บท 60: Aozaki Aoko Case File [58]

"Afraid I must disappoint you on this matter, Miss Magician," said Lord Valualeta, her expression deeply regretful as she addressed the Aozaki sisters.

"Oh?"

Aoko replied, raising an eyebrow.

"So, you're refusing to lift the bounty on Touko's head for her sealing designation?"

"No, you've misunderstood me," Lord Valualeta continued, her tone even. "I'm afraid, as the Newest Magician, you might not yet grasp how the Clock Tower operates internally. It seems my lovely apprentice hasn't shared much about it with you."

She folded her hands calmly.

"The Secret Judgment Division, Carillon Observatory has already issued the sealing designation ruling. It's beyond the power of us Lords to interfere. The moment my suggestion for Touko's sealing designation was accepted by the Secret Judgment Division, it was out of my hands."

"Then there's nothing to be done," Aoko sighed, closing her eyes.

"Truly unfortunate..."

"Indeed, truly—"

Before Lord Valualeta could finish her agreement, Aoko raised a hand, silencing her.

"While I regret you can't help lift Touko's designation," Aoko said, her voice dropping to a dangerous calm,

"I never said I wouldn't hold you accountable."

Here it comes.

Inorai Valualeta Atroholm, a cunning and seasoned monarch of the Clock Tower, knew from the moment she learned of Aoko's identity that this woman was no pushover. What caught her off guard, however, was that despite Aoko's victory, she hadn't severed ties with her sister, Touko—a dynamic Valualeta had misjudged, based on Touko's abrasive personality.

"And how, Miss Magician, do you plan to hold this old woman accountable?"

Valualeta asked in a neutral tone. Yet, she was already bracing herself, mentally preparing for conflict.

"I want to see you subjected to a sealing designation by the Secret Judgment Division, Carillon Observatory, Inorai Valualeta Atroholm."

Aoko stated her demand with such casual nonchalance it was as though she were ordering tea.

"That won't do," Valualeta sighed, her voice tinged with faint amusement. "This old woman still has many unfinished affairs to tend to. I'm afraid I cannot comply with such a request."

"Is that so?"

Aoko's lips curled into a sly smile, playful yet sharp—like a mischievous rabbit toying with its prey.

"To be honest, I was waiting for you to say that. Now, let's see what one of the Clock Tower's three great noble houses is truly capable of, shall we, old hag~?"

Valualeta didn't respond. Instead, she wordlessly retrieved a small handbag from seemingly nowhere.

"Watch out!"

Touko shouted suddenly, her eyes wide.

"That's her Mystic Code—it contains sand—"

Before Touko could finish, BValualeta opened the handbag. A torrent of golden sand poured out, blotting out the sunlight in the massive workshop and rushing toward the Aozaki sisters.

The deafening roar of the sand filled the air as the spot where the sisters had stood was buried under an immense, shifting mass. This sand, charged with Valualeta's immense magical energy, was far denser and stronger than ordinary desert sand. Anyone engulfed in it would inevitably be turned into a sand painting, forever trapped without escape.

Even so, Valualeta remained cautious. She couldn't believe that someone capable of defeating her most exceptional apprentice, Aozaki Touko, could be dealt with so easily. She waved her hand, commanding the sand to part.

As expected, the spot where her attack had converged was empty, save for the crushed and cracked floor beneath. The Aozaki sisters had evaded what should have been an inescapable blow.

Just as Valualeta raised her awareness, preparing for an ambush, the sharp sound of glass shattering reached her ears.

With reflexes that belied her age, Valualeta turned toward the source. What she saw was a small, orange fireball breaking through the magically reinforced glass window.

Valualeta hesitated for a split second before commanding her sand to intercept the seemingly insignificant fireball. Yet—

A massive explosion erupted from the top floor of the Department of Creation's building, unleashing immense flames, light, and heat that swept through the workshop.

Across the Clock Tower grounds, magi heard the resounding thunderclap of the explosion. Many turned to look toward the Department of Creation, and those closer to the scene found their windows shattered by the shockwave.

"Ara, ara~," Aoko remarked casually, stretching as she floated midair alongside Touko not far from the damaged building.

"A powerful Supernova Fireball is such a rush. Sometimes, you just need a big bang to blow off some steam."

"I doubt that alone will take down my teacher," Touko replied, her gaze fixed on the ruined top floor of the building, where thick smoke and lingering flames obscured the view.

"I suggest staying on guard."

Before Touko had finished speaking, two crescent-shaped blades made of sand shot out from the smoke, targeting the sisters from different angles.

Aoko extended her hands, summoning two basketball-sized spheres of blue energy. The spheres flew toward the incoming sand blades, rapidly expanding and releasing dense threads of magic upon contact. These threads swirled inward, forming collapsing vortexes that consumed the sand entirely.

Flipping through her spellbook, Aoko quickly chanted:

"Ut Ventus!"

At her command, a sudden gale tore through the battlefield, dispersing the smoke and revealing a massive sphere of sand within the ruins. This sphere, undoubtedly, had shielded Valualeta from the earlier blast.

"Who are you, Gaara?"

Aoko muttered with a snarky grin.

As the sand shield dissipated, Valualeta emerged. She was no longer the elegant figure from before. Her hat was gone, her ash-white hair blew wildly in the wind, and her green robe hung in tatters. Burns marred her skin, but her posture remained firm. She stared at Aoko with undiminished resolve, her eyes sharp and unyielding.