"Was it helpful?"
Elena's voice suddenly echoed behind Wayland, and he snapped back into his senses.
"Was that charm magecraft?" Wayland asked, recalling his unusual state of mind. No matter how beautiful a song was, it shouldn't have been able to affect him that strongly.
"Well-spotted," Elena replied, her tone showing a hint of satisfaction. "Integrating charm magecraft into a performance is one of the core theories of sympathetic magecraft."
Seeing Wayland's immediate reaction made her feel quite satisfied; he truly was worthy of being her subordinate.
"So who exactly is she? She's not just some simple idol, is she?"
"Hardly. If I were you, I'd take my advice and stay as far away from her as possible."
Elena's expression turned solemn, her eyes reflecting a distinct wariness. "May Riddell Archelot. A transcendentally beautiful girl, a witch with countless pursuers and hundreds of millions of fans... and universally recognized as the Clock Tower's number-one idol."
"Hundreds of millions? That sounds a bit far-fetched. Are there even that many magi in the world?"
"Your priorities are very strange, junior."
Elena's tense face finally broke into a small smile. "Of course not. That's just her own self-proclamation."
"Is she the daughter of Lord Archelot of the Botany Department?"
"No, she isn't. She's... a very, very old monster."
"..." Wayland looked at her with suspicion. "You're not just jealous, are you?"
"Jealous? Are you kidding me?" Elena reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "That woman has lived for centuries! Only God knows her real age! A true, legitimate beauty like me would never be jealous of someone like her!"
"Centuries?!" Wayland's eyes widened. "Immortality...?"
Looking at May Riddell, who looked exactly like a vibrant young girl full of life, Wayland lowered his voice and asked, "Is she a Dead Apostle? Or some kind of vampire?"
"You even know about Dead Apostles and vampires?" Elena looked at him with newfound surprise.
"I read about it in a book."
Elena gave him a skeptical look. "Tell me exactly which book you find that in? You're awfully young to be telling tall tales."
"Uh... I forget. I think I just stumbled across it in the library the other day," Wayland replied, rubbing his nose. "If you're bored, you can go and look for it yourself."
"Typical. There are tens of thousands of books in that library, you expect me to go hunt it down myself?" Elena gave a huff. "Regardless, she's not a Dead Apostle or a vampire."
"Then... is there another way to achieve immortality?"
"Of course there is. For example, Miss Touko Aozaki and her puppets are a form of eternal life, in a sense. But May Riddell isn't like that either. Based on our intelligence, her longevity likely comes from a certain medicine."
"Medicine?"
'An elixir of life?' Wayland thought.
Elena nodded. "Her family, the Archelots, are famous for their horticultural and botanical magecraft. It's said they've successfully cultivated a plant that can produce a draft capable of halting the aging process. Of course, it's all highly confidential, and only the highest-ranking members of the Clock Tower know the truth."
Wayland looked back toward the stage. May Riddell had finished her song and was basking in the thunderous applause of the gathered students.
"Is that why she's so powerful? Because she's had centuries to refine her magecraft?"
"That's part of it, yes. But her natural talent is also absurd. In the Clock Tower, age doesn't always equal power, but in her case... she's definitely as dangerous as they come."
Elena grabbed Wayland's sleeve and started pulling him away from the plaza. "Anyway, the show's over for us. We've got work to do tomorrow, and I don't want you getting caught up in the madness of her followers."
Wayland followed her, but his mind was still echoing with the melody of May Riddell's song and the realization of the vast, hidden depths of the world he had transmigrated into.
The fireworks continued to explode over the Clock Tower, but for Wayland, the true spectacle was just beginning.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]