Nina recalls.
The tumultuous month at the magic academy. A boy who had suddenly appeared at the school mid-semester took center stage, sweeping away everything that had calcified in a exhilarating, heart-pounding revolution.
By sheer luck—well, truth be told, she had more or less known beforehand—she had been able to witness the whole affair from his side.
Around him, there were so many other... people who shone ever so brightly.
Being able to stay alongside those people had been a true honor. In fact, that single month could undoubtedly be counted among the happiest periods of Nina's life.
But... truthfully.
Every time she found herself with those incredible people—those straightforward, sparkling people—
unbearable
like a fever
this sensation, this thought, had been gnawing at her from within.
Namely—
"I wonder... if someone like me even deserves to be here."
◆
That evening, at the fortress in Harvist territory.
After the reconciliation with the soldiers had been fully settled, and some time had passed as everyone busily began mobilizing toward bringing down the Northern Alliance—
Ermes and Liliana once again found themselves facing each other in the conference room.
"The decisive battle is today."
So began Ermes.
"Based on the patterns we've observed so far, we can predict that the Archbishop's future sight is likely employed from night through to morning."
"In other words — at this moment, before the Archbishop has performed his 'next' prophecy and outside the scope of today's foresight. Right now, my actions won't... I can't guarantee they'll be completely unreadable, but they should be considerably harder to decipher."
Yes. Today, Ermes was already walking a future that had gone entirely off-course thanks to a massive irregular.
But... if the Archbishop were to carry out his 'next' prophecy, that irregular would likely be corrected.
That was precisely why — today, at this moment, with what he was about to do, the future would become one even the Archbishop's powers of foresight could not 'read' —
"—I will complete every last preparation."
Ermes made this declaration.
As for the Northern Alliance conquest preparations currently underway in Harvist territory, there were two matters Ermes personally needed to see to.
"One of those — the matter concerning 'the development of the magic Lady Lily envisions' — I have already received your preliminary draft."
After saying this, he produced a text panel in his hand — the
Primal Inscription
—and activated it.
Already input into it was the full picture of the magic Liliana had created through her feelings — no, the magic she was trying to create.
Naturally, no matter how much of the
Primal Inscription
she possessed, Liliana had inherited it less than a month ago. That was nowhere near enough study to develop magic — Creation Magic was not so forgiving.
Even with the right feelings, she was overwhelmingly lacking the skill and knowledge to give them form.
And that was precisely why Ermes was here.
He did not possess the feelings essential to creating magic, but he had the experience of having created a spell once before. When it came to the technical side of development alone, he was already second to none — and he would fill that gap.
One might call it a joint development.
Liliana, who held the feelings and had at least some knowledge of Creation Magic, would produce the preliminary draft.
Based on that, Ermes will "realize" it into a form that can actually be used.
'
Primal Inscription
' — it is precisely because there are two users of it, and because Ermes's extraordinary ability pairs with Liliana's extraordinary learning speed, that such a feat becomes possible.
Furthermore, the problem of Ermes's overinvolvement raising the probability that the Archbishop would foresee this magic — his trump card — is, as just explained, resolved by Ermes carrying out the work at this very timing today.
"Without fail."
Ermes speaks with strong resolve.
"Without fail, I will resolve every single technical problem by today. The final adjustments will still need to be handled by Lady Lili — but I will have everything that can be adjusted prepared by today. So..."
What he wants to ask of Liliana now, then, is the second matter requiring his involvement.
"— Please make contact with Lady Niina."
This concerns the girl who holds the key to defeating the Archbishop — a matter of great importance.
And considering the matter of future foresight and all other circumstances, Liliana is currently the only suitable candidate.
"That's fine, but... is contact even possible?"
"It is. For the Archbishop as well, Niina, who is probably bound by
restrictions,
should be a highly convenient piece to work with.
And if this is the future the Archbishop has envisioned... he will undoubtedly send sabotage troops at this very timing to completely conquer this fortress."
Moreover, the probability of Niina being selected — someone who can act freely on her own — is quite high.
Therefore, Liliana should be sent in as a persuasion operative.
Niina is, in all likelihood, a piece close to the Archbishop.
Meanwhile, the other side had fortified their defenses against Ermes thoroughly. Knowing full well that Niina, who was merely pretending obedience while harboring her own agenda, and Ermes might make contact, they would do everything in their power to prevent just that. There was even a chance they had already read into this possibility.
So the decision was to send Liliana instead of Ermes — someone who was completely impossible to predict. But…
"This will involve making contact with Lady Niina and persuading her to join our camp. …This will likely be a dangerous mission. Ideally, I would be the one to go, but…"
At that, he gritted his teeth.
For the first time, he was struck by the absurdity of something he had never experienced before — that he was the one person who could not afford to move. The inadequacy of having to rely on others to act during such a critical juncture tinged him with a kind of frustration he had never known.
And when Liliana saw that — she found Ermes's fierce sense of responsibility toward those under his care dependable, but at the same time.
—I am not reliable enough, am I?
She understood that his reasoning was sound… but it still stung her, just a little.
"Please leave it to me, Master."
As a subtle act of protest, Liliana leaned closer and took his hand.
"In the first place, you have been overworking yourself all this time, Master. The 'Master' I know is someone who stands further back, steady and composed, quietly imparting knowledge and teaching the way forward… watching over his disciples, and being there beside them when they need him."
…After painting a portrait of her master that was perhaps tinged slightly with her own idealized wishes.
"And — when his disciples give their all, it is his job to praise them generously, is it not?"
"!"
She looked up at him with those lovely, upturned eyes, conveying that expectation.
When she released the hand of Ermes, who had gone slightly blank for a moment, she smiled at him once more.
"So please, wait here at ease. I swear I will accomplish what you wish."
Hearing this, Ermes showed her a smile filled with gratitude and relief, then handed Liliana a certain item along with several important reminders before she departed for her mission.
And so, to deliver the final blow that would corner the Archbishop, she leapt from the fortress.
◆
After that, Liliana patrolled the vicinity of the fortress's outer wall, guided by the hypothesis that this was "the one place Ermes could never reach no matter how hard he tried," and finally relied on her intuition and perceptual abilities to continue the sweep for roughly an hour——
"...A bull's-eye, isn't it?"
She found her.
Just as Ermes had predicted, she spotted the silver-haired girl carrying out preparations to bring down the Harvest territory the following day.
At the same time, she closed in quickly—yet carefully, so as not to put her on excessive alert.
"I'd say 'nice to meet you,' but that would be a bit of a misnomer at this point."
She called out to her.
"...Might I have a word with you? Nina von Frodit."
"—!"
The addressed Nina turned to look at her, a faint flicker of surprise on her face.
Though their first encounter had been hostile, the two girls now faced each other in what could almost be called a proper first meeting.
"..."
With that, Liliana studied Nina once more.
(...She's beautiful, isn't she.)
Her lustrous silver hair, swept up for ease of movement, still radiated an allure that could not be hidden away—combined with her refined features and those rare golden eyes, it could only be described as something bewitching. An appearance that drew the eye whether one wanted it to or not.
Moreover... at present, a deep fatigue was vividly etched into those features, and her movements carried a languid quality. Yet that very weariness served to accentuate an otherwise understated beauty, lending her an air of decadent sensuality.
"...Hello there, adorable princess."
Nina recovered from her brief surprise almost at once.
And then she spoke—in a tone that, despite their positions as enemies, carried a certain easy familiarity.
"I see. I suppose it makes sense that you'd be the one I couldn't predict coming."
"Yes. ...I've heard about you too, you know. Master—apparently you're a fellow student of Lord Ermes and the others."
To confirm the basics, Nina opened her eyes wide once more.
"Master... Yeah, I 'know' about you too. You're Elu's apprentice, right?"
And so—
"...I'm jealous, you know."
"!"
The atmosphere shifted. The friendliness hadn't changed... but now there was something unsettling threaded through it.
She kept speaking without pause.
"...I do want to talk. Sure, I'd welcome that."
—But I'm sorry. On my end, if I run into you—
if we actually meet,
there's something I have to do."
At the same time, she dropped into a fighting stance—lowering her center of gravity and drawing a tool from inside her clothes.
"The Archbishop isn't a fool—quite the opposite, he's sharp. Naturally, he anticipated that you'd be an irregular he couldn't predict. So he gave orders ahead of time."
She channeled General-purpose Magic into it, shaping it into the form of a sword she was familiar with.
"Just in case I happened to encounter you—
no matter what—'capture her, no matter the cost.' Those were his orders."
"!"
"Sure, let's talk. ...We can do it while playing tag, if you want."
She was holding nothing back.
……No, it was more like she was being made sure not to hold back. There didn't seem to be any constraint on a per-action basis, but the overall directive was forcing her to capture Nina whether she liked it or not… that was the impression.
And then.
(…Just as expected, isn't it?)
Naturally, Liliana—Ermes had read that far too.
That was precisely why she had entrusted Liliana with "this."
Just like Nina, Liliana drew something from inside her coat—a magical tool, black and shaped like a crystal.
"! …I see. Well, it's not like you'd just go along quietly."
Nina seemed to recognize the magical tool, and a look of understanding crossed her face.
Yes, when making contact with Nina—it was entirely foreseeable that Nina might in turn try to capture them instead.
From what it sounded like, Liliana had been a special case… but probably even if anyone else had gone, a clash would have been unavoidable.
And that was the biggest reason for sending Liliana.
Of all the people who could make contact with her, Liliana was the only one.
On whom
Nina's magic
didn't work.
Because Nina didn't know her, had no closeness with her. She was the only one who could face Nina head-on and stand in the ring with her.
However, there was an obvious and decisive gap in power between Liliana and Nina.
The magical tool she had been given was to bridge that gap—the countermeasure against Nina, handed down by Ermes, needed for the final move.
Therefore, Liliana took her stance with it. Dodging Nina's assault—at the same time, to fulfill her own objective. Ermes's objective.
"…I'm sorry."
Sensing the impending clash, Nina spoke up once more.
"It makes me really happy that you came for me. But... there's nothing I can do about it."
With a look of utter desperation — cornered, without any composure.
"Also... I might be a little jealous of you right now."
"That's quite all right."
Having fully perceived Nina's circumstances and situation.
Without wavering, Liliana replied.
"I understand. That I am currently so blessed — and that you must have endured truly terrible circumstances until now."
"!"
"So please, don't hold back — come at me. I'm actually quite confident in a game of tag, after all... and showing my future subjects the breadth of my character is my duty as well."
Watching her once again speak with the unmistakable bearing of a future queen, Nina —
"......I'm pretty sure I just said something incredibly unfair... and you're just letting it slide. You're something else, Your Highness. Please stop saying such cool things, because —"
Strangely enough, the same words she had once spoken when confronting Ermes at the academy.
But once you truly understood her, you would know these were words of declaration that made her incomparably terrifying in battle.
"——
I'm going to
end up falling for you,
?"
And so.
Nina moved to carry out the order forced upon her by the Archbishop. Liliana, to dodge it, gather information, and draw Nina over to their side.
The secret clash between two young women had begun.
Next time: Nina vs. Lady Liliana.
Various schemes are entangled, but this is a necessary confrontation before the decisive battle.
I hope you enjoy it — including Lady Liliana's Magical tools that have appeared in past main story chapters!