“Um... Lloyd, I feel as though I just heard you say something very strange...”
“I’m telling you, I’ll be the one to fuse in his place.”
This “Fusion” thing sounded absolutely fascinating. It would be a waste to just let Grimo and the others handle it.
Merging magic bodies to become an even stronger existence... if I was going to see it happen, I wanted to experience it firsthand. Yes, that was the only way.
“What are you saying, Master Lloyd?!” Grimo wailed. “There’s no way a human and a demon can fuse! We have no idea what would happen to you!”
“He is right, Master Lloyd!” Jiriel added. “It is far too dangerous! Or rather, it should be logically impossible!”
“We won’t know until we try. Besides, it’s not like I’m fusing my physical self.”
Saying that, I held out my hand and began concentrating my mana. I was creating my own Magic Body. I had mastered the art of controlling these constructs during the battle against the Four Heavenly Kings, so creating one from scratch wasn't particularly difficult anymore.
“O-Oh... A Magic Body that looks exactly like Master Lloyd... and this strength is easily on par with the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“The feel of it is identical to that demon's magic wavelength, too! But Master Lloyd, you didn't remember a single thing about that guy, did you?!”
It was true that I’d completely forgotten about Vil-whatever-his-name-was, but he had been the first of the Four Heavenly Kings I fought. I had observed his internal structure quite thoroughly, so the memory of his core remained vivid. Since I couldn't recall his face, the exterior ended up looking like me, though.
Between creating the Magical Songs and learning to read and write magic wavelengths, a task like this was trivial as long as I didn't need the construct to move.
“No, no, even if we’re made of mana, our bodies are as complex as a human’s,” Beal argued. “The structure of the mana, the flow of circulation—even we don’t fully understand our own forms. Can you really reproduce it just by observing?”
“No, it is only possible because he is Master Lloyd,” Jiriel countered. “I have heard that understanding a Spell Formula shares common ground with understanding a Magic Body. For Master Lloyd, who can create artificial life itself, manifesting his own Magic Body is likely child's play.”
Beal stared intently at my Magic Body and let out a low groan. “Hmm... As expected of Lloyd. If the magic wavelength is this close to Vil’s, then fusion should indeed be possible.”
“Then let’s get to it!”
“However, Fusion is a Forbidden Art that binds magic bodies tightly together. Once you fuse with me, that Magic Body will become completely one with mine. It can never be separated. Are you certain?”
“Is there some kind of problem with that?”
“I mean... even if it's temporary, you created that life yourself, didn't you? Surely you have some sort of attachment to it.”
“Not really.”
Beal stood speechless, looking at me as if I were a complete stranger. Did I say something strange? I felt that mana was just mana.
As I stood there blankly, Grimo and Jiriel each patted Beal on the shoulder.
“Master Beal might not know this, but this is just how Master Lloyd is,” Grimo explained.
“Indeed,” Jiriel agreed. “He is a being beyond human comprehension. It is best not to expect a normal reaction from him.”
They were being a bit harsh, but the fusion was more important than their gossip.
“Anyway, let's do this.”
“U-Understood... If you say so...”
Though Beal looked somewhat reluctant, he finally seemed convinced and began the process.
“W-What incredible mana!” Grimo shouted. “Master Beal was already amazing before, but this is on another dimension! It’s an overwhelming torrent of power!”
“Yes... so this is demonic Fusion,” Jiriel noted. “We Angels have similar techniques, but they don’t even compare to this. Wrapped in mana this thick, it’s no wonder Magical Songs wouldn't work on him!”
The mana expanded in an instant before being condensed back into a human shape. The new form was strangely similar to mine, but it possessed horns and a tail like a demon’s, with black tattoo-like patterns etched across the skin.
“Kuku... Fuhahahaha! What power! I cannot stop laughing! Even if I had fused with all of the Four Heavenly Kings, I would never have obtained power like this! Is this the potential of Lloyd’s Magic Body?! It’s too magnificent! Fuhaaa—hha—”
Suddenly, Beal’s laughter cut off. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor.
“Ga... ah...?! W-What... something... is coming into me... th... is is...?!”
Beal writhed in agony—and so did I. It felt like I was being forcibly shoved into a narrow space. Nausea surged through me. My breathing hitched, and my vision spun wildly. After a while, the sensation finally subsided.
“Ouch... What was that...?”
I tried to stand, but everything felt wrong. I didn't quite know how to put strength into my limbs; it felt like I wasn't the one moving my own body. Even my voice sounded different, and my field of vision was distorted.
“Hm? Someone is collapsed right in front of me.”
I recognized that back from somewhere...
“Master Lloyd... H-Hey, what the heck is going on with you?!” Grimo screamed.
“What’s wrong, Grimo? Did something happen?”
“L-L-Look in the mirror! Look at yourself!”
I looked into the mirror in the corner of the room. What I saw reflected there was worlds apart from my usual self. Horns grew from my forehead, and my skin had turned dusky. I even had a tail.
“W-What is this? What happened?!”
Furthermore, the person lying on the floor was my original body. I tried touching it, but it was unresponsive. It seemed to be unconscious. Since my consciousness was in this new body, I suppose that was only natural.
“Hey, Lloyd!”
“Whoa, you scared me.”
A voice suddenly echoed from within me. It was Beal.
“Just now, I felt your consciousness encroaching upon mine! What did you do?!”
“I didn't intend to do anything in particular...”
“Are you alright, Master Lloyd?” Grimo asked. “Your body seems to have changed completely.”
“I felt Master Lloyd’s soul slip out,” Jiriel added. “And we were pulled along with it... What could this be...?”
It seemed Grimo and the others had moved into this body as well. Everyone was bewildered, myself included.
“It looks like Lloyd-kun’s entire consciousness entered Beal’s body,” a voice echoed from deep within. It was Connie. There were far too many voices echoing inside me; it was total chaos. “Lloyd-kun, you must have embedded a Sharing Spell Formula into the Magic Body you created for analysis, right? I think that caused your consciousness to be dragged along during the fusion, moving you into the resulting form.”
“You’ve completely messed up, haven’t you?!” Beal immediately retorted.
Well, since I was doing something as interesting as a fusion, I wanted to know exactly what the state of the mana was, so of course I’d include a link.
“But I only embedded a Sharing Spell Formula. Even if that fused along with the body, shouldn't Beal normally have priority?”
“It is simply because your existence is that powerful,” Beal said. “Fusion produces tremendous power precisely because it unites everything—the Magic Body, the Spell Formula, and the consciousness—into one.”
Now that he mentioned it, there was a sense of unity that was different from a simple sharing of senses. Still, to drag my consciousness out through a mere formula was incredible. The bond was incredibly powerful.
“...But this is a problem,” Beal continued. “Once a Magic Body has fused, it is impossible to separate.”
“Now that you mention it, did you say something like that...? Ah!”
Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, a chill ran down my spine. This was bad. This was very, very bad.
“Hmph, exactly. From now on, you and I are one in body and soul; we will be together in whatever we do. A demon and a human sharing one body—it will surely be troublesome for both of us. ...But well, I don't particularly mind. As long as I'm with you, I won't be bored.”
While Beal muttered bashfully, I whispered to myself in horror.
“What am I going to do if Albert-niisan and the others find out...?”
“Is that what you're worried about?!”
What did he mean, “that”? This was a crisis. Sylpha and the others checked on me every day, and Albert-niisan and my other brothers were constantly fussing over me. While I was grateful for their care, it was also quite mentally taxing. If they found out I’d fused with Beal and ended up like this, I couldn't even imagine their reactions.
Whether they cried or got angry, it was guaranteed to be a headache. Lately, I’d been allowed a lot of freedom because I’d earned their trust, but this would surely lead to strict surveillance. If that happened, I wouldn't be able to conduct my magic research properly.
“Anyway, I have to cancel the fusion somehow.”
“H-Hey, I told you, canceling the fusion is imposs—”
Ignoring Beal, I concentrated my consciousness inside the body. I searched for a flaw inside the Magic Body; surely there had to be a seam somewhere. If I could just find it... ugh, damn it. I couldn't see a single gap.
However, the sensation of every single magic particle merging was like witnessing the birth of life itself. It was a miracle—simply wonderful.
“...Wait, this isn't the time to be impressed. Right. If there isn't a seam, I'll just have to force one.”
Even for a Magic Body, the Magic Concentration wasn't perfectly uniform. Me, Beal, Connie, Grimo, and Jiriel—plus the Four Heavenly Kings—so many existences were mixed together. There had to be a weak point somewhere. As I searched... I found it. I concentrated my consciousness on that spot.
For this kind of work, visualization was key. Imagining my consciousness was trapped, I tried to tear that part of the mana away... there we go.
Snap.
I felt a sensation of something being severed, accompanied by sharp pain and a heavy sense of loss. I imagine this was what it would feel like to have a leg hacked off. Still, it seemed to be a success, as something slid out from inside me. The mass of black mana gradually regained color and form.
The one who emerged was Connie.
“A-Ah... I...” She looked around in wonder.
Connie’s eyes were wide, but I was the one who was truly surprised. I had intended to excise the part with the weakest connection, but it was unexpected that Connie, who had been connected to Beal from the start, would be the one to come out.
“It is likely because Connie is the only human with a physical body,” Beal explained. “By the way, the one currently occupying most of this body is you, Lloyd.”
“...This is a problem.”
That meant there were no more seams left to exploit. It had been incredibly painful, and I doubted I could separate anything else.
“It can’t be helped. I’ll have to look for another method.”
“No, I’m telling you it’s impossible...”
“The word ‘impossible’ only has the opposite effect on Master Lloyd, Master Beal,” Grimo said. “This man operates far beyond our wildest imaginations.”
“Mm-mm-mm, it’s true that I feel as though Lloyd might actually manage it somehow... but still...”
Grimo and Beal continued to mutter, but I was too busy brainstorming other solutions to pay them any mind. ...Though, since I was already in this body, I did want to run some experiments. Opportunities to handle a Magic Body like this were rare.
“Master Lloyd, your wicked thoughts are leaking out,” Jiriel warned.
“Oops, that’s right.”
Not good. I had to think of a serious countermeasure. Now, while everyone was asleep from the exhaustion of the Live Fest, was my only chance. I could experiment once things settled down. Before someone noticed—
“Lloyd? Oh, there you are.”
As I was thinking that, the door opened and Ren of the Poison Moth walked in, still dressed in her maid uniform.