Ruins

The dust settled inside the cavern.

"Welcome back."

"And welcome to Lamp-Lighting Rank."

The two smiled at each other. Nothing more needed to be said.

"Hey, hey, hey~"

Masked Heroine came over and circled Love, looking her up and down.

"What happened? You took a nap, and now you seem even stronger than before?"

"Must be your imagination."

Love blinked.

"After all, I've always been this amazing! The heart of a cute girl can do anything!"

As she spoke, Love threw her arms wide.

But seeing Love suddenly become so lively made Masked Heroine's expression turn serious.

"Oh no... Did she wake up stupid?"

"How could you say that!"

Love landed beside Thousand Blades, cheeks puffed in indignation.

Knight came over too.

Honestly, Love now seemed closer to Knight's first impression of her.

"It's been a while since I've seen you like this, Love."

At first, Love had apparently acted this way under the influence of her Magic Power Essence. But as she transformed more often, she had stopped acting like this.

Now, though, did it mean she was beginning to accept her Magic Power Essence again?

"It's not your imagination."

Shen Yin pushed herself upright against the rock wall. Her face was still pale, but she looked much better than before.

"Love's Magic Power is flowing much more freely... It seems she's been rejecting her Magic Power Essence all this time. No wonder she's rarely shown how versatile her abilities are."

Like when she had first treated Knight's mother.

Back then, Love had only just made her decision and had found it hard to resist the influence of her Magic Power Essence. That was why she had been able to display such varied abilities.

Love paused.

Then she smiled softly.

"Yeah."

"Things are flowing smoothly now... I feel lighter