Chapter 285: Reduction
Chapter 285: Reduction
Translation: Godtl
Everyone was momentarily speechless at Frondier's words.
A body nearing collapse from mana exhaustion, pale face, both arms broken, blood flowing all over.
As they hesitated whether to argue or get angry—
"Stay still."
Someone flew to Frondier's side in an instant and embraced him from behind.
"Please stay still."
The woman who had flown over, white as snow, seemed to dye Frondier with her own colors as she clung to him.
"......Aten."
"What kind of state is this."
As she spoke, Aten poured her mana into him. A cold breath reached Frondier, enveloping his entire body.
"......This, don't tell me—"
"It's not perfect yet."
Though Aten said so, Frondier could feel his body gradually healing. The pain lessened, and the heavy weight of his body slowly eased.
"'Reduction' magic?"
"It's just healing. Though I mixed in some principles of Reduction."
Reduction—the magic Aten had used before to save Frondier when he was dying from the side effects of consuming the Dragon Heart.
But that had been Aten mimicking a glimpse of her own future. A grand magic that her future self could perform but was still beyond her current abilities. A method closer to a miracle born from coincidence upon coincidence, which she still couldn't wield freely.
'In the game, Aten could only use Reduction after becoming a pro. Her specialty was originally ice magic.'
In the game, The Raid by Manggot also happened much later than now. Here, due to overlapping events, The Raid was merely accelerated. While it's true that the Empire and Constelle were less prepared as a result, Manggot had also acted prematurely.
'......But this is a bit strange.'
Aten was hugging Frondier from behind under the pretense of healing him, but thinking about it, it was a bit odd.
Last time she used Reduction, she had just placed her hands on him, hadn't she?
Moreover, this time it wasn't even Reduction—just healing.
"Do you really have to hug me like this to heal me?"
"No."
"......"
"Still, please stay still."
Aten tightened her grip as Frondier tried to silently pull away. Sensing her peculiar determination and strength, Frondier remained still.
"......Does this make the healing more effective?"
Frondier asked again, just in case.
"No."
Of course, Aten didn't indulge his expectations.
"Still, please stay still."
"......You're still as hard to talk to as ever."
As the two exchanged these bland words—
"Frondier."
Aster, standing beside Frondier, spoke while keeping his gaze fixed ahead.
"I brought everyone."
"Thanks."
Frondier raised his hand and placed it on Aster's shoulder.
"Then I'll leave the commands to you."
Aster hesitated slightly at Frondier's words before asking.
"......Wouldn't it be better if you did it?"
"Not this again."
Frondier tilted his head to look past Aster.
People were swiftly gathering and lining up beside them. Taking in each one of them, Frondier said:
"You're the one who brought them all here."
"You told me to bring them."
"No."
Frondier shook his head.
"I never said that. You did it of your own will, by your own choice."
In truth, Frondier had never asked Aster to bring all of them here.
There was only one thing Frondier had requested.
To become their leader. That was all.
"......Cowardly bastard."
After lightly chiding him, Aster drew his sword. Excalibur Beta. Frondier took a moment to admire its dazzling form.
"You brought it."
"You made me bring this. Don't even try to argue."
"Fair enough."
Hoho, Frondier laughed. He had personally gone to the Sacred Forest to ensure Aster would obtain that sword. There was no denying that.
"......Aster, give the command."
Frondier looked straight ahead.
Though the area around them had been devastated by Elodie's magic, the army of corpses still remained vast. They were gradually filling the void Elodie had created, drawing closer.
Whoosh!
Aster's sword soared high into the sky. The radiant gleam of Excalibur shone brightly, illuminating the surroundings.
"People of Constelle!"
Aster shouted. Frondier thought inwardly that it was a fitting address. Aster truly had the qualities of a leader.
As if they had been waiting for that cry, those who had lined up around them readied their weapons and magic with heightened expressions, awaiting orders.
"We will end this war!!"
With that, the clash of armies began. The students unleashed their respective powers to eliminate the horde before them.
Most conspicuous were the three who had grown exponentially during this war—Aster, Sybil, and Elodie. Selena, though not as flashy, severed enemies' lives with a quiet efficiency unmatched by anyone, her speed invisible yet comparable to the top three.
May also utilized the materials she'd studied to fell enemies, her approach more akin to experimental trials of learned techniques.
"Hmm, in that case, I suppose I'll have to target that Devil."
Osprey's gaze lifted skyward.
Belphegor observed the battlefield calmly from above, his gaze cold despite the unfavorable turn of events. When his eyes met Osprey's, he looked down with an arrogant stare, as if daring him to come.
"Chancellor!!"
But at that moment, Frondier's voice severed their locked gazes.
Frondier looked at Osprey and mouthed without sound:
'Over here.'
The simple request was clear even without words, and Osprey soared over in a single leap, landing beside him.
With a wave of his arm, Osprey cast the soundproofing spell Whisper of Wind around them.
"What is it?"
"You must not approach Belphegor. Luring you in is precisely his scheme."
Frondier spoke in a hushed tone.
"Belphegor can wield the power of the Deadly Sins. He can unleash a potent mental assault regardless of the target's resistance."
"......Are you saying he can directly inflict Sloth?"
Osprey's guess was correct. Frondier nodded.
"Chancellor, please head into the Imperial Palace."
"Inside the Imperial Palace?"
"Yes. Somewhere within, the believers are attempting to summon a God."
Another countdown in this war.
The Imperial Palace was preparing for divine descent, and the moment was drawing near.
"The energy has swelled to the point where forcibly stopping it now would cause an immediate explosion."
"......Then it must be controlled."
"Yes. Only you can do it."
Though Elodie's prowess as a mage is exceptional, she is still a destruction mage, trained to eliminate enemies—her control remains lacking. It wasn't for nothing that Frondier had been wearing his Bracer all this time.
"Then what of that Devil? The power of the Deadly Sins can affect anyone—"
As Osprey spoke, Frondier extended his hand.
"......What is that?"
"Give it to me. Now."
"......."
"You were the only one who could conceal it, so you've been keeping it safe."
Osprey fell silent at Frondier's words. The gravity in Frondier's eyes darkened his expression with concern.
"......Are you truly certain about this?"
"If things go wrong,"
Frondier glanced at Aten, who was still clinging to him.
"......Aten will save me."
"Huh?"
Aten, utterly baffled by what was being said. Osprey let out a long sigh.
"I can't fathom what might happen."
Osprey raised a hand and twirled it through the air.
Then, a small object that hadn't been there before appeared in his palm.
Aten, watching from behind, gasped upon recognizing it.
"A Dragon Heart......!"
A crystal with a triangular frame.
An immense concentration of mana, previously undetectable, was now fully contained within it.
And of course, Belphegor noticed it too.
'How could they possess such mana......?'
The doubt lasted only a moment before realization struck. Osprey had concealed it using spatial magic.
Osprey, who had once stepped beyond the world itself—hiding a single object would be child's play.
'A Dragon Heart? The one in the Imperial Palace was surely destroyed. No dragon has reappeared on this continent since!'
Belphegor scrutinized the Dragon Heart resting on Osprey's palm.
"......No."
His intuition warned him.
"That is not a Dragon Heart."
True to Belphegor's suspicion, the object in Osprey's hand was not a Dragon Heart.
This was a collaborative work between Frondier and May.
An original creation by Frondier, crafted to treat Emperor Bartello's ailment. Since it was a mana crystal of Frondier's making, it would technically be correct to call it a Frondier Heart—but the name was too cringeworthy for Frondier himself to accept.
Frondier accepted the mana crystal from Osprey.
'......The second one.'
In theory, these mana crystals could be continuously produced. The mana within a human body naturally recovers over time, and once restored, all he needed to do was recreate the crystal with Mei.
Considering efficiency and effectiveness, there was no reason for Frondier not to attempt it.
However, an unforeseen issue arose.
—The crystal isn't stable.
—The mana crystal you created was designed based on the blueprint of a 'Dragon Heart.' Perhaps human mana doesn't quite align with that design. That's why it maintains its form temporarily but eventually dissipates.
Frondier's original mana crystal couldn't remain semi-permanent like a Dragon Heart.
According to Osprey's advice, the duration wouldn't exceed half a month at most. Realizing he couldn't increase the quantity, Frondier stopped producing the mana crystals—except for this one, made in preparation for this war.
—Are you planning to swallow it?
—Swallowing a Dragon Heart outright is an extremely dangerous act. Even if it were your own Dragon Heart, it wouldn't make a difference. It might even be more perilous.
The reason Frondier had been able to amplify mana using a Dragon Heart until now was solely because what he created was a 'fake.'
Since he hadn't consumed a real Dragon Heart, it only provided the 'effect' of mana amplification, and to achieve that effect, Frondier had to sacrifice his own blood and flesh. To compensate, he had been using 'Penelope's Cloth.'
But with the 'real' one, Penelope's Cloth wouldn't activate. There was no need for a dummy to absorb the mana in its place.
Frondier thought it might be fine to consume his own mana crystal, but according to Osprey, that was an overly optimistic and dangerous assumption.
If a Dragon Heart could ravage the body due to its inherently violent nature, Frondier's original mana crystal would be 'excessively' compatible with his body.
The mana would undoubtedly surge, and the resulting synergy would be unpredictable.
But whether a human body could endure it was an entirely different matter.
"Aten, step back."
Frondier spoke.
There was no hesitation in him.
He didn't know what would happen. Such talk had long grown tiresome.
He had walked paths where the outcome was uncertain, had always persisted in those choices.
And he still stood here now.
"......Just promise me one thing."
Aten, still holding onto Frondier's body, spoke.
"When you leave for somewhere, when you part from me, when you fight someone or something and get hurt—"
Though her face buried in Frondier's back remained unseen, her trembling voice sounded pitiful.
"Promise me you'll come back to me."
"......Aten."
"Don't forget."
Her arms tightened around him.
"I'll always follow behind you."
"......."
"But sometimes, I feel like I might lose you."
Frondier could feel Aten's body trembling.
"......Because I'm weak."
"Aten."
"I might not be able to stand by your will like others can."
"Aten."
"But if you just come back to me, I—"
Swish.
Frondier gently loosened Aten's arms.
Aten stared blankly at him. Placing a hand on her white hair, Frondier smiled.
"Save me."
"......."
"I've entrusted my life to you."
Aten pressed her trembling lips together for a moment before nodding silently.
As she slowly stepped back, Frondier took a deep breath and picked up the mana crystal.
Feeling Aten's anxious gaze, he chuckled inwardly.
'It reminds me of the past.'
Back when he fought Renzo to protect Aten.
Back then, too, Frondier had swallowed a Dragon Heart in front of Aten.
He had walked that path without knowing what consequences it would bring.
In the end, that choice had pushed Frondier to the brink of death.
But looking back now.
'Right, Aten. From then till now, that's how it's been between us.'
Just as Frondier had saved Aten from Renzo's hands.
Just as Aten had saved Frondier.
Not as the Imperial Princess.
Not as a noble of high birth.
Aten Terst had saved Frondier de Roah.
"......Here I go."
Believing he would be saved, Frondier—
Swallowed the mana crystal.