Episode 44: Just Your Neighborhood Mage Big Sister

...The one who appeared—or rather, the mage who just had to make an appearance—was something else entirely.

Far from simply shutting down the magic, she repaired the decimated training ground in the blink of an eye. Before I could even process the fact that she’d warped, she was already right in front of my face.

"My disciple! It’s been so long! Guhehehe... A live Reima! A real, live Reima—the body heat, the soul, the vitality, it’s all exactly the same! Hey, Reima? I stopped them, didn't I? So, where’s my reward?"

She smashed right through our barrier, blowing me back against the wall, yet she never stopped clinging to me.

The idiot started sniffing and groping me. She even casually sank her teeth into my neck to start sucking my blood. Naturally, Sol and the others lost their minds, unleashing [Petrifying Gaze] and [Solar Flame]—but she wasn't having it.

"Muu. Anyone who gets in the way of a long-awaited tryst with my disciple deserves to be kicked by a horse!" she declared.

Suddenly, a gray horse she had likely conjured manifested as a shield. It caught the [Petrifying Gaze], turned to stone, and effectively neutralized Sol’s flames.

"Lycoris, stop trying to sneakily pull Reima away, okay?"

"…………A monster, as always," Lycoris muttered.

"A monster? Perish the thought. I’m just your neighborhood mage big sister who happens to be a succubus-elf hybrid, you know?"

"What business does a shotacon genetic slurry like you have here so suddenly...?" Algol spat.

"Oh my. Speaking of shotacons, wouldn't that be you too, Algol? We're about the same age, after all."

She stepped right on Algol’s landmine while continuing her provocations. Perhaps it was because she hadn't been out in so long, but she had completely cut loose.

"Shall I actually kill you, you lewd mage?"

It was a hair-trigger situation—a vortex of bloodlust so intense that "touch-and-go" didn't even begin to cover it. The duel from earlier had descended into utter chaos thanks to this moron master of mine. Everything was ruined. Beyond that, she still had those two frozen in time. I really wish she'd just release them already.

"…………Reima, who is this... intense person?" Luna asked.

"Oh, me? You're that flat-chested girl with the enviable 'childhood friend' attribute, aren't you?"

"I'm not flat-chested. It’s just that Laura and Reima’s [Summoned Beasts] are huge. Besides, you aren't much bigger than me yourself."

"This kid is tough, huh? ...Right, I’m late for introductions. I am Othinus Ambrosius Merlinus... feel free to call me Merli-oneesan. Oh, that’s right. Want some candy?"

She conjured a mountain of clearly over-sweetened treats in mid-air, laughing heartily. She was a companion from the other world, my [Summoned Beast], and my magic teacher. Her energy was as exhausting as ever.

"Mufu~ As expected, nothing beats the real thing."

"Someone... help me," I groaned.

Ten minutes later, I was still stuck. She had me sitting on her lap, hugging me like a stuffed animal so tightly I couldn't move.

"Sorry, best friend. We can't handle her. Just endure it," Algol said, looking away.

"My friend... what is this thing? Is she even human?" Sol asked.

"She’s just a stupid 'ero-lf,' the moron... She’s an eyesore, so it’s better not to look too much."

"How rude to call me an eyesore. I think that’s quite a statement to make in front of such a 'pa-fekt' beauty."

"Pa-fekt... ha!"

Sol snorted derisively as Merli puffed out her chest. Everyone had probably realized by now that she didn't get along with the other [Summoned Beasts] at all.

"Hmph. Want to go, Sol? Fine by me. Since I beat you in every possible category anyway, I’ll even give you a handicap."

Merli just couldn't help poking people.

She really hadn't changed, but I wondered how she’d emerged from my soul. Normally, she shouldn't be able to manifest without my permission or some kind of extreme circumstance...

"That’s obviously because it’s me! I’ve already developed magic that allows just me to come out! So, I’m not using your mana, okay?"

"Stop reading my mind, Merli."

"I can tell by your face... More importantly, it’s 'Onee-san,' right?"

"Absolutely not."

"Then I’m not letting go. I’ll settle for '-chan,' but I’m not budging on anything else!"

"――――Fine. I’ll call you that. Just stop messing with my mana."

The idiot had been touching me and fiddling with my internal mana flow for a while now. She couldn't pull off the feat of increasing my capacity, but any more meddling would start to affect this body. It's better not to let the soul settle too much. I need her to stop.

"And why is that? From what I can see, your current mana pool is only at thirty percent of its prime. If I don't fix it immediately, you won't be able to protect yourself if something happens."

"I don't want to damage this body any further. I plan to return it eventually."

"Hmm... I suppose you would say that. Fine... But at least let me repair the circuits that were damaged when you used [Laevateinn]. You pushed yourself way too hard back then, didn't you?"

"Sigh... This is why I didn't want to call my master. You see through everything. That was quite a while ago, so I thought it would have healed, but are they really still damaged?"

"Of course. Even if you didn't use all of it, you poured twenty percent into that strike. There’s a price for that, and then you had that fight with the [Hero] right afterward. If you'd had your original mana, you wouldn't have struggled nearly that much, right? So let me at least heal you. Even I get worried, you know?"

Judging by her saying I wouldn't have struggled, Perseus really was in a league of his own. He was likely as strong as the [Four Heavenly Kings] who were considered [Demon King Seeds].

It’s a bit late for this, but winning that was a miracle. If I’d slipped up for a second, I would have lost.

"There, all done. I've repaired the damaged circuits, so I think you're ready to be reckless again."

"You aren't even going to try to stop me, are you, Merli-neesan?"

"It’s you. Stopping you would be a waste of time. Anyway, I’m heading back... I was happy to see you, Reima."

And just like that, she vanished, leaving nothing behind but the impact of her arrival. We were left with even more things to discuss, but I was exhausted. I was ready to call it a day... but there was one thing I couldn't let go of.

"Hey, Laura. Why exactly did you teleport here dressed like that?"

"……You’re going to ask? Fine. For the record, I didn't intend to show up in such a deranged outfit. I simply bought a [Teleportation Stone] keyed to Tsubaki’s house from some trash-tier vendor who claimed 'Low price is absolute!' When I used it... my clothes just..."

"……Yeah. Hang in there. Luna... you satisfied?"

"Not at all. Total incomplete combustion. Don't call me for a while if Laura is around. I don't really want to talk to someone who went and died on their own—but I get it now. She hasn't changed."

Between the duel and Merli’s chaotic appearance, we were all drained. We headed down the mountain, disbanded, and went our separate ways home.