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Chapter: 21
“Every time, it’s spectacular, Linette. Truly impressive.”
“……”
Derbel clapped his hands—clap, clap, clap—three times. Despite his words of praise, his face looked utterly unimpressed.
“To think you’re this intimately acquainted with words like burst, explode, and shatter…”
At Derbel’s continued commentary, Linette let out a long sigh.
“If you’re just going to mock me, please go back, Derbel.”
She said it with a bright smile.
“I wouldn’t have come either if it weren’t for Soreas’s request.”
“Oh, yes, yes. Then please feel free to head right back.”
“……”
“……”
Their gazes met.
Eyes holding the glow of sunset clashed sharply with eyes as blue as the open sky.
At that moment, a pink, umbrella-shaped mushroom cloud drifted lazily between them.
“Haa…”
A long sigh escaped Linette’s lips.
Following a magician’s instructions wasn’t the problem. The issue was that things never unfolded the way she intended.
What Linette wanted was a blooming flame—but instead, pop, it kept bursting into strange mushroom-shaped clouds.
And that wasn’t all. The cloud didn’t disperse. It floated around Linette, bobbing gently, like a dog following its owner.
“What… is this?”
“At the very least, you can’t call it fire.”
“…It’s not alive, right?”
At her question, Derbel let out a short laugh.
“No matter how much it floats around or circles you, it won’t be an animal.”
“I suppose not…”
For some reason, the plump, umbrella-like thing drifting about looked oddly cute.
Just what was it?
No matter how much she thought about it, only one possibility came to mind.
“Could it be a spirit?”
“Who knows.”
With an indifferent expression, Derbel stared at the pink mushroom cloud.
Then—shing—he drew the sword at his waist. The wavering blade caught the sunlight and flashed.
“Derbel!”
Linette hurriedly grabbed his arm.
“You’re not planning to cut that pink cloud, are you?”
“We don’t know what it is. Wouldn’t it be safer to eliminate it? What if it’s a monster?”
“It can’t be a monster. It’s just floating there without harming anyone.”
Derbel snorted.
“Princess, there’s nothing beyond common sense that doesn’t harm humans. Do you think there are only one or two beasts that look harmless on the surface? Beautiful flowers that devour people, cute animals that melt flesh with poison—those are everywhere.”
“That’s…”
She knew he was right.
“Of course, since you created it, it’s probably not some vicious creature. Still, it’s irritating to have it flitting about right in front of us. Best to get rid of it.”
“……”
He wasn’t wrong. If anything went wrong by leaving it be, the responsibility would fall entirely on House Crissian.
“Please… get rid of it in one strike.”
Linette spoke with a solemn expression. A faint smile crossed Derbel’s face.
“Don’t worry, Princess. My reputation as the continent’s finest swordsman isn’t for nothing.”
Before she could stop him, Derbel swung his sword toward the pink cloud.
“……!”
The cloud split in two, wriggling as if trying to rejoin—
But only for a moment.
Pop.
It vanished like smoke.
“Ah…”
A small lament escaped Linette.
As Derbel sheathed his sword after staring at where the cloud had been, Linette lowered her gaze.
Her shoulders drooped, her energy visibly drained.
Seeing her uncharacteristically pitiful expression, Derbel unconsciously reached out toward her.
“Linette…”
“I’m fine!”
The next instant, Linette snapped her head up and clenched her fist as if nothing had happened.
“I succeeded once, so I can summon it again. Next time, I’ll be able to figure out what it is.”
“……”
Derbel let out a short, helpless chuckle and fully sheathed his sword.
He stepped closer and brushed away the faint remnants of pink cloud lingering in her hair.
“It doesn’t seem to be harmful. But it’s not a spirit.”
“How do you know?”
“My sword is meant to slay monsters. If it were a monster—or something dangerous to humans—it would’ve died violently.”
“Violently?”
“…There’s a way.”
The upward curl of his lips looked almost threatening.
Still, knowing it wasn’t harmful brought her some relief.
“I’ll try one more time.”
So what if it failed again? She’d just try something else.
“Perhaps… we should change approaches.”
The magician, who had been silently observing them, finally spoke.
“Change approaches?”
“Yes.”
At Linette’s question, Soreas nodded.
“It seems, Princess, that you have more talent for summoning than for creating something from scratch. Animals follow you quite well, too.”
He spoke while recalling the mice and pigs that trailed after her.
“So… summoning magic?”
“Exactly. Given your affinity with nature, you may excel at summoning spirits or living creatures.”
“Hm…”
Linette pondered.
It made sense. Rather than repeating failures, it would be better to try what worked.
Of course, she wouldn’t know for sure until she tried.
Her gaze shifted to Derbel.
“What do you think?”
“A reasonable idea. Worth attempting.”
Her hesitation didn’t last long. Linette turned back to Soreas.
“What do I do?”
“First, please hold hands.”
“Eh?”
Hold hands—what?
Linette blinked, not immediately understanding.
“From what I’ve observed, Princess, your abilities stabilize far better when the Duke is beside you rather than when you’re alone.”
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, that was true.
When she was alone, things mostly exploded. When Derbel was nearby, her power became noticeably more stable.
At the very least, she’d managed to create that fluffy mushroom cloud.
“Please hold hands tightly.”
“……”
“As affectionately as possible.”
At the magician’s request, Linette’s face scrunched up.
What kind of freshly unhinged nonsense was this?
She stared at Soreas as if she’d heard something she absolutely wasn’t supposed to.
He looked back calmly, as though urging her to hurry up and comply.
“Affectionately?”
“Yes.”
When she asked again, the magician smiled brightly and nodded.
“Can’t I just do it alone?”
“Pardon?”
“Wouldn’t it be enough if Derbel just stays nearby? Being this close already makes me feel… comfortable.”
Maybe because she didn’t mean it.
The smile she forced onto her lips trembled.
Expecting Derbel to dislike the idea, she shot him a sideways glance—
Only to find his face filled with a perfectly gentle smile.
What’s with that expression? Is he plotting something?
“Didn’t Soreas tell you to hold hands? Let’s do it.”
“……”
As Linette stared stubbornly at his outstretched hand, Derbel urged her on with an amused voice.
“To manage magical flow efficiently, physical contact is best.”
Yes, she’d heard that before. Still…
Noticing her reluctance, Derbel’s smile twisted mischievously.
“Are you so nervous you can’t function if you hold my hand?”
“……!”
“Oh, come to think of it, there is an even more effective method. For example, holding you in my arms—”
“That’s enough. Just your hand.”
Before he could continue, Linette slapped her hand onto his with a sharp smack.
“This is strictly for successful magic.”
“Ah, of course.”
Derbel chuckled softly and clasped her hand firmly. As always, his hand felt strong.
Maybe because he was holding her—
She hated to admit it, but she felt calmer.
“Yes. Relax like that.”
At his words, Linette took a deep breath and quietly closed her eyes.
“Find the flow like before, and follow it.”
The darkness was familiar. A darkness where nothing could be seen.
“This time, don’t try to picture fire. Think of something you like. To form a spirit, it’s best to imagine something familiar. Cute, pretty—anything like that.”
Something cute.
That could only be Françoise.
Chubby cheeks. A plump, bouncy body.
Nothing could possibly surpass Françoise’s cuteness.
Then—
Something appeared before her eyes.
In the pitch-black darkness, a faintly glowing path, like shimmering lines drawn with a brush.
At the end of it—
Something pink and bouncy.
She reached out to grab it, but it drifted farther away.
Focusing on something so indistinct wasn’t easy.
With repeated failures, the anxiety that had been curled up in the corner of her heart slowly began to stir.
Can I really do this?
Was this reckless bravado?
Just as her emotions threatened to sink endlessly—
Someone’s voice pulled her back to the surface.
“If you see it, follow it.”
Ah.
A low, whispered voice.
It was Derbel.
