Type-Moon, I'm a magician, is that true?

Qingzi held her head with both hands, caught in an unknown dilemma.

Youzhu snorted when she saw her like this, and she reluctantly dispersed because she was dissatisfied with Aiwen praising Qingzi when they said goodbye the day before yesterday.

"Never mind, Aoko, take this."

After calming down, Youzhu returned to his chair and handed the short stick he had been playing with all day back to Qingzi.

Although she was reluctant to do so, she could not secretly steal the borrowed items, which she despised.

"Ah, I said I put it next to my pillow before going to bed, why didn't I see it when I got up? It turns out you took the pearl away."

Qingzi took the short stick in both hands as if it was her baby, and held it in her hands lovingly. This look made Youzhu snort in annoyance.

"Wait, so, Youzhu, did you break into my room without permission? That's pretty immoral, isn't it?!"

Qingzi felt that Youzhu was too dangerous today, and her level of terror had evolved from the level of a fairy tale princess to the level of an old witch.

"That's enough, Aoko. I have something to say about the magic costume in your hand."

Youzhu knocked on the table, indicating that the time for chatting was over and she was going to get down to business.

Chapter 111: Uneasy Omen

Youzhu's voice was clear yet heavy, and her expression was calm yet revealed a hint of seriousness.

His seriousness without anger infected Qingzi, causing her to straighten her back subconsciously.

"Gulu."

Swallowing her saliva nervously, Aoko waited for Youzhu to speak like a good student in class.

The old pendulum clock in the living room made a "clicking" sound, indicating the passage of time, and the chirping of scattered birds came from the woods outside, which seemed so desolate in winter.

Looking directly into Azuma's bright eyes, Aoko was mentally prepared for another incident in Misaki Town, but at the same time, she kept muttering to herself.

"Hasn't Misaki Town been experiencing a bit too much trouble lately?"

"Aoko."

"Ah."

Their eyes met. The scene was so quiet that even the dripping sound of the kitchen faucet could be heard. In such a solemn atmosphere, they must be talking about important matters concerning the future.

"Well, can you sell it to me?"

Youzhu asked a strange question in a natural manner, as if asking, "What are we going to eat tonight?"

"……what?"

Qingzi tilted her head and followed Youzhu's envious and somewhat persistent gaze and looked into her arms.

There, an unassuming short staff was hiding its presence and staying there obediently.

It was quiet for a while.

"……I reject."

Qingzi's pretty face was indifferent. She turned half of her body slightly to block Youzhu's prying eyes.

"I plan to return it later. The night before yesterday, it and I were close comrades fighting side by side. Do you think money can insult such a steadfast friendship?!"

"Gu, if I pay more..."

"Don't be ridiculous. You just bought some Earl Grey tea, and you still have any living expenses saved?"

"Woo!"

Aoko delivered the finishing blow.

Youzhu powerlessly retracted her little thoughts. She really couldn't offer any more bargaining chips. Qingzi also knew this, so she refused without hesitation and didn't even leave a way to regret.

Neither of them knows how to live. At the end of every month, they can't even afford to order takeout and can only eat cheap instant noodles.

For people who have to calculate carefully even when eating instant noodles, talking about money transactions is ridiculous.

"I guess that's the case. It's human nature to be reluctant to part with such an expensive magic costume. Aoko, you don't have to blame yourself for being stingy."

Youzhu put on a pitiful look, and her voice was so low as if she was about to cry, which made me feel even more sorry for her.

Qingzi didn't waver at all, just sneered.

"Don't give me that. How many times do you think I've seen you like this? Don't think I'm still as easy to fool as when I first met you."

Thinking back to the first month after moving in, when she had paid for Yuzhu's meals for a whole month because of her disguise, Qingzi's attitude became even more unwavering.

"Stain."

Youzhu clicked her tongue, and her pitiful expression instantly turned into disgust.

"Forget it, let's get down to business."

"You change your expression so quickly! Shouldn't we start talking about business right from the beginning?"

Qingzi choked.

However, Youzhu closed her eyes, completely ignoring the complaints of her roommates, and just talked about her own topic.

"This is an exceptionally powerful magic costume. Even I would find it difficult to create a comparable item. Aoko, did you know this?"

"Ah, of course. After all, I've used it myself. Its super-strong penetrating power, which disregards all magic, mystical rituals, and secrets, is simply cheating."

As Qingzi rubbed the rough surface of the short staff, there was both admiration and fear in his eyes.

"In front of it, all immortality and defensive spells are as thin as paper. A single swing can effortlessly destroy it."

"With the beads, I'm even afraid to continue using them, because my contempt for things could easily distort my own perspective."

"Really? If you say so, Aoko, that's great. Let's go and return it to its original owner as soon as possible."

"Now? It seems like you're anxious, Youzhu."

Seeing Youzhu standing up and putting on a thick coat, Qingzi hurriedly followed, a little confused.

"Of course, because you sleep so much, Aoko, you're almost missing dinner time."

"Huh? What does this have to do with eating?"

"Of course. Since we're returning the gift suit to Aiwen, dinner time is the best time to visit. The sea fish we had that night was a treasure trove money can't buy. If we can make it in time, we might be able to enjoy it again."

"Are you just trying to get a free meal?! And this high-quality attire belongs to Aiwen? You never told me before, who is he from? Is he a secluded magician from the mountains?"

Qingzi felt that her complaints were about to explode. Thinking carefully, she really knew too little about Aiwen, but thinking back on his experience:

1. He is a very powerful magician who has defeated him;

2. Saved his life with a special method; defeated his elder sister head-on;

3. Assisted the Church in defeating a high-ranking Dead Apostle (the Church concealed firsthand information);

4. Lend yourself an absurdly powerful magic outfit.

"Not good. Thinking about it this way, he's actually pretty amazing! Is it because he's so easy to get along with that I overlooked it?"

Aoko muttered as she quickly left the mansion, walking with the same ease as she usually did on her way to school.

But the malice of fate seemed to follow like a shadow, and the expectations in my heart turned cold when I reached the destination.

Their expectations were dashed.

"what happened?"

Youzhu looked at the dark castle in front of her, which was pitch black without any candlelight, and seemed as if even the moonlight was unwilling to come in. A trace of uneasiness flashed through her heart.

Something was wrong. This dead silence was definitely not the level of an ordinary outing. The witch's intuition was sending out alarms in Youzhu's heart.

Aoko next to her narrowed her eyes, tightened her grip on the gray staff, and her magic circuit began to work.

There were no signs of a fight, but there were no signs of life either, and no sounds of life could be heard.

Did something happen to Aiwen? This question swirled in the minds of both of them.

Naturally, Qingzi made the decision before Youzhu. She had no intention of protecting herself and chose to move forward directly.

"Come on, Youzhu, are you going to stay here forever?"

"...You're right. We'll have to go in to find out what's going on. There must be some clues there."

After calming themselves down, the two of them slowly walked into the square which was still bustling the day before. They were highly focused, exploring while being alert.

"No movement. Looks like the only way is up."

The two looked at each other, and walked up the stairs one after the other in tacit understanding. The walls around them were cold and dim, absorbing not only the light but even the sound of their footsteps.

A forgotten city without life.

Qingzi and the others suddenly had this feeling. It was not obvious when Aiwen was here, but once he left, this place seemed to have become another realm isolated from the world.

The two finally arrived at the top of the castle. They had found nothing along the way, and only this last unexplored place remained.

"Are you ready, Yuzu?"

Aoko poured magic power into the gray staff, making it glow with a blue-green glow. Youzhu also silently took out the cat bell and nodded.

"Okay, let's get started then."

With a low shout, Qingzi rushed out, pointing the short staff in his hand at the empty terrace.

But her vigilance was unnecessary, because there was no enemy deployment as she had imagined, only a familiar figure standing there.

"Isn't that... Miss Elquet?"

Youzhu whispered from behind, she looked at the figure in front of her uneasily, the heaviness in her heart growing stronger and stronger.

Elquet was surrounded by resistance and sorrow. The pain of losing something affected the surrounding world, turning this area into a barrier-like environment.

"I see. Just think of it as a special barrier that repels people."

Qingzi breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the explanation. Now that the clue had been found, it would be easy to deal with. It didn't seem like it was an invasion by foreign enemies.

"No, it's not on the same level at all. Being able to influence the world simply by changing one's consciousness is a manifestation of the extremely high authority of the Star. Miss Elquet's identity is probably far beyond our imagination."

"And in this situation, it's very difficult to get close to her. As long as Miss Elquet is unwilling, this land will become an obstacle to our actions."

As she spoke, Youzhu walked forward as a demonstration. When she approached within ten meters, a strong wind suddenly blew up without warning, carrying gravel and rocks towards her.

Fortunately, Youzhu built a magic barrier to block these threats, then she stepped back, and the strong wind naturally subsided.

"See, Aoko, it's really difficult to approach Miss Elquet and ask her questions."

Chapter 112 Knowing the Pain of Separation

"Then what should we do? How about just using force to break in? Even if she's a deep sleeper, she'll be woken by this noise."

"I think it's difficult." Youzhu was not optimistic about this plan: "Unlike humans, creatures of Miss Elquet's level don't have the luxury of rest."

"She's not so much asleep as she's shut off her senses to the outside world, lost in her fantasies. You can't wake someone who's pretending to be asleep."

"What should we do? It seems like this is our only clue right now. We can't just give up."

Qingzi scratched her head, feeling quite annoyed. You know, although she didn't show it, she was also worried about Aiwen in her heart.

Qingzi is not very clear about Elquet's personality, but anyone who is not blind can see her dependence on and affection for Aiwen. What happened that made her become autistic here alone?

Qingzi thought of the worst possible outcome, but she didn't want to delve into it further, nor would she believe it.

Everything is a mystery now, and the key to the truth may only be held by Elquet in front of them. They have no other choice.

Gripping the gray staff tightly in her hand, Qingzi took a deep breath and prepared herself to break through with force.

Things like the protection of nature and higher authority were not something that a magic apprentice like her could understand, but she understood one thing deeply.

That's how special the magic costume that Aiwen lent her is. If she uses it, she will definitely be able to fight.

"Huh...ha..."

Let the air circulate in the lungs, the cold wind prompts the brain to calm down, and Qingzi raises the short staff in his hand.

"Youzhu, I'm going to give it a try first. It's better than just stopping and thinking. You keep thinking about it, because I may not succeed."

“Try it…?”