Two-Pronged Approach (Part 2)

Mission Residence

After a day of magical training, Sordil, wearing a sunflower on his head and humming a tune, walked briskly towards his room. So engrossed in laughing that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, the young master Sordil collided with an oncoming car just as he rounded the corner of the corridor.

"Holy crap! Who is this?! Can't they see where they're going?!"

"Who's got a death wish, daring to bump into This Lady?"

At the same time and in the same place, two similar sentences were uttered by the two men. Hearing each other's shouts, both men stared wide-eyed in astonishment at the vehicle that had caused the accident.

"Teacher, it's you!"

"What I wanted to ask you was..."

With the master and apprentice recognizing each other, an internal Contradiction among the people vanished without a trace. Anna quickly stood up, went over to help Sordil up, and asked curiously, "Teacher, what happened that made you so happy that you didn't even notice where you were going?"

Having his funny bone tickled, Sordil lost interest in pursuing the compensation issue for the accident and instead generously shared his joy with Anna (in other words, he showed off a bit).

"Anna, you don't know, something wonderful happened to me at the palace today, I..."

"You found some money?"

"No!"

"Did the Queen give you something delicious? Where is it? Is there any more?"

"Oh, no, that's not it either!"

"Oh! I know, it must be Her Majesty the Queen kissed you, or... hehe!"

Looking at Anna's expression that seemed to say, "We're all men, I understand!", and the lewd smile on Anna lips, Sordil really wondered if he had taken on the wrong person as a disciple. Otherwise, why was it that the wife of the Mashima family head was so well-mannered, gentle, and generous, while his own was a complete yaoi fangirl?

Seeing Sordil looking up at the sky and ignoring her, Anna Edogawa knew that her teacher was acting this way because she had guessed her thoughts and he was a little embarrassed. However, her gossipy nature, already ignited, wasn't about to let Sordil so easily, so she hurriedly pressed, "Teacher, tell me quickly! Which one is it?"

Unable to bear Anna's persistent pursuit of his affair, Sordil decided to slip away.

"Teleportation"

"Buzz"

The space trembled, Sordil vanished from Anna's sight, reappearing a dozen meters away. He Sordil to Anna with his back turned and strode towards his room. But he had only taken a few steps when a muttered voice behind him startled him, causing him to immediately turn back.

"Hmph! So what if someone kissed you? You won't tell me? Well, I'll see if you'll tell me when Sister Diphiya asks you later!"

Sordil quickly covered Anna's mouth, looked around in panic, and only dared to breathe heavily after confirming that he was safe.

"My little darling, you're trying to kill me!"

"Then tell me quickly, teacher, what exactly did Queen Irene do to you?"

"Nothing like what you're thinking happened between Irene and me. I just discovered that her attacks are ineffective against me, so I can safely learn Augmented Magic now!"

That's it?

"Um!"

Anna broke free from Sordil's embrace, looking at him with disappointment and silence, then turned and walked towards the other end of the corridor. Anna's dramatic emotional swings piqued Sordil's curiosity, and he quickly stopped Anna, asking curiously, "Isn't it strange that Irene's attacks are ineffective against me?"

Anna turned around and looked at Sordil as if he were an idiot, then explained helplessly, "Teacher, in Ishgar, everyone knows that no creature other than dragons can harm them."

Only after his apprentice's sarcastic reminder did Sordil suddenly realize that in the anime of his past life, Mashima had told him that no magic other than Dragon Slayer Magic could harm dragons. And Dragon Slayer Magic was essentially transplanting Dragon Force into a human and then casting it with magic. Wasn't his current frantic study of Augmented Magic precisely to equip himself with this powerful weapon before the great war? Thinking about his foolishness in searching for something he already possessed, Sordil didn't know how to judge himself.

Seeing the teacher's strange expression of alternating between crying and laughing, Anna asked worriedly, "Teacher, are you alright?"

"I'm fine! You hurry up and finish what you're doing, then come to my room and keep watch for me."

"Teacher, are you going to... again?"

"Um!"

Sordil nodded, then, with a mixture of crying and laughing on his face, went back to his room.

Royal Palace, Central Court

"Aku, are you ready?"

"Don't worry, Bell! I'll definitely catch this brat for you this time!"

Seeing his friend poised to act, Belserion felt even more confident about the operation. Just then, that familiar magical fluctuation reappeared. The two dragons exchanged a glance, then flapped their wings and flew towards the source of the fluctuation.

Embassy residence, Sordil's room

A silvery-white light shimmered in every corner of the room, and in the center, a bright silver circular Magic Array was outlined. At this moment, a miniature seven-colored dragon hovered above the Magic Array, waiting for it to be activated.

"Teacher, you're going on a long trip this time, and neither Sister Diphiya nor I can accompany you. Please be careful and don't get swallowed by the Zi Ni again!"

"Anna, don't worry! This time I won't even go near the water. I absolutely won't let myself get swallowed by a big fish again!"

"Okay, that puts my mind at ease!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the Magic Array burst forth with dazzling light. Moments later, the light faded, and the Magic Array without a trace, along with the seven-colored dragon. After seeing off Sordil's true form, Anna and Diphiya prepared to return to their rooms to sleep. However, just as they reached the door, Sordil's Thought Body pulled Anna back.

"Anna, don't ask anything now. Immediately start chanting according to the method I've taught you!"

Although Anna didn't know exactly what had happened, she knew there must be an emergency. Otherwise, her teacher wouldn't have contacted her by Mind Talk. So she immediately sat down cross-legged and began chanting according to the method taught by Sordil.

"I survey the heavens and open the sky, summoning all the stars, gathering all their light, and bringing them before me. O Four Books! I am the ruler of all the stars, opening all the desolate gates in every direction, consecrating all eighty-eight stars in the sky! Consecrating All the Stars of the Heavens!"

"Buzz"

Bright yellow magic continuously emanated from Anna's body, and enormous, multicolored stars appeared around Anna. Just as the number of stars reached a certain point, the starry sky suddenly shattered, turning into countless bright yellow fragments that scattered with the wind. Anna, having failed to cast her spell, collapsed weakly to the ground due to the excessive loss of magic power. Sordil rushed forward to help Anna up, all the while muttering complaints.

"I told you long ago that your current magic power is not enough to unleash the All the Stars of the Heavens, but why won't you listen, child!"

"Teacher, Anna just hopes to master this magic as soon as possible, so that if anything happens in the future, Anna will be able to help you!"

Sordil held Anna in one arm and wiped away her tears with the other, saying earnestly, "Anna, I taught you magic so you could grow up healthy, not to help me fight. Promise me you'll never force yourself like that again, or I'll take back your magic right now!"

"Teacher, please let me try again. I'm sure I'll succeed this time!"

"No, you've already tried four times. If you do it again, your body will be damaged."

"Anna, just listen to your teacher!"

"All right!"