Plot summary of Magical Vacation
A plot summary of Magical Vacation that details major events within the game.
Backstory
Long ago in the Magic Kingdom Kovomaka, a war broke out and was soon to be lost to history. Many nobles and knights fell in this battle, and the nation was dealt a heavy blow. In spite of there being a war, the kingdom's people were told very little, and were not even informed of who the enemy nation was. All they were told was that thousands had died due to magical experiments gone awry. After three days, a lasting peace returned to Kovomaka Kingdom, but one man continued to travel the world in preparation for the next conflict.
Some time later in a village on the kingdom's edge, there lived the protagonist. They were born with the power to see spirits hiding in nature, to which they were ostracized by the villagers. One day, they were met by Biscotti, a great sorcerer said to have introduced magic to the land, and the headmaster of Will-o'-Wisp Academy. He invited the protagonist to enroll in the academy with the promise of meeting more spirits, revealing to have befriended some himself. On their way to Will-o'-Wisp, Biscotti told the protagonist how many of its graduates went on to serve Kovomaka Kingdom, but that was not his reason for teaching magic. Rather, he encouraged his pupils to learn everything there was to know about the world. That way, they could go anywhere their hearts desired.
Prologue
One August evening, the protagonist, Pistachio, Kirsch, and Sesame talk about their upcoming camping trip to Valencia Beach Seaside School in Will-o'-Wisp's meditation room. Candy, Blueberry, and Lemon arrive shortly after, and the students each make their own resolutions for camp. Blueberry wishes to make herself stronger; Pistachio wants to improve his failing grades, as he is on the verge of expulsion; Candy plans on reinventing herself at the beach and possibly confess her love to a boy. Kirsch assumes Candy will ask him out, but Candy mistakenly thinks that Kirsch has a crush on his childhood friend Arancia. Angered, Kirsch storms out of the room while Sesame follows.
The protagonist leaves as well, finding Peche hurrying around the academy. She asks them to round up the remaining students, then Café au Lait bursts out of the music room upstairs, saying the kids in there were telling scary stories. Walking into the east wing, the protagonist spots their teacher, Miss Madeleine, talking with Principal Biscotti. Madeleine seems unsure of her ability to take care of the students, but Biscotti says he has faith in her. Their conversation is interrupted after they notice the protagonist, to which Madeleine asks them to board the magic bus outside.
Inside the music room are Cassis, Cidre, Olive, and Arancia. They discuss rumors of students disappearing during past trips to Valencia Beach, debating their legitimacy. Whilst Cidre is in denial, Olive brings up Ganache's sister Vanilla, who attended the Seaside School three years ago, but went missing after returning to the academy.
The students join the protagonist and follow them into a lecture hall, where Cabernet reminisces over his deceased brother Chardonnay, a former soldier of the royal army and Vanilla's boyfriend. One year ago, Chardonnay was killed in action after confronting a monster. Cabernet recounts the last conversation Chardonnay had with Vanilla, in which she said that everyone despised her for her dark bloodline. Chardonnay tried to reason with Vanilla, but it was for naught, as she exclaimed her power was the solution to her problems.
After Cabernet joins up with his classmates, the group exits Will-o'-Wisp and boards the magic bus. Biscotti abruptly shows up, warning the sixteen kids that returning to the academy during camp will result in immediate expulsion, even if Madeleine wishes for them to leave. As Biscotti asks for the students to keep his lecture a secret from their teacher, Madeleine slowly approaches the bus with Chocolat, so he runs back to the academy. Madeleine takes attendance, noticing that Ganache is missing. Olive volunteers to find him, as does Candy, but Madeleine only allows Olive to go. Approaching a riverbed off campus, Olive finds Ganache playing his harmonica. Ganache almost mistakes her voice for Vanilla's, to which Olive detects he is lamenting over his sister's disappearance. Ganache is hesitant to join his classmates on their camping trip, until Olive gets a notion that everyone will vanish, convincing Ganache that he can learn more about what happened to Vanilla. He and Olive board the magic bus, piloted by Balsamico, and the students take off for Valencia Beach.
Soon after the class arrives at camp, Madeleine dismisses them for free time until their campfire at dusk. Each student does their own thing throughout the evening, until the protagonist meets with Sesame, who claims to see a cave beyond a blocked path near the shore. Rounding up several other classmates, the protagonist ventures with them to the cave, finding Ganache and Olive standing near it with worry. They leave, then the protagonist's group enters the cave, where they spot a bearded man fading in and out of reality. The man tells of how pirates and hunters were killed in the cave hundreds of years ago, warning the party that if they are not careful, they may slip into another plane. To Sesame's dejection, the only unopened treasure chest contains rubbish, so he and the party leave the cave. Returning to the campfire at nighttime, Madeleine talks to her students about what is expected of them over the summer, even assuring an apprehensive Pistachio that he will grow as a magician. The class is dismissed for free time once more, and the protagonist observes Ganache receiving a late birthday present from Candy. Ganache subsequently discusses combat with the protagonist before they meet Kirsch and Arancia in a nearby forest. Just as they capture a gummy frog, Blueberry and Lemon run into the forest, exclaiming that strange creatures have invaded the beach.
The protagonist and some students attempt to fight back, though the creatures warp most of the class off the beach. Ganache watches as Candy too is abducted, then orders Madeleine to explain what the creatures are. She says they are called enigmas, entities born of darkness, but wonders why they are in the Material Plane. Ganache believes the enigmas' invasion was premeditated, and proceeds to the shore where he too is warped away. Madeleine reflects on what Biscotti had told her before leaving the academy, in which he said not all the students had to make it back from Valencia Beach alive. Although Madeleine spurned Biscotti's plan, reminding him of an incident from three years ago, he warned her that the royal army had very few soldiers to depend on. His plan was to train students at Valencia Beach so they could fight on the front lines.
Coming back to her senses, Madeleine kills many enigmas using her light magic, demanding they warp her to where her students were taken. The enigmas reveal they sent the class to another world called the Light Plane, but seeing as their powers would be weaker there, they warp her to a different world. The protagonist is left alone on the beach, but finds Sesame in the pirate cave, who says the enigmas emerged from a warphole further in. Feeling the warphole's connection to a distant world, the protagonist steps in and leaves the Material Plane, to which Sesame calls them stupid. However, an enigma suddenly appears and warps him away, too.
Light Plane
The Enigmas' Conspiracy
Cidre wakes up and watches Cassis kill another enigma. Before they can discuss their current situation, Cassis hears Chocolat cry for help, and so runs off to find him. As for the protagonist, they land in Mimolette Forest, finding Pistachio anxiously looking around for his classmates. An enigma suddenly sneaks up behind the protagonist, causing Pistachio to flee to a log bridge and bump into a Demissusu. He plays dead until the protagonist arrives, and they work together to defeat the enemy. Picking up Arancia's scent in the distance, Pistachio urges they follow it together, bringing them to the entrance of the Forest Cave. They see Arancia inside, but notice a change in her behavior. Tracking her down at the end of the cave, Arancia invites Pistachio to become stronger by trusting the enigmas and performing a fusion. As Pistachio is about to merge with Arancia, Kirsch and the real Arancia rush into the cave just in time. The fake Arancia turns out to be a shapeshifting enigma called Varukaneira, who fights the four students and loses. In a last ditch effort to claim a fusion host, Varukaneira quickly warps to the depths of Forest Cave with Kirsch in tow.
Exiting the cave to the puppets' Torūna Village, the party reunites with Ganache outside the village chief's house. Ganache presumes the enigmas want to tire out the class by persecuting them throughout the Light Plane, thus making their hearts more vulnerable for fusion. He joins his classmates down a tunnel in a villager's house where Varukaneira tortures Kirsch, but before they can conduct a fusion, Ganache demands he be used as a vessel instead. He then tests Varukaneira's capabilities by casting a dark spell, effortlessly killing the enigma. With Kirsch now saved, the students discuss where to go next, opting to reach Wakuti Village beyond the Benakoncha Ruins. They talk things over with Chief Chiffon and his granddaughter Mille-Feuille, the latter promising to give the party an ukuru's feather and guide them through Benakoncha Ruins the next morning.
Puppet Murder Mystery
Meeting with the village's innkeeper Tiramisu, the students take notice of an immobile puppet in the lobby. Tiramisu says it is his brother Mousse, whom he alleges is still alive, but stopped moving after falling off a cliff two centuries ago. The party wakes up the next morning to see a dead puppet in the middle of the village, bringing Mille-Feuille to tears, as murders have been taking place in Torūna Village for several years. The students follow Mille-Feuille back to Chiffon's house shortly thereafter, and as she tells the bad news, Ganache is hurried to ask for the ukuru's feather. Arancia scolds his impatience, but Ganache feels as though the puppets are trying to drive the students out of Torūna. The group tails behind Mille-Feuille to the shrine nearby, but before they can ascend to the floating ruins, Tiramisu appears to confront Mille-Feuille. He orders her to relinquish her heart so that Mousse can move again, still in denial that he died from the accident. The students arrive just in time, though Tiramisu uses his own ukuru's feather to fly to the ruins. Mille-Feuille, although visibly injured, implores the party follow her to Wakuti Village as soon as possible.
Advancing through Benakoncha Ruins, the group eventually reaches the guarding snowhair. Arancia invites Mille-Feuille to join their team to keep her safe from Tiramisu, but Ganache and Mille-Feuille both agree that the puppets' affairs are none of their business. Once the snowhair is defeated, Tiramisu reveals himself from behind a pillar, to which Mille-Feuille asks they speak in private. As for Ganache, he bids his classmates farewell before walking to the ruins' exit, determined to find the scattered students. Mille-Feuille agrees to lend her heart to Mousse, so long as Tiramisu stops killing the villagers for good. Kirsch and Pistachio argue he should be handed over to Chiffon, but Mille-Feuille painfully explains that Tiramisu could be put to death for his crimes. Tiramisu promptly leaves and orders Mille-Feuille to rendezvous at the village inn. The party makes their way to Torūna Village as well, and for a moment, Ganache watches them with disapproval.
At the Torūna shrine, Mille-Feuille hurries to the inn as per Tiramisu's request. Tiramisu, however, observes her from behind a pillar and wonders why she would risk her life for the village. Ganache shows up, too, condemning Tiramisu for what he may do to Mille-Feuille. Enraged, Tiramisu summons a blade spirit, provoking Ganache to summon his own dark spirit. By the time the party reaches the inn, they see a wounded Tiramisu collapse before Mille-Feuille. He claims he fell from the ruins, urging Mille-Feuille to transfer his heart to Mousse, reflecting on the day Torūna's villagers left Mousse for dead. Tiramisu passes away, so the party leaves Mille-Feuille to mourn. Outside, they spot Ganache, who seems unaware that Tiramisu died. It turns out that moments before, Ganache chased him down and fatally injured him with magic. Ganache swears he did not mean for Tiramisu to die and flees Torūna Village, though his classmates are sure he was withholding his true power.
The Meaning of Love
Resuming their adventure, the party crosses Benakoncha Ruins and descends at Ricebird Fields. They take notice of a trio of envoys of love approaching the magic bus with Balsamico on board, demanding to know if he is affiliated with the enigmas. The party quickly intervenes, to which the envoys of love introduce themselves as Tarte, Tatin, and Tortilla, the latter of whom declares he is Wakuti Village's chief. Tarte and Tatin remind Tortilla that despite owning the love stick, which symbolizes chieftainship over Wakuti, he forcibly took it from his father Gâteau. Tortilla ignores them, proclaiming he will deal with the enigmas prowling about the Light Plane. Once the envoys of love return to their village, the party joins Balsamico on the magic bus. He tells them of how enigmas warped the bus into the Light Plane, and that the impact of warping caused it to malfunction. Blueberry, Lemon, Peche, and Café au Lait had visited Balsamico earlier, but Café au Lait ran away before Balsamico could borrow parts from his body to repair the bus. Café au Lait went missing afterwards, so the three girls departed for Rēmittsu Palace to look for him.
The group goes to Wakuti Village, talking with Gâteau about their missing classmates. He exclaims he saw them earlier, and had given them keys to Rēmittsu Palace. Tortilla then shows up with his bodyguards, rebuking his father for trusting outsiders. He also deems Gâteau unworthy of being Wakuti's chief, vowing to slay the enigmas in order to assert his leadership. Both parties depart for Rēmittsu Palace in the south, and to the group's surprise, they spot Lemon luring a large enigma through the courtyard. Meeting with her, she claims Blueberry and Peche are inside the palace, then realizes she lost track of the enigma. After Lemon leaves, the students enter the palace to find Tortilla's team in the foyer. Although Tortilla is still set on defeating the enigmas himself, Tarte and Tatin invite the students to help them in their cause. In the palace's corridors, the group reunites with a panicked Peche, who says she, Blueberry, and Lemon were attacked by enigmas. While Lemon was able to lure one into the courtyard, Blueberry suddenly collapsed in the basement level, and Peche got lost.
Finding a wounded Blueberry in the basement, she warns her classmates of the three Dab Hasnel enigmas, and how they are more powerful than the creatures they fought at Valencia Beach. Kirsch wonders if they can take on two of them while Lemon has the third on her tail, until all three crawl into the basement. They encircle the students and demand they hand their bodies over for fusion, when suddenly, Tortilla runs in and throws the love stick at one of the enigmas, killing it instantly. He, Tarte, and Tatin charge at a Dab Hasnel while the students fight the other, and both are eventually defeated. Everyone cheers for the freedom of Wakuti Village, apart from Tortilla, who thinks killing the enigmas goes against the morality of his kin. Tarte, Tatin, and the students congratulate Tortilla for taking a stand, to which he thanks everyone for their help and leaves the palace alone, embarking on a journey of self-discovery.
War Across Worlds
At the palace's entrance, the party meets Lemon fallen in the courtyard, though to her relief, they tell her of the three enigmas' defeat. She informs them that a couple of dwarves by the back gate spoke of an ancient machine passing through, presumed to be Café au Lait. Lemon also remarks how it would be too dangerous if all the students went together, advising they split into two groups; one goes to the back gate, while the others wait on the magic bus. Blueberry notices her classmates are looking at her, but she refuses to be left behind. To Lemon's shock, Blueberry reveals that she was born with a frail body, yet does not want to be sheltered the rest of her life and thus does not fear dying. Lemon, however, reprimands Blueberry for keeping her condition a secret, and her insistence on doing arduous tasks at the cost of her health. In a touching moment, Lemon agrees to let Blueberry join the team, so long as she lets everyone know when she feels fatigued.
The party journeys to the back gate of Rēmittsu Palace, where the aforementioned dwarves are being spun by Butchine III. Pucine tries spinning the students around too, quickly getting bored and challenging them to a fight. Luckily, they are able to put a stop to Pucine's spinning and save the dwarves. Passing through the gate, Lemon and Blueberry query about Miss Madeleine's safety, considering how air-headed she tends to be. Meanwhile, Madeleine is in a forest with a trail of dead enigmas in her wake. Surrounded by a trio of pookas, she orders them to tell her where her pupils were taken. Madeleine also demands she be brought to Kerurendu, to which the enigmas wonder how a human knows of their former king. Just then, Equillekrew appears, informing Madeleine that Kerurendu is dead, and that unlike her students, only she was brought to the Dark Plane. Equillekrew professes the enigmas who once obeyed Kerurendu are being reborn into a hivemind, and how he will become their king in Kerurendu's stead. He invites Madeleine to fuse with him and obtain great power, until she taunts the enigmas and warps elsewhere, proving how adept she really is at magic. Infuriated, Equillekrew orders the enigmas to kill the students and bring them to the Dark Plane with Madeleine.
The party ventures along the road behind Rēmittsu Palace, where they see three dwarves bickering near the path to Ibense Crag. One of the dwarves, named Quattro Formaggi, asks for the other dwarves to let him through to the Condimen Tower factory. To the students' shock, Quattro is accompanied by Chocolat, but Quattro pushes him away before they can get to him. Taking another road south, the group reconvenes with Cassis. They inform him of their hunt for Café au Lait, though Cassis reveals Café au Lait was rebuilt into an oven and taken to a tower made of cheese. He agrees to track down Chocolat while his classmates save Café au Lait, asking Blueberry out on a date before commencing his mission. The group proceeds down the quarry and catch Sesame running about, hyper-focused on the various bugs in the area. Sesame's rambunctiousness causes him to run into a Traveling Putty, who hurriedly wobbles to Pipplestown while the party follows, leaving Sesame to his own devices.
By illegally trading a coin in the Pipples Bazaar, the students are able to enter Tour de La Roche and ascend to the top floor. They eventually find Café au Lait with Parmesan the pipples boss, who proclaims he purchased Café au Lait from the boss of the dwarves. He promises to give Café au Lait back to his classmates at the cost of ten blue frogs, which the party fulfills. Having experienced what it is like to be retooled, Café au Lait anxiously runs back to the magic bus in preparation for retooling. The students are quick to follow, but as they exit Pipplestown, they hear Sesame shriek in the distance. A lone water people stands in his place, whom Blueberry can understand, and tells the group that Sesame was taken by an enigma. Returning to the magic bus, Balsamico claims Café au Lait is too rusty to be retooled, and so asks the party to have Grenadine upgrade him at Condimen Tower. Meanwhile in Rēmittsu Palace, the three Dab Hasnels discuss potential candidates for fusion. One proposes they fuse with dwarves, despite dwarves being a magicless race.
The Dark Side of Magic
The party makes their way to Ibense Crag once more, when they spot a dodo running to the riverbank. As they go to investigate, a felin named Nectar warns them not to touch it, introducing himself as a vagrant from Tapiocatea Village in the Dark Plane. He warns the students of how dodos are beings put under a curse, which expires after 1,000 years. Nectar aims to keep the dodos under his care, since their medicine-rich blood is sought after by hunters. Once Nectar and the dodo leave, the party is able to pass through the quarry and take the mountain trail to Gearava Village. Just then, Candy, Cabernet, Olive, and Cidre appear further up the mountain, but they are abruptly warped to the Dark Plane by a zaf lopik enigma. Ganache, who had joined Candy's group after abandoning the protagonist at Torūna, rushes in as the enigma begins to warp away. He gets caught in the process and is sent to the Dark Plane with the others, impelling the party to go there too once Café au Lait is upgraded.
Once the party arrives at Gearava Village, they are able to set foot in Condimen Tower simply by having Café au Lait accompany them. The moment they enter, Cassis runs up to a dwarf in the village, believing he is Chocolat's captor. A trio of dwarves, possessed by the Dab Hasnels from Rēmittsu Palace, then arrive and massacre the villagers with dark magic, also striking Cassis. Two of the "dwarves" proceed to Condimen Tower while one prepares to claim Cassis as a fusion vessel, but Cassis regains his strength and swiftly kills it. Unfortunately, the dwarf whom Cassis first incriminated, revealed to be Quattro Formaggi, re-enters the scene and warps him to the Dark Plane.
Navigating through Condimen Tower, the students cross paths with a suspicious dwarf, who exposes its true form as a Dab Hasnel. They are quick to defeat it, but before it dies, the Dab Hasnel divulges that one out of every five Will-o'-Wisp graduates is fused with an enigma, proclaiming the enigma-possessed will overthrow Kovomaka Kingdom. A second dwarf approaches the party once they reach an elevator to the top floor, also challenging them in its Dab Hasnel form. With both enigmas dealt with, the group takes the elevator up to Grenadine's workshop, asking Grenadine himself if he can remodel Café au Lait into a magic power generator. They endure an extensive questionnaire from Grenadine, who eventually understands their cause. He tests their worth by having them fight his Tartar-chan, and once it is defeated, he follows up on his promise and gets to work on Café au Lait. With their mission completed, the students return to Balsamico at Ricebird Fields and wire Café au Lait into the magic bus. However, Balsamico says the bus only has enough power to warp once, meaning they cannot return home if they go to the Dark Plane first. He suggests they go back to Will-o'-Wisp so that he can properly repair the bus, which the students reluctantly agree to.
Emerging back on campus in the Material Plane, Arancia wonders if Principal Biscotti planned everything from the beginning, taking into account the one-in-five odds of Will-o'-Wisp graduates fusing with enigmas. Blueberry speaks up, speculating the academy is training its students to face the enigmas and become the kingdom's soldiers. Unable to contain his guilt, Balsamico admits that it was actually Biscotti who sent the magic bus to the Light Plane; with few dependable magicians left in Kovomaka Kingdom, Biscotti can only rely on his students when the nation inevitably goes to war. The students opt to take matters into their own hands, now that the grown-ups are no longer of help, to which Balsamico offers to let them use the academy's summoning machine. The protagonist and a classmate of their choice are then selected to enter the summoning machine alongside Café au Lait, whose generator can reverse-summon them in the Dark Plane. He also orders the group to meet with former Will-o'-Wisp alumnus Gyuuhi Ogura once they are there, wishing them good luck as they enter the summoning machine.
Dark Plane
Otherworldly Fear
The party successfully emerges in Rehikafu Swamp, where Ganache, Cabernet, Candy, Cidre, and Olive are gathered around the dead zaf lopik that kidnapped them. Ganache, who recalls coming to Rehikafu Swamp with his family as a child, leads his group to Masalatea Village in the east in hopes of finding Chocolat and Sesame. The party takes takes an alternate trail to chat with Gyuuhi Ogura, who gives them a map of darkness. Meanwhile in Masalatea, Cidre declares he will stay there and wait for Miss Madeleine to save the students, though Ganache is eager to move on and proceeds through the village with the others. As the party leaves to find Madeleine and their classmates, they run into Cassis in the midst of an argument with Quattro Formaggi, still toting around Chocolat. The two get away when the party accidentally catches Cassis off guard, to which he tells his classmates of Quattro's enigma powers.
Cassis accompanies the party up the swamp's edge, catching Quattro talking to a wolks named Cinnamon on Masalatea Village's outskirts. Quattro warps off again, and Cinnamon introduces herself to the students, professing Ganache's group passed through Masalatea and crossed the swamp to Enigma Forest. Following Cinnamon to a small house, they watch her console another wolks called Mace, who was cast out of Masalatea after his parents supposedly died. The students arrive in the village and meet up with Cidre, still adamant on waiting until an adult comes to rescue him. Despite Cassis's efforts to change Cidre's mind, informing him that Biscotti is counting on the students, Cidre stays put and continues to wait for Madeleine.
Leader's Cowardice
Afterwards, the group pays Masalatea's chief Ginger a visit, and are cautioned against going to Ice Island in the middle of the swamp. Ginger's servant warns him that Cinnamon, his daughter, visited Mace again, to which Cinnamon returns home and fabricates an excuse for her absence. Outside Ginger's house, Mace asks to deliver a handkerchief Cinnamon had dropped, but the servant denies him access. The party visits Mace at the village's inn, wherein he says Cinnamon purposefully left her handkerchief behind so that the villagers could see Mace as a well-mannered person. The innkeeper interjects, explaining how Mace's parents died of ooze fever because the villagers did not want to retrieve an icy seed from Ice Island. Instead of admitting fault, they labelled Mace as a demon cursed with ooze fever and exiled him from their town.
The next day, the students and Cidre observe Mace talking with Ginger's servant, who informs him that Cinnamon suddenly came down with ooze fever. Determined to find a cure, Mace hurries to the docks in pursuit of an icy seed. The students, wary of the servant's news, talk with Cidre and learn that Mace departed for the Gela Windhole within Ice Island. They try convincing Cidre to join them, though Cidre abruptly snaps, wishing for his classmates to meet the same fate as his mother. He reflects on a traumatic event from his childhood, wherein he and his mother attended an art festival at Mt. Panaché. A blizzard hit the festival, leaving the attendees cold and hungry for many days, and Cidre's mother went missing after she went to look for help. The students assure Cidre he has grown up since then, and that they are all strong enough to survive, but he pensively walks away.
Sailing to Ice Island, the group ventures into Gela Windhole where they find a wounded Mace. Just then, the hailcrab emerges and attacks them, but they are able to defeat it. Mace wakes up with the icy seed in his grasp, to the students' relief, and he limps back to Masalatea in hopes of giving it to Cinnamon. Now alone in Gela Windhole, the students watch as Quattro Formaggi warps in, confident he can claim one of them as a fusion vessel. Quattro unleashes his true Dab Hasnel form and lunges at the party, until Cidre enters the scene and casts beauty magic, forcing Dab Hasnel to retreat. Cidre admits he is ready to take action and joins the party, following them back to Masalatea. Strangely, the students all feel as though they are being constantly watched, but pay it no mind for the time being.
Back in Masalatea, Ginger's servant is shocked to see Mace carrying an icy seed, offering to feed it to Cinnamon so long as Mace leaves Masalatea forever. Mace woefully accepts the servants deal and runs off, while the students are given the icy seed and enter Ginger's house. To their surprise, Cinnamon is perfectly healthy, and was only kept in quarantine to trick Mace into either dying or abandoning the village. Cinnamon angrily departs for the village's outskirts, to which Ginger gives the party coins and asks they be given to his daughter. Meeting with Cinnamon at Mace's house, the students explain all that has happened, compelling Cinnamon to track Mace down herself. Although somewhat worried for her safety, Cassis reminds his classmates that they need to believe in her like Biscotti believes in them.
Honest Mistakes
Recommencing their journey, the students sail south to the fringes of Tapiocatea Village, the felins' settlement. They spot Ganache, Candy, Olive, and Cabernet conversing further in the forest, reflecting on the bond between Chardonnay and Vanilla. Cabernet begins wondering if Chardonnay's death was more than a mere casualty, concluding that he was likely killed by an enigma. Ganache, however, urges his companions to seek out the enigmas and use them to warp back to the Material Plane. The party continues to look for leads in Tapiocatea Village, happening upon a felin named Musk feeding his sister Cocoa medicine for her sickness. Musk tells them that Ganache's group progressed to Enigma Forest, as they learned how to move gray ricebirds from a wolks boy residing in Kumuyamuto Desert.
Following Musk to the village's shop, they overhear him talking in secret with the clerk about Riginio Jungle, where he and his pet Fennel promptly go. To Musk's surprise, Nectar runs up and orders him to leave. The students enter Riginio Jungle instead and find Nectar deep within, watching over a flock of dodos. Just as Nectar welcomes them, Sesame appears with Musk's Fennel, whom he orders to attack the flock. Cocoa then shows up and begs for Sesame to stop, to which the party swiftly takes down the Fennel. Musk enters too, learning from Nectar the truth about dodos, and admits to hiring Sesame after saving him from the Enigma Forest. Cocoa also reveals she is slowly undergoing dodo transformation, as the dodo blood she drank only slowed down the effect of her curse. With the dodos saved, Cocoa promises to stay in Riginio Jungle with Nectar until she turns back to normal. As for Sesame, he fails to recognize his wrongdoings and gets criticized by his classmates, so he voices his plans to fuse with an enigma and exact revenge.
Closer to the Truth
Back in Tapiocatea Village, the students are told that in order to move gray ricebirds, they must cross Kumuyamuto Desert and meet the wolks boy in Zundoko Pit. In doing so, the wolks turns out to be Mace, who is searching for putty peas to repopulate Kugande Village. The students convince him to search for Cinnamon instead, and he teaches the ricebird-moving technique to Cidre. After paying a visit to Akvavit Castle, a fortress constructed by wayward water people, the students pass through the Enigma Forest and catch up to Sesame. Surrounded by Rad Hasnel's team of enigmas, Sesame owns up to his mistakes, believing that fusing with Rad Hasnel and becoming powerful is the solution. Cassis and Cidre help Sesame realize he does not seek power, but independence, which convinces him to team up with his classmates.
Defeating Rad Hasnel, the students make up and go to Treeman Colony, reuniting with none other than Miss Madeleine. They tell her of their trip across planes, as well as Biscotti's threat of expulsion. Miss Madeleine finally caves, thinking back to one year ago when Ganache blamed Biscotti for Vanilla's odd change in behavior. Although Miss Madeleine was apprehensive about future trips to Valencia Beach, as evidenced by Vanilla's altered personality, Biscotti said that suppressing Vanilla would only limit her true power, even if she becomes an enemy of Kovomaka Kingdom.
Cidre proclaims the students should not be tempted by the enigmas' powers, encouraging the others to find Ganache's group with their own strength. As they tag behind Madeleine through Kugande Village and East Forest, Ganache's group walks further ahead. Candy asks Olive to speak in private, and once they are alone, she grills Olive on Ganache's true motives. Although Olive claims ignorance, Candy accuses her of being able to read peoples' hearts after hearing so from Cabernet. Succumbing to pressure, Olive confesses that Ganache is looking to free his sister from a heavily protected castle. In order to get past the guards, he intends on fusing with a strong enigma and honing its powers. An enraged Candy snaps at Olive, feeling as though she and Cabernet are dead weight in Ganache's grand scheme, when a mysterious creature suddenly strikes.
Hearing Candy shriek, the party, Miss Madeleine, Ganache, and Cabernet go to investigate, finding the two girls collapsed on the ground. However, whatever attacked them is nowhere to be seen. Madeleine looks into Candy's eyes and senses her heart has been sealed. They then hear Chocolat cry for help in the distance, so Ganache and his group dash off to rescue him. As the party goes further into East Forest, the magic bus warps from the Material Plane with all the other students on board. With all but four of the classmates reunited, the party catches Madeleine, Ganache, and Cabernet speaking to a pyrite, who warns that Dab Hasnel may try to boil Chocolat in Morbier Volcano and take his gemstone heart. Madeleine asks Ganache where Olive and Candy went, assuming they were following him, to which Ganache and Cabernet run off in a panic. Leaving them to their own devices, Madeleine and the party chase Dab Hasnel, still disguised as Quattro Formaggi, into Morbier Volcano. Arriving in the volcano's depths, Madeleine orders Dab Hasnel to hand over Chocolat and casts powerful light magic, killing both the enigma and his dwarven vessel.
Metanoia
Elsewhere, Olive wakes up outside a cave entrance next to Candy. She telepathically learns that Candy is using her to bait Ganache into following them, and that his true plan is to fuse with Kerurendu, the enigma king. Ganache and Cabernet learn of the girls' whereabouts from pyrites at Basorimo Village, and just as Candy had anticipated, they go after her. Madeleine receives word of this outside Basorimo Village, alerting Chocolat and the party that their journey is not quite over yet. As they enter the Brownie Burrow, Ganache prepares to set foot in the Kisunika Mines. He severs his friendship with Cabernet, claiming he, Olive, and Candy no longer matter in his pursuit of gaining Kerurendu's power and freeing Vanilla.
Passing through Kisunika Mines and waking up a group of sleeping brownies, the party vanquishes the goddragon Gershwin, then watches as Madeleine talks to Ganache's quartet. Standing before a portal to the Death Plane, the plane of death and rebirth, Candy exclaims she will accompany Ganache on his quest to meet with Kerurendu. Olive expresses concern over Candy's erratic behavior, wondering if she is to blame. Not wanting to impede her students' free will, Madeleine allows Ganache and Candy to enter the portal, to Olive's distress. Cabernet tries joining his friends as they transcend planes, but he is stopped by Madeleine, and Olive remarks that Candy will kill him if he follows.
Back on the magic bus, the students discuss the incident from one year ago, in which a monster rampaged through the kingdom until Biscotti sealed it inside Chiboust Castle. Cabernet deduces that the monster was actually Vanilla, whose body was overtaken by an enigma after she abandoned Will-o'-Wisp two years prior. Blueberry chimes in, saying Will-o'-Wisp was founded because Biscotti learned extraordinary magic from the enigmas, and began propagating magic across the Material Plane. Pistachio then asks why Candy tagged along with Ganache to the Death Plane, to which Olive reveals that Candy is possessed by an enigma. Their conversation is interrupted by Madeleine, who finishes retooling Café au Lait and warps the magic bus out of the Dark Plane.
Overlooking the Death Plane atop The Great Rock, Ganache comments that Candy's change in behavior is eerily similar to Vanilla's before she ran away. This causes Candy to vent about her identity crisis, having changed so much about herself just for Olive and Ganache to call her crazy. Even still, she promises to be with Ganache until the very end, and the two embark on their journey to find Kerurendu.
Death Plane
Heart of Shadows
Landing in the Death Plane, the students get off the magic bus and let Miss Madeleine rest. Heading south, they end up in the potfolk's Gazpacho Village where physical space is strangely distorted. Unable to progress without resolving the distortion, they travel to the Tandoori labyrinth to confront Klein, whose space-bending pot golem malfunctioned moments earlier. Finding a guilty Klein in Tandoori, they destroy his pot golem and fix the oddity in Gazpacho Village.
Meanwhile in a distant town, Ganache is told by a mudman to go to Moginasu Magic Grotto if he wishes to meet Kerurendu, then gives him a dark veil in order to pass through the Death Corridor. Candy abruptly exclaims she wants to destroy Ganache, admitting to feeling intense rage ever since she blacked out in Enigma Forest. Ganache promises he and Candy can fight after he fuses with Kerurendu, then begins to reminisce over his final day with Vanilla. She told him her desire to defeat Biscotti and lay waste to Kovomaka Kingdom, fully confident in her new powers. When Vanilla returned to the kingdom two years later, fully assimilated by the enigma in her heart, Cassis warned the students that Kovomaka had gone to war. Ganache feared that the invading monster was his sister, and as he ran off, Olive warned him that there was much more to the situation than he thought. Moved by Ganache's sorrow, Candy fears that she will be consumed by her rage and kill him before he can meet Kerurendu; Ganache could not care less, so long as she is able to learn something from his demise. Candy, still content on reinventing her identity, considers how killing her classmate may affect her family, Madeleine, and Kirsch, so Ganache tells her what she must do in order to surpass him.
Rebirth
Continuing their adventure, the party enters Moiroroto Village, where all but one of the resident mudmen have vanished. He tells them that by giving a dark veil to Ganache, the Death Plane's dictator Omuzaneiru spirited away all the other mudmen, as it supposedly disrupted the plane's natural order. Agreeing to save Moiroroto Village, the mudman promises to give the students a light veil once Omuzaneiru is slain. Infiltrating the Pyramid in the west, they successfully dethrone Omuzaneiru and bring back the missing mudmen of Moiroroto Village, which Ganache senses as he and Candy approach the Death Corridor. He declares that the classmates are now his enemies, inviting them to join him on his dark descent. Obtaining a light veil from the mudman, the students advance to the Rakyūo in order to obtain a dark veil of their own. By disguising themselves with the veil, they help newly reincarnated stars ascend to the heavens above and summon Blackcurrant into the cavern, who gives them a dark veil. From there, they are able to pass through the Death Corridor to the Land of the Dark. Candy feels their impending arrival, telling Ganache to keep going so that she can deal with them.
Once the students catch up, Candy blames Olive for her troubles thus far and slanders her extrasensory powers. Suddenly, Candy's body transforms into that of Equillekrew's, revealing himself to have attacked and fused with her back in the Dark Plane. Horrified by Candy's plunge into darkness, Olive and Kirsch refuse to fight, so the party takes on Equillekrew instead. Even after a deadly battle, Equillekrew states he is invincible thanks to the fusion, and that Candy is no more. Olive, on the other hand, still sees Candy beyond Equillekrew's nightmarish body, reminding her of all the strengths and flaws that represent her. Regaining her sense of self, Candy un-fuses with Equillekrew, sending him into the void of the Death Plane. She apologizes to her classmates, especially Olive, understanding that victory cannot be earned through hatred. The students help Candy back to the magic bus, where Madeleine assures her that she is now safe, strangely aware that Equillekrew was involved. She also explains that in order to exile Equillekrew from her heart, Candy had to unleash all her magic, though whether she can relearn it is yet to be seen. Unconcerned that her enrollment at Will-o'-Wisp may be at stake, Candy claims she can see all sorts of things in her mind, as though reality itself is bending to her magic.
Innocence
Prepared for the final stretch of their adventure, the students cross Despair Swamp and descend down Moginasu Magic Grotto, the cave of reincarnation. Before they can reach the furthest chamber, Miss Madeleine rushes in, insisting she must be present for their last battle. At the end of the grotto, Ganache talks with the creature once known as Kerurendu. The creature teaches Ganache that by combining their power and will, he can bring his goals to fruition. Madeleine tries to make Ganache reconsider fusion, but he is unconvinced, accusing her of being several enigmas' vessel after hearing so from Olive. As Ganache refuses to be Biscotti's pawn for war, Madeleine says the class was bound to cross paths with the enigmas regardless. When Will-o'-Wisp was founded, Biscotti tried to distance the students from the enigmas, but graduates ended up fusing with them anyway and engulfed the world in chaos. Biscotti later revised his policy, making it so students could meet enigmas before their innocence was lost to the foundations of society. Miss Madeleine then gives the party a chance to share their feelings. Although the students' cries are enough to deter Ganache from fusion, he is suddenly unable to control his own body, and Kerurendu claims the fusion has already begun.
After a tough battle, the students are able to beat Kerurendu and sever his control over Ganache. Madeleine asks Kerurendu if Equillekrew really was responsible for his death, why he broke his promise to not interfere with the Material Plane, and why he did not stop Equillekrew from doing as he pleased. Kerurendu solemnly remarks that because he has no prestige, the lesser enigmas have no reason to obey his command. He allows himself to continuously die so that he can reincarnate as the enigmas' king, promptly entering a portal to the Hall of Rebirth. After he leaves, Madeleine apprises her students of Kerurendu's defeat at the hands of Biscotti 300 years ago, and that he promised to never lay a hand on the Material Plane. As a result of his defeat, Kerurendu lost all the glory he gained as the enigmas' king. Ganache says Kerurendu must be defeated instantly, as not even an enigma can reincarnate if it dies in the Death Plane. He also mentions that by imagining himself as Kerurendu's host, he may be able to control the lesser enigmas and the enigma-possessed.[a] To Ganache's surprise, he finds himself unable to cast magic, much like Candy when her fusion with Equillekrew was undone. However, he assures the protagonist that even without magic, he can still believe in his classmates.
The students chase Kerurendu into the Hall of Rebirth where he obtains a new, more demonic form. A perilous battle ensues, though fortunately, they are able to defeat and destroy Kerurendu for good. They rejoice before returning to Moginasu Magic Grotto, where Madeleine reveals to Ganache that Biscotti is actually a vessel to Yūvekku, the enigma king preceding Kerurendu. When Ganache asks what enigma is possessing Madeleine, she cheekily exclaims she never fused with one to begin with. Astounded, Ganache wonders how she was able to trick Olive's visions, take down several enigmas, and venture the Dark Plane on her own, though Madeleine pays it no mind. By the time the students are back in the grotto, an irate Ganache orders everyone to warp back to the surface.
All sixteen students walk from Moginasu Magic Grotto back to the magic bus, with Balsamico congratulating them for their victory. He especially praises Ganache, declaring him a free man who can do whatever his heart desires. Madeleine checks in on him, to which he expresses a feeling of ecstasy despite being rid of magic. Suddenly, as the bus prepares to warp home, his vision fades to white.
Finale
Ganache wakes up in the academy's meditation room, his soul standing next to Principal Biscotti. Biscotti informs Ganache that by synchronizing his life with his consciousness, he can go anywhere he wishes. With Ganache’s heart liberated and his mind no longer astray, only one path lies before him: the path of freedom.
Upon Ganache's return to the Material Plane, rumors begin spreading amongst enigma-possessed magicians that he became Kerurendu's vessel. Even those who had prepared to raid Kovomaka Kingdom are reluctant to act against his wishes, and their coalition is kept under wraps. All the while, as Ganache allies with the enigma-possessed, nobody believes his magic to truly be gone. This group comes to be known as the Biscotti Sect, who manage to seize control of Kovomaka Kingdom just half a year later. Ganache and Candy then embark on a journey to Chiboust Castle, managing to release Vanilla from captivity and invite her into the Biscotti Sect. Vanilla, too, chooses to abandon magic, and Kovomaka Kingdom welcomes an era of peace that lasts for 200 years.[b]
Epilogue
Kirsch and Arancia get married and raise two children. While Arancia takes care of the children at home, Kirsch travels the world, later becoming an instructor at Will-o'-Wisp Academy.
Blueberry, in hopes of further studying her magic, travels to the Water Plane and shares many stories with the remaining water people.
Chocolat resumes living his normal life, sitting atop a hill near the academy to enjoy the spring breeze and birdsong.
Candy quits magic, instead turning to philosophy, politics, and history. She soon becomes a history lecturer at Will-o'-Wisp.
Peche sets up a fundraiser to help dodos, using the donations to build a sanctuary to ensure the their safety.
Lemon, having mastered her techniques, opens a training hall where she pioneers a fighting style that combines magic and martial arts.
Cabernet takes off for the home country of the frog in his hat. He learns a lot of unusual magic there and is declared the country's guardian.
Cassis gives everything he owns to the impoverished children in Castle Town, setting out on a new journey all by himself.
Cidre paints several pictures depicting his adventures at the Seaside School, retelling his stories for generations to come.
Sesame becomes a renowned technician for antique machinery. He runs Café au Lait under several modifications, the last of which is a rocket, and he shoots Café au Lait off Valencia Beach into outer space.
Pistachio continues to study hard, eventually graduating from Will-o'-Wisp Academy with a doctorate. He writes several books to propagate magic far beyond the continent.
Olive becomes the guardian of a nature reserve on a Kovomakan archipelago, banding together with its wildlife to make sure they are untouched by mankind.
The protagonist is hired as a magic professor at Will-o'-Wisp after graduating. Instead of teaching magic for combat, they teach magic for support, reforming Will-o'-Wisp into a school suitable for Ganache and Vanilla's new era of peace.
- In a timeline where the protagonist is a dark mage, they set off on a grand adventure spanning over thirty countries and twenty planes, and their legacy is preserved among several landmarks. Their journey ends when they pass away in the Wind Plane at the age of 87.
- In a timeline where the protagonist is a light mage, they go on a quest to find the cures to the dodo curse and the aftereffects of enigma fusion. One day, their journal containing this information is mailed to Candy, who donates it to Will-o'-Wisp Academy as an essential source of knowledge for magicians across the world.
