Two days had passed since my duel with Charles. It goes without saying that even though I brought back his confidence with my loss, it made me feel a bit bitter knowing I have nothing to break his defense magic. Our gap in natural ability was obvious even though I'm part Demon who are supposed to be more superior in terms of power than humans. Outside my eye's ability, I'm just an average human and not really close to anything Demon.
Currently, classes just ended early and everyone is either going home or doing club activities. Charles had something to do today so he was absent and Archie had some business to attend to so he went ahead.
Though it's weird to say this, I'm currently by my own as Red and Rose.
Looking at the school grounds, stalls are being made by the students who are of noble and merchant descent. I guess this is their way to practice their marketing skills.
As I was looking out the window as Rose, out of nowhere, a girl suddenly bumped into Red just when we were to turn to a corner. Looking at her face, I immediately recognized her.
"Miss Vice President!"
"Oh, Sir Red! I'm sorry for bumping into you."
"That's okay. What's the hurry?"
When I looked what's around her arms, I saw several folders fattened with several pages of papers.
"I'm collecting the request papers from the clubs right now."
"Ah, you've been running around the place then. Must be quite the work."
"It really is."
She suddenly tilts and peeks behind me and looks at Rose. Ah, right. They're supposed to be "friends".
"H-hi, Soffel."
"Hi Rose, how are you? I haven't gotten the chance to talk with you for a long while now."
"Indeet it was."
Hmm... what should I talk about with her? I mean, something in me is saying that I should get closer to her. Should I follow this feeling.
"I'd love to chat with you but I'm very busy right now."
"Then, how about I come with you."
"No, I'd hate to be imposing on you. Besides, I'm a noble so I should be more responsible with my own work."
"Don't sweat the small stuff. I've got nothing to do anyway so I might as well be a secretary to kill some time."
While saying that, I take all of the folders from her hand and gave it to Red. Seeing that, she got a bit worried while looking at Red.
"I hope I'm not being too imposing on you, Sir Red."
"It's alright. I've got nothing to do anyway."
"Oh, I thought you were sightseeing with your sister."
...I guess she hasn't heard about my constitution yet. I could tell her right here and now, but that would risk her getting weirded out and not talk to me anymore. Moreover, I'd hate to see her talk to herself again. This poor girl doesn't have any friends after all.
"Well, I may as well do it now. I haven't really had a chance to visit clubs."
"Oh, why is that?"
"Us commoners can't join clubs."
When I told her that, she was a bit surprised. After that, she apologetically smiles and forces out a laugh.
"Oh, dear. That was a bit insensitive of me. I'm sorry."
"Ah, don't be. I'm not really interested in commerce and the sort." "Let's just go."
Since she was feeling a bit conflicted, I decided to push her as Rose while making a smile to keep her spirits up.
As we were going through club rooms, I was able to see what things they do inside here. There were clubs that promote magic research among their members which is a bit of a contrast with the school's curriculum that favors Sword Art over Magic. They don't have members who use swords but staves and wands instead. It was quite unnerving to watch their obviously sleep deprived members.
There's also a club doing Magicless weapon research. They have one weapon on display that's protected by a glass enhanced with sealing magic. Apparently it doesn't use magic but is as lethal as mid level Magic. They call it a "Gun". They apparently used it once and someone got seriously injured by it hence they sealed it away and never to be used again. They also got a club centered around camping and survival exercises for aspiring explorers of the Untameable Regions. There are several other type of clubs too but these ones stand out for me.
After some visitations, we finally collected all the clubs' request forms.
"These are quite a lot. I don't think you could handle even half of these alone."
"I'm sorry, please let me carry some of them."
"We can handle these ourselves. Just guide and we'll follow."
Soffel looks guilty for letting me help. Then again, it was my decision so I won't back down.
"Why are you being nice to me?"
Out of nowhere, she suddenly asks me that.
"Well, aren't we friends? Or do you want me to be rude instead?"
"P-please, I don't think I can handle such treatment."
"Well, if I am to be honest, I feel slightly guilty for not trying to befriend you sooner. You seem really nice and very considerate towards a commoner like me."
"Where is this coming from?"
"Well... huh?"
Our of nowhere, my mind blanked for a quick second and then I suddenly got attacked by a massive headache which made both of me stagger.
"Are you two alright?!"
When I looked at both my faces, I notice that my eyes were changing.
Immediately, I cover one eye on each body and looked away from Soffel.
This doesn't make sense because I remember taking the meds this morning so it shouldn't activate.
"Y-you know, you can just give me the papers. You can go to the nurse's office. I can handle this myself."
"N-no, we can handle this."
"No, I insist. You don't look well. You're sweating buckets right now."
Soffel puffs her cheeks while looking angry. Despite my protest, she still took the papers from Red and Rose even though it was heavy for her.
"The Student Council office is just around the corner anyway. You should go now while there's still a nurse on duty."
"Alright, and I'm really sorry, Soffel. I really wanted to hang around you."
"Maybe next time when you're feeling well."
Though she was having a difficult time trying to carry the folders, she didn't fail to bump Rose's shoulder while cheerfully smiling.
"See you around."
"Y-yeah."
As she leaves the scene, I also started heading towards the nurse office while trying not to look at the other students. I can't take chances even if I covered the demon eyes.
But while I was trying to pass through the hallway, out of nowhere, I noticed that Ofelia was flying just outside the school's building.
She looks like she was trying to look for someone and she seems really agitated for some reason.
I want to call out to her, but its risky to look at anyone right now so I decided to just continue walking to the nurse's office.
Since Ofelia flying outside was a rare sight, most of the students have gathered to the windows and I could easily go through the crowd without anyone looking at me. I'll thank Ofelia later for this.
But as I was quietly passing through the hallways, the students suddenly makes a ruckus and runs away from the window.
And to my surprise, Ofelia suddenly enters the halls through the window and lands in front of me.
"Where were you?!"
She yelled at me for some reason.
"I was in class the whole day."
"What?"
"I was in class. Also, why were you absent?"
When I asked her that, she got confused. Then, she glares at me for some reason.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"You don't seem to be lying..."
All of a sudden, a magic circle appears beside her ears. When she put her finger on that, she looks outside the window.
"I don't detect any of them in the school. Have you found any in those areas?"
"None, your highness. It seems they knew we were coming and abandoned their hideouts."
It seems to be a communication magic spell. Why is she using one if she has Mind Magic?
As she finished her talk with the person on the other end of the communication magic spell, she looks at me and immediate comes. She then suddenly puts her hands on both of my foreheads, and for some reason, I don't feel anything.
"I guessed as much."
"What did you guess."
Ofelia's face was visibly full of frustration as she pulls back her hands.
"Someone is jamming my magic. My range had shrunk drastically."
"What?! How?"
"I don't know. But seeing how my magic's range had dropped to needing to touch my target, I think the ones behind this are related to the people collecting Ascension Fragments."
"What can we do about it?"
"I hate to say it, but I don't know. I'm supposed to act as the bait, but you are also here so the risk of losing both fragments became doubled."
"Do we need to tell Prince Arlen?"
"I already sent a messenger."
Since we were gathering too much unwanted attention, I grab both of her arms and drag her away with both bodies into the clinic.
Unfortunately for me, Aunt Jane had apparently left because a student got injured during the construction of their stall.
It's just both of me and Ofelia now.
"When I checked your mind, for some reason, there are several voids in it."
"Are you saying I have dementia?"
"No, I mean, these feels like magic induced memory alteration. Asking you how you got it would be meaningless."
"How did you know though?"
"Inconsistency. I've been with you for a while and have been studying your memory. It's also the same with sir Archie and other several students. I didn't mention it because I didn't want the enemy to know that I already was aware of their existence."
As I took a pill to suppress my demon eye's power. Ofelia stopped Red's hand. Despite the risk, she looked into my normal eye while I close my demon eye.
"What are you doing?"
"My mind magic is weakened right now. Your eye has the ability to manipulate someone's subconsciousness so it can be useful."
I tried to shake away Ofelia's hand, but she doesn't let go and doesn't even look away.
"Using my eye is risky, I can't even control my power yet."
"You won't be able to control it if you keep suppressing it."
"B-but..."
"The medicine is not always available. And it doesn't guarantee long lasting suppression. At some point, you might find yourself immune to the medicine which is much more dangerous."
Guh! It's hard to refute her argument. Then again, it's risky to practice it with her in front of me.
"Are you sure we can use my eye in a good way?"
"We'll have to try."
"That doesn't sound reassuring at all."
Ofelia takes the medicine from my hand and instantly burns it with her fire magic. After that, she holds down my hands to my legs to stop me from moving. Even though I tried to pull her with Rose, her Dragonoid body just won't budge! She just pushes Rose away with her wings too.
"Don't run away."
"Then don't blame me for whatever's going to happen!"
Slowly, I open my demon eye and look at Ofelia. Though it was itchy, I could feel power flowing into my mind and into my eye. The sensation was like letting blood flow through a clogged vein.
"What do you feel right now?"
"I don't really get it, but it feels like stretching a limb I haven't moved in ages."
"Then that's good. Keep that sensation going until it stops."
Following her advice, I just let the feeling continue while I stare directly into her eyes.
Ofelia suddenly feels like she's shaken, but her expression didn't change.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm resisting your magic with my own. Though, I'm not quite sure if I'm resisting or not because it's my first encounter with a Lust Coax."
While we're busy practicing here, I check the hallways if someone was coming in or not in the clinic as Rose. I mean, if someone sees Ofelia with me, rumors might spread.
After a while, I could feel like the feeling had stopped. My demon eye feels a bit heavy but to an extent I can control it.
"What do you feel now?"
"Well, the itch is gone. But it doesn't really feel like it has any power now that I tried it."
"Then that's the best outcome we can hope for. How about you try it."
"T-try it, on you?"
"Hmm. It might not be effective because of my mind magic."
"Oh right. Then, can you please let go of my hands? I can almost feel my hands breaking now."
It might be because she was resisting real hard, but it seems like she wasn't aware that she was crushing my hands with her dragonoid strength.
When she lets go, she looks at her hands confused.
"Now that you can somewhat control your power, why not try it on me. If I feel some attack to my mind magic, we can confirm and measure your power."
"How do we test it though?"
When I asked her that, she falls into silence and thinks to herself.
"I don't know much about control type Mind Magic, but if memory serves me right, they mostly require verbal commands."
"You sure know a lot."
"I studied everything related to mind magic."
While I was thinking about how to test it, my eyes wandered towards her hand that was touching her lips. Though it was a random thought, I felt like it was a good joke to lighten up the mood.
"Kiss me."
When I said that, Ofelia's eyes widened in surprise and she looks at me.
"I-I'm sorry, that was a jo-!"
Before I could finish my words, Ofelia closes her eyes and leaned forward and then puts her lips unto mine.
And after a few seconds, she opens her eyes in shock as her lips were still on mine.
Immediately, she pushes me away and her face immediately becomes bright red while she covers her lips with her hand.
All I can do now is beg for forgiveness!
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so-"
"Your Lust Coax, it's way too powerful."
-End of Chapter-