A Prince's Worry

*BOOM*

I duck under the trench, shielding myself from the blast.

Earth flew everywhere, hitting and chipping against the bright, green dome that surrounded us.

Ripples formed on the barrier, spreading on the surface.

The earth's force was negated.

I climb back up again, trying to take another peek.

What the—

Suddenly, the atmospheric mana seemed to dry up.

The air felt more dry for some reason, somehow making it harder to breath in.

I watch the witch.

Her robes fluttered in the wind, waving like the tides of the great sea.

She put her hand up.

The mana followed.

「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」

Not again

I ignore the warning of my skill – for now – and continue observing the witch.

The atmospheric mana converged just above the palm of her outstretched hand, concentrated.

The mana weaved itself into a circle, forming intricate runes and complicated geometric symbols.

Whoa…

I watch in awe as she formed her spell, eager like a kid in a candy store for the first time.

「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」

I dove back down again, holding my head.

*BOOM*

Another loud explosion rang inside of the barrier.

The shockwave produced cracks in the barrier—rich enough in mana that I could not break them even if I tried to for a whole year straight.

…

Just as panic overcame me, the cracks began mending itself, disappearing and repairing the damage done by the witch.

…

The ringing concluded, though some of it remained in my ear, bugging me.

I take a peak once more.

The witch stood there, another crevice laid in her wake.

She gave me a glance.

"—_——?!"

What?

She moved closer.

"I asked, are you still alive?!"

I give her a thumbs up, hoping that this culture exists here.

"Hmph."

She gave me one back.

Then, she moved on, floating and landing on another piece of flat land.

Atmospheric mana began converging once more.

The air dries again—albeit a little differently.

Humidity levels went down, the temperature dropping.

Water formed in the space above her, floating in midair.

The giant bubble writhed and flowed within itself. A sight worth every second.

Then the giant mass of water formed into a perfect sphere, smooth on all sides… not that it had any.

The witch flicked her hand.

In a split second, the giant bubble changed shape once more

It grew spikes, turned into a weapon, imitated an animal, then returned into it's normal, perfect state.

Then, the witch closed her eyes.

A bead of sweat dripped down her cheek.

Her brows furrowed, deep in concentration.

Then, it was time for the water to change.

The air suddenly froze, the temperature dropping.

The giant bubble of water was now a perfectly sculpted piece of ice.

No, not sculpted—

I corrected myself.

It was formed, created and given the appropriate circumstances to change.

Then, the sphere of ice exploded.

Glittering, miniscule, and mystifying snowflakes filled my vision.

I catch one with the tip of my fingers.

The white flake immediately melted.

Awww…

For a split second, I felt sad and disappointed.

It did not last long, though.

Mana was converging once more, forming around the witch.

However, there was no spell, no chant, no weird circles in midair, nothing like that.

Instead, there was just her. Standing there, taking it all in.

「Skill 'Instinct' is warning you」

Then, the world turned white.

◇◆◇◆◇

Mary paced around the room, impatient and nervous.

"What do I do… What do I do… What do I do… What do I do…"

She repeated to herself like a broken record, pacing even faster.

Then, she stopped—right in front of me.

Her judging eyes looked straight into mine.

"… So, let me get this straight. This girl, Azamuku Lockhart, is your acquaintance?"

"I'd like to think of her as more of a close friend."

She smacked my desk.

"Do you even know what you're saying? That girl is a menace! Despite spending her entire childhood all alone, she has a grip on people comparable only to her own father! She has been taught, guided, and tested by her own father — that's the scheming noble who scammed you by the way — since she learned to think for herself. You do not just make 'friends' with her out of nowhere."

But I did…

"In the first place, how did that even come about? You guys have never even met before. How did you hit it off so well… ?"

Mary looked at me with eyes filled with suspicion and judgement.

Does she really think that little of me… ?

"Hey, I take offense in that! So what if I made a friend on our first meeting? That just proves how much charisma and social prowess I have, doesn't it?"

"Like hell you do! I once saw you skip sword practice to talk to a bird for four hours straight. You wanna know what happened to that bird, hmmmm?

Her eyes grew wide, her voice getting higher and higher.

What happened to Mr. Blue… ?

"It left, took it's entire nest and everything! The next morning when I was on my way to talk to Ev, the bird and it's eggs were gone, like they were never there in the first place. All because you couldn't keep your stupid thoughts to yourself!"

W-wha… is she really telling ME that?

I look back at her, stupefied.

She sighed.

"Hah~ You know I'm only looking out for you. We can't have that scheming noble get a tighter grip than he does on us now. If her daughter were to be a known associate of the prince — and the royal family in extension — then we may lose our remaining political power and become nothing more than puppets to be manipulated by the big leagues."

…

"I-I know that… it's just, nice to know people, you know?"

Her violet eyes grew wide.

"… Yeah, I guess."

Then she was silent. Her head tilted to the ground.

"Still, though, I get your point. I'll try to lessen our contact as much as possible."

She nodded.

"Okay, I'll take care of the rest."

Then she left, leaving me all alone.

However, just as she was halfway through the door…

"Hey, Morgen…"

Mary looked back at me.

I could not see her eyes.

"If you ever need help, we'll always be here for you."

Then the door closed, and I felt just a little bit less lonely.