7. Jealousy is my strength (56)
“Are you living alone without a family, aren’t all three of us the same? Therefore, we have no choice but to call a relationship that depends on each other as a family… It might just be a pun, though.”
I didn’t know what to answer so I stayed silent.
It had been a long time since the Archwitch spoke such embarrassing words. I was thinking about what the intention was, and then a thought crossed my mind.
The Archwitch was also concerned about scolding Elsie-senpai.
That’s why he must have said such embarrassing words to try to comfort him. Just by looking at her blushing cheeks, it was clear that the Archwitch was quite shy.
It seemed that senior Elsie was not aware of this either.
Seeing how he deliberately avoids gaze and tries to hide his shame while maintaining a brusque expression.
Then, at best, the words I squeezed out were anxiety disguised as self-talk.
“… … Heh, you speak well. Then after hundreds of years, don’t you forget it again?”
“How can I forget you?”
The Archwitch smiled lightly as she said that.
The smile of the girl with her back to the moonlight was pretty. So, in my heart, I had the impression that the two priests were oddly similar.
The fact that I’m not honest, or that my smile is exceptionally pretty.
The Archwitch and Elsie-senpai could be said to be priests no matter what anyone said.
“Since ancient times, family members should be able to recognize each other anytime and anywhere… Even you are the disciples I directly taught. How can I not recognize you as a teacher?”
“… … really?”
Even so, the tone that couldn’t shake off the anxiety of the end.
Senior Elsie, who went through an unfortunate growth process, used to show a strong obsession with family-like relationships like this. He might have laughed inwardly, but longed for it in his heart.
A relationship that supports each other without hiding it.
Each other’s saviors who never betray each other.
So, the archwitch boldly declared.
“Of course! When has this master ever lied?”
I couldn’t hide a bitter smile at those words.
In fact, I have lied many times.
For example, secretly eating the pudding shared by Elsie-senpai that I bought in the city and sticking out her flippers.
But now, I couldn’t say things like that without notice.
only i wished
May the relationship between the three of us, who became a new family, last forever.
It was truly a futile dream.
The era was heading towards hell, to the point where even such a common wish became excessive greed.
Love was the most luxurious emotion on the battlefield.
**
‘Elsie’ opened her eyes with a shattering headache.
It was like a dream from long ago. It wasn’t this era, it was the memory of the world that contained my memories.
And I think I saw the girl stuck in the corner again.
Suddenly, the boundaries of the world were collapsing.
The jumbled spaces created avant-garde works of art. The landscape where time and space and turbid flashbacks were mixed created a mysterious yet terrifying atmosphere.
It was truly the end of the world.
The small world made of barriers was collapsing. No matter how small it is, a mere human could not bear the shock of a world collapsing.
Even now, look.
Elsie’s body was already in tatters. It was like this even though it was only briefly caught in the gap of the collapsing space.
die like this
Death had already been experienced once. Still, I didn’t feel like going through it again.
It was even terrifying.
This body did not belong to ‘Elsie’. It was the body of a girl living in this world intact.
It was a situation where, rationally, one could never take a dangerous path.
Still, why did Elsie throw herself at the risk of death?
It was instinct.
A primal desire to protect someone dear to you.
It was an extension of the past, in which he swore that he would never repeat such a mistake in the end, hurting himself with regret and self-reproach for days and days.
Wasn’t that why he was obsessed with power and lived his life hiding his weak inner side?
Elsie gasped and staggered to her feet. The gaze that scanned every corner of the ruined world was fierce.
Where are you?
The answer wasn’t far off. Because the girl’s ears heard a faint moan.
“Turn it off, ugh… uh… … .”
It was a sound that barely suppressed the pain.
Elsie was able to find the epicenter right away. The space was distorted in such a mess, but there was no way I could mistake that dark blue hair.
It is ‘The Great Witch’.
As I moved in a hurry, I saw the figure of the Archwitch collapsed on the ground.
He had small scars all over his body. In addition, the size of the headache the woman was suffering from was evident in the gesture of grabbing her head and moaning.
“Hey, remember… turn off… memory… … !”
There was no time left to interpret that self-talk.
Elsie used her last strength to support the archwitch’s body. The girl’s voice, which tried to calm her rough breathing, was even desperate.
“Hey, Grandma! Gwa, are you okay? I, somehow… … !”
“A bitch like a ba-bo… … !”
However, what returned to favor was such a cold scolding.
Elsie was dumbfounded.
Whether or not, the Archwitch just glared at Elsie with her burning eyes.
“If you are swept away by the collapse of a space quarry, you cannot be assured of your life, and you may end up lost in the dimensional world… … ! Do you think you can use your skills to escape from there? Did I teach you to die like a dog without being able to measure my skills?!”
“That’s what… … .”
“Leave alone right now!”
Elsie was confused, but the Archwitch was adamant.
The Archwitch seemed oblivious to her ideals. I wouldn’t be insane because of the headache in the first place, but I had no choice but to do that.
In that roaring voice, not even a single lie could be found.
“It may be too late, but if you find a good escape route, you may be able to escape. Fortunately, this barrier is based on the five elements, so if only the caster remains in this space… … !”
It was then.
Crackling, and the sound of a pole breaking echoed.
It was the sound of the pillars holding the barrier being smashed.
Cracks began to open all at once in the space that supported the sky. The scale was growing out of control, to the point where I didn’t even dare to touch it.
Seeing this, the archwitch’s face turned pale.
“… … You are late.”
Elsie didn’t add much sentiment to it.
Because I was in total sympathy.
The sky was gradually collapsing with a roaring sound.
Every time the fragments broke off one by one hit the ground, waves rose on the ground with an unimaginable explosion. The giant tree swayed like a bupyeong plant and was pulled out by the roots.
That’s it.
Swallowing dry saliva, Elsie felt that way.
No one has been able to turn this situation around. Even the legendary masters who can crush mountains and cut the sky will not be able to find what to do in a collapsing world.
The only hope was the Archwitch.
Emotions that did not suit the face of an absolute being who had lived for hundreds of years emerged like fragments. Agony, hesitation, and finally a decision.
Blood oozes from the archwitch’s lips as she gritted her teeth. If the accident hadn’t happened, the Archwitch might have made some kind of decision.
Yes, if it had not happened.
‘Milky Way’.
It was then that the Milky Way appeared in the sky out of nowhere.
In just an instant, the silvery waves that hit the world like a tidal wave formed a proud river.
“ah… … .”
It was such a beautiful sight that I involuntarily exclaimed.
A silver mist spread, cutting the sky in half. The starlight contained in it created a hazy landscape, creating a long trajectory in the center of the collapsing world.
Woo woo woo!
The world screamed and twisted itself. As if sensing some kind of danger, the shaking space let out a harsh scream and made a last-ditch attempt.
It was a futile fuss.
Kwajik, doing it.
The cracks in the barrier expanded in size. No, this couldn’t even be called a crack.
section.
Countless sword scars were dismantling the entire world. Even if it collapsed, it would not cause any damage, and the fragments of the barrier, which had turned into tiny powder, became starlight and scattered.
It was so fleeting that there was no time to add admiration.
The jumbled scenery around me was erased one by one. Filling the spot again was the familiar scenery of the forest.
The forest of the academy that was located outside the barrier.
Elsie felt possessed by a ghost. As I said, it was a situation where one world was collapsing.
But in just a few seconds, the world was shattered.
The idea of turning the collapsing space into powder was novel and crazy. How much skill is required to realize such a simple and ignorant solution?
Are you a master?
Elsie’s eyes blankly turned to the Archwitch. However, the Archwitch also had a surprised expression on her face.
It meant that at least it was not among the candidates the archwitch knew.
If so, who the heck?
A familiar figure caught my eye in Elsie’s eyes, which contained such questions.
The back of a man staring at the sky in silence in the distance.
Why?
As soon as she saw that forlorn shadow, Elsie felt her heart skip a beat.
“… … Ian.”
I couldn’t even remember after that.
Elsie threw the archwitch to the ground again, and ran after the man in a hurry. The man was about to kick off the ground and disappear.
The girl’s voice became more earnest.
“Ian, Ian, Ian… … !”
The precariously tottering body seemed to roll on the ground at any moment. It meant that she was overdoing it, but Elsie didn’t even know that her body was screaming.
The man’s golden eyes glanced backwards. No emotions could be read in his dry eyes.
A cold-hearted attitude.
Whether or not Elsie came running, the man seemed intent on leaving. The posture of bending the knee as it was was predicting a leap forward.
But just then.
Pajik, and His Highness rose from the ground.
Even so, it was so powerful that the man could only make a gap where he would be hardened. The means he managed to squeeze out of his brain, which was not even oxygenated, were so powerless.
The results do not change.
The man even tried to take a leap.
Cudang-tang-tang, if it hadn’t been heard.
The man’s astonished gaze turned to his back again. Elsie’s body, which had run and rolled on the ground, rolled several times and came close to the man.
Even then, it took a couple of steps.
The girl’s hand, covered in dirt, grabbed the man’s crotch.
“hahahaha… Ian, it’s you.”
with gasping breaths.
The gazes of the two men and women finally met in midair.