Angel had already prepared Prelude of Reincarnation, his gaze drifting from time to time toward the Infant Spirit in the glass sphere overhead. Yet after pondering for a moment, Isabella spoke of something unrelated to the Infant Spirit.
Isabella told a story.
The protagonist of this story was a witch named Moliya.
Moliya had a tragic background. Her parents had died early, leaving their vast estate to her, only for her to be betrayed by her husband. Not only had he seized all her property, but she had also been framed by his new lover. Left with no alternative, she chose to throw herself from a cliff. Yet she did not die. After drifting from place to place, she arrived at Black Castle. There, an assessment revealed that she was talented, and she gained a mentor—Karafi, "Soul Deathflame."
When Isabella reached this point, Angel could not help recalling that when Sanders had previously introduced Isabella's background, he had said that Isabella's mentor was a powerful soul-type witch named Karafi.
Now that Isabella had mentioned Karafi as Moliya's mentor, Angel could not help wondering whether Moliya and Isabella might be fellow disciples.
Before long, Isabella gave him the answer.
Yes, Moliya and Isabella not only shared the same mentor, but Moliya had entered under Karafi's tutelage before Isabella. After Isabella became Karafi's disciple, Moliya—already close to forty—had taken excellent care of Isabella, who was not yet thirteen.
On the surface, they were fellow disciples; but to Isabella, Moliya had been family, like both a mother and an elder sister.
Even though Isabella had surpassed Moliya at an astonishing speed, becoming a formal wizard first and attaining True Knowledge first... the emotional bond between them had not changed in the slightest. If anything, centuries of companionship had only deepened it.
Isabella had