The capital burned.
Or rather, parts of it did. Parts screamed. Parts trembled under the weight of necromantic mana that still lingered like a poisonous fog even after the undead waves had begun to die down.
Lencar stood on a rooftop, half-hidden under the shadow of a collapsed clock tower, watching the dust settle where Yuno had been rescued moments ago by another Golden Dawn mage. He confirmed the boy was stable, then stepped back into the shade, masking his mana once again.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he remembered from the original timeline.
Except for one thing:
He was here.
And Charmy Pappitson… was also somewhere nearby.
He pulled out his grimoire.
The pages fluttered.
"Time to find you."
His eyes sharpened as he placed his palm against the open page.
[Composite Magic: Veiled Horizon Scan]
A concealed multi-element sensory net formed using Concealment + Wind + Earth + Space + Lightning magic.
Mana burst outward—silently.
Wind mapped flowing air pressure.
Earth vibrations read movement beneath rubble.
Space mana stretched thinly like a spiderweb.
Lightning acted as micro-sensors.
And Concealment wrapped the entire network in perfect invisibility.
The radius spread—
50 meters.
100 meters.
150.
220.
310.
Buildings… shadows… fleeing civilians… crumbling streets…
And then—
A massive mana signature blinked into his awareness.
He froze for a moment, eyebrows lifting.
This mana was absurd. Dense. Heavy. Yet… fluffy?
He focused.
Inside a half-destroyed restaurant, surrounded by trembling chefs frantically cooking at inhuman speeds, a tiny girl sat at a table like a dictator on a throne—fork in one hand, spoon in the other.
Her white wool hair bobbed as she ripped through plate after plate, eyes sparkling while the rest of the world fought for its life.
Charmy Pappitson.
The Gourmet Glutton.
A glutton who, when provoked, became a dwarven magic powerhouse with a wolf spirit older than most kingdoms.
Lencar lowered his grimoire and sighed.
"I knew she'd be here."
He didn't bother hiding the irritation in his voice. Not because he disliked Charmy—no. She was interesting, useful, and her magic was insanely versatile.
But fighting her would be a problem.
Not because he couldn't win.
But because he needed her alive afterward.
Lencar walked into the building quietly, stepping around the unconscious cooks who had collapsed from exhaustion near the walls. The closer he got, the more intense the mana thickened—like walking into a storm made out of calories.
Charmy didn't notice him at all.
She was too busy chewing.
"Another!" she barked, pointing at a trembling chef.
"Yes—yes ma'am!"
The chef collapsed after placing down the fifteenth plate. Charmy blinked, confused.
Then finally…
Her nose twitched.
She sniffed the air.
Her head slowly turned toward him.
Her expression hardened instantly.
"…You're not food."
For a moment, both simply stared.
Lencar lifted a hand. "Correct."
"…Are you here to take my food?" she asked darkly.
"I have absolutely no intention of—"
Her eyes widened, pupils narrowing with murderous disappointment.
"You ARE here to take my food!"
Lencar's eyes twitched. "No—listen—"
Too late.
Her grimoire flipped open beside her, releasing a surge of wool-white mana.
[Cotton Magic: Hungry Sheep Attack!]
A giant wool sheep materialized out of nowhere and lunged straight at him with jaws open.
Lencar slipped sideways, barely avoiding the bite, boots sliding against the floor.
The sheep skid across the room, bleating furiously before turning to charge again.
"So she's already in combat mode," Lencar muttered.
Charmy stood up on her chair, pointing at him dramatically.
"You ruined my meal! No one interrupts lunch! Your punishment is losing everything edible on you!!"
"I didn't interrupt—"
The sheep roared and jumped again.
Lencar blocked with a flick of his hand.
[Wind Magic: Gale Barrier]
The wind shield formed instantly, pushing the sheep back—but the wool creature was absurdly dense, its weight crashing against the barrier with enough force to shake dust off the ceiling.
It wasn't normal cotton.
It was Charmy's glutton-enhanced cotton—unreasonably durable.
Charmy crossed her arms, pouting.
"Serve you right!"
"I literally haven't done anything," Lencar said flatly.
"You looked suspicious."
"That's not a justification."
"It is for me!"
Another sheep materialized.
Lencar clicked his tongue.
"Alright then."
His eyes sharpened as he opened three pages of his grimoire simultaneously.
[Lightning Magic: Piercing Volt]
[Earth Magic: Tremor Spikes]
[Wind Magic: Cutting Stream]
Lightning targeted the sheep's joints.
Earth spikes rose to pin its movement.
Wind carved the path of its charge.
The sheep exploded into particles of cotton.
Charmy gasped.
"You killed Woolberto!"
Lencar stared. "…Who?"
"YOU MONSTER!"
Her grimoire flared.
[Cotton Creation Magic: Marshmallow Guardian]
The massive wool beast reappeared—bigger, rounder, and absolutely furious.
Lencar sighed softly. "Alright. Time to end this quickly."
Charmy charged forward like a tiny demon.
The sheep crashed at him again, but this time—
Lencar stepped aside, placed two fingertips on its wool, and murmured:
[Concealment Magic: Null Veil Thread]
A thin invisible line sliced across the wool creature's core, destabilizing its mana.
It instantly popped like a busted cushion.
Charmy froze.
"…You killed Marshmallowberto too?!"
"That is NOT a real name."
The floor shook.
Charmy's aura flared.
"Oh, it's ON."
Her sheep vanished—and the wolf spirit began to manifest behind her.
Lencar tensed.
"So she's switching to that form?"
The wolf's mana was ancient, predatory, overwhelming—yet also tied to Charmy in an adorable, chaotic way.
Charmy stomped her foot. "I was having a beautiful meal! You ruined it! Prepare yourself!"
"Charmy," Lencar said calmly, "I am not your enemy."
"Too late! I'm already mad!"
The wolf growled.
And Charmy vanished.
Her small body shot forward at speeds no normal eye could follow.
Lencar's eyes widened slightly.
Fast.
He barely shifted to the side as she zipped past, leaving behind a trail of white mana.
Charmy reappeared behind him.
"Cotton Slash!"
Lencar blocked.
[Replicated Spell: Earth Magic — Stone Bastion]
Her cotton blade clashed with stone. Sparks flew. The Bastion cracked.
She spun, swinging again.
He ducked, retaliating with—
[Lightning Magic: Flash Bind]
Bolts of electricity shot out to paralyze her for a split second.
Charmy squeaked as her hair puffed out like a shocked lamb.
"Rude!"
"You're the one attacking me!"
"You interrupted my lunch!"
"That's an overreaction!"
The wolf spirit howled, its mana doubling Charmy's strength.
The building trembled under the pressure.
Lencar inhaled deeply.
He didn't want to hurt her too much. But she was too overwhelmed by indignation to listen.
Meaning—
He needed to end the fight decisively.
When Charmy charged again, Lencar moved his wrist sharply.
[Space Magic: Fold Step]
He blinked behind her.
Then—
[Wind Magic: Pressure Palm]
A compressed wind blast tapped her shoulder.
Charmy shot into the wall like a meteor.
The wall cracked. Dust fell.
Silence.
Then…
"…Ow."
Charmy slid to the floor, dazed.
The wolf spirit trembled… then fizzled away.
The fight was over.
Lencar exhaled.
"You are ridiculous," he muttered.
Charmy coughed.
"You're mean… and you still owe me food…"
Then she fainted.
Lencar approached her slowly, glancing around the ruined kitchen.
"No one saw. Good."
He knelt and opened his grimoire.
"Sorry, Charmy. But I need this more than you right now."