After annihilating the dragon swarm alongside Orun and the others, Shion reunited with her attendant, Telshe—who had been acting separately—and began walking eastward.
Her steps were so light she almost seemed ready to skip, a level of cheerfulness completely out of character for the usual Shion.
"Shion-sama, did something good happen?"
"Hm~? You can tell?"
"Of course. I've been by your side since you were a child. I'm guessing it has something to do with Orun-sama?"
"As expected of you. Actually, I got to fight together with Orun just now. And he called me by my name—'Shion'."
Shion answered Telshe's question with a beaming smile, explaining the reason for her good mood.
"My, that's wonderful news."
Hearing the reason, Telshe looked just as delighted as if it had happened to her.
But Shion's high spirits didn't last long. Gradually, a calmer, more composed side of her began to surface.
"Yeah... I thought I'd never be able to stand by Orun's side again. Fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with him made me really happy. I wish I could have stayed with him longer, but the situation has changed drastically, so I have to be satisfied with just getting to fight together this time. Asking for more would be selfish..."
Shion murmured with an air that bordered on resignation.
"...Shion-sama, perhaps you should tell Orun-sama the truth—"
"No. That's not happening."
Before Telshe could finish suggesting it upon seeing her master's sad expression, Shion cut her off.
"...I spoke out of turn. My apologies."
"It's fine. I know you're saying it because you care about me. Thank you, Telshe. But Orun tends to shoulder everything alone. If he learned that everyone in the village was killed, he'd definitely blame himself. And I don't think the Order would miss an opening like that."
While pondering what lay ahead, Shion carefully chose her words to convey her thoughts to Telshe.
"Besides, even if he's under [Recognition Alteration], if he manages to break Uncle's seal on his own, there's a high chance he'll realize his original ability... That's why we have to prepare the stage before the 'King' awakens."
"Understood."
Seeing that Telshe accepted her reasoning, Shion gave a satisfied nod.
◇
As she prepared to resume walking, Shion's gaze suddenly sharpened.
A geometric pattern unlike any magic circle appeared in her right eye as she stared into empty space and spoke.
"What do you want with me, fairy...? And wow, what incredible mana... Ah, I see. So you're the Fairy Queen, Titania."
『...I'm surprised. I thought it might be the case when I saw you intentionally manipulating ice spirits, but you really did fuse your right eye with a Spirit's Eye.』
Titania, addressed by Shion, spoke in a tone of genuine astonishment.
Fairies are supernatural beings, imperceptible to humans.
The only exception is those with the unique ability [Spirit Domination], who can perceive them—but Shion does not possess that ability.
"Correct. Hehe, being able to surprise the Fairy Queen—I'm probably the only living human who can claim that, right?"
Shion spoke with a fearless grin, her focus firmly locked on the exact spot where Titania existed.
That alone was proof she could see the fairy.
Just as magic stones appear when magical beasts die, transparent, semi-translucent crystals sometimes appear when fairies perish.
Those are called Spirit's Eyes—essentially special magic stones.
They're named Spirit's Eyes because looking through the crystal allows one to see spirits and fairies.
Shion had fused the mana contained within a Spirit's Eye with her own right eye.
There had been risks: nothing might happen, or she might become incapacitated. But Shion had won that gamble.
By assimilating the Spirit's Eye into her right eye, she gained not only the ability to see spirits and fairies but also—having absorbed the mana of a fairy—the power to communicate with them and, limited to ice, to dominate and freely manipulate spirits.
『Why would you do something so dangerous—』
"To catch up to Orun."
Shion, who had been carrying a slightly playful air until then, responded to Titania's murmur with dead seriousness.
"If it's for that, this is nothing—neither pain nor hardship. The only way to keep Orun from being alone is for me to reach his level."
Her words carried an immeasurable resolve.
『...Quite an interesting girl. As expected of the one with [Time Regression].』
"It's fine to compare me and Orun to 'those people'... but we're different from them. Don't get that mixed up."
『I know. I understand all too painfully that my masters are already dead.』
"Good. Then let's get back to the beginning—what do you want with me?"
『I want your help. Humans who can perceive us are rare.』
Shion's eyes widened at Titania's unexpected words.
But she quickly regained her usual nonchalant demeanor and replied.
"To be asked for assistance by a fairy who survived the fairy-tale wars—I'm honored. But I have things I need to do from here on out, so I can't accept your offer."
『Even if I said you no longer need to search for a [Spirit Domination] ability user, would your answer change?』
"...What do you mean? You know as well as I do that time is running out. We need to find Orun and a [Spirit Domination] ability user as soon as possible... Wait—don't tell me..."
Shion asked with a dubious expression.
But midway through her question, she arrived at the answer herself.
『Quick thinker. I like that.』
"Orun and the [Spirit Domination] ability user have already made contact...?"
Shion murmured, her face completely shaken.
『Exactly. Orun Dura has already established contact with a [Spirit Domination] ability user. And unintentionally, I'm the one who made it happen. Shion Nastachium—what you were trying to do has already been accomplished by me, regardless of the process. So give me the time you were planning to spend searching for that ability user.』
"If that's the case, I don't mind cooperating, but..."
『No need to be so wary. I've decided to stop being a mere observer, so consider me an ally.』
"I don't think you'd suddenly side with the Order at this point, so I trust you there. What exactly do you want me to do?"
『Just some thinning out. Preparing for the battles that are about to intensify.』
"So the real thing starts now, huh. Got it. In exchange, I'll borrow your power too."
『If it's within what I can cooperate with, I'll lend my strength.』
"Good. Deal sealed. Being able to borrow Titania's power is like giving wings to a tiger."
『Wings to a tiger, hm? Hearing you call yourself a strong one with such confidence really drives home that you're that person's descendant.』
"Hehe, well, I am a 'throwback,' after all. But like I said earlier—I'm me. I'm not the same as that person."
『Fair enough. If you weren't at least that different, it would throw off my rhythm anyway. I'll accept it.』
And so began the covert operations between the [White Witch] and the Fairy Queen.