The Red Shadow

Aoko resealed and encrypted her grandfather's workshop with magecraft, then set off on her motorcycle for the Kuonji Mansion up in the mountains.

The night wind was somewhat cold, yet Aoko felt remarkably comfortable. Perhaps this was how sweet the fruits of victory were supposed to taste?

At that thought, the corners of Aoko's lips lifted slightly. A moment later, she could not help bursting into laughter, her silver-bell-like voice echoing along the winding mountain road.

But sometimes, fortune never came twice, while misfortune never came alone. Just as Aoko happily hurried back to her residence, an ominous shadow entered her sight.

Aoko's heart suddenly skipped a beat as she sat on her motorcycle, as though it had been tightly gripped.

She should have expected this guy might appear. Or rather, after encountering the Primate Murderer and exhausting every last ounce of effort to get through it, she had thought this guy would not show up.

That was obviously far too naive, Aoko thought regretfully. She absolutely could not make such a mistake again in the future—if there was going to be a future.

She warily stared at the red shadow. It stood alone by the roadside a few hundred meters away from her motorcycle. It was roughly humanoid, but its face could not be seen. Its body was draped in a tattered red cloak, its hood concealing its face.

Shouldn't this guy have appeared only after I obtained complete Magic? Aoko wondered. Isn't it a little late for it to come after me now?

The red shadow remained silent, but Aoko could feel it staring fixedly at her, even though she could not see its eyes.

Aoko could sense that the shadow's gaze was filled with hatred—a hatred for Magic, and an even greater hatred for Magicians.

Because in this world, so-called Magic was the enemy of the world, and even more so, the enemy of humanity.

Those on the verge of comprehending Magic would be killed by this red shadow.

When she was several dozen meters away from the shadow, she stopped her motorcycle, keeping one foot on the ground as she watched the red shadow vigilantly.

The shadow made no move, as if it were assessing Aoko Aozaki's threat level—or its chances of successfully killing her.

Aoko had the illusion that the shadow seemed somewhat confused, as though it did not know what it was supposed to do now.

Was it an incarnation of the Counter Force, or a Guardian contracted to it?

Still, since it did not seem to intend to attack Aoko, she would not act rashly either. Even in the memories of her "previous life," she had no detailed information on this red shadow. Picking a fight with it recklessly would be extremely unwise.

After the two sides stared each other down for several minutes, the red shadow gradually blurred. Then, as a gust of wind swept past, it completely dissipated from where it stood.

"Tch!"

Aoko let out an annoyed sound. She had already prepared herself mentally for a three-hundred-round battle with Alaya's lapdog, yet this guy had run off without doing anything.

Maybe it sensed how well I controlled Magic now? Aoko thought arrogantly, before quickly calming down.

Magic was not omnipotent. Nor did being a Magician necessarily mean one possessed greater combat power than a magus or a Servant.

Zelretch, the Jewel Mage, was a positive example of a Magician with formidable combat strength, while the First Magician—of whom only a bloodline remained—was a negative example.

Magic merely allowed Magicians to accomplish certain unique things in this world, things that no one else could replicate. So even after becoming a Magician, quite a few fools would still come knocking to try their luck.

But Aoko's Magic was somewhat more fortunate than the First Magic. It greatly enhanced her combat ability—or rather, it basically allowed her to remain undefeated, so long as Aoko did not become so arrogant that she dismissed everyone else entirely.

Aoko restarted her motorcycle. After making sure her helmet was securely fastened, she continued toward the mountaintop.

After parking her motorcycle, Aoko took out her key and unlocked the front door of the Kuonji Mansion.

The house was utterly quiet. She could not hear any sign of her housemate moving about.

Had she not come home yet? Aoko guessed.

She took off her coat and shoes, put them away, changed into comfortable indoor slippers, and headed toward the living room. Compared to the modern buildings of this era, the Kuonji Mansion was a more "classical" Western-style manor.

Many of its interior facilities still retained the flavor of the previous century.

For example, many homes in Misaki Town had already adopted central heating, or newer electric heaters. Yet the Kuonji Mansion still retained fireplaces and chimneys.

Wearing her slippers, Aoko entered the living room and found her housemate, Alice Kuonji, sitting on the carpet beside the fireplace, asleep with her body leaning against a cabinet.

On the floor beside her lay a half-read book and an empty teacup.

Aoko's gaze settled on the girl. Alice had slender limbs and pale skin that seemed never to have known sunlight.

Her hair, free of even the slightest impurity in color, was darker than Aoko's hair had once been. Her girls' academy uniform always evoked the black robes of a nun, yet that palette suited the girl exceptionally well.

If Aoko had to describe it, the match was almost too perfect, making her petite magecraft teacher seem somewhat unreal.

Yet she had to admit that Alice Kuonji's appearance possessed a pure beauty, like a narcissus blooming after growing for more than a decade without ever touching the filthy outside world. It was the sort of sight one could normally see only in human dreams.

Aoko was somewhat reluctant to disrupt this scene, which resembled a landscape painting, but leaving Alice here was certainly not a good idea. After all, she might catch a cold.

Aoko stepped forward and carefully lifted Alice into her arms in a princess carry. Then, using Mage Hand, she gathered the tea set and book and put them back where they belonged.

It was her first time carrying the girl like this, and Aoko was surprised by how light this fairy-tale witch was. Perhaps her own Magic Circuits had unintentionally strengthened her physical abilities, but even so, the weight of this usually serious and slightly aloof magecraft teacher made her worry. Did this girl even eat the meals Aoko cooked properly?

Thinking all sorts of nonsense, Aoko carried Alice toward the bedroom upstairs.

Perhaps the jostling on the stairs had woken her. Alice Kuonji opened her eyes in Aoko's arms.

At first, she looked around in confusion, then realized she was leaning against a soft, warm chest.

Alice stiffly raised her head and found Aoko's smiling face looking down at her.

Alice Kuonji's face reddened slightly. She instinctively tried to break free from Aoko's embrace, but the hand she used to push Aoko away landed directly on something soft.

"My, my, don't move around." Aoko concealed her embarrassment with a carefree tone. "You might catch a cold sleeping in the hall, you know?"

"...Put me down." Alice spoke softly. Aoko could only comply, releasing Alice from her arms and carefully setting her down on the stairs.

Alice calmed herself, then looked up at her housemate and discovered that Aoko's beautiful black hair had now completely turned red. Even her aura felt somewhat different.

"You succeeded?" Alice asked without betraying any emotion.

She knew her housemate had gone to challenge "that place" tonight, but it had been destined to be a difficult challenge.

In truth, the reason she had kept waiting beside the living room fireplace was that she had been worried about this inheritor of Magic. Alice simply did not want to admit it.