The Battle for Isaac (2)

"Kreung… Hm?"

Blue bobbed hair that curled like a wave gently shook as Ciel Carnedas slowly opened her eyes.

During the first semester, the pillow she got from Isaac was truly of the highest quality, even certified nap experts would attest to its profound quality. No matter where she was, her body relaxed and sleep would consume her.

Ciel slowly got up.

Due to it being the day of the social gathering, Ciel was dressed in an elegant blue dress by the maids of Charles Hall.

However, it appeared as if she was apathetic about whether she looked good or if the outfit matched the atmosphere. Instead, she wrapped herself in a thick overcoat as if she were a sushi roll.

The cool autumn air blew into her face. It was the middle of the night.

Where is this place? It seems a bit high…

As Ciel rubbed her eyes, she tried to remember what happened before she fell asleep.

"Spire…"

This was the spire of Palace Hall. When the party began, she must've made her bat familiar, Zabet, bigger in order to fly to the top of the spire.

It was nice to have the railing around the perimeter to protect me from the cold autumn wind.

Ciel quietly yawned while listening to a lullaby-like song playing from Palace Hall.

The music soothed her into a state of sleepiness, but it seemed like it was time to get up and work again. After all, sleeping outside at night was not something she should do.

As Ciel raised her small body, she looked towards the academy landscape beyond the railings.

"Huh?"

On the opposite spire, she saw a woman and man gracefully dancing. It was a woman with lavender hair and a man with silver-blue hair.

Ciel folded her arms and rested her chin on the railing, as she watched them perform their little dance with half-closed eyes. It looked like quite a romantic sight to her.

However… the man's appearance seemed a bit too familiar.

"…!"

Ciel's sleepiness disappeared in an instant.

The man dancing was Isaac, the monster who had given Ciel her cherished pillow.

The memories of the end-of-semester evaluation passed through her mind.

The images of Luce getting angry for Isaac and protecting him passed through her mind. Not only that, but even Kaya did the same.

She thought if Isaac were to date anyone, it would be one of those two.

'But why is he dancing alone with a girl I have never seen before?'

Although it had nothing to do with her, when she imagined Luce chasing her with a knife, chills ran down Ciel's back.

Luce's anger was so great at the end-of-semester evaluation that it wouldn't have been weird if she went on a killing spree.

'Wait, they're going down… What is that?'

As if they finished enjoying their time at the spire, Isaac and the lavender-haired girl began their descent.

With a cluster of colorful stars circling around their bodies, they took their time descending.

It was only at that moment that Ciel recognized the woman with Isaac.

"That magic… is that Dorothy Heartnova?"

Dorothy's reputation was well-known in the academy.

She was the continent's greatest prodigy who was expected to reach the level of an Archwizard within a mere decade.

Somehow, Isaac seemed to have a talent for attracting beautiful and capable girls.

'Is it that the strong recognizes the strong?'

Since Ciel was not able to recognize Isaac's strength at first, she automatically assumed herself to be on the weaker side.

Even if she was the freshman third seat of the Magic Department in the continent's most prestigious academy, if people like Isaac hid their power, did her position even mean anything?

Ciel let out a forced laugh as she watched Isaac and Dorothy.

In a moment, however, she witnessed a shivering scene.

* * *

"Senior, are you sober now?"

"Nihihi, you think so?"

Dorothy and I came down to the surface in a beautiful cluster of stars. It was to hang out in the garden.

As we landed in a deserted spot, we bashfully smiled at each other.

"I'm going to take a quick trip to the restroom then."

"Come back soon!"

"Yup!"

Before I could take a walk with Dorothy, I had to address nature's call first.

After talking with Dorothy, I hurried to the restroom inside Palace Hall. Then, I relieved myself with a powerful jet of urine into the bronze urinal.

'I'm happy.'

Is this what life as a successful fan feels like?

When I was young, I sometimes imagined hanging out with my favorite celebrity. Is this how it feels when imagination becomes reality?

Even though I only danced with Dorothy for a short while, I felt like I was still flying in the night sky.

Maybe this feeling was similar to the one I would get when I played games during exam season. After a grueling day of defeating another demon, this night of relaxation with Dorothy brought me a profound sense of liberation.

'I'm gonna enjoy this as much as I can before I leave.'

While trying to hold back my smile, I left Palace Hall.

In that moment, from behind.

A hand reached out and grabbed my sleeve.

"Isaac, I found you."

A beautiful voice that seemed to have been made with the sole intention of enchanting people assaulted my ears.

For a moment, my whole body was simultaneously bombarded with ecstatic pleasure and goosebumps, creating a weird dissonance.

I turned my head around. There, a girl with rose-gold hair stared at me intensely.

The woman just stood there in a sophisticated blue dress, her hair decorated with a hairpin in the shape of a morpho butterflies and blue flowers.

"Luce?"

A beautiful appearance that shone as bright as the moon in the night sky.

It was Luce Eltania.

[Luce Eltania] Lv: 152

Race: Human

Elements: Water, Lightning

Danger: ??

Psychology: [Wants to spend the entire night with you.]

Why is she here? Isn't she supposed to be having an interview at the Magic Tower…?

More importantly, Luce's 'Danger' panel rang alarm bells in my head.

'What the fuck is that Danger Level?'

Luce's strong obsessive tendencies were not new to me at all.

However, the '??' beside her Danger Level seemed quite worrisome…

The level of danger was officially determined by measuring the product of their combat power and killing intent.

So if one has no killing intent, there would be no danger whatsoever.

Sometimes, in exceptional cases, the 'potential to harm' was also considered when measuring the Danger Level.

For reference, the Danger Level of Luce's in Extra Bad Ending No. 13 was '?■?'.

If this ever shows, consider yourself screwed.

Anyway, I decided to react as naturally as possible.

"What in the world, what happened to the interview?"

"I finished it quickly and came to see you. Isaac, just stay with me from now on."

Luce had her usual gentle smile. As expected of one of my favorite characters, she was exceptionally beautiful.

However…

'She finished the interview this quickly?'

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, unless the player chose her as a partner, she never went to the social gatherings.

…Whatever. It was pointless to use the original game as evidence now. In the first place, predicting Luce's behavior had become futile after befriending her.

Luce probably ended her interview early to enjoy the gathering with me.

But alas, I was currently partnered with Dorothy.

Even if I wanted to play with Luce today, it would be difficult. It would be better if I rejected her firmly.

"I'm sorry, but I have a partner today. It'll be a bit difficult to hang out wi-"

"I wasn't asking."

Luce's swift reply left me dumbfounded.

"Even if it's from now on, stay by my side."

Luce's sweet voice was distracting me.

She seemed a bit off for some reason.

[Luce Eltania] Psychology: [Wishes to monopolize your affection so you don't flirt with any other woman.]

I was flustered when I read Luce's psychology.

Me? Flirting with any and every girl? What kind of worry is that? Why would I want anyone else when my partner is Dorothy?

I swear I have never shown signs of flirting with anyone.

However, Luce was the type to consider everything carefully. She didn't look like she was sick and had her mental capacities stunted, nor did she seem drunk.

Thus, there must be a good enough reason for this strange misunderstanding.

I racked my brain quickly. If a lie was made up as if it was the truth, then…

'…it's the fabricated memories.'

When Marlog the Envious was killed, the memories of the students at Atla Hall would have been altered.

Were those memories changed into crazy stories about me?

When Luce arrived at the party, she must have been looking for me, whether she searched on her own or summoned her familiars.

During her search, what if she heard those types of stories about me at Atla Hall? Then, Luce's current thought pattern made complete sense.

I let out a low sigh and relaxed my expression. It couldn't be helped then.

I turned towards Luce and calmly told her my story.

"Luce, I'll say this again. I have already promised to hang out with someone today. Honestly, it isn't right to betray their trust like thi-"

Chieek—

"…?"

On the wrist that Luce was holding, mana coiled around in the form of a ring.

As if they were handcuffs put on by the police, the mana rings intertwined my wrist with Luce's. The two rings were joined together.

Only then did she let go of my sleeve. It seemed like she was more relaxed after safely(?) tying me up.

"Luce, what is this…?"

The question was meaningless, since as long as one had half a brain, anyone could easily deduce this situation.

They were restraints. Not only that, they were high-quality restraints… made of mana.

I thought she wouldn't take out something like this after the hunting evaluation, but she brought an improved version instead…?

'I thought you couldn't bring anything in during the middle of the semester?"

No way, did she prepare this in advance…?

When I thought of this, I had goosebumps all over my body.

Unbeknownst to me, Luce had already made preparations to meet Greung.

"It can't be helped. Even if it's a bit uncomfortable, please understand."

[Luce Eltania] Psychology: [Doesn't want anyone else to have you.]

"Isaac… needs to stay by my side."

Is she trying to cuff me by force so that I can't flirt with any woman?

Still, isn't this a bit too much?

I stood my ground and deliberately frowned. With a stern tone, I decided to confront her.

"Are you insane? I told you this before. I hate things like th-"

It was at that moment.

「Wind Sword (Wind Element, ★3)」

Ssaak──!

'What's happening?!'

Suddenly, a light green blade of wind flew from the sky and cut off the mana handcuffs tying me to Luce!

Holy crap, that surprised me…!

Highly dense mana. It was wind magic from a skilled expert.

Just like me, Luce was startled, her eyes unable to maintain focus.

Whooooooosh———!

For a moment, the light green wind raged on, ruffling my hair and Luce's dress.

Soon after, something fell from the sky and wrapped itself around my shoulder.

I felt a soft feeling brush the back of my head.

Kiss—.

A soft touch accompanied by a cute sound found my cheek.

"How could you leave me all on my own~, Sir Isaac?"

A voice naturally mixed with excessive affection.

As she wrapped us in the light green wind, the woman hugged me from behind and whispered into my ear.

As I turned my head to the side, I saw a pretty girl closely staring at me with her head on my shoulder.

A deep green dress with light green hair.

Red eyes. A lascivious smile.

It was Dark Kaya.

[Kaya Astrea] Lv: (140)

Race: Human

Elements: Wind, Ice, Plant, Blood

Danger: X

Psychology: [Wants to aggressively make out with you.]

And.

Whooooo———!

"Oowah!"

A wind so concentrated with mana rendered me incapable of movement as it flew me into the air.

My body rapidly soared into the sky with Kaya hugging onto my back.

The figure of Luce reaching out towards me became smaller and smaller as we flew upwards.

'Kyaaaaaak!!!!'

I'm about to go crazy!!!!

"I can't lose Sir Isaac to a bitch like that!"

"K-kaya?!"

Kaya and I finally stopped after reaching a dizzying height. With our bodies carried by her wind, it felt unstable compared to Dorothy's starlight magic.

Kaya finally released her back hug and flew in front of me, taking both my hands.

How bewildering…

"I'll be clear this time."

Kaya blushed and flashed a comforting smile.

Somehow, a strange atmosphere permeated the air.

'Her memories should have been changed as well.'

I could not possibly know how Kaya's memory was altered.

However, if it was at the level where she wanted to proactively make out with me…

Without even needing to hear anything from her, I could easily infer that it turned into a very embarrassing memory.

It seems I need to quickly explain the situation to her.

"As of today…"

Before I could even open my mouth Kaya leaned her face close to me.

Without hesitation, she slowly closed her eyes.

"…I am yours, Sir Isaac."

Kaya pushed her lips close to me.

In that moment,

「Hydro Cannon (Water Element, ★5)」

Booom———!!

From where Luce was, a shining blue magic circle fired a fierce [Hydro Cannon] straight at us!

In an instant, a flower-shaped tattoo bloomed from Kaya's right cheek and down towards her neck.

It was the floral tattoo that appeared whenever she activated her blood magic, [Flower of Evil].

Dark Kaya, who was trying to kiss me, stopped and stared at the [Hydro Cannon] with frightening eyes.

In succession, the light green and brilliant red magic circles produced their respective spells before combining into a spell more radiant and powerful than the sum of its parts. Such a spell drew a trajectory towards its target.

Mana was poured out.

「Song of the Mountain Goat (Wind Element, ★6)」 + 「Flower of Evil (Blood Element, ★6)」

= 「Baphomet's Hymn (Wind + Blood Element)」

Kwaaaaah————!!!

Like a red-green typhoon, [Baphomet's Hymn] struck violently and quickly scattered the [Hydro Cannon]

The water mana that formed the [Hydro Cannon] splashed in every direction.

It was Luce's offensive magic, so Kaya must have judged that she could not stop it unless she poured out powerful magic herself.

"That bitch is getting in the way."

Kaya's furious voice echoed in the air.

After [Baphomet's Hymn] neutralized [Hydro Cannon], it disappeared as if all its strength was lost.

In quick succession, Luce began to pour out water spells.

Boom——-!!

Fwaaah——-!!!

Kaya dodged Luce's offensive spells with grace, hovering in the air as she did so.

At this point, I really might die…!

"Let's run away!"

Suddenly, Kaya grabbed my hand and proceeded to fly elsewhere!

'Ahhhh!!!'

Strong winds aggressively whipped my face. My mouth and skin shook against this merciless assault.

Suddenly, Kaya turned to look at me and smiled brightly.

As if time slowed to a crawl, her soft smile imprinted itself into my mind.

"Sir Isaac, if we succeed in running away…"

Kaya raised a finger to her lips and smiled lewdly. Her expression was sensual, to say the least.

"Tonight, Sir Isaac can do whatever he wants with me. Please use me as much as you desire."

"I'm Sir Isaac's after all!" Kaya added with a dreamy expression on her face.

…I didn't know what kind of misunderstanding there was. However, the fact that she didn't hesitate to say such indecent things was a bit concerning. As soon as we succeed in running away, it would probably be a good idea to explain the incident with Malrog.

For now, I was unable to speak. The wind resistance was too strong for my voice to make it through.

I was amazed at how Kaya could speak so well in this kind of situation.

[Kyaaaaaa——!]

The cry of a bird of prey rang in the air.

Covered in purple lightning, a huge black grouse ascended with splendor!

'Ah hell nah, what the fuck is this?!"

Luce rode on Galia, her fierce eyes practically dripping with venom as she began to chase after us at a frightening pace!

"Wow, this is a big problem…"

Kaya's expression was one of bewilderment. To be fair, she couldn't have possibly known that Luce would summon a familiar capable of destroying an entire country just to capture me.

Suddenly I felt a buzz as my head started resonating with a certain creature. Kaya seemed to have felt a similar sensation.

This… is the resonance that is felt before Galia starts to speak.

[Hand over the seed of my grandchildren right now!!]

I get it now! Galia, no, this sorry excuse of a father was the biggest problem.