A Bird Released from Its Cage

To be completely honest, I didn't want to let Clafoutis Magica out of the underground dungeon. A beautifully singing bird causes the least trouble when kept inside its cage. If I locked her away ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the dungeon for thousands of years, she would never do anything unexpected, nor would she grow arrogant from tasting freedom and rebel against me. However, I had no choice but to let Clafoutis Magica out. I had to bring her to a state of complete submission, and though it was partly a stroke of luck, I had to secure her absolute loyalty using the Geas of Oath and her blood.

"To put it... simply, it means I'll be releasing you back into the academy soon, Senior Clafoutis, through a very complicated, annoying, far-fetched, and irritating method."

Clafoutis, who was wearing nothing but a single pair of black panties, was indeed a clever woman. Her appearance last night when she lost her virginity was utterly adorable, but I really love how she quickly and sensibly grasps the situation without needing a lengthy explanation.

"So you are saying, Junior Ramnusia... that you are currently in a position where you have absolutely no choice but to return me to the academy, is that not so?"

"Yes, that's correct. And why do you think I'm bothering to explain these circumstances to you?"

"...First of all, it is because you hold my leash, Junior. Even if there were no Geas, the moment I betrayed you, you possess the black magic to utterly shatter my mind, so seeking my forced cooperation is indeed a highly prudent choice."

Clafoutis spoke in a remarkably calm voice, dropped a sugar cube into her teacup, and stirred it slowly with a teaspoon.

"Furthermore, as things stand, I must treat you like a beloved lover, Junior Ramnusia, while simultaneously pledging my absolute loyalty to you. The more detailed your explanation of these circumstances, the more precise the wisdom I must offer you will naturally become, is it not so?"

"As expected of my clever senior."

"...With just a little thought, it is far more likely that no accidents will occur if I, having reappeared after a few days, explain that nothing out of the ordinary happened, rather than you trying to resolve the situation yourself, is it not?"

Clafoutis knew exactly what I wanted. What a relief. If I hadn't made her my slave from the start and had kept her as an enemy, she probably would have seen right through my black magic in an instant, leaving me in a terrible spot.

"S-So... Senior Clafoutis. Do you have a clever plan in mind?"

Let's be honest. I have absolutely no way to resolve this situation on my own. There was no clever trick in my book to cleanly sweep away this dangerous event where Helene, with her skirt half-lifted, was running around with her friend Eily searching high and low for Clafoutis Magica. How on earth was I supposed to solve this? Clafoutis Magica had gone missing, and the Imperial Princess herself was searching for her. To think that I, who wasn't even close to her, could do anything about it would be sheer madness!

"...Yes, I have indeed thought of a rather plausible excuse."

"O-Oh... R-Really? Truly? If you're playing a joke on me, I..." I swallowed hard. "...I'll make you regret it, Senior."

"Setting the Geas aside, this is also a matter of my own personal reputation as Clafoutis Magica." Clafoutis took a quiet sip of her tea. "Since I have been absent from the academy without permission for several days... unless I were to explain in vivid detail that I was kidnapped by you, Junior, and subjected to shameful acts, I too require a reason that everyone will find acceptable, do I not?"

"So you're telling me to trust you because it's an excuse you came up with for your own sake as well?"

"But of course, it is so."

I couldn't trust 100% of what I was about to hear, but if I utilized the plan as much as possible and pruned away the parts I didn't like, I could make it work somehow.

"Then let's hear it, Senior."

"It would be easily resolved if I claim that I temporarily left to help settle the inheritance matters of the Yuno family, would it not?"

"...Uh, Yuno?" Right, my name was Ramnusia Yuno, wasn't it? So the "Yuno ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠family" refers to me? "...Me?"

"Yes, that I was resolving the inheritance issues of Junior Ramnusia..." Clafoutis trailed off, suddenly furrowing her brow as she stared at me. "Don't tell me, Junior Ramnusia... you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about, do you?"

"N-No? It's just... isn't bringing up an inheritance all of a sudden a bit too abrupt?"

"What on earth are you talking about? Precisely because it is you, Junior Ramnusia, an inheritance story is the most fitting excuse of all, is it not?"

What is she talking about? Why Ramnusia Yuno? "...Is there an inheritance for me to receive?"

"You already possess it!"

"Huh?! Am I rich?"

"Good heavens!" Clafoutis stood up and sat back down, completely unable to hide her sheer flabbergastation, all while her soft-looking breasts were fully exposed to me.

"Um, Senior Clafoutis? When you say inheritance, do you mean... like a territory, or a mansion, or..."

"...What in the world are you saying... As if there could possibly be anything like that left for you to inherit..."

Wait, is this some common sense that I, as "Ramnusia Yuno," should obviously know but don't?

"Junior Ramnusia, you already possess the true inheritance of the Yuno family—the Armonomicon."

"Huh? Was this thing really that amazing?"

"How can you even ask that..."

"I mean! I already k-knew that it's an incredible grimoire packed with the wisdom of the Demon King, of course!"

Clafoutis looked at me with an incredibly complex expression. It felt a bit like she was looking down on me with blatant pity, but still. "Yes, precisely because it is such a grimoire, it is called the true inheritance of the Yuno family."

"...Senior." Since things had turned out this way, a suitable lie was in order. Rather than going through the tedious trouble of casting black magic, hypnotizing her, or messing with her memories, I grabbed the Armonomicon at my waist with both hands ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and lifted it up. "This grimoire chose me... but it came with a few rather embarrassing and troublesome side effects."

"... ...Is that why you cannot remember?" Clafoutis let out a long sigh, tilting her teacup to drain the last drop. "I understand. If those are the circumstances... then I shall explain it to you. However, please know that I do not speak out of malice."

"Please, explain."

"Junior Ramnusia, you are the last remaining bloodline of the Yuno family." Clafoutis briefly locked eyes with me.

"Ah... So, my parents, siblings, relatives, all of them..."

"Yes, in the territorial conflict that occurred a year ago..."

Ah, war. I could grasp the general picture now. I finally understood why the original Ramnusia Yuno had naturally felt unable to run away from the academy and had chosen such an extreme path. She had nowhere left to return to. The academy was her entire world, and Clafoutis Magica had ruined even that. Well, since Clafoutis would now have to wag her tail and happily do whatever I ordered for the rest of her life, I suppose my revenge was already complete.

"But that conflict happened a year ago. Even if you claim to have resolved the inheritance issue now, Senior Clafoutis, will Helene actually believe it?"

"She will have no choice but to believe it. The Yuno family is one of the very few families that received a precious gift directly from His Imperial Majesty."

"...The Armonomicon is that kind of object?"

Clafoutis nodded as if it were obvious. "He bestowed such a dangerous... grimoire, condensed with the wisdom of the Demon King, as a gift to be kept as a precious family heirloom?" Isn't this thing insanely dangerous, though?

"I dare not presume to know His Majesty's intentions, but the Yuno family has successfully guarded the Armonomicon for a very long time, keeping it out of the hands of the wicked."

"...If this grimoire is so dangerous, wouldn't it be safer to keep it in, I don't know, His Imperial Majesty's secret vault or something?"

"I believe there is a reason why that cannot be done."

"What reason?"

Clafoutis toyed with her teacup, her face flushing slightly. "...Even I do not know that much. However, His Imperial Majesty certainly bestowed gifts upon a select few families he cherished and loved the most. It is an open secret among the nobility that these gifts are objects of immense power, referred to as 'Artifacts.'"

"To think the Armonomicon is proof of His Imperial Majesty's favor..." Did he hand this power over to a family he trusted would never use it for evil? Or was there some unavoidable reason? Frankly, I couldn't fathom it, and the reason didn't really matter anyway. The Armonomicon was mine now.

"Anyway, so you went to our territory to resolve the issues of this Armonomicon... Wait, didn't you just say there was no territory left for me to inherit?"

"Yes, the Yuno family's territory... though it is only a rumor, was reportedly burned to its very roots by the power of the 'Artifact.' Currently, that land is a barren wasteland that no one uses."

"...Fine. Anyway, so we're going to lie to Helene and say you went to that wasteland to resolve the issues of the Armonomicon on my behalf?"

Clafoutis nodded. "Helene will understand. An Artifact is something that must absolutely never fall into the hands of the wicked."

"Aren't I wicked enough as it is?"

"...The 'wicked' referred to here generally means the Demon Race... or to be more precise, a small faction of demons with highly extremist ideologies."

So there's no problem with me, Ramnusia Yuno, taking possession of it and using it however I damn well please? If that's how the nobility thinks, this feels like a pretty solid excuse. Since Artifacts are so ridiculously dangerous, it makes perfect sense that she had to leave abruptly without even leaving a message.

"Alright... Let's go with that excuse for now... Urgh..."

"Junior Ramnusia?"

The moment I slipped the Armonomicon back into my waistband, my body began to grow astonishingly hot once again.

"Mgh, ugh...! Cough!" My heart began to beat wildly of its own accord, and blood dripped from the tip of my nose. It hurt like hell, but this was that, right? The moment the Demon King bestows a new spell upon me?!

"W-What...? How can there be such magical power...!"

"D-Don't just stand there admiring it, ugh...!"

"Junior Ramnusia! Th-this magical power is something I cannot assist you with from the outside at all! If I touch it carelessly, it might explode!"

"Then don't touch it!"

Pulsing in sync with my heartbeat, a dangerous purple mana erupted from the Armonomicon. The glittering aura crawled up from my waist to my chest, hovering and dancing around my heart as if it had been waiting for this exact moment.

"...Ngh...!" With a pain that felt like my entire body was splitting apart, the Armonomicon finally fell silent. "Haa, haa... What? Uh...?" A tingling, burning sensation lingered in my palms, but that wasn't what mattered right now.

"Junior Ramnusia...?" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Clafoutis suddenly grabbed my shoulders and began scanning me from head to toe.

"Uh, I... just learned an incredible spell, but why are you staring at me like that?"

"Junior... how did your body manage to withstand that flow of magical power just now?"

"Uh, I just endured it?"

"There is no way that should be possible..." Clafoutis's brow twitched as she kept staring at me. Whatever. I didn't care about Clafoutis's reaction.

"Senior Clafoutis... you remember the academy's magic circle, right?"

"...Ah, yes? Yes. You mean the great magic circle created by the legendary Oracle?"

"Yes, that magic circle. I think... thanks to the Armonomicon just now, I've become able to manipulate it a bit."

"There is no way that is poss—" Clafoutis stopped herself from repeating the same phrase for the umpteenth time and rubbed her forehead with her palm. "How?"

"Just instinctively... like knowing how to walk on two legs. I can't show you the magic formula, and that's not how it works anyway."

"Then... please show me... anything." Clafoutis looked at me with eyes full of curiosity. That was a new look on her.

"Alright. In that case... let's change the common sense of the academy." I reached out into the air with my hand, which was wearing the Rune Glove Keres had gifted me, and extended my palm. With a crackling sound, a framed board dropped from thin air, and I immediately began carving letters onto it with my fingertip.

"...W-What on earth is this...? I have never heard of or seen such m-magic...!"

"Now, now, Senior. The real surprise starts here."

Clafoutis's right eye twitched as she stared at the letters filling the frame, barely managing to find her voice. "I-Indeed... it seems black magic is truly black magic..."