"I think you're overdoing it, Alicia, I sound like the king of merfolk gods or something. ”

"You said you wanted to make a great first impression!"

"Now you're just manipulating yourself. ”

"Well, it's too late now, she's very impressed by the way she looks, look at her, I feel like her knees are bending. ”

"Sofina seems to like her. She even looks like the girl. Any ideas? The only person she likes is you. ”

Alicia and her master exchanged a quick message through silent messages, while Gwen stared at Henry Kilroy, a star impressed by the title of "Magician", with a doe-like gaze.

She once met John Howard, the infamous cabbage, at a barbecue party in Kiribilly, and she was only a little dazzled.

But a judge is not a prime minister. There is a mage here who is able to use three types of magic, and each of them has reached a very high level of proficiency.

Aside from the Order of Mestre, something akin to the Nobel Prize, the title of mage is the highest honor a mortal mage can receive. Magic is the final stage of the game; If Gwen is the cornerstone at the foot of the pyramid, then Master Kilroy is the golden marker on its granite cover.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency," Gwen chanted with the reverence of the altar boy served by the Pope. Dear ......"

She wanted to say something profound, but her eloquence was frightened into silence. For a moment, Gwen wondered if the man would sign his autograph.

"Hahaha, that girl is so scared that she can't speak!"

A deafening laugh shattered Gwen's religious epiphany. Sofina is once again around Gwen and now takes a liking to Gwen's hair. Using her stiletto-like fingers, the elf expertly knotted Gwen's waist-length hair, grunting Gwen's dark curls while grunting happily.

"Again, Miss Song," replied the judge, in a calm and unhurried tone. The old mage gestured coldly with one hand. Gwen was amazed when a chair moved over to greet him.

After closer inspection, Gwen realized that the chair had grown out of the floor!

Kilroy sits.

As the chair continued to move, he suddenly lost his balance, causing him to stagger backwards.

"Master!"

Alicia hurried to help Kilroy, fearing that her respectable teacher would fall and break a hip. Thankfully, a low stool popped up from the ground and grabbed Henry before he could lose his balance.

"Sofina, focus. Henry's voice became cautious with annoyance, and we arrived before the guests. ”

The stool was transformed into an elaborate throne.

Wow, Gwen looked away. Think of the chair you can use to express sarcasm.

Henry sighed.

"That's why you never spoil your acquaintances," Alexia copied the awkward demonstration for Gwen, dispelling the serious atmosphere that Henry had created before he joined. "You want to make an impression, but what you're familiar with overwhelms you because she doesn't like your tone. ”

"Lord Kilroy?" Gwen tried to revive the solemn moment, but without success. The magic is long gone.

"Just 'sir,' or rather judge," Kilroy replied, his answer reminding Gwen of Alexia, and he made a definite gesture, waving his hand improvise, expressing his desire for comfort. "So, let's get down to business, I may not look like it, but I'm a busy guy. ”

"Busy napping," Alexia laughed mischievously, spoiling her doting master, Gwen, don't be afraid. He's an innocuous old antique, though useful. ”

Sofina giggled, and the gnome laughter trembled among the trees.

“...”

Henry's face was full of helpless annoyance. On his shriveled face, Gwen saw a doting father who had long since given up on educating his wayward daughter.

"Look, that's why Gunther will always be my favorite," the old man lamented that he was listening!

"Hmph!" Alexia pouted.

So even the mighty Alexia de Botton could be cute, Gwen suppressed a secret smile. The interaction between her and her host is paternal and admirable.

The mage refocused his attention on Gwen.

"Gwen. Henry's tone became serious again. "Alesia tell me about you. I think it's up to us to decide what to do. ”

"Sir?" Gwen swallowed.

"Why don't you start from scratch?"

"Yes, sir. ”

Gwen did not have her otherworldly origins, she told the magician everything she knew: her strange nightmares, her awakenings, her vertigo and fatigue. She talks about her experience in the cognitive room, and the training she went through. She then recounts her encounter with Edgar, what Edgar had tried to do to her, and the discovery of a dark element that seemed to drain her life force.

... What about snakes?" asked Gwen after he had finished. Gwen looked at Alexia, and she nodded encouragingly.

Gwen recounted what she could do. When she said she had woken up from her NDE and regained her vitality, the judge's eyebrows lifted by an impressive inch. Later the amiability of the mythological story, and the fact that she conversed with a primitive land god without her restrained mind implosion, further attracted the judges.

"I'm afraid I can't give you many answers. When Gwen's story was written, Henry chanted. She noticed that the judge had been brewing a glass of golden mead, taking sips every now and then. "But, first, can I take a look at the Qilin amulet that your father gave you?"

Gwen began to untie the rope around her neck, but the judge stopped her.

"There's no need to take it off. I just want to see its aura. ”

Gwen rested her heart against her chest.

"Confirm!"

"Detect magic!"

When Kilroy's diagnostic magic rushed upon her, her skin began to squirm.

The judge pursed his lips.

"As I thought, no wonder Sofina likes you so much. ”

"Master?" Alessia asked carefully.

Henry closed his eyes and let the sorted magic disappear. When he opened his eyes again, they regained their steely brilliance.

"The amulet is part of something bigger, because I can sense that its hostility is incomplete. The material itself is the heartstone of something, at least on an ancient level, under mythology, but still very, very old. Objects contain the ability to store spiritual essences, which are completely different from forms of magic. For this reason, I can't tell you how the amulet works. It was not made with Western methods, and its origins predate the time of magicians. But. Since it is your father's favor, I will put it on your breast. Although heirloom magic items may be incompatible with modern spells, they may provide passive protection. ”

The judge then ordered Gwen to hide her pendant.

"We were more interested in the fact that I could detect the life force of the myth, part of which ......"

Henry pointed to Gwen's heart.

“... It's on you right now. ”

Alicia was delighted. She knew it was the right idea to come and see her master. The old man may be a little old, but he is the most authoritative figure on magical phenomena in mysteries.

"What does that mean?" Gwen asked. As a novice to spell theory, half of what she heard was non-sensory jargon.

"When the snake says you are its relative," the judge continued. "This means that the life force in your body is its 'relative'. I suspect that the "essence" of eggs has penetrated into your amulet. As for the egg itself, I can safely assume that it is a native spirit stone – said to be the abandoned core of the mythical creatures that inhabit our vast brown land. ”

"But the snake is alive, it's good," Gwen retorted, the core of which comes from a magical creature of death, isn't it?

Henry took a sip from his cup and added another cup of beneficial Sofina.

"Mythical creatures are inherently immortal, especially snakes, phoenixes, and certain species of dragons – they die and rebirth multiple times, leaving behind something from the past each time. The egg you see is kind of like a peel. ”

Gwen nodded half-understandingly.

This brings us to the next question. The judge gestured and put aside the previous topic.

"Your dilemma with a mysterious class connection. ”

Gwen shivered under Kilroy's scrutinizing gaze.

"I'll explain. Alicia leaned over and grabbed Gwen's hand, offering warmth and sympathy to the girl. "What I'm going to tell you won't be pleasant, but I hope you understand where I and you are now. ”

Gwen lowered her eyes, anticipating the worst.

"First of all, you can communicate with a myth, which means that you are able to influence its behavior, no matter how insignificant it is. This means, unfortunately, for you, that you are a state asset. No government will allow him to walk freely on the streets. ”

"What's next, what happens if the border government or the Federal Building finds out? Not everyone is as tolerant and lazy as the owner here. Most of them are old antiques, and they just want to do one more sweep on the coast to expand their reach. Both the gray faction and the radical faction will be happy to put their hands on you. If they do, there are two potential outcomes

"One: quarantine. Isolate yourself from other people, and then try to figure out a way to extract energy from your body. After all, as Master said, Gwen Song is not related to him by blood, but the essence of what it says, mistaking you for a brother or sister or something. ”

Gwen paled.

"Second: it's the best option – we leave you in complete stagnation and isolation. Put you aside until you're useful or no longer dangerous. The same option includes killing you, although I doubt it. The towers are plagued by potential war assets. ”

Gwen's torso was covered in cold sweat, soaking through her thin white shirt. How could this be? Did she jump out of the frying pan into the fire? Will she become a specimen in a bottle?

"That's the situation we're considering," Alexia said.

“... Alicia, can you help me?"

Gwen didn't care about asking for a lifesaver. She instinctively knew that her freedom depended entirely on the handouts of the two people in front of her. This time, there was no need to coax, her eyes full of pleading for sympathy.

"Henry, help her. "It was Sofina who suggested to her host.

"Master, you must help her," Alexia also chanted, pleading with her teacher.

Three pairs of eyes, hazel, ultramarine, and glowing amber, briskly turned towards Lord Magician, who was in the Sydney Tower.

Justice Henry Kane Foster Kilroy of the Oceania Mansion knows he is now at a crossroads.

The results of pragmatism are obvious, but Henry has seen enough of the dilemma to believe in this inhuman logical operation. After all, didn't he go against all the advice twenty years ago and do something to Alessia? an impulsive decision that saved thousands of lives, endowed humanity with a flaming spear to stop the merfolk, and protected his conscience.

The girl, Gwen Song, resembles Alexia in many ways. Henry could guess why his favorite student had become abnormal, at least enough to risk her life. With renewed interest, he studied the girl, watching her pupils dilate and shrink, noticing the unusual intelligence in Gwen's eyes.

Can he take on another burden?

He had made three such decisions before: irreversibly changed the lives of three people.

His wife Elizabeth.

His first apprentice, Gunther.

His second, Alessia.

Will there be a fourth now? Will he still have enough time to fight the other guy?

Henry Kilroy's lips smiled.

The judge was astonished to find himself so amiable that he wondered if the years had worn away his paranoia and replaced it with erudition. As time passed, it became easier for smart people, Henry pointed out with selfish sagacity, not to mention that the girl piqued his curiosity. Alessia asserts that the girl has two elements, although she cannot confirm her hypothesis.

"Then we agree, and that's the end of the responsibility," Henry announced after a minute of deep thought, quoting the legendary American mage Harry trans_result Truman. "Gwen's secret is still between you and me. But - nothing is free, there must be guarantees. ”

Alicia took a deep breath, she patted Gwen's white fingers, told her that the worst was over, and deduced that Gwen had better take her master's advice or go back to permanent stagnation.

"I agree—"

"Don't take it so casually," the judge chanted, trying to strengthen the girl's resolve I promise we won't give you too many options, but your promise must be of free will. Tell me, son, which way are you going, what do you want for yourself?"

What does she want?

Gwen wanted her to know the answer to the judge's gentle questioning. Rationally, she knew she wanted a life of safety, leisure, and ease, but in this world, was that possible? Wasn't their current crisis accurate? Because her communication with a mysterious being implied that she could single-handedly destroy the safety, comfort, and comfort of all the others in Sydney? She had seen people living in the city, without a goal, without a job, or living a monotonous life—was that what she longed for?

What does she want?

Gwen searches for Alexia, seeing a potential answer in her talented mentor. Next to the witch in red, the figure of the smiling old man and his half-goddess servant offers another.

"You can be honest with me, kid. The judge's voice was a deep, reverberating baritone. "Whatever you wish for, there is no shame. I will do my best to accommodate your request. ”

Gwen's chest swelled with her breathing, and her lungs were about to burst. In her old world, this grandiose delusion only applied to the insane, whose dreams and declarations led to the death and suffering of millions.

"I ......" Gwen found her voice, but the words choked up and disappeared from her tongue. She knew those words were wrong. "I ...... I want ......"

Her mouth was filled with ashes, and her head was filled with strange emotions. Isn't it hard for a world at war to say something so realistic? What's the harm? Isn't this a world of gods and monsters?

"What do you want? Gwen Song?" the magician continued as he walked forward, teasing Pandora's sacred vessel.

"I want ...... Strength. ”

Gwen finally heard the expletive, and her nervousness was like an open dam.

"I want to protect my strength. ”

"I want to protect my friend's strength. ”

"I want the strength to make my life fear-free. ”

"That's all?" Judge Kilroy's smile was calm, and he rolled his fingers to form a mysterious circle.

Gwen was no longer behind her, and her words poured out of her mouth like a torrent.

"I want the power to punish those who hurt me. I want to scare the fox, I want to scare the wolf, I want the power to intimidate those who hurt me, so that I don't have to fear revenge!"

Machiavelli's cynical words, so ridiculously exaggerated and disturbing in her old world, slipped from her tongue like a key into an oiled lock that opened the part she didn't know existed. Or maybe they have always existed, and she wondered if this was how dictators and psychopaths were born.

"Great!" the magician let out a satisfied laugh, his laughter rolling through the room, filling the room's space.

"There's no shame in wanting power," Henry praised his new ward. "In the study of spells, Gwen, we call the manifesto the path we have chosen. For those of us centrist of the centrist, power is a means, not an end. This is a beast that must be tamed in order to obtain greatness!"

"Great?" asked Gwen panting, her previous confession draining her physical strength.

"Yes, Gwen, great. ”

"The Great Way?"

The old man's eyes sparkled.

"Alesia, please speak of the creed. ”

Alicia rose from her chair and began to speak, like a schoolgirl under the command of the headmaster, her own eyes shining with fiery dogma.

"Greatness is the path of magic. ”

"Greatness is not in oneself. ”

"Greatness is how a person affects the people around them. ”

Greatness lies not only in strength, but in the noble use of power, because the strength of one person can carry the hearts of others

Alicia's tone trembled with enthusiasm. Next to her, the judge listened to his student speak with a dreamlike satisfaction, as if listening to the crescendo of an overture. Although he knew it was a magical influence, and he used it to evoke raw, pure emotions in his students, the creed proved to be as inspiring as the day he and his peers wrote it.

"Thank you, Alessia. "Kilroy turns to their guests, that's the creed of the tower, Gwen, what do you think of our path?"

Gwen trembled with excitement. An ecstatic passion burst from her heart, like a raging sea at high tide. She effortlessly found the next sentence.

"Greatness," she continued, found herself channeling Emerson's wisdom, "greatness is the combination of superior superiority with greater generosity, which we call noble grace!"

"That's right!" the judge's eyes widened, unexpectedly happy. What an insight! How clever!

"The abuse of power," Gwen's voice grew louder and louder, invoking the bard's words when remorse is out of touch with greatness!"

"Gwen, that's... Great!" the judge found himself applauding the girl. He had studied the Creed for half a century, but he had yet to discover words that would well embody his spirit.

Opposite the magician, Gwen is ashamed of plagiarism. She looked at Alexia and Henry, and now had an open crush on her, as if she were the judge and they were the squires.

Alexia's fists clenched beside her, and the veins in Judge Kilroy's wrinkled neck throbbed with violent undulations.

When Gwen was hot-headed, she couldn't help but wonder if she had made the right impression.