Inside Erlai's Arcana Testing Facility

By the time we had finished our meal, it was already nighttime in the outside world, Erlai claimed, so she advised us to stay for the night.

Even though she's technically blind, she's quick to pick up any changes around her, as if she has two Doppler radars for ears. Oh wait, she's not entirely human, I almost forgot.

Anyways, we accepted her offer.

As we head back to our rooms, Lerish noticed that Aoi have returned to her usual attitude towards me as she tightly clung to my arm.

"I am very glad, Ren, Miss Aoi," Lerish said, "that the two of you were able to reconcile."

"Uh, yeah...we realized that being separated for too long is too much for us to handle, so we decided to settle our differences, and continue living together as if nothing happened."

"...Nn! We might have thrown hurtful words at each other, but our bond remains intact and is stronger than ever! Our love for each other goes far beyond any trivial quarrel we'll ever face in our lives!"

"A-Ah...it sure is evident, I see..."

And as certain as sunrise and sunset, Aoi decided to snuggle cozily with me the moment we slept in my designated room. Although our strife didn't last that long, a single day without a dose of Aoi's cute smile it's like an eternity of loneliness to me, so I did the unthinkable and kissed her on the forehead while saying goodnight.

The next day...

After a light breakfast by the library's indoor garden, we were guided by Erlai to a large stadium-like room on the far side of the facility. It is empty except for some controls and a huge circular platform in the middle of the facility, and the white walls remind me of places in movies where scientists conduct their 'humane' experiments on live human subjects. Very dreary, I tell you that much.

"Uh...what is this place?" I asked Erlai.

"This facility was originally used to conduct experiments on Arcanas," Erlai answered. "At first, we used live test subjects on our experiments, particularly humans, however over time the morals of this world became less barbarian, and we started using test dummies instead."

When she said that casually, Lerish and I showed a grimace, while Aoi didn't budge by a bit. I'm hoping that she only said that as a joke, but after seeing some glimpse of her personality...I'm not sure anymore.

"Up until now, you did not have an idea of what your new Arcanas do, right? Well, while the great library has an innumerable amount of material regarding the Arcanas, I figured out that the best way for you to learn how both the [Tower] and the [High Priestess] work is through actual practice. And for that, this facility is the perfect place," Erlai explained further.

"Yeah, that's right!" I agreed. "To be honest I don't consider myself to be a very bright person, that's why I prefer learning through hands-on experience more than any other method!"

Back when I was still studying in our world, there was a time when we had to undergo on-the-job training for about a month at various establishments near our area. During my training at a local interior design company, I realized that it's easier for me to learn new things by going at it blindly and using muscle memory rather than reading through countless manuals and relying on my average brain capacity to memorize all of the information I need to digest.

In the end, even though that experience of mine didn't have any substantial effect on my studying patterns, it enlightened me that there are more things in life than just plain memorization.

Erlai, sporting her usual indifferent stare, looked away from me as she spoke, "That being said, you must not get too carried away and do things as you like while you are here. Because we are dealing with Arcanas extreme caution is advised, and everyone must stay in their designated area while the test is underway. Do you understand what I am trying to say?"

"""Y-Yes...""" the three of us answered.

While Erlai is still setting things up for the Arcana testing and Aoi went to the lavatory, Lerish sat beside me on the bench as she said:

"I can see from your face, that you are feeling quite excited today. Are you looking forward to finding out what the [High Priestess] does?"

"D-Do I look like that?"

"Fufu," Lerish chuckled, "of course. If only I had my mirror with me, you will see that grin you are trying to hide from others."

Embarrassed, I covered my face and said—

"Well, now that we're at it...aren't you a bit stiff today? I mean, look at you—your body's shaking to the point that this bench is rattling faintly right now. Is that because of nervousness, or after you just as excited as me?"

"Ehh—?!"

"...What are you two talking about? Let me join in as well!"

Aoi suddenly intruded, after she returned from the lavatory. She then looked at Lerish, and without any warning, quickly grabbed her breasts with her tiny hands.

"W-Wait, Miss Aoi—MMMMMHHH!!!!!"

"A-Aoi, what are you doing?!"

"...Erlai told me earlier that the best way to find out a girl's real feelings is by letting your hand do the 'listening'! And from what I can feel right now...her excitement is 'huge'!" Aoi said while kneading Lerish's chest with such intensity that she's leaking out sounds I didn't imagine she could make.

"T-That is not it—NNN!!! A-Also, please do not look this way, Ren!!!"

"Y-Yes!!!"

Meanwhile, Erlai who's still working on the other side of the facility could only shake her head in dismay as she muttered:

"These children...when will they realize that I could hear them loud and clear even from here..."

Once everything's set up, Erlai then asked Lerish to go first into the testing platform.

"Rest assured, Your Highness—we will do what we can to not let you return to the royal palace in a coffin," Erlai 'assured' her.

"P-Please take care of me from now on," Lerish nervously spoke.

"...At the very least, I'll testify against this lady in court if things go south!" Aoi shouted.

"How about you keep quiet for a moment, huh? You're making her feel more terrified instead," I scolded her.

By the way, after what happened, Lerish gave the two of us each a nice chop to the head. She might've unconsciously added some force into the chop, that's why Aoi now has this tiny red bump on top of her head. Black flames then lick the bump as her body's self-regenerating ability start activating, making her look like a birthday candle when viewed from a distance.

Even though I'm not the one who helped her...I also received a punishment just because I accidentally peeked while she was being harassed by Aoi. Haah, how unfair.

"You can enter the platform once you are ready," Erlai told Lerish in a monotonous tone.

"Y-Yes..."

"Do your best, Lerish!"

"...Don't disappoint us!"

"Nn!"

Hesitantly, Lerish stepped into the circular platform. Immediately, Erlai pressed a button, and some sort of a protective barrier was placed around the platform. Aoi and I, who are still sitting on the bench, watched with both excitement, and worry.

"...I don't get it. Why to bother with all of these? Isn't it that once all conditions are met the power of an Arcana will automatically be passed to its new user?"

I replied, "I'm not sure either. Maybe the Arcanas we got this time is special, that's why we have to undergo examinations?"

"...Ugh, what a pain in the butt," Aoi complained.

At the same time, Erlai started speaking at Lerish through a transmitter, as the barrier also doesn't let sound waves pass through it.

"With everything finally put into place, the Arcana testing has now begun. Your Highness, the Arcana that I have to you was the Sixteenth Arcana, the [Tower]. To verify that you have indeed received the blessing of the Tower God, I am asking you to stand in the middle of the platform."

"Understood," Lerish's voice was heard through a receiver nearby.

"Then, the next step is for you to write your name on the platform, with your blood as ink."

Following Erlai's instructions, Lerish then bit her finger, letting a few drops of her blood flow from her fingertips, and started writing her full name on the floor. The moment she's done working the last letter of her name, a huge magic circle covered the platform, with Lerish standing at the center of the formation.

"Please do not worry, Your Highness. We are just getting started."

Saying that Erlai pulled a bunch of levers, and suddenly the glow of the magic formation became more intense, and forks of lightning soon erupted around Lerish.

With all the things happening around her looking scary for the uninitiated, Lerish held her ground very well. Erlai, seeing that there's a positive development going on, held the transmitter and spoke:

"Your Highness, I have now confirmed that the Arcana was successfully transferred to you. For the last step, I am asking you to make a sweeping motion with your right arm, and say these words after me: [Search: Initialize]."

"[Search: Initialize]!"

BLAAAAGGSSSHHHHHH!!!!!

All of a sudden, the barrier surrounding the platform shattered violently as well as the magic formation, causing me to involuntarily protect Aoi from the flying shards. Erlai, on the other hand, remained where she is, receiving the rain of shrapnel with a calm look on her face as if accepting her fate.

This woman...I know she's not entirely human, but for her not to make an effort to dodge...it's unbelievable.

"How about you, Aoi? Are you hurt somewhere?"

"...Hm? I'm fine, but Lerish..."

"L-Lerish—"

I looked over my shoulder, and...

Floating in front of Lerish is a large green magic circle. Inside the circle, is a line radiating from the center that continuously moves in a clockwise motion once every second, and there are grid lines that cover the entire magic circle.

Wait, doesn't this look like...—

"A radar...?"

"...What is it, big brother?"

I looked at Erlai, and asked: "Could it be that the [Tower] Arcana...gives some sort of searching magic to its user?"

Hearing that, Erlai raised her eyebrows and replied, "Ah, so you already realized what it does just from its looks alone? I intended to be the one doing the explaining to Her Highness, but it seems that it would be more convenient for me to pass that task to you if that is the case."

"Don't just give your tasks to others so easily! Geez," I yelled at her.

Still dumbfounded by the appearance of the magic circle, Lerish asked me, "Um...is it true that you have already figured out how this Arcana works, Ren?"

"W-Well, that magic circle looks like something I have seen back in my hometown, so I assumed that it works the same way. For starters, why don't we test that out?"

If it is indeed Search magic, then it could give the location of whatever she has in mind. I don't have anything with me today to use as an example, so let's try looking for people instead.

"Try looking at Aoi, and then activate the Arcana. If that Arcana works just like what I thought, something should appear in that magic circle after activating the spell. Uh, is there any syntax for this Arcana to work, Erlai?"

"There is," Erlai replied, "it is [Search], plus the object you are looking for."

"So there you have it. You have to say [Search: Aoi] for it to activate."

"I-I will try," Lerish said.

She took a glance at Aoi's face, and then—

"[Search: Miss Aoi]."

*Ding*

"Oh, something came out!" I exclaimed.

Almost instantly, a blue dot appeared on the radar circle, at about 11 o'clock. It corresponds to Aoi's current location, with 12 o'clock being the object directly in front of Lerish. I asked Aoi to walk around to see if the dot on the magic circle moves and it did, updating simultaneously as the target's location.

"Not only that, but you can see that it also gives the bearing and the distance between you and the target with minimal error. It's excellent for finding things like a lost treasure, or anything valuable."

"For me to receive such a powerful Arcana...I cannot stress how much I am grateful to you, Miss Erlai!" Lerish curtsied towards Erlai, who all her head and said:

"It is not I who gave you the Arcana, but my masters. You do not need to thank me."

"Yes. You are right."

Erlai then looked at me and said, "With the [Tower]'s power finally demonstrated, it is now time for you to try using the [High Priestess]."

"Hm? Okay," I replied as I stood up from the bench.

"...Oh, it's big brother's turn now! Do your best!"

Lerish, who has just stepped outside the platform, walked towards me and whispered, "I will cheer for you, Ren."

"Nn, thanks."

The moment I stepped inside the platform, the barrier which I thought to be already broken, surrounded the platform again. From here, I can't hear what Lerish and Aoi were saying, and Erlai's voice through the receiver sounded a bit like static.

"The same process applies to you Ren Mortel, so there is no need for me to explain things again."

"Aren't you becoming lazier and lazier by the moment, Erlai?" I complained. "Well, I also want to get this over with, so here goes."

Just like what Lerish did earlier, I stood in the middle of the platform and wrote my name with my blood. Erlai didn't say anything about what writing system should I use, so I decided to write my full name in Latin characters, just because.

"What strange writing you have there. Anyway, as long as it is your name, then there will not be any problems," Erlai spoke.

After that, she pulled the levers, and this time a purple magic formation appeared under my feet. Instead of sparks, however, pillars of purple light burst forth one by one from the circle, piercing through the barrier like it's nothing.

"Ah, the barriers broke again..."

"...Don't say it like it's a common thing to happen!"

"M-Miss Erlai, the controls—"

BAAAAAAAAANNNNNGGGGGGG!!!!!

The control system that Erlai uses for the testing, exploded and burst into flames. Panicking, Lerish used her new Arcana to look for something that could put out the fire.

"Miss Aoi! There is a button on the wall behind you! Press it!"

"...Oh!"

But just as when she was about to press it, the purple pillars...started coming out of the magic circle at an uncontrollable rate and soon afterward, I found myself being devoured by the purple light, unable to react.

-----

To be honest, with how many times I've experienced regaining my consciousness and finding myself trapped inside a void or along those lines I should already be used to this, but this one...has to be the weirdest one yet.

{Oh, are you awake now? Ah! Welcome, welcome!}

This time, I woke up lying on top of a pile of books, inside a room filled with nothing but books, and bookshelves. I looked to my side, and I saw a little girl staring at me very closely, her finger poking my cheeks.

The little girl is wearing a white stola, along with a purple sash hanging on her shoulder. Her light-grayish hair is so long that it touches the ground. The atmosphere around her reminded me of Aoi: childish and light, yet full of mystery and uncertainty.

Unable to recognize the girl or this place, I tried asking her what was going on, but no sound is coming out of my mouth.

{In this place, we can communicate using our thoughts. See, I can speak while I'm smiling!} she 'said', while pointing at her tiny mouth.

Following her example, I began to concentrate and...

{L-Like this...?}

{That's right! That's right!}

I got up from the pile of books, and asked her, {Then, where is this place? Why am I here? And most importantly...who are you?}

When I asked her that, the little girl pouted her lips in dismay.

{Muuu! Haven't you listened to Erlai's story before? I thought you'll immediately realize who I am just from my looks alone!}

Eh? Does she know who Erlai is?

Also, didn't she say just now that I should have known her already? But when? I don't remember hearing anything in Erlai's story where she mentioned a little girl like...

...no way.

I looked at her face again. Based on her clothes alone, I think I have an idea of who this girl is. I'm still not sure of it, though, so I swallowed my saliva and...

{A-Are you, by any chance...the High Priestess?}

I expected my guess to be wrong, but as if reading my thoughts, the little girl smiled brightly as she said:

{Dingdingdingdingding! That's right, that's right! This beautiful lady standing in front of you is no other than me, the High Priestess!}