5 Chapter 5

Lavinia rinsed her face with cold water and looked herself in the mirror. With a simple illusion spell, she hid the dark circles under her eyes. The past few days were enjoyable, but the nights, not so much. She told Josh they didn't need to handle the Necromancer as soon as possible, but she couldn't let the rogue go around harming the city's citizens.

Every night, Lavinia kept an eye on him, and whenever the Necromancer was planning on grabbing a few extra bodies for himself, she would dissuade him with some heavy illusions. That was one branch of magic she wasn't very proficient at, but it was enough to deal with their target.

After dressing herself, Lavinia went to the lobby to meet up with Josh. He reminded her of Tobio, her team leader. Both of them were quiet and introverted, though Tobio had opened up after he got his bar.

Josh, on the other hand, was having a hard time breaking out of his shell. Azazel told her that he didn't have any emotional connections. Other than with the Devil, Shalba, which was definitely not a positive one. Lavinia would turn him into an ice sculpture if she got her hands on him.

That, however, was for the future. Now, Lavinia was trying to get Josh to open up. To her, he looked like a kicked puppy that had lost its owners. Hurt and lost, he seemed afraid of connecting with anyone else, avoiding making friends with others to not get hurt again.

Lavinia tried, really tried, to make him open up, but it was hard. A few times, she got through Josh's tough exterior, but he would clamp down whenever that happened. Lavinia didn't like seeing him like this since she was fond of him and wished for him to be happier. Though it was hard. Then again, nothing good in life was easy.

Minutes passed as Lavinia waited in the lobby. It was already half an hour later than when they usually met up in the morning. She was starting to get worried.

Had Josh ran away, afraid of his first confrontation with an enemy?

Or maybe he escaped, trying to get away from the Grigori?

Azazel warned her that Josh was planning on leaving. Lavinia didn't want him to go. The supernatural world was a harsh place, filled with dangerous beings and organizations. The Grigori, even though filled with Fallen Angels, was one of the milder ones. The leaders tried their best to make sure the lower-ranked members didn't go out of hand. There were a few bad apples amongst their group, but compared to how rotten other organizations were, the Grigori could almost be considered the good guys.

Since Josh was nowhere to be seen, Lavinia went over to his room. She knocked on the door and called out to him, but she received only silence as a response. Now worried even more, she took a drastic action and teleported inside.

The room was tidy, almost as if it hadn't been used for the past few days. Josh's small baggage was still there, and she even found him, sleeping on his bed with a grimace.

Lavinia let out a sigh of relief, Josh hadn't escaped, and that was good. Though he seemed to be having a nightmare, seeing how he squirmed and frowned in his sleep. That wouldn't do.

Lavinia sat on the bed next to Josh and ran her fingers through his hair, silently whispering that everything would be okay. It worked to a degree, and he calmed down.

Being so close to him, Lavinia couldn't help but notice that he had significantly more energy radiating from his body. She thought she felt Josh's magical power increase in the past few days, but Lavinia assumed she was just imagining it due to her lack of sleep. Humans weren't supposed to be able to increase their energy reserves, after all.

All living beings had some type of magical energy in their bodies. Humans, however, were at the bottom of the ladder. That wasn't that much of a problem, though.

Human magicians had developed their own magic system in the past. It required the user to have knowledge on how to control specific equations. A magician needed to have a sharp and calm mind to process and calculate information as quickly as possible.

Josh seemed to be working with a completely different magic system from what she had observed. His Wood-Make was similar to Devil magic in a way, as it was only limited by his imagination and how much magical power he had.

Replicating it was also impossible. Even if someone could recreate the magic circle Josh used for his spells, they still wouldn't be able to copy his magic. She and many others had tried, and all of them failed.

Josh also smelled of bark, much more than usual. It was a pleasant, natural smell, reminding her of a clean forest. She enjoyed it as it calmed her down and drew her in.

Lavinia didn't think about it too much. She just hoped Josh hadn't done something he would regret later in his life, only to increase his magical power. She continued pampering him while getting a bit more comfortable.

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When Josh woke up, he felt something weighing him down. His eyes snapped open, and he was greeted by a curtain of blonde hair. Lavinia was sleeping on top of his left side, her head buried in the nook of his neck with her warm breath gently tickling his skin.

Josh froze, not even breathing for a moment. Lavinia's breasts were pushed up against him, and he had his arms wrapped around her, pulling her even closer to him.

'W-what?! How?' Josh didn't know what to think about the situation, but he was enjoying the sensation of Lavinia's soft body. At least his lower head was.

'What do I do?' Josh had no idea how to handle this. He first tried to gently shake her up, but that only made Lavia bury her face deeper and hug him tighter.

"Lavi, Lavi." Josh tried calling out to Lavinia and continued doing so for a good minute while gently shaking her.

Finally, his attempt seemed to work as she raised her head. Lavinia's big, sapphire eyes were staring at his own from way too close to his liking. Josh could smell her cheery breath, and that just made his lower half that much more excited.

He gulped as his face heated up like a volcano. Lavinia blinked a few times, and he couldn't help but notice the dark circles under her eyes. Those were definitely not there the last time he checked. Not that he spent that much time staring into her beautiful eyes...

Lavinia's cheeks turned bright red, contrasting against her pale skin. In one swift motion, she pushed herself up and jumped out of the bed.

"I...umm..." Lavinia was embarrassed just like he was.

'Good.' Josh taught. 'I mean...' He wasn't sure if that was good or not. The question of why she was in his bed still remained. Azazel's words came to his mind, and he clamped down.

"I..." Lavinia took a deep breath and calmed down. "You were late, and I came over to check on you. You didn't answer when I knocked on the door, so I got worried."

"I... see." That still didn't explain why she was in his bed.

"I entered to check up on you and found you sleeping. You were having a nightmare, I think, so I tried calming you down." Lavinia explained and continued with a whisper of a voice. "And I may have ended up falling asleep on top of you."

"I'm going to leave now and wait for you at the lobby." Lavinia squeaked and left this room in a second. That was the most flustered he'd ever seen her.

Josh watched her leave, and a small part of him wished this wasn't just an act, that she really felt comfortable enough around him to fall asleep on top of him. Shaking his head, he stood up. Today was the day he would try to complete his mission, so there was no point thinking about that.

'I need a shower. A cold shower.'

That helped with his predicament. He felt much better, and Josh was about to leave the bathroom when he caught his appearance in the mirror there. Overall, he still looked the same, though his physique had changed. Josh hadn't become a bodybuilder overnight. He was still lean, but he now had some visible muscles on his body.

'The cat said something like this might happen.'

Josh had asked the Exceed what having a level 2 Magical Corel meant. One of his personalities that is as it refused to break character. The tour guide, for example, said he knew very little about magic, so he had to ask the one in the Library or Magical Goods. Either way, due to the increased energy in his body, his physique had seen some small improvements.

After dressing himself, Josh went to the lobby where Lavinia was waiting for him. She smiled at him, though she avoided making eye contact.

'Surely, she can't be this good at acting.' Josh had never seen her be this bashful and was starting to doubt his theory.

They left the lobby in silence, not saying a word to each other until Josh spoke up.

"I wanted to ask." Lavinia fidgeted, looking uncomfortable at where this might go.

"How should I deal with the Necromancer?" Lavinia visibly relaxed hearing him say that.

"It's up to you. You can eliminate the rogue or capture him, whichever one you deem best." Lavinia easily answered. "But if may suggest, I'd say eliminate him."

"Why so?" Josh asked. Knowing how gentle and kind she was, he hadn't expected that from her.

"Because only an evil person would pick up a dark art like Necromancy." Well, that was good to know. If Josh ever decided to purchase it from the Library, he would have to keep it hidden.

"And capturing him is even an option because... you are new to this. Sure, the Necromancer could be imprisoned, but what's the point in that?" Lavinia shook her head. "He would either be executed or kept there for life. People like him are just better of killed."

The supernatural world was a harsh place. Even a gentle girl like Lavinia could deem someone like the Necromancer as better of death.

"I understand." Josh nodded. Killing others left a bad taste in his mouth. Even if the ones he had killed had been only projections. At least he was prepared after the three matches he had in the Colosseum.

Like the previous days, they had breakfast at the local coffee shop and walked around the city for a bit before returning to the hotel.

Josh donned the clothes provided by the Grigori, which was a simple tight black outfit with a cloak. The light gun and sword he strapped on his waist and left his room.

At high noon, when the sun shined the brightest, the two walked over to the cemetery. At this time of the day, the Necromancer was at his weakest as zombies were creatures weakened by the sun.

Josh took a few deep breaths while Lavinia watched him from the side. He nodded to himself and repeated, "I can do this," before he stepped inside.

After a few steps, the scenery of the cemetery slightly changed. The place became quieter, the ominous feeling greater, and the sky darkened. This was an Isolated Space, created by someone versed in magic or by some kind of artifact. The Necromancer wasn't strong enough to make it, so this was the latter type.

It was a good thing there was an Isolated Space set up as the city would be in panic by the two dozen zombies that mechanically patrolled the cemetery. The walking dead had sickly, rotting skin that was barely covered by the rags they wore.

Lavinia was behind Josh, ready to intervene if needed. There were a bit more zombies than anticipated, so she wasn't sure if he had the energy to deal with them and the Necromancer. Her worries were for naught, however.

Josh walked forward with confidence in his steps. The familiar magical circle appeared in front of him, and he pushed his hands forwards while silently muttering the incantation.

His preferred spell was the homing spear one, but he didn't use it here. The one he cast was similar, though. Instead of spears, however, he shot out three pillars resembling tree trunks.

The zombies stood no chance. The pillars zoomed through the air, bludgeoning the walking dead and effortlessly killing them all. The death did not get up for a second time.

"What the hell is going on?!" The Necromancer burst out of the only building in the cemetery. He looked just a bit older than Josh and had sickly pale skin.

The Necromancer didn't even get a chance to make a move. The three pillars smashed into him, splattering the scene with blood and gore and ending him in an instant.

Lavinia was surprised. Supernatural fights were usually more prolonged, and combatants tended to talk more. This one ended in an instant, and Josh hadn't given the Necromancer the chance to monologue and explain his actions.

'Just like Tobio.' Her team leader preferred fighting the same way.

The power behind Josh's spell also surprised her. He had increased his control over his magic yet again. His progress over a single month astounded her. Lavinia remembered when she began practicing magic, and she could hardly cast more than a few spells after a month of training. Then again, Josh's magic was tied to his Sacred Gear, and the two had different circumstances.

Just as Lavinia wondered how he was after this ordeal, he turned around. Josh wasn't puking his guts, which was good, she supposed. However, he was downcast and had a tired look in his eyes. Taking the life of someone wasn't easy, even if that someone was evil.

"Are we done here?" Josh's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.

"Just need to clean up and grab the artifact creating the Isolated Space." That was, of course, Lavinia's job to do since he didn't have a way to clean the place. She completed it with a few quick and efficient spells. The glass orb that created the Isolated Space was stored in her pocket space, and they made their way back to the hotel.

Josh went to his room immediately, and Lavinia didn't hesitate to follow after him. He looked at her questioningly, but Lavinia grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the bed. She pulled him close and started running her fingers through his hair since that had calmed him down in the morning. It worked, and Lavinia decided she would sleep in his room for the night.

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[Joshua Arata]

[Rank D(9/20)]

[Jewels: 500]

[Magical Core Lvl. 2]

[Wood-Make(Adept)]