"Hina, Hina! Can I ask you something?"
"..."
I had Seraphina stay behind after classes ended, so we are the only ones left in the classroom right now.
"Could you do me a favour?"
"...Why don't you ask your new friend, I'm sure he'd be eager to help you with anything." She says while turning her head away.
"New friend…? Do you mean Lord Arthur? Ah, wait Hina… Are you still mad?"
"Hmph."
…Seems like that's the case. Ever since the last time I talked with Arthur, Hina has been giving me the cold shoulder.
This time even more so than when we first confronted the prince, so it's probably not about me forgiving him too quickly. But then, I'm really not sure what made her so upset now and she refused to elaborate no matter how many times I asked her about it.
"Please, Hina? You're the only one I can ask for this…"
"...Fine. Whatever, but you better be grateful."
"Ah, really?"
"Do I have to repeat myself? What do you want?"
I decided to push my luck and just ask sincerely, but I didn't expect Hina to give in so quickly. Despite her attitude, she really is softhearted, hehe.
"I'll explain on the way, come with me."
Still, before she could have a change of heart, I quickly take her hand and lead her away.
A few minutes later we arrive at the light magic classroom and it still has a lot of potted plants lined up all over the place, resembling more of a flower shop or greenhouse than a classroom.
"Wow. There's even more now than the last time I was here…"
"Yeah, it kind of got out of hand… So it's really fortunate that thanks to Miss Julia, I found a good place for them. That's also where I wanted to take you today so since we're going there anyway, I thought we could bring one or two flowers along as well and slowly relocate them."
"Oh, that's really nice. I could tell that you worried about them often. So, can I just take any of them?"
"Hm, I prepared these in advance."
So with flowers in hand, we leave for the flowerfield.
"Ah."
But after just a few steps, I suddenly stop.
"What is it?"
"I just remembered. We need to ask a teacher to accompany us if we go into the woods. But Miss Julia already left… Ah, or there's the student council. Do you know if Lord Arthur has permission to go into the restricted areas and take others with him? We should ask him."
"...No."
I turn to back, ready to head back when Hina stops me.
"Hm?"
"It's fine. I've always ranked better than him in practical magic exams anyway."
I already knew Seraphina has always been really good at magic, I mean she was even the last boss of the game, able to hold back all the capture targets plus Lucy in a fight. Though she did have the help of some dark magic which exponentially boosted her powers, but still, her foundation is really solid.
"Oh. So you're allowed to enter restricted areas too? I didn't know you took the qualification test as well."
"..."
Hina just stays silent with her gaze guiltily wandering on the ground in front of her.
"...Or maybe not?"
"I… If we encounter any danger I can protect you. Or if we get caught, I'll take responsibility."
She says as she looks at me with eyes full of determination and appearing completely reliable.
"...Is it really that serious? I'm sure we could find someone to accompany us."
"What happened to 'Hina, you're the only one I can ask for this', hm?"
"Well… if there's a rule, we need to follow it…"
"Hmph."
"Ah, Hina wait!"
I don't know what made Seraphina feel so stubborn about this, but I feel like it's better to play it safe so I tried to talk her down. However she just turned away from me and started walking towards the woods, so I had no choice but to hurry after her. Aren't I supposed to be the one guiding her?
***
"Here, these are the magical flowers I was telling you about."
"Let me see. This is… incredible."
Lucy led me to a small clearing with a lot of withered flowers around a faded statue in the middle of the restricted area. While we were walking here she told me about how Miss Julia found this place and she also explained the strange properties of these flowers. I was a bit skeptical about them at first…
But as I focus on the faint magic radiating from it, the more deeply I examine it, the more unbelievable it becomes.
"A single one of these flowers contains a magical array so complex, it almost rivals the ancient artifacts from Old Meridia found within the depths of the dungeons. And that's not all, it seems like all the flowers form another magical array of similar complexity. I can't even tell what it's for… Could it be the reason why no other plants seem to grow near the magical flowers?"
"Oh, is it really that impressive?" Lucy asks, unaffected by my enthusiasm.
"It's more than impressive! It could hold so many secrets lost to time. If we can decipher it, it could change the way we understand magic as a whole. Miss Julia's theory is likely correct, only the first generation of the academy could have created something like this."
"Hm, maybe she was its creator? Whoever she was." Lucy casually says as she points at the statue.
"It's certainly a real possibility. Though even in this state, I don't recognise her from any of the portraits of the old professors. Though it is true that only a few portraits survived from back then."
"Ah, Miss Julia also mentioned that the light magic students of the past often held ceremonies here. Could it have been a light magic teacher who created this place? That would narrow down the search, right?"
"Well, to an extent… But back then light magic was about the same size as the other classes, maybe even larger and it had many professors. It was only over time that light magic became so rare."
"Oh, I didn't know. But if this is such an important place, how come nobody found it before? It's not that hidden."
"Well, the academy is probably aware of the existence of this place, I wouldn't be surprised if this statue serves as a landmark on certain maps for the restricted area. But other than that, if I wasn't so closely examining the flowers, they'd just look like some regular withered plants. Actually it's quite impressive that Miss Julia found this place based on just some old documents."
I explain my thought process to Lucy and after a moment of thought, she asks:
"Then… shouldn't we let the academy know about this? Miss Julia didn't mention anything about doing that."
"Well… Normally we probably should… But since Miss Julia found this place for you specifically, I feel like we should leave it up to her how she wants to handle it."
"Oh."
"...and I also have a feeling she would kill me if I did report it…"
"Hm?"
"Ah, nothing. I was just saying that it should be fine, you don't need to worry about it. Since Miss Julia is basically the only teacher with light magic at the academy, she's the only one who could properly investigate it, and even then it would probably take many years to study it. If she wants to delay it by a few years it shouldn't make a difference."
"Is that so."
"Hm. Anyway, so you wanted to plant those extra flowers here?"
"Ah, yes. The grass at the outer edge of the clearing seems healthy so they should be able to survive there. I already planted a few of them here and see, they appear to be doing well."
Lucy says as she points to a few familiar flowers near the edge of the clearing, the excitement in her voice noticeably increasing as the topic changes to her flowers.
"There is also a small stream nearby that way, if it's okay with you could you bring some water? I left some gardening tools and a can over there."
"Hm, okay."
Following Lucy's instructions I fetch some water and by the time I return, she has already replanted the flowers we brought along.
"Here. Do they still need to be watered?" I hand over the can of water.
"Thank you. Since they grew up in pots, their roots aren't as large as they would have been in real soil so it's harder for them to get moisture from the ground. But given time they should grow and adapt to their new environment too."
"Actually, couldn't you just use your light magic on them now to promote their growth and be done with it sooner?"
"Well… that would probably work. But since I have already decided to give them a new life here, I want to reduce their reliance on my light magic. While I do like them very much and I want them to thrive, but it's also true that caring for these many flowers takes up too much time and effort."
Lucy says as she gently caresses a newly planted flower with her hand.
"So I want them to become strong on their own and bloom beautifully even without my involvement. Ah, but of course I'll still keep an eye on them and water them regularly until they are ready. But it's not just the flowers that I want to become stronger. I decided to free up all that time so I could put it all into improving myself."
Lucy stands up and looks at me with determination shining in her eyes.
"There's something I've been thinking about. Just like how these flowers heavily depended on me, I believe I've relied too much on you as well. Which I'm really grateful for, don't get me wrong, but I want to get stronger and not just take advantage of your kindness."
"That's not how I… think about it at all." I quietly mumble.
Usually I'd voice my thoughts in a stronger tone, but looking into Lucy's enchanting, clear blue eyes feels like gazing into a vast and unknowable ocean that makes me hesitant to use my voice, afraid to disturb such a scene.
"But it is true! And if I want to improve myself, I think I should start with my biggest weakness, my fear of fire… But I feel like maybe I shouldn't try that on my own, so I was thinking, that, um maybe you could help me out with it a little bit…"
"..."
But suddenly all that brilliance starts fading away and she returns to the hesitant, but endearing Lucy I've known all along and she timidly asks for my help. The contrast being so strong that I remain speechless for a few seconds just from the whiplash.
"I-I know I just said that I want to get stronger on my own, and here I am already asking for help. It must seem really hypocritical ah, and of course only if it's okay with you and I…"
"Lucy, of course I'll help you. It's just… are you sure about this? If you're not ready, you don't need to force yourself."
"Hmh, no. I feel like if I don't bring myself to face it now, I'll have even more trouble doing so in the future."
"Okay, if that's what you think… What do you want me to do?"
"Ah, well... From what I know, I believe exposure therapy would be the most effective way to face my fear. So if you could create a small flame in your hand and I'll try my best to face it."
"What? Wouldn't that be too much right at the start?"
"I've already prepared myself for this mentally, so it should be okay. And if we stand here closer to the withered flowers, there shouldn't be anything flammable nearby either."
"Wait, so this was your true purpose in calling me out here?"
"Well… maybe. But this is the best place for training, no? The view is pretty good and nobody ever comes here."
"...I could have just rented an empty training room."
"Hm?"
"It's nothing. If you are truly sure about this, I'm ready to help you."
"Okay. I'm ready too."
Lucy takes a deep breath and steps closer.
"I'll start with a small flame and keep it burning for four seconds. Would that be okay to start with?"
"Huh? Just that little? Well, I guess it's better to start small. Let's do it."
"Then ready? Here I go."
I summon a small flame in my hand, about the size of my nail and begin counting internally.
Four.
I carefully stabilize the magical flame so it doesn't flicker as much and its form remains mostly consistent. Hopefully it feels less threatening for Lucy like this.
Three.
Glancing up, I see Lucy staring closely at my hand, her face already getting paler. My arm slightly trembles.
Two.
Maybe this was too much after all, should I call it early? But the determination in Lucy's eyes hasn't faded at all, if I stop now…
One.
To meet her resolve I steady myself as well, it's just one more second and it's over.
Zero.
I instantly dismiss the flame in my hand, and Lucy lets out a deep breath she was holding it the entire time.
But not just that, seemingly losing her balance, she stumbles a bit and I quickly reach out to steady her.
"Lucy! Are you okay? This was too much after all, should I take you to the infirmary?"
"N-no! I'm okay. I just… need a moment." She says, but I can feel her body trembling slightly.
"But-"
"Okay, I'm good now. Let's do it again, five seconds this time."
"I… Lucy, I'm not too sure about this. Maybe we should ask Miss Julia to be here too?"
I knew she was really afraid of fire, but I didn't think even a few seconds with something almost like a candle flame was enough to affect her like this. So I try to change her mind on her approach.
"No! I'm okay, see? I can keep going."
"But..."
Well, I guess it's technically true that she handled this better than the other times in the past, but still…
"Or if you changed your mind, I can do it alone too…"
"You… Haah. Fine I'll stay, but! We'll stop once I say so, okay?"
"Yay. Thank you Hina! I'm ready."
This is a bad idea, but knowing Lucy she'd really just do it on her own if left alone…