After expressing my gratitude to Lilie-san for her help in the God Realm and presenting her with a small token of my appreciation, we spent some time chatting about nothing in particular.
Lilie-san was a calm and gentle person, yet she possessed a playful streak that made our conversation so lively the time seemed to fly by in an instant.
The way she applied her perception abilities to magic was especially enlightening... though if you were to ask if I could replicate those techniques, I’d probably need to sit down and have a long talk with Kuro first.
Incidentally, Lilie-san even explained the primary spells she used in combat. Apparently, her main strategy revolved around two techniques: Floral Sanctuary and the Tree of Illusions.
Floral Sanctuary utilized Lilie-san’s extraordinary perception to detect incoming attacks. Whether they were physical or magical, it allowed her to reverse and amplify causality to reflect the strike back at five times its original power. It was an absolutely terrifying counter magic with a ridiculous multiplier.
The Tree of Illusions, on the other hand, reportedly had the effect of "negating phenomena one had been subjected to." It allowed her to retroactively erase damage or effects after they had occurred... Truly, every highest-ranking Count-class executive seemed to possess the kind of absurd abilities you’d expect from a final boss. I was just glad the world was currently at peace.
"...I’m sorry for staying so long. I feel like I’ve learned quite a lot today."
"Not at all, I had a lovely time as well. If you’re ever interested, I can teach you the specifics of perception-based magic, so please feel free to drop by whenever you have the time."
"Thank you. I’ll definitely take you up on that."
"...However, there is one thing. In truth, Lilliwood-sama is capable of almost everything I can do. But if you went to her, I wouldn’t get the chance to teach you myself, so let’s keep this a secret from Lilliwood-sama, alright?"
As she gave me a mischievous smile, I felt once again that Lilie-san was an incredibly easy person to talk to. She radiated a sense of security, and the emotions I sensed from her were calm and soothing.
...Actually, this was how things were supposed to be, right? It was just that the Ten Demons were the outliers—half of them radiated a loyalty so heavy it felt like a physical weight, while others were defined by bizarre fetishes.
Because the Ten Demons were so intense, I had subconsciously been on my guard, but if the rest of the Seven Princesses were anything like Lilie-san, I figured the remaining introductions would proceed in a peaceful, orderly fashion.
With those thoughts in mind, I thanked Lilie-san once more, said my goodbyes, and made my way back toward the town of Yugfressia.
I could have just used Teleportation Magic to go straight home once our talk was finished, but... Kuro had told me about a delicious jam they sold here in Yugfressia, and I intended to pick some up before I left.
I was walking along while checking a note I’d written regarding the shop's location when, just as I rounded a corner, I nearly collided with a fairy-like girl flying toward me with incredible momentum.
...Whoa, that was close. I didn't actually hit her, did I? I needed to be more careful; I’d been so focused on my note that I wasn't paying attention to what was in front of me.
"Hawawawa! Did I hit you just now? A-Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
"We didn't actually collide, so I'm fine."
"I-I see... Oh, thank goodness. I was in a bit of a rush and wasn't looking where I was going. I'm so sorry!"
"No, I was the one being careless and looking away. My apologies."
I offered my own apology to the golden-haired fairy girl as she bowed her head.
"Then I guess we're even!"
"I suppose so. Let's both be more careful from here on out."
"Yes, sir!"
"Well then, take care."
"Right! Bye-bye~!"
Since neither of us was injured, we exchanged a few polite words and went our separate ways. The fairy girl beamed at my response and waved as she started to fly off, so I gave her a light wave back.
But just as I started walking toward the shop again...
"...A-Aaaahhhhhhh!?"
"!"
A sudden, loud cry made me spin around. The fairy from a moment ago was racing back toward me, her face pale with shock. I wondered what was wrong. Did something happen?
As I tilted my head in confusion, the girl began to fly in circles around me, observing me with intense interest.
"Um... what's the matter?"
"Light brown hair... a Magic Crystal Necklace... and that warm, sunny magic power... T-There's no mistake!!"
"No mistake? What do you mean..."
"A-A-Are you... 'Kaito-kun-san'!?"
"...Eh? Yes, that's me, but..."
That unique nickname she’d just used was extremely distinct. I definitely remembered it. Was she an acquaintance of Raz-san?
"I knew it! It's just like Raz-sama said! Yay! Til finally got to meet Kaito-kun-san too!"
Fluttering her tiny wings with a radiant smile... her outburst immediately told me exactly who she was.
I was fairly certain—no, I was positive—that this was Raz-san's friend, the one Erial-san had also mentioned was a close companion... Tiltania-san.
Serious-senpai: "...A flag constitution with unchanging suction power."
???: "Well, it’s just the usual."
Serious-senpai: "...You, hurry up and go stop Machina. She’s still over there talking her head off."
???: "...Hmm. I was just wondering, though... if we leave her alone, just how long will she go on before she runs out of things to say?"
Serious-senpai: "...Who knows?"