Once I arrived back at my office I gestured for the scepter and it came just as eagerly as always. Now that I knew the truth of fake magic I felt uncomfortable, but for different reasons than Alvis had stated. No matter how much magic Yuki had, it wasn’t right for us to be using him like this.

If I wanted to do anything, first off I would have to master this scepter. That was easier said than done, though, since I hadn’t the slightest clue where to begin. At the same time I couldn’t help but wonder how much I was being led around by Alvis. Either way it did not seem like Alvis had been the one to create this artifact.

As I gently rubbed my thumb across the staff, the eyes of the dragon seemed to gleam. Perhaps I should focus on the part I did know. Silas had told me that the dragon tears could be the ultimate antidote. A cure. Perhaps I should look at this as if I were curing an ailment. Since this scepter chose me I definitely had magic of my own, so I should focus on whatever it was that was blocking me from using it.

Was it Yuki’s magic? Should I expel it? But if I did that I might not be able to use magic for a while since I had no idea of my magic worked the same way. It would be nice if I had a transition where I could use both. I had to be careful, though. I didn’t know if it was possible for too much magic to damage my body somehow.

Once again, the dragon’s eyes glimmered as if it understood all of my thoughts, and thoughI had made no move to pour it, a single tiny tear slid down the silver dragon’s face. When it fell from the bottom of its jaw I felt a large surge of magic as the tear disappeared into an iridescent blue mist that completely surrounded me.

I took a step back in surprise as I felt something warm glowing inside me along with the intense need to sneeze. I took a deep breath but when I huffed a light cough to ease my tickled throat both the mist and the symptoms vanished in an instant. Well, most of the symptoms. I still felt strangely warm, but it was somehow a comfortable feeling.

It had succeeded, right? I felt noticeably different but how could I tell what was unlocked? I should go talk to Reginald-

My thought stopped instantly as I found myself face to face with the head magician. Not only that, I was standing in his office, which was nowhere near mine. I hadn’t even blinked. There had been no portal or darkness or anything I had ever heard of. I was just there. “How did I do that?” I whispered, still in shock.

“A wonderful question,” Reginald agreed, “Would you care to explain your circumstances?”

By his gaze locked on the scepter that was still in my hand I was sure he had guessed more or less what had happened but I explained what I experienced in detail.

“Both this staff and your unlocked magic responded directly to your normal thoughts rather than to a keyword or focus?” Reginald asked in surprise, “This could be dangerous depending on exactly what your new magic is. It brought you to my office in an instant. Not only this but my office is protected against all transport spells aside from that gateway installed there and Alvis’s portals.”

“Did I break them?” I asked in concern.

“No. It seems the protection spells didn’t even notice your appearance,” Reginald replied.

I felt a shiver as I realized how potentially dangerous just this accidental magic could prove to be. “Could it be because it is not Yuki’s magic?” I muttered.

“It is possible,” Reginald agreed.

The door swung open and Caleb stepped inside. “I looked into… Cassandra? You’re back already? I didn’t notice.”

I chuckled awkwardly. “Close the door. I think we might have a problem,” I told him. I glanced at the head magician and he nodded. I figured it would be fine to tell Caleb since he already knew about fake magic being provided by Yuki.

Caleb didn’t seem that surprised when I explained my theory and what happened. “It makes sense. That must be why Alvis’s magic was untraceable and the pavilion only answers to the people he has specifically chosen,” Caleb mused, “I also think that Alvis unlocked Alois’s power to teach him how to open portals because for the last while I haven’t felt any of his magic either. Not even from the… that.”

Both of us glanced at Reginald. It was probably best not to talk about the eye without Alois’s permission.

“Now that I think about it, all of the artifacts I have come across have a different feel to them. Not like the usual… Yuki’s magic, but they definitely feel special,” I realized.

“Unfortunately as far as true magic is concerned we don’t know too much,” Reginald admitted.

“Actually, I have a question about that,” I asked, “Do magical creatures also use Yuki’s magic or do they have their own?”

“It depends on the magical creature,” Reginald answered, “Fairies, for instance, always have their own. Beastkin vary but usually have at least some kind of power. Dragons… Well, it goes without saying that dragons are incredibly powerful. They would have no need for Yuki’s magic.”

“Is there a way to tell if a beastkin is using their natural magic or Yuki’s magic?” I asked.

“Without my artifact, it is hard to be sure,” Reginald replied, “You have seen Yuki, so you must understand what I mean when I say that those beastkin that do use Yuki’s magic take to it better than humans do.”

“So it is harder to tell because of that,” I concluded, “I wonder if I can use this to tell.” I once again looked at the scepter in my hand. As if reacting to my request and small beam of purple light reached out and touched me, while red lights pointed to Caleb and Reginald. It was like a magical laser pointer.

“That might be a little too obvious, though,” I muttered.

“What might be too obvious?” Caleb asked.

I glanced at him to see that he was genuinely confused. “You can’t see it?” I asked.

“See what?”

“The lights the staff is using to mark us. You guys are red and I am purple,” I answered.

“Purple,” Reginald considered, “Cassandra, can you still use Yuki’s magic?”

I paused and tried. “It looks like it.”

“This is the first time I have come across someone who can use both,” Reginald explained, “Did you think anything special when using the staff that might have caused it?”

Something special. What was I thinking about before the staff activated? “Transitional period,” I realized, “I was thinking that it would be nice to still have Yuki’s magic while I figured out my own.”

“In that case, someone who doesn’t use Yuki’s magic at all will likely be blue, while those who use only Yuki’s magic will appear red. Does that sound right?”

I nodded.

“Since no one can see it, I would like for you to try to leave that feature on for the time being,” Reginald suggested, “I think it will help us find answers.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, “If I meet with Nero or Queen Levina they probably won’t want probing without permission.”

“I am sure they trust you keep secrets,” Reginald pressed, “Besides, all you will be finding out is whether or not they use Yuki’s magic, not what kind of magic they use.”

“I guess,” I agreed reluctantly. I had brought up Queen Levina, but in truth I was more concerned about upsetting Nero. He always seemed to be the secretive plotting type even if we had grown closer to him due to the incident at the border.

“For now, other than that you should relax and work on your other duties as the tenth princess,” Reginald advised, “You said you dream was to be queen one day. You may have become a princess but your journey is not over yet.”

“Thank you,” I told him, feeling lighter. Reginald and Rosalind had always been there for me since Rosalind scouted me. No, perhaps even before that.

I left the room, normally this time, but just as I was starting to walk back I decided to see if I could activate it on purpose. I ducked into an empty room and before I could even form the focus I would usually need for a spell I was already back in my office. It was very convenient but I should be careful for the time being in case I activated some other weird power by accident.