Chapter: 463
After a little commotion passed, Arthur, whose voice had gone hoarse from yelling, tousled his messy hair and poked Lina.
Imagining all the treasures of Lucy, she drooled with excitement, but when Arthur approached, she jumped back in shock.
“…Am I really that filthy?” While Lina recoiled, Arthur felt a sting from her reaction, but Lina completely ignored it and brushed off the parts that had touched him, continuing her speech.
“First of all.”
The voice that just a moment ago sounded so shabby and disgusting transformed into one full of grandeur.
With an intimidating presence befitting the forest’s master,
If no one had seen Lina’s earlier perverse display, everyone in the room would surely have looked at her in a different light.
“Show me the magic you’ve been working on, Joy. We can’t begin our discussion without that.”
“Okay.”
With her eyes closed and taking a deep breath, Joy recalled the magic she had performed in front of the alchemist.
The memory was remarkably clear.
It was the magic she had created for the first time, the one that caused Lucy to properly call her name.
As Joy conjured a tangled magic circle before her eyes, she chuckled at the chaotic mess that was her magic.
Was it really this clumsy? It’s surprising that it even activated.
Thinking it was akin to gambling, Joy infused her magic into the circle.
Then, the magic circle illuminated brightly, forecasting the events to come, but…
“…Huh?”
No phenomenon occurred in the room. Everything remained just as it was.
“Joy, did you mess up somewhere?”
“I didn’t mess up, perverted prince. The magic activated properly.”
“When has a fool ever realized their mistakes? Double-check it.”
“I’ve already checked! The magic was definitely correctly cast.”
“Then why is nothing happening?”
“How am I supposed to know that?”
While Joy and Arthur were bickering, Lina stood still, observing the energy flowing through the room, then pulled out a bear-shaped item and bit down on it.
The smoke infused with Lina’s power rose upward, naturally dispersing in the air.
“Hmm.”
Even after that, Lina blew more smoke, trying out various experiments.
Sometimes, the smoke moved according to her will, while other times, it merely scattered into the air.
“Interesting things you’ve created.”
With a confident proclamation, Lina gathered her grayish smoke.
“This isn’t just a magic to negate the powers of the void. It touches on something more fundamental.”
The method through which the powers of the void create illusions is based on misperception.
Standing on the void means everyone is the same nonexistent entity, and placing the powers of the void on top naturally leads to one’s opponent being misled.
That’s why it’s difficult to counteract the powers of the void.
What can you really feel from something that’s nothing?
Due to this, those who clumsily shroud themselves in the powers of the void can be somewhat distinguished, but finding someone who perfectly manages that power is nearly impossible.
“This magic grants substance to what was once nothing.”
Joy’s magic wasn’t perfect yet. It was created on the spot to address the current situation, so that was expected.
However, the thought and potential manifesting in the magic were astonishing enough even to impress Lina.
“Hmm.”
Frowning at the magic circle, Lina pondered for a moment before shaking her head.
“This exceeds the realm where I can assist you.”
“…Huh?”
Joy, who had been expecting Lina to remain proud, was taken aback by her willingness to step back.
But Lina’s answer remained unchanged. She gnawed on the bear’s end, her voice slightly sharp.
“Offering advice on this would only result in half-baked nonsense.”
“What does that mean?”
“When I mentioned I would help you, I expected to provide guidance based on various existing magics.”
Lina wasn’t a magician.
The powers she wielded were her own, and the magical knowledge she possessed had accumulated over the years as a part of her life experience.
If Joy’s magic was anything ordinary, Lina would have likely recalled her past to give plausible advice.
However, this wasn’t the case. This magic seemed crafted specifically to negate the powers of the void, and it was outside her knowledge.
“If you wish for more…”
“You foolish boy, do you really think I’d risk holding onto anything imbued with Lucy’s essence?”
“….”
“I would love to seize the opportunity to flaunt it and snatch the item, but since you’re Lucy’s friends, I’m speaking frankly.”
Deflecting Arthur’s probing, Lina subtly turned her gaze to Joy.
Joy stared at her magic circle, blinking in surprise.
It seemed she didn’t quite grasp what Lina meant. Perhaps she wasn’t even aware that her own magic belonged to that category.
“At least if I were to give some advice, it won’t be easy for anyone you approach to provide guidance on this magic. It’s been hundreds of years since the evil gods left this land; do you think any mages know how to counter that power?”
Lina’s assertion, that those beings had mostly been laid to rest, bewildered Joy.
To say they needed a great mage who had lived through the time when evil gods roamed was an absurdity that felt like something out of a fairy tale.
In a reality where she couldn’t even trust whether such a person existed, Joy was left feeling at a loss, glancing towards Phoebe as a desperate hope.
“If anyone would know, it should be people from the church, who fight on the frontlines against the followers of the evil gods!”
“I’m sorry, Joy. Among the church’s people, those with knowledge of general magic are a rarity. Even those few are too busy with church matters at the moment.”
“What about the other two?”
“Do you seriously think I would have such connections?”
“Do you think I might?”
“…I suppose.”
With the realization that they had hit a dead end during their search for advice, the group’s mood naturally turned gloomy.
At this point, it wasn’t just a matter of effort on their part.
“…Huh?”
Just then, as Phoebe was mumbling, she suddenly looked up and turned her gaze to the door.
“Phoebe, what’s going on?”
“I can sense Lady Lucy’s divine presence.”
“…What?!”
“Oh no, where is she?”
“Wow, it’s Lucy!”
“She’s just outside the door.”
With a bang, the door flew open, and everyone within the room froze in place at the sight of Lucy Alrn appearing beyond it, bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
What left them even more perplexed was Lucy’s reaction.
Blinking as she surveyed her friends, Lucy wore an expression of utter disdain.
“…Disgusting.”
With a loud slam, the door closed, and a second later, the stunned group regained their wits, rushing to the door to clear up the misunderstanding.
“Lucy! Wait a second!”
“Lady! Please hear us out!”
“It’s only the perverted prince who’s bad!”
“Shut up! Why am I the only one getting blamed after our earlier agreement?!”
*
Having been practically dragged back inside the room by her friends, I listened to them and Lina recount the events.
Most of the tale was easy enough to understand, but one detail left me scratching my head.
“Grandfather, is it really that tough to create a specific kind of magic?”
[…Did you not know? ]
“Why would I know? I don’t know anything about magic.”
Others might misunderstand, but it’s a bit strange for my grandfather to be confused, right?
I’ve seen the power of the Dice God on multiple occasions when it comes to magic exams, so how could he not know?
[…I thought you were guided by the deity.]
“Ah.”
I see it now. Whenever explanations seemed too bothersome, I skimmed by saying it was the deity guiding me. I never thought I’d end up in this situation because of it.
I was just clueless, thinking that Joy would manage things fine on her own. I didn’t expect it to be that difficult.
Out of curiosity, I asked my friends if they misunderstood, and they all nodded.
“…Lady! It’s not true, right?”
“Of course not. Pathetic saint! I just threw it out there casually.”
As I revealed the truth to my friends, Joy let out a resigned sigh, and Phoebe’s cheeks flushed red; Arthur coughed awkwardly.
As for Frey, well, she seemed as oblivious as ever.
Amid the strangely uncomfortable atmosphere, I was left wondering what to do.
If what the clumsy fox said was true, then Joy’s magic definitely had the potential to be the solution for our current predicament.
However, the fact that even the one who made it didn’t know how to solidify it was a real issue.
Hmm. Someone familiar with clashing against the powers of the evil gods and a capable mage…
One person did come to mind.
“Fools, prepare to head out next week.”
“…Do you have a plan?”
“I do. Unlike you pathetic prince, who can’t do anything but whine, I’m quite capable.”
I’ll take this chance to visit someone I’d meant to meet anyway.
The one who had helped create the miracle alongside my grandfather.
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