Two years had passed since then. Both Claudia and Silas had continued to monitor Julia with a lot of help. And his awakening had almost certainly begun. She has the same white hair as Claire, and the magic she uses for it is also the same as Claire's. She has completely awakened her abilities as a demon, so Yulia will reach it in a short time.


　And so they moved as soon as they knew that Yulia was coming back to the Boundary City.



''What do you think?''
It's fine. Your combat skills are pretty good.
So, are we still on schedule?
Yeah.


　They watched Shelly and Yulia fight. It was to see the degree of Yuria's awakening. And the two concluded. If it's in its current state, it's possible........ The two then took further action. Claudia suppressed her deviating mind and came face to face with Julia.




''Ah........you're the one who watched the match with Shelly, as I recall?
'What?　You remembered it, Yulia-kun.
Well what about you two?
I'm Gil. I'm a master counter-magician.
My name is Claudia. I'm also an extra-specialist demoness.
Eh....
"Living for two years in the twilight it's hard to believe, but this looks like a real thing to me, seeing how good you are. Hey Claudia, how much combat time are you getting?
I mean it's got to be over a thousand hours, right?
''That's about it for me too, but two years means this guy has been in the twilight for over 17,000 hours. As expected, I don't think he's more than ten times as strong as we are, but you were right.
I told you. I told you I was strong.
So be more specific.
Because I wanted to see him for what he was really doing.
What the hell? She's just an old woman in her thirties.
What?　I'm only 27 years old!


　Despite the exchange, Claudia's gaze never left Julia's. She could certainly feel it. The blood of a witch that lies deep within him. It wasn't a singular ability 《extra》 or magic. It was just a hunch. But it definitely showed that Claudia and Julia were of the same quality.


　I couldn't help but smile. To be clear, banishing them to twilight was also a gamble. He knew that driving him into the twilight would hasten his awakening, and he knew that with Claire. Claire's awakening was quicker because she continued to stay in the thick of the twilight. That's why she thought Yulia should do the same, but it wasn't like she was observing Yulia at all hours of the day. There was a chance that she would die at some point. However, Yulia came back with a certain strength. Claudia and the others didn't particularly help her. They just watched. That trail of his.


　At the same time, Claudia believed in him. He was a more perfect individual than he was, and he couldn't die here. And if he was going to die here, that was it. She thought that the plan could be replaced by someone else, but she realized that he was still special.



　And after that, Silas will meet Julia. Without a doubt, their mission had begun.



　◇


'Oh well, well, sorry for the wait. Come on, Yulia. I'd like you to come in.
Well I'm sorry to trouble you.


　Silas smiled smugly and invited Julia in.


'Come on, here's your tea. Here you go........
Thank you.


　And although he was usually hospitable to Julia, there was only a calculating feeling. First, he had to make a good impression. In the first place, Silas, the number one in the special class anti-magician order, is that kind of man. He has used his ability to transform into hundreds of millions of people using his ability to transform. He already can't remember his former self. All he has is who he is now. He has memories of the past, of course, but that is only a minor detail. To Silas, appearances are nothing more than decorations and symbols.


'I'm sorry, I'm sorry you had to come in on such short notice.
'No, so I was told that Mr. Silas was here.
I'm Silas. Nice to meet you, Julia.
Uh ... are you Silas?
Yeah. Surprised?
'Well... no disrespect, but I was imagining someone more forceful.
'Haha, I get told that a lot. I've been told a lot by other special-grade antimagicians to get cracking.
'Uh ... are you sure you're number one in the pecking order, Silas?
It's an ostentatious position, but it is one thing. It's nice to meet you, Julia.
Yes.....


　Then Silas shakes hands with Julia. At the same time, Silas feels it. That there is indeed a demon's blood flowing within him. It was something he could understand instinctively as well as Claudia.


'Thin hands, right?'
Yeah, I guess so.
'Julia-kun is sturdy. And he's got a lot of depth. I'm not a master at surviving the twilight for two years.
Do you believe me?


　Silas laughs heartily. Believe it or not, Silas and his friends set it all up. That is an undoubted fact. There was no way he would ever doubt it.


'I'm sorry, but I've looked into you. Two years ago, I was a student in the Third Field City. Your grades are the lowest in the world. No skills to speak of. Your written work was so-so, but your fighting skills were devastating. I'd say it's hopeless. In the party, he was mainly a healer. That will grow to the level of a special grade anti-magician in two years. There's no way that's possible. But I can believe it when I tell you that I lived two years in the twilight. And it's just like you and me....


　It's not appropriate to say that I've looked into it. I've traced everything about Julia. There is nothing that you do not know. Then Silas shows his right arm to Julia.


"Twilight Syndrome, level 5........
''Yes, most of the special class antimagicians are affected by a disease called Twilight Syndrome. Some of them are not affected at all, but I'm just like you.
Well......... So, what did you want me to do here?
I'd like you to be the thirteenth extraordinaire anti-magician.
Me?
Yes, you. You're that good. You know that, don't you?　As far as my own abilities are concerned.
...it's


　The engraving on your arm. It's a trick. He's just making it look that way. As a demon, Silas is not affected by the Twilight Syndrome, or any other kind of twilight syndrome, to begin with. But in order to mimic a human, that imprint is firmly engraved on his arm.


　And Silas recruits Julia. That is not the meaning of the word. For the sake of the future, it would be more convenient to have Julia become a special class anti-magician. That was all. His ability or lack of ability was in fact only a trivial matter.


''You don't like it?''
I don't think I have the qualifications...
'Hmm. But we can't let a person as powerful as you play with them. So, my suggestion is, do you want to accompany me on this expedition to the First Knot City as my bodyguard?　But if you're a student, you need to remain in the student selection process to participate. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you're in the marketplace. There's a lot of things to do from a physical standpoint.
An expedition...?
''Actually, the royal family is currently on a tour of each city. This seventh ward city is the last one, but we need a few more guards to return to the first ward city. We're currently in the process of vetting the best people from each city. Besides, it's very valuable to go to another ward city beyond the twilight to train the rest of us. If I'm going to live as a high-ranking anti-magician in the future, there will be even more travel between cities. Now, what do we do?
....


　The most obvious thing to say. Even this expedition was all part of the plan. And he knew it. Julia's personality hadn't essentially changed. And there was probably some trauma from the past. He didn't expect an easy nod. But surely Yulia would move on. He's a man with a sense of justice. That's the way it's supposed to be.


''Well it's time for humanity to move on. The followers have grown up enough. Now is the time to fight back. It is time to reclaim the land and the light of this world. We need your help.
Well I understand. Yes, sir. I'll take care of the guards.
Student selection starts the day after tomorrow, I believe. I'm not going to be able to just walk in and say, 'Hey, I'm going to be the examiner. By the way, I will be the examiner. I won't give you any special treatment, but I'm sure you'll be able to stay.
I'll do my best to live up to your expectations.
I look forward to seeing you again.


　Then I see Julia leave, and Claudia comes out from behind.


'Are you done?'
Yeah.
It's another great performance, as usual.
Acting?　Well, that's something I'm used to.
I wonder if he'll do it.
'I will. We'll set it up, of course, but he's made to do it.
''Well yes. Now, it's time to start in earnest.
Yeah.


　And so their plans are further accelerated.