Flamme

Lorenzo finally took the shovel and started digging at the spot she indicated. Fortunately, the soil here was still very loose, and soon a pit of suitable size appeared next to the stone tablet.

"It should be about right."

Flamme carried the sapling over, carefully placed the roots into the pit, and held the slender trunk with both hands.

She stepped back and glanced at it a few times, then suddenly spoke:

"Slightly to the left."

Lorenzo had no choice but to crouch down and move the soil along with the tree roots to the left.

"So?"

"A little more to the right."

"Isn't that just going back to where it was before?"

Flamme tilted his head and observed for a moment.

"That seems true."

Have you even decided where you want to plant it?

"Of course I've thought it through. It'll be right next to this stone tablet."

"Isn't the scope a bit too broad?"

"It doesn't matter, the tree won't care about such a small thing anyway. Besides, don't you think it would be a bit too boring to just put it down directly?"

Lorenzo sighed helplessly. This must be the tree that swallowed him. He really didn't know what this woman was thinking. So he had no choice but to pick up the shovel again and fill the hole with the soil he had just dug out, bit by bit.

Several rabbits that she had been feeding curiously gathered around the newly turned soil, sniffing it incessantly. One of the bolder white rabbits even tried to bite the leaves on the sapling.

"You can't eat this."

Flamme extended a finger, gently pressed it against its head, and pushed it back.

"Speaking of which, why are there so many rabbits? Shouldn't this be a virtual scene you created?"

Lorenzo looked at the rabbits gathered around the sapling and finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask since the beginning.

"The 'me' here is completely different from the 'me' you saw in the underwater ruins."

Flamme frowned, clearly displeased with Lorenzo's suggestion of a "virtual scenario."

"And as I said, the underwater ruins were just an experiment; this is where the True Magic truly shines."

She crossed her arms and gave a soft hum, as if she were quite confident.

It seems that it really is; the Flamme in front of me is indeed very different from the one in the underwater ruins. How should I put it? It feels much more alive.

"The images in the underwater ruins don't truly think; they simply run in a pre-defined sequence once certain conditions are triggered."

"But my memories, personality, and way of thinking are preserved here. I can make judgments based on what is happening in front of me, and I can remember what I talked about with you. Although I cannot leave this space, at least here I have the same self as in the past."

"This is the 'Soul-Splitting True Magic'."

She thought for a moment and then added:

"Ah, if you were to use your terminology, it's called something like 'Horcrux True Magic'."

Horcrux True Magic?!

Lorenzo couldn't help but ask Flamme after hearing the word.

"This True Magic sounds like it has huge side effects, and you're not actually planning to bring someone back from the dead, are you?"

Thinking about it this way, Flamme does seem to have all the qualities to become the ultimate villain.

He was incredibly powerful in life, and after his death he left behind countless grimoires and relics of dubious authenticity. He even hid his soul in some kind of artifact, which has lasted for over a thousand years. If someone were to suddenly tell him that Flamme had actually been planning some kind of resurrection ritual behind the scenes, he probably wouldn't be too surprised.

So the "Volat" in Flamme is the same as the "Volat" in Voldemort.

"No, no, no."

Flamme held up one finger and waved it back and forth in front of Lorenzo.

"My True Magic is very different from that noseless monster's True Magic you told me about. It's basically harmless. Besides, I used this True Magic just before I died, so the harm it caused me is negligible."

So it actually does pose a threat to the caster.

"As for coming back to life..."

Flamme deliberately dragged out her words, then pointed to the stone tablet.

"Actually, I've already figured out the Resurrection True Magic, but I've divided it into ten parts and hidden them in stone tablets like these."

Is there really such a Resurrection True Magic?

"But why did you hide it, and why did you divide it into ten parts?"

Lorenzo questioned her actions, wondering why she would hide away Resurrection True Magic.

"Just think about how difficult it is to learn Resurrection True Magic, and it's also very precious. What if someone else takes it all if we don't divide it into ten parts? That's why we're counting on you."

"Rely on me?"

What kind of True Magic could Serie and Frieren not learn with their talents? Even with over a thousand years of time, they should have figured it out by now.

"That's right, it's all thanks to you, because my True Magic incorporates your 'Magecraft' and some elements of Goddess True Magic. My master and Frieren don't have 'Magic Circuits'."

So you also have Magic Circuits?

The question of whether it is possible to artificially create or increase the Magic Circuits within the human body and place them in the Clock Tower is no longer one of feasibility. It's likely that the moment even the slightest reliable rumor gets out, it will immediately trigger a "Sealing Designation."

Lorenzo felt his mind getting increasingly confused. After thinking for a long time, he decided to ask the most important question first.

You know everything about me?

"Of course."

Flamme acted as if it were perfectly natural.

"Lorenzo Animusphere, the next 'Lord' of the Clock Tower's Celestial Magecraft Department."

"After all, I am your wife."

Wife!?

Lorenzo's eyes widened.

Did you forget to check the almanac beforehand that today is an inauspicious day for travel?

I feel like my worldview has been impacted more in just a short time than it has in the first half of my life combined.

First came the Resurrection True Magic, then Flamme possessed Magic Circuits, and then this Great Mage, who had been dead for over a thousand years, suddenly claimed to be his wife.

Seeing Lorenzo starting to question his existence, Flamme chuckled.

"Okay, okay, I guess you can't really call her a wife, since we haven't had a wedding yet, so we're not really a couple in the conventional sense."

"But I don't have any memories of you, and the whole 'husband and wife' thing is really hard to accept."

Lorenzo said with some difficulty.

"I know."

Flamme's smile faded slightly.

"For me, we've known each other for many years, but for you, today is the first time you've met me."

"Therefore, I'm not asking you to accept this relationship immediately."

Flamme shrugged.

You can treat me for now as an old friend you've known for a long time.

"An old friend?"

"If you prefer the term 'fiancée,' I don't mind."

"Let's remain old friends."

How heartless!

Flamme sighed, feigning sadness, then smiled mysteriously.

"But you'll definitely know everything in the future."