Interlude
Rem and Alicia exited the tent together. The guard outside greeted them:
“Please feel free to rest here,” he said, guiding them towards a bench. “Sometimes, we have patrons who become ill, so this bench is always prepared. That goes especially for women.”
Though the hustle and bustle of the marketplace could still be heard, the tent was a bit out of the way, so it wasn’t that noisy around here.
Having accepted his offer, Rem was sitting on the bench, with Alicia next to her.
—She seems like a nice person, but I don’t know what to talk about.
Rem usually tried not to get involved with people. Because of that, whenever she was with someone she wasn’t familiar with, she wouldn’t know what to do.
Then, just as she was feeling troubled—
Alicia started to talk with a gentle smile.
“What do you think is necessary for unraveling the mystery of how this ‘enslavement magic’ works?”
Rem thought a bit before answering.
“...I think it is most likely something similar to Summon magic.”
“Like throwing crystals?”
“Ah... I meant the ritual magic needed to make contracts with Summons, not actually using it.”
The magic used to first call a Summon and the magic to turn them into a crystal were both “Summon Magic.” Fitting an explanation for this in as well, Rem continued to speak.
“...By finding a ‘Place,’ founding a ‘Situation,’ and finally, establishing a ‘Role,’ the spell activates... That is what I understand ritual magic to be. By casting the spell at Starfall Tower, the ‘Place,’ I created a ‘Situation’ brimming with magical energy. By establishing myself in the ‘Role’ of a Summoner, I called forth my Summon.”
What actually appeared hadn’t been a Summon, however.
“So I see.” Alicia nodded. “As one would expect from Miss Rem, I take my hat off to your superior wisdom when it comes to magic.”
“...It isn’t like you are completely clueless about magic though, right?”
“I am fairly confident when it comes to martial arts, but with magic— I cannot even reach the footsteps of the experts. I haven’t the faintest idea as to what this ‘flow of magic energy’ is that Lady Medios spoke of earlier.”
“...I did not understand what she meant either... Though it was not like I couldn’t make any guesses as to what it was.”
Rem couldn’t see the “flow of magical energy.” It may have been because she lacked the ability to do so; but then again, she had never even done any training in the first place.
Medios had called it the result of “grueling and painstaking discipline...”
—But it did not seem like Shera had gone through any training, either.
Though she may seem like an airhead, Shera could be surprisingly sharp-witted at times. She wasn’t in possession of a single Summon, but her talents seemingly lay elsewhere, like the ability to see the flow of magic energy.
Apparently, there were cases where those born into royalty came into the world with special blessings. These graces could be found in the blessing of the Harvest God, which would make it so the land you ruled had bountiful harvests; or the blessing of the Ocean God, which would calm the waves of the ocean and make it safe to travel by sea at any time. These were long-lasting effects that were impossible to achieve through magic, and would activate just by the person being alive.
Shera’s abilities might be one of those blessings; her very existence itself was blessed.
—The exact opposite of mine, Rem thought.
Alicia had a look of concern on her face.
“Miss Rem, are you still feeling unwell?”
“...I’m fine,” Rem answered, shaking her head. She was worried she had been curt with that answer, even though Alicia was only concerned for her sake.
Alicia didn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest.
“Are you curious as to what that woman may be teaching Diablo and Miss Shera?”
“...There is that.”
“I will wait here, so why don’t you try going back in now?”
“...No... I’m not good with people like her...”
Rem placed a hand on her chest— The soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm was sealed inside of her. Though she hadn’t given Medios any information, the slave trader was on the verge of realizing this. Of course, even if Medios did realize there was another stream of magic inside Rem, it wasn’t like she would make a direct connection of it belonging to a Demon Lord.
Alicia nodded.
“She does seem like the sort of person to see through everything, doesn’t she... I was a little afraid of her as well.”
“...Even though you are an Imperial Knight who would never tell a lie?”
“Hehe... Of course not. No one like that exists.”
“What?”
“In fact, the more an Imperial Knight tries to be just and fair, the number of lies they tell becomes greater as well.”
“...Is that true?”
“That’s a secret, OK?”
Alicia playfully shrugged her shoulders.
—So even an Imperial Knight like her has secrets.
Alicia looked to be the perfect person: she was truthful, had a bright personality, and was very sociable. But even a woman like her still held secrets. Rem was somewhat happy to hear this.
She voiced her concerns; it felt like the kind of atmosphere she could do this in.
“...I was afraid of having my own secret revealed.”
“I understand. Everyone carries some kind of secret, after all... When I feel like mine is going to be found out, I use a charm to keep it safe.”
“A... charm?”
“It’s a little childish, so I’m a bit embarrassed to say it.”
Alicia stuck out her tongue. It was surprising for someone as mature as her to make this kind of gesture.
“...And what would that charm be?” Rem asked.
“Are you interested? Then... could you please close your eyes and give me your hand?”
“...Like this?”
Just as she was told, Rem closed her eyes and stuck out her hand. There was a slight tickling sensation from within the palm of her hand.
Alicia’s finger traced a circle on Rem’s palm, as well as various other lines. Suddenly, Rem’s hand became warm: she felt magic energy.
—She used magic!?
Surprised, Rem’s eyes flew open. Even Alicia had a startled look on her face.
“Huh?”
Neither one of them could speak right away.
Rem was the one to break the silence.
“...Alicia... What was that just now...?”
With a jolt, Alicia deeply bowed her head.
“U-Um, well... In my hometown, we have a tradition where one would draw a circle on their hand, then chant the magic words: ‘Now it’s closed.’ That would help protect your secret...”
“...Is that right? I sensed some kind of magic.”
“I-Is that so? I, too, was surprised that it suddenly sparked like that. Now that I’m thinking about it, this is the first time I have done this to a Sorcerer... Something may have happened due to the presence of your magic energy. I was careless— I apologize for surprising you like that.”
Was it because magic was there in Rem’s hand? Or could it have been because of the Demon Lord sealed inside her? No matter the case, if Alicia had realized the soul of the Demon Lord Krebskulm was sealed inside of Rem, she would have jumped far away by now.
Alicia hadn’t drawn the sword at her waist; based on her current attitude, she wasn’t lying. It seemed she still didn’t know Rem’s secret.
As Alicia humbly bowed her head, Rem spoke up.
“...It’s all right. Please, do not worry yourself about it.”
“Can you bring yourself to forgive me?”
“...It really is not that big of a deal, honest. I was just taken aback, that’s all.”
“Thank goodness! And thank you very much.”
“...I feel a lot better after having talked with you.”
Rem wasn’t lying here. When Celes and Diablo found out about her secret, she had been absolutely terrified. But after they accepted her despite that, a great wave of relief had washed over her. It felt much different now when she only talked about it a little, even if she hadn’t revealed her secret.
She could never be open about everything with an Imperial Knight like Alicia, though.
A gentle smile came across Alicia’s face.
“I don’t quite understand myself... But if I was able to be of use to you in some way, then I am happy. I would never want to ignore anyone like yourself, Miss Rem, who is dealing with something they cannot openly share with others.”
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