To Become Stronger
To become stronger.
"Riel has an extraordinary amount of mana."
Eve, the older sister who had so often scooped little Riel up in her arms, had said that once.
Riel hadn't understood the words at the time. But Eve, already hailed as a prodigy and honing her magic since childhood, had felt it — the staggering well of mana her little sister carried. A child, and yet her reserves already eclipsed those of a grown mage with room to spare. Eve herself was praised for her talent, her own mana rivaling an adult's, but before Riel she had no choice but to yield.
"She might even become a grand mage to succeed our ancestor, Aritia Ignis."
"Father, that's rather overstating it."
Duke Ignis had laughed as he said it, and her older brother Andrew had laughed with him. It was one of the few happy memories left from her childhood.
In truth, once she began to learn magic, Riel came to understand just how far her mana surpassed that of ordinary people. Even when they had visited the count's territory not long ago, it was her mana that had earned her a blank check of endorsement from the countess, herself an exceptional mage.
And so what Riel chose was a feint.
She spent enough magic that an ordinary person would have been emptied dry, then pretended her mana was completely exhausted. After that, careful not to be discovered, she began chanting an advanced spell. Of course, anyone sensitive to the flow of mana — an elf, especially — might have noticed. Fortunately, Kyou had read her intent and was drawing every gaze without fail.
He threw himself at the enemy, flinging magic wildly, pulling their eyes to him. Watching him take wounds in the doing, Riel felt as though her own heart would tear apart.
Hurry... hurry...
Somehow she crushed down the impatience and chanted as calmly as she could. At last, by some miracle, she finished preparing the most powerful magic she could wield. She had Frey send a signal to Kyou, who had been buying her time.
Whether the signal reached him properly or not — the instant he spun hard and threw himself clear—
⟨ Explode Ray ⟩
The most powerful magic Riel could use — an advanced spell — crashed down upon the enemy and erupted in a colossal explosion. A blast of staggering light swallowed the mansion garden, the kind that would reduce most monsters to ash in a single stroke. A wave of dizziness took Riel, and she sank down.
An ordinary mage wouldn't grow dizzy from chanting a single advanced spell, but this was Riel's first time using one, and the sensation was wholly unfamiliar. She steadied her swimming head as best she could and looked toward where her magic had fallen.
Even caught by a sudden attack, they were mercenaries who had seen real combat more than once. They must have drawn up mana in a rush to form a barrier — through the blast, the elf sisters were still alive.
But it was over. They already looked incapable of fighting. Kyou dragged his wounded body forward and ran to finish them. Relief that both of them were still standing settled in Riel's chest, along with a faint wash of exhaustion.
That was when a pair of blue elf eyes, locked on her with piercing intensity, filled Riel's vision. Those eyes held a chilling killing intent...
And then, suddenly, a sound like something exploding.
Thud.
Then a sound like a blade striking meat.
When she came back to herself, the black-haired boy who had been some distance away was lying collapsed right in front of her. She couldn't understand what had happened.
"...Kyou?"
She called his name. From the boy's face, twisted in pain, her gaze traveled down his body. She confirmed the alien shape of a blade protruding from him — and Riel screamed.
"Stay with me! Please, open your eyes!"
Through the hideous pain, only Riel's voice reached me. I'd been cut by blades a few times before, but never had a knife been driven so cleanly into my abdomen.
"Please... please...!!"
I forced the pain down, opened my eyes, and looked at her face. Those red eyes had gone even redder, tears spilling down her pretty features.
"Riel..."
"Yes! It's me! Are you all right?!"
The thought that I didn't want her to cry — the moment I opened my eyes and spoke, her expression brightened at once.
"I'm fine... I'm fine, so..."
A lie. Honestly, I wasn't fine. The pain was so horrific I was a hundred percent sure my insides had been hit. I was just putting on a front, wanting to ease the worry of the girl crying in front of me. The first thing I'd learned living as a noble was how to bluff.
"So be careful... it isn't over yet..."
Right. It wasn't over. The elf sisters were still alive. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I looked toward where they had been. The younger elf forced strength into her staggering legs and stood. In her hand, the remaining dagger. Her gaze was locked on us.
Following my words, Riel looked toward the elves, her eyes flaring as she cast.
⟨ Flame Lance ⟩
A spear of flame flew straight at the younger elf.
A roar of fire bursting — but the younger elf came charging out of the flames. The direct hit had shredded her left arm, but she gripped the dagger in her right hand and ran at us.
"Stop right now!!"
Having apparently already dealt with her own opponent, Rillu hurriedly nocked an arrow and loosed it at the charging younger elf. The shaft slammed into her right arm with a heavy, wet sound. But she didn't stop. She clenched the dagger in her teeth instead and came at us with bloodshot eyes.
It was the kind of movement that said she had already accepted death, so long as she took even one of us with her. Riel hastily fired quick-chant spells like Fire Arrow and Bullet, but the elf took every one of them, her whole body coming apart, and still she ran. Riel's face went white at the horrific sight.
A heavy stomp rang out.
And in the next instant, a massive impact — and the younger elf who had been charging at us was sent flying sideways. She sailed into a tree planted in the garden, slammed into it, and didn't move again.
"Sister..."
When Riel said that, the person who had sent the younger elf flying turned toward us.
Eve Ignis.
Her sharp eyes flew wide, and the red-haired woman came running toward Riel.
"Sister... Kyou... Kyou got stabbed..."
Confirming that Eve had returned, a sense of relief washed over me, and as I listened to Riel's voice, I lost consciousness.
What Eve saw as she nearly reached the mansion was an explosion accompanied by a brilliant flash. Certain that something terrible had happened at the estate, she unleashed the spell she had been chanting.
⟨ Sudden Impact ⟩
An advanced spell that instantly hammered a tremendous mass of force into a target and pulverized it. Its power was enough to crack a sturdy castle wall, so the ducal mansion's walls — solid, but with no magic laid on them — she could blow away entirely. The wall had only recently been repaired, but this was no time to worry about that.
Eve burst through the demolished wall. When she reached the site of the explosion, what met her eyes was a female elf like a demon, charging at her little sister.
But there was still distance. Eve hastily pulled a magic tool from her coat.
High-Grade Magic Tool
Explosively magnifies the wielder's leg strength and speed. A single use requires three days of rest.
It was obscenely expensive, but as an escape tool for emergencies, high-ranking officers of the knight order each carried one. It was meant for fleeing a crisis, but it could be turned to other uses, and some knights had tried their hand at various applications. Like Eve, in this moment.
Eve's enhanced leg strength exploded against the ground and carried her to the female elf charging at her sister. Then she poured that same force straight into her. Eve's kick drove through the female elf's side; the woman went flying and slammed into a tree.
Only her leg strength was enhanced. Eve's leg couldn't take the impact and tore — but she paid it no mind and looked at Riel.
"Sister... Kyou... Kyou got stabbed..."
"It's all right... come, let's move him."
A black-haired boy, unconscious, a knife still in his abdomen. And her little sister looking up at her with tears welling in those scarlet eyes. Eve let out a low sound in her throat.
Soon after, several of her subordinates from the Mage Corps who had been following her arrived. Eve ordered them to restrain the fallen elves, then scooped the boy up herself and ran for the mansion.
"A diversion, then..."
Having suppressed the rioters and returned to the mansion, Princess Aine murmured at the sight of the shattered wall and the ruined garden. She was not someone who would ordinarily fail to predict a diversion — but with a sudden riot and harm to the residents unfolding in real time, her judgment had failed her.
"...And what, exactly, are you doing?"
"Mm. I got detained too."
Princess Aine looked at Rillu, sitting bound by members of the Mage Corps, and her expression went incredulous.
"The attackers were elves, you see. There was a bit of a misunderstanding."
"I... see."
Princess Aine immediately ordered Rillu released. Behind her, Andrew and Alicia arrived. Alicia also looked blankly at the Rillu who had been bound, but Rillu casually worked her hands free, stiff from the restraints.
"The boy's hurt."
"Kyou?"
"Mm. Took a knife to the gut. Might be badly wounded."
Princess Aine turned to Andrew and Alicia. They nodded to each other and ran for the mansion.
When Princess Aine's party arrived inside, the first thing they saw was none other than the Ignis sisters. Andrew shouted and ran to them.
"Eve! Riel!!"
"Brother?"
At Andrew's voice, Eve, who had been comforting Riel, lifted her head.
"Yes, it's me! It's been so long!"
"I am so glad you are unharmed, Brother."
"Yes. Mother will be overjoyed when she sees you."
It was a long-awaited reunion of siblings, but given the situation, Princess Aine stepped forward.
"Eve."
"Your Highness. You have returned."
"Yes. How is Kyou?"
At Princess Aine's words, Riel, who had been crying, flinched. Eve, looking at her little sister with concern, spoke.
"Emergency treatment is complete, for now. We will need a physician to know more, but..."
"I see."
Worry showed in Princess Aine's eyes as well. And just then, a knight burst in, saying he had brought a doctor. Apparently, with the riot at the hospital, many physicians had evacuated and been rescued by the knight order, so they had been easy to find.
The doctor entered the room, and Princess Aine sighed and sat in a chair.
"...I should have anticipated it was a diversion."
"Your Highness..."
Princess Aine blaming herself, and Commander Gareth soothing her. Andrew and Eve were comforting Riel. Riel sat with her head bowed, her expression dark.
"Riel..."
Eve called her name worriedly. After a moment, Riel lifted her head, looked at Eve, and spoke.
"Sister..."
"Yes. I'm right here."
"About Kyou. Even after he was stabbed, he said he was fine."
Fat tears spilled from Riel's red eyes.
"I knew it was a lie. I knew he was just putting on a front, and he still said he was fine... he even told me to be careful..."
"Riel..."
"If I hadn't let my guard down... if I'd been able to dodge it myself, he wouldn't have..."
"No. It's not your fault, Riel..."
Riel, too, had begun to blame herself. Eve denied it to comfort her, but she had no idea how to actually soothe her. Andrew said nothing either, only held Riel's hand.
How much time passed?
Riel squeezed Eve's hand tightly. Eve looked at her little sister, who was gripping her with such force.
"Riel?"