Bastet was bored outside and spent ten minutes pouncing on Crows.
Due to the influence of her bloodline, she knew Mori Tsukisa couldn't seal the magic of the wizards in this World. So, once they finished talking, she would have to find a way to help her break that annoying magic lock.
She was wondering who to ask for help when a massive explosion echoed across the plaza, ringing in the cat's ears!
Boom!
Rumble!
The sound of something collapsing.
"You bastard! Mori Tsukisa, you're definitely a lunatic!" The black cat took off running back!
...Ten minutes ago.
Two arms met.
Mori Tsukisa's palm was dry and warm, while Nagini's was cold, like a block of ice.
"Excuse me... what should I call you?"
The woman looked blankly at the girl, who was a head shorter than her. Lush black hair fell around her to her waist, and a seductive beauty mark sat at the slightly downturned corner of her eye.
She looked more like an enchanting, seductive snake than herself.
"I'm Mori Tsukisa, I just introduced myself."
No, that wasn't what Nagini meant.
She wasn't stupid or deaf. That... little lady, the Little Knight lady? She had called Mori Tsukisa "Your Majesty." Should she call her that too?
"You can call me whatever you like." Seeing Nagini's hesitation, Mori Tsukisa reached into her bag, rummaged around for a bit, and pulled her hand out with two candies in her palm.
Purple and white wrappers.
"Yay!" the girl cheered softly. "My two favorites!"
"Here, which one do you like?"
The night grew deeper, and a few snores drifted from nearby.
Nagini unwrapped the candy in the purple paper and slowly put it in her mouth, her slightly long tongue curling around it.
It was very sweet, with a hint of grape and plum.
"How... are we supposed to get out?"
Obviously, Mori Tsukisa couldn't open this magic lock either, and she couldn't say for sure if brute-forcing it would trigger some kind of self-destruct or explosion.
Of course, she was even less likely to trouble Bastet to pay the price of unleashing divine power for such a trivial matter.
So... "Don't worry, don't worry," Mori Tsukisa patted her chest, promising Nagini with great confidence, "I'll use normal social channels."
—However, the so-called "normal social channels" meant waiting for some unlucky soul on the night shift. As he carried a large brush and a small red plastic bucket to clean the Kappa, the girl suddenly jumped out like a ghost...!
"Wah!"
"Aaaaaah!!!"
Thud!
The male employee was scared out of his wits.
"Hahaha!"
He fell flat on his backside, and a palm-sized light red key was revealed on his chest. His face was full of terror, and his finger jabbed repeatedly at Mori Tsukisa's shadow. He wanted to shout, but was threatened into silence.
"Quiet down, Boy."
Mori Tsukisa pulled out a black hair tie and tied her voluminous hair into a low ponytail.
"It would be nice to have a maid... This is so troublesome."
"I... I can help you." Nagini tentatively looked up and pointed at the ponytail. "After... after we leave, let me help you."
"Don't speak so cautiously. From today on, you belong to me." Mori Tsukisa flicked her low ponytail with dissatisfaction and skipped over to the still-terrified employee.
The man stared at Mori Tsukisa, dazed.
"Who are you? This is Mr. Skender's territory! Are you a wizard? Or a No-Maj? How did you get in?"
"My name is Nobi Nobita, and I'm a student who's restless with the ordinary." Mori Tsukisa took a few more steps, reached out, grabbed the large light red key, and yanked it off the man's neck!
Snap!
The tough string snapped instantly, and the man was even pulled forward a short distance.
"No, no, you can't go in!"
As he scrambled backward on his buttocks, his right hand reached into his coat and pulled out a small dark brown baton—at least, that's what it looked like to Mori Tsukisa. If she had a wand, she would definitely make it look like a sword or a long staff; that way, she could not only cast spells but also whack people at close range.
That would be much more interesting than a baton.
"Diffindo!" the man shouted the incantation. The next moment, a red light shot from the tip of the wand, heading straight for Mori Tsukisa!
The girl curiously kept her hands behind her back and simply tilted her body slightly.
The red light grazed past her waist—
Boom!
A waist-high wooden storage box was smashed into a blurred mess of wood splinters.
"A bit slow. I'm curious, do you know about handguns?" As she spoke, the girl would occasionally tilt her head or sway to dodge the incoming spells, moving with the elegant ease of someone taking a stroll. "They're much more fun than wands."
"Serpensortia!"
A crackling explosion sounded, and swirls of black smoke suddenly enveloped the man's body!
Then, a black snake was flung out!
"Bite her to death!" the man barked!
The black snake rolled a few times on the mud, then shook its triangular head, looking a bit dazed. It looked at the man, then at Mori Tsukisa, and after seemingly confirming who had summoned it, it reared up high—its mouth aimed at Mori Tsukisa's neck.
Its bright red tongue flickered, emitting a hissing threat.
"Quick! Bite her to death!"
Suddenly, a cold female voice spread from the side of the battlefield.
"Leave this place."
—It was a strange language that Mori Tsukisa had never heard before. It didn't sound like any common language still in use today; instead, it was more like the dead languages left behind in books and history.
The circus employee knew much better than Mori Tsukisa.
"Parselmouth! Nagini! Are you going to betray Mr. Skender?!"
While it looked like a back-and-forth fight, it was actually just Mori Tsukisa dodging—initially, the girl had been curious about the power of so-called "wizardry," but now, she was getting a bit bored.
She watched quietly as the black snake before her left under Nagini's command. The sounds of the fight had likely alerted the circus members who weren't sleeping too deeply.
Including that Mr. Skender.
"Your Majesty, they're coming." Arrietty sat on her shoulder, her left hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist.
"bari bari! Hurry up!"
Amidst the Little Sprite's urging, Mori Tsukisa turned the key, inserting the longer end into the keyhole—the magic runes on it lit up one by one. As she turned it, the girl didn't feel the friction of a lock cylinder or metal inside.
It was a weightless hole, as if it were hollow.
Click.
The square lock split in two from the middle, hanging limply; of course, this meant the enclosure was open.
The girl grabbed the flustered Nagini by the hand.
"We're leaving!"
"Um..." Nagini, her hand held by the shorter girl, lowered her head to look at her. "Do you... do you want to save the other animals as well?"
Perhaps this kind girl simply wanted to exercise her usual compassion. If so, there were indeed many other creatures besides herself who looked like they were having a hard time under Skender's control.
She should... "Save who?" The girl blinked in confusion. "No, of course not. It has nothing to do with me."
"They're too ugly, I don't like them." Shaking her head willfully, Nagini seemed to see a fiery red figure within the girl's silk-black hair, which gave her a meaningful look.
Then, she heard a question.
"Nagini, do you want me to save them?"
"Do you pity them? If it's you, I can help."
The human and the sprite stood before Nagini, watching her quietly, waiting for her answer.
The sounds of chaos drew closer; she could even hear old Skender's cursing and heavy footsteps.
"No." Nagini shook her head quickly, her face once again clouded with coldness. "That would cause trouble for you."
"Let's leave."
"Heehee..." Arrietty hopped onto the top of Mori Tsukisa's head, nodded with satisfaction, and then drew several short daggers from her leg, flinging them toward the source of the cursing.
Thud.
Screams and the sound of heavy objects hitting the ground.
"Let's run! Your Majesty!"
"Let's go, let's go!"
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.