Chapter 19: Yūto Minazuki

As Woodward made her statement, Akko sighed and leaned against the wall behind her. She

"...I saw you a few days ago when I was sleeping with Elizabeth. You were watching me."

Woodward nodded in agreement which caused Akko to frown.

"You jerk!" Akko shouted as she threw an empty bottle that she picked up from the street at Woodward. Of course, it did not hit her but instead phased through her. "Why didn't you save me earlier!? I was trapped in that damn mansion for freaking months! Those undead freaks were doing whatever the hell they wanted to me!"

Woodward closed her eyes as she replied.

"I am sorry. As you know, I am nothing more than a spirit. There is only so much influence I can do. But when Merlin activated Fantasia, such a rule has changed…"

The Spirit of the Ancient Witch then started to stare into her own arms, small light particles flew around her fingertips.

"The connection of the Fair Realm and this world caused the magic of the other side to seep through. While it does bring back magic to the world like the olden days, it causes a strange anomaly that will surely negatively affect everything as time passes. What those negative effects are…I cannot say for sure…"

"O-okay…w-what would happen if Fantasia Melody is fully activated?"

Woodward looked straight into Akko's red eyes as she answered.

"All living things would cease to have free will and the planet would be flooded with boundless magic."

"F-flooded? Like the world will drown in a sea of magic?"

"The planet itself will not be able to handle it and as Merlin said it will "Wash Away" the world itself. This is also an attempt by Merlin to bring the Elves back since their existence had faded into the Roots of Yggdrasil."

"How could the elves come back? According to Merlin, the Titans killed them all."

"Elves are immortal in a sense. They are not affected by old age, diseases, and other factors that take the lives of mortals like us. Even if their physical bodies are destroyed their eternal souls will exist in one form or another. You saw firsthand the Formless Immortals that yearn to return."

Akko turned pale as she remembered her encounter with the robed elves in Phantasia and the horrific screams that gave off.

"Those creepy spirits will invade the world and people will lose their free will…I experienced what that's like to not have control over yourself. The elves stole my free will while the vampires toyed with me! Even when I had no control, I was still conscious…I don't want anyone to go through what I went through! We have to warn everyone at Luna Nova!"

The leader of the Nine Olde Witches shook her head.

"No one would believe you without definitive proof. Not to mention that the granddaughter of Merlin will be there. She is still far more powerful than you and will silence you if need be."

"What about you?" Akko asked. "I'm sure you can take out Elizabeth, right?"

Woodward hummed.

"No…that vampire girl is even far more powerful than me and Merlin."

"HUH!? SHE'S MORE POWERFUL!? THAT CAN'T BE RIGHT! MERLIN HAS TO BE THE STRONGEST ONE RIGHT!?"

"Merlin is a troublesome opponent, but his frail body is his grand weakness."

"His…frail body?"

"Despite being a vampire…Merlin has never drank blood or eaten the flesh of a human in his entire lifetime. And I doubt he ever will."

"He's never drank blood?"

"I am certain you can tell Atsuko Kagari. You didn't smell the foul stench of death all over him like the rest of the Myrddin Emrys."

"But…why doesn't he drink blood?"

"...Because of the promise he made to me…"

"Huh? A promise?"

"...That is not important right now. What we should focus on is how to counter the Fantasia Melody before it fully activates."

"How do we do that?"

"We must move ahead of Merlin and disturb the melody. For the formation of the melody to be complete, Merlin needs the information of the Four Grimiories which relay the important details of how to activate the spell. Those grimoires were written by his own mother many years ago and the vast details of the incantations are so complicated that it is impossible to memorize. To make sure Fantasia is done correctly, Merlin NEEDS the grimoires."

"What happens if Merlin tries to activate Fantasia without them?"

"Various things could happen. The Fantasia Melody is a grand curse that affects the core of magic in two dimensions. If tampered with the wrong way the world could either be destroyed or a monster of unspeakable horror could be unleashed."

Akko gulped.

"That's…not good."

"Indeed. Merlin's goal is not world destruction, it is the purification of magic itself. So, if he does not have all four grimoires to activate the Fantasia Melody, he will not do it."

"So we need the grimoires! Do you know where they are?"

"I know where two of them are. One is in Luna Nova, which is why Merlin sent Elizabeth back there. The second should be at the home of an old friend of mine…Sorbates Academy."

"Sorbates Academy? I think I heard of it. Isn't that a magic school for boys? A wizard school?"

"Yes. I entrusted one of the grimoires to the founder of that very school. Ezekiel was his name."

"Alright…getting the grimoire at Luna Nova will be impossible as long as Elizabeth is there so that's a no-go for now. But we could go for the one at Sorbates Academy first! The idea is to destroy the grimoires right?"

"The grimoires cannot be destroyed."

"Huh!?" Akko gasped. "But aren't they just books!?"

"Books engraved with special ancient magic from a powerful and immortal race. Even with me and the rest of my eight friends— destroying the spellbooks was a tiresome task that bore no fruit. But I am certain one of the grimoires has information on how to deactivate the Fantasia Melody, just in case things go wrong."

"Y-you sure?"

"No. As I said before, I only collected two of the books and when I opened them I could barely understand them—because they were elvish."

"Is…elvish hard to understand?"

"It's basically a dead language so…yes."

Akko and Woodward stared at each other in silence.

"Our job of saving the world isn't gonna be an easy one, huh?"

"Indeed not."

"So…the first step is to go to Sorbates Academy. But I doubt they are going to let a girl go into an old boys academy."

Woodward chuckled.

"Have you forgotten Atsuko Kagari? You are a witch. If a witch must traverse the world in another form, then they must simply take it."

"Huh?...OH! You're saying to use magic! Alright then— let's do it!"

Akko hurriedly wandered the night street and successfully found a clothing store that was open with bright lights and a few people inside. Avoiding the confused and concerned eyes of other people, Akko strolled into one of the changing rooms and took out her wand.

"Alright, Akko…time to be a boy! Metamorphie Fociesse!"

A puff of smoke covered Akko and when it faded she observed her new form in the mirror. The young girl was no longer present, but a young boy who was tall and in Akko's opinion…

"Quite handsome~!"

Akko put her— I mean his finger to his chin and grinned.

"W-wait! Deeper voice Akko—Quite handsome!"

Akko examined her male body. She was quite toned with a few muscles and her hair seemed to be slightly more spiky.

"But it's too long."

Using the magic from the wand, Akko cut off a great deal of his hair, making it shorter.

"And now for the final touches…"

Akko waved his wand and a few more changes came to his hair and eyes.

Now Akko Kagari was gone, but instead, there was a very good-looking boy with fair skin, light blue hair, and black eyes.

"I could give Andrew a run for his money on how good I look!"

"Atsuko Kagari."

Akko looked up to see Woodward hovering over the changing room staring at the naked body of the young man. Embarrassed, Akko covered herself.

"HEY! GIVE ME SOME PRIVACY WON'T YOU!?"

"I found some boy clothes that I think will fit you."

"Really? Great!"

Woodward threw the clothes down to Akko who did not hesitate to put them on. Akko was wearing a white sweatshirt with the words "RULER" on it jeans and white sneakers.

"I look so cool! Sorbates Academy won't know what hit them!"

"You should practice on sounding more masculine," Woodward suggested.

Akko sweatdropped.

"I…I know…"

The blue-haired boy walked out of the changing room with an awkward stance and went to the cashier.

"I'll pay for everything with…"

Akko then started to panic internally.

"Crap! I don't have my wallet!"

Woodward whispered into Akko's ear.

"I put something in your pocket."

Akko reached into her right pocket and took out a mountain load of gold coins. She sprinkled them onto the counter, nearly breaking the foundation of the wooden desk in half with the sheer weight. The cashier was surprised and in awe at the amount of money the young girl/boy had.

"This is amazing! Who are you?"

"My name is At— I mean…Yūto. Yūto Minazuki!"

Back in Luna Nova, the students were all having a grand time eating dinner in the dining hall. At one of the tables, Elizabeth was happily eating the food while Sucy and Lotte were looking at the purple-haired girl awkwardly and fearfully.

But unknown to them— even to Elizabeth— they were being watched by four pairs of eyes that were hanging from the ceiling wearing white cloaks.

"Elizabeth has yet to find the grimoire. Just as father predicted."

The other cloaked figure chuckled.

"This is gonna be fun…father said that our main mission is to cause chaos and steal the grimoire. The grimoire here is apparently special!"

"Indeed! Indeed! Let's do as Father says! After all, we are great daughters!"

"We are indeed! We are indeed!"

The eyes flashed dark purple light that was aimed directly towards the Red Team.

Author's Note:

I am really sorry for the delay! Life and holidays and also being very busy with personal projects! I will try to keep up to date with the story. And thank you, Angry9guy for helping out as usual! This story would have taken longer without your help!

Angry9guy and Jaytia high-five before Angry9guy jumps into a pipe

Please check out my own original web novel, "The Branded Hero Volume 1: Baxter the Failure". The tale of a hero who has been outcasted by the world since releasing The Demon King: https/Branded-Hero-Baxter-ebook/dp/B0DPVSQXQX/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=17QEO397EAJCY = 4rjpQiMCNLM97GAOPJRA6FeKUwGLp3zPn0JQOe0VWHD86ZecRR32G_Cc-MwtlOHn2B0d_5HhwGqeDffnNRrCQ7tcOWEmD5COiT04l4g0jEEzs49xYL2d0v7g3AzSlfG7sWJX8DxXEcfCiNCxqV11z1_M_kjVOCuFakSpaMPYV9MmgbMtLKH_ _8_4kIxTDtmcrlfzgWR83kvAkY4U8T_mzOtEphw _tag=se =thebrandedhero =1733799863 =thebrandedhero =8-1

And please check out my webcomic, "The Curse of Gringerfield" on Webtoon and Tapas!

Webtoon: en/canvas/the-curse-of-gringerfield/list?title_no=970667

Tapas: /series/The-Curse-of-Gringerfield/info

Next Chapter: Yūto's Performance