The Gamble of Resurrection Magic
Inside Breathwood, the Fairy Tribe’s village. Aeryeld. We teleported there through Ririran.
“I’m sorry. Given the circumstances, I couldn’t save you.”
Ririran guided us to a house spacious enough for humans to rest comfortably, apologizing over and over as we walked. “I’m just glad you’re both safe.”
We weren’t safe. Both of us had already died once.
“No, it’s fine.”
Showing any weakness would be amateurish. Better to act like nothing happened.
Looking at the house she led us to, I felt a little relieved. I’d half-expected we’d be sleeping rough in the forest.
“Harua.”
At that moment, Aranseol spoke to me in a low voice. We had come to deliver the letter to Ririran. Now that the immediate danger had passed, it was probably safe to speak.
“Lady Ririran, we were sent here by my master Lapiel and Aranseol’s master Soun.”
“Lapiel and Soun?”
Ririran’s eyes widened in surprise. “So you two are their disciples.”
“Yes. This is the letter they entrusted to us.”
Ririran accepted the letter I handed over. It was a little crumpled from our rough journey, but still legible. She unfolded the oversized envelope and read through its contents, her brow furrowing at several points, yet she finished without comment.
“……I see. So the time of war is finally approaching.”
War. The word made me listen in silence. Even back on Earth, war had always felt like something that happened in other countries. Of course, there was an enemy right above our heads, but the armistice line had held for a long time. War had always seemed distant to me.
Now the head of an entire tribe was speaking of war. This was bad. Maybe I should start looking into emergency rations and underground shelters. This world was full of powerful beings. If they went to war, the scale would be nothing like modern conflicts.
“Thank you. Once this matter is settled, I’ll go see them.”
Even as she said it, Ririran wore a bitter smile. The “matter” she referred to was clearly Cosmic Jack. And it didn’t seem like something that would be resolved overnight. Nor was it something we could get involved in.
“Lady Ririran, there’s a chance Cosmic Jack will target the search party that arrives after the airship crash.”
So we decided to stick to the original plan Aranseol and I had discussed.
“……I see. That possibility exists.”
“Yes. If we post the letter at the airfield before the search party arrives—”
“That’s impossible. I cannot leave the Fairy Forest right now.”
“Excuse me?”
What was that supposed to mean?
“Cosmic Jack spent quite some time preparing his trap. He’s planted sealing stones throughout the forest that distort space magic. Thanks to them, he’s monitoring every external intrusion and every internal movement.”
Ririran answered more openly than I expected. Probably because we were the disciples of people she knew. That also explained why Aranseol and I had been caught the moment we tried to enter Breathwood. With those stones everywhere, he’d sensed us the instant we headed for the world tree.
It hadn’t been pure bad luck after all. There was a reason. It also explained why the Orthodox Army hadn’t shown up even after a Great Sinner appeared. Cosmic Jack’s interference had prevented any news from leaving the forest.
“And he stole something important from us.”
If Cosmic Jack were acting alone, she could have ignored him. She was a master of space magic; even with the sealing stones, she should have been able to move. The fact that she was staying put meant Cosmic Jack had prepared something else.
“But I can’t stay quiet forever.”
Ririran let out a long breath.
“……He’s after me. If I move, this will end.”
She looked at us.
“I won’t cause you any more trouble. Rest. I’ll finish this quickly.”
With those words, she quietly stepped outside. Only Aranseol and I remained in the room.
“Harua.”
Was she about to tell me to leave so she could have the room to herself? That, I absolutely could not accept. I was ready to champion gender equality and fight this injustice.
But then Aranseol lowered her head toward me.
“I’m sorry for putting you in danger by acting on my own.”
My righteous speech died in my throat. We hadn’t known Cosmic Jack had set up those sealing stones.
“You can’t blame yourself for something you didn’t know. We survived in the end, didn’t we?”
I had no desire to blame anyone for what was already over. Besides, Cosmic Jack still didn’t know about my resurrection magic. He probably thought I’d used some other trick.
“More importantly,” I said, pointing at the door Ririran had left through with my thumb. “Lady Ririran is planning to die together with Cosmic Jack.”
“What?”
Aranseol stared at me, startled. Her eyes asked how I could possibly know that from the earlier conversation.
“Just a feeling.”
And it was a pretty accurate one. Whether I liked it or not, I was an expert on dying. There were people who had died once, but probably no one who had died two, three, or four times. Because of that, I’d become sensitive to the look in someone’s eyes when death was involved.
The look Ririran had given us at the end. It was the face of someone prepared to die together with her enemy.
“Then what should we do?”
“This isn’t our problem to solve.”
We had safely completed the task Lapiel and Soun had given us. Our part ended there. Anything beyond that wasn’t our responsibility.
“Let’s just get some sleep. I’m too tired to even feel hungry.”
I stretched and flopped onto one of the beds. Aranseol stood in silence for a moment, then picked up her sword and went outside. After fighting Cosmic Jack like that, she still wanted to train. Maybe she’d gained some kind of insight. I didn’t fully understand it yet, but insights were important. No need to interrupt her.
Aranseol swung her sword late into the night before returning. Soon after, I heard the sound of water. Then the rustle of her climbing into the other bed. She must have been exhausted from the long day, because she fell asleep almost immediately, breathing softly.
I, on the other hand, lay awake. Once I confirmed she was asleep, I quietly got up and stepped outside. The Fairy Tribe village was bathed in the pale light of dawn. The fairies who had been curious about us earlier had all returned to their homes and were now asleep.
“Boy, can’t sleep?”
A voice reached my ears. I looked up and saw Ririran sitting on the roof of the house we were staying in, a long pipe held between her lips. She flapped her wings lazily and drifted down to me.
“The girl was training until just now, and now it’s the boy’s turn.”
She was still tiny. All fairies looked like that.
“Lady Ririran.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Are you planning to die together with Cosmic Jack?”
Ririran froze. Her eyes widened slightly before she slowly lowered her pipe.
“Was it that obvious?”
“No. Aranseol didn’t notice.”
I was just unusually sensitive to this kind of thing. The other fairies probably hadn’t realized either.
“You’re right. That’s exactly what I intend.”
Since I’d already figured it out, she didn’t bother hiding it.
“Cosmic Jack is after me. But he won’t be able to catch me.”
She was a master of space magic. Even Cosmic Jack couldn’t catch her if she teleported away.
“However, if the distance between us closes to within a meter, even I won’t be able to escape.”
Cosmic Jack’s explosive leaping power wasn’t human. It was likely an application of some special ability.
“I’m going to let him catch me.”
“You’re planning to take him with you using space magic.”
I understood her intent. A space mage’s mutual destruction was obvious. She smiled, the corner of her mouth lifting. Even with death decided, her face looked strangely relieved.
“Yes. Exactly as you said. A place even he can never return from alive.”
She intended to die there together with Cosmic Jack.
“You came all this way, yet I couldn’t properly answer the letter. I’m sorry.”
I didn’t know what Lapiel had asked of her. But I owed Lapiel a great debt. She had taught me holy magic just because Bulldog asked, and she had even given me a room in that huge mansion. That was definitely a debt. And debts should be repaid.
Ririran was necessary for Lapiel’s request. She had been stuck at her desk working all day lately. If she needed Ririran’s help for something that important, then I was willing to move.
More than that—Cosmic Jack had killed me. Flower-head bastard. I had to settle that score properly.
“Lady Ririran, I’d like to propose a deal.”
Ririran’s eyes met mine.
“With one condition. You must keep everything about this matter absolutely secret from now on, and I want your help whenever I need it.”
She was the leader of an entire tribe, a powerhouse strong enough that even Lapiel, daughter of the Grace Magic Tower Master, and Soun, the Sword Lord, would ask for her assistance. Connections were directly tied to survival and quality of life. Look how much my life had improved just from knowing Bulldog. Connections were justice. They were truth.
The best way to secure such a connection? Make someone owe you their life.
I had resurrection magic. There was no better ability for putting someone in your debt. This choice carried risks for me too. But life was nothing but a chain of risks. The moment I obtained resurrection magic, a risk-free life had already become impossible.
If this world really was on the brink of war, as Ririran said, then it would be better to have someone willing to protect me—even if it meant using resurrection magic. I only realized that after meeting Cosmic Jack today.
No matter how hard I tried, could I ever become stronger than monsters like him? Honestly, it was impossible. I’d known for a long time that I had no talent for combat. My talent lay in holy magic. Even if I learned to fight, I couldn’t be sure I’d stand a chance against Great Sinner-level monsters. That meant I couldn’t protect myself alone.
So I would build reliable connections. People strong enough that even Lapiel would ask for their help. The leader of a village. A master of space magic who could provide support at any time. Someone with the character to offer help to a stranger without hesitation. There was no one more suitable to be my first real connection.
Through a gap in the world tree, moonlight spilled down and met my eyes with Ririran’s. She still didn’t understand what I was proposing. To her, I spoke for the first time.
“Have you ever heard of Resurrection?”
Beneath the streaming moonlight, I smiled. My first gamble in this otherworldly life—revealing an ability that let me selfishly survive while my opponent died, even when I chose mutual destruction.