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Aozaki Touko.
The eldest daughter of the renowned Japanese magical family—the Aozaki clan.
The Aozaki family was one of the few in the magical world to hold the inheritance of a True Magic—the Fifth Magic. This meant that the heir to the Aozaki family was also the heir to a True Magic.
As the eldest daughter, the now twenty-year-old Touko should have, by all rights, become a True Magic User—at the pinnacle of the magical world—at the age of eighteen.
However, everything changed two years ago.
"As I thought, the Aozaki family's magic should be inherited by your younger sister, Aoko," her grandfather, the wielder of the Fifth Magic, had said.
"Then, what was the point of my years of magical training in the mountains, since birth?" Touko had responded, dumbfounded.
"Pointless," the old magician had said, shaking his head and turning away, his expression calm.
And then, her grandfather was dead, killed in a sneak attack by her own hand. Yet she knew, for a monster like him, physical death was a mere inconvenience, something he could reverse in an instant.
To avoid being killed by her resurrected, enraged grandfather, she had fled her home, fled Japan, and, through a friend she'd met during her magical training, had enrolled in the Clock Tower in England, becoming a mage under its jurisdiction.
The reason she had chosen to become a mage at the Clock Tower was simple: besides magical research, she was good at practically nothing. If she didn't study magic, she wouldn't know what to do with herself. In the end, her entire life had been dedicated to the path of magic by her grandfather.
Fortunately, while studying and researching magic at the Clock Tower, she had discovered her true passion and goal—doll making and the pursuit of the original human form.
And in this field, she possessed a unique talent.
Thus, she had become the student of the Lord of the Department of Creation, one of the three great nobles, the head of the Valualeta family—Inorai Valualeta Atroholm.
This old woman, who always wore a green leather coat and referred to herself with the masculine pronoun "ore," had not only given Touko invaluable guidance in doll making but had also cared for her like a benevolent elder, grooming her as the next Lord.
After all, the Valualeta family practiced a form of democracy where the most capable ascended. And the exceptionally talented Touko was naturally seen as a candidate for the next head of the family.
Right now, she was in the Lord of Creation's office, conversing with this old woman on the sofa.
"Touko, I did my best in this year's competition for the Three Primary Colors. I'm sorry, I could only secure the title of Orange for you," Inorai said, her aged face filled with apology.
The competition for the Three Primary Colors was the highest honor for a mage. With red, blue, and green as the primary colors, and orange, white, and purple as secondary, the competition was held every twenty years, with judging based on comprehensive magical skill and bonus points for special magical achievements.
"I understand… Master. After all, the other party is a True Magic User," Touko said, her pale hands, resting on her knees, slowly clenching, the veins on her fair arms bulging.
Her goal had been the title of Blue, but that goal had been snatched away—by her younger sister, Aozaki Aoko.
Having become a True Magic User at the same time she became a mage, the Clock Tower's judges had, in a fawning gesture, bestowed upon her the title of Blue, simply because her name contained the character for 'blue'.
"It's always like this. She doesn't have to do anything, and all the benefits just fall into her lap," Touko muttered, gritting her teeth.
"…" A look of pity crossed Inorai's face.
She had heard about Touko's sister, Aoko, from Touko herself. Aoko, who had been judged to live an ordinary life, had been designated a True Magic User by the Aozaki family's old monster, who had then abandoned Touko, who had striven for sixteen years.
And now, to curry favor with this newly minted True Magic User, the judging panel had given her the title of 'Blue,' the goal Touko had worked towards for years.
Even though the other party knew almost nothing besides her True Magic, even though she barely understood what the Mage's Association was.
Looking at the somewhat dejected Touko before her, Inorai cleared her throat and said, "Touko, I have some good news for you. You've been awarded the title of 'Grand'!"
"Grand? Master, are you saying…!!!" Touko's eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at Inorai.
Besides the special titles of the Three Primary Colors, the Clock Tower's basic titles were ranked by seven grades, with Grand being the highest. At the Clock Tower, such figures were already legendary. Some apprentices went their entire lives without ever seeing such a person.
Even her master, Inorai, the Lord of the Department of Creation, only held the title of Color, a rank below Grand.
"So, congratulations. In the history of the Clock Tower, there are less than five people who have achieved the rank of Grand at such a young age," Inorai said with a smile.
"Thank you for your teachings, Master," Touko said, quickly rising and bowing ninety degrees to Inorai.
Inorai smiled and helped Touko up.
The atmosphere between them immediately brightened.
———
Touko walked out of the office, her expression soft.
The moment she stepped out the door, her face turned ashen. "To curry favor with my sister, they even gave me a Grand title!"
She wasn't stupid.
If the Mage's Association was willing to give away the heavily vetted Three Primary Colors title to curry favor with a True Magic User, what was a Grand title to them? If not for her considerate master, she would have lost her temper long ago.
Filled with rage, Touko strode out of the academic building.
"A Doll?" A surprised voice reached Touko's ears.
The enraged Touko shot Haru a cold glance, then strode away from the campus.
"Your Excellency, what did you mean by 'Doll'?" Kellar asked, his tone puzzled.
"That girl who just passed by. This morning, she was human. Now, she's a doll? This perfect replication is almost on par with my Fourth Magic, isn't it? Wait, in my memory, the only one with this doll-making technology is Aozaki Touko, right?"
Haru said, looking at Touko's retreating back with suspicion.
"Doll technology on par with the Fourth Magic?" A glint of understanding flashed in Kellar's eyes as he repeated the words under his breath.
———
That night, in Touko's residence on the outskirts of London.
After smashing some furniture to vent her anger, Touko squatted on the floor, her expression impassive.
Just then, a ripple emanated from her pocket.
Touko's brow furrowed slightly. She pulled out the magical communication device from her pocket and said, surprised, "Master?"
Touko gently squeezed the communicator, activating the receiving spell.
[Touko, right now, immediately, get the hell out of England!!!]
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