'WHAT THE HELL!?'
I nearly fell on my butt, eyes wide, staring at the still-spinning runes burning into the ground. "You— you just— WHAT?!"
Seeing the magic circle I know what they did but i cant believe it.
How?
Lucretia-nee laughed proudly, brushing imaginary dust from her purple dress, her brown hair swaying as if she just stepped off a stage instead of teleporting across space.
"Hahaha! Surprised, my dear Asahi? Behold—the power of true genius! I have finally deciphered Tet's puzzle!"
"...Wait. You mean that scroll puzzle gave you two?"
The scroll Tet gave them during their class—the one filled with numbers formulae so complex it looked like a computer Sudoku.
I still couldn't even read one-third the inscriptions properly.
So Alice-nee and Lucretia-nee tried to solve them in two days.
"You're telling me," I said slowly, "you solved the scroll puzzle… in three days?"
"Of course~ Also thanks to help Alice, I manage to solve activation process. ," Lucretia answered proudly, one hand on her hip, the other brushing a lock of hair from her face. "A little sleepless night was a small price to pay for glory.
I didn't know whether to be impressed or terrified.
Knowing Lucretia-nee, it was probably both.
Alice-nee, on the other hand, was completely taken aback. Her green eyes widened like a child seeing a new magic for the first time.
"Madam…! You actually succeeded!?"
Lucretia nodded and her voice dripping with satisfaction. "Indeed. we unraveled Tet formula, reconstructed the mana coordinates, and established a stable link between dimensional nodes. All within seventy-two hours."
"That's… that's incredible!" Alice gasped softly, stepping closer. "Teleportation magic—without a grand ritual circle or multiple casters… This could change everything!"
"Exactly~." Lucretia's smile widened. "This version allows the user to generate a magic platform—a circle beneath their feet—serving as the anchor point. From there, it warps the user, or any designated object or person, to a pre-marked location. Safe, stable, and instantaneous."
As both two talking about magic were still deep in discussion, their voices animated as they debated mana anchors and spatial formulas.
Their excitement filled the quiet backyard like bright music.
"Hmm, if we stabilize the mana convergence," Alice mused, "we could potentially teleport entire objects or people safely across long distances."
"Exactly," Lucretia-nee replied, her eyes shining. "It's a revolution in magic, To think a mortal could bend space itself without divine assistance—ah, it's beautiful!"
Meanwhile, I just sat there, half-listening. My eyes drifted to the faint remnants of the glowing teleportation circle still etched into the ground.
Even now, the residual mana made the air shimmer.
'Tet… you really gave them that spell?' I asked silently.
A mischievous laugh echoed in my head.
'Fufufu~ Why do you sound so surprised, Asahi?' Tet replying back.
'Because I wasn't expecting you to drop teleportation magic, you even convert elf magic in your world into a numbers puzzle to allow them analyze on the process of solving, that's why.'
'Think of it as a little gratitude—for teaching you. Besides, I wanted to see if they were capable too.' Tet's tone softened, amused yet sincere.
'You mean the two'
'Mhm. That woman has potential. Mortals like them have the highest status in these world could help us anytime. Beside you, I like to these two imanity(Human) how far they can reach.' Her words carried warmth.
'Heh…I see, I don't mind.. Just didn't expect it, that's all.'
'Okay, then I'm gonna go back gaming with Ama-chan" she said playfully, fading from my thoughts.
I exhaled, shaking my head with a small smile. Watching the two witches exchange theories so passionately made something in my chest feel light.
Yeah…this peace like this wasn't so bad.
[A/n: You raise a mild flag, bro]
But then—
The air shifted.
This feeling..
My haki activated
I suddenly looked direction in the sky and turn look at the front gate of the house.
They surveillance us?
Someone is coming.
Lucretia and Alice both fell silent mid-sentence looking at the direction of the house.
Their gazes sharpened instantly,
I know they felt it too.
Around 40…50 people incoming.
Lucretia's smile vanished, her hand already glowing faintly with mana. "Several presences…Elite type too and High class one too. They dare to invade my home."
I could feel it too—faint ripples in the air, signatures of mana. They weren't trying to sneak in. They wanted us to know.
"Tch… so they're making a show of it," I muttered, standing up from where I'd been sitting.
In one motion, I summoned my katana and Crow mask from [Storage] and put on it along with a new spell of disguise.
I just became a 18 year old black hair man wearing a mysterious crow mask
The weight of the blade was settled comfortably in my hands as my heartbeat slowed, focus sharpening.
"Asahi?" Alice called softly, seeing the look in my eyes.
I know she was worried about me making a move.
So I smiled and replied to reassure her "You don't need to worry, I will not move without necessary."
Lucreti-nee looked at me nodded with relief and said, "I will go out to meet them first. You two watch for the time being."
The moment Lucretia-nee turned around I knew she's not showing us but inside I felt she was mad.
We went inside the house.
Lucretia goes out the door waiting for their arrival while me and Alice-nee in the window near the door.
---
Lucretia went out from the door waiting for incoming guests.
After a minute several Cadillac CTS-V black cars appeared on sight on the road coming in this direction.
The convoy of black Cadillacs stopped just beyond the gate. Their polished exteriors reflected the sunlight like obsidian mirrors.
The moment the engines cut off, the air grew heavier — thick with mana pressure and authority.
Doors clicked open in perfect unison.
Men in dark suits stepped out, each one exuding an unmistakable magical presence.
Not ordinary guards — these were elite enforcers, their mana signatures refined, disciplined.
Their movements screamed military training, but the faint silver sigils under their collars marked them as magi, not soldiers.
From the center car, a man emerged.
Golden-blond hair slicked neatly back, a sharp mustache framing a face that had long grown used to command. His tailored navy suit looked out of place among the robed magi, yet somehow he owned the scene completely.
Even from afar, the weight of his aura pressed down like invisible gravity.
"That's… no small fry," I muttered under my breath, peeking from the window beside Alice-nee. "He's giving off a pressure close to a master-class."
Alice's breath hitched beside me and looked surprised seeing the man outside.
Does he know him?
Lucretia stood outside calmly, the wind teasing the hem of her purple dress. Her expression was neutral — cold, regal. Her violet eyes narrowed slightly as she recognized the man stepping from the center car.
A faint smirk curved her lips. "My, I didn't expect you coming here," she said, her voice carrying easily through the tension in the air. "Its good to see you, again. Duke Gododdin. You sure have led such a grand procession. Care to explain this little spectacle of yours?"
Duke Gododdin's blue eyes flicked toward her, his face unreadable. "Lady Lucretia Zola. I could ask the same to you. I didn't expect such a grand witch as you shamelessly kidnap my one and only daughter. Do you have no shame?"
He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I come here to get my daughter. If you refuse to hand her over… we will not hesitate to take necessary action."
For a heartbeat, silence.
"Kidnapping…"
"Ha?" 3x
Three voices overlapped at once—Lucretia, Asahi, and Alice all blinking in confusion..