Fíliya said she would rest for a day, but in reality, it took several days for her to return to her peak condition.
Once again, after dusk, when everyone had finished their dinner, Fíliya began preparing for her experiment.
She always preferred exploring magic at night, feeling that the quiet environment made it easier to find inspiration.
After all the preparations were complete, an annoying voice suddenly rang in Fíliya's ears.
"(`O`)Hey! What's going on? Why did you drag me over here too?!"
Aura grumbled, her arms crossed over her chest with a look of displeasure.
She knew Fíliya and Solitär had been sticking together for the past few days, but she had no idea what the two were plotting until tonight, when Fíliya dragged her into Solitär's tent.
Wait a minute?? Hold on, hold on!
A sudden realization flashed through Lady Aura's mind. She believed she had uncovered some incredible truth.
In Aura's mind, Fíliya and Solitär's relationship was already an established fact.
So, the reason that Fíliya person had brought her over to Solitär's side tonight was...
Aura felt a cold sweat run down her back.
She thought, This wicked girl can't be thinking that Solitär isn't enough for her anymore and is now planning to make a move on me, can she?!
Nooo, I, Aura, am still a 500-year-old child! Not that! Someone, save me!
The more she thought about it, the more terrified Lady Aura became, and the urge to flee grew stronger.
"Well, I brought you over, Aura, because I might need your mana later."
Fíliya had no idea what sort of rubbish was filling Aura's mind; she simply offered a calm explanation.
Huh?
Aura froze again, her half-formed escape pose stuck mid-air. Only after she fully processed the reality of the situation did she let out a sigh of relief.
What the heck, so she just wanted my mana.
Compared to a certain something precious that couldn't be parted with, mana, which could be replenished after use, was practically a bargain. Lady Aura was very magnanimous; if it was just mana, she could permit Fíliya to take it as she pleased.
That being said, she was still curious. If Fíliya needed her mana, then what was Solitär here for?
So she voiced her confusion.
"Of course, it's because I need Solitär's mana too. I'll draw from Solitär's mana, and you, Aura, are the backup. If even Solitär's mana isn't enough, then I'll draw from you. In short, you're the spare."
...Seriously, do you even hear yourself? That's not something a person would say.
The corner of Aura's mouth twitched slightly.
What do you mean, "draw from you"?! That phrasing is so misleading!
And... what do you mean, "spare"?! You jerk, you really never think about me!
Honestly, just when my opinion of you wicked girl was starting to change for the better, you go and wound my pride again.
Aura bit her lip, glaring at Fíliya with a resentful expression.
But Fíliya, as if completely oblivious to Aura's expression, beckoned her to sit by her side.
Then, holding Solitär's hand with her left and Aura's with her right, she closed her eyes.
Aura, who had plenty of complaints, could only grit her teeth for the time being and kept her resentments to herself.
...Soon, Fíliya activated that magic of hers.
Come to think of it, she hadn't used this technique in a long time.
She remembered the last time she'd used it was in front of Serie.
This casting, however, wasn't as smooth as that time. Not only did she have to reconstruct that world, but... she also had to make some improvements upon its foundation.
Fíliya couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement. She knew that if this experiment succeeded, it would mean she had achieved another breakthrough in her mastery of magic.
As the reconstruction progressed, a white light enveloped the three of them. In the blink of an eye, it was as if they had arrived in another world.
At this moment, Fíliya couldn't help but miss Serie's nearly infinite mana, which she could squander at will.
Although Solitär and Aura were both Greater Demons, their combined mana was far from matching Serie's... but it was fine. Reaching this stage was good enough.
Finally, after draining all of Solitär's mana and four-fifths of Aura's, she at last unleashed her most prized magic once more.
[Spider Lily]
In the sea of flowers of Higan, a slightly drained Solitär and Aura subconsciously surveyed their surroundings.
"This is a type of barrier magic... but it's a bit too strange."
Solitär frowned slightly. The excessively realistic air and the scent of flowers were genuinely affecting her judgment. She rested her chin in her hand and focused her gaze on Fíliya, extremely curious about what she was planning to do.
"Yeah, Fíliya, why make this place so realistic? If you want to deceive people, you might as well just use Mind Control Magic."
Lady Aura casually commented on Fíliya's barrier while sitting cross-legged in the sea of flowers. Looking rather bored, she idly pulled up some nearby flowers by the roots, then plucked off their petals one by one with her fingers.
Fíliya didn't immediately respond to the two Greater Demons who had helped her. Instead, like them, she looked around.
Hmm... So it's true, the Demon Race doesn't have anyone they "care about most"?
She first came to this conclusion because the most important function of her magic was to manifest the most cherished person of whoever was inside the barrier.
Yet, neither Solitär nor Aura had brought about any change to this world.
Then, Fíliya took a step forward. This sea of flowers was, in fact, much larger than it appeared to the eye.
She wanted to find a figure... If her "new construction" had worked, if her experiment was a success.
She... should be able to appear.
At this thought, Fíliya's leisurely strolling pace quickly turned into a run.
Seeing Fíliya's action, Solitär quickly gestured for Aura to support her and give chase.
After all, she had been completely drained by Fíliya, while Aura still had a considerable amount of mana left.
Aura simply nodded at this and, supporting Solitär, pursued Fíliya in the direction she had run off.
...Within Fíliya's field of vision, she finally found her target. The moment she saw it, an ecstatic expression uncontrollably spread across her face.
Yes... the much smaller version, the "little Flamme," was lying peacefully in a circle of flowers as if asleep.
Fíliya had done it. She had successfully reproduced the longing from Serie that had been recorded in this space. Even without Serie present, she had managed to create a physical manifestation of the little Flamme.
___
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