Volume 1
Chapter 26
We're Reunited
Translator : PolterGlast
I was running pretty
fast towards the town.
I felt like I was
being called, but I didn't know what was calling me, why, or where it was
calling me from.
I didn't know, but for
some reason, I felt like I had to hurry back.
As the outer walls of
the town came into view, I discovered the aftermath of a battle at a certain
point. Numerous blast marks, a carriage, a large number of human corpses lying
nearby, a few human figures standing, and───a giant bullet of lightning (or something like it) about to swallow up
those figures.
The people standing
there were aware of the lightning, but they were just surprised and couldn't do
anything. If they continued like this, they would definitely be hit directly.
If the people standing
there were completely unrelated to me, I would have just passed by without
doing anything. After all, it had nothing to do with me.
But among the figures
was the figure of Kakyoin-san. The person who told me to protect her was about
to be attacked.
So, I immediately
changed my course to the front of the carriage───arriving in front of
Kakyōin-san and the others before the lightning attack, and then───I thrust my fist
towards the lightning.
□□□
[Runa's POV]
I was careless. I was
completely off guard.
Even if no one else
was caught in my perception magic, it didn't necessarily mean that there were
no more bandits left. There was a good possibility that their allies were
lurking outside my perception's effective range.
And yet, I was
intoxicated by the newly acquired power and became complacent.
As a result, I was
outwitted.
I was attacked by
magic from outside the range of my perception magic───and it was of the
highest level.
By the time I sensed
the attack with my perception magic, the enemy's magic was already close enough
to be seen.
And then I made my
second mistake.
I was greatly agitated
by the enemy's sudden attack.
To use magic,
imagination is necessary. In other words, if your imagination is vague, magic
will not manifest. That's why there are incantations and magic circles to
enhance imagination.
But I was flustered. I
fell into a state where I couldn't think properly. Because of that, I couldn't
form a good image and failed to use magic.
There was no more time
to refine the image. The magic attack was almost upon me.
I braced myself for
the direct hit of this powerful magic.
The moment I was sure
the magic would hit, I instinctively closed my eyes.
Immediately after
that, a tremendous roar sounded.
For a moment, I was
under the illusion that I had been attacked, but I soon realized that wasn't
the case.
I slowly opened my
eyes. What came into view was───
“Yo, Kakyōin-san, that was a close one.”
There, standing
unharmed and smiling at me, was Kushina.
□□□
When I turned around
towards Kakyōin-san after repelling the lightning-like attack, she had a dazed
look on her face, as if she didn't know what had happened.
But she must have
quickly understood the situation, as she immediately returned to her usual
expression.
"You're late."
"………Ugh."
Even though I had come
back here with considerable speed as soon as I felt something was off, I seemed
to have been too slow. I wonder if I'll
get a lecture about that later.
"Y-You
are...?"
Then, I remembered
that there were other people besides Kakyōin-san, so I turned my attention to
them.
One of them was
wearing clothes that were clearly more expensive than the others. It looked
like a school uniform. Moreover, she had striking red hair in a ponytail, which
made her quite memorable. She looked surprised to see me suddenly appear.
The others were all
similarly armed. They were not only surprised by me but also wary. Were they
guards?
"Don't worry,
Akana. This is Kushina. He's my companion... or rather, more like a
bodyguard."
"───! Runa-san's..."
The red-haired woman
looked convinced by Kakyōin-san's explanation. The others, however, didn't let
down their guard at all.
Since the introduction
was over, Kakyōin-san turned back to me.
"So, Kushina,"
"What?"
"Go catch the
person who used that magic just now."
"Got it."
Since Kakyōin-san told
me to catch the person who fired that lightning-like attack, I ran straight
towards the direction from which the lightning had come.
□□□
[Bandit's POV]
What... what was
that!?
I... I fired a
highest-tier magic spell, you know? The pinnacle of magic───the most powerful
magic!!
And you... you blocked
it with your fist? Without any tricks!?
I don't understand, I
don't understand at all!
People with
extraordinary skills───sages or masters, it
seems they can cut down even certain types of magic without any mechanisms.
But the highest level
is different. The higher the difficulty level and the longer the time it takes
to charge, the more difficult it becomes. Even sages or masters would find it
extremely difficult to cut it down barehanded.
And yet, that guy,
without even using a weapon, overpowered my highest-tier magic.
My skill is still far
from that of the transcendent. Even with the highest-tier magic, I can barely
cast it.
But it is the highest
level, you know? Needless to say, its power is immense. And yet───
I don't know... I
don't know anything like that. I'm not supposed to mess with that kind of
thing!!
Run... I have to run!
I shouldn't get involved with that. Run away now! If I want to live!!
My survival instinct
was blaring an alarm, and I was about to leave the scene, following it.
But then───
BAOOM!!!
Something passed by at
an incredible speed, followed by a violent wind that struck me.
"Whoa!?"
What the heck!?
"Ah, there you
are. Found you."
□□□
The lightning-like
attack I had seen earlier had approached Kakyōin-san and the others in a
straight line without veering off.
So I thought that if I
went in the opposite direction of the lightning, I would meet the person who
had launched the attack... but no, I passed by too quickly. I never thought the
caster would be so close, so I passed right by the trail of lightning and the
figure.
I quickly changed
direction───returning to where I
had seen the figure.
"Ah, there you
are. Found you."
Those words slipped
out of my mouth unintentionally.
The person there
looked at me as if I were a monster or something.
"Are you the one
who attacked Kakyōin-san?"
Just in case, I asked
to make sure.
"N-No...
I..."
Huh? No? But the trail
of lightning continues from right here. If this person didn't fire it, why was
this person unharmed? Did they lie? Or did they just arrive, noticing something
strange?
I can't figure it out.
I'll leave that judgment to Kakyōin-san.
If I'm wrong, I'll
just apologize later.
"Alright"
"W-Whoa, let me
go!"
I grabbed the man's
collar and lifted him up. Then while carrying him, I returned to Kakyōin-san.
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