"You will inherit the Aozaki Family's Magic," the Old Magician said in a dispassionate, inorganic voice, "Aoko."
From birth until now, Aoko had waited for this moment for far too long. Even with memories from a "previous life" that allowed her to know the outcome in advance, when this moment truly arrived, it still made her feel as if "destiny was rushing towards her."
"Mm," Aoko replied with an unexpectedly calm tone, "I understand."
On the other side, Aozaki Touko, who had been diligently growing as the "Magician's egg," did not react as strongly as the Old Magician had anticipated.
The Old Magician's increasingly diminished humanity made it more difficult for him to judge human emotions, but he still understood that his last-minute change of successor would cause Aozaki Touko extreme dissatisfaction.
The Old Magician ignored Touko and gave Aoko various instructions, telling her to stay in this Workshop tonight to prepare for the transplantation of the Aozaki Family's Magic Crest. Aoko responded with lukewarm agreement.
During the conversation, Touko's face remained expressionless, and she didn't say a word or ask any questions. But for Aoko, who had long been accustomed to discerning her older sister's thoughts, she knew Touko was on the verge of an outburst.
Things indeed unfolded as she expected. While Aoko and the Old Magician discussed the handover details, Touko turned and left the Magician's Workshop, departing without a backward glance from the place that had rendered all her efforts futile.
"...Aren't you curious why I changed the heir to you?" the Old Magician asked after seeing Touko leave, pausing slightly. This might have been the most human thing he had said all evening.
"I don't think you, Old Man, would tell me," Aoko said with a smile, "Since I won't get an answer, why bother asking?"
"..." The Old Magician seemed to be deep in thought, or perhaps he looked as if he had fallen asleep, closing his eyes. "Then let's not waste any more time. Follow me, Aoko."
---Divider---
Touko walked in the cold night wind, wearing a beautiful evening gown.
As the eldest daughter of the Aozaki Family, who had grown up amidst everyone's expectations, she had achieved all sorts of goals that seemed impossible to outsiders. Therefore, she comfortably accepted all the benefits and praises she received because she was the "Magician's egg"; in Touko's eyes, these were only natural.
A top-tier family background, a wealthy life, a decent sisterly relationship, and her own exceptional talent—any one of these was a lifelong pursuit for many. But the blow Touko suffered today made all her efforts until now seem utterly ridiculous.
Touko, possessing innate Mystic Eyes, should not have had any vision problems, but her excessive efforts to meet expectations around her still forced her to wear prescription glasses.
Touko returned to her empty home, sat on the comfortable sofa in the living room, her mind a blur.
The only residents of this Western-style house were Touko and Aoko. Aoko had persuaded her parents to buy it after she decided to follow her grandfather's teachings; it was located in the suburbs not far from the Aozaki Old Magician's Workshop.
Originally, Touko mostly lived in her grandfather's Magic Workshop, but unable to resist her younger sister's persistent nagging, she eventually moved into this Western-style house, spending over ten bittersweet years there.
Touko stood up from the sofa, walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and saw desserts stored in glass containers.
It was a chocolate lava mousse cake Aoko had specially made for her, exquisitely crafted and adorned with fruit bits and delicious nuts.
Touko took out the container and found a sticky note attached to it. On the note, someone had written a message in elegant handwriting, "Idiot Touko, don't forget to eat this."
Touko sat at the dining table with the glass container. She removed the lid, picked up a silver fork thoughtfully placed inside, and dug out a small piece of cake to taste.
The bittersweet aroma of chocolate balanced the sweetness of the sugar, the soft cake melted in her mouth, and the carefully selected nuts prevented the texture from being too fleeting.
Tasting the cake made by Aoko, Touko showed a slight expression of satisfaction. This wasn't to say she had forgotten her misfortunes of the night, but rather that the delicious food she was enjoying was simply too good.
After finishing the dessert, Touko couldn't help but stretch lazily, the surge of serotonin dispelling her previous despondent mood. Now, a fierce fighting spirit burned in Touko's eyes. She decided to first personally question her grandfather tomorrow for his reasons, and then find an opportune moment to settle things with her sister.
---Divider---
Intense pain throughout her body brought the unconscious Aoko back to consciousness. The last time she felt such pain was when her grandfather activated all her Magic Circuits. For some reason, Aoko's number of Magic Circuits far exceeded her grandfather's and Touko's, reaching an astonishing ninety-nine. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was a person grown on Magic Circuits—a talent that even the Aozaki Aoko of the original timeline did not possess.
She struggled to sit up from the "operating table" in her grandfather's Workshop and looked around, finding her grandfather sitting with his back to her in a chair, reading a book.
"I suggest you rest a little longer," her grandfather said without turning his head, "The Aozaki Family's Magic Crest is 'slightly' different."
Only slightly different? Aoko thought silently to herself.
The so-called Magic Crest is the crystallization of research and training passed down by Magicians through generations.
It could be the materialized product of a unique mystery, or it could be the concentrated and purified product of all a Magician's Magic Circuits from a certain generation.
Ultimately, it represents the inheritance of a Magician's path, an engine that can inject magical energy to activate Magic without incantation.
In a Magician's lineage, rather than the Magician controlling the Magic Crest, it's more accurate to say the Magician is the vessel for the Magic Crest. The Magic Crest, which is passed down, holds the dominant position, not the Magician.
However, the Aozaki Family's Magic Crest is different; what it passes down is not Magecraft, but Magic.
Magic and Magecraft are fundamentally different existences. Magic never adheres to any of the world's laws; it comes from beyond the heavens, an enemy of the world, a disaster that accidentally flowed from the Root. And compared to other types of Magic, the Aozaki Family's Magic is especially so.
Aoko frowned, enduring the pain from the transplanted Magic Crest, feeling its pulsation. She slightly injected magical energy, and the foreign organ in her right arm glowed faintly.
The pain made Aoko groan, forcing her to stop the flow of magical energy. However, she only wanted to test if the Magic Crest the Old Man had transplanted was functioning normally; the specific effects would be tested after this gift fully integrated with her body.
Aoko pulled her sleeve back down from her shoulder, covering her still-aching arm, and stepped down from the operating table.
"Can I take some books?" Aoko said while putting on her coat, "I have a feeling Touko will come here tomorrow and make a huge fuss with you."
"Suit yourself," her grandfather said without turning his head, "Don't touch anything other than the grimoires."
Aoko didn't stand on ceremony with the Old Man. Enduring the pain, she activated her Imaginary Number Magecraft, stuffing all the grimoires she had long been interested in, but her grandfather had previously forbidden her from seeing, into her private Imaginary Number space. This was like a dimensional pocket that no one but her could decipher. Normally, such Magecraft is extremely difficult, even for skilled Magicians, but unexpectedly, Aoko had a remarkably high talent for Imaginary Number Magecraft. In addition to the wind Magecraft attribute common to the Aozaki Family, she also possessed the extremely rare Imaginary Number attribute.
Upon discovering this, her grandfather had, for once, used some of his connections in the Magecraft world to find a highly skilled Imaginary Number attribute Magician to teach her how to use Imaginary Number Magecraft.
After stuffing all the grimoires she was interested in into her Imaginary Number space, Aoko took one last look at her grandfather.
He remained in the same posture as when Aoko first woke up, unchanged, only occasionally turning a page.
Aoko squinted, trying to discern the book's content, but only saw the title printed at the bottom of the page.
It was Oscar Wilde's De Profundis, recounting the romantic escapades of a certain unconventional great writer.
Aoko had always been disinclined towards such literary works. She left her grandfather's Workshop without looking back, not even saying goodbye.