"Whoa! Welcome back, Lloyd!"
Ren jumped, startled by my sudden appearance.
I had returned via Spatial Transfer, using Ren’s mana as a beacon. It’s an easy enough task to track someone once you’ve spent a significant amount of time with them.
"Is the concert over already?"
"Yeah. That’s why I was waiting here by myself."
Since there appeared to be no one else around, I deactivated my Magic Isolation.
"You really surprised me, disappearing like that. Where did you go?"
"Just checking on a few things. Where are Saria and the others?"
"They’re cleaning up right now. They said they’d be back soon, but..."
"What?! I actually get to meet Saria-tan?!"
Jiriel suddenly tried to shout, but I clenched my fist to silence him.
"Huh? Did I hear something?"
"Now then, I didn't hear a thing."
"...Hmm, maybe I just imagined it?"
That was close. I managed to deceive her by using Sound Isolation on the fly, but I hadn't expected him to start blabbing so suddenly. I had forgotten to warn him.
"...Jiriel. To everyone here, I’m just an ordinary boy who happens to love magic. Obviously, I can’t have people knowing I’ve turned an angel into a familiar. Keep your mouth shut unless I tell you otherwise."
"...! ...!"
Since I was still blocking his voice, I couldn't hear his response, but I hoped he understood.
"Gehehe, Master Lloyd, I’ll be the one to show this greenhorn the ropes. Why, back when I was in the Demon World, I was so well-regarded for my mentorship that I was put in charge of training all the new recruits. I’ll turn this angel into a proper familiar in no time."
"I'm counting on you, Grimo."
"...! ...! ...!"
I could hear the muffled sounds of what was likely a protest, but I decided not to worry about it. I’d leave the rest to Grimo.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lloyd-kun, Ren-chan, Shiro-chan."
"Let’s go home already."
As we were speaking, Isha and Saria appeared, having finished their preparations to leave.
Immediately, Jiriel’s excitement spiked. He began wriggling and mumbling in my palm, but I simply ignored him.
"Good work, you two. That was a truly wonderful performance."
"You think? It was just the usual."
"Fufu, Saria is just being difficult. At times like this, you should just say 'thank you' honestly. Thank you, Lloyd-kun. Your kind words make me very happy."
"Yeah, yeah... thanks, Lloyd."
Isha gave a dazzling smile, while Saria looked away with a bashful grin.
Seeing this, Jiriel’s excitement seemed to reach its zenith. My left hand began to twitch and convulse. You're being creepy, Jiriel.
"? Is something the matter?"
"It’s nothing. Ahahaha..."
The sun had set by the time we left the church, and I returned to the castle alongside Saria.
"Thanks for today, Saria."
"Mm. See you."
After bidding Saria farewell and returning to my room, Sylpha was there to greet me.
"Welcome back, Master Lloyd."
"I’m home, Sylpha."
"Good work to you as well, Ren. Please give me your report later. Now then, shall we prepare dinner?"
"Understood. ...I shall take my leave then, Master."
Ren gave me a polite bow and followed Sylpha out of the room.
Phew. A lot happened today, but it was certainly productive.
"Now then, let's try out this Holy Magic!"
I had been itching to experiment since the carriage ride back. I deactivated the wall of air I had maintained around Gillian.
"Have you calmed down, Gillian?"
"Hah! My sincerest apologies for my earlier loss of composure, Master Lloyd. Please, command me as you wish. I am at your service!"
Wait, what was with this sudden personality 180? It was actually a bit unsettling.
"That’s impressive, Grimo. I didn't think you could talk sense into him that quickly."
"Heh, you can count on—... or so I’d like to say, but honestly, once this guy saw you talking casually with your sisters, he suddenly became the most obedient servant on earth. He’s a weird one, Danna."
It seemed even Grimo was baffled.
"I have finally realized your true greatness, Master Lloyd! You are indeed a master worthy of my absolute loyalty! As for Holy Magic, you should already be able to use it without issue now that you have contracted with me. Please, do give it a try!"
"O-Oh... okay."
I didn't quite follow his logic, but having him be cooperative was a plus. I decided not to overthink it.
Fufufu, I never imagined Master Lloyd was so close with Isha-tan and Saria-tan. On top of that, his maids Ren-tan and Sylpha-tan are also top-tier! I can really get behind this! As long as I stay attached to this body, my chances of getting close to beautiful girls are astronomical! Not just handshakes, but maybe even hugs...! Nufufufufu, marvelous! If it's for the sake of being near beautiful girls, I'll offer every ounce of my loyalty!
Leaving aside Jiriel and his muffled, creepy laughter, I immediately began my experimentation with Holy Magic.
Ordinarily, magic becomes usable by reading a magic book. By studying and deepening one’s understanding, one can reach higher tiers of power.
For example, take the simplest Fire System Magic, Fireball. Even for just that one spell, there are numerous magic books ranging from beginner to Advanced Grade. As your understanding grows, the level of your Fireball increases. Naturally, higher-ranking spells have even more complex literature associated with them.
However, there were no books for Holy Magic. Even if I was told I could use it, I had no idea what the spell formulas were, which usually made it impossible to proceed.
"The condition for using Holy Magic is for an angel to engrave a spell formula onto the soul, and then to establish a pass through something like song. The formula is already engraved, and as long as I am here, the pass is established. Now, Master Lloyd, call out strongly to your own soul. If you do, the way to use Holy Magic will naturally become clear."
"Call out to it, huh?"
Feeling half-skeptical, I concentrated my consciousness. Suddenly, a massive quantity of Magic Characters flooded my mind.
This... this is the spell formula for Holy Magic. I can feel the knowledge of how to use it flowing directly into my body.
Hmm. I felt like I had missed out on something. It felt as if I had read the books even though I hadn't. It took all the fun out of the research.
Regardless, it seemed I could use it without any problems. Following that internal instinct, I activated the spell formula.
Holy Magic: Radiant Armament.
Dazzling light converged in my hand, taking the shape of a sword. It formed, but...
"H-Hey now, the sword won't stop growing!?"
The blade of light continued to expand and lengthen by the second.
"Radiant Armament grows stronger by absorbing the caster’s mana. This is simply the result of Master Lloyd’s extraordinary reserves. Truly magnificent."
"Is this really the time for praise?! At this rate, he’s going to take out the whole floor!"
Just as Grimo said, this was getting dangerous. I immediately began rewriting the spell formula on the fly. I wove a Restriction Spell Formula into the sword of light to halt its growth.
"I-It stopped...?"
"Yeah. I almost got in trouble with Sylpha."
The sword of light stopped expanding just inches from the wall. Even so, it was a staggering weapon. The blade was monstrously large, and the hilt was bristling with jagged, thorny protrusions. I recalled the one Jiriel used being much more elegant and simple.
"Oh... what divinity. It reminds me of an Archangel's eight wings. Radiant Armament manifests the wielder's true power. So this is Master Lloyd's sword...! Exquisite!"
"What a sinister shape. It looks exactly like the jaws of a Dark Dragon. This guy's mana really is a bottomless abyss...!"
The two of them were muttering to themselves, but for my part, I was just glad I hadn't destroyed the room.