia's head drooped again.
But Rose cut that short, offering her denial.
"Lately… I haven't been thinking that way anymore."
"Eh…?"
She said it gently, her face cradling a distant memory.
"That guy, he told me so many times. 'Your magic is incredible, Master.' With those eyes — sparkling, completely genuine, not a hint of a lie. Man, that was really adorable."
"…Um. Are you making fun of me?"
"Oh, sorry, sorry. Because of that, though, I started thinking."
She almost slipped into a bit of student-bragging, caught herself, and returned to a serious expression.
"'A Curse that strips away your ability to use other magic in exchange for unconditional power.' That's how I'd defined Bloodline Magic until now. …But that's wrong."
She spoke quietly.
"Bloodline Magic is 'something that grants the qualification to take the magic you were born with and raise it to the absolute limit.' It's not a Curse, and not a Heavenly Gift — it's a nature that carries both aspects. That's what I've come to believe. And now, that's how I want to define it."
Ermes had changed her way of thinking, Rose explained.
"Can you see it? Surely from now on, El will learn to use all sorts of magic — many kinds we could never use. In that regard, he'll definitely surpass us.
—But in terms of the magic we were born with, he will never beat us. Because our bodies are optimized for that magic."
"…Ah."
And there, Katia remembered. The teacher-student duel the other day, when Ermes and Rose had simultaneously unleashed Meteor Throne—
And how Rose's had overwhelmed Ermes'.
"Once I could think that way, things became easier. I stopped feeling even a sliver of anxiety about El closing in on me, and I could look forward to it instead. …I started wanting to push my own magic even further."
Finally, she placed a hand lightly on Katia's head.
Smiling, the solitary witch spoke.
"I'd be happy if someone made it to that place too, of course. For instance, someone like you."
"Wha—"
"I told you yesterday, didn't I? I like you. The fact that you can stay by El's side and face magic without going rotten — that's already impressive. Your personality is a little headstrong but honest, and you're cute. This is important."
She said it in a lightly teasing tone, then placed a hand on Katia's back.
"You have more than enough talent to become a truly amazing mage. …You want that too, right? Then go on. You'll be fine now."
"……, Yes."
After a brief moment of thought, her face cleared of all hesitation, and she nodded.
Katia took off running — but then stopped.
"…Oh, Lady Rose."
Katia turned back, speaking up tentatively.
"Hm?"
"Well… you're sloppy in all sorts of ways, completely outrageous, and no matter that you're his teacher, clinging to El like that is just too much!"
For some reason, she rattled off a string of criticisms aimed at Rose.
Then, cheeks slightly flushed, averting her gaze just a little—
"…But. As El said, I can see now that you truly are a remarkable mage. In power and in heart. So, um… I want to… I-I respect you!"
Having said all that, she spun around and finally — finally — ran off toward Ermes.
"……"
Left behind, Rose wore a blank expression for a moment.
"…Too adorable for my own good."
She covered her face with her palm to hide the fact that she'd been captivated, muttering.
After remaining frozen like that for a time, she eventually lowered her hand about halfway, revealing a nostalgic, bittersweet smile from behind it.
"…Haha. She's my daughter, isn't she. Yeah, really — she's just like you, Theta."
With a voice steeped in reminiscence, she said that — and watched over the children's battle.