To Become a King and a Magician

Naoki's curiosity about her sister surprised Ayaka, but despite the shock, she shared everything she knew about her sister.

Manaka began studying Magecraft at nine, and before turning ten, she had fully mastered the entire system of black magic, as well as self-taught several other Magecraft systems. In terms of talent as a Magus, she was an unrivaled prodigy, her abilities on par with a monster.

However, after her tenth birthday, for some reason, she completely abandoned Magecraft, even convincing her father, Sajyou Hiroki, to return to an ordinary life. At home, as long as she was around, no one mentioned Magecraft—not even her father.

Honestly, compared to her sister as a Magus, Ayaka preferred her as an ordinary person. Though still exuding an air of omnipotence, Ayaka felt truly happy with her sister back then. Her all-powerful sister gave her a profound sense of security.

Then, eight years ago, after their father died failing to reach the Root, Manaka took her own life that same night. The reason for her suicide was unknown, and there wasn't even a note. The next morning, when Ayaka woke up, she was alone in the house.

After that, for reasons unknown, all Tokyo's Magus families except the Sajyou family, and all Magi except Ayaka, without exception, fell into various troubles. Some families weakened, some had their magic circuits damaged, others faced business failures and bankruptcy… In short, they faced relentless difficulties and were forced to leave Tokyo.

To this day, Ayaka was the only visible Magus in Tokyo—perhaps even behind the scenes.

Outside the fast-food restaurant, watching Ayaka disappear into the crowd, Naoki couldn't help but frown, pondering everything she had said.

(Sajyou Manaka died eight years ago…)

It was hard to believe that Manaka had died. From Ayaka's description, Manaka in this world should also have been an existence connected to the Root. Aside from herself, no one could have killed her.

But why did she take her own life?

(Because she was bored with omniscience…?)

It wasn't impossible. For Manaka, there was nothing in this world she didn't know. As a result, she lost interest in everything. From what Naoki knew, if she hadn't met Arthur, Manaka might have become a hikikomori.

It shouldn't be much different here. Getting bored with Magecraft and abandoning it entirely could be seen as a similar expression. But it shouldn't have led to suicide.

What intrigued Naoki more was the mysterious weakening of Tokyo's Magus families.

When Magi choose a location for their family's residence, they select areas that match their magic circuits and are situated on strong leylines to avoid issues with family inheritance due to environmental mismatch or the family's decline. After all, good leyline locations often bring financial and career fortune.

Naoki didn't believe Tokyo's Magus families were unaware of this. Thus, unless Tokyo's leylines had dried up or there was an external factor, their families should have endured for a very long time.

Moreover… why did they only weaken after Manaka's death? Why was there no sign of decline before? And why was the Sajyou family the only one unaffected?

"It's almost certain… Sajyou Manaka did something after her death, didn't she?"

Physical death alone doesn't confirm a Magus's demise. For Magi, even if their body is torn apart, they can persist through their soul. The most representative example is necromancy Magi.

With Manaka's abilities, Naoki didn't believe she couldn't master such methods.

But then came another question—Why? Why did she do it?

Figuring out how a Magus does something isn't crucial, as under normal circumstances, it's nearly impossible to investigate. Magecraft has evolved so much that strange methods aren't surprising. But why a Magus does something can be speculated.

(Got any clues, Manaka?)

Naoki chose to ask the person directly. Though they weren't exactly the same due to different worlds, and their thought processes weren't identical, guessing the mind of another self shouldn't be an issue.

[...]

No response—as expected. Getting Manaka to speak usually meant waiting for her to open her mouth on her own. When Naoki spoke to her, she rarely responded, and most interactions were mutual jabs.

"Master, wanna investigate?"

Seeing the serious expression on Naoki's face, Mordred asked.

After a brief pause, Naoki shook his head. "No need. As Miss Sajyou said, this has nothing to do with us. We're visitors leaving tomorrow—we don't need to dig too deep into local issues."

"Do you even believe your own words, Master? Your face is practically screaming worry." Mordred grinned, tugging at his cheek. "I don't know why, but you seem pretty concerned about that girl's sister. Is she your lover or something?"

"How could I be the lover of someone who died eight years ago? Besides, I'm from a parallel world—eight years ago, I wasn't even in this world."

"Then why are you so concerned?"

"Well, to put it dramatically, it's PTSD. Her sister is, in every way, an extremely dangerous existence. I've faced trouble because of her multiple times up to now. And this situation is clearly tied to her, so I can't help but wonder if she's up to something again."

Though Naoki knew the troublemaker wasn't the Manaka within him but the one from this world, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Moreover…

Looking toward Ayaka, who had vanished into the crowd, Naoki clutched his chest. Perhaps due to Arthur's influence, he felt a slight concern for Ayaka's condition.

"Huuuuhhh… Forget it, let's head back!"

As if trying to shake off all the issues, Naoki suddenly laughed loudly.

"Or how about we enjoy Tokyo's nightlife? Maybe grab another dinner later?"

"Oh, great idea! I saw some cool shops on the way earlier. Master, what if we try conquering all of Tokyo's night snacks?"

"We'd probably end up blacklisted by every vendor…"

Though he said that, Naoki followed Mordred's lead.

Unbeknownst to Naoki, just above his head, the moon hanging high in the sky suddenly flickered.