The sun was brilliant that day, shining down from a vast, cloudless blue sky. I had traveled to the northern reaches of the Demon Realm. This area, situated quite close to the Land of Death, was home to a dense population of monsters. It wasn't a tourist destination, and no other races lived nearby.
Even by the standards of the Demon Realm, it was known as a perilous region. As for why I was in such a place... to put it simply, it was essentially a picnic.
"...Kaito... how about... this one?"
"Ah, that looks perfect. It matches the description of the amber in the book exactly."
Isis-san had a hobby of collecting mementos based on the books she enjoyed. In a story that had been released quite recently—one that both she and I had rated very highly—this very location had appeared. There was a scene where the characters found amber here, so we had come to do the same.
The trees weren't dense enough to be called a forest, so it was unclear if we would actually find anything. We had planned to look for something else if we came up empty-handed, but fortunately, we found what we were looking for without any trouble.
Although the area was teeming with monsters, we didn't encounter a single one thanks to Isis-san's Magic Power of Death. Eventually, we found a small, open clearing and decided to stop for lunch.
The bento Isis-san had prepared looked incredibly appetizing. It was filled with all my favorite side dishes, which made me genuinely happy.
"...Mm. This is delicious! I feel like your cooking has improved even more, Isis-san."
"...Iris has been... teaching me sometimes... If it makes Kaito happy... then I’m... happy too."
"By the way, we found the amber surprisingly quickly this morning. What should we do with the rest of the day? This area doesn't seem particularly suited for sightseeing..."
"...As long as I’m with Kaito... I’ll be happy doing anything... but... hmm... shall we go to my castle?"
"That might be nice. I also bought a few new books, so it could be relaxing to read them there."
It might have been my imagination, but it felt as though a book boom had arrived lately, with all sorts of new titles hitting the market. One of the reasons for this was a new Magic Tool recently announced by the Seditch Magic Tool Trading Company—an item that functioned much like a camera from our world.
It seemed they hadn't perfected video-recording tools yet, but the fact that a camera was now available for taking photographs was a massive development.
Being a new technology, the Magic Tools themselves were still quite expensive, but they were attracting a great deal of attention as a revolutionary breakthrough.
"The release of the camera... I mean, the Recording Magic Tool, has led to so many new books being published."
"...Yes... I think they are still... in the trial-and-error stage... but it’s fascinating... It has a different appeal than illustrations... It is very good."
"Personally, I think hand-drawn art feels more natural for story illustrations, but for things like tourism magazines, photos are much clearer and easier to follow."
As a fellow bibliophile, Isis-san seemed to welcome the diversification of book genres, and our conversation grew quite lively as we ate.
We continued to enjoy our food and conversation, and after finishing our meal, we spent some time relaxing to let the food digest.
It wasn't a tourist spot, so the scenery wasn't spectacular, but the weather was so pleasant that even the ordinary landscape felt charming in its own way.
I sat on a sheet spread beneath a large tree, holding hands with Isis-san. We leaned against each other, savoring the peaceful atmosphere.
It was a blissful moment, the kind where I felt like I could drift off to sleep if I let my guard down... but then, I suddenly felt a strange sensation.
"——!?"
"...Kaito? ——!?"
Isis-san started to tilt her head at my reaction, but she noticed the same thing immediately, her expression shifting into one of serious intensity.
"What is this? It’s like... a prickling feeling. A very strange sensation..."
"...An unusual... flow of magic power... from over there... Let's go."
"Right."
It was just as Isis-san said; the feeling was bizarre. Guided by an eerie magic power that filled me with an inexplicable sense of unease, I moved toward the source with her...
And there, lying on the ground, was a small white-furred fox. Its body was glowing unnervingly, the light pulsing and flickering as if it were blinking.
The fox remained motionless, its breath coming in ragged, labored gasps. I couldn't see any external wounds, but it was clearly in a state that was far from normal.
"I-Isis-san, what on earth is this...?"
"...The magic power in its body... is extremely unstable... It looks as though it is trying to suppress its power by force... but the magic power inside is too vast... It cannot control it... It looks like... it is about to explode."
"Explode!? That’s... isn't there anything we can do?"
I didn't understand the mechanics perfectly, but I could tell from the fox's agony transmitted through my Sympathy Magic and the tone of Isis-san's voice that the situation was critical.
The fox was small, like a cub... My heart ached at the sight of its suffering. When I instinctively asked for help, Isis-san's expression clouded with difficulty.
"...There is a way... but it is difficult... This isn't an injury, so Healing Magic won't work... The only way to save it... is to restructure the magic power within its body."
"Is restructuring it that difficult?"
"...No... the restructuring itself is something I can do... but... my Magic Power of Death destroys all other magic... That is why... I am very poor... at restoration using magic power."
Hearing those words, I recalled something I had been told before. Isis-san was an expert at breaking things but struggled with fixing them. When she had tried to restore a ruined rocky mountain in the past, she had failed repeatedly, ultimately destroying the mountain instead.
Magic that enhanced a target's natural recovery, like Healing Magic, was likely fine, but using her own magic power directly for delicate restoration was another matter entirely.
For a moment, I considered suggesting we call Alice, but... seeing the look on Isis-san's face, I swallowed the thought.
Even as she called it difficult, she didn't look like she was giving up. Her eyes were searching for a way to save the fox...
"...Magic power... combinations—that's it!"
"Isis-san?"
"...Kaito... I need you to lend me your strength... With your power... I can save it."
"I understand. Just tell me what to do."
There was no world in which I would refuse her, nor did I feel any need to ask why. If Isis-san was asking for my strength, I would give it without hesitation.
I only needed to know what my role would be. That was more than enough.
???: "...Huh? Serious-senpai... why are you sleeping with a futon over your head? Aren't you going to watch?"
Serious-senpai: "...It’s an Isis episode, isn't it? It’s going to be all sweet and sugary, isn't it? Wake me up when it’s over..."
???: "..................Understood. (Even though it’s actually a bit of a serious development...)"