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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Loser Grants the Winner's Wish
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After succeeding with my first spell, my circuit skills grew noticeably.
The solid foundation of concepts I'd built up over a year of all-nighters became the springboard that propelled me to the next level.
I was thrilled by the fact that I could produce spells of various attributes depending on the precision of the nodes and circuits. Just watching magic flow from the structures I created with my own hands filled me with overwhelming joy.
And that was why I became increasingly immersed in circuits.
I even felt like sleeping was a waste of time. Except for the hours from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., when children grow the fastest, I dedicated nearly all my time to studying circuits while staying awake.
"You were one with the bed during your confinement... but it seems you don't know the meaning of moderation either way, miss."
Early one morning, Sierra spoke to me in a voice laced with a sigh as I had my face buried in a circuit book.
"I'm doing it because it's fun."
Who in the world would try to stop a kid from studying because she enjoys it? Sierra just looked at me silently in response.
I burned Mana Herbs almost every day without fail to extract mana. When I infused them with Divine Power, the circuits sometimes showed signs of going berserk, so I used only the mana from the herbs.
I drew circuit diagrams without skipping a single day. The stack of circuit diagrams piling up in my room grew as steeply as my passion.
One day, I visited the blacksmith. Using the money Camilla had given me as payment for the Mana Herbs, I commissioned a custom tool to carry my circuit diagrams, and the leather belt around my waist now was exactly that.
On both sides of the belt were small pouches sized for talisman-like circuit diagrams. The insides were intricately divided into compartments, perfect for sorting them by purpose.
For now, I'd separated the defensive and offensive circuits, but in the future, I could classify them even more finely.
"Phew, let's do this."
In Camilla's empty private training grounds, I took a deep breath to steel myself.
A training dummy stood before me. In the center of the dusty straw dummy was a scroll I'd made attached to it.
My hand slowly moved to my waist. Like a Wild West gunslinger just before drawing his pistol.
A short but tense silence flowed. I widened my eyes and pinched a scroll from the front pouch with two fingers, pulling it out.
I quickly tore the end, activating the circuit, and a powerful bolt of lightning shot toward the dummy. But just before it hit, a hazy barrier rose around the dummy and blocked it.
Crackle—!
With a loud clash, the transparent shield shattered into pieces and scattered to the floor. The dummy standing behind it remained unscratched, just as before.
"Success...!"
Both the offensive and defensive scrolls had performed perfectly without a hitch.
The value of just those two scrolls I'd used was easily over a thousand lunes. But for me, it brought joy several times greater, welling up deep in my chest.
At this level, couldn't I join the Hero Party as a combatant?
I'd only just entered the beginner stage of intermediate scrolls, and it was already like this. If I accumulated more knowledge and skill, I might even be classified as an advanced combatant at the academy.
Heck, maybe the Hero and his party members would look at me with eyes of admiration?
Of course, it was all just delusions from my positive circuit.
"Big Sis."
"Eek?!"
My body jolted up involuntarily at the sudden voice from behind.
When did she sneak in? Camilla was stuck right next to me.
"G-Give some warning! You really startled me."
I yelled at her to vent, suppressing my pounding heart. But Camilla showed no sign of remorse, just staring at the scroll pouch on my waist.
"Impressive, Big Sis."
"Huh?"
"That's a pretty powerful scroll. You're more talented than I thought, Big Sis."
Unexpected praise followed the sudden scare. It seemed she'd seen me practicing magic alone.
And to hear this from picky Camilla, no less. It felt unfamiliar, but something itched pleasantly in my chest.
"...Really?"
"Yeah. Really."
My shoulders shrugged up involuntarily at Camilla's straightforward words. I looked at her with a slightly excited nasal tone and a sly smile.
"W-Well... it's not like praise always makes me happy... but thanks anyway."
"Want to spar with me, Big Sis?"
Her unexpected proposal came right back.
At the word "spar," I looked at her with somewhat dazed eyes.
"What?"
"A simple magic duel."
"...You and me?"
"Yeah."
I wondered if she was joking, but there wasn't a hint of playfulness in her eyes.
It was absurd.
A magic duel with Camilla, of all people—the one who reached final boss level with a single spell.
"There's no way I could win."
No matter how I looked at it, there was zero chance of me beating Camilla.
"I know."
Camilla nodded calmly. Her attitude, utterly devoid of even a speck of humility, was quite infuriating.
"But I'll only use defensive magic. If you so much as brush my clothes, you win."
The two conditions Camilla proposed. They didn't seem too bad, actually.
Considering the massive gap in our power, it was surprisingly fair. Direct damage might be impossible, but grazing her clothes seemed doable.
Above all, I wanted to test the power of my scrolls. Someone like Camilla could handle them easily.
"Fine. Just a simple magic duel, got it?"
A faint spark of interest lit up in Camilla's eyes at my agreement.
"How about the loser grants the winner's wish?"
"A wish?"
"Yeah. A bet."
Her somewhat childish proposal made laughter slip out unwittingly. Camilla had her pure side too, it seemed.
She probably didn't realize that "wish" could turn into something dangerous depending on the opponent.
Betting carelessly without knowing the ways of the world could lead to who-knows-what demands later.
I considered advising her not to say such things lightly, but there was no need right now.
She was still a child innocent to the world. I hoped that purity would last a bit longer.
"Sure, whatever."
Camilla had probably thrown it out half-jokingly too. I shrugged lightly and accepted with an easy mind.
"But I don't really have a wish in mind."
My circuit studies were going smoothly, and funds were steadily accumulating. If I had to pick, it might be free use of Camilla's training grounds.
But renting it like now wasn't much of a burden. In the end, I had no pressing wish.
"Do you?"
"Yeah. Sleep in my room twice a week from now on."
Her answer came immediately. But it was so out of left field that I blinked blankly for a moment.
I wondered if I'd misheard.
"That's... your wish?"
"Yeah."
"...Why?"
"To fix my sleeping habits."
"Ah."
It made sense.
Those sleeping habits definitely needed fixing. Keeping them into adulthood could trouble those around her plenty.
"Fine, that's no big deal."
"What about you, Big Sis?"
As I pondered what I could get from Camilla, a brilliant idea flashed in my mind.
"Camilla. Can you keep my wish a secret?"
I looked at her with sparkling eyes. Camilla nodded without changing expression.
Her emotionless, blank response actually felt like trust to me.
Having lived together for a year, I knew she wasn't the type to blab carelessly.
Maybe she wanted my true feelings too. Pulling her to my side wouldn't be bad.
"Alright, my wish is..."
I placed a hand on my chest and continued.
"When I become an adult, help me gain independence from the family."
Legally, I was still at an age needing protection, so I belonged to the Rahel Tani family. But I couldn't lean on them forever.
When the time came to become independent, I'd leave this family and walk my own path. What I wanted was to become someone the world needed through my own abilities, not someone else's power.
But as with all things in the world, it probably wouldn't go as I wished.
Roselia's obsession with my potions was an issue, and shedding the Rahel Tani name once attached wouldn't be easy.
That's why I proposed it to Camilla. With her help, it would be much smoother.
"That's okay, right?"
I waited for her answer, meeting the eyes of the blankly standing Camilla.
But what returned was an oddly heavy silence. A time too awkward to speak and too vague to break the quiet.
The stretching quiet even made me wonder if she'd heard me properly.
One second, two seconds, ten... and then a full minute.
"Independence?"
Her response came only after that long silence.
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