Several days later, in the wasteland, a terrifying tide of Mana gathered wildly for reasons unknown, forming a blue-black vortex in midair like the eye of a bottomless abyss.
"The ideal land long beyond reach, Lordless Camelot!"
In an instant, the dense clouds burst open. Holy Lances woven from Ether fell straight from the sky with the force of thunder.
Chaotic arcs of light lashed down, tearing spiderweb cracks through the earth. Grass, trees, sand, and stone were reduced to dust, and everything within a hundred meters became barren ground. Thumb-sized strips of charred black carbon were scattered everywhere.
The bombardment continued for a full four or five minutes before the biting tide of Ether finally faded away.
As the dust drifted down, a graceful figure stood at the center of the storm atop a protruding slab of bedrock, wand in hand. Her imposing presence was like that of a queen ruling over the land and surveying her kingdom.
"Hmph. Weak! Far too weak! I finally got worked up, and it's already over. How dull…"
The Queen's low murmur echoed across the devastated wilderness, her disdain obvious.
"Yes, yes, you're right…"
After that perfunctory reply, the weak voice turned resentful.
"So, can you open your eyes now, employer?"
At that moment, the tightly shut eyes beneath the veil opened with difficulty, just a narrow slit, letting her steal a faint glance at the scene.
Only after confirming that none of those monsters remained nearby did Morgan reluctantly open her eyes fully. Her gaze fell on her two dust-covered companions below, and a flicker of awkwardness crossed her eyes.
"They were only some magic insects. Was there really any need to use a large-scale ritual spell?"
Samael shook the dust from his body, torn between laughter and exasperation.
Just now, as they were passing through this stretch of wasteland, they had happened to be attacked by a large swarm of Insects of the Abyss, blocking the carriage's path.
Those filthy things, born from the corpses of the dead, looked like caterpillars, mosquitoes, and flies. They squirmed and swarmed in every direction, devouring soil, polluting water sources, and mutating animals wherever they went.
The sight was a nightmare for anyone who hated dense swarms of crawling things.
As a result, the moment Morgan saw it from the carriage, she completely lost control.
Whether the magic insects had all been wiped out, he had no idea. But the three of them had almost been blasted into the sky by Morgan first.
"There's nothing wrong with being cautious."
Morgan answered with perfect righteousness, though her eyes drifted slightly.
"Why not just admit you were scared? Haha, I never imagined a rare witch like you would be afraid of things like caterpillars."
The white-haired Incubus big sister scratched her messy long hair and immediately exposed the real reason behind Morgan's overreaction, smiling as she mocked her.
"I do not fear weak, ugly things. If anything, they excite me more!"
Morgan shot Mari a cold glance, then proudly lifted her chin and declared,
"They are merely insects. Leave them to me. Next time, all you need to do is stand behind me!"
"No need to wait for next time. Why not lead the way right now?"
Mari immediately cut off the witch's escape route, pointing ahead with eyes full of encouragement and mischief.
"…I just cast a spell. I don't have enough Mana right now…"
Morgan lowered her head and looked away.
"I'll scout ahead. That's my job anyway."
Samael glared at Mari, who was clearly stirring up trouble, and volunteered to take the task himself.
To Morgan's ears, that calm statement sounded like heavenly music.
"Good!"
The witch immediately withdrew the right foot she had placed at the edge of the bedrock, gripped her wand tightly with both hands, and nodded hard.
"I'll support you from behind with Magecraft!"
"Uh, better not."
Samael glanced at the pitted wasteland and felt a little uneasy. With a stiff smile, he repeatedly shook his head and politely declined.
After all, this woman had just cast a spell with her eyes closed.
He was afraid Morgan might casually strike him down too.
As Samael, the only one who could keep Mari in check, walked farther and farther away, the two women stared at each other and fell into a brief silence.
But the white-haired Incubus, who had finally found something entertaining, stayed true to her usual death-seeking style. She lazily folded her arms and leaned against the carriage, then aimed another round of sarcasm at Morgan.
"See? He's actually safer when you don't support him."
"As if you're useful! A Great Mother-class fairy, yet all you know are low-grade Magecraft like lockpicking, stealth, disguise, and Illusion Arts. You'd bite your tongue if you chanted too fast. You're a disgrace to sorcerers!"
With no one else around, Morgan no longer bothered hiding her dislike for this white-haired Incubus. She sneered and fired back without hesitation.
"Tch, looking down on me? Big sister knows plenty of Magecraft!"
Mari raised her delicate, smooth chin and could not resist boasting.
"For example?"
"Mystic Eyes?"
"That's a talent, not a spell…"
"Uh, then weaving dreams? Turning myself into flower petals? Turning attacks into flower petals…"
"…Isn't that still Illusion Arts…"
Morgan's expression was full of contempt. She gripped her wand tightly, and a sense of superiority welled up in her heart.
"Besides, I've basically mastered the spells of the Six Great Fairy Clans. Whatever you can do, I can do. And whatever you're not good at, I'm just as skilled in!"
As a rare witch, Morgan's talent was exceptionally high, so she was naturally qualified to say this.
Especially under Britannia's blessing of Mystery, she had thoroughly researched and studied the native fairy spells, and excelled in four categories of Magecraft: "Mirror," "Tower," "Garden," and "Coffin."
Among them, "Mirror" covered detection, defense, and reflection Magecraft, and could also handle short-range transfer.
"Tower" was barrier Magecraft that covered a fixed area and came with the privilege of domination.
"Garden" was more complicated and involved the mental plane. It included categories such as "Beautiful Dream," "Abyss," "Lost Will," and "Innocent." In theory, the confinement of "Garden of the Innocent" could trap a Great Mother-class fairy, while "Garden of Lost Will" repeatedly inflicted negative psychological attacks on those trapped inside.
"Coffin" belonged to the field of repair and regeneration, and could also be used as a medium to create clones.
On top of that, there were Holy Lances woven from Mana, Magic Crests that dominated other species, and ancient but somewhat incomplete Rune letters…
Morgan had considerable skill in all of these.
By comparison, Mari, the fairy sorceress, looked rather shabby.
After several skirmishes, aside from running away and watching from the sidelines, Morgan had never seen this woman properly provide support or deal any meaningful damage.
Mari wanted to argue back, but after holding it in for a long while, she could only raise her hand in annoyance and lightly touch the tip of her nose.
"I really don't know why Samael insisted on bringing along dead weight like you."
Having won back a round in her own field of expertise, Morgan immediately began mocking the white-haired Incubus in front of her without mercy.
"That's because there's one specialty where you definitely can't beat me!"
Mari, who had been steadily losing ground, glanced at the distant figure. Her eyes rolled, and she smiled as she fired back.
"What?"
Morgan, gifted beyond measure, asked with a dismissive sneer.
The female Incubus propped up her delicate chin, smiled suggestively, and announced with pride,
"Service. Big sister is very good at service, you know."
"…"
At those words, Morgan's cheek twitched, and she was left utterly speechless.