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On the ground was drawn a simple magic circle, the most basic kind: a circle with a pentagram in its center.

Including unnecessary or elaborate formulas would have been risky, so I settled for something that should at least meet the minimum requirements for communicating with a spirit… or so I hoped. Inside the circle, Maria Lou, Eliza, and I stood hand in hand in a ring, focusing on raising our magical energy.

Somehow, the formation made me feel like chanting “Ventra Ventra Space People,” but what we were calling wasn’t a UFO—it was the Spirit of Time transplanted into Maria Lou.

“…Is this really going to work?”

Eliza, clearly displeased—perhaps because she didn’t enjoy holding hands with two women she wasn’t especially close to—curved her mouth into a deep frown, her expression brimming with reluctance.

I, too, felt an undercurrent of unease, but there was no other method available, and no time to devise one. All we could do was bet everything on this.

“I believe this is the best approach. We’ll use the link between Eliza and Maria Lou, then the link between Eliza and me, and through that I’ll form a connection with Maria Lou and somehow ask the Spirit of Time to perform a time-stopping spell.”

Neither Maria Lou nor Eliza, lacking the skills of a spirit user, could directly communicate with the Spirit of Time by intent. And Eliza also had the crucial role of maintaining this area with her telekinesis. That left me as the only one who could attempt to reach out to the Spirit of Time.

“And when you give the signal, Regulus will unleash his mana at full force. I’ll back it up with Talisman Art to give it direction… is that right?”

To Cestlavie’s confirmation, I replied, “Yes, please.”

In practice, as soon as communication with the Spirit of Time was established and we confirmed that time could indeed be stopped, I would give the signal. Then Regulus would release his magic at maximum output, aiming to open a hole near the north gate of the empty Sant’Angelo Sanctorum.

The only concern was the group of Güllens, who had been in that direction. But I could only pray they had fled during the initial underground explosion and collapse. Fortunately, their lair had been relatively close to an exit, so I believed they had a chance to escape…

Incidentally, it would be quite some time later that I finally learned they had escaped unharmed.

“Besides, we don’t even know if there’s any magical link between you and me. Sure, this body was created from your blood, and I know that things like that can have some sort of curse-like effect, but that’s all it means. Unless you were my parent or sister, someone with an actual blood tie…”

By the way, Pope Theodoros—apparently Eliza’s real father—was now openly weeping at her repeated words of rejection. I couldn’t help but think that this man was hopeless not only as a pope but also as a parent.

So, I deliberately replied in a casual tone.

“…Um, I think… it’ll probably work out somehow? Not that I have any particular reason for saying that.”

Not that she’d believe me even if I explained my reasoning. And even if she did, I suspected it would just become chains that would bind Eliza’s actions in the future, so I kept quiet.

“How can you be so optimistic?! And even if, by some chance, there really is a link between us, can you actually make contact with the Spirit of Time? From what I’ve heard, it’s an incredibly rare spirit, and nobody even knows much about its nature!”

Coppelia had explained earlier that the Spirit of Time was an especially rare type of spirit.

“As far as I know, at most only two or three have ever been successfully summoned. Which means if you’ve got one, you can brag about it like crazy. ―Well, not that it’s actually useful for anything.”

That was her assessment.

“Well, panicking at the last moment won’t help. The basics of magic and sorcery lie in the power to believe it can be done.”

Like that saying about faith moving mountains, or even a sardine’s head becoming sacred through devotion—though that might be stretching it. In the end, magic and sorcery are about imagery, so I really wished she wouldn’t keep repeating ‘it can’t be done, it can’t be done’ before we’d even started.

“You really are hopelessly carefree. We’re just not compatible at all.”
“Is that so? Personally, I don’t dislike you myself.”
“Ugh, don’t say creepy things like that. I don’t care for that clingy sort of relationship. I prefer the clarity of a cold, give-and-take calculation without emotions involved.”
“Is that so? I myself prefer emotions over give-and-take.”
“That’s exactly what I mean when I say we don’t get along! Emotions just change with moods, don’t they? Take betrayal, for example. If it’s because ‘the other side offers more profit’ or ‘the odds of victory are better,’ that I can understand. But if it’s for ‘a sense of justice’ or ‘a sense of duty,’ that’s incomprehensible and unacceptable to me. You put so much of your weight on emotion, and that’s exactly why I can’t trust you.”

Hmm… well, I suppose that way of thinking has its merits.
But still, the fact that betrayal is treated as a given, even as an example, speaks volumes about Eliza’s background—her upbringing, or rather, the shadows within the Church. I couldn’t help but let out a sigh at the weight of that karma.

“…So that’s why you failed at child rearing, huh?”

I couldn’t shake the disheartened thought that this might be the very foundation from which the future “Ragweed Princess,” likely to be born someday, would come into being.

“Huh? Child rearing?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just hoping that, if you were to get married someday and have a daughter, you’d shower her with as much love as possible.”
“Why are you even talking about hypotheticals like that?! And why specifically a daughter?!”

Eliza bristled, eyebrows arched sharply, but I casually replied, “hypothetically speaking.”

As I said that, I caught the voices of Pope Theodoros and High Priestess Teressa having a hushed discussion a short distance away. They probably thought they were speaking in private, but unfortunately for them, my hearing was far sharper than most, so I could hear everything loud and clear.

“Eliza seems to be quite tense.”
“Well, she’s a child who’s never really known adversity. Faced with a near one-shot gamble, with her life on the line, that anxiety and unease are probably what’s making her so aggressive. When it comes down to it, her rivalry and hostility toward Adelheid likely stem from those same emotions.”
“…Indeed. The air is getting rather thin as well. Most likely, if we don’t settle this with this single strike, our lives will be over.”
“Yes, that pressure is weighing on her too. She’s a delicate child, after all.”
“In that regard, Clara… Adelheid is as impressive as ever.”
“Well, she’s a bit like that herself, after all.”
“Ahh, indeed, like that.”

What does it say about me that a single word, “like that,” is apparently enough to explain me? I’d really like to hear sometime what kind of evaluation or assessment the church leadership has of me. At the very least, it’s clear they don’t see me as some fragile piece of porcelain.

“Say, Callisto. If Clara and the others’ attempt fails, and we run out of air… would you put an end to my life?”
“…What do you mean by that, Your Holiness?”

Cardinal Callisto, standing nearby, asked the question with a serious face.

“It’s simple. That way, there would be a bit more air to go around, wouldn’t there? Maybe they could manage to cast the spell one more time. Well, it’s really just self-satisfaction. But at the very least, I should do something that resembles being a parent before the end.”
“…”
“…Honestly. That sort of piousness is unlike you, Your Holiness. Very well, I’ll join you in martyrdom at that point. It’s an unpleasant role to force on someone, but I’ll leave the matter to you, Cardinal Callisto.”

With an exasperated yet smiling expression, High Priestess Teresa joined in on Pope Theodorus’s reckless request.

Cardinal Callisto hesitated for just a moment before his face relaxed into a blunt, breezy look.

“Leave it to me. I’ve always wanted to chop off a pope’s head anyway. This is a good chance.”
“Hey! Wait just a minute!”

Hearing this unexpectedly candid exchange—lighthearted in tone yet steeped in grim resolve—pained my chest.

And since I overheard it, that meant Eliza, with hearing as sharp as mine, must have overheard it too.

“…Damn it. Do you have any idea how much I’ve wanted to prove myself to you all this time…!”

Eliza bit her lip. I was about to offer her words of comfort, but before I could, she lifted her face, determination blazing in her eyes, and looked back and forth between Maria Lou and me.

“Let’s get this over with! We’ll succeed in one shot, no matter what. You understand me?!”
“Yes, we’ll be fine.”
“Of course. For Colin’s sake.”

We all nodded, tightening the grip on each other’s hands, sending all of our magic, spirit power, and willpower coursing through our circle.

“…It’s here.”

In that instant, when every ounce of our strength and intent became one, we—no, I—came into contact with the Spirit of Time and grasped both its will and its power.

“Now!!”

At our signal, Cestlavie’s talismans danced into the air, and Regulus unleashed every last drop of his mana.

And then—

This marks the final chapter of Volume 4: Shrine Maiden Princess Adelheid [14 years old].

The epilogue will be updated tomorrow, and then Volume 5: Age 15 will begin.

The prologue is set in the holy city of Thera Maryth. After a few chapters about the central city of Cilento, the story will move on to the Kingdom of Aulanthia (now Frontier County), so please enjoy.

However, due to revisions to the book, the new chapter will not start until 2-3 weeks from now. m(.≧Д≦.)m