Chapter 96 — A Testament of Friendship
Elias quietly departed by boat.
Robin's words still echoed in his mind.
As the daughter of the Commander of the Allied Forces, Leiya held an exalted status and noble identity.
Out of guilt, Theodore doted on her excessively—granting her every wish, indulging her every request.
And after her severe illness, with her magic depleted and her spirit weakened, she was—
From every possible angle—
The most suitable target for mental manipulation.
If Elias were Grausam, he wouldn't hesitate for a second.
He would choose her.
Yet according to Robin—
Grausam had attempted to guide Leiya into Paradise…
And failed.
Which meant—
At this very moment, the one under Grausam's control was someone else entirely.
That realization left Elias deeply unsettled.
Magical resonance does not lie.
The triangular sapphire embedded in the medal—
The one imbued with the Paradise Induction Spell (Ansehelschella)—
Had been personally selected by Leiya.
And at the Full Moon Ball, before countless witnesses, she had handed it to Elias herself.
So where had things gone wrong?
As Elias sank deeper into thought—
The small boat beneath his feet shattered into surreal fragments, dissolving into white light.
His eyes snapped open.
Amid the hazy morning mist—
He heard Leiya's voice.
"…Ugh… what just happened…"
"My head… it hurts…"
Her brows knitted tightly as she clutched her forehead, slowly opening her eyes within the fog.
And the moment she saw Elias—
The memory of that death threat surged back into her mind.
"Elias!"
Leiya shrieked as she sprang to her feet, angrily thrusting a finger toward his face.
But in the very next instant—
—everything changed.
Her fingertip suddenly released a precise attack spell.
Bang!
Elias blocked it without so much as a change in expression.
Leiya, by contrast, froze in shock.
She stared down at her own hands, trembling—unable to believe her eyes.
"I… I can control it…"
"I can control my magic now!!"
Her scream pierced the air.
Elias spoke calmly.
"That's because I removed the seal placed on you."
"Your body is still weak, but with enough rest, you should be able to resume magical training."
"And if you're going to blame me for taking the Cole family's 'heirloom'—
then I can only tell you this: it was never theirs to begin with."
Leiya listened silently, eyes wide, fixed on Elias.
Then—
"Hahahahahahaha!"
She burst into wild laughter.
"The Cole family's heirloom? That thing was stolen by our ancestors in the first place!"
"My father sealed it inside me for the sake of so-called family honor—
and turned me into this!"
"Thank you, Elias! I've wanted to be free of that seal for a long time now!"
"Though honestly, if you knew how to undo it, you really should've done it ear—"
"Wait, Lady Leiya."
Elias cut her off, his expression dark and grave.
"There's something far more important I need to ask you."
He removed the Special-Class Guard Medal from his chest and held it up before her.
"The sapphire embedded in this medal—
didn't you choose it personally?"
Leiya blinked.
"How do you know that? Did you eavesdrop on my conversation with Father—"
"That's not important."
Elias interrupted sharply.
"What is important is that this gemstone has been imbued with a form of mental magic."
"Do you have any idea how that happened?"
Leiya inhaled deeply.
"The triangular sapphire… yes, I did choose it myself."
"But as for this mental magic you mentioned—I have no memory of such a thing."
Her face darkened as she searched her thoughts.
"I don't know much about gemstones. And I understand rituals even less."
"Fortunately, I had a very clever friend back then—
she gave me plenty of advice."
Elias's pupils contracted slightly.
"A… clever friend?"
---
Ten Minutes Earlier
Silverlake Manor, Western District — Infirmary
Since returning to the manor yesterday, Frieren had remained at Yuna's bedside.
Zanni and Camilla tried to persuade her to rest in her room, but she refused outright.
Overwhelmed by guilt, she chose to stay alone in the infirmary until Yuna awoke.
She slept there the entire night, slumped against the bed.
Even in her dreams, she saw Yuna shielding her from the attack—
gravely wounded, screaming in pain.
"…Frieren? Wake up."
She felt a gentle hand softly stroking her hair.
Groggily, Frieren lifted her head.
Through the haze, she caught sight of a flash of blue.
"…Mm!"
"Yuna—! You're awake!!"
Frieren threw herself into Yuna's arms, shouting with joy.
"You were unconscious for a whole day and night! We were so worried!"
Yuna smiled gently, patting Frieren's head.
"Frieren, thank you for the music box. I feel much better now."
"Oh! Right!"
Frieren suddenly sprang up.
"General Yug rushed back from the city to see you! He was afraid you'd fall into another months-long coma like last time!"
"But he had to leave late last night because of official duties."
"I'll go tell him right now—he'll be thrilled to hear you've woken up!"
"Wait, Frieren."
Yuna softly caught her hand.
"Since Father is busy, don't trouble him just yet."
"I'll inform him myself later—and give him a little surprise."
"Oh! That reminds me!"
Frieren suddenly produced a mirror with a conspiratorial grin.
"Yuna, guess what this is?"
Yuna took it, examining it from different angles.
"It looks like a magical device?"
"Exactly!"
"It's a rare artifact Professor Thomas just sent over—
The Mirror That Reflects True Expressions!"
"And guess what? We won yesterday's hunting lesson!"
"Really?"
Yuna looked surprised.
"Was it because of the snake scales we collected?"
"Hahaha! That's right!"
Frieren laughed brightly.
"The giant serpent's scales were worth more than every other team combined!"
"Yuna, you were our biggest contributor—this mirror is yours!"
Yuna's expression dimmed slightly as she raised the mirror.
She studied her reflection.
"'A mirror that reflects true expressions'…"
"…What a fascinating artifact."
Frieren didn't notice—
That the girl reflected in the mirror
had curved her lips into a strangely twisted smile.
"Um… Frieren."
"I feel bad keeping such a valuable artifact all to myself."
"I want to give you something too—
as a token of our friendship."
Smiling, Yuna removed the necklace from around her neck and personally placed it on Frieren.
"Frieren, this gemstone's color really suits your green hair, don't you think?"
Frieren looked down.
"Huh… it really does!"
"Wait—this gemstone looks like…"
"Tear of the Azure Sea?!"
"Oh? You recognize it?"
"Yes! I do!"
"And I even—"
Frieren lifted her head mid-sentence—
Only for her excited expression to freeze solid.
Because Yuna's smile now matched the one reflected in the mirror.
Warped. Unnatural.
"…Yuna… you—"