“What more do I have to do!”

In that brief moment, the magical power around Lydia visibly grew and coalesced. Cordelia frantically shook her wrist, trying to break free from Lydia.

However, Lydia’s grip was surprisingly strong for such delicate arms. Her strength surpassed that of an adult man, making it impossible to shake her off no matter how much Cordelia struggled.

Soon after, the magical power expanded uncontrollably.

‘It’s going to explode!’

Cordelia instinctively realized what would happen next. Lydia would not be able to control that magical power. She assessed the situation as calmly as possible. First, she called out to the man nearby who had come to warn them.

“Run away! Quickly!”

“W-What’s going on?”

Sensing the ominous atmosphere, the man quickly backed away. Cordelia shouted to the others around as well.

“Step back!”

As she spoke, she cast a barrier spell.

The calculation, distribution, and manifestation of magical power took less than three seconds. If her master had seen it, he would have said, “You’re finally doing it properly.”

“Ugh.”

“Aah!”

Eventually, Lydia’s unstable magical power burst forth. Though not as powerful as when she had destroyed Diloana’s territory, it was strong enough to send nearby tables flying.

Cordelia breathed heavily. Looking around, she saw tables and chairs scattered everywhere in disarray. The only fortunate thing was that thanks to Cordelia’s early warning, it seemed no one had been injured.

“What was that? A magical outburst?”

“Isn’t that woman an Elfenbaum?”

People murmured in surprise. The iron grip that had been holding Cordelia’s hand gradually loosened and then completely disappeared.

“Lydia!”

Lydia’s body swayed and then collapsed to the floor. Cordelia, startled, half-embraced her. She seemed to have lost consciousness completely and wouldn’t wake up no matter how much Cordelia shook her.

“Is there a doctor, or anyone who can use healing magic?”

At Cordelia’s urgent cry, several people approached. With their help, Lydia was moved to the infirmary.

Fortunately, Lydia’s condition wasn’t too severe.

Leonard, who had heard the news belatedly, rushed into the infirmary. Cordelia, who had been sitting in a corner, jumped to her feet when she saw him.

“Master.”

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Pardon?”

“No injuries? Turn around. Your arms? Did you twist your ankle again?”

“Wait, ah, Master.”

He didn’t give her a chance to speak. Leonard, acting extremely anxious, thoroughly examined Cordelia’s arms and ankles. He even lifted her chin to check if there were any scratches on her face.

“It’s not me, but Lydia who collapsed.”

Cordelia pointed to the bed where Lydia was lying, her chin still held by Leonard.

“I heard. They said she had a magical outburst.”

“Yes. So you should go check on Lydia…”

“And you were right next to her at that time.”

Having confirmed that she was unharmed, Leonard finally looked straight into Cordelia’s eyes. Reading the concern in his eyes, Cordelia smiled gently.

“I’m not hurt at all. I blocked it well with the barrier spell you taught me. Besides, the explosion wasn’t that big.”

“Are you sure you’re not hurt? I really can’t take my eyes off you for a second. I send you on a simple errand for a meal, and you get caught up in a magical outburst.”

“How could we have known Lydia would suddenly do that? Oh, right! I completely forgot about your meal. I’m sorry. Are you hungry?”

“Is that the issue right now? Sigh. Maybe I should just lock you up in the research lab. Every time I look away, you’re involved in some incident.”

“I didn’t cause the incident, I just happened to get caught up in it. Anyway, I’m fine, so let’s go check on Lydia.”

“Well, at least you’re not dead.”

He said insensitively. Cordelia pulled him to Lydia’s side.

Lydia was still unconscious. The mage who had examined her approached and spoke.

“As I informed you, Lady Elfenbaum experienced a magical outburst. Fortunately, the duration was very short, so there shouldn’t be any major strain on her body.”

“But why hasn’t she regained consciousness yet?”

“Well, it’s difficult to give a definitive answer because each individual’s body is different. But she should wake up soon. The examination showed no significant abnormalities in her body.”

He gave a slight bow and stepped aside. Leonard crossed his arms and looked down at Lydia indifferently.

“When you covet what’s not yours, you get burned.”

“What does that mean?”

“A magical outburst occurs when one lacks the ability to control the power they possess. It’s only natural that Lydia couldn’t control her power, having gained it in just a few days.”

“But come to think of it, it’s strange. How did she become so proficient in magic in just a few days?”

“You still don’t understand? How Lydia obtained her power?”

Leonard turned his head to look at Cordelia. The moment she saw his eyes, Cordelia realized what he was about to say.

“…She made a contract with a demon.”

“Correct. There’s no other explanation.”

“But why? What reason could Lydia have for making such a choice? Why did she need power in the first place?”

Even knowing the answer, she was full of questions. Lydia is the only daughter of the most prestigious Elfenbaum family in Ershe, in a position where she could easily obtain anything she wanted. So Cordelia couldn’t understand why she would take the risk of contracting with a demon to gain power.

“Who knows.”

Even Leonard couldn’t answer that question. Lost in thought, Cordelia asked.

“By the way, does making a contract with a demon change one’s personality? She doesn’t seem like the Lydia I knew. Oh, so that’s why.”

“That’s why what?”

“Is that why your personality became such a mess? Because you made a contract with a demon!”

“A mess?”

The corner of Leonard’s mouth turned up. Cordelia noticed the signal and quickly changed her words.

“…That couldn’t be. Your warm and beautiful nature must be innate.”

“Your skill at toying with your master is improving day by day, apprentice.”

“My barrier skills have improved too. All thanks to my great and respected master. If it weren’t for you, I would have broken an arm long ago, right? Wow, you’re the best, Master!”

“Hmph.”

Leonard snorted at Cordelia’s flattering words.

​

* * *

​

A few days later, Rosenblur arrived at the Ropael Magic Association. Covered in dust, he rushed straight to Lydia. His eyes were red-rimmed.

“Lydia!”

Rosenblur embraced Lydia as soon as he saw her. People were puzzled by Rosenblur’s excessive greeting of his sister, but having heard of their unusual closeness before, they let it pass.

On the other hand, Lydia merely offered a light smile at the sight of her brother whom she hadn’t seen in nearly a month. That smile was somehow inhumanly beautiful.

“Blei. Have you been well?”

“‘Have you been well?’ Do you know how worried I’ve been! No, I’m just glad you’re safe. Let’s go to Yebo Delim quickly. Uncle has been very worried about you.”

“I’m not going to Yebo Delim anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

Instead of answering, Lydia conjured a flame of magical power. Rosenblur’s eyes widened in surprise at the natural manifestation. With that level of skill, she had to be at least an intermediate-level mage.

“How did you…?”

“I’m a mage now, so I have every right to be here, don’t I?”

He couldn’t rejoice at the miraculous feat his sister was performing. He knew all too well what it meant for a mage to suddenly gain power.

“Lydia, what exactly happened?”

“What happened? My magical talent is finally shining through.”

“What nonsense is that? How can you suddenly use magic freely when you gave it up over ten years ago? Does that make any sense?”

“Why doesn’t it make sense? Is it strange that I have talent in magic? Look. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Lydia asked back with a smile. Rosenblur felt devastated looking at the flame she was producing.

“You didn’t… make a contract with a demon, did you?”

“No.”

“You didn’t even ask what I meant.”

The too-quick denial only reinforced his suspicion. Rosenblur roughly rubbed his face with both hands.

A contract with a demon is a double-edged sword. While it can be an excellent weapon for some, for most, the blade eventually turns towards the contractor’s own neck.

“Lydia. I’m on your side. Whatever you’ve done or want to do. So be honest with me. What did you pay as the price for the contract? Which demon did you contract with? What are the terms?”

“I told you, I didn’t make a contract with a demon. This is purely my talent. Why don’t you believe me?”

“Talent? What talent? You disappear without a word one day and come back a month later with the skills of an intermediate mage, and you’re saying it’s just talent? You want me to believe that? Lydia, what’s wrong with you?”

The joy of finding his sister quickly faded. Rosenblur unconsciously raised his voice.

His doubts were very reasonable. The magic Lydia performed was literally a miracle. She had achieved in just a month what others took decades of blood and sweat to accomplish.

However, Lydia glared at Rosenblur fiercely and said,

“When Cordelia mastered quadruple magic circles in a month, you praised her outstanding talent, but when I use magic, it’s because I made a contract with a demon?”

“Why are you bringing up Cordelia? She’s different from you.”

“How are we so different? How!”

Lydia shouted angrily. Her behavior was so unfamiliar that Rosenblur was momentarily at a loss for words.