Colder Than Moonlight, Hotter Than the Sun
Colder than moonlight, hotter than the sun. I tucked away the thirst for vengeance buried deep in my heart and moved forward slowly. My head spun with confusion, yet my steps never faltered.
"Where do you intend to go?"
Ophelia's voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned to meet her gaze. Those burning red eyes held no trace of someone staring at a man who had just slaughtered dozens—they simply watched with idle curiosity. I let out a hollow laugh inside and answered flatly.
"Anywhere. I have to keep moving."
The forest still reeked of blood. The corpses had not been dealt with, so monsters would soon swarm the area. The spirits were powerful, but I could not assume they would obey me forever. After all, I knew nothing about spirit arts. Why they helped me, how long they would continue to do so, or even how to properly handle them—I needed time to figure all of that out. I also needed to understand just how much power this new strength truly held.
"……It looks like rain."
At Ophelia's words, I lifted my head toward the sky. The blue expanse dotted with white clouds gave no sign of rain, but I merely nodded weakly.
"Let us go together."
"……There is no need."
I could not afford to trust anyone. Humans always acted according to their own desires, after all. Medrock had received food from the Calbrandts during the famine. [Medrock will never forget the Calbrandts' kindness.] Jennan had been aided by the Calbrandts during the invasion of foreign tribes. [The Jennan family will surely repay the Calbrandts' grace.] And Hawkrook…… That was where she lived. My former fiancée. Even though the engagement had been broken, I never imagined she would attack someone who had once been her betrothed without hesitation. A bitter laugh escaped me.
Therefore, I could not accept Ophelia's offer either. She had not even shown her face when my parents died. There was no reason to accept help from her now. She was an archmage—in other words, an unpredictable person. I did not know what she wanted from me, but caution was necessary.
At my firm refusal, Ophelia regarded me quietly with her deep crimson eyes. Was she trying to read my intentions, or had I offended her? Either way, it did not matter. After today, we would likely never meet again. She might even become my enemy the next time we crossed paths. There was no need to show her any consideration.
"……I," Ophelia began, drawing me out of my thoughts, "have been researching the spirit arts you possess. At the very least, I know more about them than you do."
"……"
"So I would like to examine them in greater detail. You gain knowledge from me, and I obtain a specimen from you."
I already knew that was merely the surface reason she offered. Anyone would realize it. Perhaps she herself understood that, yet those were the only words she could say. Still, I remained silent for a moment.
Risk. If Ophelia ever decided to take my life, distance would not protect me. Spirit arts appeared powerful at first glance, but my proficiency was still far too low.
Benefit. Learning about spirit arts from Ophelia would be an invaluable gain. The question was what Ophelia truly intended. Of course, I had already noticed her interest in spirit arts—no one without such interest would carry a detection device like that. But as I had thought, that was only the surface reason.
Risk and benefit. After weighing both, I made my decision and nodded.
"Do as you wish."
If danger awaited me regardless of distance, it was better to keep her close and reap the benefits at the same time. Staying apart now would only cost me the gains. Besides, the name Ophelia would prove useful in many ways.
At my answer, Ophelia smiled faintly and stepped to my side. The ground was covered in pools of blood, yet strangely, no blood splashed where she walked. It was as though she floated just above the ground.
"Your hand was heavy. Was that your command?"
Ophelia looked around with curious eyes as she spoke. Even surrounded by death, she showed not the slightest discomfort. Rather than finding the fact repulsive, I simply found her detached attitude fascinating. Most women did not enjoy such gruesome scenes.
"No. I only told them to kill."
I had not been so far gone as to specify the method of death. Yet the spirits, as if channeling my rage, had torn the men apart until nothing remained. Literally shredded them. Of course, even if corpses had been left behind, they would have become monster fodder soon enough.
"Hmm…… Then the spirits acted of their own will."
"……I am not certain, but I suspect they were swept up in my emotions."
"That could be."
In truth, even Ophelia could not be certain—she was seeing spirit arts in action for the first time. Still, I knew the vastness of her knowledge, so she likely possessed much that would help me.
"If you have nowhere to go, will you follow me for now?"
"……Where are you planning to go?"
"I already have a destination in mind. A place mentioned in ancient texts as being rich in spirits."
"Understood."
I had never imagined she would be so devoted to spirit arts that she would read ancient texts cover to cover. I let out a quiet laugh even as I accepted her proposal. If we went somewhere abundant with spirits, I would be able to commune with more of them.
"Well then, let us be off."
Ophelia naturally extended her hand toward me. I took it and exhaled softly. When our hands met, she smiled faintly and closed her eyes for a brief moment. Realizing what she intended, I closed mine as well. Soon, a pure white light enveloped us. Mana stirred, and Ophelia's magic began to unfold.
@
"……They are all dead?"
Calsento furrowed his brow at the knight's report.
"They were completely wiped out. Not even traces remain."
"Does that make any sense?"
Calsento could not easily believe the knight's words. Those men had been sent to capture Ruen, who possessed no talent for magic whatsoever. It was hard to accept that they had died so easily. The surrounding territories would not have offered aid, and he could not imagine anyone insane enough to help Ruen.
"……They say not even traces remain."
"Hah. How absurd."
Calsento let out a hollow laugh and shook his head. He did not know what had possessed them, but the fact that over a dozen men had vanished in an instant was far from welcome.
"Even if they were not knights, I never dreamed they would be swept away all at once."
"Do you have any guesses about possible accomplices?"
"We are still investigating, but…… it appears magic was involved."
"Why ask when you already know that?"
For that many people to disappear at once, magic was the only possibility. Even a knight might manage it, but erasing so many without a trace in such a short time required far more than ordinary skill. The real question was which mage had helped him.
Irritated by the knight's foolish answer, Calsento drew a deep breath and calmed himself.
"Track the traces. As long as he has an accomplice, we cannot afford to let him live any longer."
He did not know which mage had dared to aid that child, but whoever it was would surely regret it for the rest of their life. With that thought, Calsento smiled thinly and gazed out the window. He had returned to the Calbrandt estate he had once been forced to leave. Now the Calbrandt lands were his, and he would never leave again.
With that conviction, Calsento exhaled deeply and touched the teacup on his desk. If only that thorn in his side, Ruen, were gone, everything would be fine.
"Of course, that child cannot do anything on his own."
If he would simply disappear quietly—for his uncle, for the family—that would be best.
"Still, we cannot let him live. Not as long as he carries Hamel Fil Calbrandt's blood."
Why must blood be spilled? Thinking this, Calsento took a sip of tea to steady his mind and smiled.