“Now, stay with me… We’ll return to the dormitory together later. Don’t get lost. If you’re caught, I won’t be able to save you.”

Turing sounded just like an adult.

“Um… exactly how old are you?” Elizabeth rose and followed behind Turing. She seemed to trust her quite a bit.

“Fifteen,” Turing said flatly.

But Turing was clearly only twelve—and that was by East Asian age reckoning.

“Oh…” Elizabeth was already fourteen, yet she believed Turing without question.

Turing walked on by herself, but she deliberately slowed her pace so Elizabeth could keep up.

In terms of physical ability alone, even an ordinary adult woman couldn’t easily follow Turing.

As they continued, Turing led Elizabeth to the windowsill on the second floor of the arts building. From there, Elizabeth saw the boys organizing themselves on the open ground in the distance.

The boys laughed, shouted, and horsed around. Their vitality and youthful energy stirred something inside Elizabeth before she even realized it.

“What are you doing? Weren’t we going back to the dorm?” Elizabeth asked.

Turing blinked, then leaned close and whispered into Elizabeth’s ear.

“I need your help with something. It’s very simple. In exchange for taking you back, will you do it?”

“You don’t need to think about anything. Just listen to me and hold my hand. How does that sound?”

Turing’s soft, heartfelt words flowed over Elizabeth’s timid heart like a warm, gentle river.

“Please.”

Turing moved closer to Elizabeth. Her hot breath left Elizabeth dazed for a moment.

Forget someone as exceptional as Turing. In Elizabeth’s memories, it had been an incredibly long time since anyone had asked her to do anything.

“Okay… I-I guess…”

Elizabeth lowered the stubborn front she usually put on and agreed.

Turing nodded and placed one hand over each of Elizabeth’s hands.

【As a junior mage, Merka is unquestionably a powerful mage.】

【And at my current distance from the boys… Merka should be able to sense my fluctuations of magical power.】

【I’ll borrow Elizabeth’s magic to cast the spell.】

【That way, Merka won’t notice my own magical fluctuations.】

“From this point on, I’ll construct the magic circle and recite the incantation. You’ll supply the magical power. Understand?”

“All right. Relax. Feel the magic being drawn in, then slowly channel it into my hands.”

“Imagine that your body is… a vast furnace.”

“A blazing core forging countless blades, spears, swords, and halberds.”

Under Turing’s patient guidance, Elizabeth’s magic began to stir around her. A layer of slow-moving vapor rose like hot soup freshly lifted from the pot.

“Sister Altria, I can’t… Ever since I was little… no matter what I do, I always mess it up.”

The moment Elizabeth spoke, her magic seemed to be blown upon by an unseen breath. The signs of boiling magic quickly faded.

“Don’t talk. Listen to me.”

Turing’s voice carried an unquestionable force. Elizabeth once again forced herself to focus.

“Imagine leaping into the furnace.”

“Imagine the scorching magma and the sharp weapons inside. None of them can hurt you.”

“What do you see?” Turing asked.

A massive, demonic monster stood silently before Elizabeth. Turing stood beside her, their hands clasped tightly together.

Countless tentacles sprouted from the monster’s body. Each one held a different weapon. Some were so strange they could hardly even be called weapons.

Had every mage witnessed such a magnificent, grand sight?

Such divine skill and miraculous achievement…

No wonder I could never become a mage.

Elizabeth thought bitterly, despite her astonishment.

“Take that.”

Turing’s lips moved, but no sound came out. Somehow, Elizabeth understood what she meant.

Turing pointed at one of the weapons held by the monster’s tentacles.

The thought of taking that weapon flashed through Elizabeth’s mind. At once, the monster lowered the tentacle and offered the corresponding weapon to her.

It was a cloak.

Suppressing her astonishment, Elizabeth glanced at the calm Turing beside her, then accepted the cloak.

In that instant, the world changed.

Everything within her sight became clear and transparent.

The flowers, birds, fish, and insects seemed more vivid and alive.

A scarlet pomegranate flickered quietly in the depths of her eyes—

Then went out.

Elizabeth came back to herself. The monster and the cloak had vanished completely. Only the adorable Turing remained beside her, her hand held tightly in Elizabeth’s grasp.

Elizabeth raised her hand and discovered that both she and Turing were covered in a faint layer of silver-gray.

｛Shadow Magic • MI6 Invisibility｝

【The spell’s level isn’t high, but it should be enough to let us move freely through the boys’ dormitory, where there are practically no mages.】

“Let’s go. It’s only a simple illusion. If someone touches us, they’ll recognize us immediately.”

“So you have to hold on to me tightly, okay?”

Turing didn’t notice the little thoughts stirring in Elizabeth’s heart. She led her toward the boys.

A storm surged through Elizabeth’s heart.

I cast magic!

Even though so many teachers had tried to teach me, none of them ever succeeded…

Elizabeth looked at Turing in front of her and gripped her hand with even greater attachment.

Could it be that I’m not completely useless after all…?

Could it be that the teachers simply taught me the wrong way?

That’s right. I’m Mother’s daughter…

The daughter of the High Cigar House’s War Duke.

As Elizabeth thought this, a honeyed sweetness slowly rose on the tip of her tongue, soothing her to the heart.

——————————

“Sister Altria, how much longer do I have to help you with this…?”

“And if you want to see that boy named Merka… couldn’t you just use magic to go there yourself?”

Elizabeth muttered in the faintest voice beside Turing’s ear.

“That’s a little difficult to explain. Just follow me.”

“Besides, we agreed earlier that this favor won’t be over until you let go.”

Following Turing, Elizabeth arrived at the entrance to the boys’ dormitory. Her cheeks were visibly tinged with a faint flush.

As nuns and monks devoted to the gods, they naturally weren’t allowed to court or flirt with one another.

The boys’ and girls’ dormitories were separated by thick barriers. Normally, boys and girls only met during joint activities or at meals in the refectory. Otherwise, they rarely saw each other at all.

Turing held Elizabeth’s hand and quietly followed behind the boys. She blended the faint sound of their footsteps with the boys’ louder steps.

The invisible pair followed the orderly group through the dormitory’s massive iron doors just before they closed. Not a single person noticed them.

【To see his surroundings clearly, Merka has to keep his detection magic active at all times.】

【The fluctuations from detection magic are extremely faint. But for me, catching such fluctuations is effortless.】

【Following the magical fluctuations unique to Merka, I can track him all the way to his room…】

【Once I get there, I’ll talk to him face-to-face…】

Turing hadn’t actually decided what she would say.

She also hadn’t considered what she would do if Merka’s roommate saw the young lady of the Altria Family sneaking into the boys’ dormitory at night.

Turing simply wanted to know why Merka was always avoiding her…

And then see him again. That was all.

“Sister… We’ve gone way too far in. This feels dangerous…”

A boy brushed past Elizabeth’s body. She desperately lowered the sound of her breathing as she spoke.

Between the lack of oxygen and her embarrassment, Elizabeth’s face was as red as a peeled tomato. A little pressure might have squeezed water right out of it.

“And… gulp, I’m almost out of magic.”

Elizabeth swallowed and leaned close to Turing’s ear.

【Tch. You’re running out of magic from a spell like this…】

The curse Turing wanted to blurt out remained unspoken. She calmly sensed Merka’s magical fluctuations and continued forward without changing expression.

【Turn left at the third-floor stairwell. Third room… It has to be that one.】

Turing squeezed Elizabeth’s hand, signaling her to stay quiet.

Dodging the boys coming and going, the two little girls crept up to the door of a room on the third floor.

The door was deep blue, with a dimly colored frame. A white sheet of paper had been pasted casually beside it, bearing the names of the room’s occupants.

There were only two names.

One of them was Merka.

【Merka’s magical fluctuations are coming from inside…】

【In theory, he should be in there. One hundred percent.】

【But…】

Turing glanced around. After confirming that all the boys had left, she placed her hand on the doorknob.

【Why do I have such a bad feeling?】

【Maybe I’ve simply grown used to failure…】

【I always feel that even after paying such a price… my hopes will still come to nothing.】

“Sister, are you opening the door? Hurry! I can’t hold on much longer!”

Elizabeth gritted her teeth and straightened her back as she whispered to Turing.

Even as her body sent out constant danger signals from her dwindling magical power, she refused to surrender easily to its limits.

Turing steeled herself and shoved the door open.

At a desk not far away sat a young man in his twenties. He wore a mask, and beneath it, he presumably had a handsome face.

Bathed in moonlight, he held a small book in one hand. His expression was grave, as if he were deeply worried about the brave and kind characters in the story.

Turing knew very clearly that he wasn’t Merka.

But in his other hand, he was idly playing with two eyeballs that Turing knew far too well.

Two prosthetic eyes set with black gemstones.

Two patches of darkness, as familiar as home and as colorful as the sea.

——————————

The Altria Family’s Carriage—Day of the Smoke Fairy Festival

“Madam, what happened to your arm?”

Theresa was driving the horses at the front of the carriage. Who could easily imagine that the most honored person in the entire nation was sitting behind her?

Sitting in nothing more than an ordinary carriage compartment.

Oedipus rested one hand against the window. The sleeve on her other arm hung limply, as if there were nothing inside it.

“I’ve lent out my arm for the time being.” Oedipus smiled faintly. “Even I have things I’m afraid of. I have to take precautions.”

Theresa didn’t understand, but she didn’t dare ask for clarification.

“You want to ask why I left Turing on Maria’s territory, don’t you?”

Oedipus’s nimble fingers lightly traced the edge of the carriage window.

“It’s simple. I have enough confidence in Turing.”

Oedipus let out a long breath, rolled up the carriage curtain, and sat on the threshold. Leaning back beside Theresa, she continued,

“Your suggestion was quite sound. As for whether a stray dog is stronger than a house dog and more worthy of cultivation, I’ve decided to observe for a while longer.”

“After all, the next competition is painting. It won’t be something simple for me.”

“If that child inherited it from me, she’s probably the same.”

“I’ll send her to Lachésis. Hopefully, she’ll learn a little more.”

Theresa swallowed and pretended to focus on driving while carefully listening to Oedipus’s seemingly careless words.

Madam’s had a little wine today…

Could she be drunk?

Theresa secretly prayed that Oedipus would let something important slip next.

“But when it comes to Turing… I’ve also prepared a backup plan.”

Oedipus’s cold gaze stabbed straight into the back of Theresa’s head.

Theresa, listening intently, felt a chill run down her back.

“A backup plan that leaves absolutely nothing to chance.”

Oedipus smiled.

Theresa felt her heart sink to the bottom of an abyss.