Maydare Volume 4 Chapter 3 - Magic is Tinged with Secrets (Part 2)

 

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After my audience with Prince Gilbert, I slowly walked down the corridor of the palace. 

I was relieved to have finished my exams, but my enjoyable year at school with Garnet Team 9 would soon come to an end. 

Not only would I be gone, but Lapis would also be going back to her country.

I wonder if Nero and Frey would be okay as second-year students. The two of them being alone together was too worrying.

“Makia, you’ve finished too?”

“Oh, Nero!”

I just met up with Nero.

He seemed to have also finished his questioning by Sir Lionel.

“Huh, this cat…”

For some reason, Nero was holding a black cat. It was familiar.

I opened my mouth and pointed my finger at the black cat with all my might. 

“Noah!”

“...Thought so. If I’m not mistaken, this is Lapis’s spirit, Noah.”

“What’s going on? Why is Noah here?”

“He was wandering around in the corridors of the royal palace. I thought he might have wandered in from somewhere, so I decided to take him back, but…”

At that moment, Noah jumped out of Nero's arms.  

And then, he slipped past my legs and lightly padded off somewhere.

“W-Wait a second, Noah!”

I’m sure that Lapis was worried right now.

But Noah moved quickly, and even when I leaped upon him or when Nero went ahead of him, he seamlessly slipped past us. We couldn’t use magic in the palace without permission, and the palace maids and guards were looking at us suspiciously…

“Got him!”

Finally, we somehow managed to catch him.

Before I knew it, we had left the palace and were at the entrance to the magical competition dome, just past the gardens.   

“This is…”

This was where Airi summoned her Great Spirit, a dragon, for me to see.

I heard that it was used for things like large-scale magic training. 

“Meow~~meow~~”

Noah was incessantly meowing.

He was restless. I wondered what was wrong.

——That was when I felt a strong surge of magic inside the fighting dome and heard a violent explosion. 

Nero and I looked at each other in shock.

“...I’m going in.”

“Eh, w-wait, Nero!”

Following the strangely aggressive Nero, I entered the magical competition dome. 

I felt the after-effects of magic stinging my skin. What kind of magic was being used? 

I was completely shocked to see a black, swirling distortion of magic inside the dome. 

And at the center of it were people I knew very well.

“If you make a sound at this level, you will never be able to use this magic.”

A woman’s voice resounded, low and deep, with a strong sense of conviction. 

“Stand up, Thor Bigreitz. You need to be able to use this magic, even if you die.”

“――I know, Instructor Lapis Twilight.”

I couldn’t believe my eyes.

The person who was on his knees, supporting himself on his sword, and catching his breath on the spot, was Thor.

And facing Thor, quietly looking down at him, was Lapis, clad in black robes.

For some reason, Lapis and Thor were here, and from the looks of it, Lapis was scolding Thor. 

Does this mean that it was Lapis or Thor who used that magic earlier? 

No, before that, could someone please explain this situation to me? 

“Lapis, is that you?”

At Nero's call, Lapis turned around in surprise.

“Mr. Nero and…Makia?”

I was stunned, unable to even blink, when Nero, who was standing next to me, clapped his hands in front of my face, finally bringing my consciousness back to reality. 

“Y-You two know each other!?”

I pointed my finger at them in shock, and Lapis understatedly looked away as she said.

"Oh, um…yes, well, this is actually my part-time job.”

Thor, who had been kneeling on the ground and catching his breath, stood up unsteadily and sheathed his sword at his waist.

“Milady, I’m sorry that you have to see me in such an unsightly state. Instructor Lapis is…actually teaching me the secret arts passed down through the Twilight clan.”

“Instructor Lapis!?”

Here at last, Lapis’s part-time job, which had been full of mysteries for a long time, was revealed.

Basically, Thor was the one Lapis was teaching magic to.

“Wait, what? What is this? When did this start? Wait, why are you teaching Twilight’s magic to Thor??”

“Oh? Miss Makia, you’re here?”

At this moment, Professor Ulysses came to the magical competition dome. He saw me holding my head in confusion.

“Mmm, as expected, you seemed to be completely surprised.”

He perceived the situation. That’s right, I still didn’t understand anything. 

“This is a magic we needed Thor to learn no matter what. This is a secret art that has been handed down in the Twilight clan and is also necessary for us in the future. So, Thor, how shall we pro…”

Thump.

When asked, Thor falls to the ground without responding and remained as motionless as a corpse. 

“Thor? Thor, Thor――!”

He had completely lost consciousness, and no matter how many times I called his name, he did not wake up. 

He had indeed been unsteady on his feet since a while ago. 

Was the magic taught to him that taxing on his body…?

“...Oh, Thor, are you awake?”

Thor opened his eyes, and he looked very innocent for a while.

When he realized that I was looking down at him, he blushed unexpectedly and got up suddenly.

Yes, Thor was using me as a lap pillow.

Because, I heard that Thor always fainted after his magical training and then woke up a little later. 

Rather than taking him to the infirmary, Professor Ulysses said it would be better to let him feel the pure magical energy of the open air. So, that was why I was looking after Thor in the royal gardens. 

Thor covered his face with his palms and sighed heavily. Why? 

“Wait, is my lap too hard!? Does your head hurt?”

“N-No! It's not like that. It's just that…I must have fainted. And it was in front of you as well. How pathetic. Haaa~~”

Thor was in an unusual state of shock. 

Indeed, it was probably the first time Thor had ever appeared so dazed in front of me. 

There were countless times when I was in a bad situation and Thor had to support me, though. 

“You’re not pathetic at all! I only saw a little bit, but there was a tremendous surge of magical power. What kind of magic are you training in? Professor Ulysses and Lapis dodged the question when I asked them.”

“...”

“Well, that’s expected. If those two are keeping it a secret, then it must be your secret as well.”

Thor was keeping silent.

Secrets were the etiquette of magicians. If that was what it was, then I couldn’t pursue it any further.

“But, if this magic is that hard on your body, then it worries me.”

“Are you in a position to say that, Milady?”

Thor looked doubtful.

“Are you talking about the〈Scarlet Witch’s〉magic?”

“Yes. You always collapse after using the Scarlet Witch’s magic. The last time I saw you, your eyes were bleeding, and I was deeply worried about you. I was afraid you would go blind.”

“That’s true. That was… scary. Like something out of a horror story.” 

“I don't mean that in that way. …Good grief, Milady. You really do make me worry.”

What’s this? Before I knew it, Thor was the one cautioning me.

But, Thor still looked unhappy.

“...I'm sorry. I can’t perform the magic I was training in the dome very well. I ended up saying something ill-tempered to you.”

And then, he whispered his complaints feebly.

I thought it was very unusual to see him like that. 

“Oh really. So there is magic that even you can’t master.”

I was sorry for Thor, but I giggled a little. 

Even as Thor side-eyed me reproachfully.

“Of course there is. There are too many things I can’t do well.”

“In the past, you were an uncute boy who did everything better than me. But being down like this means that you’re a normal boy after all.”

“Normal, you say?”

“Oh? That's what you used to call me. Normal. When I failed with my potion.”

At that time, I only thought that Thor was being sarcastic, and it fired up my competitive feelings against him. 

Thanks to that, I became much better at making potions.

“...You remember that childhood episode very well.”

“Of course I do.”

“But…the failure then and the failure now have different significances.”

“You think so? They’re the same. I learned my strengths and weaknesses in magic school, and that there are people who are much better than me. But, depending on the subject, I’m amazing too, of course!”

I declared, thumping my chest.

“...You have a lot of confidence, Milady.”

“It’s because I know myself. When I was little, I used to wonder if I really had any talent. I used to compare myself to you. Of course I would be worried, because you’re so much better at everything than I am.”

I said sarcastically with a sulky look on my face, but Thor’s expression turned darker and darker.

I could see that the heavy pressure was weighing on him.

Unlike me, who was learning comfortably at school, what was he carrying on his shoulders? 

“Hey, why are you learning Twilight’s secret arts anyways?”

Twilight’s secret arts must be the magic left behind by the〈Black Demon King〉.

Just as the O’Drielle family was the descendant of the〈Scarlet Witch〉, the Twilight clan was the descendant of the〈Black Demon King〉.

“But Thor, you’re not from the Twilight clan, are you? You and Lapis do look a bit alike, though. See, you both have black hair and purple eyes.”

“I don’t really understand it either, but apparently I have an aptitude for spatial magic.”

“Aptitude for spatial magic?”

“Professor Ulysses said that I might have the blood of the Twilight clan flowing through my veins. Instructor Lapis came all the way here to the Kingdom of Ruschia in order to teach me that magic.”

“...”

I felt like Lapis mentioned that before.

She told me that she was summoned to the Kingdom of Ruschia in order to teach a certain person that magic.

To sum it up, all of this was happening before I enrolled in Lune Ruschia.

“But why do you have to master that magic? Because you’re a Guardian?”

“...That is also a reason. But, the current me wants to get even stronger.”

I saw Thor secretly squeezing his fists.

He was looking down, so his expression was hidden by his black bangs.

“I had this feeling of impatience…as if Milady is getting further and further away.”

“Eh…?”

Thor raised his head slightly and looked at me through the gaps between his dark hair. He looked at me through the gap in his dark hair. There was a somewhat sad look in his eyes.

“You are commandeering the Scarlet Witch’s magic, studying hard with her schoolmates at magic school, and increasing the things important to you…but I haven’t grown at all.”

“Thor…you–”

“I don’t want you to be the only one using that kind of magic. I want to be strong enough to protect you when the time comes. No one else, just you. If I can’t protect you, then my life has no worth.”

I heard those words before as well.

At the time, I was at my breaking point, so I couldn’t think too deeply about those words, but... 

“Is it because I was frightened of…General Kanon?” 

Yes. At that time. 

“That's one of the reasons. I was already learning Twilight's secret arts before that. But maybe I just wanted…to be needed by you.”

Thor knitted his eyebrows together and smiled wryly. But that smile didn't last long. 

“What are you talking about? You’re important to me, Thor. You’re my precious family!”

He made it sound as if I didn't need him. 

I tried my best to convince him that this wasn’t true. 

“Then, let me rephrase my question. The most comfortable place for you is no longer with me, right?”

“...”

At Thor’s question, my words, which had been so vigorous until now, caught in my throat.

It had become a bit difficult for me to deny that.

I was taken aback because I had been unaware of it.

“I’m sorry. I asked you something difficult to answer.”

Thor must have been disappointed in me. 

Maybe he saw into me a lot more than I did. 

“I feel like only I am fixated on you and Deliafield, where the master is. That makes me feel lonely sometimes. But I'm just talking to myself, so please forget about it.”  

My chest squeezed tightly.

I didn't know that Thor was thinking such thoughts. 

Because now, I finally realized that more than me, it was Thor who felt like crying and was sad when he left Deliafield.

“Oi~~, Leader!”

At that moment, I heard a voice calling me. 

I turned toward the voice and saw Frey, Nero and Lapis of Garnet Team 9 a little further away. 

They must have been waiting for me at the palace. 

But going to them right now was… 

“It's okay. Please go, Milady.”

“But, Thor–”

“...”

Thor smiled sadly and stood up. And then, he reached out his hand to me and gently helped me stand.

It was a knightly gesture, but to me it seemed like something done for a stranger out of politeness.

“The nights are getting later. Please return to the school with your team members. …I have to leave as well.”

He gently put his lips to my hand, then turned around and left without looking back at me.

I only watched his back as he left.

“...Thor.”

I realized it when Thor said it.

It was true that my desire to return to Deliafield with Thor might not be that strong anymore.

I had come to the royal capital with the desire to see Thor, and I had already achieved that goal.

But Thor was different. 

Thor had always dreamed of returning to his home in Deliafield, where we, the O’Drielles, were.

He had been working hard towards that goal for a long, long time. 

But at some point, Thor noticed that I didn’t have the same goal as him anymore. 

It made me sad to think about Thor's feelings. Because he was so, so lonely. 

“No, Thor. I…I lo…”

Yes. I was sure that I was fundamentally different from Thor. 

Thor wanted to go back to how things used to be. But I realized that I was in love with Thor. 

So I couldn’t go back to the way things were, Thor. 

To those sparkling days of our childhood in the middle of that empty wilderness, where we passed the time however we liked.

To that knight and lady, who only needed each other for everything to be perfect.

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