EP.219 Life is a Flower. Love is the Honey of that Flower. (6)
”That’s not allowed.”
Just that one firm statement was filled with an ominous resentment that clearly seemed unusual.
A taboo not to be touched.
A line that must not be crossed.
A Pandora’s Box that must not be opened.
There were many examples that came to mind, but none of them felt sufficient to fully express the palpable foreboding permeating this vicinity.
”I’m sorry. No matter how much of Dawna you are, I cannot allow that.”
With a calm tone, the Hero repeated his stance.
It was a perfectly rational response without a flaw, yet the ominous tension hanging over my mind had only deepened instead of dissipating.
I had painfully understood the reason through my experiences.
The fact that the Hero would display such cynical words and actions was a form of threat, signaling that he was dangerously suppressing a rage that seemed ready to explode at any moment.
”Calm down. Hero. It was just a touch… I didn’t mean to do anything…”
Apiss suddenly stepped up to mediate the situation on my behalf, frozen by the murderous intent wrapping around me.
Yet Dawna’s bombshell declaration didn’t stop there.
”I liked you first.”
The Hero widened his eyes in shock, followed by Apiss who expressed disbelief as well.
Both of them looked as if they couldn’t imagine such words coming from Dawna.
”I met you first… I liked you first…”
Dawna’s words, filled with pent-up frustration, continued non-stop without a breath.
However, everyone present, including me, was just chewing on the horrified silence, instead of responding to her confession.
In a way, this was somewhat inevitable.
Among the Hero Party, the cluelessness of these two was indeed at an extraordinary level.
There was no need to mention Apiss, who was oblivious to common sense even at a racial level.
As for the Hero, his empathy couldn’t even reach the level of a ten-year-old child, which had caused considerable trouble for Bigtim and me.
Therefore, the ripple effect caused by Dawna’s disjointed confession was bound to be immense.
Even I, who had subconsciously sensed Dawna’s feelings, was in quite a state of shock.
The conceptual shock they were experiencing must have far surpassed the limits of my imagination.
”Dawna…”
Even the words I squeezed out only fluttered her name.
And the resulting chaos from such an oblivious response was overwhelmingly great.
”I liked you first──!!!”
KWAAM! CRACKLE!
The ear-splitting shout. Fueled by that force, a torrent of wild magic abruptly engulfed the area.
It was not magic.
It was merely the raw magic circulating within her, leaking out due to the tempestuous emotions she was feeling.
Yet, no matter how chaotic its form, the magic wielder was still human, and thus, the intensity was fully threatening.
”Apiss! The Priest!”
”I know!”
As the Hero urgently called out, Apiss swiftly came running to block my way.
Right after that, the Hero, hitting the ground harshly, dove towards Dawna like an arrow.
It was a fleeting moment, but it was easy to guess what intention lay behind the Hero’s actions.
Having drawn his sword, putting it back in its sheath only to wield it as a blunt instrument focused on subduing, not eliminating, was evident.
The cause was unclear, but what was clear was that Dawna was not in her right mind, and the Hero’s judgment to try to stun her for a moment was truly commendable.
But I would soon realize that this commendable yet clumsy judgment would lead to an unfortunate event.
CRACKLE!
A streak of lightning shot from the end of Dawna’s staff, piercing through the Hero’s body.
◈◈◈
There were multiple factors at play.
First, the injuries sustained just before facing Regis from Dawna’s magic had severely compromised the Hero’s greatest strength: his agility.
The betrayal from a trusted comrade, the shocking declaration from that very comrade.
The series of events had unmistakably influenced the Hero’s state of mind in a negative way.
On top of that, the inevitable gap created by attempting to subdue rather than eliminate his target.
The unnecessary procedure of putting the drawn sword back into its sheath made his sword strike lag behind more than usual.
As a result,
I’m slower!
CRACKLE!
By the time Apiss realized this horrifying truth, it was already too late.
”Cough!”
THUMP.
The sound of the Hero’s broken moan echoed as he weakly sank to his knees.
Even among the esteemed individuals of the Hero Party, there was no one who could keep up with the Hero’s earnest speed.
For the Hero to be outmaneuvered in battle was a first since the founding of the Hero Party.
It could easily be called an unprecedented incident.
”Hero─!”
With heavy gasps, Apiss hastily reached for an arrow.
The frantic, flickering eyes, like a candle in the wind, were vividly painted with a strong sense of horror.
Since it was a magic spell that emphasized speed rather than power, the lightning used by Dawna had not reached the Hero’s life force.
As evidence, only minor scorch marks and graceful convulsions were evident on the Hero’s body; life-threatening injuries were nowhere to be found.
However, there was no breathing space to feel relief about such a fact.
In that fleeting moment, Apiss concluded her judgment.
”The rising sun and moon. Life wasting away helplessly. What remains is the yoke of duty, named destiny…”
THWACK!
While glancing at the immobilized Hero, Apiss aimed her arrow at the now incanting Dawna.
The arrowhead first targeted the head, then diverted to the staff, before changing direction back to the head.
That aimless movement clearly demonstrated just how intensely Apiss was unsettled.
If she aimed at the staff, she could weaken the magic’s power, but that would not stop the spell itself.
Thus, there was only one sure way to halt Dawna’s current state.
To kill Dawna.
”Hey! Dawna! Stop! Right now!”
That desperate plea was not a warning, but a prayer.
Though the two were like enemies drawn in a painting, they didn’t deeply harbor hatred for each other.
If they did, there would not even be a chance for them to fight.
It was clear they were loath to see each other, but it didn’t mean they wished for each other’s demise.
Before being arch-enemies, they were precious allies.
I didn’t know Dawna’s heart, but at least for Apiss, Dawna was that kind of existence.
”Kuh!”
THUD!
Throwing the arrow she held nervously to the ground, Apiss stepped in front of Dawna.
HESITATE.
Dawna, who had been moving confidently until now, finally faltered for the first time, though only for a moment.
Her eyebrows and lips twitched beautifully, but she attempted to continue her chant.
”Destruction, lead me—.”
”Hey! You crazy girl! Get a grip!”
Apiss’s furious shout interrupted her words.
Approaching a mage who was reciting a long incantation and disrupting her spell was as dangerous as sticking one’s hand into a box full of explosives.
Moreover, Apiss, who was sensitive to mana several dozen times more than a human, was more easily exposed to such threats than others.
With just a tiny slip, Apiss’s life was at stake.
Yet, Apiss chose a perilous path over the safe route.
And she was not the only one to leap into that dilemma.
”Dawna… I!”
The pitiful voice that followed the ragged breath belonged to none other than Regis.
Using the arrow that Apiss had thrown aside to support himself, he looked like a complete mess.
His wobbly posture looked as though he would topple over with the slightest touch.
Yet, in contrast to his shaky condition, his white eyes, fixed intently on Dawna, were surprisingly resolute.
”Dawna… just stop… stop it…”
”That’s right! Enough with the nonsense!”
How long had that heavy silence lasted?
”Ah, Apiss… Lowe… Bill…”
In that moment, a faint glimmer of reason appeared in the murky eyes, thick like bleak mist.
That light infused their actions with a certain conviction.
It revealed that their comrade still had the chance to return to normal.
Just then,
KWAAM!
”I’ve been waiting and waiting, and when I heard no news, I wondered what was going on. So here you all are, huh?”
The annoying guest, who had been temporarily set aside from consciousness, announced the start of another commotion.
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