โIris-chan. Itโs a bit sudden, but Iโm going to shoot a fire spell.โ
Clara speaks to Iris while keeping her eyes on the evil spirit. Iris is left dumbfounded by the sudden request, her mouth hanging open in confusion.
โItโs okay. Itโs not that hard. If you could use green magic, this time you just need to channel that mana into red magic.โ
โUh, umโฆโ
Iris is flustered. Sheโs already feeling down because she canโt use spirit magic, and now sheโs being asked to do something completely unexpected.
โItโs fine. When we first tested your magic, you emitted energy derived from red mana, right? Try to recall that feeling.โ
โOkayโฆ Iโll try.โ
Iris focuses. She might not be able to heal Aldoโs wounds, but she can at least prevent him from getting hurt further. With that thought, she unleashes the unfamiliar red magic.
โHere goes!โ
What comes out of Irisโs hand isโฆ a rock. The rock shoots out like a bullet, heading straight for the wolf spirit.
โGrrroooar!โ
The wolf spirit manipulates cold air to create a wall of ice, stopping the rock in its tracks. Irisโs red magic was technically a success. However, each color of magic has two attributes. For red, itโs fire and earth. This time, Iris ended up using the earth attribute of red magic.
โAhโฆ I failed.โ
โItโs okay, Iris-chan. Calm down. Just being able to use red magic is amazing!โ
In fact, it truly is. Being able to use a magic she was neither taught nor shown on the spot is nothing short of talent. Even the earth magic she used shouldnโt have been possible.
What made it possible was Irisโs overwhelming sense for magic. But that sense didnโt help her this time. Irisโs expression darkens as she feels sheโs let everyone down again.
โIris, donโt be so down. Youโre still a kid, so itโs okay to fail as much as you need. As your parent, Iโll cover for you no matter what!โ
Aldo charges at the spirit with his sword. The spirit unleashes the same evil spirit magic it used earlier.
โUghโฆโ
Aldo doesnโt flinch even as the magic hits him, continuing to charge at the spirit. He closes in and draws out the power of his Gale Blade.
โGale Slash!โ
He unleashes a deadly technique imbued in his sword, a move powerful enough to slice through the ice created by the spirit. However, the ice wall blocks the attack, preventing it from reaching the spiritโs main body.
โDie, human!โ
The spirit slams Aldo with its front paw, sending him flying backward.
โDad!โ
Iris is worried for Aldo. Clara catches him with outstretched arms as he flies through the air.
โWhoaโฆโ
โUghโฆ sorry, Clara.โ
โAldo, youโre pushing yourself too hard! You have me and Iris-chan here too, so letโs work together properly.โ
โAh, right. Sorry, sorry.โ
Aldo pulls himself away from Clara and stands on his own feet. He readies his Gale Blade again, taking a fighting stanceโฆ but his knees buckle, and he collapses.
โDad!โ
โAldo, let me heal your wounds. Apathos!โ
Clara tries to heal Aldoโs injuries, but the wolf spirit takes advantage of the opening and lunges at them.
โAhโฆโ
Aldo and Claraโs eyes widen in despair. If things continue like this, both of them will be done for. Thinking this, Clara begins to circulate mana throughout her body, boosting her power.
โGet awayโฆ from my dad!โ
From Irisโs hands, several pale wolf spirits emerge and shoot toward the evil spirit.
โHuh?โ
Clara is shocked by the magic Iris just used. Her expression is as if sheโs just seen a dead person come back to lifeโutter disbelief.
โRooooar!โ
The wolf spirits Iris unleashed pierce through the evil spiritโs body, leaving several clean holes. The spirit, which had been mid-lunge, drops to the ground with a thud and stops moving entirely.
โI-Iris-chan, that magic just nowโฆโ
โUmโฆ I just did it without thinking, so Iโm not sure what it wasโฆโ
Iris looks at her trembling hands. The sensation of that magic was different from both red and green magic. It wasnโt spirit magic eitherโฆ because it was the same magic the evil spirit had been using.
โThat was evil spirit magic!โ
Claraโs words hit Iris like a bolt of lightning. Evil spirit magic. In other words, the magic Iris could use wasnโt spirit magic, red magic, or green magicโit was evil spirit magic.
โW-what? But isnโt evil spirit magic something humans canโt use?โ
Irisโs hands are shaking. According to Clara, all humans can use spirit magic. Evil spirit magic exists, but only spirits can use it. So, Iris shouldnโt have been able to use it at all.
โThatโsโฆ umโฆโ
Clara is at a loss for words. This is something she never expected. And Iris, too, feels a sense of terror at the realization that she alone can use evil spirit magic.
But thenโ
โThatโs amazing, Iris!โ
โHuh?โ
Aldo scoops Iris up in his arms.
โW-wait, Dad!โ
โThatโs my girl! Being able to use evil spirit magic, something no one else canโthatโs an incredible talent!โ
Aldo praises Iris for her extraordinary ability. While Iris had been feeling despair over being different from everyone else, seeing Aldoโs smile eases her worries.
โB-but, Dad, I can use evil spirit magic, but in exchange, I canโt use spirit magicโฆโ
โThat doesnโt matter! I canโt even use magic, let alone spirit magic.โ
โBut Iโm different from everyone elseโฆโ
โSo what if youโre different? I donโt even have a mana vessel, so I canโt use magic at all!โ
Iris is struck by Aldoโs words. Being able to use evil spirit magic makes her different, an anomaly. But Aldo himself is also differentโhe canโt use magic at all. At that moment, Iris feels a sense of relief.
Even if using evil spirit magic isolates her, Aldo, who is also different, will always be by her side. That sense of trust is undeniable.
โDadโฆ!โ
Iris is on the verge of tears. Just as the emotional moment between father and daughter reaches its peak, the spiritโs seal breaks. What appears is a cat-eared spirit girl. Her red hair and perky ears twitch slightly.
โMeow~nya. Finally, my seal is broken. Yay!โ
โU-umโฆ are you the spirit?โ
โYep. By the way, I saw your fight earlier. Youโre quite an interesting kid. I never thought a human could use evil spirit magic.โ
โS-sorryโฆโ
Iris instinctively apologizes. Even though she hasnโt done anything wrong, being called out by the spirit for using evil spirit magic makes her feel guilty.
โHmm? Well, I donโt mind. Humans are the ones who decided to categorize spirit magic and evil spirit magic as polar opposites. In reality, theyโre quite compatible, almost like neighbors.โ
โUh, okayโฆโ
Iris is left speechless. The spirit looks her over with a curious gaze.
โHmm, hmm. At their core, both spirit magic and evil spirit magic use the same mana. Spirits and evil spirits are essentially the same, and the distinction between them is based on whether theyโre beneficial or harmful to humans. So, itโs not strange for a human who can use spirit magic to also be able to use evil spirit magic.โ
Irisโs brain canโt keep up, and she just stares blankly, her mouth hanging open.
โIn other words, both spirit magic and evil spirit magic use the same energy. The difference lies in the userโs innate qualities.โ
โUhโฆโ
โFufufu, maybe itโs too early for you to understand. But donโt worry, using evil spirit magic wonโt harm your body. It wonโt make you sick, shorten your lifespan, or curse you. In the past, there was someone who could use evil spirit magic, and they lived a full life.โ
โThat person who could use evil spirit magicโฆ who were they?โ
โHmm, letโs seeโฆ that was about 300 years ago. I think they were calledโฆ the Witch.โ