Thus, she spoke with curiosity.
"Then let's give it a try. I'm curious about your familiar too, Touko!"
"Hmm... All right."
Aozaki Touko nodded, then said to Beo, "Show this big sister your presence. Remember to keep it under control."
"I understand."
Beo obediently nodded. She looked at Lidell with an innocent expression and not the slightest hint of aggression, while Lidell curiously studied her, wanting to see what kind of presence this little girl could display.
Then Beo's eyes suddenly turned into golden vertical pupils.
In an instant, the danger of death filled the carriage.
I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!
A terrified scream erupted from the depths of her marrow.
Lidell's body stiffened, rendering her unable to move. Her heart seemed to stop, while the air grew countless times heavier and refused to enter her lungs. She felt as though she were suffocating.
---Smack.
At that moment, Aozaki Touko's slender hand covered Beo's head. After vigorously ruffling her hair, that overwhelming aura of danger vanished.
Her halted heart began beating again.
Lidell silently opened and closed her mouth, tears welling in her eyes. Her legs pressed tightly together as her body began trembling uncontrollably.
"...Wasn't I telling you to keep it under control?"
Seeing this, Aozaki Touko's mouth twitched slightly. She rose and walked over to Lidell, pulling her into her arms to comfort her.
"I thought that since she was your friend, Touko, her strength would far surpass what she showed on the surface."
Beo scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"...Touko."
Suppressing a sob, Lidell rubbed herself hard against Touko's embrace, then leaned close to her ear and said, "I think I got a little scared out of myself!"
"..."
Hearing this, Aozaki Touko's comforting movements froze. She then noticed the faint, strange smell in the carriage. However, Lidell, curled up in her arms, was still trembling.
So she withdrew her attention and continued comforting her:
"...There's no one else here, so it's fine~"
As she spoke softly, she gently stroked Lidell's back, soothing her frightened heart bit by bit, like a kind and understanding big sister.
Value of Aozaki Touko
She had almost died.
No... It would be more accurate to say she had experienced the sensation of death. How should she describe it?
It was like being injected with a muscle relaxant, leaving her unable to move even a finger, while a murderer holding a sharp scalpel stood in front of her.
She had no ability to resist. The murderer wore a vicious grin as he held the scalpel against her fair neck, ready to stab into it at any moment, sever her carotid artery, and end her life completely.
Her body trembled, while a powerless sense of terror crawled from her heart through every inch of her body like ants. This was the first time she had ever experienced such a feeling.
She had once looked down on the weak heroines in those stories, the ones who cried at the slightest trouble and sought the male lead's help. Characters as useless as flower vases were absolutely not what she wanted to become.
But the moment she experienced the fear of death, she suddenly understood.
When one was overwhelmed by helpless terror, having someone to rely on was incredibly important.
Just like now.
"..."
Feeling the hand stroking her back, Lidell gained an unparalleled sense of security.
She clearly realized that she was being protected—protected by a top-tier powerhouse capable of defeating the True Ancestor Dead Apostles.
This incomparable sense of security left her somewhat intoxicated.
"...Beo's a good girl. She won't randomly eat people, so relax, relax, relax..."
Aozaki Touko maintained a gentle smile. Like she was comforting Aozaki Aoko when she was little, she patiently soothed Lidell. Both her movements and tone were extremely practiced, clearly the result of considerable experience.
"..."
Nearby, Beo's exquisite little face was expressionless as she watched the human curled up in her master's arms. She felt that she had probably done something rather stupid.
To be honest, she herself had barely ever received such gentle treatment from Touko. Most of the time, Touko treated her like a troublesome child and tapped her on the head. She had rarely even had the chance to be held in her arms.
Simply put... she was a little jealous.
Yes, she felt displeased by the result she had accidentally created.
Yet she had no way to change anything.
Just then, the limousine stopped.
The driver turned around from the front seat and respectfully addressed the back:
"Beautiful ladies, we've arrived at our destination."
"Mm, got it."
Aozaki Touko answered, then gently patted Lidell's shoulder. After that, everyone got out of the car.
"This is a detached villa under my name. There's even a branch of London's spiritual ley line underground. Although it can't compare to your Aozaki ley line, it's more than enough for ordinary needs."
After getting out of the car, Lidell composed herself somewhat. Aside from being unable to let go of Aozaki Touko's hand, she seemed mostly normal.
"What an extravagant residence. Even ordinary magus families probably couldn't afford a house like this!"
Looking at the luxurious Western Mansion before her, Aozaki Touko was rather surprised. It wasn't that the mansion was particularly extravagant; in truth, she no longer needed to worry about living conditions at all.
The Einzberns owned properties in the major cities of countries around the world. In London, they even had a castle. If she wanted to move in with nothing but a suitcase, that wasn't impossible. It was just that the castle was somewhat far from the Clock Tower.
Besides... that castle hadn't been built on a ley line. It was merely an ordinary castle.
Compared to this mansion near the Clock Tower, with its independent spiritual ley line, their values were worlds apart.
At the very least... if magi were allowed to choose, they would definitely choose this mansion over a castle in a remote location.
"Hehe... I am the future Plant Department Monarch, after all. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to have a detached mansion?"
Lidell smiled proudly, then pulled Aozaki Touko quickly into the mansion.
Her skirt was a little wet, and she couldn't wait to return to the mansion, change clothes, and clean herself properly.
"I'll pay you the appropriate rent!"
"No need. This is just a friend staying over. Charging money in a situation like this would ruin the mood, wouldn't it?"
"Friends are friends, and money is money. I don't like shamelessly freeloading under the pretext of friendship."
"This is my choice... If you insist on putting it that way, consider it an investment in you. Exchanging short-term lodging rights in a mansion for the future Magic User's favor—however you look at it, this deal isn't a loss."
"..."
As they walked along the front path, Aozaki Touko's tone suddenly turned cold.
"I'm no longer the heir to the Fifth Magic, you know. The true heir is my younger sister, Aoko!"
The astonishing news brought Lidell to a halt. She hurriedly turned toward Aozaki Touko, only to see a serious expression on her face, without the slightest trace of a joke.
"So what? Whether or not you're connected to the Fifth Magic doesn't matter. All I need is for you to be my friend."
For once, Lidell's expression became serious. "Besides, Touko, the most worthwhile thing to invest in is you yourself—not that unreachable Fifth Magic. It's believing in a brilliant future."
"..."
Hearing this, Aozaki Touko was somewhat stunned. She hadn't expected Lidell to say such a thing.
The people following behind her were also surprised, while Alice Phil covered her lips and chuckled.
Beo, too, revised her opinion of this weak human woman slightly. Anyone who could recognize her master's shining qualities couldn't be as useless as she had thought.
Although the Miko Futago didn't know what the Fifth Magic was, they still looked at Lidell with goodwill.
"What an unexpected answer~"
Aozaki Touko chuckled. "But those are truly heartwarming words."
"..."
Lidell's gaze drifted away. She seemed embarrassed by what she had said.
"...Anyway, I'm going to take a bath first."
With that, she hurried into the mansion.
Teacher Touko
It was early morning.
The sky had only begun to brighten hazily, with the darkness of night still dominant. The cold wind blowing through the streets and alleys cut to the bone, and most people were hiding in warm beds, enjoying the heat produced by burning fireplaces.
Yet at that moment, one of the classrooms belonging to the Department of Botany was packed from the inside out.
There were so many people gathered that even the cold air had become somewhat stuffy and warm.
The people gathered in the classroom weren't all students from the Department of Botany. Students who had originally had nothing to do with the department had come, and even lecturers from other departments had gathered here in an extremely unusual scene.
Everyone who had come had one simple purpose.
They wanted to see someone who filled them with curiosity—someone whose great name they had long since heard, but whom they had never seen before.
She was a prodigy of heaven in the truest sense, one whom no one could refute.
A favored child of fate, born with the destiny to inherit the crystallization of the greatest miracle.
A girl who had defeated the True Ancestor Dead Apostles.
----Tap tap tap.
Clear, rhythmic footsteps rang out. A girl with long orange hair entered the classroom. After surveying the room from the lecturer's podium, she revealed a confident, sunny smile.
"Hmm... It looks like the Clock Tower needs to be expanded. No one can teach properly in a classroom this crowded."
As she spoke, she picked up a piece of chalk and wrote her name on the blackboard. Then she turned around and looked at the students below. Her eyes shone with firm determination, without the slightest trace of nervousness or timidity. Every movement was crisp and confident.
"Hmm... I'm Aozaki Touko, a lecturer from Japan. From now on, I'll be teaching everyone some basic knowledge of potions. Please forgive me if there are any shortcomings."
As she spoke, she lowered her head and began arranging the teaching materials on the desk. In a gentle, casual tone, she addressed the students below:
"If any of you have questions, you can ask them now. Once class officially begins, I won't answer unrelated questions."
The classroom fell slightly quiet. Then everyone turned their gaze toward the group in the front row.
The people closest to Aozaki Touko were also the most influential people in the classroom. Among them were members of the long-established Aristocratic Faction, highly respected first-rate lecturers, and powerful individuals of extraordinary ability.
They were the ones most qualified to question this girl.
"Aozaki Touko, are you confident that you can reach the Root without relying on the Fifth Magic?!"
At that moment, a sorrowful-looking monk stood up. A string of beads hung around his neck, and he wore a black coat. His black, medium-length hair framed a tall figure that radiated a formidable presence.
"Reach the Root?!"
Aozaki Touko raised her eyebrows slightly and answered with a smile, "Without relying on the Fifth Magic, even I would find it difficult?"
The moment she said this, everyone in the classroom was astonished. They had essentially all heard the implication in Aozaki Touko's words: she was confident she could reach the Root without using the Fifth Magic.
This answer was not humble. It could even be called arrogant. She actually believed she could reach the Root through her own efforts without inheriting the Magic Crest.
They almost wanted to scoff at her on the spot, but when they looked at the confident girl on the podium, they couldn't bring themselves to say it.
Because this girl had already reached an extremely high level. Her achievements already rivaled those of the great magus families, and no one could imagine how far she might go in the future.
Yet, faintly, they actually believed that this girl could reach the Root through her own efforts.
After all, she was already the strongest Doll Master in the world.
"As far as I know, your research has always focused on the path of dolls."
Before you continue