Chapter 1: A Fateful Encounter With A Mythical Sorceress

*1*

The Western Wasteland was a giant death trap that most sane humans tended to avoid. Riddled with cursed swampland, the area was nigh uninhabitable to most plant life. And while it was just a stone’s throw from the capital, there wasn’t a single living being in sight... except for Tanya, of course. She’d come here to vent.

“From twilight I summon the ultimate fucking destruction! Ashes to ashes, dust to dust; heed my call and unleash your fucking might! Fuck this shit!”

Her furious incantation echoed across the entire wasteland, sending a tremor through the silty soil. If any other Mage had been around to hear it, they probably would’ve rolled their eyes at her complete disregard for proper casting etiquette.

Worse still, she was casting Explosion, an Arcane-level spell. Generally speaking, it wasn’t the sort of spell you could conjure up without assistance from a magic circle or a staff. And with that half-assed incantation, the average Mage would have no hope of success.

But Tanya was not your average Mage.

And so, with an earth-shaking kaboom, an entire craggy mountain promptly shattered into shrapnel, the blast ruffling her cloak and pastel pink hair.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! ‘You’re a woman, Tanya!’ Fuck you! From twilight I summon the ultimate destruction! ASHES TO ASHES! DUST TO DUST!”

She fired off Explosion after Explosion, leaving giant craters in the earth as she decimated everything in sight. At the moment, she was hardly fit to be called a Mage—not when she was conducting herself like a total Demon Lord.

While she typically exercised some level of restraint in order to prevent excess damage to the world around her, Tanya was in fact an exceptionally competent Mage. Not only could she perform Explosion with an imprecise incantation, but multiple times in a row at that. Her mana capacity was off the charts.

Sure, perhaps some of it could be attributed to natural-born talent, but for the most part, Tanya had dedicated a great portion of her life to magical studies and training. And as an adventurer, all that hard work was finally starting to bear fruit—that is, until—

“HEED MY CALL! AND UNLEASH YOUR MIGHT!” she screamed, letting loose again and again and again as her fury surged. At this rate, maybe she’d run out of mana and pass out... but right now, she didn’t care. All this raw magical skill, and yet she was thrown out of the party over her gender... She needed an outlet for her anger towards Ryan.

I mean, the whole reason I started holding myself back was because HE kept complaining that a girl shouldn’t use so many Arcane spells! Tanya fumed internally. What a fucking joke! And after all I did for you! I even consoled you when you were crying about your receding hairline, you pansy asshole!

“UNLEASH YOUR MIGHT! EXPLOSION! GO TO HELL!!!”

But just as the largest mountain on the horizon turned to dust—

“That’s quite enough, thank you!” a woman’s voice called out.

Instantly, Tanya’s rage-induced magic spell petered out. She could scarcely believe it. In what world could someone nullify a spell that was already cast?! She’d never heard of such a thing!

“Huh? Who’s there?!” she asked, baffled. This was the Western Wasteland. No one ever came here on a lark.

Then she realized—the voice was coming from directly above her.

“What the—you can FLY?!”

“Of course I can. I’m a Sorceress, you know.”

A lone woman floated in the air, bobbing slightly up and down like a buoy on the ocean’s surface, tendrils of long raven-black hair fanned out in every direction as though she were underwater. Tanya stared, mouth agape. Even among the most competent Mages, only a scant few could cast levitation magic—and yet this woman wasn’t even using a staff. To Tanya, this was beyond all reason.

“What do you want? Wait—did you just call yourself a Sorceress?”

Ancestor to the modern Mage class, the Sorceress class had long since been lost to the mists of time. It was a term reserved for those who could cast magic with a mere snap of their fingers, no study or training required. And once upon a time, the Empire of Pajan was home to a single Sorceress-class woman.

According to legends, her lifespan was so long, people questioned whether she was an elf or if she’d somehow attained immortality... but then Maxwell the Grand Mage sealed her away for all eternity and was lauded as a national hero, or so Tanya had heard.

“Yes, I’m afraid there’s no two ways about it. I’m a Sorceress, through and through,” the woman answered cheerfully as she bobbed in place. “My name is Laplace. Enchantée, mademoiselle.”

Laplace... Why does that name sound so familiar...?

*2*

“So what you’re saying is... my Explosion spell accidentally destroyed the mountain you were sealed under?”

“Oui, oui.”

“And you’re Laplace, as in, the Great Sorceress Laplace who was sealed away 300 years ago?”

“That’s me! Sorry to nullify your spell, but it was a bit much for a wake-up call. Surely you understand.”

“No, I don’t, actually! How am I supposed to believe this?!”

Believe this! Believe this! Believe this! Tanya’s voice echoed across the wasteland.

“Any Mage worth their salt knows the legend of Laplace, okay? She was a phenomenal Sorceress. There’s no way she was sealed right next to the frickin’ capital! I mean, we’re talking about the Laplace, AKA the Wicked Dragonwhore! She was caught plotting against the Empire! That’s the whole reason Maxwell the Grand Mage had to seal her away 300 years ago!”

The woman—Laplace(?)—laughed merrily. “My! Is that what they teach you in school these days? That’s hilarious.” After a quick mid-air somersault, she grinned. “Well then, if you need proof so badly, why don’t we play a little game?”

“What?”

“I mean, seeing as you’ve been setting off Arcane spells all over the place, I have to assume you’re pretty skilled.”

“Well...” Honestly speaking, yes, Tanya considered herself skilled. And here in the Western Wasteland, where she had no reason to hold herself back, she was confident she could beat just about anybody...

But did that “anybody” really include THE Great Sorceress herself?

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t attack you back.”

“...What?”

“Are you listening? I said I won’t attack you. All you have to do is land at least one hit, and I’ll let you win.”

This struck a nerve with Tanya. You’re not going to fight back? What, you think I won’t even land a single hit? Does this look like my first rodeo to you?

Sure, maybe Laplace(?) could use levitation magic, but Tanya was a seasoned adventurer in her own right. And she refused to let this human-shaped balloon with her devil-may-care attitude get the best of her! Come down here and fight me like a woman!

“If you win, I’ll do whatever you say. And if I win... hmmm... I want you to form a party with me.”

“What?”

“You’re an adventurer, are you not? I’ve always wanted to try it out, you know, at least once!” Laplace explained, spinning in giddy circles in mid-air.

You’re telling me THIS is the Great Sorceress? I don’t buy it. At all.

“Fine, whatever.”

Not like I’ve got anything to lose. And besides...

Tanya readied her staff.

...All I have to do is hit her, which means I should prioritize speed over power. And if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s fast casting.

Her former party members used to order her around all the time:

“You don’t have to finish it off. Just buy me some time so I can land the final blow!”

“What? But wouldn’t it be faster and more efficient for me to defeat it?”

“C’mon, be a team player and back me up!”

“...Fireball!”

“Hell yeah! Time for me to end this!”

She would have these conversations all the time, especially with lower-level Brawlers and Knights who would later turn around and brag about the defeated monster like it was their accomplishment. It was baffling.

But now all that time spent micromanaging herself was about to pay off. Tanya could control her speed and damage output on a whim. Not even a mythical Sorceress could safely dodge every—

“Why does she keep dodging everything?!”

I don’t get it! No one’s ever been able to evade my Fireballs before!

And yet Laplace made it all look so trivial, twirling through the air. She didn’t even break a sweat. And most infuriating of all—

“Hahahaha! You’re pretty good, girlie!”

—she was clearly having fun.

“I have to say, I’m actually impressed... Perhaps this new generation of Mages isn’t so hopeless after all!” Laplace mused brightly.

Meanwhile, Tanya pressed a finger to her lower lip. Why can’t I hit her? There has to be a reason! Think!

“Wait... Are you using a force field?”

“Oho, well spotted! I honestly didn’t think you’d notice!”

“Wait... seriously?!”

A force field was a type of invisible magical barrier imbued directly into the earth’s strata, typically to protect castles, churches, or other important buildings. And since they were designed to draw power directly from subterranean mana veins, they were massive and immobile. Tanya had never heard of any force field small enough for just one person, much less one that could be moved around at will. The technology simply didn’t exist!

This woman operated on a level far beyond what the average person could comprehend. Was it possible? Was she really Laplace the Great Sorceress?

Tanya lowered her hands and let her Fireballs fade.

“What’s this? Giving up already? In that case—”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Nobody said I was giving up.”

Sorceress or not, I refuse to let you beat me.

Tanya smirked.

“Now that I know I’m dealing with a force field, the solution is simple. And you’re going to regret you ever dared to challenge me.”

“...Huh?”

With a deep breath, Tanya summoned up all of her remaining mana.

“From twilight I summon the ultimate destruction...”

“Wha—?!” Laplace froze in place. Naturally, she recognized the incantation.

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust...”

“Uh—wh—Explosion?! You’re casting an Arcane-level spell?! On ME?! You can’t be serious! Surely you understand it’s not safe! Why else would you come here to cast them?! You wanted a place with no innocent bystanders nearby! Well, here I am, bystanding! Don’t you think perhaps this is a little immature of you?! Hello?! Are you hearing me right now?!”

In contrast to her half-assed, curse-laden incantations from earlier, this time Tanya made sure every word was perfectly precise—all the better to enhance the spell’s power.

Her logic was simple: if the force field was the problem, then she just needed to break through it.

“Eeek...!”

From the moment they first met, Laplace had conducted herself with flawless poise, but now her smile had stiffened. She knew now that Tanya wasn’t joking around—no, she was genuinely prepared to launch a large-scale, military-grade, Arcane-level spell at a single person.

“W-Well, you know what they say—discretion is the better part of valor!”

And so Laplace promptly turned on her heel. No surprise there; not a soul alive would want to be caught in that blast. There was one small problem, however—this was the Western Wasteland, presently littered with giant craters following Tanya’s stress relief activities earlier on. Anything that could have been used as cover had long since been decimated.

“Oh crap!”

Try as she might to run, Laplace had nowhere to hide.

“Heed my call and unleash your might!”

“Gah! Noooo!”

“Let’s see how you handle this, Sorceress! Explosion!”

There was a moment of silence. A flash of light. A deafening rumble. A whirlwind. And when the dust settled... Laplace was no longer airborne. Instead, she lay sprawled flat on the ground.

“Hrrkkk... I can’t believe it... You actually got me...?” she whimpered as her body twitched.

“Ha... hahaha... HAHAHAHA! They all underestimated me... Well, look at me now, assholes!” Tanya roared, victorious, her pink locks fluttering with the blast wave. “Admit it—I win!”

*3*

“So, uh, Laplace(?)...”

“Are you seriously still questioning—ouch!”

“Sorry! Anyway, I do want to apologize for casting a full-power Explosion on you. That wasn’t cool of me.”

“Oh, it most certainly wasn’t! That spell’s used to wipe out entire cities, you know!”

“Considering I passed out from mana deficiency right afterwards, I’d say we’re even... but I did technically win, though, right?”

“You won without a shadow of a doubt. And a Sorceress never goes back on her word.”

Laplace sighed dramatically. Sure, she was fresh out of a 300-year magic seal, but even then, she never expected that this girl would get the best of her.

Truly there was no fate more lonely than hers had been. Trapped in that giant stone prison, all of her mana had been sapped away. Time itself had stopped. Passing adventurers, tribes exiled from their homes, sometimes even little birds came and went, but none ever stayed.

As time went on, those passersby grew steadily more and more sparse, and the fearsome sorcery of the prosperous Pajan Empire began to decline... until only the most basic, watered-down “magic” remained.

But Tanya? Somehow she possessed what the rest of her generation lacked: power, precision, and most of all, the reckless courage necessary to turn an Arcane spell on another person without even flinching. She was crazy enough to go out into the middle of nowhere and start firing off Explosions at nothing—and it was that particular brand of crazy that had set Laplace free.

She was grateful to the little Mage, obviously, but more than that, she had taken a liking to her.

“Okay, well, before I state my demands... I’d like to see proof that you really are Laplace the Great Sorceress.”

“Oh, right. Proof, hmm? I suppose that’s only fair... After all, I imagine the average person would find it hard to believe that some random drop-dead knockout was in fact the very Sorceress that was sealed away for the past 300 years...”

“...Did you just call yourself a drop-dead knockout?”

“Well, it’s the truth, isn’t it?” Laplace remarked, idly floating into the air.

“Gah! You’re flying again!” Tanya tensed up. Truth be told, the mere fact that this woman could levitate was proof enough of her exceptional magical prowess—a level of skill befitting the title of Sorceress.

“The look on your face says you don’t believe me... Well, alright. How about this?”

Laplace snapped her fingers. All at once, a blanket of dark clouds spread across the formerly clear blue sky, and a sheet of heavy rain poured down upon them. In seconds, Tanya’s clothes were soaked through. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

Tanya was speechless.

“Whoops! Didn’t mean to get you wet!”

With another snap, the rain promptly let up. In its place a fierce wind blew, drying the meager fabric of Tanya’s outfit.

“Gah!” The gale sent her pale pink strands flying in every direction.

“Okay, back we go...” And with a final snap, the sunny skies returned at last.

“...What just happened?!” Tanya shrieked as her mind reeled.

“Huh? Oh, I was just messing around with the weather, that’s all.”

“Wh... Messing around?! With the weather?! You can’t do that! That’s, like, extremely forbidden sorcery!”

“Yes, well, I’m a Sorceress, remember? Comes with the territory, does it not?” Laplace did another somersault.

With this, Tanya was convinced. Levitation magic, a personal portable force field, and now weather manipulation? She had to be the real deal. Surely only the mythical Sorceress herself was capable of these things.

That just left one question...

“Were you going easy on me?”

“Hmm?”

“You know, during the ‘game’ or whatever. I mean, yeah, I hit you with an Explosion, but still! There’s no way I actually defeated the Great Sorceress, right? So you must’ve let me win on purpose!”

“What? No, I didn’t let you. That was all you, 120%,” Laplace replied in mid-air. “Granted, I couldn’t attack you back with the rule I put in place, but even then I wasn’t expecting much of you, to be quite frank. As far as I knew, you modern Mages all paled in comparison to the spellcasters of my day. But you? Your technique is something to be reckoned with. Even if I hadn’t underestimated you, I’m sure your Explosion would have defeated me regardless.”

I mean, yeah... Explosion kiiiinda probably shouldn’t be cast on other people in the first place...

“You’re a formidable fighter,” Laplace continued, gazing into Tanya’s eyes as she bobbed up and down. “While you clearly have some level of innate talent, you also have knowledge and experience in spades. I can only imagine how much hard work you put in to get this far... I must say, I’m sincerely impressed. Not even my generation 300 years ago had many casters as incredible as you.”

A moment later—

“Hnnnn...”

“...Huh?”

“Nnn... hhh... waaaahaaahhhh!”

All at once, Tanya began to sob like she was twenty years younger.

“Uh... wh... You alright there...?”

“Weeehhhhaaaahhh... weh... gggpphhhnnn!”

“Those are some rather peculiar crying sounds, you realize?!”

“I can’d... guhhuuhhh... I can’d helb it!” Tanya wailed.

Those words of praise had opened the floodgates. There was no holding back now. She had worked so hard—proved herself—she was the best in her field—and yet—

You’re off the team. You’re a woman, Tanya, Ryan’s voice echoed in her mind. You’re a woman. You’re a woman. You’re a woman.

She resented the fact that they had dismissed her based on something that was outside of her control. She was so, so angry.

“Um... I’b sowwy... I’ss nuffing... I jus’ need to cry for a while an’ den I’ll ged ober it... Wehhh...!”

Tanya always hated the association between crying and femininity—that women were expected to be overly emotional—and so she had always kept her sadness safely behind closed doors.

But here she was. And the tears wouldn’t stop.

“W-Well, um... There, there! I can tell something painful must’ve happened, or else you wouldn’t have come out here to throw Explosions around, right? So go on and cry it out! We’re both girls here, you know? And sometimes a girl’s just gotta cry.”

Tanya was too choked up to respond, but there was one thing she understood intrinsically: this floating Sorceress was trustworthy—at least 99%. How could she tell, you ask? Because Laplace was fighting her own trepidation in order to rub Tanya’s back while she was crying.

And Tanya could feel a gentle warmth in those fingers.

*4*

“So yeah, I’m gonna get revenge!” Tanya declared (once she’d stopped crying).

“Revenge, you say?” asked Laplace.

“Yeah. I’m gonna make those assholes wish they were dead,” Tanya growled, biting her lip and making it bleed. Ah, the sweet, coppery taste of retribution. “Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Tanya Artemiciov—and I want you, oh mighty Sorceress, to help me get back at them!”

“It’s lovely to meet you, Tanya. And seeing as you beat me fair and square, I’m happy to help you... but how?”

“I wanna beat them at their own game. See, the nationwide Adventurers’ Sparring Tournament is coming up, so I want to enter the tourney and trounce my old party! Beat them into paste and make it look like an accident!”

“And where do I come in...?”

“I want you to form a party with me. That way we can enter as a team.”

Instantly Laplace started to laugh, and it was no mystery why: “Form a party? Why, that’s precisely what I was going to ask of you if I’d won!”

“No, this is different. We’re not teaming up for fun. We’re doing it for revenge!” Just then, the earth began to rumble beneath her feet. “What the...? What’s going on?!”

“Oh boy, here he comes... That’s his roar,” Laplace sighed.

“Roar?! Whose roar?!”

“Well, you see, after I was sealed away, your beloved Maxwell let a certain something loose in these parts so people would stay away.”

“Wait... You don’t mean...”

“Oh, I’m afraid so,” Laplace replied, floating up into the air. “You’re an adventurer, are you not? Surely you’ve heard of the King of the Western Wasteland?”

On the horizon, that certain something flapped its wings, its roar sending a shockwave through the air.

“Anyway, as I was saying, it’s a Wyvern,” Laplace continued.

At this, Tanya looked past Laplace at the intruder... and promptly lost all hope. She was right, it was a Wyvern—an angry one, at that—flying at breakneck speed right towards them. Gimme a frickin’ break!

Wyverns were a rare and dangerous breed of dragon, but on the average day Tanya could take one down with little difficulty. One small problem, however: she had only just recently passed out from mana deficiency. There was no chance she could cast anything halfway decent in her current state. And as for the Great Sorceress?

“Hahaha! That Wyvern is simply furious! Maybe you hit it with one of your Explosions! Hahahaha!”

“Not funny, Laplace! What are we going to do?!”

“What do you mean? Just defeat it.”

“I can’t! Like, seriously, I really can’t! I don’t have any mana left! Why don’t you defeat it, huh?! You’re the Great Sorceress! I bet you could wipe the floor with that thing!”

“No, I’m afraid that would be impossible.”

“What?”

“I think it might be an after-effect from the seal, but, um... I can’t use any of my attack spells.”

“WHAT?!”

All this time, you weren’t simply choosing not to attack—you literally COULDN’T ATTACK?! When were you planning to drop THAT little bombshell on me?! Oh god, the Wyvern’s almost on top of us... Damn it, Laplace! You really are nothing more than a stupid, human-shaped balloon!

“That look on your face says you think I’m nothing more than a human-shaped balloon.”

“Damn right!”

“Wow... I wish you would’ve at least tried to deny it... Well, anyway. After watching you in action, I’m pretty sure you’re the one who ought to ‘wipe the floor with that thing,’ as it were. And I know exactly what you need.”

“Huh? Where are you going with this?”

“Have you given any thought to changing classes?”

“...What?”

Above them, the Wyvern let out an ear-splitting roar.

Do we really have time for this, Laplace? Because I feel like there are more pressing issues at hand here!

“Change classes to what?”

“In my esteemed opinion as a Sorceress, with your exceptional ability and track record as a Mage, I believe there’s a class that would suit you even better.”

“Okay, well, now’s really not the time for...”

“You should be a Magi-Knight.”

“...Huh?”

“Are you listening? A Magi-Knight! Why limit yourself to mere spellcasting when you’ve got the confidence and tactical know-how to throw around Arcane-level spells without batting a lash? It’s a waste of your talents!” She extended a hand and cupped her pale fingers around Tanya’s cheek.

Tanya froze, rooted to the spot. “Wha... Huh...?” Her... Her lips... She’s leaning in...!

“Tanya Artemiciov! Right this moment, I command you to change classes to a Magi-Knight—the ultimate master-level class that can wield both physical and magical attacks! After all, if I’m a Sorceress, then we don’t need another pure caster! And besides... I think you’ll do well.”

“Uh, Laplace? Y-You’re in my bubble! Aah...!”

She thinks I’d be good as a Magi-Knight? The ultimate master-level class?!

Laplace’s lips pressed against hers, smothering her confusion—and a warm, fuzzy feeling washed over Tanya as Laplace’s mana transferred into her. Something inside Tanya felt restless, almost as though a tiny dragon had awoken deep within her. Her mind went blank—this was something she’d never felt before.

“Aah... mmph!”

Coming up for air, the Great Sorceress whispered, “I am the Great and Ancient Laplace. I may not be able to cast any offensive spells, but I can still make miracles happen.”

“Wh... Mmmm?!”

When they pulled apart at last, Tanya gasped for breath. For an ancient Sorceress, Laplace smelled really good... and her lips were pillowy soft.

“Now then... Despite your astounding raw power, somehow your mana circuits were all over the place, so I’ve taken the liberty of streamlining them for you! Now draw your sword, Magi-Knight!” Laplace placed one hand to the ground, and instantly the earth began to soundlessly split apart. “I summon thee... awesome sword, or whatever!”

“Wow, your incantation sucks! One would think you’d be better at it, considering you can cast without a staff or magic circle!”

And yet the rift in the earth began to glow nonetheless. Lo and behold, there sprouted a massive sword, its length greater than Tanya’s own height.

“What is that?!”

“I’ve duplicated that one ‘Excalibur’ sword for you. Quite the classy gift, yes?”

“You what?!” Are you nuts?! That’s a national treasure! And for that matter— “This Excalibur knockoff is bigger than I am! How the heck am I supposed to wield it?!”

“Wait, what? The bigger the sword, the stronger the blow, right?”

“What are you, twelve?! That’s not how this works, you idiot!” And you’re telling me SHE’S the Great Sorceress?!

The Wyvern let out another roar and flapped its wings, drawing ever closer to its prey. Perhaps hunger had made it impatient.

“Uh-oh... It’s headed this way... Guess you’d better grab that sword and go defeat it!”

“You’re out of your mind if you think I can even lift this massive—”

Yoink.

For some reason, the Not-Excalibur was much lighter than Tanya had anticipated—to an impossible degree.

“What the...? It’s barely heavier than a staff!”

“During the kiss, I scanned your mana circuit patterns. Then, when I created the sword, I optimized it to match. That way you can always wield it! In a sense, it’s both a sword and a staff—the ultimate weapon! So, what do you think? Yet another genius creation from Laplace the Great and Beautiful Sorceress, wouldn’t you say?”

“Why would I say it when you already have...?”

The Not-Excalibur in her hand—mana flowing through her veins—feet firmly planted on the ground—the Wyvern nearly upon them—

“Rrgh... There’s no time for wise-cracking! I’ll just have to wing it... Well, here goes nothing!”

Shaking the doubt and hesitation (and the memory of that sweet kiss) from her mind, Tanya took off running—

“Whoa, what the...?!”

Her whole body felt so light.

And in that instant, Tanya knew she could win.

When she focused her energy on her sword, she could practically feel her mana increase... and somehow she instinctively knew what to do next.

Wind Magic, engage!

With that thought, magic runes began to glow over the surface of the Not-Excalibur, and it promptly cast a spell to enhance Wit, the Wind Magic stat. No complicated incantation, no charge time.

“Holy crap! This sword is amazing!”

Mana flowed through her entire body. Wind Magic gathered at her feet. And then she ran, ran, ran at the speed of light, as though her body had become one with the wind itself. Already she was performing far beyond the level one would expect of someone who had only just become a Magi-Knight three minutes ago. Her heart hammered in her chest.

And as Laplace watched her go, she grew certain that she had made the right call.

“Yes, just like that... As a Mage, no matter her ability, her spellcasting was always going to be inefficient. Incantations waste time, and energy conversion wastes mana. But as a Magi-Knight, she can convert her vast supply of mana and precision spellwork into sword skills at no cost.” Laplace giggled and put a finger to her lips. “Oh, Tanya... how I love your spirit.”

Meanwhile, Tanya quickly closed the gap between herself and the Wyvern and leapt into the air. Laplace’s kiss had stimulated her internal mana supply and optimized it for her new class. Then, before Tanya’s brain could catch up, Laplace had forged her a sword from the raw materials lying around.

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were already at the max level for a Magi-Knight,” Laplace had giggled, without even stopping to address the fact that she had just forced a kiss on someone. Her personality was both exhausting and exasperating.

But as it turned out, this sword felt more at home in her hand than a staff ever did. The difference was so dramatic, she could scarcely believe it.

Tanya focused her strength and Wind Magic into her legs—and jumped.

“Haaaah!”

She rocketed straight into the air, over the rampaging Wyvern’s head, and let gravity pull her back down as she aimed squarely for the beast’s neck. A feat no ordinary human could hope to pull off.

Amused, Laplace did a somersault in mid-air as she watched the fireworks from afar. “Oho... She’s using Wind Magic to give her acrobatics a boost. Impressive.”

Tanya summoned up all the mana in her body. Yeah, I’d say this is more than enough to slay a dragon.

“RRRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”

As she prepared to use her favorite Arcane spell, Explosion, she could feel the mana flowing directly into her blade.

I can do this... I can use this mana-imbued sword to fell the Wyvern!

With her confidence restored, Tanya shouted: “Eat this! Exploding Slash!”

It felt like she was cutting through paper. There was a fountain of blood followed by a magical explosion as the mana in her blade detonated. The Wyvern plummeted to the ground without so much as a final roar.

As the dust settled, all that remained was a pink-haired Magi-Knight wielding her Not-Excalibur and an ancient Sorceress gleefully applauding.

“I did it... Hah... I really did it...!”

“Hahaha! Bravo! Fresh out of my prison and already I’ve made a wonderful discovery!”

“You and me both,” Tanya muttered.

Levitation magic, portable force fields, weather manipulation, and now she can rewrite people’s mana circuits? “Unconventional” doesn’t begin to cover it! God only knows what sort of revenge I could exact with her on my side...

Laplace was so far removed from common sense that it was actually kind of concerning.

“Oh man... What am I in for...?”

*5*

When the time came to return to Ode, only then did Tanya realize:

“We’re gonna stick out like a sore thumb if we go back!”

“Hmm? Why’s that?”

“I don’t know if you know this, Laplace, but most people don’t float in mid-air!”

The Sorceress tilted her head. “Maybe not most people, but I certainly can.”

Is she doing this on purpose, or is she just a total ditz? Tanya sighed. “Okay, well, the sword will draw its fair share of attention, too.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because female Knights are practically unheard of. Everyone’s gonna take notice.”

“What?”

“Plus, it’s so massive it looks like it was made for a giant. I guarantee you people are gonna stare at us. And not in a good way.”

Laplace tilted her head even farther. “Hmmm... I’m not sure I understand. Why have female Knights become so rare? They weren’t back in my day.”

“Huh? Well...” Tanya fell silent.

Come to think of it, she’d never stopped to consider why women generally never chose the Knight class. To her, it was just the way things were. Even the Mage class was 90% male. Not only were female adventurers the minority to begin with, but most of them were Healers.

“Good question, actually... Knights make a decent living, so I’m not sure...”

“Oh well. The answer isn’t that important, so never mind. Anyway, you don’t mind if I keep floating, right? C’est bon?”

“Where did you get that idea?! Look, just put on my spare pair of shoes. You can walk in heels, right?” Tanya yanked Laplace down out of the sky and handed them to her.

“Are you serious? I have to wear these? You’ve got to be kidding. Is this a prank? Or some form of torture?”

“Neither. I promise you, they’ll look great with that frilly black dress you’ve got on.”

“Oh, this is so embarrassing... Don’t watch me put these on, okay?”

As requested, Tanya turned away and waited, though frankly she didn’t see what was so shameful about putting shoes on. Then, once a reasonable amount of time had passed—

“Okay, Laplace, are you ready to—PFFFFT!”

As she turned back around, the sight that awaited her instantly made her start pointing and laughing.

“HAHAHA! Oh my god! What is the matter with you, Laplace?!”

“D-Don’t laugh at me! I can’t do it! My feet hurt! These shoes are barbaric!”

There stood Laplace the Great Sorceress, looking like a bow-legged fawn.

“Hee hee hee! That’s one hell of a look, Laplace! Do it again!”

“Rrrrgh... Mocking me already, I see. And it hasn’t even been a full day since I was unsealed... Personally, I’d rather be un-heeled! Posthaste!” Pouting her lips, Laplace floated up into the air once more.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry for laughing. Seriously though, have you never worn heels before?”

“These things didn’t exist back in my day. And for good reason! They’re impossible to walk in! Then again, I haven’t had much walking experience.”

“...What?”

“My father was the Court Grand Mage, and my mother was a former shrine maiden at the Temple of the Dragon God. I made a name for myself as a child prodigy fairly soon after I was born, and from there I had a very sheltered upbringing to the point that I never needed to walk on my own two feet. With my innate magical talent, I got everything I ever wanted. Then, once I learned levitation magic, I grew obsessed with it... All in all, it’s really not my fault that I never had the chance to walk.”

“You can humble-brag all you like, but I’m not impressed.”

“I’m not bragging! I’m gorgeous and I hail from an influential family—these things are simply facts!”

“You just can’t stop talking about how hot you are, can you?”

In the end, the two women agreed on a compromise: Laplace would wear the heels and pretend to walk while floating a few centimeters off the ground. This was the condition under which Tanya permitted her to appear in public.

I’ve really got my work cut out for me, don’t I?