Chapter 344
Chapter 344
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 344
Chapter Title: The Protagonist of a Life (4)
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As the Law was lifted, the tourists who regained their human forms were horrified to see their naked bodies. Chaos erupted. Women screamed and covered themselves while men scrambled to find a place to hide. Shirone’s party had to ask for help from people on the outskirts of the city walls to finally get everyone evacuated to an inn.
Shirone sat on the railing of a café terrace, gazing at the tourists crowding every building.
Some threatened to sue the tourism board, while others bellowed for the manager.
They, too, had met a being from Heaven. It was impossible to predict the ripples today’s incident would cause.
Shirone glanced at Kangnan. She was also looking toward the tourists, but her expression revealed she was lost in other thoughts.
“What do we do now? Are you going to try and persuade them?”
“Is there a need to?”
“Pardon?”
“We don’t need to worry about such trivial matters. People from the Association will come. They’ll take care of it.”
“But it’ll be harder to handle if time passes. What if rumors spread?”
“They can just announce that the myth of the Ice Queen was real. It pollutes the information, whether people believe it or not. But it doesn’t matter even if they tell the truth. It’s not like ordinary people can do anything about it, even if they know.”
Kangnan had experienced situations like this often. It might seem like mass hysteria would break out if information about Heaven spread to the world, but she could say with certainty that nothing would happen.
People would still worry about their next meal, lose sleep over an important contract tomorrow, and fret over how to raise their rapidly growing children.
Kangnan glanced at Jocre’s group. They stuck close by her side, even though she hadn't given them any specific orders.
They knew it too. This was not a situation they could handle.
But to Kangnan, they were just a nuisance.
“The Association will decide your fate as well. So stop following me and get lost. If you want to run, go ahead.”
Jocre and his friends lowered their heads sullenly.
They knew full well what it meant to make an enemy of the Magic Association. Even if they went to prison, as long as they belonged to the Red Line, their magician licenses wouldn't be revoked. But the moment they fled, the only place that would take them was the Black Line. Jocre’s group stood no chance of surviving in a world of madmen.
“Yes. We’re sorry. We’ll turn ourselves in when the people from the Association arrive.”
Amy silently watched Jocre’s group walk away. The life they could share ended here. Whatever came their way, they had to keep living, fighting fiercely to become the protagonists of their own lives.
Once the initial follow-up was more or less complete, Kangnan prepared to leave. Before she spoke, she stared intently at Shirone.
Now that he had deactivated his Adamant Armament, he looked much younger than she had expected. Of course, she wasn't foolish enough to judge someone by their appearance.
But she had a feeling these traits might become a headache once he joined the Association.
Gauld’s offer was just that unconventional.
“Shirone. It’s time to go. I’ll be waiting in the carriage, so wrap things up and follow me.”
“Okay. I’ll be right there.”
Shirone planned to go to the Magic Association with Kangnan. The rare opportunity to meet Gauld was part of the reason, but he was also curious about Miro’s situation.
‘If I go to the capital, I can see Rian, too. And Tess.’
Shirone shouldered his backpack and approached Amy.
“I’m sorry. For how things turned out.”
He couldn't face Amy. He had wanted to properly enjoy their vacation this time, but he had ended up putting her in danger again.
“I’m telling you right now, I’m never traveling with you again.”
“Haha! I’m really sorry. I don’t know what to say.”
Amy smiled and shook her head.
“Thank you, Shirone. Thanks to you, I’ve gained confidence. I think I can work hard again now.”
Shirone had felt it, too. Not just her skill in overpowering Jocre’s group, but the ultra-high temperature Inferno was a magic difficult for anyone of the same age to manifest, except for Amy.
She had gained an epiphany during the battle, but he didn't ask about it. A hundred people meant a hundred different enlightenments, and Amy's style was something no one could imitate. A day would come when they could chat about it over a casual conversation.
“I’ll contact you when I get back. And Dante, thanks for the favor. Please take good care of Amy.”
Dante shrugged. He had suddenly been tasked with escorting his rival’s girlfriend, but it wasn't a total loss. Heaven, Miro’s spacetime—it seemed Shirone and Amy had some idea about it all. He had plenty of time on the way, so he planned to ask about Heaven.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but have a safe trip for now.”
“Yeah. See you at school, then.”
Once Shirone left, Dante and Amy also turned to leave. On the way to the exit, Dante pointed to a café and asked.
“A cup of coffee before we go? You’re buying, of course.”
“How much more are you going to leech off me! You buy it! You’ve got plenty of money!”
“Ahem. For escorting you all the way home, a coffee is the least… huh?”
Dante sensed a presence and turned around. Liria stood there, carrying a large backpack just like when he first saw her.
Now that the Lawmaker was sealed, she had to return to the Akeanis Shrine and submit her report. After today, she would probably never see Dante again. A magician and a madosa, one of the light and one of the shadow—they were fated to walk different paths from the start.
But Liria had lingering feelings. Had she not met Dante, this dispatch would have likely ended in failure. It was hard to imagine a wandering madosa forming an attachment to someone, but she had relied on him for so much that she couldn't just cut him out of her heart like that.
“I’ll buy the coffee.”
“Hmm.”
Dante read the affection in Liria’s eyes. She was truly a woman who couldn't hide her emotions. He wasn't one to actively pursue romance, but he wasn't one to turn away a woman who came to him either. Dante put his arm around her shoulder and pointed somewhere.
“Alright. Forget the coffee. How about we go somewhere quiet?”
Liria’s face flushed as she looked where Dante was pointing. A sign that read ‘Inn’ was hanging there plain as day.
For the worldly-unaware Liria, this fast-paced approach to love was nothing short of a shock.
“Wh-what… are you… saying…”
“Haha! No need to be shy. We’re old enough to know what’s what. Let’s not waste any time.”
Liria let out a groan. She could probably tolerate his self-centered personality, but his womanizing ways were unacceptable.
“You playboy! Let go of me!”
When Liria shook him off, Dante readily let go.
“A playboy? What did we even do for you to call me that already?”
“Forget it! I must have been out of my mind! I don't need any of this, I’m going back to the shrine!”
Dante smirked. If this was where their connection ended, there was no reason for him to hold her back.
“Alright. Be careful on your way.”
‘That heartless jerk…’
Liria felt a pang of disappointment as Dante really let her go. But she didn't look back, not until the very end. She felt that if she turned her head now, it would truly be irreversible.
“Write me if anything interesting happens!”
At Dante’s voice calling from a distance, Liria blinked and then broke into a smile.
Airhain Dante. Age 18.
Ranked 2nd among magician aspirants in the Tormia Kingdom.
‘Huhu. I’ll remember you.’
After sending off Liria, who was now walking toward the horizon with a bright expression, Dante and Amy headed for the exit again.
Just as they were about to leave the castle grounds they were so sick of seeing, they found Jocre’s group waiting by the ticket gate.
Their faces were surprisingly resolute. They couldn’t completely hide their fear, but it seemed they didn't want to show weakness.
Vivian approached Amy.
“I’m sorry.”
Amy waved her hand. This incident was no childish game. She felt that their arrest brought a sense of balance to the situation.
“It’s fine. We both fought for what we believed in. There’s no need to apologize just because you lost.”
“No. I’m talking about you saving me at the end. If I had died then, there would have been no next time.”
“Well, that was…”
Amy awkwardly turned her head away. To be honest, her action wasn't just for Vivian's sake. It was to successfully execute Jade Emperor’s Annihilation, and the words she had shouted at the end were things she wanted to say to herself.
“I don’t know why you said that to me, but work hard. Make sure you become a magician in the next graduation exam. You have what it takes to be a protagonist.”
Amy’s eyes welled up. She knew it was a cruel thought, but those words from the mouth of a loser gave her more confidence than any comfort she had ever received.
Vivian’s shoulders slumped lifelessly as she returned to her friends. Amy, who had been watching the miserable end of the defeated, spoke up.
“Hey.”
When Vivian turned, Amy slung one strap of her bag off her shoulder and rummaged through her things as she walked over.
“Here. This. You can have it.”
In Amy’s hand was the Ice Queen doll she had received as a prize at the mini-arcade. Taking it with a trembling hand, Vivian stared at the Ice Queen for a long time. In a life where no one had ever paid her any mind, the face of the Ice Queen, the only one who had embraced her, was smiling with childlike innocence.
“*Sob*. Hicc.”
Vivian burst into tears, clutching the Ice Queen to her chest. Jocre came over and patted her on the back. He glanced at Amy for a moment before leading Vivian away.
Amy watched them leave for a long time. They would fight to the end in their respective lives. If they did, wouldn't a day come when they, too, could become protagonists?
‘That’s right. I just failed once. If this is my life, I’ll fight and win as many times as it takes.’
Amy clenched her fists and turned around. Her steps toward Dante were, unlike yesterday, bold and unhesitating.
***
Divine Transcendence (1)
Kaizen Sword Academy, in the capital, Bashuka.
Kuan, a certified 6th-grade swordsman and once called the Magician of Death before injuring his Achilles tendon, was battling the nightmares of a past to which he could never return.
Born into a military family, Kuan lost all his relatives on the battlefield around the age of six. His uncle took him in, only to seize his inheritance and send him off to a sword academy in a foreign land.
But he resented no one.
He had no one to rely on, but he possessed a genius that allowed him to become a certified 6th-grade swordsman at the mere age of 20.
The nightmare began with an incident ten years ago.
He was 21, appointed as the commander of the 2nd Company of the Search Battalion to capture Cointra, the founder of the Dark Cult.
The soldiers did not welcome Kuan. It was only natural, for a 21-year-old rookie to be assigned to a veteran unit with an average age of 38.
Kuan didn't care either. To him, the commander, soldiers were nothing more than consumables needed to win a war.
Without even time to exchange greetings with his men, Kuan led his troops into the Forest of Ghosts immediately upon his assignment.
Countless search parties had entered before, but all had lost contact without exception.
The previous company commander, terrified, had returned to his home country on medical leave, leading to Kuan's emergency deployment.
But Kuan was confident.
Even if ghosts truly existed in the forest, there was nothing under the heavens his sword could not cut.
‘I’ll catch you. You so-called ghosts.’
The first day passed without incident.
But trouble struck as the 2nd Company was gearing up around dawn after a night of camping.
“Ambush! We’re under attack!”
The sentry’s cry was heard once before it vanished. Realizing the perimeter had been breached, Kuan grabbed his sword and exited his tent.
The other soldiers, each armed with their weapons, were on guard against the enemy advancing from the pre-dawn gloom.
A strong wind blew. No, there was no actual wind. It was just a sound that rang in everyone’s ears. Kuan reflexively slashed at the darkness, but his blade met nothing.