The Sleeping Devil

The magic class, which had been on a short break, resumed. Julius seemed to be examining magical restraints. I had thought he intended for me to decipher them, but he didn't show me the magical circles. Unable to push Dalia onto Didier, we headed to the usual square beside the tower.

"Sensei, is it alright if Dalia-sama knows about the class content?"

"Yeah, it's just practicing magic with a wand, so there's no issue."

"Did you succeed?"

"Sorry for the delay. Let me show you."

Julius took out a slender wooden box, carefully opened it, revealing a sparkling pure white wand reflecting the sunlight on the new snow. Simple yet adorned with rose and ivy carvings on the handle, it possessed an artistic beauty.

"It's a wonderful wand... Thank you so much! I'll treasure it!"

"Wow, this is amazing! What's the material? It's not just painted, right?"

The Forest Lord's story was vague, explaining it was found during the journey. As she had misunderstood and thought she picked up dragon scales when she found Ciel, we left it at that.

"But hey, white really exists! Even if we enter the Devil's Forest, we might find it!"

"Can't the Mage Guild enter the Devil's Forest?"

"Yeah, it's off-limits, and the magical energy is too dense. Your sense of direction goes haywire. It interferes with contracts with familiars, so you probably won't come back if you go deep inside."

Dalia had entered the forest a few times, barely progressing, and had given up by now. Hearing that, Julius sighed deeply in apparent disbelief.

"Well then, shall we start practicing magic with the wand? First, grasp the wand and try filling it with your own magic. You should feel it imbued with your magic, like a part of your body."

Following his instructions, I hold the wand in my hand. It fits comfortably, and at this point, the boundary with the wand is almost indistinct. As I gradually infuse magic, it effortlessly absorbs it without any resistance. After a while, I sense a fleeting feeling as if the wand disappeared from my hand.

Wait, it's still in my hand, right? It hasn't vanished, right?

"It seems like it's imbued. With about half your usual magical power, try creating a water ball. Focus your magic not on the palm but on the fingertips, being aware of the wand's tip."

Expanding a magical circle in my inner dimension, I infuse magic while concentrating on the wand's tip. As the magic passes through the circle, a magical circle appears at the wand's tip, forming a water ball about the size of a balance ball.

"Huh... It wasn't supposed to become this big."

"I see, efficiency seems to increase significantly when the attributes match. Well, maybe the quality of the material matters too. Quite intriguing."

"This way, it won't consume much magical power."

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Having Ciel around is truly fortunate. With such efficiency, my magical power might accumulate rapidly.

Dalia, who I thought was unusually quiet, stared at the water ball without saying a word, frozen.

"Dalia-sama, is something wrong?"

"S-Sheri-chan, you're really seven years old, right? How can you keep the shape of such a large water ball...?"

Dalia's voice trembled. Her demeanor was different, making me a bit uneasy. However, as Dalia tried to touch the water ball, I lifted it into the air.

"Huh! Wait! Let me touch it! Come on!"

Satisfied with Dalia's bouncing excitement, I lowered it to eye level. Without hesitation, she stuck her arm into it while still in her clothes. Even though it wasn't heated, it didn't feel cold.

"Amazing, it's really water. It looks like a glass bead, but it's definitely water... I've never seen such a strong prayer. Shelly-chan... you believe in God, don't you?"

Dalia's smile seemed somewhat resigned and on the verge of breaking. I didn't understand the meaning behind that smile.

"Do gods really exist? Though, I don't think my faith is particularly strong..."

"Maybe it's because it's right after baptism? Keeping that sensation gained through blessings makes prayer stronger, it seems."

Come to think of it, isn't imagination considered a form of prayer?

I don't believe in gods or Buddha when imagining material things, but due to the concept of praying to a god, maybe my imagination power is lacking.

"How do you view prayer, Dalia-sama? Do you think about the gods when actually using magic?"

"Huh? Prayer is just prayer, right? For the water ball, I imagine the Water God, like, granting me the water ball with both hands. I picture a cool male god, but even though it's my own imagination, it's a bit scary and not my favorite."

Dalia laughed as if deflecting something, withdrew her arm from the water ball, and chanted a spell to create a small water ball. I threw my water ball into the distance and carefully observed Dalia's creation.

"Dalia-sama, your water ball is beautiful too. It's not much different from mine, right?"

"No, no, it's because it's small. Just watch."

Saying that, she dropped the small water ball, and this time, she conjured a large water ball similar to the one I made. However, the blob of water, sagging and distorting, was busy changing shape, perhaps due to the influence of the wind or the disorder of magical energy.

"See, it doesn't form into a perfect sphere, right? This is the best I can do. Even in our group, only a few can maintain the shape with this amount. Most just splash it out and call it a day."

"Hmm, I see. Dalia-sama, could you forget about the image of the male god for a moment and try to imagine only the water ball I made? Since you've seen it once, it should be easier to imagine. Include the feel and temperature of the water, just strongly visualize the water ball."

"Wait, even in prayer?"

Dalia closed her eyes for a moment and chanted the spell again. This time, while the surface had a faint ripple, it was closer to a sphere compared to the wildly deforming water mass from earlier.

"Huh! What is this? Shouldn't I have dedicated the prayer to you, Shelly-chan?"

"There's no need for that..."

At that moment, a large amount of water poured down on the spot. Despite my efforts to handle it from a distance, Dalia seemed to have let her guard down. If she were a student of Julius, she would probably get quite an earful! Julius used warm air to dry us, so there was no risk of getting cold, but Dalia, still soaked, stared at the spot where I had created the water ball.

"Dalia-sama, if you don't dry off, you might catch a cold."

"............"

There was no response from Dalia. She seemed to be attempting to create another water ball. The gentle smile vanished again, and she seemed oblivious to the droplets hanging from her hair.

As she quietly chanted a spell, a glass-like water ball floated in the air, perfectly reproducing the one I had created. Truly, the genius leader of

 the Mage Guild.

"Shelly-chan... Are you a goddess?"

"Yes?"

Another playful comment...

However, Dalia, for a moment, changed her dumbfounded expression to a smile, then crumbled, and drops of water spilled from the corners of her eyes.

"You know, I hate gods. I love magic so much, and I enjoy sorcery, but why was I born as a mid-level mage? It's unfair. If I had more magical power, I could use various spells. No gifts, and maybe I'm disliked by the gods. That's why I sometimes think that maybe my prayers are not enough... I used to think that."

Tears flowing down Dalia's cheeks gradually turned into small streams, dropping from her chin.

Her words, pouring out uncontrollably, seemed like a confession to the gods, yet also like a form of prayer.

"I studied so hard, tried so desperately to like the gods. I want to play with more magic, experience more things. I thought maybe the gods were watching over me to get this far. But there are limits. I've just surpassed that limit... Sheriel, thank you... I'll come to love magic even more!!"

Sending a warm breeze to the crying Dalia, who was falling apart, I slightly reconsidered my view of her, realizing that behind her usual selfishness, she carried various internal conflicts.

"Dalia-sama, surely, you'll come to love magic even more in the future."

"Sheriel~! Tell me, is there something else~!?"

Teaching Dalia non-verbal spells seems like it would lead to something interesting. The feeling of loving magic uncontrollably is too relatable...

"Sheriel, that's enough. You have to let go of everything it holds before doing anything more."

Julius had a devilish smile on his face. Could it be that he allowed the observation of the class for this purpose...

"I'll gather them right away! I'll use all the power I have to be of help!"

"Is it okay? Marcel-sama mentioned it might lead to the death penalty."

"It's fine! I'm a genius, you know? If I can't handle this, I'm not fit to be the leader!"

So casual... It doesn't seem like the reaction of an almost-thirty-year-old adult. Does she really understand? I've committed my fair share of sins too, but it's nothing compared to identity fraud or altering a priest's records. Oh, right, I also added the crime of harboring Gardo. Both situations are quite serious...

"Professor Julius too! Please, try not to do anything too bad."

"What do you mean by 'bad things'? She's the one committing the crimes."

Was there a law in this kingdom that considers incitement to be a crime? I've only learned the basics of legal matters, but it seems like I should study it sooner rather than later. There are too many people around me barely getting by.

Aligning my common sense from my previous life with this world's rules seems necessary sooner rather than later.

"Leave it to me! If I stay here any longer, I won't get any more lessons, right?"

"Yeah, prove that you can be useful, and then we can talk."

"Yes! Then, I'll go back right away!! Sheriel-chan, I'll be back soon! It's quick with the teleportation gate!"

Her eyes, tinged with red, were filled with hope. It's an unwarranted brightness for what she's about to do.

"Are you sure it's okay... Won't you be immediately arrested upon returning to the capital?"

"It should be fine. Marcel likes that woman. Besides, he's likely to choose justice over loyalty. If he believes that protecting a woman is justice, he'll protect her with all his might."

"Do you understand the intricacies of romance, Professor!?"

"If you've been paying attention, you should understand, right? Aren't you the only one who hasn't noticed?"

This is ridiculous... Indeed, Marcel tried to take my hair back for Dalia and took care of her attentively. I'm starting to worry if my observation skills are dull compared to Didier's.

No, that's not the real concern...

Rather than Dalia coming back with Marcel stopping her, saying, "Well, I couldn't do it after all," it's more likely that she'll return with materials for Julius.

Leaking state secrets and the death penalty. Echoes of temporary memories resonate in my mind.

"This woman was using her position as a fiancée to leak state secrets to rebels. Therefore, she will be officially punished by His Majesty the King. Well, execution is certain!"

Unconsciously, I pressed the center of my chest.

"Professor, do you intend to kill me?"