"This is a magical tool that was recovered during the incident at the academy some time ago."
The magical tool Ermes had entrusted to Liliana before she set out to search for Nina.
Pointing at the object shaped like a black crystal, Ermes explained.
"Its effect is to store magic that someone wields and allow others to use it on a limited basis. In short, it can stock a person's magic."
Laplace, who had possessed this very tool and handed it to Clyde—the mastermind behind the academy incident—seemed to have abandoned it entirely.
Conversely, this meant the enemy's power was so overwhelming that they could afford to treat even a magical tool with such useful effects as nothing more than a sacrificial pawn—but that was not something to dwell on now.
"Therefore, the one I've just given to Lady Lili has been imbued with several of my Bloodline Magic. From abilities that can slow Lady Nina down, to ones that can block attacks, to ones that can halt her movement entirely. I'm certain all of them will be needed."
"...That means..."
"Yes. Most likely—no, almost certainly. If you encounter Lady Nina, you will have to fight her."
Ermes clenched his teeth once more. His expression carried both the raw frustration of being unable to go himself... and some other, deeper conflict beyond that.
"Lady Lili."
Above all, he fixed Liliana with a gaze of unwavering trust and spoke.
"When that time comes, use this magical tool skillfully and accomplish your objective.
——
What I'm
saying...
you
understand,
right?"
Those words, strangely emphasized.
Liliana fixed her gaze on the Magical tool, slightly bewildered, confirming the multitude of spells he had woven into it—
"............Ah."
She understood.
The spells he had entrusted to her, combined with the precise nature of those same spells he had explained to her in the past—by grasping them firmly... it was precisely because she had grasped them that she understood.
His objective, today's goal—and given the chance the Archbishop might read into them—
imprudent
things
not even
could be spoken
aloud. That, too, was part of it.
Even if this moment today was irregular, the fundamental problem—that he was most vulnerable to the effects of precognition—remained unsolved, so she had no choice but to be cautious.
And that was precisely why he had worded it that way. Liliana received with joy Ermes's circuitous... yet certain proof of trust that she, and she alone, could understand.
"...I shall leave it to you, then."
Once more, she spoke straight and true.
"I shall fulfill Master's wishes.
I'll go and have a 'chat' with that pretty classmate of his—"
◆
And so she encountered Niina, and the game of tag began just as expected.
Its opening was—
"——No, that can't be—'
Spirit Veil!
'"
"O-Oh, is that Sara's... no, from the feel of it, it must be Eli's."
All that accompanied it was Liliana's shock.
She used the magic Ermes had imbued into the black crystal magical tool without hesitation—no, she had no choice but to use it. In those very first few seconds, she had already understood that she would be cornered in the blink of an eye otherwise.
"So you really can use it—the same power as Eli. ...I have to say, I'm jealous."
"!"
Even as she spoke, Niina continued to chase Liliana down and corner her—through overwhelming speed, physical strength, and ruthless fighting technique far beyond the ordinary.
An ability so extraordinary it could shatter to dust the pride of Liliana, who had always been confident in hand-to-hand combat without magic.
Seeing this, she became certain: this girl—surpassed even Ermes in this domain.
(She had heard about this from the Master, but she never imagined it would be this extreme... but!)
Still, Liliana rallied herself.
Confidence—no, the arrogance of believing there was no one she couldn't defeat—she had long since cast that aside on that day.
Moreover, there was the fact that if she were caught here even once, it would be completely over. That, if anything, was what kept her calm and focused. Plans for improving her fighting technique spun through her mind.
At the same time... she recalled the countermeasures against Niina that Ermes had entrusted to her.
"Miss Niina has a terrifyingly keen intuition when it comes to magic that would cause her harm."
She knew his words to be true, having witnessed it herself many times at the academy.
"Therefore, no matter how much you might catch her off guard, landing an offensive spell on her would be a nearly impossible feat."
And so—she abandoned offense.
The magic he had placed into the black crystal magical tool was: for defense—
Spirit veil
, for trajectory assistance—
Four winds of the heavenly demon
, and to compensate for the gap in physical ability—
Messenger of the Faceless
. Several other non-offensive spells.
Nina was sensitive to magic that could cause harm—conversely, this meant she was comparatively dull when it came to detecting and responding to magic that couldn't.
And so she had been entrusted with this array of spells, specialized for defense, escape, and restraint. If she could use them properly, there might just be a chance of getting away from her.
On top of that—
"…Weren't we supposed to be talking? Or do you not even have the composure for that anymore?"
That was right. Nina was relentlessly hounding her in order to capture her—most likely because some
constraint
was compelling her to do so, but—
Even so, she never stopped talking. —She herself was open to dialogue.
"That's a problem… Actually, there are things I'd like to ask you.
Princess—how were you able to come here? Right now, the Harvist territory should be on the verge of collapse from the falling-out with the soldiers, so I'd think you'd have far bigger things to worry about…"
And so, Liliana circulated her magic more efficiently, somehow managing to break free from Nina's relentless assault and catch her breath.
"…Listen to me, Nina!"
First, she would drive home the most important piece of information.
"—The reconciliation with the soldiers of the Harvist domain was a success!"
Nina stared in astonishment.
"Wh—"
"We've already reached agreement with the soldiers to take down the Northern Alliance! We're currently making preparations—well, in other words, Archbishop Johan's plans have already been shattered!"
She had been told beforehand that this was something she could safely reveal.
Because either way, it would come to light tomorrow through another round of precognition. If that was the case, she judged it better to use it as a conversation opener with Nina.
With that objective in mind, Liliana successfully created an opening for conversation—
"You see? Even the Archbishop's power isn't absolute! That's why—"
"…You're not lying, are you. …I see. That's amazing."
And then—
"—Without me having to do anything… without someone like me even being here…"
"You all can change the future on your own."
Terribly.
Their eyes met—Liliana staring at Nina, who wore the most wretched, sorrowful smile.
"…………"
At the same time, having caught her breath, Nina once again—
Constraint
—complied with it and resumed her assault on Liliana.
—She had to deny it.
Driven by that groundless intuition, Liliana cried out.
"That—that's not true! The reason we were able to reconcile, and what later gave you the chance to notice the spy from their side, was because you took out the infiltrator without the Archbishop finding out—"
"You didn't keep it hidden from him."
This time, it was Liliana who was struck speechless.
"The Archbishop had already anticipated me killing the spy on my own initiative. And he was certain that, as a result, the soldiers would come to harbor a fatal distrust of you through me."
After Nina had revealed that things had nearly turned out exactly that way—
"In fact, I thought that's exactly what would happen too. That's why you all are so incredible. You overturned a destined path of destruction and carved out a future for yourselves—and..."
Again, with that sorrowful smile, she said it.
"...I was, from the very beginning to the very end, in the palm of the Archbishop's hand."
No matter how hard I tried, I alone... never managed to be of any use in the end."
"...How... could that be?"
Could she really debase herself that much?
According to what Ermes and the others had told her—Nina was supposed to be somewhat flighty, but gentle and pleasant to be around.
That reputation and her current impression were far too mismatched.
There was no doubt they were the same person.
So what had happened in between... As the question began to form in Liliana's heart, Nina seemed to read her thoughts—
"...Yeah, I know. It's kind of pathetic, dumping all this on such a small kid, but since we've come this far, why don't I just tell you everything?"
Nina von Frodeit—
The dark thoughts she had harbored all along, even during her time at the academy, hidden beneath her airily bright personality—
Quietly—in her own peculiar manner of speaking—as if spitting the words out, she confessed:
"I'm just—an ordinary girl."
In earnest now, intensifying her offensive at the same time.
In stark contrast to the increasing ferocity of her movements, Ninna resumes her narrative.
"Let me give you an example, okay?"
As if trying to drill the words into Liliana, who was desperately trying to flee from herself.
"Right, so let's say hypothetically… there was this thing called a 'battle to save the world.'"
"…Huh?"
"It's just an example, like I said. But you know, something on that grand of a scale—with powerful enemies, and everyone having to stand up against it together—just imagine that kind of dramatic conflict."
Liliana raised a voice of doubt at the sudden analogy, and Ninna offered a wry smile before continuing.
"In legends, in fairy tales. Every time a battle like that appears, I always think—"
She speaks what lies at her very core.
"Yeah—I'm the kind of
person who could
absolutely
never
take part in
that sort of
battle
."
"!"
"On the other hand… someone like Er would definitely be the type to stand at the front lines of something like that. Katia, too. Sara as well… and Albert—somehow, I get the feeling he'd end up standing there too."
"And Lady Liliana... you're the central figure to begin with, aren't you? Swap 'world' for 'country,' and that's exactly what this is now."
"And you're... not?"
A desperate question thrown out while dodging attacks. Nina nods.
"That's right. ...Oh, I'm not saying it's because I wasn't chosen or because I lack the strength. That would be really rude to people like Er—people who can actually stand in that kind of battle."
Having added that clarification, she takes a step back... then, with a graceful gesture, places a hand over her chest.
"What I'm missing is... probably, heart."
"...Heart?"
"You could call it conviction, I suppose. Like how Er feels about magic, or the way Katia sees what it means to be a noble."
"Something like that—something more important than anything else. Something you'd stake everything on, something whose journey everyone would praise, something proud and magnificent—"
She continues as she charges once more.
"—I don't have anything like that. Not a single thing."
"...!"
"I don't have any conviction I'd want to hold onto even if it meant throwing everything else away. Even if I get attached to something, the moment circumstances change, I let go of it right away and yield to someone else's conviction. Because this is what happens when you spend your whole life drifting along, going with the flow. ...I really don't think I'll ever be able to have something like that."
"But, you know—" she said, pausing between words.
"That's normal. I'm sure most people are like that.
——
What's strange
—
is your
side."
"
"Wh—"
"...Wait, that's going too far, isn't it? Well, anyway, that's roughly the kind of person Nina is — living an altogether irresponsible life. What I'm trying to say is—"
And so, offense and defense temporarily reversed.
Liliana's
Spirit veil
enclosed Nina and pressed down on her. But Nina tried to wedge her sword in before the barrier could fully close.
And so, a temporary stalemate formed. At a distance where both their words and expressions could reach, Nina—
spoke the rest of her words, her true feelings.
"...I don't want this anymore."
"—Ah."
"All I wanted was to be with my family. But night after night, I was shown terrible nightmares. My family was all used however they pleased, and I was made to keep doing things I never wanted to do, just the same.
I just... want to throw it all away. Even though I don't want to think that way, I can't help it."
Overflowing.
From the deepest recesses of the cornered girl, weakness spilled forth.
"...That's a terrible thing to say. ...Why you of all people?"
"Eh?"
"Why— why didn't El come for me?"
Even knowing it was nothing but lashing out, the words wouldn't stop.
"He said he'd come save me! It's been so hard, I've been trying so hard, but why didn't he come—"
"I— but, Master—"
"Yeah, I know. It's El, so he already knows about the Archbishop's 'magic.' That means he can't risk leaking information even by accident, and he can't make direct contact with me when there's nothing but risk involved. Besides, I've already made it so that he absolutely can't meet me right now—that's just how it is. But still—"
After laying out those perfectly logical reasons, one after another, she—
"
Still
—that I can't help but think that way... is it really so terrible...?"
She forced the words out, barely managing to say them.
At the same moment, Liliana's barrier shattered with a sharp crack.
The capture had failed. The situation was back to even once more.
"............"
They exchanged glances, each searching for the next move. After several seconds of silence—
"...Ah, I'm sorry about that."
Once again, it was Niina who broke it.
"I ended up griping more than I meant to, and lashing out too.
...But that's just who I am. You can be disillusioned with me if you want, or you can go tell El and the others about how I'm doing—it's fine."
After saying that quietly—
"Anyway, your goal was either to capture me or to talk me around, right?
Sorry, but neither is going to work. You see, I have a
restriction
and there's nothing to be done about it. It can't be removed, and even if by some miracle it were, the result would be the same."
"restriction
— it'll reach the Archbishop who's under it right away, you know."
Finally, Ninina smiled one last time.
"So, you two can just go ahead without me, right? Someone like me doesn't—"
"...No."
She was about to bid them farewell — but Liliana cut her off.
"...Hm?"
"Ah, well, I've come to understand your situation quite well. So, um... I'm sorry for what I just said — it's not like I have any way to deal with that
restriction
of yours right now."
What Liliana wanted to deny were the words that had come before.
"I won't be disillusioned. ...After all, I started down the path of becoming queen for no reason other than to save my family."
"...What?"
"My masters, too... they'd probably be surprised to hear what you said, but I don't think they're the kind of people who would write you off over it. ...I know you might wonder what someone who's known you for even less time than I have could possibly have to say, but that's what I think."
Besides.
Ninina's words... they certainly seemed to contain her true feelings, but more than that —
Liliana understood that the whole speech had also been meant to push her away.
Because she could sense it — the faint intention behind it all, that Ninina had tried to keep Liliana from getting any closer than necessary, so she would fall outside the range of her magic, which depended on psychological distance.
"...I won't be disillusioned."
Honestly, at first, she had been someone who felt faintly unsettling — someone who clearly had reasons for being hostile, but reasons you couldn't quite pin down.
But after hearing that unguarded, honest monologue — she didn't think that way anymore.
And so, Liliana said it once more, then smiled.
"Rather — I believe I could grow to like you."
She spoke her true feelings — and in that very instant.
(……Ah. This is bad.)
Liliana realized she had blundered.
Because — her awareness had already been pulled toward Ninina.
"...Man, you really got me. Hey, Princess — I warned you about this from the start, didn't I?"
Her eyes simply could not leave Ninina — clearly, unnaturally so. Most of her body's motor function was already gone.
What that meant was obvious.
"And yet... why did you have to go and be so tempting? What, are you some kind of klutzy princess?"
——
Fairy's Dream Palace
— its activation conditions had been met.
(Th-this is really bad! Wait — this is actually dead serious, not a joke!?)
"Once you knew it would work, you understood I'd have no choice but to use it — so why did you... Ugh, come on, this is really...!"
And so, through one last fatal mistake at the very end,
all of Liliana's efforts were rendered futile, and she was about to fall into Ninina's hands — when.
"— Your Highness, are you alright?!"
"That person is... Froditte's sister!? Damn — she made it all the way in here too!?"
Voices of over a dozen from behind. It seemed the soldiers from the Havist territory had caught wind of the disturbance and come rushing over.
Upon seeing that, the first to react — with an even bigger sigh of relief than Liliana — was Ninina.
"…Ah, thank goodness. Now I can say the mission failed."
It seemed this had shifted her personal baseline from "capture Liliana" to "the mission is far too difficult to accomplish, so retreat."
Letting out another sigh of relief at having been spared from doing something she didn't want to do, Ninina turned to look at Liliana one last time.
"…Well then, Your Highness. …It was nice talking to you."
Those words, spoken from the bottom of her heart, were all she left behind — and in the blink of an eye, she vanished into the depths of the forest.
◆
(Oh… that was far too close…!)
Confirming Ninina's disappearance, Liliana let out a sigh of relief herself.
She had nearly made a catastrophic blunder at the very last moment. …No, the words themselves had been entirely sincere, but perhaps she should have chosen her timing a bit more carefully. Something to reflect on.
And so, as the soldiers who had come rushing over praised her for being safe, Liliana contemplated.
(…Ninina's face)
Perhaps the weight of whatever she had been carrying inside her, combined with the events of this northern rebellion, had pushed her to that state.
Even at the moment of her departure, after hearing Liliana's words… the shadow had not left her expression.
Surely.
The only one who could truly remove what lay deep within her… was probably not herself.
"…"
Besides, it was hard to say the situation had improved.
She had succeeded in making contact with Ninina, but had been unable to forcibly capture her,
Constraints
Now that those existed, she understood it was impossible to clearly draw her over to their side.
—But. Even so.
She drew a breath... and spoke with a voice brimming with confidence. Gripping the black crystal magical tool that had been entrusted to her, Liliana declared firmly.
"—
Perfectly,
...
the objective
has been
accomplished.
Master."
With the relief of knowing she had accomplished the mission he had given her — or rather, the one he had silently implied —
at the same time, her heart fluttering at the thought of the reward she would receive from him, Liliana made her way back to the fortress.
That was the chapter dedicated to digging into Ninina's feelings and planting the flags.
Starting next time, both camps will finally begin to move toward the decisive battle. Stay tuned!