The meeting ended on a rather anticlimactic note once the most important issue—the imminent war— was addressed.

After that, the discussion simply pivoted into the political and economic state of the Alliance.

So far, everything was moving smoothly.

The only aspect that was really suffering was education, but that was pretty natural during times of war. Besides, it wasn't like it particularly concerned the meeting, so not much emphasis was Placed on it.

Once all the pertinent matters were addressed, everyone was dismissed, and groups began to form as they all left the hall.

Clark, Trisha, and Justin got together.

Belle rushed to Ater's side, and Brutus—along with Lucy—went to escort Conrad and Vida to their chambers.

Rey was already moving towards Alicia, as the two of them already knew they had a lot to discuss pending the time they would be separated for their respective missions.

However…

"Sorry to butt in, but I need to borrow Rey for a minute!"

… Lucielle suddenly popped up in their middle, completely out of nowhere, and had the usual enthusiastic smile plastered on her beautiful face.

"Oh?"

Rey was taken aback by the suddenness of it all.

Not only was it because he wanted to spend quality time with Alicia—as he had been doing for the past couple of days—but also because he was also thinking about Lucielle right before she appeared.

"Come on! It won't take long!" She said, folding her hands as she pleaded with her eyes.

'I was going to look for her after my time with Alicia, but… could this actually be perfect timing?' He wondered to himself, looking at Alicia, who was already shrugging.

"I'll be waiting for you at the Library."

"Thanks." He whispered, nodding at her as she walked away.

It felt nice to be understood that way, though he did feel a little bad for not being able to escort Alicia to their usual meeting spot.

'Still… business before pleasure.'

He gave his full attention to Lucielle, whose cheeks were currently pink while smiling a little creepily at him.

"What is it?" He had to ask, since she wasn't saying anything and was just squealing pretty loudly.

"You really really like her, don't yo–?"

"Shhh! You're too loud, idiot! I mean… Ah, sorry about that…" Sometimes, Lucielle made him forget she was a few years older than him.

That was why he was able to cover her mouth and call her an idiot despite the age gap.

She didn't seem to mind either one, though.

"Relax. I cast Sound Magic around us, so no one can hear anything."

'So that's what it was…' He could sense all the Mana around, and he knew there was a Spell at work, but since he couldn't be affected by it, he didn't bother with the details.

It turned out Lucielle actually put in more thought to the question than he expected.

"And what if I say I do?" He responded.

"Kyaaa! Nothing! Nothing at all! It's just so interesting watching romance like this!" She grinned with playful delight.

"Have you told her yet?"

"No." He responded very sharply, hoping she would drop it.

She didn't.

"Will you tell her?"

'How is that any of your business?!' He wanted to say, but controlled himself and chose a rather straightforward answer.

"No."

There was no point in telling Alicia his feelings if she was going to leave him and this world anyway.

'I should even begin to move on, but…'

The only other person he had feelings for—who he also knew felt the same about him—wasn't particularly on the best of terms with him.

He still hadn't spoken to Esme since he returned to the Capital, and from what Kara told him, she didn't want to speak to or about him.

'She's probably trying to get over me. Or maybe she already has…'

It was amazing enough that someone like Esme would like him, but it was even more amazing that he managed to blow it.

Alicia… Esme… it was best to give up on both girls.

—Perhaps all girls in general.

"Why won't you confess?"

"None of your business, Lucielle. Just tell me what you want already." He sighed, holding his head as if he had a headache.

"Hmph… what a square."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Tch. Anyway, come with me." Lucielle cast a teleportation Spell around them, causing everything to distort.

In a sharp gust of wind and energy, the two of them vanished from their positions and appeared somewhere else.

It was a vast room, with a large Magic Circle at its very center.

Floating lamps provided illumination to the room, and there were several bookshelves that also lay suspended in the air.

The floor itself was bare, save for the Magic Circle and the other engravings that decorated the ground and even walls of the massive room.

Items upon Items were carefully arranged on shelves and desks, all of them floating in the air—threatening to descend at any given moment.

The room was filled with Mana, and that was only natural when practically every item in the vast space seemed to be saturated with the energy.

"Welcome, Rey…" With the snap of her fingers, her outfit completely changed to something more casual—a large long-sleeved shirt and a shirt skirt, with stockings hiding her pale feet.

A staff appeared in her hand, and a rather large mage hat gracefully sat on her white hair.

She floated in the air, with twinkling Sparks of Magic dancing around her feet, and a bright smile encapsulated her gorgeous face.

"... To my inner sanctum!"

Rey's eyes analyzed everything within seconds, and a wide grin formed on his face once he was done.

"Impressive. I didn't know such a place existed in the Royal Estate."

"This isn't the Royal Estate. It's a special dimension I made using Magic!"

"You can do that?"

"Yup!"

Rey was impressed. This was similar to Domain Of Man, except most of the objects here seemed to be actual items that Lucielle must have bright to the space at one point or the other.

She had to have been stockpiling her belongings here for quite some time if she was able to decorate it with such precision.

'She's quite versatile. That's good…' Once again, he got the confirmation that she was just the person he was looking for.

'But first…'

"Why exactly did you want to speak with me? Why here?"

"Boo! I gave you this excellent presentation and you're not even impressed? Just what will it take to properly amaze you?"

"I don't know, but you can start by answering my question." Rey spoke rather bluntly.

He was simply going to let her remain ignorant about his already favorable impression of her.

If he didn't consider her impressive, he wouldn't be thinking about what was currently going on in his mind.

"Well, remember our last conversation? I told you to give me enough time to come up with something that even you can't ignore! Once I did that, you'd have a serious conversation with me about Magic."

"Yeah… I remember."

How could he forget? That was the bargain she made with him during their dance together at the Gala.

"Well… prepare to be amazed. I've finally perfected something after spending nearly a decade developing." Lucielle grinned, raising her staff in the air.

Rey's eyes widened as he prepared himself for what he was about to witness.

"You won't be able to refuse me after this!"