230 – Please stay by my side.
The hospital room looked extremely clean. Perhaps to reassure the patient, the calming scent of cotton tickles the tip of the nose.
“… “Did you win?”
Maiev was the first to break the silence.
I shook my head quietly. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t lie.
If Maiev had used black magic while fighting her duel, the outcome might have been different, but since she fought using only blue mana, it was an inevitable result.
Instead, I added one word.
“But we weren’t defeated either.”
“I wasn’t defeated…” .”
Maiev took the match sheet in the form of a letter placed in the palm of my hand. Several complex expressions pass over her face as she checks the letters that say ‘draw’.
“Well done.”
I praised her.
Even if Maiev had been defeated, I would have said the same thing. Because she clearly observed with her own eyes that she was giving up all of her blood and demons.
But she managed to get a draw, so it’s a good thing.
“Well done….”
Maiev repeated my words with a puzzled look on her face.
She blinked her eyes quietly, as if her doll was moving awkwardly. The eyelids lowered and raised repeatedly, and each time the blue eyes were revealed, which was quite awkward.
The red eyes have now disappeared everywhere.
… She was truly human now.
She had a smile on her face that she didn’t know if it was a smile or something.
“Did you get a compliment? I.”
I nodded quietly.
“Yes. Good job. “I watched your performance closely.”
“It’s strange.”
The corners of Maiev’s mouth rose very faintly.
“I didn’t think it would feel real at all, but it does. “I didn’t do it to get praise, but it’s nice to hear it.”
Maiev’s eyes were moist with her appreciation as she lifted one hand and slowly stroked her own cheek.
I actually overrated her and also her.
I am not overestimating the game because it resulted in a draw. I was not impressed because he showed off magic of a high difficulty that no one could master. But….
The attitude she showed was truly wizard-like.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Is this the worst physical condition for a blood demon?”
Maiev shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly, as if asking him to look at her. My face was reflected in her blue eyes.
Although she spoke lightly and in a self-deprecating tone, Maiev was clearly agitated. She deserved it. Because from now on she will never be able to touch black magic again.
“From now on…. “You can’t be a genius your whole life, right?”
Maiev nodded her head of her own accord.
To be honest, she probably understands herself better. Her body, which had lost the concept of its vitality, was considered quite fragile even among humans.
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However.
“No.”
I could confidently say no.
“….”
There was silence in her hospital room for a moment.
After a while, Maiev asked again.
“… “No?”
“Yes.”
I continued speaking calmly.
“A genius is not necessarily called a genius solely based on magical skills.”
“Are you saying there are different standards?”
“Aren’t you going to continue to do your best to learn magic?”
“That’s right.”
Maiev nods her head.
“Anyone can think about doing their best. However, continuing to do your best even after throwing away everything and even after realizing your limitations is not something everyone can do.”
“Hmm.”
“I believe that there is a standard that separates ordinary people from geniuses. So, if you continue to do your best, I will gladly call you a genius.”
“….”
Perhaps because the story I told was quite unexpected, Maiev froze like a stone statue for a moment.
The silence lasted like that for about three minutes? Maiev let out a very faint laugh.
“It’s unexpected. “She was even prepared to hear bitter words.”
She suddenly seemed to have a lot to say.
She said, “Even when she was first defeated by Master Plan, and when she first connected with humans and participated in the delegation, she always felt mysterious, but she was not as mysterious as this time.”
“You will feel this a lot in the future.”
“So, I, ah….”
Maiev stops mid-sentence. After that, she pressed her lips again and again, but she hesitated.
“Is there something you want to say?”
Maiev stared blankly at my questioning face. His face showed just the slightest bit of nervousness.
She added quickly.
“Please wait a moment. Since I woke up after fainting, my language skills aren’t working, I’ll sort it out in a moment….”
“I’ll wait. “You have time, so take your time.”
Despite her telling her to take her time, Maiev rolled her eyes and looked impatient.
Although she originally disliked her flustering, she achieved a result that exceeded expectations by drawing a draw, so we can overlook this much. Another ten minutes passed like that.
“Oh, yes.”
She nodded as if she remembered Maiev. And she looked at me and suddenly she said.
“Please…. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Please?”
“Is it correct to say it’s a favor? It’s not that difficult. No. Is it a bit difficult and bothersome? “Umm.”
“What is it?”
“That…” .”
Maiev’s face turned ever so slightly red.
“Thank you for your kind words. So, I want to continue to do my best in the future, and I would like some help.”
“What kind of help is that?”
“So…. I also need motivation to work hard. It is the driving force that allows me to do my best at every moment. “I’m asking you to help me with that part.”
She seemed to know what he meant, so she nodded roughly.
“There is no need to worry about the learning part. “I promise that I, not anyone else, will teach you with all my might.”
“Teaching? No, it doesn’t matter if the learning itself is self-taught. “I’m going to tell you something a little different.”
“If it’s trivial, let’s put it aside at this point.”
“No, it’s definitely not trivial… !”
Maiev’s face becomes slightly redder. She continues her words in a louder voice than before.
“What I’m saying is, please stay by my side!”
I tried to ask a few questions back because I didn’t understand exactly what they meant, but she continued her words even faster.
“I am now an ordinary and weak human being. Because I abandoned my birth as a blood demon. “I also gave up black magic.”
“You’re putting the blame on me, the choice was yours.”
“Is that because you made that choice? Oh… !”
After speaking, Maiev gritted her teeth with an expression as if she wanted to miss something. Just a moment ago, he was glaring at me with a very angry face, but now he can’t make eye contact again.
Today, there were many moments of silence in the hospital room.
In the end, it was Maiev who broke the silence again. She waved her hand around, her face still red.
“Just pretend you didn’t hear. That’s Okay.”
“Let me stay by your side.”
“Yes. If you pretend I didn’t hear that…. “No, yes?”
Maiev, who could not meet my gaze, turned her head and looked at me. Her eyes had grown to twice their usual size.
She asked with her somewhat flushed face.
“What did you just say?”
I quietly watched that stupid reaction.
Is this such an amazing thing?
She herself showed her determination to walk the path of a mage, so it was only natural and reasonable for me to polish Maiev like a gemstone.
“Uh…. No, this easy? Really?”
But Maiev didn’t seem to understand what I was saying or what I meant, so I opened her mouth again and again.
“Yes.”
I can’t feel her feelings the same way, but I can guess it to some extent.
She has abandoned everything that made her up, and the road ahead will be difficult. They try to pretend to be okay and cheerful and talk to me in front of me, but in reality, they are probably more anxious than anyone else.
So, is there any reason not to help?
“Don’t worry, just continue to focus on magic.”
“If you only focus on magic….”
“Yes.”
I nodded at her again.
“Unless you let go of the magic, I won’t let go of you either.”
Maiev stared at me blankly for a while.
And she said something. No, I think she was trying to say something. It seemed like she was trying to mutter something in blood ghost language, but she could only mumble and couldn’t finish it.
“….”
After a while, she nodded her head.
“You promised.”
“Yes.”
“Even if I show a miserable level of magic, even if the moment of old age comes, as long as I don’t give up magic, I will definitely….”
She held out one of her hands to me. Very carefully.
“… Do you need to stay by my side?”
I quietly held his hand.
It was at a time when there were only a few games left.