Well, here we are. This is my castle!

　I came to the house where Marie lives. But it's too ordinary to be called a castle. Well, I guess it's just a metaphorical thing.

Well, let's get you some tea.

　When we entered, the place was larger than we expected, with a table for four and chairs in the center. The three of us took our seats and waited for Marie to bring us some tea, but what arrived was some kind of... black juice.

"....black?
It's black.
Black.

　All three of us have the same reaction. But Marie doesn't care about any of this and encourages me to drink.

'Come on!　You can try it!

".........

　We drank it in silence. Then a mellow aroma and faint sweetness spread in our mouths. What is this...?　I feel like this is the best thing I've ever drunk.

''Fuhahahaha!　Isn't it good?　It's a masterpiece that years of research have only recently produced!　The ingredients are a secret!　Hahaha!

　Looking at Marie like that proudly, I'm reminded again that, ah........this guy is a bit different. But for some reason I feel like I'm looking at myself, and it's complicated....

Good heavens. So, what can I do for you?　You want me to come to the labyrinth again, Leif.
That's right. Now the Fifth Labyrinth.
Hmm. Speaking of the fifth labyrinth, it's an ice labyrinth.......so what's inside?
I'm not going in.
You don't think Levatain would do?
Oh. It's blocked by thick ice. Even Levatain could not destroy it.
'I see ... well maybe it's not alchemy at all.

　I heard those words and remembered what happened in the Sixth Labyrinth. It's similar to alchemy, but with a different technique: magic. Perhaps it is magic that Marie is referring to.

''........Magic, is it?''
"Law. Does Elle know about the magic?
'No, I don't know the details. But I'm sure it's there.
Where did you see that?
The sixth labyrinth, the deepest part. An ancient spider, the Ancient Spider, the Ancient Spider, was there using magic.
Hmmm. So how do you know it's magic?
The use of alchemy always requires the First Pledge, the Prima Materia. My peculiar ability, Dunamis, senses the First Pledge, and with alchemy, I can understand the entire structure of the First Pledge, but that wasn't the First Pledge, the Prima Materia.
...the same as the third maze? I see.

　The same as the third labyrinth. Does that mean that the chimera also used magic, as Leif had told me before?

Did the chimera in the Third Labyrinth also use magic?
Hmm?　Ah Leif told you about it? Yes. You're the only one who can do it. Perhaps it was magic that used the First Quality Akashic Materia. Magic is really convenient, and unlike alchemy, there is no need for an alchemy team in the complete sense of the word. It's really useful, and unlike alchemy, it doesn't require alchemy in the full sense of the word. It's an enviable thing... but it's a lost technology, so we can't reproduce it.
....

　I didn't dare mention the Akashic Materia, the First Pledge. The conversation with the man I met in that daydream. I haven't told anyone about that yet. It might be accurate to say that it was too ridiculous to tell, but I intuitively avoided it. It's a connection to my roots.

　And while I was thinking in silence, Fee's guy asked Marie.

''Um, what's the Zero Pledge [Akashic Materia]?　I've never heard of this before...
An ordinary alchemist wouldn't know about it. The Akashic Materia is what is used when you use magic. Well, you can think of it as a relative of the First Quality, the Primamateria. Alchemy requires the transformation of the First Material, the Primamateria, by using an alchemy team. On a diagram, it should look like this.

　Marie wrote this in the notebook she brought with her.

　The First Pledge 《Prima Materia》 -> Mental Image -> Magic Power -> Alchemy Formation -> Alchemy.

But this is how magic works.

　The First Zero Pledge 《Akashic Materia》 -> Magic.

''Eh, magic doesn't require mental images or magic power?''
No, strictly speaking, no. Strictly speaking, the Akashic Materia contains everything. In other words, the Akashic Materia itself is the entire process in alchemy. So the outbreak is unusually fast. That chimera was also extraordinary, and if it weren't for my analytical skills, my judgment, and my genius skills, Leif would be dead.

　That's what Marie says. I'm stunned by the knowledge as expected. I was not able to see the difference between alchemy and magic to that extent. But Marie talks about it as if it were natural. Her rumors are more accurate than I expected.

'Where did Marie get that knowledge?
Hmm?　It says a lot about magic in this book.

　That said, what I brought with me was an old-fashioned book. I can guess that it has been around for quite some time.

'I've never seen these characters before...'
Isn't that right?　However, I can't read them all either. There is a place where the same letters as in the present day are found in a few places. I'm trying to read it from there.
Where the hell did this come from?
The third maze. I found it in the deepest part of the labyrinth.
...the same as the Sixth Labyrinth.

　I thought to myself after hearing Marie's statement. I'm sure that each of the labyrinths has its own book on magic.

　I've been thinking about it for a while now.