A Friendly Spar, Part 2
"U-Um... they are quite weak, aren't they?"
Charbun's assessment.
It was entirely accurate.
For such was the flow of the friendly tournament unfolding before their eyes.
It was so pathetic that even he could understand why he wasn't fighting.
"Hiyah!"
Whoosh.
A half-hearted swing.
A hammer swimming through empty air.
The glaring openings were so massive that even Charbun, who was still unaccustomed to combat, could easily spot them.
"Hey, Belgard! Don't hold back! Give him a good wallop!"
Jane, on the other hand, seemed completely absorbed in the friendly match.
She pumped her clenched fists in the air, shouting for him to blow the opponent away.
Belgard had absolutely no intention of holding back either.
Mr. Roan said he would step in if things got dangerous...
If Roan intervened, it felt as though any danger could be averted.
Steeling her resolve on a foundation of absolute trust, Belgard outstretched both hands.
"Oh?"
"H-Huh? This feels a bit different from the Lady Belgard I know..."
"Indeed."
With Roan's agreement, everyone realized it.
The energy was distinctly different from what Belgard usually wielded.
Usually, she would manifest a mass of holy power in the air.
Shaping it into a sword or a hammer to attack was her primary pattern.
In a way, it was monotonous, and in another, it could be seen as a lesser version of Jane's magic.
But what Belgard was demonstrating now was a complete departure from that.
Her latent holy power surged up her shoulder, wrapping around one arm.
Soon after, a nebula-like energy flowing from her necklace began to envelop her other arm.
"...It's a bit different from what I expected. I thought she would blend the two."
"Me too..."
They had expected her to use a hybrid form, but it seemed she hadn't reached that level yet.
Even so, the pressure radiating from her was immense.
"Yaaah!"
Oblivious to the heavy atmosphere felt even in the spectator stands, Zaraxia charged forward, raising his hammer once more.
And then,
BOOM!
Creeeak...
"Ugh!"
He was blown back by an unexpected blow.
"What the?"
"...Huh?"
"She's changed."
An unexpected turn of events unfolded before everyone's eyes.
Belgard, whom they had assumed would attack from a distance, had forced a close-quarters brawl.
A flurry of consecutive strikes followed.
Closing the distance, she unleashed fists imbued with two entirely different energies.
A pulling darkness. An expelling holy power.
The harmony of attraction and repulsion, as if tearing body and soul apart, was deeply impressive.
"Argh!"
Groaning, Zaraxia swung his hand.
Whoosh!
A delicate flame, unlike Jane's wild fire.
A spell that was slightly awkward for offense but more than enough to scorch skin rushed toward her.
And yet.
Sssss...
The fiercely advancing flames sputtered and died out.
"T-The form... it has changed...?"
"Yeah. It looks like armor."
Charbun and Jane chimed in, observing Belgard's current state.
The energies that had gathered around her arms and hands were expanding, draping over her upper body.
A Paladin.
It was a form highly reminiscent of one who fought directly on the front lines.
"...Is she... is she planning to transition to a front-line combat style now?"
"No, probably not. She'll still be able to use ranged attacks too."
It meant she had developed a style that could adapt fluidly to the situation.
Even if the raw power remained the same, it was a highly threatening trait.
And now, with increased destructive power layered on top, anyone facing her would feel not just annoyance, but sheer terror.
Jane's gaze drifted down to her own staff.
She had been riding high after getting such good equipment.
But.
If I stagnate now, I'll be left in the dust.
Seeing Belgard's growth naturally brought that realization to mind.
The time had come when simply tagging along and gathering experience was no longer enough.
More importantly, how is that guy... enduring those attacks?
Her gaze shifted to Zaraxia.
Despite the relentless onslaught of attraction and repulsion, he was merely sliding backward with a static-like friction, bearing no major wounds.
Does it not hurt? There's no way.
His brow was furrowed, and his body trembled slightly.
Yet, the fact that he stood his ground meant...
...He's perfectly fine? He's actually incredibly strong but just refuses to fight?
Just as Jane's bewilderment was about to peak, Zaraxia suddenly flopped backward onto the ground.
"Ahhh. I can't do this anymore."
"Uh... what? Really? But didn't you just stand there and take hits...?"
A sudden declaration of surrender.
Yet, as if he truly couldn't go on, he lay there flat on his back, completely motionless.
A baffling, yet valuable victory.
Confirming that the energy enveloping Belgard's body had dissipated, Roan walked over to Zaraxia.
"Zaraxia."
"What is it?"
"Are you satisfied?"
At his question, Zaraxia nodded vigorously.
And then, click.
As if the thread holding his consciousness together had finally snapped, he instantly fell fast asleep.
Nevertheless, the friendly matches continued.
The matches, which lasted until the sun began to dip below the horizon, yielded a mix of unexpected and entirely predictable results.
"Urgh..."
"Mmm... this is a bit..."
The duel between Jane and Charbun ended, surprisingly, in Charbun's victory.
However, it couldn't be taken at face value.
Since they were comrades, she couldn't use her highly lethal spells.
Even Charbun, the victor, wore an uncomfortable, apologetic expression.
And battles between Jane and Belgard, and Charbun and Belgard, also took place.
Belgard gradually learned how to control her power against each opponent.
Though she seemed to grow more adept at manipulating her energies during the fights, hybridizing them was still out of her reach.
And finally.
In the battles against Roan, everyone showed a hint of hesitation.
"Don't worry! You can use your strongest attacks without holding back!"
"We're hesitating precisely because we know those 'strong attacks' are just going to get blocked..."
Jane was reluctant to attack, though for a different reason than Charbun.
"Alright! Charge whenever you're ready!"
"U-Um, actually... I don't see a single opening...? I feel like if I rush in blindly, I'll be finished instantly..."
Charbun hesitated, warily reading the room.
"Ranged or close-quarters, it doesn't matter! Hit me with everything you've got!"
"Excuse me... but they've all been blocked already...?"
Even Belgard, whose new attacks were effortlessly shut down, chimed in.
Once again, Roan's overwhelming defensive power made them acutely realize the vast difference in their levels.
However, Roan had no intention of letting them repeat past mistakes.
"Instead of trying to pierce through the front, it might be better to develop spells that target the rear."
"...Hmm."
"Sometimes, facing things head-on is good too. Regardless of your personality, you possess incredible strength."
"...I-I suppose I do have some strength. Yes. I will try that next time."
"Right now, you can only use simple techniques, right? If we brainstorm together and develop more skills, you'll improve leaps and bounds!"
"Yes... Yes! I'll do my best!"
Rather than offering empty encouragement, he provided concrete methods, expanding their potential for growth.
It was a day where clashing weapons brought them all a little closer.
Deciding to camp outside for the night before resuming their journey, the party members headed to their respective beddings.
And on a night when the moon hung high in the sky.
A landscape entirely different from reality began to paint itself inside Roan's mind.
A thick, hazy mist, and a field of flowers blooming through it.
A dizzyingly high place where a single misstep would mean falling to one's death.
Though the spatial characteristics were striking, there was a sight far more captivating.
Water droplets hung completely frozen in the air above the flowerbed.
No, wait. It's not just the water droplets.
Time itself was stopped.
The wind, the petals, the clouds he had mistaken for mist.
Every single thing was frozen in place.
What kind of dream is this now?
As he briefly scanned his surroundings with that thought,
―~ ♪ ♩
...someone's humming began to echo from within the shrouded mist.
An old-fashioned melody not found in his memories.
Yet, for some reason, it felt familiar.
Roan followed the sound toward its source.
As the distance closed, a blurry silhouette gradually came into focus.
An elderly man with a beard reaching down to his shoulders.
His light gray hair and beard, dominated heavily by white, spoke of the vast years he had lived.
"Ah, at last."
As Roan's footsteps halted, the old man lowered his watering can as if he had been waiting, and looked at him.
―Splash!
At that exact moment, as if frozen time had suddenly resumed, the water droplets hovering over the flowers fell all at once, wetting the leaves.
"I have found you. The one who possesses the remnants of time magic."
Remnants of time magic.
His words awakened a memory buried deep within Roan's mind.
"Uh...?"
That memory.
The very starting point that had allowed him to begin his second life.
'I have repeated this countless times, yet ultimately failed. Therefore, I shall pass this opportunity to you.'
'Please, let it be you who succeeds.'
A human who had transcended to interfere with space-time.
An entity who, after repeated failures, had chosen to become a mere bystander.
"It is now certain that the flow of time has been warped due to your existence."
And that very entity had summoned Roan.
Through a dream.
"You, the one who holds the singularity. Do you know anything of time magic?"
"Yes."
Roan answered the old man's question without hesitation.
"I regressed. In my past life, through your magic."
The absolute truth, with nothing hidden.
"...I see. Which means, the destruction could not be averted."
With just those words, the wizard grasped the entire situation.
I'm glad I wasn't branded a doomsday lunatic.
―Rumble...!
Crack!
As he thought this, the surrounding landscape suddenly began to shift.
Clouds descended, their sheer weight cracking the garden.
An astral sight, as if space-time itself were collapsing, filled his vision.
"Huh? What's happening?"
"Our time must be up. Interfering with dreams is an unstable magic, after all."
Watching the crumbling scenery with a calm demeanor, the old man continued.
"I hope to see you soon. At the Magic Tower's—"
....
"Ah!"
His eyes snapped open right before the most crucial piece of information could be revealed.
A cool breeze and warm sunlight seemed to welcome his return to reality.
And then,
"...Were you dreaming? You seemed to sleep much longer than usual."
"It's not long; this is how much he's supposed to sleep. Usually, the amount of sleep Mr. Roan gets is ridiculously low. To relieve fatigue, a person needs to sleep for a set amount of time. In that sense, Jane and Charbun sleep far too little as well—"
"Ugh, what a nag."
Sick of Belgard's nagging, Jane quickly steered the conversation back.
"You looked like you woke up from a shock. Did something happen?"
"Yeah. Something huge."
Nodding, Roan shared the details of his dream.
The wizard who had interfered with his dream to find him.
The very person who had aided his regression, and a master capable of manipulating time.
"...So, where is this incredibly amazing person supposed to be?"
"The Magic Tower."
The region they had passed by once before.
They were heading back to the Magic Tower.