Interlude: The One I Want to Protect

"—Coco-chaaan."

Tink. A pebble tapped against the glass.

It was a typical Sunday morning. I was in the middle of a book when I caught myself muttering, "She’s here again." I honestly couldn't tell if I was happy about it or just annoyed.

"Hey, come on, Coco-chaaan—!"

Tink. Tink. More pebbles—carefully chosen to be just small enough not to shatter the glass—struck the second-story window of my bedroom.

I climbed out of bed, took a small, shaky breath to steady myself, and threw the window open.

Naturally, that was the exact moment another pebble came flying in. It caught me right on the forehead with a pathetic smack.

"Ow..." The cry escaped my lips before I could stop it. It didn't actually hurt that much, but the indignity of it stung.

"Ah! S-Sorry!?"

The girl looking up with a mix of shock and guilt was Anna. She had moved into the house next door a few months ago. My hair has a dull, brownish-auburn tint to it, but hers was ink-black; she told me she’d come from somewhere out west.

Her dark eyes were stylish, and her energy was... well, it was a lot. I found her relentless brightness wonderful, even if it was exhausting.

"I’m fine," I replied curtly.

Anna just beamed back at me with a carefree grin. "Hey! Let’s play!"

She shouted it at the top of her lungs, just like she did every single day.

My heart has been a pathetic, fragile thing for as long as I can remember. Luckily, being born into a Noblesse family meant I could afford healing magic three times a week. Without it, I’d apparently have been dead years ago. Something about my heart’s ability to pump blood being "remarkably insufficient."

Basically, intense exercise is a death sentence for me. I’m technically enrolled in the Academy, but I spend more than half my time playing truant because I’m stuck in bed. It’s not like I enjoy being a shut-in; I just get tired from simply existing.

Anna knew all this, yet she still showed up to pester me.

"I can’t play."

"Got it! See ya!"

We’d had this exact conversation dozens of times. I kept waiting for her to give up, but she never did. I watched her energetic form sprint away until she vanished from sight, then I sighed and closed the window.

I sat back down on my bed and reopened my book: The Hero's Party's Adventure Tale.

It was a collection of stories based on the real-life exploits of legendary knights and mages—heroes who crushed monsters and saved the innocent. I loved it. I’d read it so many times the pages were starting to fray.

I especially loved the mages. I spent my days yearning to be like them—to be someone who could wipe out a swarm of monsters with a single spell and protect everyone.

But for me, those stories were just fairy tales. Forget going on an adventure; my own body wouldn't even permit me to run across a room.

Great, I’m getting depressed again.

Whenever I spiraled like this, I’d find myself thinking of Anna. She was fast. She always took first place at the Academy, and she was a natural at magic.

She was everything I wasn't.

"Must be nice..."

I closed the book, lay back, and tried to imagine the feeling of the wind on my face as I ran.

By the time I turned thirteen, my heart had toughened up a little. "Toughened up" is a relative term, of course—it just meant I could attend school more often without collapsing. I still couldn't do anything physical.

Actually, some things had gotten worse. I was strictly forbidden from being out in the direct sun for more than an hour.

Around that time, most of my classmates were starting to master basic spells. My mana capacity wasn't the issue, but the sheer strain of casting was too much for my constitution. I’d practiced a bit in secret at home, of course. It was exhilarating—firing off a spell made me feel alive.

It also left me bedridden for a week.

"I heard Coco skipped magic class again." "Heh, big surprise. That girl literally can't do anything." "Must be nice to have a doctor’s note to be lazy." "And with a name like **? Talk about a joke."

The bullying wasn't direct, but the whispers followed me everywhere. In a magic-centric world, a girl who can't cast is less than nothing. I started to hate my own name. It felt like a mockery.

But Anna was always there, leaning into my space.

"Hey, Coco! Can you explain this Magical Equation to me?"

"I can, but... aren't you better at this than me?"

"Ehehe, maybe! But magic just looks prettier when you're the one teaching it."

"If you say so..."

Anna had enrolled in the same Noblesse Academy, and she acted like my personal bodyguard, standing between me and the whispers. I lived for that kindness.

Because I was stuck at home all the time, I had nothing better to do than study theory. Magic is a craft; the more meticulous you are with the formula, the more stable the result. I was very, very good at being meticulous. It was the one thing I could take pride in.

"Coco, you really are incredible."

"How can you say that? I can't run, I can't smile properly, and I can't even use the magic I study."

"Because you're strong."

"Strong? Me?"

"Yeah. You have a core, Coco. You know who you are. I have fun when I’m with you, I smile when we talk, and you’re way smarter than anyone else!"

We’d first met at a boring local ball. I couldn't dance, obviously, so I was just sitting in a corner like a piece of furniture, watching everyone else. Anna had walked right up to me, asked about my heart, and said, "In that case, I’ll just dance for both of us!"

She’d danced right there in front of my chair. Afterward, I’d told her all about my favorite adventure books.

"Whoa, really?! And then what happened?"

"And then..."

I couldn't cast magic, which was exactly why I knew every single Magic Formula inside and out. Anna loved listening to me geek out about the technical side of things. Even when I got shy and the conversation trailed off, she never left. She’d just wait patiently for me to start again.

"Thank you, Anna. I wish I could smile as easily as you do."

"Fufufu! Until you can, I’ll just keep smiling in your place!"

A few years later, Anna won the Student Magic Tournament. She was brilliant.

I wasn't there to see it. The crowds were too thick, the sun was too bright, and my heart was hammering so hard against my ribs I thought it would burst. I slunk home without a word to anyone.

I couldn't stop crying. She did so much for me, yet I couldn't even stand in the sun to cheer for her.

Tink.

"I got the trophy! Coco, look!"

"...It’s beautiful. You’re amazing, Anna."

I want to be like her. No, that’s not it. I just want to stay by her side.

That was the day I decided to stop being a victim of my own DNA.

"...Magic is imagination. I’m done letting the world define my limits."

Standard Healing Magic is about restoration—fixing damage after the fact. But I’d been theorizing since I was a kid: what if I didn't wait for the damage?

What if I used magic to force my heart to be strong? What if I used it to run beside her?

"I’ll do it. I have to."

My training was a literal gamble with my life. To force a heart to beat, you have to understand the flow of mana perfectly. You have to be able to stop it as easily as you start it.

"Five... four... three... two... one... Everything is going numb."

Blood and mana are linked. If the flow stops, the body dies. Simple as that. After a series of experiments that brought me to the brink of death more times than I can count, I finally perfected it: a continuous, automated spell that forced my heart into a healthy rhythm.

"Anna, look."

"Wait—what?! Coco, your mana is... it’s huge!"

I let my power surge, then vented it toward the sky. My heart was pounding—not from weakness, but from pure, magical force. I was doing it. I was alive.

"Are you okay?!"

"I’m fine. Better than fine. I’m going to keep going, Anna. So... keep watching me, okay?"

"Ehehe! I knew it! You really are the best, Coco!"

At fifteen, Anna told me she wanted to be an adventurer. She said I was the one who inspired her.

"I'm going to see the whole world!"

And I planned to be right there with her.

At sixteen, I found myself standing across from Anna in the finals of the Magic Tournament.

"Coco, come on! How am I supposed to get through this?"

"I don't know. What do you think you should do?"

Anna was the ultimate spear. I decided I would be her ultimate Shield. We were two halves of a whole.

"...I give up! Coco, you're way too strong!"

"U-Um... sorry?"

"Don't be! But I’m telling you, I’m gonna break that Shield of yours one day!"

"Fufufu. I’ll be waiting."

I developed magic for everything. Magic to repel UV rays. Magic to regulate my breathing. Magic to boost my physical stats.

And, above all, the ultimate Defense Magic to keep Anna safe.

We became adventurers. We ran away from home, left our noble titles behind, and started from zero. My constitution was still garbage, and I could only stay active for short bursts, but Anna never uttered a single word of complaint.

"Coco, check this out!"

"What is that? A pipe?"

In some tiny backwater village, Anna had bought a weird pipe. She claimed it helped regulate mana. I’m pretty sure she just liked the look of it, but when I tried it, it actually was quite soothing.

"This is it! I feel a power surge!"

"That is definitely your imagination, Anna. Fufufu."

Watching her was the highlight of my life. Even when she had to carry me through tropical rainforests on her back, she was always laughing. We fought monsters, saved people, and grew up together.

But then, my heart hit its absolute limit.

Maybe I’d pushed the automation too hard. One day, the strength just vanished from my limbs. Of course, it happened at the worst possible moment.

"Anna... run..."

"—Don't worry. I’ve got this."

She gave me one last, brilliant smile before charging into a swarm of monsters. She killed every last one of them. Then she collapsed.

Our two-year adventure ended there. Anna didn't wake up.

The doctors said it was a combination of mana exhaustion and severe head trauma. They told me she’d never regain consciousness.

"...I’m sorry. I’m so sorry."

I cried until I had nothing left, but my resolve didn't break. I wouldn't let her go. I would fix her.

I spent every cent of our adventuring savings on research. I scoured the world for forbidden formulas. Sorry, Anna. I’m spending our house fund, but you’ll forgive me, right?

A year passed. My research was actually working. I’d commissioned a device powered by a Magic Core to act as an external circulatory system for her mana. Theoretically, she’d wake up in a few months.

I touched her cold cheek. "Just a little longer. It’s my turn to protect you."

Then, the world screamed.

Smoke was billowing from the North Gate. The town was on fire.

"It’s war! The neighbors are invading!" "Why here?!" "We’re a supply route! Run! Everyone run!"

Soldiers were pouring in, slaughtering anyone who couldn't get out of the way. My family was away in the Royal Capital. So was Anna’s. I was alone in that house with a girl who couldn't move.

I saw a child in the street about to be cut down by a scout.

"Die, brat!"

I thought of Anna. If she were standing here, she wouldn't hesitate.

"Shield."

"—Wha-What the?!"

I drove the scout back, but that was just the start. Our town was officially designated as the front line. In other words, a death zone. Everyone who could walk fled toward the Royal Capital.

"Coco, you have to come with us!"

"No. I’m staying. Anna can’t be moved."

If I moved her now, the mana circulation would break. She’d die. It would take two weeks for reinforcements to arrive. There were over a thousand enemy soldiers out there. And there was only one of me.

They had mages. They had knights. They had seasoned killers. I was a girl with a heart condition.

The odds were so bad it was almost funny. But I wasn't scared.

I will protect her.

An unbelievable barrage of Mana Cannons rained down on the town. I held my hand toward the sky and traced a formula—gently, meticulously, like I was trying to draw Anna’s smile.

"—Full Shield."

A massive, shimmering Barrier draped itself over the town. The Mana Cannons slammed into it and shattered like glass.

Is that all you’ve got? Come on. Try to hurt her. I dare you.

---

"...Are you... Coco?"

"I am."

"Haha... I didn't believe the reports. To think the 'Guardian' was just one girl."

Two weeks later, the Royal Army arrived. My job was done.

"Man, the town is literally untouched." "It’s true. The rumors of the Guardian Angel were true." "The enemy actually gave up and went around. They couldn't get a single kill."

I hadn't slept for fourteen days. I’d been using magic to keep my body functioning in place of sleep. I hadn't eaten. I’d lost at least five kilos.

But I’d won.

"Are you the Knight Captain?"

"I am. Child, you need to get to a field hospital immediately—"

"Hire me. I want to push the front line back. I’m an adventurer."

"What? What are you talking about?"

I couldn't rest. If the enemy stayed this close, I couldn't guarantee Anna’s safety. I needed to push them back until they were no longer a threat. I didn't need to kill them. I just needed to be an immovable wall.

"Our attacks aren't doing anything!" "It’s her! Gardienne—the Guardian Angel!" "Why is she wearing a doctor's coat?!" "It’s a taunt! They say not a single speck of dust has touched her since the war started!"

I pushed the front line all the way back to the border. They gave me a nickname. "Guardian Angel." What a joke. I wasn't an angel. I was just a girl who wanted her friend back.

A few months after the surrender, Anna finally opened her eyes.

"...Coco? Wait, why am I at home?"

"Anna! Anna!!"

I sobbed as I clung to her. She just smiled and stroked my hair, as if she were the one comforting me.

"It’s okay, Coco. It’s okay."

Anna recovered, but she was weak. Magic was beyond her now. There was a good chance she’d never cast another spell.

"I’m so sorry, Anna."

"Don't be. You saved me. And when I close my eyes, I can still see all our adventures. That’s enough for me."

"...Thank you."

But a few months later, Anna died anyway.

It wasn't her heart, or the war. It was an accident. A monster that was supposed to be dead woke up at a dismantling yard and lunged at a child. Anna didn't even have magic, but she threw herself in the way.

They said she was eaten alive. They said her screams were the most terrifying thing the witnesses had ever heard.

"...Anna, I'm so sorry."

I knelt at her grave and apologized until my throat was raw. If I hadn't saved her, she wouldn't have suffered like that. If I hadn't told her those stories, she wouldn't have tried to be a hero. It was all my fault.

I stayed by that grave for days, crying, until finally, I reached out and shut off my automatic heart-support magic.

The pain was immediate. My chest seized. My lungs burned. The sun felt like it was melting my skin. I realized my body was even more broken than I’d thought.

Good. If I can die feeling even a fraction of what she felt, that’s enough.

Then, it started to rain. A torrential downpour.

"...Anna?"

For some reason, the rain felt like her tears. It felt like she was yelling at me.

I... restarted the magic. My heart began to thump with artificial strength. My breathing stabilized.

Dying here was just another way of running away. Anna had saved so many people. She’d saved that child at the very end.

I had this power. I shouldn't be using it to hide. I should be using it to protect.

I won't run. I’ll fight. I’ll protect everyone.

◇

"A request for a Defense Magic instructor at Noblesse Magic Academy, huh?"

Years had passed. I’d spent that time publishing papers and equations on defense magic, sending them to every nation. I figured if everyone’s shields were strong enough, war would become obsolete.

Then I got the letter. I’d heard about the Calamity—how a massive attack had been thwarted with zero casualties. I wanted to meet the person responsible.

"I'm Coco. Please keep my family name a secret."

The students were a talented bunch. If I could mold them, they’d go on to save thousands. But then, I saw the magic of one particular student, and my heart—the real one—skipped a beat.

Weiss Fancent.

I knew the rumors. The "wicked genius," the "bad boy." But I didn't care about any of that. I only cared about his Inviolable Domain.

It was a formula that defied every law of magic I knew. If that could be taught, if it could be applied to others... Anna would still be alive.

"Hey, Weiss-kun. Won't you show me that magic?"

"Fine. But in exchange, you have to teach me your defense."

"Fufufu. Deal."

At first, I thought he was just a brat who wanted to be the strongest. I was wrong.

"...I have to win. That’s all."

He was lying. I could see it in his eyes. He didn't want to win; he wanted to protect. He was just like me. He’d lost something, or was terrified of losing something, and he was desperate for a Shield. He knew that "later" is usually too late.

Fufufu. I see. You’re one of us.

"You have to be more meticulous with the formula, Weiss-kun. Unlike an attack, you have to treat a shield like you’re touching a lady. My, is your face turning red?"

"It is not!"

He’s still a kid in the ways that count. I’m still working on deciphering his Inviolable Domain. It’ll take time, but one day, I’ll make sure everyone can use it. No one else should have to lose someone to a monster.

"Teacher Coco."

"What is it, Weiss-kun?"

"About the other day... thank you."

Cecil had warned me that another Calamity might be coming. It sounded insane, but if Weiss was involved, I took it seriously. I’d been on standby in the city when the Mana Cannons fired from the stratosphere.

I’d looked up at the sky and thought of her.

"—Anna, it’s all thanks to you."

Without her, I never would have reached this level. Without her, those people would be dead. Without her, I wouldn't even exist. And because of Weiss, even more people are going to be saved.

"Don't worry about it. Same here."

"Same here?"

"Fufufu. Just a little secret between adults. You can call on me anytime, Weiss-kun. It’s okay for boys to lean on adults once in a while."

"...Yes, ma'am."

Sometimes, I watch the students from the roof. I watch them run and shout and fire off spells without a single worry about their hearts.

Anna, there are so many kids here just like you. Watch over us, okay? I’m going to create a magic that can protect the whole world. I’m going to be someone you can be proud of.