Could this be…

Lefin said that and stared at the light. Since she didn’t try to explain, Sofia raised a question.

Is it that you can’t take in any more power because you already received light before?

Is there a limit to how much Sage’s Power can be held? No, in the game, the Protagonists properly absorbed the power of the Five Great Demons… Is it because it’s Sofia that she can’t?

As questions arose, Radi was the next to speak.

That was a rejection reaction from the magic power side.

Rejection, you say?

Sofia tilted her head. Radi replied, “Yes,” and continued.

Everyone has compatibility, right? It’s the same with magic power; there’s compatibility depending on its quality. What just happened is that Sofia’s compatibility with the light that came from the Demon Race was bad, and it couldn’t enter her body.

Compatibility—does that mean there are cases where it can’t enter the body just by possessing the Sage’s Bloodline? No, perhaps it’s because Sofia isn’t the Game Protagonist… Could it be that it entering my body during Redras’s time was a coincidence?

As I pondered, I heard the sound of a door opening behind me—it was Phili and the Knights.

The monster’s form disappeared… It seems we defeated it.

Phili said. As we nodded, he approached and looked at Lefin and the light.

What’s the situation?

Radi explained. I shifted my gaze from them to Lefin and asked.

Can’t we somehow get it to reside within Sofia’s body?

As Master Radi said, it’s difficult as long as there’s a rejection reaction.

In that case, should we give the power to Radi or Phili…? If Sofia can’t be given the power, then the Demon King will use Mighty Magic anyway, but whatever the outcome, it’s better to entrust the Sage’s Power to someone.

However, if there’s room for verification, we should do it… As I was thinking that, Lefin started speaking again.

By the way, we should hurry. This thing…

That… could it be…

Lefin nodded at my words.

The magic power is gradually thinning out. I’m holding the light with Wind Power, but magic power is still leaking out. As for the time… it might disappear in about an hour.

And it comes with a time limit… Verification seems impossible.

Shall we try again?

Lefin said that and directed the light towards Sofia—but the result was the same. The light passed through and floated gently.

How much power does this light have, I wonder?

Phili, who had finished listening to Radi’s explanation, said. Then I looked at the light and—

Phili, want to try it?

Huh?

I don’t know what kind of power it is, but it should at least be useful to Phili.

Considering whether to focus on Radi or Phili, I thought Phili would be better. I also feel like he’s the one who will be fighting the Five Great Demons in the future. So I turned my gaze to Lefin. She responded by casting light on Phili.

However, to think it would turn out this way… I guess the Protagonist really did hold some special position among the Sage’s Bloodline. In any case, it’s undeniable that the story will unfold with the Demon King unleashing powerful magic, and the five Protagonists each defeating a different one of the Five Great Demons. I need to move to counter this strategy.

The light reached near Phili. As all eyes gathered, the light entered his body—

And passed right through.

“…Huh!?”

I involuntarily blurted out. W-wait a minute! Why did it pass through Phili too!?

“That light seems pretty stubborn.”

Radi commented, looking at the light with interest. In response, Nestor naturally spoke up.

“Since we don’t even know what kind of power it has to begin with, how could we possibly know who this light would choose—”

As he was speaking, the light floated towards Radi—and entered his body.

“…Oh?”

Radi uttered a sound… It didn’t pass through. It definitely entered his body.

“I feel like my Magic Power has recovered… Does this mean I was chosen?”

“It seems so.”

Nestor said, crossing his arms. He seemed somewhat unconvinced… I wholeheartedly agreed, but it was an undeniable fact that the power had dwelled within him.

“For now, it’s good that the power itself was prevented from disappearing, I suppose.”

Lefin said. If she had had her way, she would have wanted to give it to Sofia—but then Radi spoke.

“We’ve defeated the Demon Race… Let’s make a triumphant return.”

“We shall go ahead and report.”

The Knights said. They left us with, “Take your time coming back,” and quickly departed the scene.

Next, Phili and the others also left, saying, “We’re concerned about the people we fought with,” following the Knights. Only Radi and I remained… After a while, Radi began to speak.

“Sofia, you said you had light enter your body before, right?”

“…Yes. I didn’t mention it because I thought you might not believe me.”

“A Demon Race that established a stronghold… You mean the Robeil Kingdom incident?”

“Precisely.”

While the two conversed, something occurred to me… If we leave the Castle as we are, won’t we be invited to the Castle for a triumphal return?

As long as Sofia is here, I want to avoid that. It’s fine for Knights on the front lines, but if we’re invited to the Castle, many Humans would likely remember Sofia’s face. Especially in a joint battle like this… having defeated the Demon Race, a feast wouldn’t be out of place.

If we show up at such a place, Sofia’s identity is bound to be exposed… I need to think about a lot of things for the future, so I want to leave this place quickly.

“—However, if we go outside, we’ll be treated as heroes, won’t we?”

The moment Radi mentioned it, Sofia also noticed and gasped, looking at me.

“Come to think of it… Last time, there were no Knights or anything, so it wasn’t an issue.”

“The Knights are still on their way to report, so it should be fine for now.”

As we were having that conversation, Radi suddenly started talking to me.

“Can I ask you something? It’s about Sofia.”

“About Sofia? What is it?”

“Well, from her demeanor, I thought she might be a noble or a young lady from a Knight family… But we worked together to defeat the Demon Race, and she even possesses a similar light. I thought it might be alright to hear a little about her circumstances.”

—He had probably been curious about it for a while.

“She seems to dislike entering the Castle, and if I understand the situation, I’ll cooperate, you know?”

“…Sofia, what do you want to do?”

“I think it’s a good idea. Someone who possesses the same light… There will likely be opportunities to fight together in the future.”

“Perhaps.”

Radi laughs and turns his head to Nestor.

“That’s good for you too, right? And I’d like you to continue fighting with us.”

“Yeah, no problem. Including fighting together.”

After replying, Nestor grins.

“I’m telling you, I’m a man of my word, and I can keep a secret, too.”

He looks at Sylvie.

“I know he’s a woman, but I’m good at keeping secrets, good enough that I haven’t told anyone.”

“What?!”

Sylvie burst out laughing. It seemed unexpected.

“W-wait a minute! You know about me?!”

“Was your name Sylvie? It’s impossible for you to fool everyone, so you must have told a few people the situation, right? I just overheard one of them accidentally mention it over drinks.”

Sylvie’s shoulders slump. Then Nestor laughs and says,

“Well, I told him to be careful, so I don’t think it’s leaked to anyone else.”

“…I see, I understand.”

“So, are you going to tell me?”

Nestor says. I look at Sofia again, and seeing her nod,

“…Alright.”

And so, I explained the situation.