Chapter 569: Jealousy is My Power (69)
Chapter 569: Jealousy is My Power (69)
"Why, you little shit?"
Perhaps I had hit a nerve.
Senior Elsie immediately lowered her stance, radiating hostility toward me. Her aura was so intense that if she’d had a tail, it surely would have been standing stiffly on end in warning.
However, the woman’s rage didn't escalate into violence.
Before long, Elsie let out a sharp, mocking laugh and relaxed her posture.
"And what about you?" she asked, a sneer playing on her lips.
It was a brief retort, but no other question could have pierced my heart more sharply.
I felt a surge of indignation and tried to argue back.
"What about me—!"
"You got dumped too, didn't you? Seeing as this body is still mine."
It was a futile effort.
In the end, after stammering for a moment, I could only let out a deep sigh.
She was right.
I had failed to persuade Senior Elsie. Whether that person was a phantom conjured by my subconscious or the personality of my fiancée who had truly retreated deep into her mind, I didn't know.
Regardless, the result remained the same: I had been kicked out.
My expression soon turned as gloomy as a sky during the monsoon season. Senior Elsie was no exception; the space between us began to reek of the peculiar, dismal atmosphere shared by a man and a woman who had both just suffered a heartbreak.
It was a battle where everyone left wounded.
Furthermore, there was one more person contributing to the heavy air.
"I—I can do it... I can do it, I can do it... I can d-do, hic!"
At that small sob, Senior Elsie and I turned our gazes toward the source simultaneously.
There stood Cien, repeating her mantra with a visibly pale, nervous face. The beads of cold sweat and her trembling, unfocused eyes indirectly betrayed her state of mind.
She even ended up biting her tongue slightly.
It was a sight that reminded me of Seria in the past. Cien wiped her eyes a couple of times with her sleeve, as if the pain was enough to bring her to tears.
Senior Elsie’s assessment of the scene was simple.
She let out a hollow, deflating laugh.
"Can she even use that in a real fight? It’s so obvious she grew up pampered as a princess."
"She has experienced real combat once before, but..."
"Was she like that then, too?"
I exercised my right to remain silent instead of answering.
The Princess's only experience in real combat was the fierce battle against the elves in the North.
Back then, she had been unable to fulfill her role because she was too busy retching. To make matters worse, this time there were no other talents left to replace her.
The longer my silence stretched, the narrower Senior Elsie’s eyes became. Unable to withstand her gaze, I eventually let out a sigh-filled groan.
"We don't have any other choice..."
This was the reality we faced.
The Vampire had installed barrier cores throughout the Academy. Just like when we encountered the Vampire before, we had no chance of victory unless we destroyed this barrier.
Even the 'Sword Duke' had only managed to fight the Vampire to a standstill, hadn't he?
To destroy the cores, we needed at least three people. Since the Great Witch had to keep the Vampire in check, that left only three capable individuals.
Senior Elsie, the Princess with her 'Dragon's Eye,' and me.
It was a fact that couldn't be denied, no matter how much I wanted to.
Even Senior Elsie, whose personality had turned sour after being dumped by her boyfriend, didn't offer a single word of rebuttal. She simply covered her face with her palm and let out a lament.
"We're fucked, seriously..."
Surprisingly, Senior Elsie’s despair didn't last long.
Thwack! A crisp hitting sound rang out.
"Agh!"
Immediately after, Senior Elsie clutched the crown of her head and let out a short shriek. It was a reasonable reaction, considering the blow was powerful enough to dent her pointed hat.
However, the most striking thing was the weapon that had struck her head.
A smoking pipe.
The acrid scent of medicinal herbs tickled my nose. There was only one person in the Academy who would carry such an item.
One of the only three Masters on the continent, the 'Great Witch.'
The absolute being, currently in the form of a small girl, exhaled a puff of smoke.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at that mouth of yours... Can't you refine your language a bit?"
Who would dare defy such a majestic scolding?
Only someone with a heart so bold it was practically swollen would even try. And unfortunately, Senior Elsie was one of the rare individuals who met that criteria.
"Wh-what does it matter to you, you old hag—!"
Of course, even her boldness had its limits.
As the Great Witch’s gaze turned sharp, Senior Elsie quickly began to mumble and averted her eyes. After all, she had been the Great Witch’s disciple for several years; it would be difficult for her to raise her voice against her master.
Having cleared the heavy atmosphere, the Great Witch spoke in a calm tone.
"Now, now, stop your whining. If we don't stop this, tens of thousands will die or be injured anyway. Isn't it better to at least try?"
"That is truly comforting advice..."
Despite my sigh-laden voice, the Great Witch simply patted my shoulder a few times, as if to say, 'Right?'
Then, her inscrutable gaze met my eyes.
"Why? Does it look that hopeless to you?"
"To be honest..."
"I heard you were running around here and there all day yesterday."
I fell silent at that single sentence.
So she knew. Then again, if the Great Witch set her mind to tracking my movements, I had no means of stopping her.
The Great Witch continued her questioning, her expression still unreadable.
"Where did you go, and who did you meet?"
She wasn't someone I could deceive anyway.
After a moment of hesitation, the truth poured out of my mouth.
"I met Senior Delphine, who remained in the North, and Emma at the workshop for a bit..."
"What are you plotting?"
Silence again.
When I pointedly avoided her gaze, the Great Witch shook her head as if she had expected as much.
"Fine, well... I'm sure you have your reasons. How many miracles have you performed so far?"
In the end, I couldn't give her a confident answer.
Nevertheless, a small palm patted my shoulder once more as she walked past.
"...I'll trust you."
She wasn't going to say she didn't trust me at this point.
However, I felt that the Great Witch’s words carried a heavy sincerity. It wasn't just a formality or something said because she had no choice; it felt like it held a deeper meaning.
Of course, it might have been a delusion. I wasn't exactly the most perceptive person.
Ultimately, the only thing I could squeeze out was a common excuse.
"I did my best."
The Great Witch nodded and took another step forward.
Perhaps it meant she would trust and leave whatever I was doing to me.
The next person the Great Witch spoke to was the youngest of the group and our greatest weakness.
"Princess Cien."
"Y-yes! G-Gr-Great Witch...?"
The girl, who had been muttering to herself with her head down, snapped into a rigid posture. It was a reflex as swift as if she’d been struck by lightning.
She was like this just from being addressed. It was obvious how nervous she was, even without looking into her heart.
Just as the outlook for Senior Elsie and me was turning bleak again...
The Great Witch said something unexpected.
"I heard you carry the blood of the dragon?"
"Th-that is... well... I-it's currently sealed, so it's not actually that strong..."
Cien’s characteristic timidness flared up, and she began to stammer out excuses. By the time her voice trailed off, she was even looking at me with a tearful face.
Not that there was anything I could do to help her.
More importantly, the Great Witch didn't seem to have any intention of blaming Cien. It meant she didn't even need her help in that way to begin with.
The woman who had spent hundreds of years seeking the truth let out a low breath.
"Dragons are the ancestors of all magic."
It was a fact known to anyone involved in the magical arts.
No, it wasn't just mages; it was common knowledge for everyone on the continent. No one was ignorant of the creation myths, the Great War of Gods and Demons, and the legends concerning dragons.
In particular, dragons were deeply connected to the founding myth of the Empire. As a subject of the Empire and a member of the Imperial Household, there was no way the Princess didn't know this.
Nevertheless, the Princess froze.
It was because the Great Witch’s eyes had turned calm and deep. As if she were offering a crucial piece of advice.
"Dragons are different from humans. Humans can only handle one element at most, but it is said that they could freely manipulate every element that exists in the world."
Why was the Great Witch suddenly bringing up an old story?
I couldn't fathom the reason, but Cien’s eyes began to sparkle as if she had realized something. It was a transition so rapid it was hard to believe she had been hesitating just moments ago.
Then, her voice rose, filled with anticipation.
"Th-then, perhaps I could also...?"
"No, you probably can't. You aren't a dragon, are you?"
Of course, it was a mere pipe dream.
At the Great Witch’s blunt answer, the Princess's shoulders slumped again. Her dejected appearance was the spitting image of a plant that hadn't seen sunlight for days.
Seeing this, the Great Witch let out a faint laugh. Like a mischievous child with a target for her pranks.
However, she wasn't finished yet. After exhaling another puff of smoke, the woman’s lips began to move again.
"Don't be too discouraged. It just means that the blood of the dragon holds infinite possibilities... And who knows? If you become my disciple, you might learn to handle two or three elements."
The infinite possibilities of 'Dragon Blood.'
Come to think of it, the man from the future had mentioned something like this to me. I believe he had talked about the 'hidden power of the Dragon Blood Runes.'
Cien also seemed intrigued by the Great Witch’s mention. However, her focus was different from mine.
Clenching her small fists, the girl asked, unable to contain her excitement.
"A-are you taking me as your disciple!"
"Well... I'm not sure. If you're that curious, ask that fellow over there."
That indifferent hint was enough to revitalize the girl who had been so tense.
Then again, the chance to become the Great Witch’s disciple was rare.
As a mage, it was only natural that she wouldn't want to miss such an opportunity. Meanwhile, I found myself unable to meet the Princess's gaze.
It was because the conversation I’d had with Vilteon kept weighing on my mind.
A dragon can never be happy.
Because they are so strong, they can never allow anyone to stand by their side.
Only a very small number of people would be able to walk such a path.
Would the Princess truly want to be one of them?
It was while I was lost in these various thoughts.
"Now, now. Everyone, pay attention."
The sound of hands clapping together snapped me back to reality.
Naturally, the source was the Great Witch. The smoke she exhaled momentarily turned my vision white.
"Our operation is simple. We scatter, find the barrier cores, and destroy them. When I give the signal, we strike the Vampire all at once."
It was a plan that was simple, concise, and couldn't be any clearer.
Since it was something we had known for a while, no one complained. Only I raised my hand to voice a concern.
"What about Seria or Celine? Or the students who have become the Vampire's servants?"
"What do you think we should do?"
Her eyes were hollow.
Her deeply sunken gaze possessed an intimidation all its own. My body froze for a fleeting moment when I met the Great Witch’s pale green pupils.
What was her intention?
But the words were already out. After a brief hesitation, I finally spoke my honest thoughts.