Aozaki Aoko Case File

Aside from special abilities, the greatest reward Aoko gained after reaching level 15 was acquiring an 8th-level spell slot—an important watershed between being a mere mage and a true archmage. The various minor stat boosts were little more than marginal gains for her, a super hybrid as she was.

Since this was the first time in her life she'd been able to cast an 8th-level spell, Aoko was a bit excited. Even though she'd already twice delved deep into the Weave that day and was quite drained, she decided to go for it again—who knew what treasures she might fish out?

For some unknown reason, the Fifth Magic's state lock didn't work while roaming the Weave, but Aoko's willpower was strong. After a careful exploration, she emerged from the depths of the 8th-level Weave with dark circles under her eyes and drenched in sweat, immediately pulling out her spellbook and scribbling down the knowledge she'd acquired, lest she forget anything.

Besides some low-level spells she'd obtained during her first deep dive that morning, her second foray paid off: she got her very first 8th-level spell. But when she finished copying it into her spellbook and saw what it was, she frowned. She hadn't expected her first 8th-level spell to be this one.

8th-level Conjuration: Maze.

The effect is to banish a target creature to a maze-like demi-plane, where it's trapped for the duration of the spell—until the spell ends or the target escapes the maze.

It's not useless—being able to hard-disable an enemy for 10 minutes can be crucial in important battles. Its drawback, though, is that it only lasts 10 minutes: not particularly short, but not especially long either. Being an 8th-level spell, she couldn't use metamagic to extend its duration, which was a bit embarrassing.

But as with many spells, their value depends on how you use them. There are no useless spells, only useless mages. Ten minutes is plenty of time to set up preparations while the target is banished—as long as you have allies or familiars to help maintain concentration and lay traps, you'll be fine.

All in all, among the many 8th-level powerhouse spells out there, Aoko pulled Maze—not the best, not the worst. After a bit of study, she dragged the still-groggy Consort Yu out for breakfast.

— Divider —

Wryneck truly lived up to his reputation as a hero. When Aoko and the others saw him the next day, he was already back at work as if nothing had happened—no sign of the mental trauma he'd suffered the previous day. Compared to those whose faith collapsed at the slightest setback, he seemed more like a normal person.

Leaving his tasks to his deputy for the moment, Wryneck slipped away from Oxford with Aoko and Hinako, heading to Salisbury to meet up.

To put Weyneck's mind at ease, Aoko even took him into the Ark World once—giving him quite a shock.

"My link to the planet is gone!" Wryneck said with trembling hands. "I can only feel the ground beneath my feet—there's no support from the planet anymore!"

"Of course," Aoko shrugged, "this is a large-scale demiplane magic based on the Principle Blood Ring. Its power supply is independent—otherwise, how could it free the Fairies inside from the constraint of the Lostbelt?"

Although he still couldn't get used to the sense of powerlessness in the Ark World, Wryneck trusted Aoko and soon regained his composure, following her around town.

Before leaving Salisbury, Totorot had already eagerly set up her tailor shop. She wasn't much of a seamstress yet, but Aoko wasn't worried—after all, as a born spinning fairy, she'd pick it up in no time.

"?!!!"

The moment Sith saw Wryneck, she was so scared she nearly fainted. Aoko had to dash over and support her, and Wryneck felt quite awkward at the little fairy's reaction.

"Don't worry, Sith. Wryneck isn't just any Fang Clan fairy—he's the chieftain!"

But hearing this only made Sith tremble more. Half of the bullies who'd picked on her before were from the Fang Clan. If this was their chief, wasn't she doomed?

"Alright, I'm not kidding. Relax—Wryneck is an ally, just like Totorot and the others," Aoko reassured her, patting her back. "Wryneck has always worked behind the scenes to help Toneriko mediate clan conflicts. He's completely different from the other Fang Clan fairies—he doesn't bully the weak."

With Aoko's assurance, Sith finally stopped shaking, though she still peeked at Wryneck from behind Aoko, looking scared.

"Sith's been bullied by a lot of fairies," Aoko explained to Laineck, "because she's so kind. Some fairies just can't resist the urge to ruin something good when they see it."

"Sigh," Wryneck smoothed his fur and sighed. "I understand. The reason I agree with Toneriko's approach is because I want to suppress this sort of thing in Britain."

Wryneck looked down on weak fairies and humans, but he didn't believe the strong should bully the weak—that would disgrace the strong. He'd always done his best to curb the Fang Clan's nature.

But the Fang Clan was just too aggressive. Even with Wryneck's restraint, bullying other fairies and humans was still rampant, and strong upper-class fairies constantly challenged Wryneck, refusing to accept his authority.

Or perhaps it's more accurate to say that having a wise, brave, and kind fairy like Wryneck emerge from the Fang Clan was the real anomaly. Woodwose—the loyal but dim-witted and undisciplined type—was much more the norm.

If Wryneck hadn't died in the Queen's Calendar, Woodwose wouldn't have had a role, and the Wing Clan wouldn't have been wiped out.

The three chatted for a while at Sith's house. She became less afraid of Wryneck—maybe even a little curious, impressed that Aoko had earned his trust by defeating him.

...

"Wryneck!" Toneriko was overjoyed to see Aoko bring Wryneck to Salisbury. He'd always refused to meet with her because of Uther—like a sulking child. "I'm so happy to see you! We haven't talked in ages!"

"I'm happy too," Wryneck's wolf face smiled. "I must say, your companion here has changed my view of humans. I now know there are powerful individuals among them—Uther wasn't the only kind."

Toneriko's smile was a little stiff, but she quickly adjusted, steering the conversation away from Uther and toward recent Oxford news.

"...That's about it. I think there's been an increase in Moss in the northern Oxford forests lately," Wryneck recalled, "but it's still manageable for the Fang Clan."

Toneriko thought for a moment, then told Wryneck the truth about the Great Hollow and the original sin of the six clans, leaving him stunned.

"No wonder..." Wryneck looked at Toneriko with a complicated expression. When he'd first learned she was a fairy from Paradise, he'd felt a strange agitation, but his strong will quickly suppressed it, and he'd always diligently helped Toneriko pursue peace in Fairy Britain.

"This is the last attempt, Wryneck," Toneriko said with a weary smile. "If it fails again, I'll give up my childish hopes."

The Fang Clan's hero wanted to say something, but he knew that no matter what he said, the savior of the past was gone.

He now understood clearly: the fairies of Britain were unworthy of that savior—unworthy, even, of Toneriko herself.