“…… Kill me. ”

On the third day that Sarah was given life and saw the world with her own eyes, her maker, Phillips, gave her such an irresistible command.

Even though Sarah still didn't understand anything at the time, the alchemical array deeply engraved in the depths of her soul drove her to stand up, grab the sharp knife on the table, and accurately cut Phillips's throat.

……

Death is painful, and whether it is of one's own will or not, it does not alleviate the pain it gives.

So, the image of Phillips clutching his throat and showing hideousness, the blood gushing from between his fingers, has been vividly remembered since that day. Even though everything in that scene has faded with the passage of time, the blood gushing out of the almost black-and-white photograph only becomes more red.

"Phillips is paranoid, his heart has long been occupied by alchemy, and there is no room for anything else." Sarah, who was sitting on the floor with her knees crossed, lowered her head and whispered, "For three whole days after I was born, he was walking and thinking—he was wondering what the soul was and how he could construct it with alchemy. ”

As she spoke, Sarah suddenly raised her head and glanced at Maca.

On the third night, in his room at the inn, he had the idea that he wanted to experience the details of the soul for himself.

"So, on his orders, I killed him in the refining array he had drawn......" she silently explained, "The soul stripping was successful, but the refining array failed to keep him. ”

At this point, Sarah hung her head again, letting her hair cover her face—just like she had been years ago.

"He died at my hands, and at his own hands."

After listening to Sarah's story, Maca couldn't help but sigh secretly.

The study of alchemy is not fundamentally different from the study of magic, and there are some very esoteric things that have problems in various aspects, and until those problems are solved, only by classifying them as "taboo" can prevent some bad things from happening.

Just like the girl in front of him, what kind of definition should her existence give? A new life? Or something else?

"As you just said, you don't have emotions? But I see you've had a lot of ...... too."

"After so many years, I just don't want to learn, and a lot of expressions and reactions from others will naturally imprint in my body." Sarah crossed her knees and said, "Now, as it is now—I think I should be lonely now, and sad when I talk about it...... But what does loneliness and sadness really feel like? I had no idea. ”

"So, what you want me to do for has to do with that?" Maca nodded.

"Yes, I've been looking for wizards who have studied soul magic, but there are too few people who study this knowledge...... "Sarah said calmly, "Originally, I wanted to find that Voldemort in your British wizarding world, I heard that he died and found a way to resurrect him, I think it should be related to some kind of soul magic." ”

She paused for a moment before she continued, "But, before I could go to him, he died again. ”

"And then, in fact, it didn't take long for you to show up...... At first, I didn't expect you to study souls as well, but you appeared in front of my eyes several times, and it was hard for me not to pay attention to you. ”

"So, after hearing some of your deeds from Noah, I asked someone to find out about you. And after testing you personally, he decided to enroll in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. ”

Maybe it's because of the relationship she was going to confess to Maka tonight, and she has a much less expression when she speaks. But as she just said, some "emotional appearances" have been integrated into her body, although it is as plain as clear water, but the occasional frowning brow still seems to be trying to convey the trouble she should have at the moment.

"My situation? What did you find? Probably a little tired from standing for a long time, Maca simply sat down on the floor and asked casually while considering whether to help with this.

"For example, for a long time, you behaved a little unusually." Sarah looked at him again, "Looks like it's been in second grade?" In a word...... I feel as if you've lost your emotions and become indifferent to a lot of things. I'm afraid no one knows this feeling better than me, so I quickly got an eyebrow. ”

"Did you look for someone who investigated carefully enough?" Maca shook her head, but didn't deny it.

"No, at least it's not hard to know compared to the rest of the information about you," Sarah said calmly, "You have so many secrets that the more I know about it, the more I feel like I haven't figured anything out, and there are even more problems." It's just that I'm not very interested in anything else about you other than that. ”

"Okay!" Maca spread her hands, "Thank goodness...... There are so many people who are interested in me, and it would be a blessing for me to have one less. ”

As far as his complaining words were concerned, Sarah was naturally not interested, so she did not take the conversation over. After another pause, she summarized the topic she had just talked about with two interrogative sentences.

"So, your emotions have recovered since then, right? How did you do that? ”

Maca's answer to Sarah's question is certainly there, but his answer can't solve any of Sarah's problems.

"Unfortunately, there's one thing you're mistaken." "During that time, I didn't lose my emotions, it was just blocked by certain forces. And what unlocked the unknown seal was a strong impact on emotions. ”

Luna used her body to block the blade that should have fallen on Maca, and it was the girl's behavior that made Maca feel a heartfelt shock.

And when the emotional seal in his soul was torn by the violent impact in one fell swoop, he not only recovered the long-lost emotion, but also made himself gain the strange ability to sense magic with his soul.

It's a pity that although this has a lot to do with the soul and emotions, it is fundamentally different from Sarah's situation.

"In other words, you don't have any clue about the relationship between emotions and souls?"

Sarah pursed her lips, even though she didn't know what it was like to be "disappointed", the expression on her face involuntarily told Maca that she should be lost at this moment.

But at this time, Maca shook her head again.

"Although your investigation has gone wrong, resulting in a decisive gap between your speculation and reality......" Maka hesitated for a moment before continuing, "But, I have to say, you're in luck. For emotions and emotions, I happen to be doing research in this area......"

His research is still ongoing, and it is foreseeable that it will continue for a long time.

"But—"

When Sarah heard that Maca was studying, she couldn't help but want to say something, but Maca suddenly reached out to stop her.

"I know what you're trying to say," he said, "yes, since ancient times many wizards have set out to study moods and emotions, because most magic is tied to them. However, I don't work from the same perspective as others...... If you're not in a hurry, you can wait at Hogwarts and I might give you a way in the right direction. ”

"Can't you say it now?" Sarah asked immediately.

But Marka only thought about it for a moment, then shook her head.

"There are so many terrible facts behind this study that I can't just say it right now," he said quite frankly this time, "but since your needs don't conflict with mine, I'm here to help...... After all, I do owe you once, don't I? ”

As he spoke, he gestured to the bald old man beside him, indicating that he had acknowledged the help Sarah had given him at the cost of breaking an arm.

When Sarah heard this, she opened her mouth slightly, but quickly retracted her jaw and did not dwell on the matter any longer. After that, she slowly stood up from the floor, apparently intending to leave first.

This time, Maca didn't leave her behind, and he had other things to deal with on his side!

But when Sarah reached the door, as if she remembered something, she turned around lightly. At this moment, her blue eyes looked in Maca's direction again, and there seemed to be something more in her eyes.

"Professor McLean, since you're willing to help me with this, does that mean ...... Do you think I can count as your 'friend'? ”

Maca really didn't expect her to ask such a question, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, but then smiled again.

"Who knows? I think you can think about it for yourself," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "and if you can find the answer on your own, maybe it will help you in your search for emotions!" ”

In fact, Sarah's favor was partly due to the fact that there was no conflict of interest with Maca, but more because it was beneficial to the important research that Maca was doing.

As for the question of "are you a friend...... This may seem simple, but in fact it is surprisingly complicated, and Maca may not be able to figure it out on her own.

When Sarah left the door again with doubts, Maca put aside her thoughts and turned her gaze to the old man on the ground.

"Just let me take a look!" He muttered, "What the hell is there in your head that makes you so anxious to come to Hogwarts and toss around......"