In our fight with Father Gapon, we had somehow moved near the place where Lucy was being held.

　Then Lucy, who had been unconscious, woke up.
　The chains of the restraints shook noisily as Lucy tried to move.

'Solon you shouldn't have come to save me...'

　Lucy's voice was bitter.
　Perhaps the effects of the ritual of trying to be the Demon King's retainer were already showing.

''Don't you want to be saved, Lucy-sensei?

　At my words, Lucy shook her head with a shake.
　Her red hair is disheveled.

''I don't want to be a victim of the Demon King's resurrection either. But.........

Me and Lady Filia will get you out of there, I promise.

　Lucy said, in a weak but happy voice, "Thank you.

　I turned to Father Gapon.

'Let me talk to you for a moment to see if the three of you will surrender.

I don't mind.

　Gapon said, and put down his bronze staff.
　I didn't miss the color of fatigue on his face.
　Gapon only borrowed some of the Demon King's power, so perhaps he couldn't use that power inexhaustibly.

　Anyway, I was able to get some time.
　Thanks to that, I also have time to continue casting recovery magic on Claire, who has lost consciousness.

''Lucy-sensei, there's something I need to learn.

　I posed a question to Lucy.

　It's the use of the grimoire that Lucy wrote down.
　If what Lucille said was true, then what was written there was supposed to be a supportive magic with immense effectiveness.

　But even if Filia used it against me, the effect did not appear.
　It should have been done the right way, though.

　Lucy's crimson eyes widened.

''That's ... yes. Even if Filia used that magic against Solon, it wouldn't have any effect.''

　What does that mean?
　That grimoire was "something that me and Filia both need", Lucy should have told Lucille.
　And Lucille had said that the contents of the grimoire were support magic.
　So it's natural to think that Filia is using magic on me to increase my abilities and make it easier for the two of us to fight.

''Solon, that's not the case. That grimoire is written with a magic formula that mimics the power of Charva, the Demon King of Alemania. Although it's a supportive magic, you need to be a descendant of the Demon King in order to speak out about its effects. So ... that's why Filia uses it on herself.

　I opened my eyes.
　Lucille's words had led me to believe that it was a supportive magic to strengthen me.
　But even Lucille didn't know the contents of the grimoire in detail.

''But if it's not support magic against me, then why is that grimoire 'necessary for both Filia and Solon'?

'Because it's what you need to do to make Filia stronger, right?　You are Filia's mentor.

　Giggling, Lucy laughed.

　In other words, there was a fundamental misunderstanding.

　The use of the grimoire is a trump card to win against Gapon.
　Filia has already mastered the use of the grimoire.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.

Filia-sama........can you do it?

Yeah but what if it doesn't work?

　The grimoire can only be used once, even considering the amount of magic power.
　I bent down and made eye contact with Filia.
　Then I smiled.

''Filia-sama isn't helpless anymore. I'm sure you can do it.

Really?

'Really, sir. To be a good magician, you need to believe in yourself. As long as you believe in yourself, you can change.

But what reason do I have to believe in me?

　I put my hand on Filia's head with a pop.

'I believe in Filia-sama. So, Filia-sama, please believe in the Filia-sama I believe in. Is that not good enough?

　Filia looked at me with her blue eyes and then smiled softly.

'Yeah I get it!

　Spinning her apple tree wand around, Filia took out her grimoire.
　She takes a breath and activates the magic.

　The wand glows red and a huge amount of magic power rushes out.

　And that stream of magic power turned into a red light and enveloped Filia.
　The use of the grimoire is a success.

　And--.

''This is........''

　I was surprised, then looked back at Lucy.
　Lucy gave me a mischievous smile.

''The Ancient Kingdom of Alemania. It is the power of my grimoire that gives me the ability to activate the fire magic used by that demon king.''

　Filia's hair, which was normally silver, was glowing a red color that reminded me of burning heat.
　And her eyes were also dyed crimson.

　Filia's entire body was covered in red light, and she was staring at her body as if she was surprised.

''To put it simply, this grimoire is the magic to create the 'Crimson Filia'.

　I nodded at Lucy's words.
　Filia, whose entire body was colored in crimson, was beautiful.
　She was surrounded by the aura unique to those with overwhelming power.

　Filia looked at me with her red eyes and I nodded back.
　Then she announced to Father Gapon: "We will never surrender.

'We will never surrender!　By my hand, let Solon and his friends win!