Free Web Novel"We've walked far enough. You can put me down now."
Loren looked into Laila's eyes, somewhat speechless. He was always used to being the one in the dominant position, so being held like this by Laila made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Oh..."
Laila reluctantly let go of Loren and followed him back to the room.
She glanced at his shadow with annoyance. With Reflection Naclis around, there was nothing she could do.
"You're finally back. Thank goodness you're alright. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to face the original..."
"Alright, it's getting late. Go back to your room and rest."
Loren gently patted Reflection Naclis's hair, speaking softly.
He felt a bit guilty for being too rough with her earlier.
"Okay."
Reflection Naclis nodded obediently and returned to her room.
Seeing her so well-behaved, Loren breathed a sigh of relief, glad that Reflection Naclis hadn't turned into a degenerate like Anna. The punishment had at least been somewhat effective.
"Now then, we..."
Laila shuffled awkwardly closer to Loren, looking embarrassed.
"Everything's fine now. Reflection Naclis has gone back to her room..."
"Alright..."
Loren agreed to Laila's suggestion. She was about to cheer when she quickly covered her mouth—she couldn't let Reflection Naclis hear.
...
On the other side, Reflection Naclis finally let herself laugh once she was back in her room. Anna had been her cautionary tale; revealing her true intentions too early would only make Loren stop treating her this way.
"I'll lie low for a few days, then make a mistake, and let Daddy... hmm..."
Reflection Naclis couldn't help admiring her own cleverness, already looking forward to what would happen in a few days.
"Hehehe..."
Before she knew it, a silly laugh escaped her. Only after she'd had her fill of laughter did she press herself against the door to eavesdrop.
"Daddy put up a Shielding Spell again. Even guarding against his own people..."
Reflection Naclis heard nothing, which irritated her, but she had other ways around it.
The next moment, she turned into a shadow and slipped through the crack under the door.
...
The next day, Loren woke up naturally. He didn't wake Laila, planning to get breakfast himself, but ran into the Bishop waiting outside as soon as he stepped out.
"Good morning, Master Mentor."
"Morning to you too..."
Loren yawned in reply.
Since the Bishop was here, Loren wouldn't need to fetch food himself.
"We've already prepared your lu... breakfast."
"Good. Just have it sent to my room... Oh, there's something I need to ask you."
"Please, ask away. I'll tell you everything I know."
"Casper went off to become the Pirate King. Did he pass through here?"
"Headmaster Casper arrived before you did. The stationed guards here thought he'd come to help them, but before they could even speak with him, he used magic to conjure a ship and sailed out to sea..."
"We assumed he was acting on your orders to deal with the merfolk, until you told us he was going to become a pirate..."
"Looks like he was in a hurry..."
Most of the Endless Ocean was uninhabited, with pirates only common in the waters between the two continents. It would've made more sense for him to travel overland to the Kingdom of Anselm first before setting sail.
"For now, I'll have to trouble you to act as interim headmaster of Bountiful Magic Academy. I expect it'll be a while before Casper returns."
"Yes!"
The Bishop felt that all his efforts during this time had finally paid off. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't deserve the honor—he hadn't really helped Loren with anything major. This debt of gratitude would have to be repaid later.
...
When Loren returned to his room, Reflection Naclis was sitting in the living room reading a book. She was even wearing glasses, looking like a model student, so much so that Loren felt the urge to ask if she'd timed her studying to start the moment he came back.
"You're back."
Hearing the door open, Reflection Naclis looked toward Loren. Her twin-tails swayed as she turned her head.
The twin-tails and glasses made her look like a student, seeming much younger. It did set her apart from the original Naclis at least.
But when Loren got closer, he saw what book she was holding.
It wasn't a Magic Book—it was a comic Mirrorheart had drawn.
"No more reading this kind of stuff..."
Loren snatched the comic from Reflection Naclis's hands, but she still looked up at him with an innocent expression.
"Why?"
"No reason. If I catch you reading this again, I'll hit you..."
Loren felt a tightness in his chest. Sure enough, Mirrorheart had corrupted Reflection Naclis too.
After his small threat, Loren went back to the bedroom to check if Laila was awake.
"What a shame."
Once Loren was gone, Reflection Naclis showed a disappointed expression. She'd thought she was going to get beaten this time.
But Loren's words had given her an idea. She planned to act on it soon.
...
After Laila woke up, everyone started eating. Movila also landed on the dining table.
She'd been acting as an information source during this time, constantly observing the situation.
Ever since Mara died, the sea had remained calm, with nothing more happening.
"Can we not go back so soon?"
During the meal, Reflection Naclis suddenly made a request.
"Why? Isn't home more comfortable than staying here?"
"It's different. Here, it's just us, so you pay attention to me. At home, I can't even show myself that often..."
"..."
That actually made Loren feel guilty. At the same time, it gave Laila an idea.
"She usually has a pretty hard time at home. Let's stay here with her for a few more days..."
At home, Laila could only come over every few days, but here she could visit every day without issue. Just thinking about it made her mouth curl up uncontrollably.
"I don't mind either way."
Movila wasn't particularly invested in the matter. She didn't mind sharing with others anyway.
"Fine, but we can't stay too long. People back home are waiting for us."
Loren finally agreed to their decision. Reflection Naclis immediately cheered.
"Yay!"
Her voice was a bit loud, but Loren had the Shielding Spell up, so no one else could hear. Let her shout if she wanted.
In Loren's eyes, Reflection Naclis was even younger than Anna—after all, she'd always been hiding in the shadows and had never lived like a normal person for long. Acting a bit childish now was to be expected.
But Loren had no idea what image he held in her mind.
---
