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Chapter 2-26 : Visualizing The Magic Circle (part 1)
After school, Mylia and Aria went to the library as usual.
（I wonder if we will find a way to save Aria-san’s grandma after solving the mystery of Daemon’s Map….）
While thinking, Mylia chose a table at a corner of the library and sat down. Aria then sat next to her.
（If we can’t find it, I’ll have to ask Master… So that means I have to go out of school grounds because my telepathy doesn’t reach Atwood territory… I can sneak out at night and teleport multiple times until I reach Master’s house, but… She will definitely be sleeping at night… I also have to be prepared for the penalties of leaving the school without permission, but honestly, I don’t mind getting a punishment for Aria-san’s sake!）
「…Mylia-san, what’s wrong?」(Aria)
Aria’s beautiful silver hair swayed as she tilted her head.
「Ah, n-nothing. I’m just thinking to myself.」(Mylia)
（Anyway, I should focus on Daemon’s Map for now.）
「Alright, so do you want to talk about Daemon’s Map today?」(Mylia)
「Yes.」(Aria)
「But… Not much I can tell you, actually.」(Mylia)
As she said that, Mylia spread the map on the table and double checked the rules.
『1.Those who have been in this fort for more than two years can’t be given the right to be the owner of this map and solve the puzzle.
2. Only the owner can see what is written on this map. Others will only see this as a blank page, so you don’t need to worry about someone taking a peek when you’re solving the puzzle.
3. If you tell a question in this map to others, said question will be changed automatically before you can answer it. If you do that three times, you will lose ownership of this map.
4. If you tell someone that this map is actually a crossword puzzle, you will be kicked out and will never be able to enter Fort Daemon anymore. In the worst-case scenario, you might have to die. So please remember to keep silent.』
In Aria’s eyes, Mylia was just looking at a blank parchment with a serious look.
「I feel like this map has some magical gimmicks…. Is there any special rule or something like that?」(Aria)
「Yes, something like… If I talk about the content in detail, then what I’ve solved so far will be for nothing.」(Mylia)
「What you’ve solved so far, huh…? Hmm… So there’s something you need to solve first, and you need some time to do it…」(Aria)
Aria put her fingers on her chin and thought like a detective.
「Is it something that has a unique gimmick and won’t be solved unless you keep doing it…? It reminds me of the big jigsaw puzzle that my father tried to solve a long time ago…」(Aria)
Hearing the word “puzzle”, Mylia opened her eyes wide.
（So close! It’s a puzzle but it’s not a jigsaw puzzle!）
She wanted to give a clue, but she wasn’t sure if it would violate the rules or not, so she just lightly nodded to Aria.
「Hmm… I’m still not sure what is exactly written on this parchment, but I won’t ask you. Your hardships will go to waste if you inadvertently reveal it, right? So I think it’s best if you take the lead like we have been doing so far.」(Aria)
「Yes, I agree with you. it’s safer that way.」(Mylia)
The two looked at each other and nodded at the same time.
Aria then looked at the map with a wondering face.
「Say, Mylia-san, have you ever wondered why Daemon’s Map is only distributed to the best students in the Magic Department?」(Aria)
「Now that you mentioned it, I have never thought about that…」(Mylia)
「Actually, there were still hundreds of copies of this map left by Daemon the Collector in the school director’s office a hundred years ago. However, there was a note saying, “Please give them to the excellent magician recruits who come to the castle”.」(Aria)
「Recruits…?」(Mylia)
「Yes.」(Aria)
As Mylia tilted her head, Aria nodded to her.
「You know, this school was actually a fort that was designed by Daemon a hundred years ago.」(Aria)
「So that means… This school was originally built for soldiers? Was Daemon’s Map also created for soldiers?」(Mylia)
「Yes. It’s distributed to magician recruits, so I think not only do they have to solve whatever is written on the map, but they also have to do something with magic. It’s just a guess though.」(Aria)
「I see…」(Mylia)
（She may be right… I thought I could discover something if I kept answering the questions in the crossword puzzle, but there might be a secret gimmick…）
Mylia looked at a line in the crossword puzzle that would almost be an answer and tried to join the words together.
（Dead ▢ thought ▢ vinegar ▢ fried… Umm… Is it “I thought it was dead, so I fried it with vinegar”? …..This sentence doesn’t make any sense… Is the answer “Fish”?）
Mylia was totally incorrect.
（This is so confusing… When I used appraisal magic on this map, it showed several magic circles, right? …I wonder if it has something to do with those magic circles… I want to confirm it, but using magic in the library is prohibited.. So…）
After she was done thinking, Mylia turned her face sideways and looked at Aria.
「Aria-san, is your bed by the window?」(Mylia)
「It is but… why are you asking that?」(Aria)
「Nice. After the lights-out time tonight, would you let me visit your bed?」(Mylia)
「…Eh?」(Aria)
Aria was frozen after Mylia made an unexpected request.
◯◯◯
As soon after the bell indicating the lights-off time rang with a modest sound, Mylia began to take action.
If she was caught leaving her dormitory tower at that hour, she would be penalized. However, she didn’t feel nervous, probably because she used to sneak out while avoiding people’s eyes thanks to living at the Atwood’s mansion for years.
After confirming that her curtain was closed tightly, Mylia activated Heat Sensing magic to see if her classmates were already sleeping.
（Alright, everyone is sleeping… It’s a sad thing but I doubt anyone in this room would care if I sneak out at night…）
Mylia’s roommates usually did their activities by themselves without interfering with each other.
（It’s time to go to Aria-san’s room~）
First, Mylia used magic to minimize her presence and then used levitation magic to make herself float in the air.
As she floated above her bed, she used teleportation magic and teleported outside of the dormitory in the blink of an eye.
The girl in her pajamas was now flying above the courtyard.
（Whoa… The flowerbeds look so pretty from up here… Woops, I need to focus…）
She looked around to confirm that no one was around and flew toward the third floor of Rose Maria tower.
（Let’s see… The window with two hair clips……. Ah, it must be that window.）
Aria said that she would place two hair clips on the window frame in her room as the landmark.
After confirming that it was Aria’s room, Mylia approached the window and carefully knocked on it twice.