"Fíliya, did you not hear ? Make this thing disappear at once."
After that montary lapse, the "living goddess" issued a new decree.
But her slightly cold tone truly frightened the little girl behind her.
"Master... what's wrong? Why are you angry?"
The little girl asked, confused, her long orange hair lifted by a gentle breeze. Her eyes, however, were filled with an urgent anxiety, born from not knowing how to comfort her master.
Seeing this, Fíliya had no choice but to take a few steps forward. Fortunately, she was excellent at feigning obedience, and with an incredibly affable deanor, she tricked the little girl into trusting her.
"My na is Fíliya. What's yours?"
Fíliya asked softly, taking the girl's hand.
"Flam..."
Although she answered Fíliya, Flam's gaze remained fixed on her master.
Fíliya raised an eyebrow upon hearing the answer.
To every mage alive in the modern era, that na was legendary.
She was the great human mage who lived a thousand years ago, the very founder of human magic.
Fíliya had to force herself to remain calm and continue the conversation with Flam.
"I see. Flam, the thing is, Lady Serie is in a very bad mood right now, but I have an idea... In this sea of flowers, there's a single rainbow-colored flower. If you can find it, Lady Serie will surely cheer up."
Fíliya said with a completely serious expression.
"Is... is that so?"
Flam looked hesitant, as if debating whether to trust this big sister she had just t. But... the thought of making her master happy made her choose to believe.
And so, Flam waved to Serie. Even without a response, she wasn't discouraged. With a burst of determination, she ran towards the distant sea of flowers, all for a single hope fabricated by a villain.
...As they watched the small figure recede into the distance, the atmosphere beca incredibly awkward.
"Ahem... To think that Lady Flam was Lady Serie's disciple."
Old man Lernen, seemingly viewing it as his duty to break the deadlock, was the first to speak.
"She was just a disciple I took on a whim. She went completely against my expectations. You could say she was my most disappointing disciple."
After little Flam was gone, Lady Serie finally seed to regain her ability to form coherent sentences.
She even deliberately emphasized "most disappointing" rather than "most cherished."
Fíliya found this rather endearing, but for the sake of her own life, she had no intention of pointing it out.
Moreover, there was sothing else that bothered Fíliya.
Logically, her barrier should have affected everyone enveloped by it (except herself).
Therefore, the person old man Lernen cared for most should have appeared as well...
Hmm...
Mm.
Huh?
Could it be?
Fíliya thought of a possibility... but she didn't dare to confirm it.
...
"Fíliya, I must admit, your mastery in the field of illusions has far surpassed my imagination. That thing you created... it has reached the point of being indistinguishable from reality. But I still don't understand why you would do this."
Serie quickly shifted into a work-like... or rather, an academic state, clearly trying to force herself to ignore the impact that figure had on her.
Fíliya simply accepted the critique calmly.
"Are you planning to make opponents you drag into your barrier freeze up, creating an opening? ...It's laughable, and far too inefficient. You'd be better off using the stolen mana to attack directly, achieving a 'wax and wane' effect."
...Mmm.
In that instant, Fíliya confird sothing else.
This Lady Serie's way of thinking was that of a complete battle maniac.
She hadn't created this magic for fighting at all.
For Fíliya, this magic's greatest purpose was... harvesting emotions, of course.
To be able to see the person you care for most who has already passed away is the most blissful experience for any intelligent being... with the exception of the Demon Race, who are completely incapable of understanding emotions.
And "happiness" often creates the greatest emotional fluctuations.
It brings others happiness while allowing her to reap a bountiful harvest of emotion points. It was a win-win, an absolutely wonderful situation.
Besides, this magic wasn't sothing Fíliya had redeed from the System's shop; it was one hundred percent her own original creation.
Every ti she thought about this, a great sense of satisfaction welled up inside Fíliya.
Who isn't a little genius, after all?
After this brief mont of self-satisfaction, she certainly didn't forget to answer Lady Serie's question.
Of course, the explanation she would give Serie wouldn't be exactly what she was truly thinking... Mmm, she'd need to modify it a bit.
So she said.
"Lady Serie, you truly don't understand a thing about humans. The purpose of this magic isn't combat, but simply to create a world that rivals reality and... to create people who rival real ones."
"As for the function of stealing mana, that was just a compromise I had to make because my own mana is insufficient to sustain this world."
After hearing Fíliya's explanation, Serie's expression grew even darker.
"What is the point of that?"
She didn't understand.
"Bringing people happiness is a purpose in itself."
Fíliya added her reply almost the very instant Serie's voice faded.
This ti, Serie offered no further opinion. She seed to be pondering sothing.
While Lady Serie was lost in thought, Fíliya and old man Lernen stood like two statues, completely motionless.
Finally, Serie stopped thinking and looked up.
"What is this magic called?"
She looked at Fíliya.
"'The Other Shore.' It's the magic I'm most proud of."
Fíliya answered with a wide smile.
At that, Serie said no more, instead gathering a ball of light between her hands.
Just as Serie was about to destroy the barrier.
In the distance, little Flam, still searching for the "rainbow-colored" flower, seed to realize sothing.
What did she realize? Her own dissipation?
And so, she stopped searching for the flower. A trace of fear was on her face, and her eyes, looking towards Serie, were still holding back tears.
But she didn't cry for help. Instead, she rubbed her eyes, then her face, and offered Serie one last smile.
The white glow in Lady Serie's hands seed to dim slightly.
She had, of course, taken in the little girl's every move. But soon, as if needing to prove sothing, the light in her hands grew exceptionally bright once more.
Humans... they really are so weak, so cruel.
Serie thought to herself.
'Such a cute little thing, and in the blink of an eye, it grows up.'
'In the blink of an eye, it learns to talk back.'
'In the blink of an eye, it gets old.'
'In the blink of an eye, it dies.'
An incomparably pure torrent of mana shot towards the sky, making even the slightest resistance impossible.
Fíliya's barrier was instantly disintegrated by Lady Serie.
...Her vision returned to the great hall from before, her eyes falling upon Lady Serie's conspicuous stone throne.
Fíliya hadn't noticed when Lady Serie had returned to her throne.
But she heard Serie say.
"Fíliya, I will no longer force you to be my disciple... You will beco a mage who surpasses my imagination."
"And one more thing. You are forbidden from using this magic on ever again."
______
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