"Hmm? Wha-what happened to me…?"
Beside the dining table, Waver slowly woke up from his sleep, rubbing his eyes and looking around. "I fell asleep?"
"Yeah, you suddenly dozed off while talking to me. You must've pulled another all-nighter."
Across from Waver, Naoki casually played with a small red orb in his hand.
Holding his head, Waver tried to recall what had happened earlier. "An all-nighter…? I had to prepare for lectures, plus deal with Professor Kayneth's matters. I haven't slept properly in days, so I just collapsed?"
"Yep. You fell right in front of me—I thought you'd died from exhaustion."
"It's not that bad. Though if this keeps up, I might actually drop dead someday." Waver sighed. "By the way, what were we talking about?"
"About the Halloween incident. But you don't need to explain—Miss Mary already filled me in."
"Oh… good."
Though Waver still felt a slight headache and a nagging sense that he'd forgotten something, if it wasn't important enough to remember, then it probably didn't matter. He'd deal with it if it came up later.
Noticing the small red orb in Naoki's hand, Waver asked, "What's that thing you're holding?"
"This? A Halloween gift from Miss Mary—a Mystic Code she made for dispelling illusions. Oh, yours is in your pocket."
"Huh? I got one too? Halloween was three days ago. What's this?"
Waver pulled out a small bottle of blue pills from his pocket.
"Let's see… 'Mind-refreshing pills. Just one will keep you fully focused for a week, but you'll sleep for another week afterward. Perfect for year-end overtime workers…'"
"A Halloween gift tailored just for you. Happy?"
"Does my face look happy?" Waver's expression darkened like coal. Even if it was a gift, this wasn't what he wanted! He'd rather have gotten stomach medicine!
Ignoring Waver's irritation, Naoki kept fiddling with the small orb in his hand. Though Merlin had called it a Halloween gift, it was actually a Logos React Replica—originally given by Zepia to Morgan, then passed to Merlin to deliver to him.
After Naoki resolved the incident at Blackmore Cemetery, Zepia had mentioned preparing a gift for him. Due to certain circumstances, it had taken a while to arrive.
'Turns out, the gift is something incredibly valuable—one of the seven world-ending weapons. Even if it's just a replica, this is way too precious… and dangerous.'
After all, this was a Mystic Code that could potentially trigger a Singularity if misused. A single mistake could spell disaster for London.
Naoki felt that London's danger level was on par with Fuyuki City. Over there, gas explosions were common. Here, ever since he arrived, world-ending threats kept popping up.
To prevent catastrophic misuse, Zepia had thoughtfully included a user manual, directly transferred into Naoki's mind the moment he touched the orb.
Though called a "dangerous weapon," the Logos React was essentially a theoretical simulator—a tool for conducting impossible experiments or devising ways to prevent global destruction. The Atlas Institute had developed it to avert the apocalypse predicted by their first director.
The replica in Naoki's hands was far less powerful, with multiple safety restrictions imposed by Zepia. Its functions were heavily limited, capable of only basic simulations, such as…
"Waver Velvet, explain yourself!"
"Gah—?!"
Kayneth's sudden voice made Waver jump in fright. Seeing his professor materialize beside Naoki, he trembled. "P-Professor Kayneth?! Wh-why are you here?!"
"..."
"P-Professor…?"
Kayneth remained silent, and Waver panicked.
'He's furious. What did I step on this time?! I'm doomed!'
"Pfft—!"
While Waver was frozen in fear, Naoki burst into laughter at the worst possible moment. With a snap of his fingers, Kayneth dissolved into red dust, reforming back into the small red orb.
"Huh? Wh-what just…?"
"Sorry, sorry! You looked so out of it, I couldn't resist pranking you." Naoki grinned. "Professor Kayneth was never here—that was just this Mystic Code's function. Like I said, it's an illusion-based tool from Miss Mary."
This was only half-true.
The "Kayneth" from earlier was a simulation generated by the Logos React Replica. By inputting mana and adjusting parameters, Naoki could make it mimic any form—though only in appearance. Knowledge, magecraft proficiency, physical traits? All locked behind Zepia's restrictions. To unlock more functions, Naoki would have to solve complex puzzles.
And right now, even the simplest puzzle felt like deciphering ancient scripture.
'Well, if there were no restrictions, he wouldn't have handed this over so casually… Merlin could probably crack it, but where's the fun in that? Might as well treat it as extra homework.'
Waver finally processed Naoki's explanation. "So… that Professor Kayneth was just an illusion?"
"Yep. You should've seen your face—Wait, don't lift that chair!"
"YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK, YOU JERK!"
"I'm sorry! It was a joke!"
"From now on, your homework quota is tripled—no, tenfold!"
"HOW IS THAT FAIR?!"