21. one step (3)
“… Dangerous.”
Georg murmured. It was the car Nella had just burned another hornhog. I shook my head away from the acrid, burnt smoke and looked at Georg. Sniffing the smell wafting through the black smoke, it smelled like grilled pork belly.
“What is so dangerous?”
“If we go on like this, wouldn’t we be in a situation where we would have to kick Daphne out of the party?”
With a snap of her finger, Nella roasted five hornhogs on the spot. Daphne, walking slightly behind him, was in a state where she had not yet been able to activate her magic properly. As always when training with me, small magical sparks flew from her hands and did not change into magic. So far, there has not been a single monster that Daphne has been able to defeat.
“Are you worried? Didn’t you want Nella to win?”
At my question, Georg furrowed his eyebrows uncomfortably. I let out a low, mischievous laugh.
“I was just making an offer that both of you would agree with to stop fighting between the two of you. It wasn’t at all that I was really hoping for someone to win.”
lie. It was not unknown how Nella treated Georg. If Arjen was just an object of thirst, Georg was an easy meat shield. Georg will never want Nella to come back to the party. To make a convincing and inflexible proposal on such a subject, suggesting a confrontation in which Nella has a higher chance of winning. Or are you a f*cking masochist?
“I honestly hope Daphne wins. That’s for sure.”
“Then why did you let Nella and Daphne compete in an obvious contest?”
Georg said to me scoldingly. I squinted my eyes and looked at Daphne. Daphne was still dripping with mana and sparks flying from her hands. However, it felt completely different than usual. I looked at Daphne’s growth with a smile and answered Georg’s question.
“Daphne said she would. Then you believe me, okay?”
paper weave.
Daphne, who usually failed to manifest magic, always had a drooping expression. It was an expression of disappointment in himself and an expression of sorry for me. If the magic failed after trying while brooding over the failure, the movement and expression became heavier.
However, Daphne now had a completely different expression from then.
“The way a bitch with 4 circles can’t even use magic in front of me and wriggles.”
I completely ignore Nella’s provocation. Daphne’s eyes were very immersed in something, like an artist on the verge of coming up with an idea. What was reflected in those eyes wasn’t the image of the monsters rushing in, and it wasn’t even Nella’s image.
Jigsaw Jigsaw!
It has changed. Daphne’s eyes were normal, but Nella’s eyes began to flicker as she turned to Daphne. He seemed to notice that something was changing in Daphne. Nella looked at me and shouted urgently.
“Isn’t this enough already?! Need to see more?”
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No, you didn’t mean to stop either. I laughed and shook my head. You shouldn’t be done watching Daphne break down the wall properly.
“It’s not over yet.”
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Nella’s face contorted with anger and despair. I felt that Daphne’s wasted mana had completely withered at some point. As if looking for something, the purple eyes that were completely immersed in the world of images returned to their original state. Then, I smiled as I checked the magical orb that glowed purple on Daphne’s hand.
one step. You stepped on it.
The mana that had faded soon led to a point of explosion. Daphne stretched out her hand and uttered a spell with her mouth.
Kwagwagwagwang-!!
The purple lightning — no, at this point I should say something in the form of a thunderbolt. A runaway magical power wriggling like a dragon began to blow away the entire forest with a roar.
“… !!”
In the aftermath, Georg and I were pushed back, and Nella hurriedly deployed protective magic to protect herself from the aftermath. The muddy sand was blown away by the wind and splashed like waves. After the rising dust had settled, Georg’s mouth widened as he saw the horror brought by Daphne’s magic.
“… Is this the Lightning Bolt I used to know?”
Why are you making such a fuss? I looked at Daphne with a proud feeling inside. A purple electric current was wrapped around Daphne like armor, sparking. From then on, as if someone had erased the entire forest with an eraser, everything in the place where Daphne’s magic swept through had completely disappeared. Be it trees, land, or monsters.
“Daphne’s magic is special. I’m not surprised. I will grow even more in the future.”
I barely suppressed the urge to run right away and high-five Daphne, and tried to answer calmly. Of course, there was a hint of pride in my voice that I couldn’t hide. Georg stared blankly at the wreckage, then turned to me. An expression of disbelief as well.
“… Did you know it would end like this, Illroy?”
I shrugged. everyone knew Of course, it was purely her credit for breaking down the wall and coming this far. I just watched the process from the sidelines.
“When you see a person, you have to look properly. Well, it’s possible because Daphne worked hard.”
“… what the hell are you… .”
Georg was looking at me with a very mysterious expression. It’s disgusting, so I wish you wouldn’t look at me that way. Georg then sighed.
“Right. Since I believed in you so long ago, all of this must have been possible.”
I smiled at Georg and turned my head back to the wizards. This was the car where the real confrontation would begin.
“… It’s hard to be proud of yourself when you’ve reached a level where you can barely use magic.”
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Nella looked at Daphne and said in a low voice. If you simply look at the numbers, it’s 5 circles against 5 circles. However, Daphne’s five-ring magic was different from Nella’s. And that fact, both Nella and Daphne seem to have realized it.
I think you’d better stop before it gets any uglier.
I muttered to myself as I followed the wizards ahead. And, the massacre of civilians began to be so hard to keep an eye on. Of course, this time there is a difference that the good citizen became Nella instead of Daphne.
Lightning Bolt.
Kwagwagwang-!!
Daphne continued using only the same magic to the point of being terrifying. Every time she stretched out her hand, Nella was forced to watch the monster disappear without being able to use her hand. Nella was forced to do this, and then spread the 4th circle attack magic to deal with the monsters before Daphne did.
“… The magic you know how to use is the 3rd Circle Lightning Bolt, do you think there is only one?”
Daphne frowned and looked down at her hands. Seeing that, Nella laughed. Daphne clenched and opened her fists and shook her head.
“Still, that doesn’t seem to work.”
“… ?”
“No matter how hard it is, I think it will be difficult to win with only ‘Lightning Bolt’.”
“What… ?”
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Nella looked dumbfounded, and Daphne pumped fresh mana from her hands. This time, the flames bloom like flower petals. Daphne sent the fire dancing in her hand into the air. Seeing the magic, Nella’s expression shook violently. The magic of the 5th circle that he mainly used until now – Pillar of Fire. But it was different. The magic that was being completed at Daphne’s fingertips was completely different from Nella’s.
“I was going to make you regret everything I said before.”
Daphne murmured, then clenched her hands tightly. The flame in Daphne’s grip disappeared. In Daphne’s purple eyes it seemed that such a fire had appeared. A gray bear burst through the grass. Daphne’s eyes caught the gray bear, and it roared and began charging at those who were destroying its territory.
Kwaaang-!!
Then, a huge pillar of fire rose up and swallowed the bear. The fire burned fiercely, enveloping the bear’s thick hide and fur. The bear backed away with a scream of pain. It was astonishing how strong he was not to die in one hit.
“… It was not enough.”
Daphne raised her mana again. A spear of shining ice pierced the staggering head of the bear. As if he hadn’t had one, the bear raised its arm high in the sky, even though its head was pierced. Daphne wiggled her finger again with expressionless eyes.
hooked Pupuk. Pupuk.
The ice spears easily pierced the skin of the gray bear, which had been softened by the pillar of fire. Belly skin, back skin, front and hind feet. The gray bear turned into a hedgehog and bled to death. When I thought of the hardship I went through when I defeated that guy, the composure that Daphne now shows while dealing with the gray bear felt frightening.
“[If you don’t be nervous, you’ll fall behind that kid.]”
The Holy Sword said calmly. It seems like I’ve already caught up and still have it. I looked at Daphne, who stood dignified in front of the fallen gray bear, with a wry smile.
“Would you like more?”
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Nella clenched her fist at Daphne’s provocative question. The defeat was clear. But Nella was shaking her head in defiance. I wouldn’t have expected it to be like this.
“It’s not over yet.”
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Nella raised Mana. Daphne might not know it, but Nella would get tired if she consumed more magic than this. He had already wiped out dozens or hundreds of monsters, and continued the forced march with no time to recover in the middle. It wouldn’t be strange if he had already been knocked out unless he was a wizard of a special level.
“yet… .”
A light of magic rises above Nella’s head. It seemed like he was trying to protest that he still had time to spare and that he could fight more. Then, Nella and Daphne’s eyes met.
Paperweight!
The magical energy that had been swirling around Nella disappeared with the sound of an electric current. It was a discharge of magical power. Nella looked at Daphne with a puzzled look. Daphne looked at Nella with suspicious eyes.
Is it time for Nella to step out?
“[No, there must have been some spare mana left.]”
The Holy Sword denied my thoughts. Do you have spare mana left to use?
“[It’s not just the remaining mana that affects a wizard’s magic use. The psychological factor cannot be ignored either. Maybe that wizard is scared of Daphne right now.]”
You said you were scared?
“[yes. The scam has been broken. Even if I wanted to deny it in my heart, my head would have realized it. No matter how hard you struggle now, you won’t be able to overcome this situation. He said he couldn’t beat Daphne. He wasn’t a person with a stronger will than he looked.]”
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No more attacks by the monsters. It seemed to be because the two of them wiped out most of the monsters living in the area. A mountain wind blew. The remains of the monster that had turned to ashes were blown away by the wind.
“You lost.”
Daphne declared Nella’s defeat and her own victory. Nella hung her head, unable to deny or acknowledge the obvious result.
“Fulfill your promise.”
“doggish… year… .”
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Nella turned back, staggering like a bear hit by a pillar of fire. The footsteps that walked back and forth trampled heavily on the ashes.
“Illroy… That’s how you’re going to come out.”
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Nella stopped in front of me like a snake hissing and croaked. I looked down at Nella and let out a small sigh.
“If you want to change that attitude, I am willing to leave it. otherwise… ”
“Don’t be silly, warrior. Catch a disaster and search for it.”
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Nella let out a deep rage and walked past me. I saw Nella’s disappearing back with my eyes, then turned my head to the sound of footsteps behind me.
“Illroy.”
Daphne was standing there. Daphne was smiling as if she had completely relaxed. Daphne came slowly towards me, her legs giving out and she fell forward. He must have used his mental power as much as mana while escaping the trauma that blocked his mind, so it was exhausting. I held up Daphne. Her faint body scent crossed the tip of his nose.
“I did it.”
Daphne said hehehe, in a proud voice mixed with laughter. His cheeks, slightly soiled with ash and dust, flushed. Her weary purple eyes were shining with joy.
“yes. You did it in the end.”
“Thank you for trusting me… woah… .”
Daphne passed out without finishing her words. He seemed to fall into a deep sleep from the fatigue accumulated to the limit. As I hugged Daphne, Georg approached me. He had a somewhat bittersweet, yet relieved expression on his face.
“Good work, Illroy.”
After a brief remark, Georg started back on the road. Now that honest guy won’t have to suffer because of people.
“Work… Roy.”
I heard Daphne’s drool. Even in deep sleep, she had a light smile on her face. Daphne’s ordeal is over. I was genuinely delighted with the fact, and brushed a strand of hair from Daphne’s face.
“Good work, Daphne.”
I took Daphne in my arms and slowly started to return to the royal capital, following Georg who was ahead.
Im loving the story so far! Daphs growth was good to read. Its hard to believe in yourself when constant failures happen, but you never know that the only thing you need is a push from a person who will care for you.
Glad the MCs personality isnt affected by the body so no unnecessary drama happens. I like a kind but not pushover/badass MC
👍👍
Nice nice, good work 🙇