Forty-First Chapter
Bystander Lurking in the Twilight
The huge signs of battle were strewn across the ground, and remnants of the massive spells remained in the air even now.
There was also a massive crater-like hole stretching a kilometer in diameter next to the deposit. But now that it was all over, there was no human presence nearby.
The sun was finally starting to set, the light shining down on the wasteland growing dim.
A figure was walking inside the hole, casually making their way to the center where that fierce battle had taken place a few hours before. Beautiful white hair hung down from the person’s shoulders, fluttering in the wind like a woman’s long hair.
The figure wore a long coat with blue and white stripes, and had their hands shoved into their pockets. It was just barely possible to make out that he was male with his tall and slim body, but even that took a few moments to determine, the reason being that he had an unreal presence to him. His presence and form were incredibly vague. It was clear he was no ordinary person, as his every movement gave off an abnormal atmosphere.
As the sun set, he muttered to no one in particular, “Ms. Elise is as cautious as always, I see. I assumed that Hazan would run rampant, but she managed to rein him in well enough. I had hoped they would finish off the ranked No. 1 there, but I guess that was asking for too much. Still, it appears that he is more troublesome than anticipated... Alus Reigin.”
The tone of his voice was as high and clear as a woman’s, but it seemed to take on a bitter tinge at the end. However, his face peeking out from his neatly cut bangs wore a fearless smile. “Hmm... just who would come to a remote place like this?” he muttered.
“Did you hear that Elise and that idiot Hazan went up against Rusalca’s scion...?”
No one else but the man was supposed to be here, yet a woman’s voice rang out. Shortly after, she appeared in the corner of his eye, wearing exactly what you’d expect from a sociable city girl.
She had a truly calm and simplistic atmosphere to her. That said, it would be one thing if they were in a town, but as they were on a battlefield in the Outer World, that only made her all the more unsettling.
The woman, Dakia, held her arms behind her back and casually kicked a pebble on the ground. The small gesture was perfectly fitting for a plain city girl, but there was a sense of deliberateness to her actions.
“What a surprise. To think you survived.”
“Surprised? With that kind of cold attitude?” the mischievous voice said from behind him, but the man showed no sign of turning around as he continued on his walk to the center of the hole.
“Not at all, I am quite surprised, you see. You were supposed to have been killed by Alus Reigin, after all. But I suppose it wouldn’t be all that surprising, knowing you... So, did Elise properly finish Jean Rumbulls off? I am expecting much from her.”
“Didn’t you hear it from her? Unfortunately, he managed to escape... it seems.”
Hearing Dakia’s reply, the man snorted as he finally came to a stop.
The entire area near the center of the crater was stained a blackish brown. Those who knew what had happened here some hours ago would realize that it was the blood that Alus had spilled.
The man pulled his hand out of one pocket and put it on his chin as he thought. Considering his expression, however, it didn’t look like he was thinking at all. But he must have come here with a certain objective in mind. “With this, that person won’t complain. If anything, I am sure to receive a high evaluation. Godma’s research wasn’t in vain... that man did some fine work.”
Godma Barhong had come close to establishing a means to enhance humans, but with those defects, they would have been difficult to put to use anyway. It might have gone differently if he’d had the latest research data, but those plans were crushed by the ranked No. 1.
But based on the results, the data the man had received was good enough. The plan might have gone awry, but ultimately it was only delayed, and it might even wind up turning into something better than expected.
The man held his arm out over the blackish-brown stain. Within a few seconds several red drops floated up from the ground, as if being squeezed upward. Only the liquid was extracted, leaving the dirt and sand behind, and the blood formed a sphere the size of a fist.
He stared at the blood, and pulled his other hand out of its pocket. In it was what looked like a test tube. With a familiar motion, he opened the lid with his thumb, and the red liquid flowed into the tube as if it was being absorbed.
Closing the lid, the man stared at the test tube filled with red liquid with a satisfied expression, and put it back in his pocket. And then, as if suddenly recalling something, he said, “I see, so Jean Rumbulls wasn’t eliminated either... well, the situation being as it was, they probably didn’t use the Four-Tail. So, Ms. Dakia, do you have any intentions of returning...”
The woman interrupted the man with a laugh. With the sun lighting her up from behind, she wore an arrogant smile. “Sorry, but I got in the way. You should teach them better... Besides, I’m more interested in your coming to collect that... Mekfis. Or do you perhaps go by Enouve now...?”
The edges of the man’s lips, which had lifted up, now sank down. And he replied in a tone full of hostility, “Hmm, it’s been a long time since I went by that name. By the way, Enouve is not a name I gave myself... it was simply the name used for that place.” An archaic smile came over the man once called Mekfis.
And then his expression changed, as something clicked for him. “I see, so that’s how it is. You... learned something there, didn’t you? I thought it was strange that a troublesome Fiend would appear near the deposit. You can be pretty heartless. Oh, and by the way, whose body is that?”
“Who knows? If you tell me what you’re going to use that blood for, I might feel like telling you.”
“Hmph, so you say... you have no intention of telling me, do you? So... who are you going to side with?”
Dakia let out an empty laugh, her white teeth showing as she did. “The side that would be more convenient for me! Since we’re old friends, I was thinking of overlooking you as long as you didn’t get in my way, buuuut—I guess that won’t work, will it?”
Mekfis smiled wryly at Dakia’s jesting. “I wonder. However, I’d rather not get involved with you. I always did have a hard time getting a read on you,” he told her, turning around, as if speaking to an old friend, while he played around with the test tube with one hand.
The atmosphere between them was anything but casual. Neither had any reason to oppose the other for the moment, so they were merely exchanging empty words.
Soon Mekfis’ long white hair fluttered as he shrugged, tiring of this pointless waste of time. “It’s a shame to say, but my time is limited.” His eyes gazed into the distance. He’d sighted several people coming this way.
“Yes, so it seems... I think I’ll take my leave now.” Dakia spun on her heel, as if she’d been out on a walk, but turned to look over her shoulder at Mekfis. Her face was an expressionless void, her empty eyes even cloudier now. “Audeogecht, the Fourth Book of Fegel.”
“—!!”
Dakia’s parting remark caused Mekfis to narrow his eyes.
The next moment, her body dispersed into the sunlight. It was like all of the blood in her body had abruptly burst out without warning.
Blood rained down, and a putrid odor rose up. Some of the blood splattered onto Mekfis’ cheek, which he licked up. “A corpse... so it was a puppet, as expected.”
He’d seen Dakia as a problem and decided to eliminate her, but it seemed that it was pointless after all. He’d vaguely expected as much. She was the greatest authority when it came to this kind of magic. Her real body was somewhere else, as she remotely controlled a temporary body.
“I’ll need to report this to that person. Whoops, it looks like they’re arriving sooner than expected... so this face would be bad.”
Out of the Magicmasters making their way here, one was faster than the rest. Mekfis turned his back to them and grinned. The next moment, his body twisted and distorted. His hair turned a deep red color as his entire body changed shape.
Before long, his height, body type, facial features, eye color and so on, had all changed into something completely different. His chin had stubble, his hair was disheveled, and his body was covered in thick muscles. His clothing had changed from the robe he wore before into an official Balmes military uniform.
After his body had taken on its new appearance, Mekfis, or rather the man who’d been Mekfis just before, asked himself in a deep voice, “Now, who was this again? Well, there’s no doubt it was one of Balmes’ Magicmasters... I can’t be bothered remembering the names of everyone I kill.” Either way, in this form he wouldn’t arouse too much suspicion in the approaching Magicmasters.
“Hm?! This guy can only use magic at this level? Why did I even bother remembering him... he’ll be useful this time, but I should really sort things out.” The man awkwardly scratched his stubble, and scowled at the sense that nothing felt right.
After collecting himself, he gazed at his uniform pocket. “But this is extraordinary. I can hardly wait. But it looks like I’ll have to hold off on trying it for the time being...” With an ecstatic expression, he touched the pocket, confirming the sensation of the test tube inside.
His current appearance would do for now, but if he were to transform into the owner of the blood he’d just collected, he’d stand out too much. So for now, he ran towards Balmes in this poorly performing body. His speed was less than half of what it had been before, so this body must’ve been a Triple or a Quad.
The power to change into the body of anyone he’d memorized was Mekfis’ ability. However, the abilities of the body he transformed into were brought along with it, so there were problems at times.
Moreover, while he could handle bodies inferior to his own without problems, whether he could use the spells of those superior to him relied purely on his own techniques. And while his appearance changed, his amount of mana didn’t.
Even with these flaws, this power had plenty of uses. And with Godma’s research, he was now able to replicate the information from blood.
In the past, whenever he changed into a body, he could only use superficial information such as spells they specialized in and their affinities. It was just a small sample size that could be scooped up from the mana information.
But now, his power had been refined to be able to copy all of the spells they could use. He was able to accurately read their information from taking in their blood.
However, that was limited to the fixed information on mana and magic. He wasn’t able to extract any experiences or memories from the blood. But at least, he could make the body’s specs and magic specialization into his own.
That’s why the blood he’d gathered was enough to make him overjoyed. “This will make for a great show... I wonder what kind of face you’ll make when that time comes, or will you simply be led around by the nose? Either way, I’ll get to see a wonderful dance of ruination.”
***
At Balmes’ military headquarters, various high-ranking Magicmasters, including Singles, were arriving and gathering.
In the midst of this, Lettie and her squad came in, carrying Alus and Loki. That sparked an uproar, and it would probably only be a matter of time before the commotion would spread beyond headquarters.
Berwick had taken on the overall command of operations, and after hearing a direct report from Lettie on the elimination of the Devourer, he was told of Alus’ injuries, which caused a deep crease in his brow. He’d managed to come out of it alive, but his condition was critical.
He had known Alus since before he was a Magicmaster. Alus had taken on plenty of grueling missions in the past, but he’d never been this seriously injured before.
After seeing the two being carried into the emergency room, Berwick got very busy. As for what drove him, he wasn’t just confirming facts, but he also had a bigger question in the back of his mind.
That’s when Lettie said to him, “Governor-General, this is about Allie’s power!” There was anger in her voice, and she glared at Berwick.
“What are you talking about?” Berwick tried to brush her off, but at the same time he seemed to realize something about Alus’ condition. Alus was no doubt the biggest contributor to the mission’s success, but he had an idea of what might have happened. “—!! Don’t tell me it ran rampant!!”
His expression froze, and a moment later he realized he’d shouted this out. “Actually, this is a bad place for this. I’ll listen to your report in a different room.”
“...” Lettie wordlessly followed after Berwick as he left the room, her eyes fixed on his back which almost seemed to be shaking. His fist was also firmly clenched.
That’s when another person stopped them. “Commander, I ask to be allowed to attend as well. If this was an enemy capable of pushing Alus that much... even if it was eliminated, if it really was an SS-class, we need to know more about it to prepare for all scenarios.”
Calling out to them was Rusalca’s Single, Jean Rumbulls. He had a couple of subordinates with him, and wore a serious expression.
He’d returned to Balmes after his battle with Kurama, and had only just finished receiving basic treatment. There was still a bandage wrapped around his arm, but he showed no other signs of injury as he and his subordinates stared at Berwick. It was unclear where Jean had learned about Alus’ special ability, or how much he knew, but it appeared he knew at least some of it.
Lettie cursed his poorly-timed arrival in her mind. She personally didn’t like him, but there was also the fact that the Governor-General had kept Alus’ special ability a secret even from another Single like her. Letting another country’s Single probe into it was going too far.
And sure enough... “Sir Jean, I am grateful for your aid. If not for that, Alpha’s mission might have been completely derailed.”
Jean clearly wanted to say something more to justify his presence, but Berwick skillfully cut his flow off. “I’ve been left with the duty of overall command. So I will listen to the report first, and then I will create a written report to publish to all the nations. So you’ll have to settle for the mission being successful for the time being. That aside, you are still on a defense mission. Just because the SS-class has been eliminated doesn’t mean you can let your guard down. The Outer World is still in an uproar, and there are reports of abnormal appearances of Fiends.”
As a result of the Devourer taking out the Fiends around it, those that survived had begun migrating elsewhere. Because of that, the previously established territories of high-classed Fiends had changed. “At any rate, you can’t be too careful. Without the support of others, this nation might not even be able to withstand a small invasion. Right now we need to compile the reports, cross-check everything including their authenticity, and take new measures as soon as possible.”
“With all due respect, as Rusalca’s representative, I have the right to receive that report as well,” Jean said, refusing to back down. Even though he and Alus were friends, he had always felt that there was something mysterious about him. And that thought had turned to conviction during the rulers conference.
Information on Singles was usually kept confidential, but in Alus’ case it had gone to extreme lengths. Rusalca had approached Alpha for information on him a number of times, including when the two nations had worked together on a joint operation. Of course, they had received nothing.
“That’s enough, Jean Rumbulls!” a loud voice echoed through the hallway, making everyone stop.
All turned to look in the direction of the voice, finding a man in the prime of his life slowly making his way over with his arms behind his back. His strides were long and imposing. The clothes he wore were less suitable for a ruler, being more practically focused, as if he was going to lead troops into battle.
“Lord Haorge!”
“Jean, what we need to focus on is solidifying defenses and eliminating the threat of Fiends. There are Fiends prowling in the Outer World that could strike at any moment to take advantage of this opportunity... they’ll need to be mopped up to keep them in check. Besides, the target was eliminated, wasn’t it, Governor-General Berwick?”
“There’s no doubt about it.”
“Alpha was only supposed to send out a recon force, but... I hear it even included Singles. I can’t figure out what your nation is planning, but the people present at the time the decision was made weren’t the best ones to decide on a policy. At any rate, if the threat is gone, then nobody is going to complain. That’s just how it is, Jean. If you have any further complaints, you can save it until everything’s over.”
“I understand...” Jean nodded his head grudgingly.
“Good, that’s how it should be. Of course, all of the reports will be shared,” Haorge Maizon Jecopheres, Iblis’ ruler, added, as if picking up on Jean’s concern. He turned to Berwick. “Just leave the defense to us, Governor-General Berwick. Also... I assume you heard about Hydrange’s delay?”
“Yes, it seems they still haven’t left their borders. I received a report that Clevideet will soon arrive. They’ll be positioned north of Hydrange.” Balmes and Iblis were neighbors, so Iblis’ forces would position themselves near their own borders—an attempt to alleviate any worries that another nation might strike at the opportunity and invade. Balmes was located to the northeast of Babel, and Hydrange was north of Balmes. To the southeast was Iblis, and further south of Iblis was Clevideet.
However—“You don’t have to worry about Iblis. We still have enough forces in our nation. If Hydrange is going to be late, we will take on defending the north. So position Clevideet around Iblis’ side. Halcapdia should be arriving from the north. Just send a message to them and have them join up with us. Once we have the numbers, we’ll be able to cover a decent amount of the area.”
“Thank you very much.”
“I’ll have Vajet come on over.” Haorge turned his attention to the comms in his ear. “You heard that?” he said, contacting the ranked No. 2, Iblis’ Vajet Olagram.
“Might I take on that duty?” Jean asked, staring right at Haorge. Then he turned to Berwick. “It should get dark in about an hour. Rather than wait for other nations to arrive, please leave the elimination of the surrounding Fiends to us.”
“... I understand. But you are still injured. I’ll need at least fifty to defend the line.”
“My squad alone will be more than enough. Besides, if this kind of scratch kept me from handling my job, I wouldn’t be able to face my subordinates,” Jean said with a smile. It was as if he was saying he could handle this mission on his own.
“Do as you please, then. But in exchange, sunset will be your time limit.”
Jean straightened his posture, saluting Berwick, before turning on his heel and instructing his subordinates behind him.
Incidentally, Berwick had intended to contact Haorge, so this was good timing. After seeing Jean and his subordinates off, he got down to business. “Lord Haorge, I’d like to ask about that person...”
Before Berwick could even finish his sentence, Haorge stopped him with a hand gesture, smiling. “That person has already arrived. It was understood that this situation required some heavy lifting.”
“I see...” Berwick looked relieved.
“Your two Magicmasters should be receiving treatment now.”
Haorge’s skillful handling of the situation was probably due to his past as a commander in the military. The fact that he’d commanded on the frontlines in spite of his noble status signified that in Iblis the position of ruler wasn’t just for show, and he still held considerable influence within the military. Because of that, Haorge’s skills in politics and military matters were well known throughout not only Iblis, but all of the human domain.
Meanwhile, Lettie’s squad had gathered in a room with haggard looks on their faces.
They’d all been assigned private rooms, but none of them made any move to leave. An awkward atmosphere dominated the room. Lettie had ordered them to get some rest, but nobody was doing so. The state of Alus wore too heavily on their minds.
All the Magicmasters here knew just how much the existence of the ranked No. 1 supported the Magicmasters in military service. Losing him would mean that they had lost not only significant military power, but also that humanity had lost its support. His existence was an irreplaceable treasure. The fact that they hadn’t been able to be of help to him when he needed it the most made them feel pathetic.
In this oppressive atmosphere, one person was typing on a virtual keyboard at a desk. She shared the same state of mind as the others, but this paperwork was the perfect distraction.
The woman, Rinne, got to work immediately after taking a shower. A detailed mission report needed to be written, so she wanted to get to it while the memories were still fresh in her mind.
Normally, she’d only need to report verbally, and she had a secretary she used for that, but this time she had a reason not to do so. The report Lettie had given to her subordinates included a specific instruction. And they’d all come to an agreement to leave a certain detail out of the report.
To use the word “fake” to describe the report would be too extreme. If Rinne were to say, it could be called a simple slip of the pen. Being as serious as she was, she felt some guilt doing this, but Lettie had made it clear that this was under directions from the Governor-General.
Alus Reigin’s injuries were from his battle against the Devourer, a result of the after-effect of its self-destruction... moments later, he used Black Ikazuchi to erase the target from existence, but it unexpectedly caused a super anti-magic explosion, creating a crater-like hole over 1 kilometer in diameter...
She felt truly guilty as she wrote, but her hands wouldn’t stop, and she ran the text through her mind to confirm it. The focus of the report was the elimination of the Devourer. Anything after that could be considered redundant. Not to mention that when it came to Alus’ secret, Cicelnia would have likely given her the same instructions.
Rinne used that reasoning to convince herself, her wet hair fluttering as she pulled her chin in. After glancing around the room, she returned to her virtual keyboard and screen as if to escape from the heavy atmosphere.
The uncomfortable time was passing terribly slowly. While she’d only spent a little time together with the squad, she didn’t feel like she could be the only one to retreat to her personal room. That was why she was trying her best to distract herself with busywork.
She sighed to herself. I hope Lady Lettie will come back soon.
As for that Lettie... she was currently standing in front of a certain room after giving her umpteenth report to Berwick. It was the emergency room that Alus had been carried into.
She leaned against the door and closed her eyes. The heavy door was locked and showed no sign of opening. It had been over three hours since Alus had disappeared inside.
Loki had come out an hour ago after receiving emergency treatment. She’d suffered aggravated but few injuries and mental exhaustion, and her life hadn’t been in danger. But the speed of her restoration was thanks to a healing Magicmaster who was at work in the emergency room even now.
The room was specialized for healing, its walls and floor made from precious gems that blocked out mana. When it was active, one could deploy a massive magic circle on its floor that was highly efficient, capable of absorbing even the mana remnants in the air. In a sense, the entire room was like a healing barrier.
The magic circle was active now, and was without a doubt the strongest healing spell known to humankind. And its creator was in the same room, treating Alus.
When Loki was carried out on a stretcher, Lettie asked to be let in, but was refused entry. As a Single, she could easily flow mana unconsciously, and there were concerns that her mana might disturb the magic in the place. And it was because she understood this, not wanting to leave anything up to chance, that she had been waiting outside the room for over two hours now.
It wasn’t just that she was worried about Alus. Simply put, she wanted some time alone to think.
Lettie was trying to wrap her head around the information about Alus’ hidden power that she’d heard from the Governor-General. That kind of special ability is definitely the natural enemy of Fiends... but I guess it’s a double-edged sword that could also be turned against humans...
Starting off, Berwick had told her about the first case of the special ability running rampant that he knew of. As Alus’ overwhelming combat capability had begun to bud, Berwick, who’d heard about the special ability from Alus himself, had immediately established a temporary squad.
It was a special forces squad with Vizaist as its captain. The selection of personnel was probably a coincidence, but making the sharp Vizaist Alus’ superior had worked out for the best.
After that, Alus had been assigned to missions to accurately measure the potential of his special ability. Berwick had also set up a research team to investigate special abilities, but they had been unable to come up with any results.
At the time, it was clear that Alus’ power was overwhelming against Fiends. The information was designated as top secret, and he was given secret training and missions to bring the power under control.
And just as Alus’ control training was starting to show results... the ability ran rampant for the first time.
On that day, a large-scale force of Fiends had moved on Alpha, and shortly after Alus’ deployment, the incident happened.
All Fiends within a several hundred meter radius disappeared at once. From what Berwick had heard from Vizaist, he’d had a hard time covering up the incident.
With a wry smile, Berwick told Lettie he’d felt like he had discovered the beginning of humanity’s counterattack. However, the problems that came with it weren’t that easily resolved. They were unable to completely figure out the specifics of the ability, or how to perfectly control it, meaning that they couldn’t publicly announce it.
An overwhelming power could sometimes create fear. And using the word control pointed to a certain degree of risk, which could give way to unwarranted speculation. It was unclear what kind of price they would have to pay if something happened.
When thinking of the disasters of the past, Berwick chose to continue to use Alus. At times, one needed to become a monster to take one down. He felt that this power that exceeded human knowledge needed to be used.
But there were few who shared his thinking. And the top brass at the time were unable to accept the suggestion.
But... putting everything on his shoulders is just cruel.
No, perhaps the Governor-General was willing to accept that for the sake of humanity’s survival. To lead Alus to become a Magicmaster who could carry the future of the nation—no, of all of humanity.
Maybe that was why he’d kept it a secret all this time, slowly starting negotiations with other nations, especially major ones like Rusalca, to remove obstacles in his way. He was taking the steps to get them to admit that this power was important and necessary for humanity. All to ensure that Alus could someday walk down the path of light.
His reclaiming of a continent on his own was one of his biggest achievements, but announcing that would only make the other nations suspect something, and they’d struggle to accept it as the truth. Since the person in question was still only sixteen years old, it would cast doubt on his achievements and only have the opposite effect, which was why the truth was kept vague.
Of course, a complete cover-up wouldn’t work in their favor either. They would sometimes let some of the truth slip out, so that once Alus grew up and his position was solidified, the full story of his achievements would be beyond question... or at least Lettie hoped so.
So Allie’s retirement should have hurt the Governor-General quite a bit... serves him right, Lettie mischievously chuckled to herself. Gra Eater, mana that only eats mana, huh... It was a special ability she’d never heard of before.
Mana was said to be the life force. And Lettie realized that its behavior of greedily devouring was just like that of a Fiend’s. That’s why there would be people who would distrust that ability. That was probably the reason why Berwick hadn’t shared the information too widely within Alpha.
In the worst case, the ability would be met with extreme resistance, and maybe some would even move to have it eliminated entirely. And if that happened, there’d be more than one or two who would end up getting caught up in it. Not only would it not protect Alus, it would put Berwick’s position at risk, too. That might also lead humanity one step closer to ruin. And the fools responsible for it would inch ever closer to a living hell, unaware of the consequences.
But in for a penny, in for a pound as they say. Sometimes it’s a necessary evil...
Because Lettie was lost in thought, her reaction to what happened next was a little delayed. The doors to the emergency room finally opened.
The first thing Lettie did was to rush the doors and question the greatest healing Magicmaster, the Saint of Iblis, who was leaving the room. “Lady Nexolis, how is Allie...?”
The Saint of Iblis had deep wrinkles and an unhappy look on her face. “So you are still here, lass. I don’t know who you think you are, but don’t underestimate me. My back might hurt now, but I only came out to get some air.”
“E-Excuse me. I’m Lettie Kultunca, one of Alpha’s Single Digit Magicmasters.” But from what Lettie could tell, Nexolis didn’t have as much composure as her words might make it sound. The drops on her forehead spoke volumes of how exhausted she was.
Still, so this is who was once called a saint... She snuck a glance at the woman again.
The woman who was tapping her bent back was in her mid-70s. Rolling down the sleeves of her coat, she let out a heavy sigh. If not for her clothes, she’d look like your average old woman. One might expect a certain degree of beauty from a saint. Unfortunately, Lettie didn’t know how she’d looked in her younger days, but there was no doubting her ability as a healing Magicmaster.
“Hmph! So yer the gal from Alpha... forcing yet another one to go too far. I just can’t ever like your nation. Still, if that kid’s the current ranked No. 1, what is this world coming to...”
“T-That’s...”
“Well, even if you say it, it can’t be helped. It’s not like I can’t understand, though. Any nation would want to use someone with that much mana. But why is that kind of monster here to begin with? Did he wander in from some other world?”
“I-I don’t know that, but there’s no doubt that Allie’s the greatest Magicmaster in history!” Lettie proudly boasted, but Nexolis only snorted and turned away.
... When her body suddenly stumbled. “Whoa... so where are you headed?” Lettie asked, hurrying over to support her.
“What? I was just thinking of getting a look at the mug of someone I saved in the past, while getting some air.”
Lettie didn’t know who that was, but she was still worried about Alus’ state. And Nexolis could see right through her. “Don’t worry, lass. That kid’s stable for the time being. He doesn’t have a scratch left on him. At any rate we can’t move him yet, so for now we wait and see as the healing sets in. I don’t know the details, but he’s been taking in more mana than his vessel can handle. You could say that there’s a bomb strapped to his heart, so it’s best not to tamper with him. Or rather... there’s nothing we can do.”
“So will Allie wake up?”
“Who knows? At the very least we’ll have to wait until the mana conforms to him and settles down. I’ve done what I can, so the rest is up to the kid.”
Lettie glanced at the door Nexolis had come out of, and looked back at her. Nexolis had always been a pioneer in the field of healing magic. One could even call her a living legend. She’d developed healing magic that had originally only worked on superficial wounds and had taken it to this level, where the body’s natural healing was sped up through magic. Nobody else had even come close to her achievements.
She was a healing Magicmaster working for Iblis, but her fame had spread from long ago. She’d saved countless Magicmasters wounded in battle against Fiends, as well as civilians that even doctors had given up on. By now she was retired from the military and had her own small clinic, but her research continued to this day. With all of this in mind, she was definitely worthy of being called a saint.
“Thank you so much,” Lettie deeply thanked her.
“If you’re going to say yer thanks, how about you carry me? All that standing’s bad for this old body of mine.”
Lettie hurriedly kneeled down on the ground, turning her back to the old woman. “Of course, so where to...?”
“To a sniveling little boy, of course,” the Saint of Iblis said, as she grinned.
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