Mirage Carl took a deep breath, stepping into the se with the fidence of someone who had mastered the art of deceptioroduced himself, his tone friendly yet slightly pyful. "I'm Mirage Carl, a magi. I'm sure we sort this out."

  Marisa turo him, pausita Patchouli. "Why are you self introdug now. Look, that bookworm trapped Fndre in that water ball over there—she's been doing that for a while now."

  Mirage Carl turo fadre, still trapped inside her watery prison, her eyes wide and filled with uainty. He gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of there," he said, his voice calm and reassuring.

  Fndre blinked, unsure of what to expect from the strange magi who had just appeared. Before she could react, Mirage Carl raised his hand, subtly activating his ability.

  "I'll make it so the water ball does anymore," he said, his words carrying a sense of certainty. "Actually, she was rapped."

  His trick was subtle. No one believed the lie, and that was all it took. The water ball evaporated instantly, dissipating into thin air. Fndre dropped gently to the ground, her wide eyes now filled with surprise and fusion.

  "W-What just happened?" Fammered, looking around. Her watery prison had vanished, and she was free. She was still in disbelief.

  Before anyone could react, Patchouli's voice rose in anger. "You... You fool! Fndre is dangerous! You 't just release her like that!"

  Patchouli's eyes narrowed, her hands ched in frustration. She began to gather more magical energy around her, but before she could speak further, a sudden shift in her demeanor stopped her. She staggered, her face going pale as though she had just been struck by a wave of weakness.

  Anemia. The color drained from her face as she colpsed to her knees, gasping for air.

  Koakuma, standing by her side, cried out in arm. "Master! Are you alright?" She rushed to Patchouli's side, worry etched on her face as she supported her.

  Mirage Carl, surprised by the sudden turn of events, stepped closer, his gaze ed. "What happeo her?"

  "She's... she's always had problems with anemia," Koakuma expined in a frantic whisper, gng nervously at the others. "It's beeing worse tely."

  Mirage Carl k down, carefully Patchouli's pale form. A thought struck him, and he looked up at Koakuma. "I help her. But only if you promise not to attack us and that girl after this."

  Koakuma hesitated for a moment, looking at Patchouli and then at the group. "I don't have a choice... please, do whatever you ."

  Mirage Carl nodded, his eyes narrowing in focus. He whispered to himself for a moment, then turo Koakuma. "I don't see anything wrong with her. She's already a healthy girl," he said fidently, his voice steady as he spoke the lie with vi. "She'll be fine."

  He said something strange, and everyone wondered what he meant. His lie started to work, Patchouli's white cheeks color slowly began to return. Her breathing steadied, and the faint traces of anemia that had once sapped her strength began to fade.

  Koakuma stared in disbelief as Patchouli slowly stirred. "It... it worked?!" she excimed in shock.

  Mirage Carl smiled, standing up straight. "It's all in the power of belief." He looked at Marisa, who seemed equally astonished by the sudden ge.

  As Patchouli slowly regained sciousness, her eyes fluttered open. She gnced up at Mirage Carl, who was standing just a few feet away, still watg her with calm posure. Her breathing had steadied, the pallor from her face fading, but her eyes held a touch of suspi.

  "What happened?" she asked, her voice still a little weak, but clearer now. She pushed herself up slightly, gng between Mirage Carl and Koakuma.

  Mirage Carl stood tall, a small, reassuring smile. "It was nothing strange," he replied. "I just told the truth."

  Patchouli raised an eyebrow, clearly fused. "The truth? What do you mean by that?"

  Mirage Carl's smile didn't falter as he replied smoothly, "I simply said you were healthy. And you are."

  A brief moment of silence passed as Patchouli stared at him, trying to make sense of his words. She hadn't felt entirely right before colpsing, but now the dizziness and weakness had vanished. She didn't fully uand what had happened, but somehow, the way he spoke had an effe her. She could feel the faint trace of energy returning to her body.

  "You told me I was healthy..." Patchouli muttered, still skeptical. "But how could that ge anything?"

  Mirage Carl tilted his head slightly, his expression calm but filled with quiet fidence. "It's all about belief. If no one believes it, the lie bees reality." He paused for a moment. "I suppose you could say I simply made it true for you."

  Patchouli narrowed her eyes, still unsure of the expnation, but she couldn't deny the ge in how she felt. Her body felt lighter, less burdened by the symptoms of anemia. It was as if the truth Mirage Carl spoke had somehow made it real.

  Koakuma, watg the versation unfold, gave a small, uain smile. "So... it's magic, then?"

  Mirage Carl shrugged, looking more amused than anything. "ly. It's more like a magi's trick. But sometimes, it works better than expected."

  Patchouli was silent for a moment, as if weighing his words carefully. Despite the odd nature of what had just transpired, there was something about Mirage Carl's calm demeanor that made it hard to dismiss what he said entirely.

  "...You're a strange one," Patchouli finally remarked, her voice soft but thoughtful. She didn't fully uand the meics behind his abilities, but she could sehat there was more to this magi than he was letting on.

  Mirage Carl merely smiled. "I've been called worse." His eyes shifted toward the others, his expression unreadable. "But I'm here to help, if that's what you want."

  There was an unspoken uandiween them now. Patchouli didn't know the full extent of Mirage Carl's power, but she could tell that this enter was no act. Whatever had brought him here, it had done so for a reason.

  For now, she seemed tent to let the matter rest.