That also meant we didn’t have to worry about the enemies ganging up on S’yne though, so that was something.

“S’yne, you just focus on your own battle! Make sure you don’t lose to her!” I shouted. S’yne glanced in my direction, gave a nod, and then attacked the moron woman again using her scissors.

Meanwhile, I had to focus on defending Raphtalia, Itsuki, and Glass. I had to fight Witch and Armor too.

“Hah. You have to know that the true value of this musical instrument doesn’t lie simply in performing. Even if you interfere with my playing, I can win if I use cursed songs against you vassal weapon holders,” Miyaji gloated. He made a good point . . . but just going on the defense seemed unlikely to stop that mysterious curse skill. The attack wasn’t coming right at them—right at their faces—so it wasn’t something that could be stopped by interrupting it. It was a gradual thing, but both Raphtalia and Glass were progressively taking damage. Those straw dolls looked like the medium of the attack . . . There wasn’t much we could do without taking them back. Even as the curse skill continued, Miyaji was still attacking with his notes, preventing us from aiding our allies.

Even as I mulled the situation over, I felt the skill conversion bringing other skills online. One in particular stood out. It didn’t have “shield” in the name, and so the name hadn’t changed. Maybe because it was only activated using SP. Still, we needed all the help we could get. I decided to give it a try.

“C’mon Raph!” I said. Weaving in some life force, I activated the skill to summon Raph-chan. In response to my call . . . a light appeared.

“Raph!” said Raph-chan.

“Pen!” Chris had come along too! They both landed, looked around, then looked at me.

“Thanks for coming, Raph-chan and Chris,” I told them. They both gave cheerful responses, but then their fur raised in response to the threat from these enemies. Then Raph-chan and Chris rushed over to Raphtalia and Glass, respectively.

“Shikigami!” one of Miyaji’s women shouted.

“Adding two more small fries to the mix won’t make a difference!” said another. They moved to attack the cute twosome, but with a puff of smoke, Raph-chan activated her illusion magic. There suddenly seemed to be a countless number of her and Chris in the room.

“What’s this?!” one of the women cried.

“Isn’t their magic sealed away?” said another.