Chapter 6 Part 9
Translator : PolterGlast
The
Arcazam Library, where books from all over the
continent are collected.
In
a corner of this library, a girl was devoting herself to reading.
Her
blue hair, reminiscent of the sky, swayed in the breeze from the slightly open
window, and her beautiful face remained motionless, like a doll, while her eyes
continued to follow the words in the book in her hands.
Her
pointed ears that poked out from the gaps in her long blue hair showed that she
was an elf who had received the blessing of the spirits.
“…………
Haa”
The
girl, Shīna Juliel, who had been devoting herself to reading the book in her
hands, suddenly sighed and dropped her shoulders heavily.
She
frowned and let her gaze drift in the air as if something was bothering her.
She turned her attention to the book in her hands again, but this time she
stared at the open page while frowning.
"Argh,
gosh. I can't concentrate at all."
Putting
the book she was reading on the desk, Shīna sighed loudly again and looked up
at the ceiling of the library.
An
unfamiliar feeling swirled in the depth of her chest. She was confused by the
urge to run away at any moment.
"What
is wrong with me?"
Shīna
muttered in a small voice so that it would not be heard by others.
She
thought that the urge in her chest would subside a little if she could speak up
her mind, but contrary to her expectations, the urge grew louder.
It
reminded her of an event at lunchtime today.
She
was having lunch with the others when Nozomu accepted Irisdina's request.
Irisdina
was a little nervous as she asked Nozomu for a favor, and Nozomu was at a loss
for words but agreed.
Irisdina
looked nervous, which was not like her usual self, but her smile when he agreed
was so beautiful that even Shīna, who was also a woman, couldn't help but be
fascinated by it. And Nozomu was also fascinated by her.
"What's
up with him. It was just a request, why did he looked so..."
Remembering
Nozomu who was infatuated with Irisdina, she felt a surge of indignation.
However, the feeling in her chest that had risen like a geyser quickly subsided
and was replaced by an inexplicable regret. This was because she had also been
invited to take part in the request, but had turned it down.
At
that time, Feo interrupted Nozomu and Irisdina. Shīna could tell from the grin
on his face that he was planning something again. As a young man of the fox
tribe who got involved in various things just for the fun of it, it was no
surprise that he wanted to join too this time.
However,
he immediately invited Shīna to join him. The grin on his face clearly told her
that he was thinking of something terrible, so Shīna refused the invitation.
"Sigh~,
why did I refuse..."
After
all, it was her choice to be here, but even so, Shīna couldn't help but frown
at the unpleasant feeling that was spreading deep in her chest.
At
that moment, Shīna's ears heard the voice of a woman she had been hearing a lot
lately.
"Shīna-san?"
"Tima-san?
What are you doing here?"
It
was her, Tima Lime, who spoke to her. She was carrying several books in her
hands.
"Well,
umm..."
The
book in her hand was mainly about wind spells and magic control techniques.
A
person who needed wind and magic control. Shīna could only think of one person
who would need it.
"I
see, it's for Mars-kun..."
"U~e!?"
Perhaps
she was trying to help Mars with the skills he was trying to learn. The fact
that she was looking into wind spells, as well as magic control, was evidence
of this.
Shīna's
cheeks naturally relaxed when she saw how blatantly shaken Tima was at her
words.
"I
won't tell anyone. More importantly, how is he? Even though it's not as
powerful as Nozomu-kun's "power", I don't think the skill he's trying
to learn will be acquired overnight due to his lack of control over it..."
"Yeah,
the success rate seems to have slowed down lately. I don't know if it's because
of that or not, but Mars hasn't practiced that combination technique much
lately."
"Well,
after what happened, I'm sure he has something to think about."
Tima
gave a small nod to Shīna's words.
Mars
had a complicated feeling about Nozomu's power. While he admired Nozomu's
well-honed swordplay, impatience arose from his desire to become stronger.
They
can still vividly recall the incident where he was so agitated that he went out
of control and ended up in mortal danger.
"Maybe
that's why, Mars-kun seems to be concentrating more on magic control rather
than Qi technique lately..."
"Is
that so? I thought that since he mainly uses Qi technique, he would concentrate
on that first..."
"According
to Mars, he hasn't practiced much about magic. It looks like he decided to do a
proper practice on that side. Of course, he also practices Qi
techniques..."
"Well,
either way. His combined technique requires not only Qi technique but also
magic formation and control of magic power, so he needs to hone his skills in
both magic and Qi technique..."
This
is the power that Mars wanted as a result of witnessing Nozomu's swordplay. The
combination of magic and Qi technique required an extremely high level of
control over not only Qi but also magic power because it used different powers
at the same time.
In
the past, Mars had only used the Qi technique and had neglected his magic
training. Surely, he's trying to fix that somehow.
"Even
so, you have been helping him."
"I-It's
not that I hate it... it's just..."
Mars
had considerable suitability if it was only using wind magic. Perhaps she
wanted Mars to get a foothold in magical control from there. In fact, the magic
that Mars used when he successfully used the combination technique was without
exception the wind attribute.
Tima
looked down with a blush on her face. She fiddled with the edge of the cover of
the book in her hand with her fingertips and said in a small voice as if she
was mumbling.
As
she looked at such Tima, Shīna asked Tima a question that suddenly came to her
mind.
"Hey,
why do you care so much about him?"
"Eh?"
"I
know, Mars isn't a bad guy, but he can be a little rough around the edges. He's
the kind of guy you would usually rather avoid, so I was wondering why you love
him so much.
In
response to the word "love," Tima's slightly flushed cheeks suddenly
heated up.
"H-how,
how come it's about love!"
"...
Did you think we weren't aware of it?"
"A,
auu..."
Shīna
looked at Tima, her whole face flushed red. Shīna looked dumbfounded as Tima
rambled on in a stuttered voice.
Tima's
eyes wandered in the air for a while. Eventually, she exhaled heavily and
slowly began to open her mouth.
"At
first ... I was really scared, you know? He was glaring at me out of the
blue..."
As
if remembering a nostalgic memory, Tima talking while looking up at the ceiling
of the library.
Shīna
had heard roughly about the feud between the Francilt and the Waziart Family,
but she had not heard the details, so she listened closely as Tima and Mars
became aware of each other.
"I
don't think he had any good impressions for me either because I'm so
gloomy..."
Tima
crossed her fingers and looked a little gloomy. She didn't like her own
self-deprecating personality.
That
was why she had feelings of admiration for people like Irisdina, who was so
confident and different from her.
"But
when Rugato-san came and Somia was in danger, it was Mars-kun who saved
me."
An irreplaceable
family of her dearest friend. A girl who was also like a younger sister to Tima.
Tima, who was trying
to bind Rugato's familiar to protect Somia, was attacked by multiple magic
bullets. The one who blocked the magic bullets that attacked her was Mars, who
she thought hated her.
The sense of unity she
felt at that moment. After that, every time she thought about him, there was a
feeling that slowly seeped into the depths of her body.
Sometimes these
feelings stirred her heart violently, and sometimes they gave her warmth as if
she were wrapped in cotton to the ends of her arms and legs.
"I don't know how
to say it, but it has been bothering me a lot..."
Tima was not able to
express her feelings to others directly. She couldn't help but shy away from
people because she was always one step behind them.
But instead of being
able to say it out loud, Tima's expression expressed her secret more than
words.
When she was talking
about Mars, she didn't look down even once. Usually, due to her shyness, she
tended to look down when she talked to others. Furthermore, even her cheeks
were dyed bright red.
The only people who
couldn't understand her feelings were those who had serious problems with their
communication skills, the so-called "airheads".
"I see……"
Shīna could also sense
the hidden feelings that Tima had. It stirred deep in her heart.
The image that came to
her mind was of him accepting the dark-haired princess's request, even though
he was embarrassed. The indescribable feelings she had felt earlier rose again
from the depths of her chest.
A silence flowed
between the two. All they could hear was the hustle and bustle of the city
coming from outside the window.
However, a familiar
voice echoed in the silence between the two.
"Yahhoo ! Shīna,
Tima-san. What a rare combination, huh?"
"Mimuru-san?"
Shīna and Tima's
conversation was interrupted by Mimuru. Shīna looked a little surprised to see
her in the library, which she did not usually visit.
"What are you
doing here? This is a library, you know."
The combination
between Shīna and Tima was certainly unusual, but the presence of Mimuru in the
library would be an equally strange sight for anyone who saw it.
After all, she's not
very good at class lessons and is always lectured by her homeroom teacher,
Inda.
"Y-you're mean,
Shīna! I read books too, you know!?"
Mimuru's cheeks puffed
up in response to Shīna's sarcastic remark.
Mimuru held up a book
in her hand as if to say, "Look at this," but the title of the book
was something like "Attribute Interference," "Fluctuation of
Reaction Rate by Magic Quality," or some other complicated title. It was
not the kind of book she would be looking at if she was struggling to write a
reflection on her class.
"By the way,
where's your boyfriend Tom?"
"If it's about
Tom, he is over there ......."
Answering Shīna's question,
Mimuru pointed to Tom, who was holding a lot of materials in his small arms.
When he noticed Shīna and the others, he put the materials on a nearby desk and
came over to them.
"Hello, Shīna,
Tima-san. Oh, Mimuru, you brought me the materials I was looking for. Thank
you."
“…………”
Mimuru froze due to
Tom's words and Shīna's "I knew it" gaze was directed at her.
"... As expected,
it was Tom who wanted to visit this library, right?"
"Hmm? What?"
Shīna's eyes glared at
Mimuru for lying to her. Mimuru's face turned red and she looked down, her
shoulders trembling from embarrassment as her little lie was quickly exposed.
Tom, unable to grasp
the situation, could only tilt his head.
"T-Tom, you idiot
----!"
"E-Ehh?
Why~?"
The shame was too much
for her. Unable to take it anymore, Mimuru snuggled and grabbed into Tom. Tom
can only wince.
Mimuru said, "Why
can't you just talk about it with me?", and screamed, "Tom, you're
supposed to be my ally!" But Tom, who didn't really understand what was
going on, couldn't understand her at all.
In the meantime, Tom
kept trying to calm Mimuru down without knowing the reason.
Shīna could only let
out a sigh as she watched the two of them, her friend looking exactly the same
as usual.
By the way, screaming
so loudly like that would naturally attract the attention of the people around
her.
Even though the people
around her were looking at her as if to tell her to be quiet, Mimuru was
completely unaware of their silent protest.
"Mi,
Mimuru-san..."
"What's wrong
Tima-san!? This is more important right now ... Ah~"
Tima tapped Mimuru on
the shoulder while calling out her name. Mimuru, who was still grabbed onto
Tom, turned her face to Tima, and that was when she finally noticed the gazes
around her.
"Ah, ahaha... S-sorry."
She released her grip
on Tom and quickly hid behind her boyfriend to avoid the gazes of those around
her.
But what's the point
of hiding behind the person who she had just grabbed?
Mimuru is taller than
Tom, so her body is not fully hidden. The sight of her shriveled back with
flattened ears may arouse a strong desire to protect her in some who watched
her.
But Tom and Tima only
smiled wryly, and Shīna put her hand on her forehead as if trying to hold back
her headache.
"Tom, you seem to
have a hard time huh?"
"It's okay. I'm
used to it."
Tom said so to himself
while patting his girlfriend's head who was hiding behind his back. There was
no negative emotion on his face.
He was honestly attracted
to Mimuru. Before he knew it, he had a natural smile on his face.
Mimuru purred
pleasantly as her lover stroked her head.
Shīna's cheeks
naturally loosened at the sight. Mimuru purred and let out a voice,
"Funya~".
The warm atmosphere
enveloped the girls. At that time, a voice reached their ears.
"U-um~...
Everyone, what are you guys doing here?"
Everyone who was there
turned towards the source of the voice, and there was a petite girl with a
shiny black shoulder-length haircut.
She was holding several
books in her hands, just like Mimuru had done earlier.
"Somia-chan ...
why are you here?"
"Ah, Tima-chan.
Yahhoo~~"
Somia replied
cheerfully but not bothering the people around her. Instead of waving her hand
widely, she gave a cheerful smile full of energy. She was still a cheerful girl
as usual.
"Are you here to
do some research, Somia-chan?"
"Yes! I'm having
a little trouble understanding something in school. What were you all doing in
this place? It looks like it was pretty noisy..."
"Well, Mimuru
stepped on her own tail again and made a big fuss..."
"Okay, this
conversation is over! More importantly, it's quite unusual isn't it, that Shīna
and Tima-san are alone together? What were you talking about!"
Mimuru, who until just
a moment ago had been hiding in the shadow of her lover, leaned forward and
interrupted them, trying to force a change in the conversation.
Shīna let out a big
sigh at the protesting gazes from the people around her, which became stronger
again due to Mimuru's voice.
This was enough to
make the intelligent Somia realize what had happened, and she scratched her
cheeks with her fingers with a stiff smile on her face.
"It was just a
coincidence that we were together. Why are you so curious?"
"No, somehow my
whiskers sensed something bittersweet..."
"What's that? I
wonder if cat tribe's whiskers have that kind of ability."
"Well, I've never
heard of it ... Mimuru-san you're kind of cute."
Shīna looked
suspiciously at Mimuru, who twitched her whiskers as if she was proud of it.
Somia also tilted her
head, but it seemed she was paying more attention to the movement of Mimuru's
whiskers.
Somia has always been
a cat lover. She loves cute things, so perhaps she is attracted to such small
gestures.
"Hmmph! A maiden
in love is sensitive, you know? Tima-san is also a maiden in love, isn't
she?!"
"Eh!?"
Tima, who was watching
the exchange between the three of them from the side, suddenly shouted in
surprise.
Remembering what she
had just been talking about, Tima felt her cheeks heat up at once.
"Hmm? Wasn't it?
I thought I heard Mars-kun's name?"
"You were
eavesdropping on us..., weren't you?"
Shīna's suspicious
gaze turned accusatory and Mimuru smiled wryly as if not admitting it and a dry
laugh escaped her mouth.
But Mimuru was quick
to act. Before Shīna could open her mouth, she rushed towards Tima who was
standing beside her.
"So, you were
talking about Mars-kun? It's only natural to be worried about someone you like,
isn't it?
“…………”
Ignoring Shīna, Mimuru's
mischievous smile filled Tima's vision.
All Tima could do was
groan inaudibly, "Ugh, ..."
She looked around as
if to ask for help. Her eyes happen to catch sight of Somia, the sister of her
best friend.
It wasn't a good idea
to rely on an eleven-year-old child, but she had a strong core like her best
friend, and she might be able to help.
Such expectations
welled up in Tima's chest, but .......
"Oh, I'm also
interested. What was the story about?"
"Eeeh!?"
Her wish was suddenly
cut off by Somia herself.
Contrary to Tima's
feelings, Somia's eyes were shining just like Mimuru's and she leaned forward.
"Ah~, As I
thought, Somia-chan is also curious about it."
"Yes. I thought
I'd want to learn about it for the future..."
"T-the future?
...... Isn't it a little early for you, Somia-chan?"
"Umm, is that so?
I have a friend in my class who has already kissed..."
"Eeh!?"
Somia and her friend
were in the same class, which meant that the girl was also about 11 years old.
By the way, Tima had never held hands with a man before, except for her father.
Of course, there was no way she had ever kissed anyone before.
Kiss, kiss... kissing
at the age of eleven.
The image of a man and
a woman facing each other flashed through Tima's mind.
They stare at each
other. Their gazes meet.
The distance between
them grows so close that they can even feel each other's breath.
Eventually, the other
person's face fills the other's field of vision, and then...
"A~u……"
With that in mind,
Tima turned her eyes with a bright red face. Her brain seemed to have
overheated because her mind was filled with such scenes.
"Ehh? Did I mess
with her too much?"
Mimuru peeked at Tima,
who had been absent-minded, and gave her a poke on the cheek, but she didn't
respond at all.
Shīna held her temples
and said angrily, "There you go again, you troublemaker!". She was
furious. She tried to grab Mimuru's head to get rid of this walking
troublemaker.
But as she reached her
hands out, she noticed Somia's gaze. For some reason, she couldn't help but
pull her hand away from the pure and straight eyes that were fixed on her.
"U-umm,
Somia-san? Is what you said true??"
"Yes, according
to Lansa-chan, some of her friends do it quite often too. Also, Merī-chan,
Kinea-chan, ..."
"I-is that so
..."
As Somia mentioned the
names, she folded her fingers.
One hand was not
enough, so she used both of her hands, and then both hands were not enough, so
she unfolded them back and continued to count.
"T-that's enough,
Somia-san..."
"Eh? Is that
so?"
Shīna let out a dry
laugh. If she didn't stop her, how many names would she come up with?
A strange thought
crossed her mind as she was shocked to hear about the surprisingly progressive
love life of younger people.
"Don't tell me,
does Somia-san also..."
"Eh, me? No way,
I've never done that. My father and sister always told me to be modest!"
"W-well, that's
true..."
Somia replied with a
cheerful voice that couldn't be said as "modesty". Apparently, she
had never experienced such a "kissing" thing.
"I'm sure you
understand that neither Ane-sama nor I are in a position to easily decide on a
partner. I think this sort of thing is a little disappointing..."
Somia smiled a little
sadly. Her figure looked so mature that it was hard to believe she was an
eleven-year-old girl.
Certainly, she is also
a daughter of the Francilt family, just like Irisdina. It seemed that her
sensibilities were already well developed.
While thinking so,
Shīna secretly felt a little sympathy for their family situation.
The elves lost their
homeland due to the great invasion ten years ago, and many sacrificed their
lives.
They were originally a
race with one of the longest lifespans on this continent, which made it
difficult for them to leave behind offspring.
With the loss of their
safe haven and their numbers greatly reduced, the elves were constantly exposed
to the danger of extinction of their race.
As a countermeasure,
the elders of the elves recommended that men and women of the right age to have
children should marry.
Naturally, Shīna was
approached with marriage proposals. At the time, she was unable to use her
spirit magic, but it was not something important if she were to have children.
But she turned it down
and came here to Arcazam. Behind her eyelids, she saw the burning forest and
her family lying on the ground. And with the image of that black demon beast
burned into her mind.
It was difficult for
them to decide their future partner by their own will. In that sense, Shīna and
Somia were in common.
"Well, it's
difficult, isn't it? For a lot of things. ......"
Shīna said so while
stroking Somia's head.
The things that only
one individual can change are limited. She could say so probably because she
actually experienced it when she was young.
Certainly, one cannot
do much alone. Even the skills she had trained and honed to the point of death
were no match for that black demon beast.
However, she still
smiled gently.
"As I thought,
you've changed recently, haven't you, Shīna?"
Tom, who had been
sitting beside Mimuru and hadn't joined the conversation for a long time,
smiled and spoke to Shīna.
Shīna's sense of
responsibility for hurting her friend caused her to go out of control and face
the black demon beast alone.
But with the help of
those she came into contact with during the last two years at this school, she
was able to overcome that crisis.
The bonds that she was
able to form. Probably she was able to smile now because she realized the power
of this bond. She understood her own immaturity, accepted it, and knew that she
could change.
"Yeah... maybe
so. But I still don't know much about love and stuff..."
She has been living
her life with the goal of avenging her family and reclaiming her homeland. She
knew that she will have to marry someone sooner or later, but she still didn't
know what love was.
But there were people
who wanted to help her. Shīna's best friend and her boyfriend, smiling in front
of her. A little girl who smiled so adorably and her family and friends.
"Also……"
An ordinary
katana-wielding boy that can be found anywhere.
He had a lot of
difficulties with his powers and his childhood friends. There are times when he
got depressed because he worries too much, but still, he was the one who tried to
help her without hesitation even though she had been throwing abusive words at
him.
Shīna is still unsure
of what Mimuru means by love. But .......
Shīna's hand naturally
reached for her own lips.
"By the way,
Shīna kissed Nozomu-kun, didn't she? Since you're here, why don't you tell
Somia-chan how you felt about it?"
"... Eeh!?"
"Ah~, that's
right! Shīna-san, you were kissing Nozomu-san!"
Kiss, kiss, kiss
.......
That word kept going
round and round in Shīna's mind.
It reminded her of the
time when she saved Nozomu from being swallowed by a dragon in the forest.
The contract magic she
used to bring his consciousness back. The contract method at that time was
.......
The silky white skin
of Shīna turned red all at once. The whirling mind caused her to overheat, and
things that were important in everyday life, such as physical appearance,
intelligence, and many other things, were thrown out of her head at once,
without question.
"Please! Please
tell me! How did it feel! Did it taste like lemon!?"
"W-why are you so
curious? Isn't it completely different compared to that Lansa girl!"
"Isn't it fine to
tell me! I was only kissing his cheeks, so I wonder how it feels when you kiss
his lips..."
"Ehh? What does
that mean? When did you kiss him?"
"When we went on
a date!"
Somia had already left
his side when Shīna found Mimuru and the others following Somia's date. That
was why Shīna didn't know that Somia had kissed him.
By the way, neither
Somia herself nor Shīna noticed that Somia's story had somehow shifted from a
story about her friend who had kissed to a story about someone else.
For Shīna herself,
various new facts were discovered by her. Before she knew it, Shīna herself was
in on the story.
However, Mimuru was
looking at the two of them with a grin as the conversation heated up.
"But currently,
Nozomu-kun is with Irisdina-san! They are doing a request~. Just the two of
them alone in a place where no one can get in their way! I wonder what
Nozomu-kun and Irisdina-san are doing right now~"
The stuffy feeling in
her chest that she had felt earlier came up again, and a bulging vein appeared
on Shīna's forehead.
It seemed that Feo had
been away for some time, but that didn't seem to matter to her now.
"... Mimuru, come
behind that bookshelf for a minute."
"……Eh?"
Shīna grabbed her bad
friend by the collar and tried to lead her behind the bookshelf. Somia, who was
standing beside Shīna, looked a bit confused.
"Shi-Shīna. Don't
make such a face. You'll ruin your beautiful face... Can't you just smile and
laugh it off as Somia-chan did..?"
"……No way"
Shīna interrupted
Mimuru's words with a smile and ambiguous words.
It seemed that a lot
of things that were buried deep inside her had finally come out. Her reaction
was fierce, as her personality usually restrained her from doing many things.
"Shīna-san, do
you want to use this?"
Saying so, Somia took
out a book that was so thick that it had to be a thousand pages long. It was
the book that Mimuru had been looking for Tom.
Somia was merciless as
she casually handed over something that would make the punishment even
stricter.
"Yeah, I'll
borrow it."
"Wait, what are
you going to do with that? If you're not careful, my head will be dented!"
Ignoring Mimuru's
desperate cries, Shīna took the edge of the book Somia offered her, hold it
with one hand.
Shīna's slender hands
raised up the thick book, giving it an indescribably intimidating look.
"S-Someone,
please help me!"
Feeling her life was
in danger, Mimuru desperately tried to resist. But it was all in vain.
As others can see from
Shīna grabbing up the thick book earlier, Shīna who was an archer was used to
holding the string and arrows drawn in the position until she took aim, so her
grip was actually quite strong.
The cat girl flailed
frantically, but Shīna's hand grabbed her by the collar and didn't falter.
Shīna took Mimuru away
with a thin smile on her face. Then Mimuru's scream echoed throughout the
library.
By the way, Shīna and
the others were scolded by the librarian for shouting so loudly that the window
panes shook, and they were all kicked out of the library, but they deserved it.
================================
After receiving a
great scolding from the librarian and returning to her room in the girls'
dormitory, Shīna fell straight onto her bed and the bed caught her.
Her uniform might get
wrinkled, but her current mind was so shaken that she didn't care about that.
The words Mimuru's
said in the library kept running through her mind until she returned to the
dormitory.
(Just the two of them
alone in a place where no one can get in their way! I wonder what Nozomu-kun
and Irisdina-san are doing right now~)
The depth of her chest
couldn't calm down. She looked up at the familiar ceiling without any lights
on.
"It's not that I
don't want to be with him..."
Shīna turned her head
to the side, her red cheeks puffed out in a grimace. She shrank down and while
squeezing and holding her knees.
Her gesture was like
that of a young child.
Shīna remained still
for a while, but then she put her hand on her chest, exhaled heavily, and
turned to lie on her back again. Then, staring blankly at the ceiling, she
relaxed her body and slowly closed her eyes.
Eventually, her body
gradually began to glow faintly. It was the light of magical power.
It was not a good
thing to use magic in a girl's dormitory like this.
The usual serious
Shīna would not have done such a thing, but she couldn't help but be concerned
about those two in the forest.
Fortunately, this was her
own room. There was no presence of anyone from the next room either. While
Shīna was paying attention to the presence around her, she gradually increased
her magic power.
The glowing light
leaked from her body, similar to contract magic.
After temporarily
increasing her magic power, she did not scatter her magic power to the
surroundings as she did when she made a spirit contract but concentrated her
magic power directly on one point within herself.
Shīna concentrated her
magic power on the path that she had previously opened with contract magic.
Normally, the path
would have disappeared naturally, but she had been pouring her own magic power
into it regularly and had been maintaining it for a long time.
Why she was doing
this, she herself did not know. However, the thought of that connection
disappearing made her feel a sense of loss as if a hole had been left in her
heart.
The spiritual path
that was about to break was suddenly expanded.
She gently and
carefully expanded the unstable spiritual path as if she were handling a
precious treasure.
"Nnn……"
As she closed her
eyelids and felt the pitch-black world, Shīna began to feel somewhat lonely. A
wry smile appeared on her face as she remembered how she had tried to reclaim
her hometown, even if she was alone.
To be honest, it's not
a good thing to do to connect a spiritual path without telling the person in
question. Contract magic, which connects two different entities, can be very
dangerous depending on how it is used.
After the battle with
the Undead Dragon in the forest, she tried to connect this magic path again,
but she also tried to restrain herself by saying no to herself.
But when he woke up
and she heard his past from his mouth, she couldn't stop herself anymore.
The sad smile on his
face flashed through her mind, and she couldn't help but feel her heart
tighten.
It was somehow similar
to the urge she felt in the library today.
"I'm really
worried about him ..."
It reminded her of
today when she was talking to Tima alone in the library. What she thought of
Mars...
What she senses beyond
the gradually opening magic path is the presence of the man she cares about.
Her pitch-black vision
gradually became brighter. However, she still kept her eyes closed and didn't
open her eyelids. It was because a small white light was approaching from the
depths of the world that had been shrouded in darkness.
When she saw the
light, her mouth naturally relaxed. When she saw the light, the guilt and
frustration she had been feeling cleared away as if it were a lie.
What she saw now was
his heart. It was the figure of the man who had once saved her life and helped
her get along with her best friend.
The growing magic
power strengthened the connection between her and him through her body.
Then a small light in
front of her exploded into the darkness with a flash of light.
A gust of wind hit
Shīna's body. But she felt the wind with her whole body with a smile on her
face.
At the same time, a
faint light spread out and enveloped Shīna's body. She felt as if everything
about her was wrapped up by him.
"Fufu……!"
Feelings of joy
naturally surged.
Eventually, with the
sensation of breaking through the clouds, Shīna felt a sense of comfort as if
her whole body was enveloped in the wind.
His vision became
clear.
But all of a sudden,
what she saw ahead was a bright red flame that reminded her of her lost hometown.
"... Eh? What's
going on!?"
Shīna shouted in
surprise due to the sight of what looked like hell.
The flames illuminated
the figure of Nozomu with his back turned to her. Lisa Hounds and Ken Notis
were facing him.
And the appearance of
a gigantic raging dragon projected in the air overlapped with Nozomu.
"Don't go! Come
back!"
The feeling of tension
rose at once. Anxiety and fear welled up in her chest, and before she knew it,
she was shouting at the top of her lungs.