The silhouette in the robe that he'd witnessed last night still clung to the corner of his mind. That faint green light, different from the candlelight. The guard's dismissive words—"Maybe you were just dreaming"—that he'd laughed off. But Yuu was certain. It wasn't a mistake. ...That said, what Yuu had to face in this moment wasn't something so ominous. "[serious]Don't drop your stance. Concentrate" In the training grounds within the castle—a wide stone-paved space used by the Azure Banner Knights for sword practice, in a corner section the knights didn't use—Liliana stood with her arms crossed. Her silver twin-tails swayed gently in the breeze flowing through the training grounds. The royal crest on her forehead glowed faintly, and her light blue eyes fixed steadily on Yuu. Yuu, meanwhile, had his right index finger extended forward, sweat beading on his forehead. "[serious]Fireball at minimum output. It's the most basic of basics that mages learn in their first year. You only need to light a flame the size of a pea at your fingertip" "It's easy to say, but..." The whole concept of "refining magical power within your body" made no sense to him in the first place. Refining magical power inside your body and consuming mental energy to activate it—he'd received an explanation from Ortencia. Apparently about fifteen percent of Elstheria's population could use basic magic. The nagging feeling that he fell into the remaining eighty-five percent had transformed into near certainty over these thirty minutes. His fingertip didn't warm up even a millimeter. "[angry]Why can't you do something this simple!? Just direct your consciousness to the center of your body and flow magical power from there to your hand!" "[serious]I mean, I was just a normal high school student until yesterday!? When you talk about magical power, I don't have any sense of what you mean at all!" "I don't know what a high school student is, but that's no excuse" "It's not an excuse—it's a fact!" The two voices echoed off the stone walls of the training grounds. A young knight who'd been maintaining his sword in the corner flinched and turned toward them. When Liliana glanced at him, he quickly looked away. Yuu took a deep breath and directed his consciousness to his fingertip once more. ...Nothing happened, as expected. Rather than his fingertip warming up, he just concentrated too hard and sweat seeped onto his forehead. "By the way, how did you learn magic, Liliana?" "[cold]Magical power exists in my body from birth. I've used it naturally, like breathing. I have no memory of learning it specifically" "Then isn't the teaching method fundamentally incompatible...?" "[angry]Stop talking and try" "Yes..." Five minutes later, they were arguing again. Liliana said "Feel the flow of magical power," Yuu countered "There's no magical power to feel in the first place," Liliana objected "There must be—since you were summoned as a familiar, something must dwell within you," and Yuu replied "Then tell that to Ortencia," and their voices echoed off the stone walls again. Liliana must have grown up in an environment where everyone around her—aides, officials, everyone—simply bowed their heads. He'd sensed that somewhat from Ortencia's attitude back in that cell in EP1. So every time Yuu talked back directly, Liliana seemed slightly taken aback. There was something like bewilderment mixed in with her anger. Yuu had noticed it. —Actually, isn't this bickering kind of... fun? He kept that thought to himself. A slap would definitely come flying his way if he said it out loud. ＊ The third argument started about an hour after training began. "[angry]So why can't you do it!? Just the fingertip, just the fingertip!" Liliana shouted directly at him. At that moment, Yuu happened to be standing diagonally behind her, and the angle was just right. —Oh. Her ears were red. Liliana's ears were flushed bright red with anger. The same ears that had been faintly red under the moonlight in the courtyard last night. He hadn't been able to confirm it clearly from a distance then, but now he could see it very distinctly. Like an apple, he thought, and his mouth moved before he could stop it. "[laughing]They're cute, like apples" A moment of silence enveloped the training grounds. Liliana stopped moving. It was less like she froze and more like all time itself stopped for an instant. The next moment, Liliana's cheeks—even before her ears—turned bright red. And then. A sharp sound rang out. "[scared]I mean, that was way too reflexive, wasn't it!?" His cheek was hot. The impact was greater than the pain. Liliana had definitely used her palm, but it wasn't with full force. What had more impact was Liliana's entire face turning red as she averted her eyes from Yuu and said "[angry]...Shut up. Let's continue" . Her ears were redder than any apple, and Liliana had a stubborn expression that said she absolutely would not let him point it out. Yuu rubbed his cheek and stole a glance at her profile. (—So her ears turn red when she gets angry...) He knew that was a very bad line of thinking. But a pattern had been carved into him. Every time Liliana got angry, he'd find himself wanting to check her ears—a very troublesome habit had sprouted. That day's training ended with zero results. His fingertip still hadn't produced any flame, but for some reason, Yuu's chest held a strangely satisfied feeling—the sense that he'd spent another day with her. ＊ In the afternoon, the atmosphere changed. "[cold]Come with me. But don't do anything unnecessary" Liliana brought him to the chamber next to the great hall on the first floor of the main building of Elsgarth Castle—the assembly hall where the noble council convened. The ceiling was high, and tall narrow windows lined the stone walls, letting in white afternoon light from outside. The council members were already seated in their designated places. Each wore formal dress in different colors, sitting with straight backs. About twenty people in total. The age range was high. Yuu, positioned in the corner of the room as befitted a familiar's standing, leaned against the wall and observed the nobles' faces. Liliana stood at the central podium. Today's agenda was for Liliana to request formal approval from the noble council for her position as regent. Three months had passed since King Vernard III fell ill, and Liliana had been serving as "temporary regent" the whole time. Formal recognition as regent required approval from this noble council. Liliana was a different person from the one in the training grounds. Her spine was straight as iron, and her light blue eyes calmly surveyed the entire assembly. The royal crest on her forehead glowed faintly. Her voice was dignified, showing not a trace of emotional wavering. It was hard to believe this was the same person who'd had her ears burning red from arguing just moments ago. The discussion progressed. Several questions were raised, and Liliana answered them. Some nobles seemed inclined to vote in favor, while others sat with crossed arms in silence. The problem arose when one man stood up. Probably in his late fifties. He had a sturdy build and a neatly groomed gray mustache, with calculating eyes gleaming in his face. He sat in a seat close to the upper end of the council chamber. "[cold]Can a little girl handle national affairs?" His voice rang through the assembly hall. Yuu instinctively pushed himself off the wall. The man—someone whispered that he was Count Hermann—continued without pause. "[cold]Taking advantage of the father-king's illness, an inexperienced princess with no track record dares to claim the position of regent. This assembly should seriously discuss the danger of this. I request that this statement be recorded as an official opinion in these proceedings" The assembly hall stirred. Overlapping low voices—whether in agreement or shock—spread in layers across the space. Yuu clenched his back teeth. Liliana's expression didn't change. Or rather, she chose not to change it. "[serious]Count, I acknowledge your concerns. However, let me demonstrate with numbers. The financial balance sheet for these three months, the situation at the borders, the status of treaty renewals—I have all the materials prepared here" She responded without hesitation, quietly, but with unmistakable pressure. Count Hermann seemed about to say something in return, but Liliana's gaze alone held him back. The moment passed. The bell signaling the end of the session rang. ＊ As the nobles filed out, Yuu followed Liliana with his eyes. Liliana exited last and stepped into the corridor. When Yuu followed, he found her standing still in the east wing corridor—a narrow, sparsely trafficked passage with a view of the gardens from the windows. She was facing the wall. Only her back was visible. But Yuu could tell. Her fists were trembling slightly. Her lips were pressed firmly together, her mouth closed, staring at the wall. Count Hermann's words were still there. "Can a little girl handle national affairs?"—spoken so plainly in public, lingering in the assembly hall. Yuu could tell from her back that Liliana was trying to swallow those words alone. There was no calculation in what he did. His mouth moved. "[angry]Those guys don't know anything about how hard you're working" Liliana turned around. She looked surprised. Genuinely surprised. Yuu continued. "[serious]You don't eat anything all morning while handling state affairs, teaching magic, standing alone in that assembly. And then they call you a little girl... that's just frustrating" Liliana stared at him for a while. Her mouth opened as if to say something, then closed again. "[serious]...Don't say unnecessary things" There was no edge to her voice. The words were a rejection, but the tone was different. Liliana turned her gaze to the window outside and said nothing more. Yuu said nothing more either. The silence in the corridor seemed to hold a slight warmth. ＊ That night. The light was on in the administrative office. Yuu saw that glow through the door from the corridor and headed to the kitchen. The bread soup he'd managed to put together, having been taught a bit by the cooking staff during the day, had taken some form. Probably misshapen, but warm. He knocked on the door, and after a moment: "[cold]...Come in" The administrative office was a mountain of documents. Papers were stacked on the desk and on the shelves beside it. Liliana sat in her chair holding a quill pen and turned toward him. When he offered the soup, her brow furrowed slightly, but she accepted it. Yuu sat by the wall. Liliana set the bowl of soup to the side and turned back to her documents. The sound of the quill pen moving continued quietly. After a little while, Liliana spoke as if to herself. "[serious]Count Hermann's faction is trying to interfere with the finance committee again. The formal approval outlook is uncertain, and the budget review for next month is coming" She wasn't looking at Yuu. She was speaking as if toward the wall, her voice carrying that quality. "...Do you think you can manage it?" "[serious]I will. I'll make it happen" She said it shortly, without hesitation. But there was exhaustion in the depths of her voice. Yuu nodded in acknowledgment and remained silent, leaning against the wall. Liliana said nothing more, but she drank the soup. So this is what it's like to have two presences in an administrative office at night, Yuu thought. ＊ Deep in the night. He couldn't sleep. Turning over the matter of last night's silhouette in his mind, he felt the urge to go out into the corridor. Yuu set aside his blanket and quietly opened the door to the servants' quarters. The castle was silent. Torches arranged at regular intervals illuminated the corridor in orange, casting swaying shadows on the stone floo