It started with something trivial. I was discussing plans for our next date with Isis-san—a woman who was incredibly precious to me.
"Isis-san, where should we go for our next date?"
"…How about… a picnic? I could… make a lunch for us."
I had been on many dates with Isis-san by now. We had gone on picnics, visited the beach, and even taken trips with just the two of us.
However, she had never once suggested a date in the city. If possible, I wanted to take her to see a play or visit a cafe, but…
"A picnic sounds lovely, but maybe we could go to town for a change? I heard a delicious new cake shop opened in a city in the southern region of the Kingdom of Sinfonia."
"…Yes… but… if I go… I’ll only be… a burden… to the people there…"
"…"
We had been through this exchange several times before. Watching her speak with such sorrow, I couldn't bring myself to offer a hollow "That’s not true."
Since her aura didn't affect me, I tended to forget, but Isis-san was constantly shrouded in the Magic Power of Death. It was an energy that instinctively intimidated every living thing in her vicinity.
It wasn't that there were absolutely no countermeasures. Her magic power fluctuated based on her emotions; when she was happy, the deathly pressure grew thinner.
Even so, it never disappeared completely. While someone with a significant amount of magic power could manage a conversation with her in that state, to an ordinary person with weak magic, she remained a walking personification of terror.
Based on a previous trial, I estimated that three meters was the absolute limit. Any closer, and the average person would be paralyzed by fear.
Because Isis-san was so kind, she refused to go anywhere near crowds unless it was absolutely necessary, simply because she knew she would be feared.
"…Let's save the city for another time, then. It's the season when the Light Trees are in bloom, so maybe we could go see them instead."
"…Okay."
I didn't want to see that sad expression on her face any longer, so I changed the subject without pushing the issue.
As we discussed our plans and I watched her smile return, a single question lingered in the back of my mind.
Was there really nothing I could do?
If I was going to spend the rest of my life with Isis-san and try to make her even happier than she was now, then her Magic Power of Death was a hurdle I eventually had to clear.
Come to think of it, I wondered why I hadn't tried to find a solution sooner. I suppose I had subconsciously assumed it was an impossibly difficult problem. After all, if there were an easy way to fix it, Kuro or Lilliwood-san would have done it ages ago.
The fact that Isis-san was still suffering meant I was looking at a challenge that even the Six Kings couldn't solve.
I didn't know what a mere human like me could possibly achieve, but for starters, I decided to consult Kuro.
The following day, I sought out Kuro to ask if there was any way to manage Isis-san’s magic power.
Kuro fell silent for a moment, thinking, before holding up three fingers.
"…I can think of three ways."
"Three!? There are that many?"
"Well, I should probably say there are three now. I’ll explain them one by one."
"R-Right."
I had fully expected her to say it was impossible, but it seemed she actually had a few ideas. I wondered why she hadn't tried them before, but I decided to listen to her explanation first.
"The first way is very simple: Isis just needs to grow until she can completely control her magic. She still has room to develop, so there’s a high chance she’ll be able to master it perfectly in the future."
"Oh, I see…"
"But by my reckoning, it would take a minimum of a hundred thousand years."
"A hundred… thousand…?"
"It’s a 'wait and see' approach. In fact, that’s the path Lilliwood and I chose."
"…Wait. What about the other two?"
Kuro had chosen a method that required an almost eternal span of time. I asked if the remaining two options were even more difficult, but she only gave me a wry smile.
"The other two are impossible for me or Lilliwood. No… in the entire world, they’re methods that only you can pull off, Kaito-kun. That’s why we couldn't consider them in the first place."
"What does that mean?"
"Well, here’s the second way: you could ask Shiro to handle it."
"Shiro-san?"
"Yeah. I’m sure Shiro could just erase Isis’s Magic Power of Death entirely. But Shiro has no real interest in Isis, so she likely wouldn't listen to me. But if you were the one to ask, Kaito-kun, she would probably cooperate."
I see. Shiro-san was essentially almighty; she could certainly do something about it. That sounded like the easiest route.
But as I was thinking that, Kuro’s expression turned grave.
"However, I don't recommend that path."
"…Why not? If it’s possible, shouldn't it be the best—"
"Think about it. Erasing that magic power would mean remaking Isis’s very existence."
"…!"
The color drained from my face.
Isis-san was a being born from the convergence of the Magic Power of Death. That power was her very self. Eliminating it would be nothing less than fundamentally rewriting who she was.
One could try to block the power from leaking out or try to make others stop fearing it, but the former still involved altering Isis-san, and the latter meant altering the minds of everyone else.
I didn't want to do either. Even if her problem was 'solved' that way, I didn't think Isis-san would be truly happy.
"…And the third way?"
"Personally, this is the one I recommend most. It involves enveloping her magic power in a membrane of your own so it can't leak out!"
"Oh! That does sound like the best way… but wait, if that’s possible, why haven't you or the others tried it?"
"That’s just it. There’s a reason Lilliwood and I can't do it. Think about it, Kaito-kun. If someone tried to suppress you by force, wouldn't you instinctively resist?"
"…Ah."
"And Isis is incredibly powerful. If someone tries to forcibly hold down her magic, she’ll fight back unconsciously. If I tried to suppress it by force, the resulting stress would be unbearable for her. She probably wouldn't even be able to move her body."
Overpowering her resistance to suppress her power would be like being physically restrained by someone stronger. The burden on her would be far too great.
"…So, it’s impossible?"
"It’s impossible for Lilliwood or me."
"Eh?"
"There is likely only one person in this world whom Isis would accept without even an unconscious flicker of resistance—someone whose magic she would welcome so completely that she’d feel no stress even if they suppressed her power."
"…Do you mean…"
"If it’s your magic, Kaito-kun, Isis will accept it without a second thought. That’s why this is a path only you can walk."
It was a method only possible because Isis-san loved me so deeply. If I could use my own magic to coat hers and keep it from leaking, she would finally be able to interact with ordinary people. I could see a ray of hope!
"…Though, it’s absolutely impossible for you right now!"
"…What?"
"Listen, even if she doesn't resist, you’re still trying to suppress the power of one of the Six Kings. You can't do that with a half-baked amount of mana. Plus, her power fluctuates with her emotions, so you’ll need incredibly precise control to keep up with the changes."
"…So, in short?"
"In short, while you might not need to reach Peerage-class, you won't get anywhere without at least the capacity of a High-ranking Demon."
"…"
My magic capacity was abysmal. Even compared to other humans—who were already weak compared to demons—I was at the absolute bottom of the barrel.
"Let’s say the minimum amount of magic needed to hold Isis back is 100."
"And mine is?"
"Your current capacity is roughly 0.001."
"That low!?"
"Which means you won't even be standing at the starting line until you’ve increased your capacity by at least a hundred thousand times."
"…"
Was my magic really that pathetic? I was stunned. A hundred thousand times? I couldn't even fathom what kind of growth it would take to reach that level.
As I expected, it wasn't going to be easy.
As I stood there with slumped shoulders, Kuro looked at me with a piercing, serious gaze. She spoke in a quiet, steady voice.
"Kaito-kun. Do you really want to do this for Isis?"
"I do."
"…Are you prepared to go through hell?"
"…I am!"
"…Alright. Then I’ll train you! I’ll drag your magic capacity all the way up to the level of a High-ranking Demon!"
"…Kuro. Thank you!"
The woman who had once raised the Six Kings was going to train me. It was an incredible offer. The mention of "hell" made me nervous, but this was my way of challenging Isis-san’s fate. She wasn't a small enough existence for me to reach her through half-hearted efforts.
"I’m warning you, it’s going to be brutal. You have to grow a hundred thousand times over, after all… This really will be a training session from hell."
"I’m ready!"
And so, for the sake of making Isis-san happier than ever before, my challenge to the Magic Power of Death began.
It promised to be a grueling road, but if my beloved Isis-san’s smile was waiting at the end, I would reach it no matter what!
To power up the weakest character in the story, Kaito, Kuro-san’s Boot Camp begins now.
Natural God: "…Kaito-kun won't rely on me."
Kai-chan: "I-I mean, given the flow of the conversation…"
Natural God: "…Kaito-kun won't rely on me."
Weakest: "But if you moved at full power, Shiro-san, the story would be over in one chapter…"
Natural God: "…Kaito-kun won't rely on me."
Fragile: "…I’ll ask you for something else next time."