Chapter 293: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (86)
Chapter 293: Lainella's Fate is Decided by Lainella (86)
Elsie Lainella’s life had been a series of misfortunes.
It was tragic enough that she was reluctant to even list the scars of her childhood one by one. After all, had she not once been a girl who prided herself on being her family’s fighting dog?
Yet, for the first time in her life, Elsie had defied her family’s will.
It was an event that had occurred only a short while ago.
The battlefield where they faced the Agent of the Evil God was a tangled mess of blood and desperate screams.
Noise, shrieks, and monstrous roars.
Every sound was one she wished she didn't have to hear. The battle, involving a thousand elite soldiers, the Lainella family’s Magic Corps, and the cream of various armies, was just that fierce.
The enemy was an immortal monster that rose again even after being struck down.
It was impossible for anyone not to be afraid.
Humans are naturally terrified of the inexplicable. Moreover, the Corpse Giant was hideous beyond belief. Even the private soldiers of the Yurdina family, renowned for their bravery, showed signs of flinching.
Elsie was just as terrified.
The enemy remained undefeated even after the Saintess had performed a large-scale ritual. It wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say there was no hope left.
Nevertheless, Elsie could not give up.
She had already resolved that if she was going to die a dog's death anyway, she would die right here. As long as Ian’s life had not been extinguished, Elsie would not retreat.
The problem, rather, lay with Reynold.
The grand magic of the Magic Corps that was binding the Corpse Giant used Reynold as its core. If it were forcibly severed, Reynold would have to bear the brunt of the backlash.
Seeing Reynold coughing up blood, Elsie cried out in panic.
"Uncle!"
"Urgh... I’m fine, Elsie."
Despite the sudden injury, Reynold remained remarkably calm.
He was a man who had weathered countless real battles. While the number of crises he faced had significantly decreased after becoming an Archmage, the experience of crossing the line between life and death as a mercenary had not been in vain.
He even went so far as to scold Elsie.
"Focus on what’s in front of you. We’re the only ones who can cover Lord Ian."
"B-but he’s a monster that can even break the Magic Corps' grand magic...!"
"An opportunity will surely come."
Reynold’s hand squeezed Elsie’s shoulder firmly.
His blue eyes burned through the blizzard like will-o'-the-wisps.
"...Is this not the fate you decided for yourself?"
Elsie eventually bit her lip and circulated mana through her meridian points.
In truth, she was in no position to be worrying about anyone else.
Due to the excessive use of mana, Elsie’s meridians had long since been torn in various places. Intense pain radiated from the phantom lacerations.
It hurt even more when she circulated her mana.
Her nerve endings screamed, and her eyes felt as though they might burst from the pressure of the blood rushing to them.
There were many times she wanted to break down in tears.
But Elsie could not, and in the end, she stood her ground.
Watching her, Reynold gave a low piece of advice.
"You must prepare a finishing blow."
"...I know."
That was the role of a mage.
However, Elsie couldn't be sure how much help her magic would be.
The enemy had even shattered a formation refined by a 6th Circle Archmage using the collective power of a group. It didn't seem like there was much she, a mere 5th Circle mage, could do.
She could only trust Ian and hope for a fatal opening to appear.
Yes, the man was always strong and never faltered.
Elsie had no choice but to trust him once again.
It was then that Reynold placed his palm on Elsie’s back.
When Elsie tried to look back in surprise, Reynold spoke with a voice like thunder.
"Focus!"
Elsie instinctively stiffened her body and thrust her hands forward.
Geometric patterns began to be etched in the air before her.
"I will guide the mana... it will be much easier. Or, if you wish, I can increase the output even further."
Though it will be more painful.
Before he could even finish that thought, Elsie increased the output without a moment's hesitation.
Crackle!
Static electricity began to spark in the air.
Reynold swallowed a dry laugh as he watched Elsie.
Love was a terrifying thing indeed.
He had been like that once, too.
So, Reynold decided not to hold back his advice for his niece.
"Focus your senses. Do not miss even the slightest detail..."
Panting, Elsie’s eyes flew wide.
The mana ring of her heart, pushed to its limit, was spinning violently.
As her senses sharpened, the sensation of pain intensified.
Elsie forced back a scream that threatened to escape her throat.
But there was something beyond that pain.
A faint light shimmered in Elsie’s blue eyes.
Mana circulated throughout her entire body, eventually reaching a state where it manifested even outside her physical form.
It was an overload.
Snap!
She felt a sensation like a string snapping as one of her meridians gave way.
Elsie couldn't hold back her scream any longer.
"Ah, aaargh!"
"Do you want to give up?"
Reynold asked provocatively.
"You can give up. If you stop being stubborn and just follow the family’s decision."
Elsie grit her teeth, her eyes bloodshot.
Naturally, she had absolutely no intention of doing that.
As she pushed harder, time seemed to accelerate.
Before she knew it, the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. Regardless, Elsie stared fixedly at a single point on the battlefield.
She could see it—something was there.
At the end of the pain that pierced her spine like a blade, Elsie let out a ragged breath, her eyes wide with wonder.
It was a sudden, vivid vision.
"...Do you see it? That is a Fragment of Truth."
Reynold spoke in a gratified voice, as if he had expected nothing less.
But even hearing those words, Elsie’s expression remained dazed.
Between her inhalations and exhalations, she felt like shaking her head.
It wasn't that.
This vision wasn't something like a Fragment of Truth.
It was a girl’s memory.
Dense trees stretched out to the left and right. In the drowsy sunlight, a girl harbored a crush, fell in love, and eventually, their hearts were connected.
At the end of this moving picture lay the burning Great Forest.
"I-I finally protected it..."
That desperate voice, choked with tears, as she stroked the man’s cheek.
"...My... precious person."
It was clearly someone else's memory.
But as the voice seeped into her ears, the ring in her heart began to spin even more intensely.
Even Reynold was taken aback by that haughty flow of mana.
And so, the grand magic, Heavenly Thunder Formation, was completed.
A grand magic reaching the 6th Circle possessed terrifying power even on its own. No matter how much of an Agent of the Evil God the enemy was, they could not resist it in their weakened state.
Everything was unfamiliar.
She had jumped into a battlefield, risking her life for someone.
She had whipped her body to its limits to bring an irresistible foe to its knees.
At the end of that struggle, she had achieved grand magic.
She hadn't reached the level of an Archmage yet.
But the entrance to that path was clearly visible.
If she kept walking, she would surely reach it one day.
Elsie was dazed.
It was the first time she had achieved something on her own without relying on her family.
So Elsie was happy, and more than that, she was relieved.
Now she could be held in Ian’s arms.
Her family’s intentions didn't matter.
Whether they proceeded with the engagement or not, Elsie would stand by Ian’s side of her own will.
She was immensely happy about that unchangeable fact.
She had almost collapsed when Ian fell.
Every night, she would cry under her breath, or sit in a daze until she fainted.
She even prayed to a God she had never believed in her entire life.
Lord, please help that shabby-breasted... no, help the Saintess heal our Master. If you do, I’ll become a devout follower of the Heavenly God from now on.
Perhaps those efforts had paid off.
Ian eventually stood up, and Elsie had been immersed in a sweet dream for a while.
Rather than living as the family’s fighting dog, she would be Ian’s pet dog.
That resolution was still valid, and Elsie had no doubt that her hope would be realized.
Until she spoke with Ian today.
There was something she wanted to say, but her mind suddenly went blank, and she couldn't utter a word.
She only clenched her fists and let out fragmented, stuttering sounds.
"A-ah... ugh... ah..."
"No, is it really that shocking?"
Of course it was.
Hadn't Ian made a grand promise before?
That he would love her for the rest of his life.
Elsie had believed that promise implicitly, which was why she had abandoned her family and left.
But how could he do this?
She had fought even at the risk of her life!
Elsie couldn't hold back the tears that welled up.
She felt exactly like an abandoned puppy.
Her shoulders slumped dejectedly.
At this point, even Ian couldn't help but be flustered.
He hurriedly began to soothe Elsie.
"No, Senior Elsie... I mean, there’s your social reputation to consider."
"I-I care more about Master than my social reputation!"
Her tone was an ambiguous mix of formal and informal.
Ian slapped his hand against his forehead.
Come to think of it, her words were quite brazen.
Elsie’s social reputation had long since plummeted to rock bottom. It was far too late to try and restore it now.
Nevertheless, Ian continued his persuasion.
"And there’s the dignity of the Lainella family..."
"I-I even abandoned my family!"
Now it was Ian’s turn to be dazed.
At those words sobbed out by her, he had to rub his eyes and ask again.
"...What did you say?"
"I said I abandoned them... for Master."
What kind of nonsense is this?
Ian’s eyes, staring at Elsie, reflected such blatant bewilderment.
Regardless, Elsie only hung her head with a sorrowful expression.
The girl’s mournful murmuring continued.
"B-but how could you..."
Her watery blue eyes were brimming with tears.
It was a perfect setup to make Ian look like a piece of trash.
It was irrelevant to Ian’s actual intentions.
The scene being played out was that of a girl who had abandoned her family for a man, only for that man to suddenly break up with her.
All he had done was tell her not to call him "Master."
Elsie was trembling as if she had been jilted.
She looked ready to explode at any moment.
Finally, Elsie couldn't contain herself and raised her voice.
"You terrible bastard! After all the devotion I showed you—hngh?!"
That would have been the case, if Ian’s hand hadn't started stroking her under the chin.
Elsie immediately let out a strange moan and melted into his touch.