Chapter 22: Change

After finishing her conversation with Clovie, Ophelia’s mood was visibly much brighter. The gloom that had been stifling her chest seemed to have been swept away by the night wind along with her earlier confessions.

The two of them walked side by side at the front, golden and silver-white hair occasionally lifted by the breeze, while Loran and Elia followed a few steps behind.

The testing grounds were set on a wide lawn on the east side of the manor. Magical crystal stones, emitting a soft white glow, hung from the surrounding trees and bathed the entire area in brightness.

There was a not-so-long line at the entrance, where academy staff in uniforms were handing out small magical crystal token badges to mark the identities of those being tested.

Just as the four of them approached the perimeter of the grounds, a familiar and gentle voice rang out.

“Ophelia? Where have you been? I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Following the voice, Loran saw a noblewoman approaching, accompanied by several maids and with a hint of urgency on her face. When her gaze fell upon Clovie at Ophelia’s side, the noblewoman’s expression turned to clear astonishment and her steps paused.

“Mother.”

Ophelia called out.

Madam Blanche was dazed for a moment. In her eyes flickered traces of amazement and reminiscence, along with a rather complex look. She quickly adjusted her expression and hastened over.

Clovie dipped a slight curtsy, lifting the hem of her dress as she greeted Madam Blanche.

“Good evening, Madam Blanche.” The girl’s voice was cool as a spring, “It’s been a long time.”

“Yes…” Madam Blanche reached out to help Clovie up, gently taking her hand, her eyes carefully examining the girl’s face. “…So many years have passed, and you’ve grown up.”

She sighed tenderly, her fingertips brushing lightly over the hair at Clovie’s temple.

When Madam Blanche turned to Ophelia, she noticed that her daughter’s brow was more relaxed than before and her complexion had improved. So she bent down beside Clovie and whispered her thanks softly.

Ophelia’s cheeks flushed, and she averted her gaze, muttering quietly.

“Mother… you…”

At the entrance to the testing grounds, everyone could see from afar that Yuna was sprawled on a lounge chair, carelessly placed at the entrance, with a half-eaten apple in hand.

She had changed into a slightly oversized academy uniform jacket, her hair tied up loosely with stray locks framing her cheeks. Seeing Loran and the others, she happily waved the hand holding the apple.

“You… Don’t tell me you’re the examiner for this test?” Loran whispered.

“Not this time.” Yuna took another bite of apple, speaking unclearly, “You could say I’m… a supervisor? Hmm, I suppose you could call it that.”

She fished out three magical crystal token badges identical to those being distributed at the entrance, tossing them to Clovie, Ophelia, and Loran respectively.

Instinctively, the boy caught the tossed badge. The small crystal felt cool in his palm, with tiny points of light swirling slowly inside. He was silent for two seconds before stepping forward and holding the badge back out to Yuna.

“Thank you for the thought, but you’d better take it back.”

“Hm?” Yuna paused just as she was about to recline, tilting her head at him. “Why? This is an advance testing session for Altras Academy. All you have to do is resonate with the prepared magical crystal testing device. If you don’t have this badge, you won’t be recorded. What an opportunity—so many people outside want in and can’t even get the chance.”

Loran shook his head slightly, looking a bit apologetic.

“I’d better not.”

—Please, that magical crystal testing device is the very reason he didn’t want to go, okay? He neither wanted to reveal his true thoughts nor was confident in fooling that magical apparatus, so naturally, he had to be cautious.

However, before Yuna could even arch her brow in objection, a cold voice interrupted.

“No.”

Clovie turned to him. In the moonlight, her beautiful face was expressionless, but her eyes were full of displeasure.

What was this supposed to be?

She had been looking forward to spending time with Loran at the academy. Was it to end before it even began? Clovie could never agree to something like that.

Ophelia, off to the side, found it a bit odd. Clovie’s concern for this magic consultant seemed to go well beyond an ordinary master-servant relationship.

But before she could think more about it, her attention was drawn to the enormous magic circle in the center of the field, which was gradually lighting up.

“You’re my advisor, you ought to stay by my side.” Loran looked into Clovie’s eyes, trying to struggle a little, but she stepped forward, grabbed his wrist, and forcibly stuffed the magical crystal badge into his palm. “If you don’t get into Altras Academy, you’ll be in for it later.”

The girl’s movements were brisk and decisive. Under Ophelia’s slightly surprised gaze, Clovie dragged the still-protesting Loran toward the testing entrance.

Loran sighed lightly in his heart, and then, when no one was looking, tossed the badge away again. This way, even if Clovie dragged him inside, his test result wouldn’t be recorded.

Besides, the main issue now was Clovie herself. After his previous battle with Ophelia, Loran’s confidence was greatly boosted.

—Looks like everything is still under my control! So please, just get the prologue over with—once the plot goes off-track, I’ll finally be free!

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Clovie dragged him into the lawn bathed in the magic circle’s glow.

Loran failed to notice that after they left, Yuna slowly finished her last bite of apple and gave Loran’s retreating back a meaningful smile.

Where was the badge he’d thrown away? The magical crystal badge he’d discarded was, at that very moment, lying intact in Loran’s coat pocket.

A bit of space-shifting, just a little help, nothing much.

Inside the testing grounds, the glow from the magic circle grew stronger.

Each participant stood in their assigned spot, some faces tense, others expectant.

Clovie dragged Loran to a spot at the edge of the field. He looked around helplessly, confirmed that there was no badge reaction on him, and relaxed—he’d just deal with it as it came.

The boy stood there with his eyes closed, letting the din around him surge and recede like waves.

He stirred his thoughts and opened that small iron book only he could see, flipping to the page labeled ‘Capital Valgard.’

—Eh?

If he’d been able to rub his eyes in this mind-space, Loran would have doubted his own sight.

The golden line that indicated the plot’s direction—he didn’t know when it had been caught up to and matched.

The discovery made Loran quietly delighted.

He rapidly replayed everything that had happened since entering Valgard’s territory, memories flashing by frame by frame, until finally stopping at that night two days ago—and the girl he’d pinned against the wall.

Ophelia Blanche.

It seemed only that incident could have caused this change.

Loran’s consciousness returned to the small iron book, staring at the now-matched golden line.

In the first playthrough, during this resonance test, Clovie had been injured due to a sudden outburst of magical power.

But what exactly had he changed himself?

Even so, thinking along these lines and combining it with the small iron book’s condition, it seemed he could tentatively confirm he was heading in the right direction.

—Heh heh.

Just thinking that the prologue was about to progress just as he’d planned, entering the Demon King route smoothly, made Loran hum to himself in delight.