Jeanne wore a grim expression as she ran with Kaili and Lily, but she didn't turn back despite the loud rumbling and shaking of the castle. She hated that she couldn't participate in the fight but she also recognized that her current duty was an important one as well.
Kaili's expression was similar to Jeanne's but with more worry and fear, while Lily smiled like she was just a third person viewer.
"I'm sorry to bring this up when you're so desperate to get us to safety but, you know that this is useless, right? No matter how strong Big brother's barrier is, as long as it works on the same principle of barriers it'll be the same as a curtain to that thing."
Jeanne gritted her teeth at this truth but her legs didn't slow down.
"But it'll be enough to protect you two from the aftershocks."
"Hmm, fine. I have taken a liking to you all so I suppose it's okay."
Suddenly, Jeanne found that she couldn't pull Lily any more as if she had become an immovable pillar. She was going to yell at her in impatience but the arrogant smirk she wore reminded her of Lia, and that caused her to flinch
"Now then, shall I tell you how to solve this problem?"
"Lily, we have to hurry-" Kaili tried to convince Lily to stop but Jeanne tapped her shoulder and shook her head.
She wasn't sure but she felt like trusting this strange girl.
"Go on."
"As you should already be aware, the glutton blade can only cancel ongoing magic. Rather than a mana what it actually eats is,"
"Magic power." continued Jeanne.
"Correct. Magic power is what mana becomes once it has gained a specific purpose. Take food for example. If mana is the dish itself then magic power is the energy that your body gets from it."
It was surreal for her to be teaching as the castle trembled, but only Kaili minded it.
"Because the blade eats magic power, most types of magic aren't effective against it, but besides physical strength there is one other way to get around that ability. An attack that directly utilizes mana."
"I won't argue against your logic but it's still not that simple. That sort of attack can only be done by the spirits who govern this world, and I'm just a half-spirit. How are we supposed to get a spirit to, help, us..."
Near the end of her reply, Jeanne noticed what Lily was hinting at and slowly turned towards the little girl on her right. As both Lily's and Jeanne's eyes went to her, Kaili finally put the pieces together but she then immediately shook her head.
"No no no no no! There's no way I can do that. I've only summoned an infant sylph!"
"...True."
Jeanne felt both relieved and disappointed at Kaili's answer but while holding these emotions back she looked at Lily.
"You don't need to worry about that. I'll help her. You just need to protect us until we're finished." Lily said with a strange confidence.
Jeanne wasn't sure if she should trust Lily on this yet, but since it was already her job to protect the two she watched as Lily walked to Kaili and joined their hands together.
Kaili still had objections she wanted to raise, but once Lily quietly said that this was to protect her new family, Kaili resigned herself to this role.
Once she settled her heart, Lily suddenly landed a peck on Kaili's cheek. Normally Kaili would back away in embarrassment, but she was already in a trance. Therefore, Jeanne was the only one who witnessed Lily glowing before transforming into a book with ancient markings.
Besides the unfamiliar markings on it, the book didn't look too odd but the moment she saw it Jeanne gasped at what she had learnt.
'So that's her true identity. For that woman to have sent her here...tch.'
Jeanne clenched her fist as she saw the two bathed in pure white light, but she still turned around and slammed her staff on the floor.
'All I can do is protect them. So I have to do the best job possible.'
Finally, it was time to reveal the results of her research.
Meanwhile, two skeletons put up an impressive fight against the black beast, but even a layman could see that they were losing.
"Damn it! I can't have a loss on my record for my first battle, do you know how embarrassing that would be?" said the robed skeleton.
Bony thought that it was normal to experience loss, especially when you were young, but unlike the black and gold skeleton he didn't have the leeway to talk during this intense fight.
Not only could the black beast overpower them, every time they clashed they would lose a portion of their mana which was potentially fatal for creatures with a spiritual nature like them. Even so, neither looked ready to give up.
The black and gold skeleton parried several of the black beast's attacks but was easily blown away by the one that extra force was poured into. However at that moment, Bony took its space with its spear. Bony lasted much fewer rounds, but it was enough to endure until his ally returned. It was strange how in sync the two were despite this being their first time fighting together, but neither thought of it that way.
For a time that seemed like eternity to them, they continued fighting against the black beast in perfect harmony until something happened that caught their attention. There was a strong pulse indicating that magic was being used on a floor above. But rather than Jeanne's, it felt like Kaili's magic.
'What is she doing up there?'
If the black beast had taken advantage of the two being distracted this would have been a fatal error, but whether luckily or unluckily, it also had interest in this magic.
"Stop!"
It leaped through the ceiling and headed towards the magic while the two skeletons hastily chased after it.
While impending doom was on the way, Kaili calmly started her summoning. She didn't know why, but when she took Lily's hands like this, all of her worries and fears would disappear and she would only focus on her objective.
'According to Professor, the only thing I lack is 'will', but what is 'will'?'
This was her first question. However, she already had an answer beforehand so this was just to verify.
'Will is my resolve. For ordinary spirits and demons, a proper sacrifice is very important, but the otherworldly creatures who reigned at the top are different. They know that few items left in the mortal world could meet their expectations, therefore their criteria is different. Rather than a simple tangible sacrifice, they want something that could interest them. They want to choose a contractor who wouldn't make them feel bored. That's the most important thing for them.
And to prove that I am worth their interest, I have to swear an oath. If I fail to live up to my oath then even my life could be forfeit, so this shouldn't have been done as suddenly as this. But, when I thought of an oath I would swear my entire life to, there was only one that stuck with me.'
"Great Ones who watch from the other side, please hear this humble demon. I lack the strength to overcome this ordeal with my own power, please, bless me your aid. Please give me the power I need to fulfil my oath. My oath to protect my loved ones!"
Kaili wondered how long it would take before she got a response, but luckily a voice with a whimsical tone whispered to her ear soon after.
"That's quite the oath. If it was just you I would never believe it, but your fate has been caught in the strangest circumstances. I look forward to seeing how a common girl like you grows in this kind of environment."
As Kaili forged a contract with the spirit she managed to summon, the black beast arrived on their floor and rushed towards them. The two skeletons tried to stop it, but they were too far to prevent the black beast from smashing into the special barrier that Jeanne made.
But all of their expectations were betrayed.
Instead of breaking through the crystalline and ethereal wall, its claw was rebuffed. Just like the two skeletons, the black beast was also confused by the fact that it wasn't able to easily smash through this barrier. It definitely felt the sensation of 'eating' when its claw made contact with the barrier, but it had no effect.
"Grrr!!"
Unwilling to accept this defeat, the black beast prepared for another attack, but the two skeletons stood in its way.
"That sure is an amazing barrier there, Missy. To think you could give it such a function, quite interesting. But why did you stop here?'
The way that the black and gold skeleton gave a compliment sounded condescending, but Jeanne only glanced at him with a frown.
Though it wasn't perfect yet, Jeanne was using barrier magic. It was a lost magic only seen once before in history, but still retained the title of strongest defensive magic.
The main principle behind it was using the natural mana to fuel the barrier rather than the user's magic so it was more efficient. Due to this, the black beast wouldn't be able break through her barrier because it was constantly being repaired faster than the eye could see.
"I need you to hold him back until Kaili finishes summoning."
Once she mentioned Kaili, the two skeletons were surprised to see her being bathed by a gentle green light, the black and gold skeleton even more so.
'To think there would be such a talent and such an item here. As expected of my creator.'
"So, can you do it?"
"Hmph, who do you think you're talking to Missy?"
"Of course," replied Bony.