The White Wind Howls (4)
The White Wind Howls (4)
#81
'Since it had come to that, I would at least kill Purple Girl.'
Crunch—!
The sensation of my fingertips sinking into the woman's abdomen and rummaging through her insides was vivid—bone and flesh bursting at once, both exhilarating and repulsive.
But my hand didn't fully accomplish its purpose.
Shierrrrk——!!!!!
The surrounding space warped and tore, and dark-blue chains poured out like a waterfall.
The chains wrapped around my wrists, shoulders, neck, waist, thighs, balls, pubic bone, and ankles all at once.
Clank. Clank. Clank.
Iron hooks pierced through flesh, burrowed into muscle, and tightened directly around bone.
"Guh—!"
My breath caught in my throat. This felt really fucked.
The formidable physical might that had shaken the earth moments before vanished as if it had never been, replaced by the force of the snake-like chains dragging my body to the ground.
R-r-r-rip———
The sound of skin tearing echoed in my ears, pain radiating through my ribs.
Cra—zy.
"Gaaaaaaaahhhhhh———"
Every breath sent lightning through my brain—agony, as if my guts were being skewered on thorns—and a damp, ominous sensation soaked the ground beneath my feet.
"Caught... you..."
From behind the collapsed purple-haired woman, a tall woman burst forth, trailing potent mana aftermath.
I couldn't move a single step.
That's probably... the head of House Etchellan.
"Caught you...... dev...ia...tor. Mine..."
But seriously, is this bitch autistic or something? What's with that appearance?
She approached, drool streaming down her chin, and I got the feeling she wasn't in her right mind. The important thing was how this woman was going to deal with me.
"All. Mine."
Creak.
The force yanked my limbs in opposite directions. Was this dismemberment? I'd once wondered if it was actually an effective execution method. Good for instilling fear, but it supposedly takes a lot of manpower. Fuck, but why me—
"Ah—aaaaaaargh!!"
Both legs were pulled in opposite directions at once. Thigh muscles tore, blood poured out like a waterfall, and my spine twisted as if it would shatter under the pressure, my balls feeling like they were being crushed.
Soon they would snap......
Lily, forgive me. I couldn't save you. If there was an afterlife, someday......
***
***
Swo-o-o-osh———!!
Golden mana burst out like an explosion, slicing through every chain in an instant.
I collapsed forward, knees buckling.
Every bit of my skin was shredded where the chains had dug in—agonizing—but I was alive. The moment I realized that, I forced my head up at the sound of a voice right in front of me.
"As usual, Tersia. When will you come to your senses?"
"That... is mine."
"Then shall we give it a try?"
"Then shall we give it a try?"
Tap. Tap.
The sound of footsteps walking over the blood-and-mud-mixed forest floor as if nothing were happening.
I forced my gaze up even further.
A tall, blonde-haired woman. A long, flowing white robe with a golden lion depicted on its back.
An ally?
My consciousness faded—
***
***
#82
"......Lily."
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I registered was an unfamiliar white ceiling. Strictly speaking, it was less white and more the color of a tent canvas tinged with dust and earth. It would have been nice if there were an achievement for meeting a new ceiling.
I spoke in a cracked voice and tried to rise, but the pain that covered my whole body made my brow furrow automatically. Still, my limbs were properly attached.
More than anything, my equipment seemed to have survived intact as well.
"You can rest easy. Lily Rosenheim is alive."
?
Turning my head, I saw the blonde woman sitting on a chair in one corner of the tent. Long, flowing blonde hair, an unshakable, robust posture, and the golden lion emblem on her white robe.
"She's unconscious, but her life isn't in danger. She'll be able to get up within two days."
The moment I heard that, the dread crushing my chest washed away.
She was alive! Lily was alive! How did she survive that absolute clusterfuck? But is this woman who brought me here trustworthy?
I let out a sigh, feigning nonchalance as much as possible.
"I see. As long as she's alive, that's what matters. Thank you for saving us."
"......Is that all?"
The woman rested her chin on her hand, legs still crossed, looking down at me from the chair.
"Don't people normally ask for the name of their savior first? Your courtesy is lacking. Unpleasant."
"... My apologies."
"That was a joke."
"Haha."
The woman slowly rose to her feet.
"My name is Cassian Eurasia, head of House Eurasia and former Countess of Arcanum."
Ah.
Eurasia.
A count, then.
The Golden Lion, overwhelming mana, an aura that didn't falter in the slightest when confronting Purple Girl's crazy mother.
The events from before I lost consciousness began to slot into place in my mind like puzzle pieces.
"Thank you so much for saving my life and Lily's."
"Think nothing of it."
...... This person is safe, right?
"Um... forgive my impertinence, but might I ask why you saved us?"
"You're bold."
"It's a world where dying at any moment wouldn't be strange."
"I am merely your patron."
"Patron?"
I narrowed my eyes at the sudden answer.
Cassian smiled playfully and added,
"Just take it as that. I merely maintain balance."
I had no idea what she meant, but she had to be a good person. Just look at the size of her heart. Maman.
She took a few steps toward the tent entrance, then turned just her head to look back at me and asked.
"Now then, let me ask. First Deviant. What is your goal?"
There was no reason to hide it, I supposed.
"I want to go to a place called the House of the Great Ones."
Cassian's eyebrows rose just a little.
"Oh-ho."
"I believe the answer lies there."
I added no further explanation.
Cassian stared at me for a while, then burst out laughing as if she couldn't help it.
"Haha. Hahahahahahaha—!"
"Um... pardon me, but what's so amusing..."
"Is that Lily's idea?"
"... Yes, it is."
"Fine, do as you two please. But let me tell you the reality. That place is one you and Lily Rosenheim can never reach with your current combined strength."
That much, huh?
"Actually, I don't really know what kind of place it is. I've only heard that I have to go there."
"I like your honesty. But if I send you off like this, you'll simply die a dog's death."
She lightly tapped her own arm with her fingers and spoke.
"For the sake of balance, I'll attach two figures who'll serve as fighting strength."
"What?"
"I'll give you two Count House successors as support."
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
Why?
Just why? It was good, but what on earth qualified me to receive such treatment—
"Uh... why would you bestow such kindness?"
"That's enough. One reason is for balance. The other is to fulfill a friend's last request. Just accept it."
Seeing me dumbfounded, Cassian spoke.
"By the way, that Imprint of yours. It was truly fascinating."
I couldn't answer right away.
"Truly fascinating."
Cassian continued talking to herself as if not expecting an answer. Then, staring fixedly at my face, she spoke as if reaching a conclusion.
"I still don't know. But one thing is certain. You don't even know the basics of magic."
"......"
"And yet you're wielding magic."
Cassian's eyes narrowed.
"Centuries have passed since the War of the Deviants broke out, but you possess a grain that can't be felt in ordinary deviants. A highly heterogeneous grain of an Imprint, that is. It feels half-haphazard, yet at the same time, I sense the aura of an Imprint passed down in the most orthodox manner."
I furrowed my brow.
"I don't quite follow..."
"It's simple. A mage's Unique Magic isn't completed through Imprint and talent alone. Those are merely the starting point. Exercising the Imprint correctly as magic involves thorough logic and structure."
She raised her index finger.
"Mental Image."
She unfolded a second finger.
"Manifestation."
A third finger followed.
"And finally, the Netherworld."
Cassian continued her sermon in the haughty, definitive tone of a teacher instructing children.
"These three are the Three Elements of Magic. Yet you exercise magic with only Mental Image and Manifestation. Truly amusing, but if you keep going like that, you'll be nothing more than a half-baked mage."
"That's not simple at all..."
"Well, hear the details from the companions who will help you on your journey. Hey, you outside! Come in."
"Well, details you can learn from the companions who'll assist your journey. Hey, outside! Come in."
Thud. Thud.
The footsteps of the two women who had been waiting outside the tent slowly entered.
The first to enter my field of vision was a small-framed blonde girl. Probably Cassian's daughter. Her atmosphere was a dead ringer for Cassian's, after all.
The eyes of someone who knew exactly who she was and where she stood. Her careful, deliberate air was truly charming. Only, unlike Cassian, she was quite... no, simply a cute figure that completely killed that atmosphere.
The other one, standing beside Cassian's daughter, drew my gaze in the exact opposite way.
Skin so pale it was almost translucent, and black hair so long it fell past her waist. Yet that long hair covered the entire front of her head, and her bangs hid about half her face, making it hard to see her eyes.
Her barely visible lips and jawline asserted her femininity with a faint pink hue, and her body was generally hunched, both hands gathered in front of a massive chest. An overall gloomy atmosphere.
Wow.
Those breasts—
Those breasts—
And that's the end of my rude monologue.
Still, one remark must be added.
This person is undoubtedly an enormous loser. My instincts tell me so.
Voices breaking the silence reached me.
"I heard about you from Mother. I am Estelle Eurasia. It seems we'll be moving together for a while. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Next, it was this woman's turn.
"Huuu— um..."
?
"Uuuu— this man keeps staring at my chest...... Lucien will just go home."
Hey— what the hell, suddenly.