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"Aoko,"
Alice said, her tone slightly reproachful.
In the Moon world, there were not many shortcuts to accumulating magical power. Methods that could increase it by several times in a short period of time were all secret arts, and they often had huge side effects, a price that Aoko, as a novice magus, couldn't afford.
What's more, what Aoko wanted was a twenty-fold increase. This terrifying amplification—even with side effects—could already be considered close to True magic.
Not to mention whether Haru had such a secret art, just the price of exchanging for such a formula, unless Aoko took out her family's inherited magic, was unthinkable.
And would Haru be willing to accept magic?
If he accepted, it would be a clean slate with Aoko. If he didn't, Aoko, who owed him this favor, with her personality, would definitely force herself to make some unwilling repayment.
Alice was a little reproachful of Aoko for rashly raising this question, which made both sides awkward.
As she thought, her magus education policy had a big problem.
"Oh, sorry, sorry. I got a little carried away,"
Aoko said with an apologetic look at Haru. Then, she frowned, patted her forehead with a look of frustration, and used the slight pain to suppress the violence in her heart.
The large amount of 'information' on the puppets last night, and the subsequent bloody torture by Touko, had ultimately produced a large amount of negative emotions in her.
Her own puppets were suspected of being used as compensated dating dolls, and she had been tortured by her own sister. To be able to remain calm now was a miracle.
Though her personality was a little strange, Aoko was just a seventeen-year-old girl. To be treated that way and not have any thoughts of revenge, that would be abnormal.
Therefore, in her eagerness to obtain the power to retaliate against Touko, Aoko was a little too eager for success.
————
Haru, on the other hand, was exceptionally understanding.
He pondered for a moment, then said, "I'm not without one. In fact, I have many."
Haru wasn't lying. He had many ways to permanently enhance magical power—but they were basically all formulas that changed one's race. High-level conversion rituals like becoming a Dead Apostle, an angel, or a Demon could all increase magical power by twenty times.
Hearing this, Alice's pupils constricted. She looked at Haru with disbelief, then a look of understanding. After all, in her eyes, he was a genuine True Magic User.
"You really have something that broken?!"
Aoko immediately clicked her tongue. Seeing Haru's innocent 'is this thing that amazing?' look, her lip twitched. They were both people with a magic inheritance. Why was it that her Aozaki family, besides that magic that was incredibly painful to use and had endless side effects, had nothing else?
Was the gap between a True Magic User and a True Magic User that big? Or had that dead old man hidden all the good stuff?
Aoko secretly cursed her grandfather.
Aoko sighed slightly, lowered her head, and said with a helpless look on her face, "Forget it. The side effects of that kind of thing must be huge."
A secret art that could increase one's power by twenty times must have a huge price. Besides, if the price wasn't big, the favor would be too great. She estimated that if she accepted his gift, she would have to stay the night, and even—not be able to pay with her body?
"Besides changing your race and bloodline—there aren't many side effects," Haru said with a shrug, taking a bite of his sandwich, his tone flat.
"No deal. I just want to be a normal person," Aoko said, gathering her scattered hair and suppressing her excitement, refusing.
Having been human for seventeen years, she wasn't so bold as to be able to say 'I'm not human anymore.' Seventeen years of human life were not so easy to abandon.
Alice nodded gently, agreeing with Aoko. Though she was a witch, she was also firmly on the side of humanity. Though her body had been transformed into a magic circuit, the thoughts of a human were still deeply rooted in her mind.
Haru smiled. He respected the two's desire to remain human. After a long moment, he looked at Aoko and Alice's faces and said seriously, "Then, are you two still planning to face Touko on your own?"
"...."
There was no response. The room fell into a silent atmosphere.
Haru looked at the determined Aoko and the silent Alice beside her, and he immediately understood their choice.
"Understood. I'll go for a walk to digest." Haru swallowed his sandwich whole, shook his neck, stood up, and walked to the door, slowly opening it.
As the door closed, his flat voice came in.
"If you need help, just shout my name at the sky."
"I know," Alice nodded gently, her tone flat.
With a click, the door closed. Haru tactfully left the two to discuss their countermeasures. Since they had chosen to face it alone, they were naturally prepared to bear the consequences of failure.
Of course, if a major crisis occurred, he would definitely intervene. As for whether they were willing or not, who gave a damn? To let the two of them act so recklessly was already his greatest tolerance.
Alice stared blankly at the closed door. After a long moment, she shifted her gaze to Aoko. Seeing her suspicious expression, her heart jumped.
"...What's wrong?" Alice asked, suppressing the panic in her heart, her expression impassive.
"So suspicious!! In the past, you should have refused, Alice. At the very least, you would have been silent. But this time, you agreed so readily? So suspicious!" Aoko stared at Alice with suspicion, expressing her thoughts.
"Even if I didn't agree, that True Magic User would have intervened. Don't forget, the maid contract we signed hasn't expired yet," Alice said, a hint of panic in her eyes. She paused for a moment and explained softly.
After speaking, Alice glanced at Aoko. Seeing her 'I don't believe you' expression, she shamelessly exposed her wound. "Especially that grimoire you got, which explains divine power. Besides selling your body, do you have anything to repay it with?"
"...If we don't expose each other, we're still friends," Aoko said, glaring at Alice with a displeased expression.
"Tsk, that guy will never let me die before he gets a taste of me,"
Aoko clicked her tongue, leaned against the headboard, and looked at the ceiling with a helpless expression. "I really don't want this kind of protective charm!!"
"Why do I feel like you're very happy?" Alice narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out Aoko's thoughts, her tone certain.
"I remember the total value of the antiques you smashed has already reached two billion, right?"
Seeing the expectant look in Aoko's ever-widening eyes, Alice slowly closed her mouth. She had a feeling she had just awakened the 'beast' in Aoko's heart. She seemed to have dug a big hole.
"..."
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
"Ahem." Aoko cleared her throat twice, breaking the silence first. "Let's talk about how to deal with my sister first," she said, feigning composure.
The two's gazes instantly became grave.
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