After returning to the girls' dormitory at Serendia Academy, Monica took a short nap, then sat at her desk from morning to night, scribbling on paper with her pen.
Now, Monica was working on completing the research materials left by her father.
The design blueprints were eighty percent complete, but the finer details were still lacking. Monica was filling in these deficiencies by mobilizing all her knowledge.
Monica was not an expert in those areas, so she honestly couldn't have handled it if those parts were missing. Fortunately, the basic sections requiring genetic and biological knowledge were already finished.
The remaining twenty percent was mainly about magic formulas, which was Monica's area of expertise. Even so, despite Monica's exceptional talent in magic and mathematics, she still couldn't complete the blueprints. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
Serendia Academy had been temporarily closed for three days, but regular classes would resume tomorrow.
At worst, she could skip classes, but there was a student council meeting after school. They would be discussing the future direction of the student council with the new and former members, so she couldn't skip that.
Looking out the window, the sun had already set. Monica then realized she hadn't consumed anything but water since morning.
As she stood up, she felt a little dizzy. Since she would likely stay up all night tonight, she should eat some nuts and drink some coffee while she could.
As she was thinking this, Nero, who had been out, tapped on the window with his paw, holding something in his mouth.
When Monica opened the window, Nero flew into the attic room and placed the object from his mouth onto the bed. It was a silver pocket watch bearing the royal family's crest.
"Finally found it. They said it was hidden in the bushes of the boys' dormitory, but I searched that area forever and couldn't find it."
Nero's jet-black fur was soiled in places, with small leaves stuck to it.
Monica sat on the bed and plucked the leaves off Nero's fur.
"So where did you end up finding it?"
"Oh, a crow had taken it back to its nest, y'see. That's where I, the great me, had an intense battle with those crows…"
…How many people would believe that a black dragon fought crows?
"There I used my tail as a decoy to draw the crows' attention, then scratched it with these claws…"
"Yeah, yeah," Monica responded with a non-committal acknowledgment as she held the pocket watch in her palm.
Opening the lid revealed an ordinary pocket watch, but there seemed to be a slight bulge on the bottom. Twisting it firmly a few times, Monica felt a click.
Opening the lid again, another dial was revealed beneath the clock face.
In the center was a large aquamarine gemstone, surrounded by a magic formula representing a contract with a spirit.
The spirit's name was "Willdean" and the contractor's name was "Isaac Walker."
Contracting with a spirit requires an immense amount of mana, as well as the proper contract knowledge.
For Isaac to have acquired these skills through self-study means he must have had great talent as a mage.
"Hey, lizard! Come on out!"
Nero called out to the aquamarine, but there was no response. Most likely due to Isaac, the contract holder, having sealed its power with a talisman, the contracted spirit couldn't manifest from the stone.
Monica's specialty was wind magic. Willdean's element was water. Although she couldn't contract with it since their elements differed, she could share her magical power with it.
Channeling her magic into the aquamarine of the pocket watch, a small light flickered inside the blue gemstone.
[…Ah, is someone there?]
A faint voice came from within the aquamarine, so soft it seemed it could be drowned out by the sound of the wind.
Nero peered into the aquamarine with interest.
"Yo, lizard. Can't see what's going on out here, can you?"
[…No, I cannot see…but I can faintly hear a voice… this voice is… Lord Black Dragon Wogan, is it not?]
The Black Dragon Wogan swished his tail back and forth as he tapped the aquamarine with his paw pads.
"Yeah. Your master had asked me to bring you with me if he died, y'see. So be grateful to me for retrieving this pocket watch after an intense battle."
To the self-satisfied black dragon after winning the battle with the crow, the spirit inside the aquamarine pleaded in a thin voice,
[…Ah, ah…please…please help my master…that person is…]
"Just a fake, isn't he?"
[…So you know everything…]
His voice trailed off, a pause as if struggling with something.
As Monica hesitated whether to speak to him, Willdean started talking again.
[Allow me to tell an old story…I was originally the contracted spirit of the late Queen, Lady Irene.]
Queen Irene. The daughter of Duke Crockford, and the birth mother of the real Prince Felix.
Monica didn't know much about the royal family, but she had heard that Queen Irene was very beautiful and gifted in magic spells.
As a contractor with one of the top spirits in the country, she undoubtedly possessed skills equivalent to an high-ranking magician.
[Lady Irene was beautiful and wise… I cannot describe the feelings I held for her… trust, respect, adoration, admiration, or perhaps infatuation… I'm not sure which is appropriate… but I dearly cherished her.]
He had wanted her to smile.
He had wanted her to be happy.
He had wanted to grant her wishes.
The spirit, with senses different from humans, slowly revealed his heart bit by bit.
[When Lady Irene became pregnant, she always wished that her child would not be bound by the position of royalty, and instead pursue individual happiness… I wanted to fulfill that wish.]
Anyone would surely expect the prince to behave befittingly of royalty.
It would undoubtedly be difficult for a royal to pursue individual happiness.
Knowing this, Wildean, as a non-human, simply wanted to be on the prince's side. He wanted the prince to experience even a modest personal happiness, no matter how small.
…Willdean spoke in a sad voice.
But that wish did not come true.
With Queen Irene's death, the contracted spirit could no longer move freely and could only observe the outside world from within the gemstone.
He saw the young Felix bound by his position as royalty, having even modest joys taken from him by his grandfather.
Beaten down without being able to meet his grandfather's expectations, crushed by the cruel truth, until he reached his death.
Willdean could only watch.
[…What Lord Felix wished for was Lord Isaac's happiness… If Lady Irene's wish could not be granted, then at least… I wanted to fulfill the wish of her son, Lord Felix.]
Monica knew of the late Prince Felix's wish.
Knowing it made her chest tighten with heartache.
[If Lady ‘Silent Witch' is present, I beg of you, please… please hand me over to Lord Isaac.]
At Willdean's plea, Nero tilted his head in puzzlement.
"What good will handing you over to your master do?"
[Even in a sealed state, if I muster my last strength, I can cast an illusion spell once… I can take Lord Isaac's form and be executed in his place…]
Spirits are originally formless beings, but by contracting with humans, they can temporarily gain a physical body.
And a fatal wound in that physical state…can lead to the spirit's death.
Monica who've been silent until now, stated firmly.
The light in the aquamarine flickered as if in confusion.
[That voice is…surely not…]
Unable to see the outside, Willdean did not realize who was sitting next to Nero.
Having always been with Isaac, Willdean knew this voice.
[…You are…could you be Lady ‘Silent'…]
"I won't let anyone else become a sacrifice."
Monica stood up from the bed and opened a desk drawer.
Inside were Monica's treasures.
Her father's coffee pot, a ribbon from Lana, a handkerchief from Casey, a peridot necklace from Isaac… from among them, Monica gently lifted a dried white rose.
It was the flower ornament she had received from Cyril during the school festival. Though no longer fresh, Monica still remembered how she felt when receiving it.
——This is a good luck charm to make Monica stronger.
On that festival day, when Monica collapsed from not relying on others, Cyril scolded her. He told her to learn to depend on people.
Monica had been afraid to rely on others. That's why she had lived in seclusion all this time.
Even then, she couldn't keep things like that.
Monica alone lacked equipment, materials, time, skills, information, and strength——everything was overwhelmingly insufficient.
So Monica had to make a decision.
…Even if it meant losing all these treasures in her drawer, and the happy memories of being Monica Norton.