NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 5 Part 4
As we arrived in the town of Lapis, Sophie suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“Something wrong?”
“Just in case.”
She placed a hand on her hair and gently ran her fingers through it.
Before my eyes, her hair began to change color from the roots, gradually turning brown.
I was completely captivated by the sight—I’d never seen anything like this before.
“That guy earlier was making a fuss.”
“Oh, you mean Onette? Yeah, if people find out the Sophie is in town, it’ll definitely cause an uproar. Everyone here is a country bumpkin, after all… But are you sure? Dyeing your beautiful blue hair like that?”
“It won’t last long. Just temporary.”
Sophie pinched a strand of her newly brown hair between her fingers.
“This hair and these eyes—there’s no escaping them.”
“What do you mean?”
She didn’t answer my question. Instead, like some edgy teenager, she just walked off.
Not long after, we arrived at the bustling market in Lapis.
The air was filled with energy, and people called out as we passed.
“Oh, Meg-chan! Running an errand?”
“Just a little something.”
“Hey, Meg! Got a friend with you today?”
“Hehe, nice, right?”
“Meg-oneechan! Play with me!”
“Got stuff to do today. Next time, okay?”
“It’s Meg! She’s ugly!”
“Which filthy mouth just said that? I swear, I will gather a heap of human and cow dung, boil it for three days and nights, and drown you in the resulting sludge, you little—!”
Lapis was as noisy as ever.
While exchanging casual greetings with the townsfolk, we made our way toward the central plaza.
As I had hoped, no one noticed Sophie.
“Sorry for all the noise.”
“Is it always like this?”
“Pretty much. Small town, so you run into people you know all the time.”
“I see. It’s lively.”
Her tone was ambiguous—half interested, half indifferent.
She was hard to read.
While I pondered how to respond, we arrived at the town square.
“It’s huge.”
“Biggest plaza in town.”
The central plaza of Lapis was the heart of the town. It served as an event space, a gathering spot for the locals, and a place for various activities. On weekends, flea markets were held. Sometimes there were live performances. On quieter days, elderly folks gathered to gossip, and students used it to practice their dance routines.
Our job was to construct a massive Gate to the Otherworld here, connecting this world to another.
Sophie stepped forward and traced a pattern in the air with her fingertip.
A trail of light followed the motion, forming intricate paths.
“Whoa…”
I couldn’t help but voice my awe.
“What are you doing?”
“Preliminary construction of the Gate.”
“Wait, already?”
We’d only been here for about a minute.
We hadn’t even discussed the area’s magical properties, the Gate’s specifications, or the spell’s construction methods.
What kind of brain do you need to just start building something like this right away?
Sophie felt fundamentally different from normal people.
Her talent, her instincts—they were on another level.
She activated the magic circle at her fingertip, and a phantom of the Gate appeared.
It was massive—big enough for thirty or forty people to walk through at once.
Yet, it wasn’t solid. It floated in the air like a painting, with no physical presence.
“Is this the right size?”
“Yes. …Wait, is this by any chance parade magic?”
“Yeah. I’m applying illusion magic.”
In Sophie’s magical parades, countless magical phenomena unfolded and were controlled simultaneously.
I had read about it on a magic research site somewhere.
To pull this off, she had to construct, deploy, and control multiple magic formations all at once.
It was like conducting an orchestra alone.
Something beyond what an ordinary person could ever hope to do.
And that was why her parades amazed so many people.
She was exceptional.
The gap between us, despite being the same age, felt enormous.
It was disheartening, but I couldn’t afford to mope.
If I observed her carefully, I might be able to steal some of her techniques.
If I let this opportunity slip away, I’d be nothing but an absolute fool.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“How did you learn to do this?”
“The principles are simple. First, understand the mechanics of chemistry and physics. Then, recreate them. If you have a solid foundation in science, constructing magic isn’t difficult.”
“I see. Yeah, no. That’s impossible for me.”
Seriously, what am I supposed to learn from a genius like this?
At that moment, a low growl echoed from somewhere.
Guuuuuuuuu.
Kyuurururu… Goro… Gorogorogoro.
Someone got a stomachache?
Sophie casually placed a hand on her abdomen.
“I’m hungry.”
“Oh, that was you? Now that I think about it, you haven’t eaten anything since this morning, have you?”
That gave me an idea.
“Alright, let’s go to a place I recommend.”
“A place you recommend?”