Lefiya's POV
With a quill in hand, I jot down a few words, pause to think, and then erase them. I've been repeating this process not just for hours, but for days now.
Placing the pen down, I reach for a book borrowed from the library. Flipping through its pages, I scan for anything useful, but come up empty-handed. With a sigh, I set the book aside and grab another.
"Lefiya, breakfast is ready!"
The voice interrupts me just as I'm reaching for the fourth book. Glancing at the clock, I realize how much time has passed since I started working.
"Coming!"
Standing up from my chair, I stretch, easing the stiffness from my body after sitting for so long.
"Sorry I didn't help with breakfast preparations..."
Lately, I've been waking up earlier than usual, but I get so engrossed in my work that I forget to lend a hand in the kitchen.
"It's fine! You've been working hard on something, so I figured I'd let you focus." my roommate replies with a cheerful smile.
When I arrive at the dining hall, breakfast is already served. Spotting an empty seat next to Ais, I take it.
"Good morning, Ais."
"Good morning, Lefiya."
As I start eating, my thoughts keep drifting back to my work. The problem I've been grappling with nags at me, making my breakfast taste a little less satisfying.
"Hey, Lefiya!"
The voice comes from Tiona, who's sitting on my other side.
"Yes? What is it?"
"You've been up to something lately. What's going on?"
At her question, Ais also tilts her head in curiosity. It seems she's been wondering the same thing. Since there's no reason to hide it, I'll explain what I've been working on.
"I'm, um… trying to create a new magic spell."
"Huh? But you already have three spells, don't you?"
Ais looks puzzled. In the world of adventurers, one can have up to three spells etched into their Status, and I already have Arcs Ray, Fusillade Fallarica, and Elf Ring.
"Yes, but this is a spell I'm creating myself."
There's a loophole to the three-spell limit: if you design your own spell from scratch, you can bypass it. By crafting a unique spell, I can use it without etching it into my Status.
While my Elf Ring lets me use other elves' spells, it's limited to their repertoire, and I have to cast Elf Ring first, which takes time. Creating my own spell would give me more flexibility in combat.
"You're making your own magic?!"
Tiona's loud exclamation draws the attention of everyone in the dining hall.
"Um… yes." I reply, blushing at the sudden attention. A murmur spreads through the room.
"I see. I did notice you've been bringing books to your room lately. So that's what you've been up to." Riveria comments, joining the conversation.
"However, Lefiya, creating magic is no small feat. It's an arduous and complex task."
"Yes, I'm aware." I answer with a nod.
Nowadays, magic is developed through the Blessing of the Gods, which amplifies one's talents and knowledge. But in the Ancient Era, adventurers without such blessings had to painstakingly construct magic formulas over many years.
"Besides, I've done this before, so I understand the difficulties involved."
My words cause Riveria and everyone else in the dining hall to freeze.
"Wait... Lefiya, are you saying you've already created a spell?"
"Yes?" I tilt my head in confusion at Riveria's astonished reaction.
It happened a little over two years ago. While chatting with Toki, we started discussing how ancient adventurers had created their own spells. One thing led to another, and we decided to try it ourselves.
"I've never seen you use that spell." Ais remarks, looking unconvinced.
"Neither have I!" adds Tiona.
Scratching my cheek, I explain. The spell Toki and I created is a short-chant offensive spell, but it has several flaws.
First, its power is underwhelming. Back when I was Level 2, it could barely take down an orc on the 10th floor. At my current level, it might be effective against mid-tier monsters at best.
Second, it's inefficient. Casting it consumes as much Mind as Arcs Ray, despite its simplicity.
"That's why I don't use it in combat. Arcs Ray is far more effective for helping everyone." I conclude.
Hearing this, everyone makes an odd expression.
"Then… does this spell serve any purpose?" Riveria asks.
"Not really." I reply with a wry smile. "The goal back then was simply to create a spell, not to make something practical for dungeons."
Despite its flaws, the spell is precious to me because Toki and I created it together. Its value lies in the memory, not its utility.
"In that case, show us the spell!" Tiona suggests enthusiastically.
"Right now?"
"Yeah!"
Tiona's insistence makes me hesitate, but Ais chimes in with a quiet,"I'd like to see it too."
Realizing that I've been overworking myself, I decide to take a break and agree.
"Alright, let's head to the courtyard." Riveria announces.
As we head outside, nearly ten people end up joining us, much to my surprise. I glance at the gathering crowd and mutter to myself,"It's really not that impressive…"
"Did you hear? The Shadow Devil's house caught on fire!!"
But any heavy feelings instantly vanished the moment the adventurer said those words.
"A fire?"
Did I just hear that right? A fire? Where? The Shadow Devil's place?
Does that mean Toki's house burned down?
Before I even realized it, I was already running.
"Hey, Lefiya! Where are you going!?"
"Hasn't something like this happened before!?"
I passed through the central plaza, then headed down the main street to the east. After turning two corners, I saw guild officials standing in front of the familiar house, blocking it off.
I stopped just before the barricade and took a careful look at the house's condition. It wasn't completely burned down; the structure was still intact. But some rooms had definitely been destroyed by the fire. The damage seemed to have spread from one spot… the kitchen?
"Excuse me, can I ask you something?"
I called out to the guild official guarding the scene. When I explained I was connected to the resident, the official shared what they knew about the fire.
"Was it a magic stone ignition device malfunction?"
"Since the fire started in the kitchen, that's the most likely cause."
"I see…"
I looked over the house again.
Toki didn't keep valuables here, everything important was stored inside his shadow. But memories were different. He'd lived here for three years, and many people had visited during that time, each visit adding to those memories.
I used to come here often too. Especially the kitchen, that was the part I used the most. We had picked out the dishes and cooking tools together.
"So, where is Toki?"
Holding back tears, I asked where he was. He must be hurting too. Especially now, I needed to be by his side.
"That's the problem… we can't find him."
"...What?"
Missing? Even though his house burned down?
"According to neighbors, he was here at the start of the fire. He even put it out himself with magic."
…This doesn't make sense. It's too strange.
"When did the fire start?"
"Around two hours before sunrise."
So, Toki's house caught fire, he put it out, then came to the Twilight Hall and told the guards rumors...
That's clearly not normal.
Since the fire started in the kitchen, he must have been cooking at that time. He was seen by neighbors, so he must have stopped cooking and gone outside.
Why did he stop cooking and leave? Why come all the way to the Loki Familia's home even though his house was burning?
The more I thought about it, the more questions piled up. There wasn't enough information.
"There! I caught up!"
"Lefiya, what's going on? …Wha, "
"That's his house, right!? Wow, it's on fire!?"
First, we have to find Toki. Where else would he go...?
I started running again.
"What, again!?"
"Lefiya, where now!?"
"The Hermes Familia's home!"
I answered without thinking to Riveria-sama's voice behind me and headed toward the Hermes Familia's residence.
"Excuse me, is Toki here?"
When I arrived at the stone building, I asked the guards standing watch. They looked startled by my sudden stop but shook their heads.
Not here either... That only left one more place...
"Thousand Elf? Do you need something?"
While thinking of the next place to check, a voice called from behind. I turned to see Asfi Al Andromeda of the Perseus Familia.
"Have you seen Toki?"
"W-what's wrong?"
"Please, answer me!"
"I last saw him yesterday afternoon…"
So, Asfi met Toki before the fire!
"How was he then?"
"How was he...? Nothing unusual, really…"
Asfi had known Toki for a long time. If she said so, it was probably true.
"Thousand Elf, calm down. Explain everything to me clearly. If it involves Toki, I might be able to help."
I had been too flustered to think clearly, but this was too big a matter to handle alone. I needed help.
"Well…"
After I explained everything that had happened and my thoughts, Asfi sighed and said,
"It seems this whole incident is centered around Toki."
"Yes."
"And knowing him, he's probably trying to solve it on his own."
"That's true…"
Toki never liked relying on others, especially for personal issues. Until now, the problems had been small and manageable with his abilities, but this time it was different.
"Let's find Toki for now. We'll send every available member out to search."
"I'll keep checking places he might go."
"Let's also exchange information regularly. Meet back here at noon."
"Understood."
Asfi headed inside the home.
"Well, I should get going too."
"Lefiya!"
Just as I was about to move, I heard someone call from a distance. Riveria-sama and the others were running toward me... Oh.
"You've really made me run all over the place, huh?"
"S-sorry!!"
When Riveria caught up, the first thing she did was scold me. I'd been so focused on Toki that I completely forgot about her and the others.
"So, what happened?"
"Well…"
I told Riveria-sama and the others what Asfi had said. After a moment's thought, Riveria agreed to help.
"But we can't involve our factions. Only those here will handle this. Is everyone okay with that?"
"Yes!"
Tiona replied energetically, and Ais nodded.
'It wouldn't hurt to owe the Shadow Devil a favor here.'
'Nah, our Familia owes them quite a bit, so maybe it's more like repaying a debt.'
Everyone seemed willing to cooperate.
"Thank you!"
We then split up and scattered throughout Orario.
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