50. The Night Magic Power Scattered
“Ryly.”
“...!”
Immediately, he turned his head.
The magic and incantation sounds weren't the issue. It was a refreshing, spring-like voice.
When he looked back, a girl with white hair was looking at Ryly. Her eyes were dazed, blinking repeatedly, and then rationality returned to those eyes. But soon, that expression twisted into shock.
“You...!”
She must have been shocked by Ryly's current state. Sugar opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but then, in the face of the chaos before her eyes, the crows' melody, and this turmoil, she just trembled and bit her lips shut.
“... This much is fine.”
When Ryly said that, Sugar shook her head vigorously. Looking at her body, which was healthier than a boy's. When he said sorry, she shook her head thinking he might feel bad, and just kept repeating thank you.
She closed her moist eyes and opened them again.
And then, with a face full of anger, she locked onto the crow-like man.
Don't think you'll be safe after doing something like this. Nervously, she spread her legs and took a stance.
Sugar could use only three kinds of magic.
Protection, wind, and dispel.
She didn't know proper attack magic. Still, she pointed her staff at him bravely, as if she could do it.
After gathering her breath and focusing on her sharpened senses, she felt it. The magic power in the air, thickly layered due to the intense battle.
Her internal magic power was in turmoil. It seemed like she could do anything. To such a Sugar, the magic power in the air seemed to speak to her.
Imagine that you can do it.
The white stone wall covered in moss. The illusion she had been looking at just moments ago.
The blocked wall couldn't be pierced. It was still too early for this girl.
But she succeeded in recognizing at least one of the voices beyond that.
Magic is imagination.
Imagination is soon magic.
It was a feeling of seeing a huge truth hidden in something extremely simple.
Following that voice, the girl who had awakened only one thing pointed her staff towards the sky, and the magic power in the air responded to her.
The magic used by mages. The ripples from that, the magic power densely layered in the air.
Those entered Sugar's body and converted into pure magic power, gathering roundly again through the staff. According to Sugar's imagination, they gathered into a pure white magic power sphere.
The amount gathered into a sphere was much faster and greater than returning to the air. The sphere grew bigger and bigger, and soon began to compress.
This is because it's easy to shoot, due to the user's extremely personal preference.
It swelled, compressed, swelled, compressed. It repeated that many times, and soon the magic power in the air dried up.
Sugar extended her hand.
Her right hand was holding the staff, so her left hand.
As if telling someone to come and grab her hand next to her.
After Sugar creates the sphere, if I grab her hand and change it with Ryly's magic power nature.
If I lead to "change" beyond "manipulation" —
It was an experiment Ryly had once recalled. The magic bullets made with Sugar's magic power would easily scatter in the air and also have many parts neutralized by the opponent's magic power. That is, the attack power would be weak, so to compensate for that, she had thought of this technique.
Instead, Ryly could just make the magic bullet himself and shoot it, but such a troublesome process was impractical, so it had been pushed to the corner.
But if it wasn't a normal magic bullet.
If it was an energy mass that gathered all the magic power remaining in this area.
“...”
Ryly approached without saying a word and grabbed Sugar's hand.
With the grimoire tucked under his left armpit, he grabbed Sugar's hand with his healthy right hand and stood side by side on both sides.
No more words were needed. Asking how this was possible, did he know what I was thinking, such questions were too awkward.
Still, could he really change this enormous amount of magic power?
No, he had to.
This girl had succeeded in doing something like this enormous.
So, just tightly grabbing that hand and wishing for it.
Change.
The hand being held was warm.
The magic power flowing through the hand, the heartbeat, that will, was transmitted to this mysterious and magical girl.
Just like grabbing the hand and manipulating things in the factory or attic. Instead, this time, she infused a slightly different will.
The will that the girl who opened her heart to the boy fully accepted. Since the caster responded, the magic power sphere also responded accordingly.
A little blue light gradually spread over the pure white sphere. It was Ryly's magic power color. The nature changed, reducing the amount that returned to the air, and the shape stabilized.
The size of a pebble.
However, it had a tremendous density, gathering all the magic power existing in the air nearby.
“...”
As if noticing something, Rubshi, who had been checking the children's situation intermittently even during the fight, dodged her body. Uncharacteristically, she was sweating cold sweat and looking urgent.
Claude tried to follow behind but soon felt something strange.
The air was dry and no magic power swirled, making the wind seem strange. However, oddly, a great aura of magic power was felt from some direction. When he checked that way, there were the children. The girl who pointed her staff at him and the boy who grabbed the hand of such a girl.
In front of him was a small magic power sphere. Unlike what the eye could see, it emitted an enormous aura.
He realized what she was trying to do now.
“What is this!”
Faster... No, I can't teleport to the headquarters like this!
He quickly made a judgment and called the crows, but Sugar shook her staff as if she wouldn't wait for such worries.
The girl who was good at shooting quickly, she aimed the pebble-sized magic bullet at Claude.
The power shot straight in a line.
A flash that cut through the sky.
It swallowed the crows, pierced the veil covering the sky, and went straight up from below, as if reaching the starry sky.
The brilliance was dazzling. As bright as the sun she was holding.
“Ugh... kuh...”
The body was pushed by the momentum of the magic power, making it hard to hold the staff pointed. Her legs were shaking, and it seemed like she would collapse at any moment. Still, the girl maintained her posture firmly, relying on her friend's hand.
“Not yet... not yet...”
A little more, just a little more. A light that can surely defeat evil. A power that can seize freedom.
Adding her own magic power, Ryly continued to attack by changing it.
Although there was no sound of vibrating magic power, and she reached a state of no-mind by pouring all her magic power into her body. However, she vaguely felt that the hand being held was warm.
If she held that hand tightly, the other side would hold it tightly too.
This would be enough. She believed that any outcome would be satisfying and didn't doubt it.
She would watch this result with her own eyes.
Sugar kept her head up and eyes wide open even in the momentum of magic power that seemed to sweep her away.
She breathed heavily.
The bright light disappeared, and in the mountainous area where only darkness remained, a group of lights fell like meteor showers.
It was the aftermath of the joint magic cast by Sugar and Ryly.
Sugar gathered her breath and watched ahead. The forest scorched by the flow of magic power was thick with smoke. The forest was literally scorched.
And the crows. No one was visible, as if all had been swept away by magic. It seemed the chant incantation had been safely blocked.
Sugar let out a sigh of relief and her posture staggered as if about to sit down. She didn't know the content of the chant magic, but she knew well that it couldn't be cast.
However, Ryly grabbed her hand.
“Air.”
A short word, but the trembling voice was somehow ominous. Sugar gathered the depleted magic power somehow and put it into her eyes to see ahead.
Someone was standing there.
To survive this? It was shocking, to the point of admiration.
Sugar pointed her staff somehow with her creaking body. She squinted her eyes and looked ahead.
But the other side wasn't moving at all. No words. Ah, perhaps all the crows were dead and couldn't speak. He had no vocal cords. And he couldn't heal his own neck with the healing arts that could save even a half-dead person, let alone his own.
If she recalled the characteristics from the original work, the smoke was slowly dispersing and disappearing, and the inside began to be visible.
It was Claude. An Apostle wearing a beak mask.
However, his body, half of his upper body had been blown away. It was surprising that he was standing on two legs.
[...]
Standing motionless.
Was he dead?
Just as she was about to think that, his body turned to powder and disappeared, and instead, a crow's cry came from somewhere.
A small, tiny crow was seen fleeing far into the sky where the barrier had broken. Soon, it disappeared without a trace in the black sky.
Well, she hadn't thought it would be easy to handle.
Still, if she was relieved that she had escaped the crisis right away, from the shadow of Sugar, Rubshi peeked her head out.
“Really, talented people, you all.”
It was absurd that the woman appeared calmly in front of the two children.
“... This time, you'll really send them away?”
“Kid, of course.”
Crying "kuk" was lively. It was definitely annoying, but she couldn't hate it so much. A hollow laugh came out.
“Then... what are you going to do now? You'll be completely marked as a traitor to the cult.”
“Wow, Sugar. You're worrying about me?”
“Sigh...”
Even Ryly, listening from the side, let out a hollow laugh and let out a "heh" sound. Both of them had used too much strength and had no strength to respond. The situation was absurd and funny.
Rubshi answered with her usual gentle or inscrutable smile to such children.
“Huhu. Kids are kids. Just play innocently without knowing anything.”
The things that happened today were definitely not things a child could endure.
“And... Suddenly, but I'll say this on this occasion. I'm sorry about last time, Tommy. I wasn't delicate enough.”
“...”
Ryly frowned and tried to say something, then sighed. And nodded his head.
Now there was family. Because he had helped save that family. It didn't matter anymore.
Meanwhile, sounds came from afar. The sound of people shouting, the sound of running. When Sugar turned slightly, people in white cloaks were seen flying in the sky. Thanks to the joint magic, the barrier had broken, so everyone was probably entering now.
“Then. Since the ones who are always late have come.”
When she turned her face back to Rubshi again, the woman cleared her throat loudly and brushed off the dust from her clothes.
Then, she lightly grabbed the hem of her skirt and bowed her waist.
As if showing courtesy to a high person. Without a trace of laughter on her face, infinitely serious.
“Truly, farewell. My Saintess.”
Clear enunciation. Resonant voice. Same as the day they first met.
The gray eyes that finished the greeting looked at Sugar. Before Sugar could say anything, she smiled faintly and disappeared into the darkness of the forest in an instant.
May you both be healthy— It seemed like a echo in the mountains somewhere.
“...”
“...”
The two children staring blankly sat down without either of them deciding first.
Since they were facing each other, laughter came out. This whole situation didn't feel real. With moist eyes, they smiled emptily at each other, and someone shouted.
“There are children!”
Hot, Ryly quickly made the book disappear, regaining his senses.
“Hmm.”
But immediately from behind, a heavy voice came. When the two children startled and turned back, a middle-aged man was looking down, she didn't know how long he had been there.
Short-cropped hair compared to his lush beard. A bear-like build and scars all over his body. The white cloak embroidered with gold threads clearly showed that he was a holy knight.
He, Cedric, stared at the place where Ryly's book was for a while, then opened his mouth.
“You kids.”
A solemn and serious tone. Such an expression.
If they were scared thinking they had been caught, trembling...
-Whoosh.
Surprisingly, he covered the two with his cloak.
“First, you worked hard. Let's go together.”
And then, with that cloak, he wrapped the two children and hugged them all at once.
“Discovered children appearing to be victims. After emergency treatment, take them to Seongdo... Peco. You stay and help with the aftermath processing.”
“Ne?! I shouldn't be going to Seongdo?”
“The command is to foster real combat experience.”
“Aaah...”
A whiny sound.
The guards confronting the subordinates of Claude who were moving wildly after connection was cut. The sound of a holy knight screaming and swinging his sword around.
Inside the cloak, everything was just distant.
“...”
The two children were facing each other while being hugged by the uncle. Somehow absurd, but for now, it seemed safe.
Sugar looked at Ryly.
The dark but his blue eyes were clear. She felt like he was looking at her.
“... Doesn't it hurt?”
The injured arm came to mind, and his mouth twitched as if saying no. It did hurt, but he had to act strong.
To that, Sugar kept hesitating. She didn't know how to express her gratitude for today's events. She had received too great a favor.
That was clearly visible in Ryly's eyes. But the boy wanted to see a different side than Sugar's this appearance.
Of course, worrying and caring was good, but the best thing was probably that face. He needed to see that to feel at ease.
What to do? How could he make her laugh.
She was always a laughing child. A child who smiled brightly even if he didn't do anything. Thinking about it, this was the first time he had such worries.
Sighing, Ryly soon moved to action.
He extended his healthy right hand and placed it on top of Sugar's head.
And stroked it.
With an extremely gentle hand movement, feeling the white and fine hair tickling between his fingers.
Then, he slightly adjusted the position of the headband and lowered his hand to the cheeks.
Warm and soft cheeks. Not a dream or illusion, but the real Sugar.
After lightly touching and feeling at ease, Ryly let out a light "huh" laugh. Then, he slowly removed his hand. As if reluctantly removing it, slowly.
Sugar didn't mind when he did this to her. It felt, well, not bad at all. She did the same. What to say, skinship? Such things.
And when she saw Sugar, well, she just lowered her head.
Did she not like such things? Did she do something wrong? Is she hurt somewhere? When Ryly looked at her worriedly.
In the midst of that, Sugar...
“... Huh?”
Somehow, her heart was strange. The pounding was different from that feeling she could taste in battle, and she was bewildered.
This friend had stroked her hair for the first time. But the action was too gentle.
A rare smile with narrowed eyes as if she was relieved. A mature smile that seemed to hold will. Seeing that, her heart inside was strangely strange.
“... Huh? Huhra?”
She couldn't say anything and just lowered her face.
Somehow, her face felt hot. Her heart wouldn't calm down.
But since it was dark, no one would know Sugar's cheek color. Not even Sugar herself.
A boy who always worried about such a girl and a girl who now began to taste the sourness.
The two people who had clearly realized the existence and preciousness of each other today, how would it be.
There were many things to do ahead. There were clear enemies to fight. It felt like various trials and hardships were waiting.
An unpredictable future.
Still, since she had survived today, let's rest a little.
The starry sky would pour down beautifully over the tired children.
A night when magic power scatters like a meteor shower.
And a day that sparkled unusually more.