[Update 1/1]

“It attacked you”, you whisper, unsure of how quiet you should be around the squirming and hanging briar trap.

You can hear her spit and crack her neck, “Yeah, best it doesn’t try again, or I’m gonna break it open!”

“Let’s avoid fighting if we can,” you mutter to no place in particular – it’s hard to know where Alice in the utter darkness, especially since she doesn’t know what a ‘whisper’ is supposed to be, “Do you know why it attacked?”

“I don’t know,” she whines, “I THINK it attacked me when I made one of my vestiges, here, I’ll do it again-”

“If you can’t dodge it, I do not have any mana left to heal you,” you explain to Alice in simple terms as you then slowly approach the glowing flower… The flower, likely a rose, has a luminescent white glow; it barely emits any light to help guide you or Alice. Surely, it is here for a reason – it is the only suspicious thing in this garden aside from the hanging vine overgrowth. With extreme cautiousness, you kneel closer to the dimly glowing flower…

To your distress, Alice’s grimoire loudly snaps open and, for a short moment, emits a bright glow which the squirming vine tangle immediately reacts towards. Somehow, Alice is able to dodge another sharp snap of the vines above her head, but her grimoire is whacked shut and sent spinning deeper into the dark corridor. Was she trying to activate the afterimage she created just a moments before? If so, she failed, but it seems that the vine is reacting to the glow or the mana releasing from Alice’s body and her grimoire when she attempts to cast spells.

Wanting not to waste the opportunity, you quickly snap the flower from the bush into your hands. Almost immediately, another set of vines thrusts towards you and, only scarcely, impale their thorns into the hand you were trying to hold the flower with – no more: the pain pushes you to drop the flower to avoid further injuries. You try your best to impale your Paralyze Knife into the vines but you miss them by a large distance. The tangle hastily retracts back and you are in no state to precisely impale small things annoyingly hiding in the shadows.

The vines squirm yet wait long-sufferingly for the next time you’ll trouble them to attack you. What a lenient trap.

There are more than several vines here: if you can’t paralyze it, Alice is going to have to create multiple vestiges…

> Reach for the flower and hold it long enough to have a clear view of the vines to stab and paralyze them.
> Request Alice to create several vestiges so that you will have enough time to take the flower without issues.
> Throw Alice the knife and then take the flower so that she will have a clear view of where to stab the vines.
> Question Alice to throw the glowing flower back and forward until you can reach end of the corridor.
> [Write In]

>>3914054
>> Throw Alice the knife and then take the flower so that she will have a clear view of where to stab the vines.

>>3914054
>> Throw Alice the knife and then take the flower so that she will have a clear view of where to stab the vines.

>>3914054
> Throw Alice the knife and then take the flower so that she will have a clear view of where to stab the vines.
Hopefully this works. We clearly are incapable of stabbing correctly!

>>3914054
>> Throw Alice the knife and then take the flower so that she will have a clear view of where to stab the vines.

>>3914123
+1
I think we are just tired.

[Update 1/1]

“Alice,” you grunt towards the darkness. Carefully, you grasp the blade of the knife in order to toss it safely.

“I don’t remember us being on first name terms, commoner,” her voice complains immediately.

You harrumph in annoyance, “Forget about that! That glowing flower there seems to be the key for getting out of here, so we need to pick it up and bring it somewhere at the other end. The problem is that creeper snare at the top: it seems to follow everything that glows or emits magic, which is why it attacked you when you tried to create a vestige, when you tried to use your grimoire and also me when I picked the flower to bring it to the exit.”

There’s a tense, empty pause. “Are you trying to flex your brain muscles here?! What do you want from me?”

You sigh, “The magic in this knife works even on those briar creations, but, here, they are too fast for me to hit.”

She hems, “OF COURSE they are, those are traps put by Captain Charlotte to test the strongest of us – Magic Knights.”

“I get it,” you roll your eyes, although, she does not see this, “So I will need you to paralyze it when I’ll pick up the flower, if that’s not too much to ask? I do not think we should be wasting too much time trying to outright kill it…”

“Since you are so uncapable,” her voice rings as she comes closer to motion for the knife you directly toss at her.

Right. It might be dangerous to put your trust into Alice but, with your low mana and stamina, you don’t have much of a choice. You keep a close eye on the overgrowth of sleazing vines before you finally decide on the right moment to rush forward and pick up the white lucid flower. One of the many vines immediately strikes in your direction and, as if an enchanted whip, thrusts to impale and bind you. Alice steps forward as soon as she hears the attack and takes a massive swing with the knife to stab the vine. Damn, she misses it. The wild and vicious vine and its shining thorns burst in front of your face before you can even consider getting rid of the flower.

To your unexpected relief, Alice is able to grab the vine in her hand before it is able to mince your face. The thorns pierce deep into her hand and she, once again, begins bleeding. While holding the vine a few inches away from your face, she engulfs her body in cyan light and thus, grabs the attention of a couple of other, spearheaded vines. Alice’s grimoire bursts into aquamarine colours and a spell it casted. “Afterimage Magic: Vestige.”

Hastily, she steps back and forces her afterimage to continue holding the vine as well as be impaled by all the rest. A bit mean. Alice’s grimoire is, as well, near promptly knocked away by another barrage of the different assailing vines. This seems to have been her plan, and now, following such an irrational manoeuvre, there is a massive collection of vines twisting their razor-sharp thorns right in front of your and her faces. Thankfully, with so much choices, Alice is easily able to impale the knife in one of the vines before her afterimage completely evaporates. A small seal begins to glow from the cross-guard of the knife before the briar mash-up is paralyzed and unmoving.

You try to show some gratitude to Alice but you find it hard with her injuring herself so soon after you’ve healed her. Instead, you give her a courteous nod before you pick up the flower and rush through the meadow. At the end of the dark corridor you find just another tall, mossy wall enveloped in shrubbery. Thanks to the dim light of the flower you are eventually able to find a hidden vase similar to the one you had to deal with previously, only this one is lacking any letters or other oddities. Hastily, you place the stalk of the flower into the hanging vase.

As soon as you do so, the wall begins to loudly tremble and separate into two different directions. You call for Alice who agrees with your philosophy of not wasting time, and so, she quickly rushes inside the next corridor. What if there’s a trap right at the entrance? Those are not sort of things Alice considers, it seems. You follow Alice inside. Using your cloth-weapon, you snap the flower from the vase as to not allow the vines to reach you outside of their shady garden and, as soon as the flower is dislocated from the basket, the walls begin to close in reverse.

Thankfully, this next room does not have its ceiling enveloped in briars, from up here, in the deep ravines between the tall stone walls, the bright stars are their most beautiful. Not counting the vegetation growing all over the walls, the rest of this corridor is empty: there is no grass and no rose flowers, just dark dirt. You take a step forward but Alice shoves her hand in front of your face, and even tightens her finger, to push you back where you were standing before; she also uses her bloody hand to do so! Awkwardly, you rub her blood off your face.

You raise your head to complain but, strangely, you find Alice’s eyes now being deep-red and not at all mint.

“Are you okay?”

She looks at you as if you are crazy but after a brief pause, she comprehends, “Oh this? Don’t worry about this.”

“Why did you stop me?”

“I know this room,” she grunts, “And I know where the trap is here.”

You beam, “That’s great! We can just avoid it then, right? Do you know how close we are to the centre?”

“Close, but you never know – the labyrinth constantly changes,” she shakes her head angrily, “The trap is too big, and it’s right there,” she points at the wall where you imagine her previously-made vestige is standing to warn her of the trap, “That entire wall piece is the trap, and I don’t know of ways to pass it without having to fight it…”

She snaps her fingers and then rolls her wrists, as if ready to take it head on.

> Use your grim… Not much magic there, is it?
> Ask Alice to recharge your Magic Tool. There shouldn’t be a problem using it on a wall if you can impale it.
> Ask Alice to wait and then advise her of another way to use her Afterimage Magic. [Specify.]
> Trigger the trap with your cloth-weapon and hope for the best. Hopefully, Alice can deal with this.
> [Write In]

>>3916300
>> Ask Alice to recharge your Magic Tool. There shouldn’t be a problem using it on a wall if you can impale it.
> Trigger the trap with your cloth-weapon and hope for the best. Hopefully, Alice can deal with this.

>>3916300
>> Trigger the trap with your cloth-weapon and hope for the best. Hopefully, Alice can deal with this.

> Ask Alice to recharge your Magic Tool. There shouldn’t be a problem using it on a wall if you can impale it
> Ask Alice what specifically the trap does, if she knows.
> Ask how she is doing on mana. Preferably without insulting us in the process

>>3916300
> Ask Alice to recharge your Magic Tool. There shouldn’t be a problem using it on a wall if you can impale it.
Since we can't cast magic let's at least have something as a weapon.

>>3916300
>>3916518
Supporting!

File: the trap wall.jpg (169 KB, 480x720)

169 KB JPG

[Update 1/1]

“Do you know what kind of trap is it?” you take a cautious step back.

“Yeah,” she winces as if remembering something painful, “I wouldn’t have a vestige here if I didn’t…” She rolls her eyes and then motions her hand to the towering moss-topped wall that is the barrier between this hedge corridor and the next. “The magic trap that is Charlotte’s briar is inside that entire wall, commoner. If it reacts to us, it’s going to go through and take control of every brick in there – it will be a giant mossy golem, talking in peasant terms here.”

“I told you, I’m not a pea-” you sigh, “Forget it. Can I kindly ask you to recharge the knife for me?”

She huffs and turns the Paralyze Knife in her palm, “Why are you carrying this thing if you can’t even fill it up again?”

“I have almost no mana left,” you tell her: that’s the truth; even if you knew, which you don’t, how to do it properly.

The tips of her lips raise in a haw before she shakes her head and exposes the knife forward, “That is always the PROBLEM with you commoners, only a TINY amount of mana to make yourself useful.” She begins to gather and then hurriedly push her cyan magic into the Paralyze Knife until the curse inside is ready to be cast again. Her voice becomes an ashamed(?) mutter, “And then commoners like you try and overshadow me, lady Phetocruel…” Alice looks at you, and after realizing you have heard her, she pushes the knife into your hands, “Make yourself useful.”

Once you are holding the blade in your hands, you quickly realizing that the mana you can sense from the Tool is higher than Alice’s! The nobles are supposed to have quantities of mana unimaginable, but even ignoring the injuries she still has, she looks extremely tired and fatigued. Of course, she is, she spell-bound at least two dozen spells in just the time you found her since, you have no idea how many spells she casted before that. She is low on mana.

“You don’t look too good,” you speak with worry, “Don’t tell me you used all of your mana to…”

“Shut up!” Alice shouts at you before she steps forward, “I have ENOUGH mana to take care of this one.”

“And if this is not the last corridor, if there are still traps ahead?” your voice turns serious, “What then?”

“That’s a question for later,” she turns her chin bloody by awkwardly rubbing her bleeding hand over it.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had no mana to spare?” you question her.

“I did have enough mana,” she shouts again angrily, “What about you, using all your magic on your healing spells?”

“We were both injured, I didn’t have a choice,” you grumble back, “How many times have I healed you so far?!”

“That’s all you can do, isn’t it?” she retorts, “You should be THANKFUL, without that knife you will be useless now!”

> “I still have my magic,” your cloth-weapon. Toss the knife into the ground in front of Alice and refuse to use it.
> “If you can use your vestiges to grab the ‘wall’s’ attention, I will try to Paralyze it with the knife. Is that fair?”
> “You are more skilled with that knife than I. I will grab the trap’s attention long enough for you to paralyze it.”
> “Looks like you don’t need my help.” Step away and allow Alice to deal with the wall trap all by herself.
> “You have failed this challenge seventy times. If it weren’t for me, you’d still be unconscious in that trench.”
> “I am not going to help you unless you apologise. I learned enough about clothing; I don’t -need- to help you.”
> [Write In]

>>3917733
>> “I am not going to help you unless you apologise. I learned enough about clothing; I don’t -need- to help you.”

>>3917733
>>"I am NOT useless!"
>>"You're not the only one with desires, you know? I'm supposed to be here to protect my mother and father's dream. If I lose this position, I'll lose everything!"
>>"Despite all of that, I came in here to help you, not because you're a noble, but because it's the right thing to do. So the least you could do is be grateful! I'm trying my best..."

>>3917733
> “Looks like you don’t need my help.” Step away and allow Alice to deal with the wall trap all by herself.
If she defeats the wall we can just go to the next corridor by ourselves.

I hope we find Sol soon.

>>3918176
By the end of the night, half of Blue Rose will have gotten stuck in the labyrinth trying to save other people whi got stuck in the labyrinth

>>3917984
+1

>>3917733
> “You are more skilled with that knife than I. I will grab the trap’s attention long enough for you to paralyze it.”
> your cloth-weapon.

Let's be practical and work together until we reach blue rose or someone else. She is a bitch and aggravating but we still have highest chance of success if we work together.

Like she still listens to us and inst total bitch that would disregard whatever we have said to her.

>>3918951
changing vote to this

[Update 1/1]

“I came here to see the conditions your clothes get damaged in,” you gruff, “And I think I’ve learned enough.”

Forcefully, her steel sabatons step towards you before she starts reaching for the knife, “So leave then, big loss.”

You step back and push the knife away from her reach, “This Magic Tool is mine, Phetocruel.”

Alice furrows her brows. Again, she attempts to intimidate you with another stern glare. She licks her lower lips and then spits the blood collected over her shoulder. Her bloodshot eyes stare you down, “I am your noble, commoner.”

Inelegantly, you take step back, “I-I don’t care. I shouldn’t even be in this labyrinth in the first place, but here I am – assisting you with all those traps, getting myself injured and dirty. I’m not doing this because you are my noble!”

“Is that so?” she manages to hiss and yell all at the same time, “Come on then, say it…”

“It’s because together-”

“It’s because you feel pity for me, isn’t it?!” she shortens the distance and yells.

“W-what?”

“A commoner like YOU, taking pity on ME!” her moan continues as she vehemently grabs the handle of your knife and tries to jack is upwards yet, you hastily gridlock the knife in your hand with the help of your linen-cloth. She grinds her teeth as, while certainly stronger than you physically, she is unable to overwhelm your magic. “Let it go, it’s MY magic inside of that THING – you can have it once it’s BARREN. You said yourself you don’t want to help!”

“No,” you push more mana into your cloth, “I healed you because it was the right thing to do!”

“Give me a break,” she successfully grinds against and then pushes you away with her shoulder. You stumble and then fall on the ground but not before you rid Alice of a reason to be happy by keeping hold of and then slipping the knife back into your hands. Laying with your bottoms on the cold ground, you meet Alice’s angry hem with your own.

“I know this is important for you, but you are not the only one with desires here,” you explain before you slowly stumble back on your feet. You cough – there is no way you won’t be sick in the morning. “Yes, you might call my dream pathetic but it is not – not for me or my family. I don’t know what I’m doing… but if I can’t get this position, I am going to fail their dreams as well.”

“This is my last chance,” she speaks out in cold monotone, “I am not stopping you from achieving your desire, commoner – go, become the world’s greatest garment-maker – but, right now, you are stopping ME.”

“I’ll help you reach the centre,” you lift the knife forwards with your cloth, “But I want you to apologize to me.”

“Nobles don’t grovel before commoners,” Alice clears her throat and then hides her face with her hand. After a long, lingering pause, she sighs, removes her hand and hastily glances over you, “But just maybe I was unfair and dishonest, and you and your magic are not as useless and pathetic as I implied previously. There, are you pleased?”

Close enough. You use your enchanted cloth to place the knife back into her hands.

She swipes the knife in a circular motion in front of you and then, smugly, she asks, “Are you stepping away?”
“No,” you push your hand forward as you allow your textile-weapon to wrap around your right arm like a snake, “You are more skilled with that knife than I. I will grab the trap’s attention long enough for you to paralyze it.”

She pauses, “I don’t WANT to bring your unconscious body from the labyr’ if you needlessly get injured, commoner, so we’ll start with my vestige, you understand?” You agree to this, you would rather not get any more holes in you.

You and Alice make sure you both are ready. You follow Alice’s instructions as you pace to where the trap is supposed to be at; you have to pull your trust in her. After a deep, meditating breath, you push the little magic you still have in you across and through your linen cloth – it unwraps from your arm and obediently stands up in wait… You give an affirmative nod towards Alice as she yells a single – Afterimage Magic: Vestige – incantation of her spell.

Immediately, a clone of Alice, as if an emerging mirage, appears right in front of the stone wall. As soon as her shape emerges into the physical world, the massive mossy wall begins to crumble and every single brick inside cracks from its position and begins to wobble under the massive overgrowth of moss and briars quickly overtaking its foundation.

As soon as that happens, Alice rushes towards the wall. In a single cement explosion, a massive chunk of the wall collapses on top of Alice’s clone and, in a cloud of dirt and smoke, destroys it. As if caught by a living briar fishnet, the chunks of collapsed wall’s brick-stones lift up and begins hovering in the air. That was barely a couple of seconds.

After a brief hesitation, you command your cloth-weapon to jump and smash the active portion of the enchanted wall. As soon as you do so, another huge chunk of the wall entangles itself into multiple floating bricks from the rest by the hold of dozen enchanted creepers and briars, and almost immediately after, it all comes flying towards you.

> roll 1d100 DR – best of three – to avoid the attack
> [Write In]

Rolled 68 (1d100)

>>3919185
Alright, progress! Big numbers, big numbers

Rolled 27 (1d100)

>>3919185

Rolled 52 (1d100)

>>3919185
From the window!
From the wall!
From the sweat drip down and fall!

>>3919229
I hope that's enough.
From what I can see Alice is a tsundere.

>>3919348
I think we're about to get hit, unfortunately

>>3919614
Welp, if that's the case, we still have yet to fail 70 times until we have the worst record in the labyrinth.

[Update 1/1]

Your drop into cold sweat. You bend your knees, slide your feet against the dry ground and then lower your entire body to try your best to avoid the attack. The massive clew of bricks and briars, about three times your size, whirls just a dozen of inches above your head. Only by your instinct of self-preservation, your body comes crashing and rolling down against the hard ground; an immense pain goes through your right shoulder as you force all your body’s weight on it. Several of the stone chunks and the thorny briars still manage to club your body and bruise your skin, but by some magical miracle, you manage to avoid the worst of it. You lean on your hands and quickly stand up.

The place where you were standing a few moments ago now resembles a crater with a huge, but collapsed, stone. Quite rapidly, the mossy vines begin pull back and drag the dozen chunks of broken brick stone toward the wall. Catching your breath, you glance towards Alice who managed to reach the trap wall itself thank to your efforts…

Revealing and thrusting forward her magic knife, she jumps towards the wall to stick it into the living briar in-between the brick stones… Only to have her and your celebration cut short when the wall itself begins to loudly collapse and all the bricks in front of Alice grind into a single, plant-less buffer as all the vines retract inside. There is a deaf smack and ring as the Paralyze Knife ricochets against the solid stone and its sharp edge bends and dulls.

Staggered, Alice is unable to twist herself in the air to land back on her two feet and is forced to fall down face-first onto the ground. She mumbles something under her breath before she finds herself struggling to stand up; your knife is laying just under her. Her body begins to glow with dim light – she is creating an afterimage. While extremely worn-out, you still push your mana into your cloth-weapon to assist Phetocruel, only to stop in your tracks when immense, loud and ground-shattering earthquake is heard. You turn your head towards the collapsing wall as it starts to break off into several huge orb-like chunks – at least five of them – held together by a web-connection of barbed clinging plants and undergrowth.

Now resembling an inside of an eldritch ant-hive, this creation takes a very lazy, cumbersome and slow step forwards – as if intending to crush Alice underneath it. Being unable to shorten the distance in time, you can only watch as one of the massive tangles of bricks and thorns comes falling on her. Tightly, Alice grabs and hold her open grimoire closer to her chest as the clouds of dirt and dust raise from the impact. You cover your eyes with your cloth as you try to peer inside the dust mist: a visible, aquamarine glow clearly states that Alice is still breathing.

Soon, the meadow is clear and sharp and, despite the dancing shadow of the massive wall-golem, you find Alice uninjured safely away from another, fresh impact crater. The blue-haired girl is still holding her grimoire close to her chest – but you are unable to spot your Paralyze Knife on her. You fall in cold shock as you realize that, despite being an enchanted Tool, anything is going to be destroyed under such weight and power. Your worry of having no more means of fighting this – honestly – scary creation is put to rest once the wall-golem retracts back its appendage.

Inside the crater, your clip-point blade with a semicircle cut near the handle lays untouched. Confused, you turn to Alice who is just as short on mana as you are – you are unsure how much afterimages she has left in her body.

> Ask Alice to grab the attention of the wall-golem. Pick up the knife with your cloth-weapon and toss it yourself.
> Use your cloth-weapon to grab the attention of the wall-golem and allow Alice to go for another stab attempt.
> Tell Alice that you and she are in no condition to fight the wall-golem and try to convince her to retreat back.
> [Write In]

>A few reminders:
>A regular punch is non-magic DR10 attack that does -1 HP damage. (I don’t suggest punching the wall though)
>As long as you have 1 mana left, you can still cast spells – but if you go into a negative you will lose conscious.

>Thanks for playing so far!

>>3920667
I'm unclear on something, do we need to defeat the golem, or just get past it?

>>3920735
>Just get past it, it will be hard for it follow you further down the labyrinth. You can try to run under it if you are really lucky (it's that big) or you'll have enough time to do it calmly if you manage to paralyze it.

>Have to run now, but further responses when I'm back from work if there're still any question.

>>3920667
>>> Ask Alice to grab the attention of the wall-golem. Pick up the knife with your cloth-weapon and toss it yourself.

>>3920667
>> Ask Alice to grab the attention of the wall-golem. Pick up the knife with your cloth-weapon and toss it yourself

>>3920667
How much damage will it do to us if we fail the evade roll?

>>3920667
>> Ask Alice to grab the attention of the wall-golem. Pick up the knife with your cloth-weapon and toss it yourself.

>>3920923
It's an angry, giant rock monster and we're a squishy tailor girl so my guess would be 'all of it'. Plus I think we are already down 1 hp from earlier

>>3920962
I guess you have a point, if the statues did 3 damage this thing will do more. Let's hope alice is as good as us at avoiding it.
> Ask Alice to grab the attention of the wall-golem. Pick up the knife with your cloth-weapon and toss it yourself.

>Update will be later today

[Update 1/1]

You exhale and wearily slide your palms to forcefully push the scraps of mana into your cloth-weapon. Agonizingly slow, your shirt-turned-scarf ultimately begins to radiate with enchanting and obeying glow. The brick and briar conjunction stands so tall, you can easily notice massive openings in-between it’s clews. That is just too risky…

Fighting your aching muscles, you rush towards the crater – complete insanity. You turn to Alice who is already preparing to rush for the knife to try again – there’s your bad influence. “Alice, I will do it – grab it’s attention!”

“What?!” despite her fatigue and the continuous and intense rumble of the earth, she is still as noisy as ever. Blind towards any potential danger, she allows her grimoire to raise up into the air as she turns to you, “You saying that I’m going to fail again? Is that it?! I’m going to drive that knife right into it, okay?! How can you be so cert-?!”

You do not stop running. Your sick cough awkwardly combines with your exasperated sigh, “You have to trust me!”

She continues to make cumbersome gestures until she realizes you are not giving up. You can’t hear her. Defeated, and very grumpy, she takes a step forward and crosses her arms as her body – again – spell-bounds her reciting afterimages in a brilliant, and constant, glow – curiously, she always creates either one or five of them.

The massive, malformed shadow of one of the orbs begins to ominously grow in size over you and then – the crater. You try to shut down any desperate thoughts of turning into a pancake; please, Alice, hurry up. You can no longer feel the cold, your hot sweat breaks from your every pour – adrenaline, is this it? You close the previous distance in what feels like seconds and wasting no more time, you send your cloth flying inside the crater and towards the knife.

To your desperate joy, the massive orb above your head does not fall any lower – instead, with a shove of hundreds of briars, another clew of bricks reacts to Alice’s own… tossed stone, and now comes charging right towards her. Even if they call her and her magic “weak”, Alice is still is a Magic Knight and so, if a squishy tailor girl like you could avoid one of those orbs, she will have no problems doing it as well. Unlike you, however – and this is something she refuses to easily admit – Alice seems to lack any kind of ranged spells or attacks. You, have a semblance of one…

“Afterimage Magic: Vestige. Form: Flesh Wall.” Alice’s book burns for likely its last time today and falls on the ground.

Just before the slow clew of rocks and overgrowth is able to reach Alice, her identical vestige manifests in front of her; their arms put in a cross, one clone after another struggle and shatter under the immense pressure. Not even five bodies of Alice’s physique and muscle are able to put a defence against Captain’s powerful amalgamation. When the final vestige is broken, and this happens in less than ten seconds, barrage of rocks and scrubs erupts the ground. Thankfully, those few seconds gave Alice enough time to get out of the way.

You do not waste her sacrifice either.

With your lacking reserves of mana, you are now forced to battle with every movement you command your cloth-weapon to follow. Riskily, you close your eyes to make the connection between you and the cloth ever-so better.

One end of your cloth-weapon clings to your fingers, while the other end slithers inside the crate and securely surrounds the handle of the knife. You open your eyes: you need to quickly find a good place to throw the knife at. You grab the handle of the knife and you hurl it flying. You assist and push the weapon further and further into the sky with the help of your enchanted cloth. No, something doesn’t feel right… with your cloth and knife combo half-way there, the wall’s mossy brick stone begins to crumble, collapse and solidify into a solitary, briar-less bulwark.

This damn golem is using the same, damn tactic on you!

You can do more. This will be your -second- time pushing your basic magic to it’s limit. You close your eyes and free your mind. You concentrate your thoughts on the flying linen alone. Back with Nicolai, he was holding your money bag at a distance – but here the range is several meters away. Being a tailor, you rarely push yourself and your mana to such pathetic and wasteful state; somebody like Sol and especially Alice are incredible (and mad) for going through this labyrinth time after time. To your clear astonishment, not being able to sense the mana in your body and grimoire makes it easier for you now to sense the overwhelming pressure and magic of Captain’s Charlotte’s magic in her very infuriating creation. Moreover, dying magic inside your cloth is now traceable and in your reach.

As if controlling a kite with an invisible mana-thread, you force your cloth – and the knife it is holding – to avoid smashing into the stone shield and then, rather incredibly, to glide a semi-circle straight behind it; a single cut is enough to trigger the spell inside the Magic Tool.

An intense magic seal explodes in noble, aquamarine light – as a tiny firework, and disappears just as fast.

Almost immediately, the golem and all of its parts are paralyzed. There’s a breath-worth moment of calmness but then, in a cacophony of the tremors and rock-smashing crush, the massive wall comes falling down – and you are standing just an arms’ reach from it. Every moment you have to think is cut short, unlike previously, the ant hive-like abomination is no longer under control of briar magic; what is going to fall on you are tons of regular stone chunks.

An obnoxious smirk lifts your lips: there is no way Charlotte would create a trap with potential to kill one of her Knights, surely? Alice’s deaf shout and apprehensive expression unnerves you – is that not the case? Why is this happening? Even if you were able to cast more spells – not a single one of them will be able to protect you here. Alice, you can throw… no, even if she comes charges towards you, Alice is too far. Your cloth is not in your hands.

> Use your grim… Not much magic there, is it? Can your healing spell protect you? [This will knock you out.]
> Push your body – and mana – to escape the collapsing golem. 1d100 roll – best of three.
> Try to “recharge” part of the falling wall and briar in hope you can force it to split. [This will knock you out.]
> [Write In]

>>3923514
>> Push your body – and mana – to escape the collapsing golem. 1d100 roll – best of three.

>>3923534
>If three people pick this and it's majority you can roll.

> Push your body – and mana – to escape the collapsing golem. 1d100 roll – best of three.

>>3923514
>> Push your body – and mana – to escape the collapsing golem. 1d100 roll – best of three.

Rolled 78 (1d100)

>>3923514

>>3923757
this is me, my id changed

>>3923514
> Push your body – and mana – to escape the collapsing golem. 1d100 roll – best of three.

Rolled 10 (1d100)

>>3923514
Aaaaahhhhhh!

Rolled 23 (1d100)

>>3923699

>>3923820
>Eighty is plenty. Have some things to take care of first so expect update at usual time.

[Update 1/1]

With no other thought on your mind, you start running. You pull the last titbits of your mana from your very skin and bones. A huge (as big as your head) ugly clew of thorns, creepers and rocks connects with the spot you were standing at a few seconds ago, and dozens of similar chunks follow falling all around you. Right. Left. Dodge. You push your body as much as you possibly can. Your vision twists into a barely recognizable blur and soon, it becomes impossible to differentiate between the empty air and the rocks dropping.

You feel a sudden, agonising pain as one of the many chunks connects with your shoulder – you stumble forward and trip further on a thicket of thorny briars; somehow, after awkwardly hopping on your left leg for several meters, you manage to keep your balance and continue your escape. You get a headache as well; just what you need… Your eyes can no longer be trusted, so you have to put your faith in your, very lacklustre, ability to sense Charlotte’s magic inside the dropping chunks. And so, you do. Once again, you close your eyes shut and fall into a dangerous trance…

…

You stumble and come to a forceful stop. By some miracle of the universe, you are still alive. As soon as you halt, all borrowed adrenaline evaporates and all the injuries and muscle pains return back – you can’t hide your tears. Sluggishly, you open your eyes to see Phetocruel tightly holding you by your shoulders. She was so far a second ago.

“Can’t believe you pulled that off!” Alice painfully shouts in your face, “You’re mad!”

“I… don’t want to hear it from you,” you say half-seriously as you step away from her, only to wobble and fall on your bottoms on the cold, dirty ground. Ouch. It is aching even there. Begrudgingly, you accept Alice’s offered hand, however, she pulls you up much stronger than necessary and -another- wave of pain passes across your entire body.

“Ouch! Ouch! OUCH!” you wince and look angrily at Alice through tears in your eyes.

“You had to ruin all of that by acting LAME,” she has to ruin her compliment by being an ass.

“The paralyze is not going to last for long, especially on something… ouch, that big,” you tell her.

“You are right,” she admits and lets you go, “Come on then! We are near, I can FEEL it!”

Every step you take is painful, but you struggle on – you want to be as far away from this golem when the effects of the Paralyze Knife come off as possible. Alice is surprisingly helpful: she assists you with stepping over the collapsed hills that used to be a hedge wall, although avoiding all the sharp thorns and deep, sinking overgrowth is very hard. You are unsure if Alice is feeling bad because you just nearly died or because she is impressed by what you just did…

File: Labyrinth's Centre.png (371 KB, 341x600)

371 KB PNG

Regardless, the rest of the journey is (thankfully) uneventful. Alice tells you that she had to face this golem several times during her numerous attempts, but this is the first time it was a non-effort ending encounter for her. Somehow, Alice has managed to survive her battles with this monstrosity so, perhaps, you were worried for nothing. Alice explains that she was unconscious at the end of her fights and so, she does not remember much of them. You still have to pass several more corridors until you eventually reach the centre of the labyrinth. However, every other meadow and alleyway going through the maze is known, or has, an afterimage created by Alice previously.

The centre is a massive, open garden with Charlotte’s eminent blue rosebushes growing all around it – only blue. The magic here is hers and hers alone, and it completely overwhelms your mana-less body. According to Alice, she was here several times already – so nothing here surprises her. You find four dirt roads (you stand on one of them) starting from four entrances and leading towards a single stone well in the middle of it all. The stone well is ancient and sculptured in finest of details – it has an arch-like frame and a roof. Instead of a deep hole, however, there is an empty flower bed with the nothing but dirt and pebbles inside of it. Alice reaches it first, but she is quickly dejected.

“W-what’s going on?” you ask.

“Again,” Alice hisses as smashes her closed fists against the foundation of the well and, in a rush, starts aggressively marching towards one of the walls. With no care for body she slams the wall with her palms, with her feet and then – with her forehead. You try to approach her but you stop when you realize it is no use – she is obviously in grief.

“It should be there! The flower should be growing right there!” her crippled voice echoes through the garden as she continues to, fruitlessly and with more damage to herself than it, smash the wall; blood splatters everywhere but she does not care. “I’ve reached the damn entrance, again!” she screams, “BUT AGAIN I AM NOT WORTHY?! IS THAT IT?”

You step aside and surrender Alice to her own sorrow – there is nothing you can say to make her feel better. Sighing, you slowly approach the stone well yourself. Indeed, nothing seems to be growing inside the dirt of the flower bed. You put your hand over the mud and roll a few pebbles over your hands. Perhaps, Captain Charlotte is just lazy to put a new seed every time somebody succeeds a challenge? Alice seems to have the worse luck of anyone you know.

Then, you remove your hand and the young rose bud begins to quickly crawl out and then grow into a real, blue rose on your very eyes. You can see every petal and thorn, it is so vivid, so beautiful. You glance behind your shoulder to see Alice being busy spending her anger on the wall as a punching bag.

> Call Alice and tell her the good news, wait until you can safely leave the labyrinth.
> Hide the flower inside your pouch, wait until you can safely leave the labyrinth.
> [Write In]

>>3924264
>> Call Alice and tell her the good news, wait until you can safely leave the labyrinth.

>I wish you guys would add some comment on the situation so would I know how you feel about the current state of the quest and your thoughts.

>>3924261
>> Call Alice and tell her the good news, wait until you can safely leave the labyrinth.

>>3924383
It feels good to have reached the end of the labyrinth. I'm a bit conflicted on what to do here. The message seems to be fairly clear that whatever magic governs the Labyrinth did not deem Alice worthy. It's possible that by showing her the rose now, she will think we are just trying to mock her, saying that we were worthy, but not her. On the other hand, hiding it would make that seem even more blatant.

Alice has been a bit of a pain in the ass this whole time, but I feel like she has tried to improve as things have gone on. The fact is that she couldn't reach the center of the Labyrinth on her own, but then neither could Cynthia. They only made it because they worked together, so personally I think they've both earned the rose.

>>3924383
I think Labyrinth arc had just right length. It was long enough that I started tofeel exhaustion of character, but not too long where it would get to be boring. Rooms had fun and intreging obstacles. Alice being dificult companion definitly added to the challenge.

>>3924264
>> Call Alice and tell her the good news, wait until you can safely leave the labyrinth.

>>3924261
>> Call Alice and tell her the good news, wait until you can safely leave the labyrinth.

[Update 1/1]

“Phetocruel, come on now!” you shout after a brief, hesitating pause. This flower is not going to make your life any easier and, although she is a huge pain in the butt, Alice did put actual effort today to work together with you. You notice her confused – she really should take some lessons from Tugela regarding using her head as a weapon – expression. You raise and wave your hand to ask her to return back to the well. You point your finger at the rose.

She comes back instantly; the obsession she has with this rose is unhealthy yet understandable. Alice puts both of her hands on the edges of the flowerbed and leans her entire body closer to the glowing bloom. With her eyes sparkling as if a crystal-clear mirror, she stays like this for half-a-minute before she pushes herself back to her spot.

“What did you do? How did you make it appear?!” she painfully grabs your shoulders and her eyes begin to whirl.

“I don’t know,” you wince from pain and attempt to step away. She is not satisfied with this answer.

“It NEVER appeared for me!” her cheeks begin to flush and dampen.

“I…Ouch,” gingerly, you smile, “Sol told me that, at sunrise, this maze ‘ends’ and safely guides you outside, right?”

“Yeah but so what? Are you changing the topic?!”

“Maybe… you were simply not patient enough and that the flower only appears just before the sunrise so that.”

You are not entirely sure of how much of what you said is true; it is impossible for you to know the inner workings of this labyrinth and also Charlotte’s mind. What you do know, however, is that there is no way you are that lucky to approach the well just before sunrise. Perhaps because Captain Charlotte outright forbid Alice from going to this labyrinth, this has somehow influenced labyrinth’s judgement. Perhaps, because she used her previous afterimages to skip so many of the rooms and pass so many of the traps, she was marked as unworthy. It was you, not Alice, who dealt the final blow to the absurdly treacherous wall trap – maybe the maze reflects those things?

She bites her lower lip. Her vigour is slowly being eaten by her apathy. “How can I be less worthy than you?!”

“What are you talking about?” you roll your eyes and step away, “It’s yours.”

In instant, she grabs the rose by its very root and embarrassingly slams it into your chest, “I said why?!”

You stumble back, “Why are you angry?! Did you not want it?” you begin rubbing your aching chest.

“Of course, I did!” she exclaims with a stampede of her boots, “But YOU made it grow! It’s for you!” She pants.

“It’s ours,” you try to smile. Fighting the pain, you bend to pick up the rose and, once again, you offer it to Alice. As you do so, you notice her keeping her bleeding hands in upset fists. “You just needed some help, that’s all.”

“Pfah,” she spits and kicks the ground but immediately afterwards, she looks back and hesitantly accepts the rose. After another brief pause, she puts it into her own pouch, “I am not giving it back if you change your mind later.”

“I won’t,” you stop yourself just short of shrugging your shoulders, “Deadly, dangerous missions are not my forte.”

“What kind of tailor ARE you?” Alice knocks her head to the side. A peach hue quickly returns to her face and body. “This is your first time in the labyrinth, isn’t it? Do you REALIZE how rare is it for people to do this in just one try?”

“I don’t think I did it fairly,” gently, you turn around and lean against the stone surface of the well’s wall. Following a slow descent and slide, you finally allow yourself to relax, “We could only skip so many traps because of your magic.”

“…You’re right!” smugly, she says, “You would probably be deceased, eaten or covered in thorns from all the traps here!”

You sigh. You are trying your best not to hurt her feelings, yet, it feels as if she does not care about yours at all.

“Glad you are happy. Now we just have to wait until the labyrinth is safe enough to leave,” you put your hands across your knees. Right now, you are still only wearing your undershirt: you have no strength left to mend your shirt. You shudder – the cold is the only thing that is still keeping you and your exhausted body from falling asleep.

Shamelessly and very commoner-like, Alice slides and joins you sitting upon the cold ground. She rudely points her finger into your chest, “You are DAMN annoying, commoner, but your magic, rarely, but was very useful today.”

> Is there anything you would like to ask or share with her?
> [Write In]

>might be able to post a second update today later, no promises.

>>3926331
> [Write In]
>> I even managed to learn a new spell today, but... I don't know if it will be enough. I feel like I'm so far behind Olyver in this competition for the head tailor position.
>> Your magic was amazing, Alice.

>>3926329
>she really should take some lessons from Tugela regarding using her head as a weapon
Kek

>>3926550
+1

>>3924383
sorry that i often don't comment on situation its just that i never come up with stuff to say

[Update 1/1]

“Your magic was amazing too, Phetocruel,” you compliment the woman in earnest.

You are still not on first-name terms according to her…

Her mouth opens a little but she robs you of response, or, at least, at first. In awkward gesture Alice pushes her hands behind her neck as if making a makeshift pillow. “You are trying too damn HARD to be nice, y’know.”

You blink. You lean your head ever-so-further from Alice, “I’m not trying. It’s not helpful to be rude to people.”

With a roll of her eyes she removes her gaze from you and grinds her teeth, “It’s not rudeness, it’s the ‘no manure added approach’.” She sighs, gently lifts herself off the ground to glance at now-empty flower bed, and then turns back to continue with her rant. “I said your magic was useful, but don’t get too excited, it’s still nothing extravagant. But, don’t take THAT as an insult. You’re a tailor girl with linen magic, you have it and your simple life all figured out.”

You nod, “I know it’s not. I have only been here for a few days but I have already seen so many powerful grimoires.”

She, with a very painful bump, connects both of her elbows together.

“Your magic is probably the most unique one I have ever seen, Phetocruel.”

There is a visible shock and confusion on her face. Again, she hems. “Captain Charlotte said the same thing, but, that’s not ENOUGH for me. Don’t act like you did not hear,” she kicks her iron feet against the ground, “What they call me… my father was Clover Kingdom’s most amazing Magic Knight, but I inherited his magic in the worst ways!

It takes me FIVE spells to make something resembling a useful attack, if a commoner had my magic, they would be absolutely useless with it because of how much mana y’lot have! But because I’m the daughter of a famous ma-”

As if hit by lightning, she shudders, removes her hands and crosses them under her barely present chest.

“Why am I even opening up to you? It’s none of your business. Damn, you looking as if you care is creepy as well."

You smile, “Let’s make it fair.” You lower your eyes in clear embarrassment and, after a heavy exhale, you reveal your bothers, “I’m a tailor, but Olyver feels like he’s on a completely different level. He’s so creative, and despite having a non-tailoring magic, he is able to use his steam in so many unique and helpful ways it puts my abilities to shame. He has ideas every member of the Blue Rose seems to be exciting and happy about… I learned a new spell today, but I am not sure how it will help me win this competition. I am so far behind him for the position.”

“Olyver?” she hums to herself, “Oh, him. He’s a lot like you: very annoying, very easy-going, very soft!” Her voice quickly turns into a grouse, “He’s been RUINING everyone’s serious and specialised uniforms with his ‘cute’ inscriptions; I had to force him to remove one from mine.” It seems you found a member of the Blue Rose who isn’t happy about his work. “You commoners worry about the simplest of things. I don’t know, or don’t care-”

To follow the insulting point, she yawns, “But this ‘greatest tailor’ challenge was proposed by the Captain Charlotte, wasn’t it?” She lingers on a hollow, empty silence as if trying to make you reach a conclusion; you can only raise your eyebrow. “You have the nerve to complain about something so easy when just a few MINUTES ago you beat the labyrinth, perhaps the hardest of Roselei’s challenges ever conceived. Beating Olyver should be a cake walk for you!”

You try to intervene but her talking is just so much faster and louder than yours. She continues, slapping her hand against her knee to emphasis her point, “Blue Rose is a group that rejects the strength of men, but that boy has been working here for longer than I’ve been a Magic Knight, for many of the members he’s like, yuck, a little brother. They give most of their ruined clothes to him ‘cause of that so, it’s simple: just promote your name by beating him up!”

“I…” You pause as you try to come up with a reasonable response to her bombast, “I don’t think a fight will help.”

Alice clicks her tongue in irritation, “No, you cloth-brained idiot, force him for a public contest he will lose!”

As soon as she says that, the dawn breaks and the stars completely vanish from the slowly brightening sky. Alice stands up and so, you follow her example. Just like Sol said, dozens of briars emerge from beneath the ground of the exits from the centre garden and, as if a thorny spider-web, they completely overgrow all but one of them. You go slow because of your injuries, and so does Alice because of hers, although she is determinate not to show you this.

While the labyrinth is now safe, and there is only one – correct route to take – it is still a rather long walk. To your surprise and disappointment, neither Sol or Wainsley are there to meet you. Have they already left? That would make sense, as they were much closer to the exit than either you or Alice. Perhaps, they both are still in the labyrinth and lay unconscious after failing one of the traps? You pray that is not the case. Unlike Phetocruel, who you can now easily call irrational and stubborn, although not oud loud, the other two seem to know when to give up and go back.

Alice, entirely ignoring you, begins hurriedly walking back to the mansion – if she had any strength left, she would be running now. Her body needs an assistance of a real, proper healer and yours… your body really needs cleaning. You have overheard a couple of Magic Knights discussing visiting the women’s baths previously. No surprise they have them! You will have to bear with the deep dirt and dry blood and only clean yourself with a wet tower for today, as you have no strength or desire to search for the thermae or go through the entire cleaning routine before sleep…

By the time you reach the entrance, Alice is nowhere to be seen. It is not going to surprise you if she decides to go barging into Charlotters bedroom straight away to give her the rose; it is hard to feel that she has the patience. It is not your concern, however. Fighting the pain, you reach your room and, as soon as you get yourself semi-cleaned and into your sleeping undergarments, you quickly collapse on your bed and fall asleep.

You hope you’ll feel better in the morning.

*** *** ***

Your mana has been restored.

You don’t. As soon as you close your eyes, you open them. Many hours pass just like that. You skip the dreams and the nightmares. You barely feel rested. Your muscles and bones continue to ache, perhaps, even worse than yesterday. In addition, you have a running nose, a sore throat and an obnoxious headache – a cocktail of illnesses. After a long battle with your own ego, you manage to get yourself up and dressed – although your legs betray you.

Once you leave your room, you quickly realize that you have also overslept, thankfully not by much. Pero and Lilth only just began their duties, so you are not just leaving them to their fate. What you are extremely dejected about is the breakfast and the fact that you have completely missed it. Perhaps if you beg the chef… but there is no time…

What sort of future head-tailor are you going to be if you leave your assistants to do everything by themselves? They need your magic. You will just have to battle and work with an empty stomach until lunch time.

Slightly stumbling from fatigue, pains in your calves and a headache, you pass through multiple corridors. While it might just be your crippled imagination, you notice several of the Magic Knights who pass you – and who you reassure that you are okay – looking at you with suspicion, curiosity and, to be frank, nosiness. Some of them, after they make sure you are not in range to hear them, begin shadily whispering and glancing in your direction.

You reach the door of your workshop only to find it open. Gingerly, you enter inside to find mountains of all manners of clothes laying on every previously available spot. There must be at least twice as much here than it was yesterday.

“Thia!!!” Pero, clinging to your skirt, reveals himself, “I’m sorry for every doubting you! You are as cool as Olyver!”

“H-huh?” you shudder an take a step back, “I… don’t get close to me, Pero, you’ll get sick.”

“Cynthia,” Lilth awkwardly approaches you too. He looks at you with his glasses and then quickly removes them. “I was sceptical, but there is no way you wouldn’t look like this if it wasn’t true! You look horrible and your wounds are worse than they look (damn his magical glasses), but… It is amazing, I can’t believe it. Everyone is talking about it!”

“W-what…” you grunt, your headache grows worse, “What are you two talking about? What is going on?”

Pero and Lilth exchange glances. Lilth speaks first, “You should take a break from working today.”

You close the door behind yourself, “Look at all those clothes. If we want to beat Olyver I can’t just…”

“Who cares about the clothes?!” Pero pushes himself in front of Lilth, “Only a few -knights- completed it on first try!”

“H-huh?” you repeat again, confused.

“The labyrinth! We heard about it, right Lilth? Everyone did! They say you helped the ‘Weakest Magic Knight’ reach the centre of the labyrinth! On your first time! And you’re not even a Magic Knight! All those clothes are from people who are impressed by what you did. Come on, Thia, tell us everything!”

> “Maybe some other time, Pero. We need to try finishing as many clothes as we can today.”
> “Yes, but I just got very lucky. Look at me, I am just happy to still be alive. Please don’t try it.”
> “That’s wrong. Alice did most of the work and it was thanks to her we were able to finish the labyrinth.”
> “Yes, that’s true – in a way. I helped Alice, and she helped me. By working together, we did it.”
> “You are right, Lilth. I’m sorry and thank you. If I’m better by mid-day I’ll come and help you.”
^ Go to either: Cecilia’s Office, Dining Hall, Sol’s Room, Elvira’s Room, Alice’s Room or the Women’s’ Baths.
> You can’t take this anymore. Use [Linen Magic: Healing Blanket] to rid yourself off the ills.
> [Write In]

>>3928384
>No worries. Thanks for playing.

>>3928732
> “Yes, that’s true – in a way. I helped Alice, and she helped me. By working together, we did it.”
> You can’t take this anymore. Use [Linen Magic: Healing Blanket] to rid yourself off the ills.

>>3928732
> You can’t take this anymore. Use [Linen Magic: Healing Blanket] to rid yourself off the ills.
> “Yes, but I just got very lucky. Look at me, I am just happy to still be alive. Please don’t try it.”
I want to go to the baths tbqh.

>>3928858
+1

[Update 1/1]

“Yes, that’s true – in a way. I helped Alice, and she helped me. By working together, we did it.”

“I can’t believe it,” Pero shivers with nothing less but pure excitement, “You have to tell us E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!”

“I just got very lucky. Look at me, I am just happy to still be alive. Please don’t try it.”

In fact, this is too much. You narrow your eyes in discomfort as you then, unintentionally vulgarly, step forward to lean on one of the high tables to help yourself find balance. You exhale before waving your hand at Lilth to accompany your point: ‘I am alright’. Hesitantly, you unlock the belt over your pouch and take out your grimoire.

You open the grimoire and let its pages to flip and turn by themselves until the spell you need is found. You apologize the boys for the bother with a petite smile before you shout out the incantation. “Linen Magic: Healing Blanket.” Thankfully, your mana is obedient and fruitful. A long roll of glowing linen is quick to manifest and then completely shroud your body in a textile cocoon. At first, the texture of the linen cloth is scratchy and frustrating...

Damn, this feels incredible! Of course, there were times you have used your magic on yourself, but only today you realize just how effective it is. Silently, you praise the shelves of the grimoire tower for gifting you with this grimoire – the lack of offensive spells is nothing compared to just how grand your healing spell is.

As your previously glittering cloth turns bloody and ashen, your body, in reverse, is restored to health. Your muscles no longer ache, your bones no longer hurt and all your bruises and deep wounds are left as nothing but barely present scars. The ‘feel’ of your mana is nothing new to your body, certainly, but in the form of a healing blanket your magic is warm and revitalizing.

As the blanket finally begins to vanish thread by thread into the air of the room, you realize that even your headache, sore throat and cold are lacking. How much would you have to suffer if it wasn’t for your healing spell?

This is, honestly, unfair. So be it.

“I forgot!” Pero exclaims, “Thia! Not only have you conquered the labyrinth, you did it with healing magic!”

You push your grimoire back into your pouch and awkwardly shake your head, “My healing magic was useful, but I wouldn’t be able to defeat any of the traps without the Magic Tool I, very luckily, had on me, and Alice’s magic.”

The scarlet-haired boy cautiously approaches you. Without any warning, he leans his face extremely close to your body. His fingers roll across his adjustable, magical glasses as he slowly changes his position and looks at several of your body parts with what you can only describe as scientific glance. Other girls would call him a pervert for this.

Your cheeks turn crimson from all the, rather clinging, attention. “Lilth… what are you doing?”

File: Charlotte.png (296 KB, 500x500)

296 KB PNG

“O-oh,” he too realizes how discomforting his actions are for you, and so he leans back and bows in apology. “Sorry, Cynthia… Sorry,” he repeats and attempts to hide his blushing. He adjusts his glasses, “I was just inspecting your wounds. There are none… I think. If you had any left, I would -insist- you stay away from work. But if you still –”

“That’s good,” you twist your torso left and right in a cute and simple exercise, “Let’s begin then, we have lots of work to do.” You catch Pero’s disappointed and pouting face and you roll your eyes, “I’ll tell you while we work, fair?”

He jumps in excitement, slaps his knees with his palms and rushes back to his workplace. He’s still just a kid.

Before you begin, however, a knock is heard by the door of the workshop. You let the boys finally start with their work properly and instead you approach and open it yourself. Strange, you find no person standing behind it. Instead, there is a wicker basket with a single yet big piece of clothing inside of it – a very deep cobalt gown. You glance to both sides to make sure nobody is there before you take the basket inside your workshop. There, you inspect it closer and showcase the beautiful dress to both of the boys. It is badly damaged in several places, and is eaten by moth in many others. You cough and smack it above the ground to get rid of all the dust on it: it’s ancient.

The intricate rose-like lace neck neckline is missing several pieces. The ribbon belt is of a different dress entirely and will need to be custom-made anew to make the dress look how it should be. The long skirt itself should be decorated with blooms of fake, textile roses – some of them are still present – that are currently missing or badly wobble with every movement of the skirt. What else, what else, it is not often you had to deal with gowns back at home – even the people buying stuff in the High Street can rarely afford such things. The worst part is that it is not made out of linen but a mix of satin and silk – materials your magic does not work on. This will take time and effort to repair…

Another knock is heard. A bit annoyed now, you open the door with an impolite twist of the door handle.

Charlotte is standing on the other side in her regular uniform. As soon as she sees you, she raises an eyebrow.

“C-Captain,” you mutter under your breathe as you address her, “Good day.”

“Hello, tailor Cynthia,” she pauses as her cold, blue eyes fall on you, “You are in better health than I expected.”

“Thank you?” you stumble on your words. You glance back, the boys are both curiously looking at your direction.

“Make some time and follow me,” she insists and, without waiting for an answer, she turns and spreads her cloak.

You don’t really have much of a choice, do you? You wave to the boys to continue as you leave to follow her.

> “Am I in trouble? If this is about your labyrinth?”
> “We are doing much better now with our work-flow and request-wise now, if it’s about that.”
> “Before you arrived, a beautiful gown was left at my doorsteps. Do you know who it might be from?
> “If it’s not a secret, can you tell me how I am doing so far compared to Olyver and his company?”
> Continue following Captain Charlotte in silence until she decides to explain everything by herself.
> [Write In]

>please roll 1d100 – best of the three for the spell’s cost.

You restored 1 health.

>>3930607
>>please roll 1d100
Is that supposed to be 1d10?

>>3930607
>“Before you arrived, a beautiful gown was left at my doorsteps. Do you know who it might be from?

>>3930615
>Suppose to be the cost of the spell, yeah...
>1d10+10

Rolled 9 + 10 (1d10 + 10)

>>3930622
Gotcha, just wanted to make sure. I hope Charlotte doesn't yell at us ;_;

Rolled 7 + 10 (1d10 + 10)

>>3930607
> “Before you arrived, a beautiful gown was left at my doorsteps. Do you know who it might be from?

Rolled 5 + 10 (1d10 + 10)

>>3930607
> “Before you arrived, a beautiful gown was left at my doorsteps. Do you know who it might be from?

>>3930607
>> “Before you arrived, a beautiful gown was left at my doorsteps. Do you know who it might be from?

>>3930627
I'm debating asking her about how we are doing compared to olyver. Would be pretty bad situation for her if we actually died.

>>3930789
Eh, I feel like it would be a bit of a show of weakness. Plus, it can't be denied that we've been putting tailoring somewhat on the back-burner with all the running around we've been doing.

>>3930607
> Continue following Captain Charlotte in silence until she decides to explain everything by herself.

[Update 1/1]

You spend 15 mana.
Mana [85/100]

You follow Charlotte through the complex hallways of her mansion – still less complicated than the labyrinth.

“Before you arrived, a beautiful gown was left at my doorsteps. Do you know who it might be from?”

Continuing with her pace, she shortly turns her head to look at you – as if wishing not to be rude by answering your question without acknowledging you first. She hums, “I have met the Vice-Captain on my way here, so perhaps…”

You raise your eyebrow and increase your pace to now be side-by-side with Roselei instead of following behind her, “The Vice-Captain? I don’t think I have met her yet. Is there a reason she just left it by the door just like that?”

She smiles, just barely, “Our Vice-Captain prefers not to bother people if she can help it, do not take it to heart.”

You nod. You won’t. The two of you continue in silence. You decide against guessing what she needs you for as well as asking questions and advices that can make you seem weak. Charlotte is enjoying the silence, and is very reluctant to share the details with you before she is planning to. She doesn’t query you about anything personal.

Eventually, you arrive to a door as big as that of the Wardress – the Captain’s office. Two long navy tapestries, as if curtains, hang by each side of the door; they, just barely, touch the floor. Both of them illustrate a frame of a woman knight woven with a golden thread. Charlotte tucks one of the tapestries to reveal a distinct and very unique wood behind it – the likes of which you have never seen before. The wood has a strange, bluish tint to it – a likely reason Roselei decided to use it. The entire door has been carved to resemble a texture of an overgrown, rose thicket – you can differentiate and spot every petal, thorn and rose relief here.

“First, I need to award and merit the stars we have received during this month,” she keeps her hand on one of the two hand-sized shield-looking wooden door handles, “They are waiting for me. If you want, you can wait inside.”

Her testing you might be your only reason to refuse. Still, this might be your only chance to see a real ceremony. After a short, uncertain pause, you nod your head in concession, “I promise to stay away until you are finished.”

She nods, as if that’s a given. Finally, she opens the door and allows the warm, dry air to escape through the door. The room is sparse and well-lit, and has six windows with rather simplistic but stunning design around each. There is another, half-wooden half-glass door leading into the balcony: it hidden behind a blue silk curtain. The white stone floor is divided by a green mosaic which resembles long creepers and vines. The mosaic twists and zig-zags in disharmonious manner. The roof is high and rounded and the walls are painted white and decorated with a golden-like wallpaper border. You cannot spot a single natural plant present inside this room, aside from the very distinct blue rose you and Alice found now gently perking from above the glass vase… Is this where she relaxes from briars?

As soon as you enter, you spot several Magic Knights who also notice you in return. Tugela, Tresses, Cecilia, Wainsley, Puli and Sol are here. They all turn towards Charlotte and give her the proper salute. She acknowledges each of their presence and leaves you to your fate. Slowly, she approaches a long table near one of the long walls and places a short box on top of it, which she promptly unlocks. Several of the Magic Knights are looking in your direction. Although popularity can be a useful tool for a tailor to sell their work, you are not the type to bask in it.

You give Sol a nod and, thankfully, she is happy to see you. She keeps her silence as to not disappoint the Captain.

Others, even if they wanted to, do not question Charlotte about your presence.

“Now then,” Roselei’s calm voice booms as she places her hand on a massive white-gold frame hanging on the wall. The frame itself has multiple small, golden stars going from the upper left corner further and further down. “As some of you already know, Marx Francois has recently given us your last batch of stars and I think now is best time as any to add them to our overall. First, Bonnie. A star for discovering and stopping Spade Kingdom’s plot and spy.”

She removes a single star from the box and, by magic, it floats and takes an empty space inside the frame. You look as to who Bonnie is and you immediately recognize the short woman who was annoying you about Cleole.

“Then, Cecilia, Tresses and Wainsley,” she refers to the healer who completely ignored Wainsley’s request yesterday, “Two stars for ending a quickly spreading magical plague in the town of Fuzol. You did a good job.”

She continues to grant several more rewards and name several more achievements such as: crushing a magic gang, crushing an enemy kingdom’s officer (courtesy of Tugela and Tresses), capturing mages practicing forbidden magic, defending the headquarter from an infiltrator, exploring a dungeon, finding and protecting a rare magical artefact and there is even three star reward for somehow taming a magic zone(!) – until she only has one star remaining.

“And finally, one more star for Tugela for stopping and capturing an elusive mage-thief bothering our city of Kraal.”

With a giant smirk and visible satisfaction, the Goat Knight rubs her finger against the top of her wet lips. Tugela has managed to achieve seven stars for her efforts, Puli has five stars, just like Sol and Tresses. While Puli and Sol look more than contented, Tresses is not – her skin is red and the end tips of her long hair resemble sharpened blades.

Charlotte gives you a short glance as she quietly steps away from the framed display. “I must say I am more than happy at those results. As you know, even as a group, the stars you are rewarded will count individually for your Conferment Ceremony in six months, but for our ranking in the Star Awards Festival they are only counted once.”

Instead of reminding this to the Magic Knights, it is likely Charlotte decided to explain it to you.

“I believe that is all. If we continue like this, who knowns, we might stand above the Golden Dawn during the next Star Awards Festival.” She closes the empty box, “So please, continue with your duties as you would, women!”

“Wait!” Tresses shouts and her hair harshly, as if lead, slams the flooring.

“…Is there anything you would like to ask, Tresses?” Captain Charlotte coldly puts her iron fingers on the desk.

“Captain Charlotte,” Tresses’ voice lingers very annoyingly, “Do you not think it’s about time you give me another special mission? I don’t care if it’s difficult or dangerous, it will not be a problem for me! I ask you, please.”

Roselei pauses to think. Her eyes fall on the vase before she brightens Tresses expression with a nod. “There is a one task that I was thinking about conceding to the Silver Eagle but… Very well, you and Alice can give it a try.”

Tresses’ lips quiver, “Alice?! Surely you are joking, Captain Charlotte! There’s no way the pitiful and sad Alice can-”

Tresses is immediately silenced by a cold glare from Roselei and a pressing aura of her overwhelming mana.

“Alice has fairly and completely proven herself, and it is my decision on who I send on what missions, Tresses.”

The woman harrumphs but, although selfish and arrogant, she’s not stupid to argue with the Captain.

Everyone in the room can sense Charlotte’s tenacious and pressing mana; nobody wants to anger her here. Satisfied with their self-discipline, Charlotte allows everyone but Sol, Tugela and Wainsley – who she asks to stay – to leave. Once the room is vacant from those Roselei deems unimportant for the next dicussion, she calls you forward.

“Now,” she eyes the room and every face in it, “I want to hear why a civilian, a citizen and our guest is assisting a Magic Knight with a mission as well as why she is asked to accompany Magic Knights during their labyrinth trials.”

The four of you glance away nervously. Very strangely, it feels as if Charlotte is angry at everyone but you. Wainsley raises her, very unhappy voice, first, “Captain, forgive me of course but I have never asked this girl here to enter the labyrinth with me. In the first place, it is bizarre to me you promote Alice after forbidding her to enter! I was just looking after Alice and after she managed to slither past me, I asked this girl to call Cecilia – that is all…”

Charlotte looks in your direction. You can only offer a silent nod. She turns her glance at Sol.

“Sister Char’” Sol is immediately interrupted. “Sis’”. She is interrupted by Charlotte again. “Captain Charlotte,” she tests the waters and there is no interruption. She sighs, “I’m… sorry, it’s true – I asked Cynthia to come with me to the labyrinth because I was sure I would be able to protect and keep her close by, and I was thinking her healing magic could finally help me get the rose so you would trust me with difficult missions! I can handle them too!”

Charlotte sighs, “The labyrinth is strictly for Magic Knights, and experienced ones at that. Do I make myself clear?”

She nods. You nod. Wainsley nods half-assedly. Tugela’s sheep belch is met by a very unhappy glance from Char’.

“And what about the ghost of Kraal? What gave you the idea to put a civilian in danger of bandits and a thief?”

Tugela, as absent-minded as ever, puts her hands behind her neck and whistles, “Oh? That? It wasn’t anything difficult, Captain. There was a bit of a problema with Virginia, and she insisted on this maission to fix it. We did.”

Captain Charlotte keeps her finger accusingly pointed at Tugela; she doesn’t know how to react to this answer.

> Remain silent. There is nothing you can really add, and Charlotte is not asking -you- any questions.
> “Sol is not at fault, Captain Charlotte. I entered to see the situations your uniforms usually get damaged at.”
> “I did not get into any dangerous situations in Kraal, Captain. It was my fault what happened with Pero.”
> “It’s true that Cecilia refused to assist with Alice’s situation. I went myself because I was worried for Alice.”
> [Write In]

>>3932039
> Ask for permission to speak

>>3932039
> Ask for permission to speak
> “captain, I am responsible for placing in both those dangerous situations. No one here forced me to go. I assisted in Tugela’s mission to help my assistant, as it is my responsibility to take care of my subordinates. Prior to last night’s event, I most likely would have declined Sol’s request to enter the labyrinth with her, I just had not found a polite way tell her yet. As for my entering the labyrinth, I had asked Cecilia as Miss wainsley requested, but Cecilia stated she was too tired, and refused to listen to me, as I didn’t know the other healers, I requested Sol’s assistance to help Alice. I apologize for overstepping my boundaries, but if similar situations arise, I can not say I wouldn’t do the same again.”

>>3932159
Well reasoned! Supporting.

>>3932077
Speak what though?
>>3932159
+1

>>3932077
IF she grant us permission
> “I did not get into any dangerous situations in Kraal, Captain. It was my fault what happened with Pero and as his supervisor I took responsibility. Last night knight Cecilia informed me that I'm only available person with healing magic. To assist with Alice’s situation I decided to go myself and asked Sol for help. As to why I wanted to enter labyrinth Its to see the situations your uniforms usually get damaged at. ”

>>3932159
>Prior to last night’s event, I most likely would have declined Sol’s request to enter the labyrinth with her, I just had not found a polite way tell her yet.

Kinda dick move as we proposed that idea to Sol...

>>3932225
Really? didn’t remember that.

>>3932235
Whoops! Then sure let’s state we asked.

>>3932039
Funny that the most at fault, Alice and Cecilia, are not here. Come on Charlotte.

>>3932159
+1

>>3932225
>>3932240
>>3932159
>>3932039
So Melk, I didn’t remember we asked Sol to take us into the labyrinth. My write-in maybe inaccurate, which was intended to have Cynthia clearly take responsibility for her own action, please amend where needed, thank you!

>>3932362
I believe we did yeah to help us with finding Alice, and complete it if Sol could.

>>3932720
>>3932225
Yeah we did that then, but this guy is implying the idea of entering the labyrinth with Sol was our idea, even before the Alice incident, which if it was, which I’m having trouble remembering, I’d like us to admit that.

[Update 1/1]

You’d like to speak. Gingerly, as if a school girl, you bend and raise your arm, “Forgive me, Captain Charlotte. May I?”

Charlotte stops her accusation and, after a deep and defeated sigh, she turns towards you and nods in agreement.

“Of course.”

“Certainly,” you put both your hands on your torso, “It was I who asked Sol to come with me to the labyrinth.”

Positively, you nod to the short-haired woman before you continue, “As per Wainsley’s request: I found and asked Cecilia, she is your head tailor I believe, but she said it was too late and she was too tired – perhaps she was low on mana? She ignored my arguments and she did not point me towards any other healers. While Cecilia did not outright tell me to go to the labyrinth, she made it clear if I was the only healer available to ‘rescue’ Alice. Don’t get me wrong, however, Captain Charlotte: it was my choice to call Sol and it was my decision to go in there to save Alice.”

Charlotte hastily takes off her strange helmet and, with a loud zing, places the metal shell on the table. Grunting she places both of her palms under her chin. With harsh indictment, she looks back at both Sol and Wainsley:

“Regardless of what you said, Sol and Wainsley should know better. Sol should have assured that no civilian enter the labyrinth and is put under likely threat. Sol Marron, it was your obligation to tell this girl here a straight ‘no’. Wainsley Ueinzuri, you should have returned to request Cecilia’s assistance yourself – Cynthia had nothing to do with this.” She clears her throat to interrupt them attempting to answer, “This is something you report to me…”

With their voices now weakened, they simply nod in defeat.

“Cecilia will be told the same,” she reassures them of her fair, impartial judgement. She motions for you to continue.

You smile to Tugela. “I did not suffer any injuries in Kraal, Captain. Tugela was very strong and efficient – I was just there for moral support. Still, neither she or Virginia forced me to go. With all the damage done to Wardress Virginia’s office by Pero, I am very thankful to her. It was my fault what happened with Pero and, as his supervisor, I took and will take any further responsibility for it.”

Tugela exhales through her nose, “What are you saying, little Cynthia? We only managed to catch the ghost because of your smart-cookie thinking.” Tugela hastily approaches you and puts her hand over your shoulder. She -shoves- her fingers in your cheek, “Her magic maight not be the strongest captain, but she was really useful out there. Virginia told mae this was a problematic maission you had to give to her personally, right? Well, be amaused then!”

“We are not discussing Cynthia’s worth or usefulness here, Tugela.” The captain of the Blue Rose steps away from the table and approaches one of the windows to glance outside. She runs her fingers against the cold glass and then places both of her palms behind her back. “Cynthia is a civilian: it is not her duty, obligation or authority.” She turns back and her cloak, as if a massive blue wave, strikes the wall behind her. “When you will see Wardress Virginia, and I know for a fact you plan to visit her today, Tugela, tell her I want to have a serious talk with her.”

Tugela sighs and wobbles her now spaghetti-like arms, “Does she have to? We had plans, Captain.”

“Seriously,” Charlotte cries, “This should -all- be obvious. You all are dismissed. Cynthia, stay for a while longer.”

This went as well as you could hope for; with any luck, strict talking is all Sol and Tugela will have to deal with.

The door locks.

“I apologize for overstepping my boundaries, but if similar situations arise, I can’t say I wouldn’t do the same again.”

Charlotte coldly nods to your proclamation. Slowly, she grabs the blue rose from inside the vase and raises it closer. Humming, she begins to spin it with her fingers. She says, “I only know about the situation in Kraal from what you and Tugela have told me, so as long as this ‘ghost’ is deal with – I will ignore it.” She really likes to make dramatic pauses, “While I do not know what is happening in my labyrinth at the exact time, I can look into the memories of my traps and briars adjacent to the walls the morning after.” She nods to emphasise, “I know what happened there.”

You lower your eyes in embarrassment, “Then I do not understand. Why are you ‘promoting’ Alice?”

“It was for her safety that I forbid her to enter the labyrinth after failing, and nearly dying, several times. She disobeyed my orders and, even during yesterday’s attempt, she avoided most of the traps I laid out because during her previous runs she managed to put a self-made warning. It benefited both you and her.” She explains, “The labyrinth judges every run separately, and the difficulty for every individual too. It was clear Alice was cheating.”

She puts the rose back into the vase, “But, while it might be cheating, it might also be considered fortitude, grit and thinking-in-the-long-run. I know what you want to ask. There are multiple uninteresting reasons as to why the rose sprouted for you and not for Alice… In the end, you deemed Alice worthy of the rose.

“I will trust your judgement.”

“M-mine?” you chuckle. You shake your head, then your hands in front of you, “No way! Do it yourself!”

That was very rude. Those words just escaped your tongue. You quickly slap your palms together in apology.

“Do not worry, I will not hold you accountable if Alice ends up injured. It is now entirely up to her.” With that said, Charlotte begins hitting the edge of the table with her fingers, “However, I have seen you use a very unusual Magic Tool up there, in the labyrinth. It is not a tool a regular citizen would carry – do tell me where you got it from?”

“Oh, the Paralyze Knife,” you nod, “When we went to the slum parts of Kraal to look for the thief culprit a group of very unhappy bandits. They hated Blue Rose members. One of the three bandits there had it on him, indeed.”

“Did you not say there were no dangerous situations?” Charlotte gives you a stern look.

“Oh, no. Not really,” you chuckle, “Tugela took care of them in a blink of a moment so I was never in any danger.”

“That is good to hear,” she prolongs, “But I am going to ask you to bring me that Magic Tool as soon as you have the opportunity to. It is something only used by bandits and thieves, rarely by regular civilians. I will put it in our away.”

But it is so useful!

“And one last, final thing,” she says and then opens one of the many deep cupboards beneath the table with a gilded key. She removes a single leather pouch and places it on the table. She tucks the string that held it closed. Noticing your clearly confused expression, she clarifies, “This is yours. While I insist that you do not participate in any further missions unless you wish to join us as a Magic Knight, you have still performed a duty for the crown. I will make it clear: I am rewarding you with a tiny portion of Tugela’s future monthly wage because I cannot reward you with a merit star. You can also consider this a reimbursement for ‘your’ seized Magic Tool.”

Is Tugela going to be happy with you stealing her wage? Then again, she did insist on telling how much you helped her… With incredible gratitude, you take the pouch into your hands. Your curiosity gets the best of you and so, almost immediately, you look inside before you have to close and hide it: there are about twenty golden coins with ridged edges and unique frame on each. A three-clover leaf is engraved on one side and their worth on another – you know what those are: they are rare 100 yul coins. As rude as it is, however, you take one of the coins into your hand and raise it to the outside light to look closer; those coins are unlike any other 100 yul you have seen. The pouch drops and the loud clang echoes as you realize that they are not just very old 100 yul coins – they are 500 yul.

That will make it 10,000 yul – won’t it? Your hands tremble. This is just a portion of Tugela’s wage?

But this can, almost instantly, solve – at least for a few weeks – the problem your workshop is having…

> Thank Charlotte and quickly leave the room with the coins before you have to battle your ethics.
> As kindly as possible refuse the pouch – all the stuff Pero broke in the office should be worth as much.
> Try to reason with Charlotte to keep your Paralyze Knife with you. Perhaps, you can buy it from her?
> [Write in]

>>3933696
>> Thank Charlotte and quickly leave the room with the coins before you have to battle your ethics.

>>3933685
>> Thank Charlotte and quickly leave the room with the coins before you have to battle your ethics.

Well, holy shit, we really came out on top in all this! It'll be a shame to lose the knife though, but we've never even tried to charge it ourselves so there's no way to know if it wpuld have been a viable weapon if we didn't have a Magic Knight to act as our battery with us

>>3933696
>> Thank Charlotte and quickly leave the room with the coins before you have to battle your ethics.

>>3933696
> Thank Charlotte and quickly leave the room with the coins before you have to battle your ethics.

I think it's a time to rethink our life choices. HOLY SHIT it's time to rethink our life choices. 10k yul dear god.

File: +_46324c4cb47211f924ff0d5(...).png (157 KB, 482x600)

157 KB PNG

>>3933845
"So, Cynthia, why did you decide to become a Magic Knight?"

>pic related

>>3933696
>ask Charlotte if she needs any clothes repaired
>>3933916
As good reason as any!

I was thinking: we still have to fix the broom but that won't cost much. Now it depends if we want to buy anything from the town or we send everything back.

>>3934411
Yeah, we'll have to take care of that the next time we can go to town

>>3933696
>Just noticed how many words are missing and sentences are confusingly cut in the middle. I was rereading this update in a rush so I fucked up with some things when editing, sorry about that.
>Update will be later today.

[Update 1/1]

[Yul 10,500ea.]

“Are you alright?” Charlotte questions you as she leans over the table.

“Yes!” in a rush, you collect all the coins back into the bag and, like a spring, you quickly stand up, “Thank you!!!”

Charlotte corks her head a little to glance at you. Awkwardly, you give Charlotte a quick nod and then you hurriedly leave the room and close the door behind yourself. You lean your back on the door and take a deep breath – already, you are doubting yourself and if you should really accept this amount of money for basically helping people.

No. You shake your head before you hide the bag in your - much bigger - pouch. Your eyes open wide once your fingers touch the handle of the Paralyze Knife – you forgot you had it on you. Should you? Hesitantly, you look at the door and, after a brief pause, you decide against returning it promptly – you will return it some other time.

You ponder how much Charlotte would sell it for, if you asked? Would she? She made this sound like the type of Magic Tool she does not want people, or Magic Knights, to carry around. Still, you can never imagine earning this much money in a month – at least without putting in long hours. You can’t help but happily whistle a tune to yourself as you begin to pace forward to leave the hallway and then descend the long staircase. While you do love your father, your workshop and it’s memory – you always wanted to just go and dive into world of adventure. Perhaps, a highly paid Magic Knight is just the world you search for. Again, you shake your head – no way, there is no way.

Suddenly, you feel something grab your legs. It is so sudden and forceful you can’t help but lose your balance and tumble. Before you can complain, dozens of long oily-looking strands of white hair begin to surround your body. Wasting no time, they slither and tighten around your body parts and then raise and push you into the wall. Big chest she pushes against you helps to soften the blow. Grunting, you raise your eyes to see your reflection in hers.

“Ouch,” you voice your pain, “What’s the big id-?”

“Silence yourself, commoner,” Tresses’ royal voice says as a strand of her rather sharp hair caresses your neck.

You struggle yet find yourself unable to fight her capture – your physique is no match for her blueblood magic.

“I’ve heard it all,” she whispers, “It’s because of you that failure Alice got that flower. How did you cheat? Admit!”

“I-I didn’t cheat there,” powerlessly, you raise your hand to grab one of the sharp strands with your hand, “Let go!”

“You want me to believe a commoner did in a single try what even -I- had to struggle with? What did you do?!”

> “Ask Captain Charlotte if you have a problem with it!”
> “I heard you did it all by yourself, that is way more amazing that what I and Alice did!”
> “Yes, a commoner beat you on her very first try. Is this want you want to hear?!”
> Shout for somebody to help.
> Attempt to push some of your mana into the knife and then try to stab Tresses’ hair.
> Use your grimoire to forecall one of your spells.
> [Write In]

A few questions:
> What do you think about the Quest and how faithful it is to the world so far?
> What do you think about the character of Cynthia?
> What do you think about the dice, mana and spellcasting system of the quest?
> What do you think about the writing?

>>3935678
> Captain Charlotte knows exactly what happened inside of her labyrinth. Whether you think we cheated or not, she's approved of this outcome.

> What do you think about the Quest and how faithful it is to the world so far?
I'm having a lot of fun with it. It's a bit of a slow burn and kind of slice of lifey, which makes it comfy. I'm sure things will pick up, particularly once we start overlapping with the timespan of the main series plot, around when the Magic Knight exam starts.

On the subject of being faithful to the world, I actually started watching the anime a little while ago and I'm up to episode 70ish, so I'd say you're doing a good job with it. You have the right tone that's a mixture of light-hearted comedy and seriousness and I think the cannon characters we've seen have been in character (It'd be amusing to see Charlotte's hidden lovey-dovey pushover side around Captain Yami leak out.)
> What do you think about the character of Cynthia?
I like Cynthia's character. She's calm, composed, and stern, but has a big heart and can't seem to keep herself from helping people. I think it's appropriate that someone with her disposition awoke to a healing spell first. I also like the aspect of her that struggles between her devotion to her parents dream and her own dreams of adventuring and seeing the world.
> What do you think about the dice, mana and spellcasting system of the quest?
I don't have any complaints with the systems, they serve their purpose, are simple enough to understand, and prevents us from brute forcing every problem with spells. I have been wondering if we will reach a point where Cynthia's mana pool will increase, or her spells will become more efficient.
> What do you think about the writing?
There's grammar and spelling mistakes here and there, but on the whole pretty decent. You convey the personality and whimsy of your characters well.

>>3935680
> “Ask Captain Charlotte if you have a problem with it!”

>>3935954
+1

[Update 1/1]

“Ask Captain Charlotte if you have a problem with it!” you shout as her sharp hair begins to edge closer to your skin. You flinch. “Captain Charlotte knowns exactly what happened – you at least trust her, right? Ask yourself.”

“You… “the grip of her blonde hair tightens your blood-flow, “You are just a lowly peasant. Answer my questions.”

Again, you struggle and even push out more of your mana to free yourself of her ‘chains’. No luck. She continues to entangle you with more and more of her hair. Instinctively, when the overflow of hair comes too near, you close your eyes shut. You have nothing more to add. You ponder on your next move.

You feel the grip of her hair suddenly soften and then, after a few seconds, you find yourself falling and hitting the floor and an edge of the last step with your rear. That hurts!

You open your eyes to find Alice tightly holding a chunk of Tresses’ hair in her fist.

“Cynthia is my tailor,” Phetocruel’s mint-blue eyes glow as she says so.

Tresses raises her chin and looks down on Alice; she doesn’t answer, Instead, her hair, as if a pack of sentient ropes, surrounds and easily overwhelms Alice. The smallest strands of Tresses’ hair envelop the arm Alice was holding her hair with and then, with an incredibly painful crack, they raise-bend them and whirl Alice in half-circle. The girl’s sound of pain rings through the hallways as she jams her body left and right despite the sharpness of Tresses’ hair. She soon realizes the futility of this and her body starts to glow and form a vestige. While this is not how you imagined the fight between two mages of the noble families to look like, you wish this wouldn’t escalate any further.

Tresses’ glances back at you; she hems. With the force of several men, she practically shoves Alice multiple meters away: Phetocruel is forced to perform several rolls as to not injure herself any more. Clearly unhappy, Tresses turns and almost slaps her cloak across your face. Her arrogant gaze is now on Alice. “If you get injured Captain Charlotte might cancel the special mission all-together. You are lucky, Phetocruel, but don’t forget your place – you are not your father.” As she leaves, the hair that has been enchanted to grow several meters during your ‘encounter’ does not return to its original size fast enough and she ends up stumbling and almost falling on her knees. Rather pretentiously, she acts as if nothing happened and continues to walk and turn the corner. You approach Alice.

“What’s her problem?” you grumble as you hold your fingers over your arching neck.

“She’s a twat,” Alice answers honestly. She slaps away the hand you offer her to stand up. She does it yourself.

“I-is that it?” you stagger in joking disbelief.

Alice narrows her eyes and harrumphs, “Me and her joined during the previous Magic Knight Examination, even then she acted like this. She might think my family name is insignificant but house Amuure is on a verge of irrelevance.”

“Why is that?” you ask.

“I don’t really care to answer – shouldn’t be none of your business. The more of her type of nobles lose their influence the freaking better!” she pauses and then points at her chest, “Repair my clothes as fast as you can.”

“I’m a bit busy to do it on the fly, and they won’t be as clean as you wish they would. Come to my workshop tomorrow and I’ll have your uniform ready by then, for sure.”

She leans her head back and grunts, “It’s going to take so much time? I think I’ll go to that boy instead.”

“Oh, come on”, you pout (seriously) at her and push both your hands downwards, “My job is just as hard as yours!”

Her face turns blank as she holds a silent pause before, eventually, blinking. “I am surprise you can compare repairing your clothes to exploring dungeons and fighting the enemy forces after your experience in the maze.”

“Well, maybe not as dangerous, but just as tough.”

Nonchalantly and visibly uncaring, she shakes her straightened hand up and down, “I GET IT. I get it. Whatever, really. I’ll leave it to you, but you best make sure there’s not a single thread missing there, and no crevices.”

You harrumph. You shake your head: it’s near impossible to fight Alice’s pride with your own. “I see that Charlotte accepted the rose you brought. You about to go on your first larger-than-life mission?” You smile. You decide to not tell her that you have some responsibility in Alice’s promotion, as per Captain’s Charlotte wishes. Maybe later.

“Yeah,” Alice’s smile grows in blunt satisfaction – this is the second time you see her this happy. “She was very annoyed, unhappy, but also surprised. I knew she would be distrustful – even thought the rose is OBVIOUSLY distinct and HER OWN – so we returned to the labyrinth and I made her check herself. As I knew she would, she agreed.”

“I was with Captain during today’s merit reward ceremony. I was surprised you weren’t there…”

Her cheeks turn pale and her veins turn red just a little, “SHUT UP! I had no missions this month, that’s it!”

> Apologize to Alice for mentioning the merit stars and then rush back to your workshop to continue on your work.
> Ask Alice if she can help you organizing a more personal competition with Olyver in exchange for past assistance.
> Offer to advance your friendship with her and, before going to workshop, get some food for your hungry stomach.
> Ask Alice how

>Sorry for the delay.

>>3935954
>Thanks for the answers!

>>3936870

>> Apologize to Alice for mentioning the merit stars and then rush back to your workshop to continue on your work.
>> Wish Alice good luck on her mission.

>>3936870
> Wish Alice good luck on her mission.
> Remind her to dispel all her magic in labyrinth so she will have her full magic potential for a mission. Mention that they were considered cheating by captai.
> Ask what her paycheck is...

>>3936870
>(stern)There is no need to shout at me. Anyways, good luck with your mission.
>Turn your back and go back to the workshop

I´m getting a little tired of putting up with her. We already did everything we could to help her a the labyrinth and gave her the damm flower. She should learn some manners if she expects us to entertain her.

>>3937070
+1

>>3937070
She is giant tsundere for peasants

>>3936870
>ask Alice if her visages copy everything she’s wears too. Ask if wearing gauntlets would help protect her cloths? (Pretend we don’t care about her safety, and only not need to repair more clothes)
> Wish Alice good luck on her mission.

>Update will be a bit later today but tomorrow will return to usual schedule.

“You don’t have to shout,” you grimace, “I’m sorry for mentioning the stars. I did not know it was a difficult topic.”

“It’s not, and I’m not angry,” she huffs, “I just don’t like to repeat myself. It was a slow month for me because I was so focused on beating the damn labyrinth and now that it’s done, I can focus on earning the stars and advancing my rank. Defeating enemy forces and conquering dungeons is so much more rewarding than helping robbed peasants!”

“I think both are important,” you mumble as you push your pouch away from Alice’s prying(?) eyes.

“Sure, you would,” she leisurely waves her hand.

“Can you tell me if you became a Magic Knight for the money then? Is it fame? Something else, maybe?”

“Money?” she makes a “brrrr” sound with her lips in amusement, “Of course not, the pay is miniscule.”

“How much?” you voice your thoughts out loud, although, you do it as confidently and calmly as can.

“Hm?” the woman pauses and puts both her fists to her stomach, “Junior Magic Knights earn 200,000 yul a month.”

You blink. You pause, glance at your bag and blink again. “Phetocruel, please. I am trying to be very serious here.”

She corks her eyebrow and, much louder, she repeats, “Yeah I know, it’s only 200,000 yul a month. Crazy, isn’t it?”

“How is that miniscule?!” you shout back in pure shock, “That’s enough to hire a couple of experienced yul workers for a half a year, completely repair a workshop and buy the most expensive linen in all of the Kingdom! And also forget about the rent for at least half-a-year, maybe a year!”

Alice shrugs her shoulders, “Priorities. Even if it was fame, it’s really none of your business.” She turns around.

How can it not be about fame with a reaction like that? “Have you dispelled all your vestiges in the labyrinth?”

“No,” she pauses and glances at you, “Why would I do that?”

“Don’t you want to have all your magical potential for your next mission?”

“Once created, my vestiges will exist for multiple months. There is no limit so I don’t think I should REALLY be bothering about dispelling them. Besides… I can only dispel them when I can see them, and I don’t really want to go to the labyrinth again just to do that. I’ll just wait until they disappear by themselves. Maybe a year, two?”

“If you think that’s for the better,” you say, “Good luck with your mission.”

She kick the floor with her metal boot and takes a step forward, “I don’t give a toss about luck.” She points her big finger to her chest, “I came so far ONLY because of my efforts and what I did. You do not need luck either.”

What did she mean by that? Uncertainly, you nod to Alice as she slowly leaves the hallway and then escapes amongst one of the corners. Have she said a ‘Thank You’ at least once? No, this seems to be the type of person she is. You sigh and shake your head. She kind of saved you here, did she not?

Wishing not to waste too much time, you rush back to your workshop. Of course, as soon as you enter both Lilth and Pero start impaling you with questions, now regarding both the labyrinth and what just happened inside Roselei’s office. You calm them both to the best of your abilities and, finally, you start working through the immense pile of ruined or completely destroyed clothes; have much of Olyver’s share did you really steal today? You decide not to dwell on this thought for too long.

Amongst all the cloth tossing, linen washing, textile repairing and fabric drying and ironing you decide to tell the boys as much as they wish to learn – you make it sound as uninteresting and nonchalant as you can. You don’t really consider what you did a bragging right – even Charlotte said it was cheating.

You avoid mentioning the things Charlotte asked you to but even without them, near the end of the boys are amazed by your story: especially the young Pero. It is only thanks to him that you went to Kraal with Tugela and were able to stop Nicolai but you decide against stating it outright. There is no reason to praise his bad behaviour. To your surprise, you find that one third of all the uniforms are now taken care of and being dried, while the second third has been half-treated and only needs a little bit of your mana to fix and close their small cuts and rends…

You are working fast.

Who knows? Perhaps all of you can manage to get all of this done today? You decide to stay positive. Still, the thought of earning 200,000 yul a month keeps biting the depths of your mind like a hungry piranha. It might be rare, but sometimes you -can- earn 10,000 yul a month in your workshop at the High, but never higher. This is an absurd difference – the Magic Emperor and the King truly value the work done by the Magic Knights, there is no doubt about that. From what you have heard, dealing with thieves like Nicolai is a big part of a Magic Knight’s job, but it is far from the most dangerous one. Even then, if it weren’t for Tugela, you’d be long injured, if that is all they would do to you, by the bandits you met at Nicolai’s.

You consent to Lilth and Pero to let them go on their breaks, as you yourself decide to stay just a while longer to check the beautiful gown in more detail – repairing it will take you at least half (if not an entire day) of dedicated effort. Should you? It seems to be one of those ‘special requests’ Charlotte was talking about, but when for is she even suppose to wear this for? Even then, you have no idea what kind of person Vice-Captain is – would she be happy if you just repair it to the best of your ability or she won’t mind if you improve it according to your tailor’s eye? Perhaps you should go ask her personally. Charlotte said that she was shy, but so are you. No harm done.

As you find yourself lost in your thoughts, you her a knock on the door.

You open it to find Sol who quickly enters inside and puts her hands over your armpits. “Cynthia,” she says and furrows her brows, “I can’t believe you left me in the labyrinth to go and help Alice reach the rose instead!”

You groan, “Not you too Sol. I tried to find you in the labyrinth but couldn’t.”

She chuckles and releases you, “I am joking. I’m not mad. As soon as we got separated, I stumbled upon a very dangerous room with lots of traps in it and after a while I had no more mana so I had to give up. Sorry, too!”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“So,” she says, “Cynthia, are there any tricks you learned which can help me next time?”

You shake your head, “I had a Magic Knife on me, and it was very helpful – but I have to give it away to the Captain so I can’t give it to you.”

“A Magic Tool?” she pauses and ponders, “No, I can’t do that. I’ll do that with my body,” she flexes her arms, “And my grimoire.” You smile. Sol suddenly pauses, as if realizing something, and as quick as she usually is, she takes out a common, blue shirt and offers it to you. With a raise eyebrow, you take the shirt into your hands and run your fingers inside of it.

To your interest, you find the shirt to be as soft as a cloud to the touch – as if it’s made from wool. It’s not.

“What is this?” you ask her.

“I got it from the boy,” she exhales her last word, “The other tailor. Other Magic Knights have been talking about this new technique with which he treats some of our clothes so I decided to check it for myself. It’s something… you should try it on,” she says insistently as she then, in a blink of a moment, begins attempting to pull off your shirt.

“Okay,” you cry as you hold down your shirt with your hands, “I’ll try it, I’ll try it just… give me a moment.”

She lets you go and you quickly pace behind one of the racking with drying clothes to hide yourself. You take off your skirt and underskirt and then, uncertainly, you put the top Sol gave you. It is regular silk, but it feels incredibly light. You are not sure how Olyver did it, but as soon as the shirt touches your skin, you feel as if you fell into a lake of pillows or, perhaps, a hot chocolate bath. It feels extraordinarily relaxing, like your Healing Blanket.

You walk out of the corner to look at Sol. This has certainly ruined your mood.

“What do you think?” she asks, before adding, “It suits you! You can keep it.”

“He’s another step ahead of me because of this technique. You said the other Knights been talking about it?”

She uses her hands to lift herself up and help take a sit on the table’s surface, “Hop! Yes, but I don’t think you should be worrying too much about it. I just thought you might want to know about this. That stunt of yours in the labyrinth – everyone is speaking about it as well. I think the fact that you did it on your first try will bring a lot of curious people.” She puts one of her legs across the other, “So, what are your plans right now?” She asks.

> “I plan to approach people to ask them if they have personal requests. I think a few of those will be helpful.”
> “I have some time to spare so I plan to practice trap magic to see if I can put some of my magic on the clothes.”
> “I am -really- hungry. I think I’ll go to the dining hall and grab myself a bite. Do you want to join me, Sol?”
> “I am curious about my friend Elvira; I think I’ll go see how she is doing right now.”
> “Do you know if people have any complains about my clothes? What about Olyver’s? Do you have any?”
> [Write In]

>>3938821
>> “Do you know if people have any complains about my clothes? What about Olyver’s? Do you have any?”
> “I have some time to spare so I plan to practice trap magic to see if I can put some of my magic on the clothes.”

>>3938821
>>> “Do you know if people have any complains about my clothes? What about Olyver’s? Do you have any?”
>> “I have some time to spare so I plan to practice trap magic to see if I can put some of my magic on the clothes.”

>>3938821
> “I am curious about my friend Elvira; I think I’ll go see how she is doing right now.”
> “I am -really- hungry. I think I’ll go to the dining hall and grab myself a bite. Do you want to join me, Sol?”

“Say, Sol,” since Sol so graciously gifted you her shirt, you decide to keep it and not bother with taking it off. You don’t really care that it is so incredibly soft! “Do you know if people have any complains about my tailorship?”

“Complains?” Sol ponders, “Well, since we now have two tailors the girls, sometimes, give their uniform to the tailor boy and sometimes to you, so they do usually chit-chat about who does it better or worse. If you really want to know, some of the Magic Knights, and even the female staff, consider your clothes… boring.” She hems, “I think the word one of them used was ‘bland’. They say you always just return them repaired and clean, but they want more.”

You shake your head, “I have no idea how to do that.” You just want clear instructions: you are not a mind reader.

Sol crosses her legs, “I think they have been spoiled by Olyver – that’s his name, right? That boy has been working here for several years now, just from experience alone he knows what the girls like. I don’t really care about all those little details like fabric roses or additional skirt folds or blue-rainbow tricolour. I think a shirt being this relaxing and comfortable is going to be a nuisance during missions but the others really like the small decorative details he adds.”

“Do you have an opinion how my tailor skills compare to his?”

“No, ever since you arrived, I avoided giving my clothes for repair to anybody but you – although it’s not often I get into a situation where I need them fixed. Still, I prefer to have a woman’s hands restore my clothes if they need to.”

“I see,” you nod, “But before this week, were there any complains you had with the way Olyver did things?”

She shrugs, “Not really.”

“What about me?”

She shakes her head, “Your clothes are as fresh, ironed and new-looking as I would want them.” She pauses when she notices the gown in the basket. Even if you wanted to, you are too slow to hide it from her prying eyes. In a single hop Sol jumps off the table and lands near the basket to take the frayed and age-worn gown from it. “Oh-ho?” she whistles as she inspects the long and intricate dress, “Who is this from? Don’t tell me… It’s from Sister Char’?!”

You awkwardly shake your head as you approach her and the gown, “No, it’s from the Vice-Captain.”

Sol blinks and begins to hastily dig through the gown, “No way, the Vice-Captain has something like this?”

“Is it surprising?”

“A little bit,” she says, “It looks as if she never wore it, despite us having balls and official events at least once a month. She probably gives her regular uniform for repairs to Olyver, but it is so normal you can’t distinguish it from the clothes we give to normal recruits. She is very elusive; I have only met her a few times – never on a mission…”

“She didn’t give it to me personally, she left it by the door,” you sigh, “It’s made entirely out of satin and silk, those are the fabrics my magic does not work on – I will have to do it by hand without a slimmer of my magic. I don’t even know if she wants me to simply repair it or remake it to look better. What do you think I should do with it, Sol?”

“Hm, well the one thing I can tell you is that I have never seen Vice-Captain wear a gown. If you want to repair it, you will need to make sure it is something she will have no hesitation or shame of wearing. Don’t make it too lascivious.”

You blush, “Of course not! I’m sure there are tailors who do just that but my clothes are all uniform and official.”

“Then you won’t have a problem fixing up something she will like,” Sol slaps your shoulder reassuringly.

You and Sol leave the workshop and you lock the door behind yourself. It’s best to use this break of yours wisely.

“I have some time to spare so I plan to practice trap magic to see if I can put some of my magic on the clothes.”

Sol places her finger to her chin and hums, “Sounds interesting. I’d be glad to come and watch, and maybe even help you, Cyn’, but I need to prepare for my mission tomorrow. If I don’t, I’ll be without my hairbrush and soap again…”

“What’s the mission?” you ask.

“Oh, it’s nothing too dangerous or interesting,” she huffs, “Unlike the missions Tresses and Alice are going on…”

“I’m sure you will conquer the labyrinth next time,” you reassure her.

“Too bad you can’t help me too now,” she pouts but soon after, exhales her bloated cheeks with her fingers.

You wish her good luck on her mission and, unlike Alice, she thanks you. It is the middle of the day and so, you go into the garden to practice your magic without dressing up too much – you are correct, the sky is clear and the sun is shining with incredibly mid-day warmth. You find an obscured spot near the lake between several trees and bushes which seems to be perfect for your practice. You take out your second shirt and carefully lay it on the green grass.

Alright. Trap magic. It took Sol a very long time to learn her trap magic, but grimoires are finicky and picky and so, as long as you are determinate and hopeful your grimoire will be as well – or so you think. It would be so simple to just place your Healing Blanket on a piece of clothing but according to Sol’s guidance, this is not how it works. A trap spell is it’s own unique invocation, every trap spell will have its own page in the grimoire and will not be just an off-shoot of another magic spell. Even if idea is to improve and rewrite your blanket from healing form to trap form… how?

You decide against using Healing Blanket or Weighted Blanket for now – it would just be a waste of mana. Instead, you concentrate on improving your basic magic instead. You fill your shirt to the brim with magic so many times it begins to glow in the same light as your grimoire does; even the tiniest of holes and rips are completely sealed. With so much of your magic inside the shirt, it is completely under your control. Even without physically touching it, you are able to send it flying and soaring high way above your head – until the magic inside is gone, you can fly it around.

It takes a while for the magic to completely deplete from inside the cloth – no matter how much you try, as soon as the linen cloth is no longer in your hands the magic quickly begins to escape the fabric. If only you could somehow trap your magic inside the cloth. It is only in the linen manifested by your grimoire that your magic is sustained, but both ‘blankets’ disintegrate after a short while. You need to ask your father if there’s a dye that can help you here…

You hear a shout coming from the other side of the lake. You quickly hide and check where it is coming from. There is a tall girl in bland clothes and long black hair sitting by the river with a couple of fist-sized rocks in front of her. You also spot a dark grimoire floating just few inches away from her reach. She looks like Elvira; is she practicing too?

> Continue watching Elvira from a distance. Perhaps you’ll see something interesting she’s afraid to showcase.
> Approach Elvira and make yourself present. Ask what she is doing and if there’s anything you can do to help.
> Approach Elvira and ask how she is feeling. Ask Elvira if she knows anything about the status of the thief.
> Leave Elvira be, she deserves some personal space as much as you do. Continue your own practice.
> [Write In]

>>3940006
>> Approach Elvira and make yourself present. Ask what she is doing and if there’s anything you can do to help.

>>3940006
>> Continue watching Elvira from a distance. Perhaps you’ll see something interesting she’s afraid to showcase.

>>3940006
>> Leave Elvira be, she deserves some personal space as much as you do. Continue your own practice.

>>3940022
>>3940006
I will switch to
> Continue watching Elvira from a distance. Perhaps you’ll see something interesting she’s afraid to showcase.

>>3940022
>Approach Elvira and make yourself present. Ask what she is doing and if there’s anything you can do to help.
Let's spook her.

>>3940006
>> Continue watching Elvira from a distance. Perhaps you’ll see something interesting she’s afraid to showcase.

>>3940006
you should archive this thread since we are on page 8

You decide to observe Elvira from a safe distance. She is trying to improve her magic – it is a big step for her.

The range is just close enough for you to see what she is doing, yet far enough for you to not be able to discern any of the smaller details. You bend your knees and push your pouch so you are not too obvious in all the greenery you hide behind. You notice Elvira nervously glance in your direction, then at the other side of the lake and, after putting a closed fist to her chest, anxiously exhale. Slowly and with a bit of an effort, she picks up a rock as big as her hand and moves it in front of herself. She incantates a spell – one you can’t hear but can easily recognize – and her grimoire begins to brightly emit a copper-rust glow. There is a deaf noise of flicking pages before the sizeable stone is overwhelmed by the same magical copper glow. The stone is then split, as if a bacteria, into two identical pieces.

Visibly exhausted, Elvira stumbles – her legs now weakened – and falls on her rear. Both of the stones boorishly land on the ground and her, now dim, grimoire, soon follows. She sits and catches her breathe for several minutes. You ponder if you should reveal yourself but you stale when she takes out a long, green bottle from her bag and opens it. It resembles the bottles Tugela puts in her cupboard? Wine? Hesitantly, Elvira places the bottle to her lips and takes a very short ship. In disgust, she pushes the bottle away, waits a few seconds, and then begins to take more sips.

She repeats this torture until the bottle is empty (or she gives up finishing it). With every sip her body begins to shake stronger and stronger and it takes her several attempts to stand up. She leans her head on her raised arm, looking very sick. She takes a few steps towards the lake – thankfully, her aim is not to go swimming in ice-cold water. Instead, she somehow manages to avoid tripping into the water while raising another stone from the ground.

Her grimoire trembles for a few seconds before slowly raising into the air and joining her by her side. She screams… something, likely another spell incantation, and her grimoire begins to glow once more. She puts her hand forward.

A massive, tempest-like wave consisting of rust-like flakes and black winds gales across the entire lake. The stone Elvira is holding in her hand remains unaffected, but the layer of Elvira’s magic quickly blankets and consumes the water of the lake. As if completely overfilled with the brown-rust of her magic, the water now resembles boiling, liquid caramel. Elvira lazily swings both of her hands in front of her, stumbles forwards and completely collapses just a few meters away from the water. Then, her magic begins to take effect.

A sudden divide breaks and splits the lake into two opposite, massive tidal waves that raise high up in the air and then come crashing down into two opposite sides of the lake. Torrents of water showers the trees, meadows and bushes like the strongest downpour you ever seen.

Then, then waves rolls back, collapse against each other and, as soon as Elvira’s magic existence is completely gone, the lake’s surface and it’s beautiful, bluish colour returns back to normal. This was surely above her mana reserves…

Quickly, you rush to Elvira’s side to check on her. She is still alive, of course, but she is unconsciously drunk…

You investigate the bottle of wine – there is still at last half of alcohol left in it. This woman is very lightweight.

> Use your grimoire to cast Healing Blanket on Elvira to cure her of her drunkenness. [1d10+10 best of three]
> Once Elvira is awake, ask if she remembers anything about the amazing spell she just managed to cast.
> Once Elvira is awake, ask how she is feeling and, since she is drained, ask if she wants to join you for dinner.
> Once Elvira is awake, ask if she can help you with your magic practice and offer some advice with your problems.
> [Write In]

File: 9e0254b53a4d7692d2723494d(...).jpg (55 KB, 500x650)

55 KB JPG

>>3940955
>I think we can do a few more updates

>>3941332
>> Use your grimoire to cast Healing Blanket on Elvira to cure her of her drunkenness. [1d10+10 best of three]
> Once Elvira is awake, ask if she remembers anything about the amazing spell she just managed to cast.

>>3941332
>> Use your grimoire to cast Healing Blanket on Elvira to cure her of her drunkenness. [1d10+10 best of three]
>> Once Elvira is awake, ask if she remembers anything about the amazing spell she just managed to cast.
>Ask her where she got the wine from

>>3941380
+1

>>3941380
+1

File: Garden Lake.jpg (445 KB, 960x720)

445 KB JPG

You bend your knees and kneel before the unconscious woman. Elvira’s spells have bottomless potential, there is no doubt about that – as you recall, even Tresses admitted to this fact. However, casting them seems to cost more mana than her crofter body can afford. Does she only brave going over the limit when her mind is dazed and drunk on high alcohol? Even now, possessing a grimoire, you can’t recall a situation where you were forced to go ways beyond to cast your spells, but for Elvira, if she wants to incantate powerful spells, it’s going to be a daily occurrence.

Indeed, a puissant magic in a fragile – and it is not like yours is strong either – body is just awful luck.

You unclip the belt off your pouch and allow your grimoire to float and gently open up between you and Elvira. Patiently, you turn the pages until the correct one is set. “Linen Magic: Homely Blanket,” you speak out loud; a glistering blanket begins to slowly manifest from all the magic concentrated in your grimoire. You wave your hand to gently wrap Elvira’s body in the enchanted cloth; you allow your magic to do the rest. Quickly, the alcohol begins to leave Elvira’s body and spoil, although not as visible as blood or poison, the magical cloth. Expensive -and- harmful.

“H-huh?” Elvira blinks several times as she struggles to wake up. As your Homely Blanket begins to crumble into waning threads, the black-haired woman attempts to desperately grasp into it with her hands. Wake up, Elvira.

“How are you feeling, Elvira?” you ask the woman. Kindly, you offer her an open hand to assist her.

“O-oh,” she pauses and almost immediately, she awkwardly sets her brown eyes on the ground, “C-Cynthia… Have you been here the whole time?” She grunts and places her left palm to her head. In haste, she looks around the meadow and as soon as she spots her grimoire, she breathes out a sigh of relief, “I… Why was I sleeping, again?”

“You don’t remember?” you tilt your head in question.

She shakes her head, “No. I…” She is struggling to acknowledge the fact, “Was practicing my magic on some stones.”

You nod, “Good, you remember that much. Then…?”

She shivers in discomfort, “… I decided to drink some w-wine to see if my magic would improve, j-just like last time I did in your work room. I did and… I think I tried using it on the stone but it was even weaker… That is all, I believe?”

You smirk and shake your head, “Where did you even get this?” you ask as you lift the glass bottle to inspect it.

“M-Miss Tugela gifted me one… a-although I tried to refuse, she insisted! I couldn’t afford something so expensive.”

You point your finger towards the surface of the lake, “I can’t believe you don’t remember how you split it in half!”

Elvira follows the direction of your finger and pauses. She hems and narrows her eyes at your smiling expression.

“No way,” Elvira speaks out, “If you exaggerate something to this extent of course I’m not going to believe it!”

“I’m not lying, Elvira. I saw it myself. You must’ve directed your spell on the lake instead of the stone by accident.”

She frowns and, in a cute manner, begins to shake her fists in the air, “Why are you making fun of me? Not even Miss Charlotte would be able to do something as crazy as that! O-of course I saw myself that my magic… is strong enough to create my own doubles, a-as hard as it was for me to believe. B-but what you are saying is impossible!”

“You won’t believe me unless you see it yourself. Try it again, but with something that will remain. I’ll wake you up.”

Elvira picks up her grimoire and closes her eyes. She hums and, after a brief pause, she looks back at you and dejectedly shakes her head, “I really don’t like wine, Cynthia. And I can’t feel any sliver of mana in my body…

“What were you doing here, I-if you don’t mind me asking?”

> “I was practising my magic as well, so we are sisters-in-training here. Maybe I can offer you some advice?”
> “I was just taking a break from my work when I spotted you here. How are you feeling now?”
> “Will you have any problem with your work today now that you are out of mana?”
> “What made you interested in improving your magic?”
> “Has Tresses been causing you any problems recently?”
> [Write In]

>Please roll 1d10+10 – best of three, for the cost of the spell.

>It appears I have been referring to Homely Blanket as Healing Blanket for two threads now: that is a mistake.
>How are you all doing today? Is there anything additional I should include in the next thread?

>How are you all doing today?

Rolled 8 + 10 (1d10 + 10)

>>3942276
>> “I was practicing my magic as well, so we are sisters-in-training here. Maybe I can offer you some advice?”
> “What made you interested in improving your magic?”


>How are you all doing today
Doing good boss

Rolled 1 + 10 (1d10 + 10)

>>3942302
+1

>>3942276
>>How are you all doing today?
i am Fine

>>3942276
>>> “I was practising my magic as well, so we are sisters-in-training here. Maybe I can offer you some advice?”

>>3942431
This. Let's hear what her spells are.
So far she sounds like Megumin, with a single nuclear spell.

You spend 11 mana.
Mana [74/100]

“I was practicing my magic as well, so we are sisters-in-training here.”

“You were too?” her eyes widen in surprise, “Why?”

“-Why-?” you smile diplomatically, “I need to improve my magic if I am to win my tailorship competition.”

“But you conquered Miss Charlotte’s unbeatable labyrinth on your first time, Cynthia!”

“Oh,” your gaze darts to the side, “You heard about that.”

“O-of course I did, Cynthia. It’s all the mansion’s retainers and Magic Knights were talking about during breakfast!”

You lift your hand to put an open palm towards Elvira, “Don’t believe everything you hear, Elvira.”

She tilts her head in confusion; her eyes look to the grimoire and then back at you, “So you didn’t…?”

You lift your shoulders to lower them in tired exhale; what would be the best way to put it? “I did… kind of.”

“I don’t understand…”

“It was just dumb luck. I can’t be relying on it alone…

“What made you interested in improving your magic?”

Like a fragile ivy tree, she quivers, “…Y-you,” she pauses and awkwardly pushes her grimoire deeper into her wide-loose yet very cheap-looking cotton sack, “I though h-how amazing it was that you managed to do what almost no other Magic Knight had managed to accomplish, and as a commoner with something as… weird as Linen Magic…”

You feel your cheeks turn crimson so you raise your sleeve to rub under and cover at least one of them, “Is that it?”

She bites her lower lip and shakes her head, “No…” Her body betrays her hesitation to reveal her other reasonings.

“I make no promises,” you motion with a circular motion of your fingers towards Elvira, “But maybe I can offer you some advice with your magic? From what I have seen, the effect seem to wary quite greatly. How does it work?”

Elvira puts both of her hands over the cover of her grimoire. Unhurriedly, she opens it with no assistance from the currently magicless book – it does not hover and the pages do not turn by command – it is barren of mana. She flicks a page, then nervously, she does the same with a single braid of her messy, black hair and, then again, she returns to turn another page. Elvira’s tome is thick and broad, it definitely has thrice the pages yours does. The cover is a simple cloth one with a texture of an old, rusty gold. Her three-leaf clover is pure white. There is a thick orange border made out of mathematical and arithmetical formulas and numbers you can’t even begin to understand.

She stops in front of every page containing a spell, “If… you are really interested,” she hesitates, “I have five spells in my grimoire, but it is hard to practice when they are so demanding of my mana. T-the cost of my Arithmetic Magic depends on the complexity, size, weight and probably many other things I try to use my spells on. Arithmetic Magic: Normalization…” she stops her fingers on one of the pages, “Simply returns the things I used my other spells on to how the thing – let’s say the rock there – to how it was previously. My Multiplication and Division spells are my least mana demanding spells, I… believe it is the spell I have used to create my doppelgangers back in your workshop. The spell simply divides or multiplies objects by two, but it only does so temporarily. Imagine what someone like Tresses would be able to achieve with this magic and their mana…” Her voice cripples with a noticeably jealous depression.

You try to stall the topic, “What about the other two spells?”

“O-oh,” she clumsily finds the correct pages, “Addition and Subtraction spells are very tiring mana-wise, but as far as I am aware the changes are permanent. I-if I try to explain… um… how to explain,” she rubs her forehead in a thought, “Take this rock. If I am to use Arithmetic Magic: Subtraction, the whole rock will be considered as ‘2’ but it will be split into equal smaller rockets that will be ‘1’ each. They will remain this way until I am to use ‘Normalization’ spell on them. Arithmetic Magic: Addition will consider this rock as a ‘0.5’ and will create the exact same rock so that they both can be consider a whole ‘1’.” She pauses and looks a bit nervously at you, “D-does that make sense?”

“I think so…” you remove your grimoire, “I only have two spells – Homely Blanket, a healing spell, and Weighted Blanket, a restraining and magic preventive spell. I can’t imagine having something as complicated as your spells."

“I-I did not know you had a second spell.”

“I didn’t,” you hold a side smile, “Not until going through the labyrinth.”

“What?” she gasps in half-envious half-surprised expression, “You learned a new spell in the labyrinth?!”

“I did… But I can’t tell you how as I am not really sure myself.”

> Do you have any advice you can offer Elvira with her magic, considering her mana restrictions?

>>3943661
>Try to give her the same advice that Tugela gave to us.
>Suggest that she continue practicing the way she has been, although perhaps with less drinking. She should try to come up with novel uses for her spells, like what she managed to do before when she multiplied herself. It's possible that doing so may lead her to discovering a new spell.

I'm not sure if we should mention that being under great emotional or physical pressure might have something to do with it. It might encourage her to do something dangerous.

>>3943719
We should ask her if she wants to try multiply her mana. If she can do it that can be pretty OP, unless her body will explode if there's too much mana?

>>3943986
I was wondering if when she cloned herself, if the clone had its own pool of mana or if it was just sort of a partition of her own.

>>3944035
Time to experiment! Or, well, not today.

>>3943719
+1
this is a good idea

i think it about time for someone to archive this thread

>>3944519
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Black+Clover+Quest

>Done!
>Update and new thread will be later today.

>>3945277
>>3945277
>>3945277
New thread, sorry for the delay.