Chapter 64
People save people. That was, truly, a difficult task.
Reaching out to others at one’s own expense is, from the perspective of an individual organism, nearly akin to madness. Life’s purpose is to pass its genes onto future generations—an obligation, if you will.
Somewhere in the empty vastness of space, a star was born by chance. This star found its place in a very narrow gap between celestial bodies, where life was able to emerge and flourish. And from that very star, you were born.
The odds are incalculably slim. What is assumed to be a given is the result of an immense cosmic coincidence. A life destined to be the struggle of a human, born only to die after overcoming all sorts of challenges shaped by fate.
To throw away the luck that broke through those slim probabilities, just to save someone else’s genes? That surely is a mistake—or a flaw.
Each time she faced this irony, Niolle always repeated what she said.
Right, where could her parents’ blood possibly guide her? She was always meant to live as she was born—flesh of their flesh.
Her father, who had preached loving others into her ears; her grandfather, who prioritized people over family; even the distant ancestors who sacrificed their lives to save the world—they must have all dove into danger, unable to ignore the voices in their hearts.
Just as Niolle always did.
And so, once again, she chose to follow the voice of her heart.
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[I saw them turn the corner three blocks ahead, on the right, and disappear.]
“Can you track them?”
Niolle nodded. Compared to Bennett’s traces from earlier, it was so messy that she wondered if they had left it deliberately for her to find. The joke about how she could do it with her eyes closed was best omitted; after all, time waits for no one.
The little detective jumped, grabbed the top of a wall, and climbed over it. Then she dashed down a narrow path, barely wide enough for her feet.
As she raced after Niolle, Tara shot a jest towards Bennett, who was running alongside her.
“What’s the occasion, Bennett? Have you fallen for Niolle or something?”
“Don’t make me laugh.”
“You hate this kind of stuff, don’t you?”
“I just thought it was a chance to interrogate those members of the Order of Silver Twilight.”
Bennett quickly turned his head, avoiding her gaze. Tara smirked, then waved her hand in the air to conjure some magic.
The mana bestowed by the goddess not only offered buffs, but also came with tremendous stability. With the concentration required for casting low, it could be made to flow freely while running or fighting.
A burst of light erupted.
“Blessing of the Savage Beast!”
That was the second time now. Unlike when tracking the Crazy Wizard, the divine power seeping into her felt surprisingly pleasant. Bennett felt the magic pushing him along, just like Tara’s personality, and he dashed forward like a wolf.
“[!]”
Thump thump thump!
Niolle pointed towards the corner and tapped the whiteboard. Did that mean there were enemies ahead? Bennett readied his longsword, gripping the handle tight and regulating his breathing. The chance of resolving this through dialogue was, quite frankly, abysmally low.
“[!!]”
Just as they turned the corner, five members of the Order in white cowls came into view. One of them was carrying a large, heavy sack, which appeared to contain a person.
And there was a scrawny member of the Order, slicing his wrist with a curved dagger, letting blood spill out. The foreboding bubbles rising from the pool of blood on the floor suggested he had already completed his spell.
“O one who lies dormant at the boundary. O one who is evanescent yet great. Grant me the wisdom to burst and kill that small and insignificant creature. The wisdom, the wisdom, the wisdom, the wisdom—!”
Crunch crack.
With the sound of bones and flesh twisting together, a horrifying scream echoed through the air.
The scrawny member of the Order was crushed to death as if squeezed by some enormous hand. And then, the space rippled in front of him.
As if looking through a convex lens, the space seemed to bulge outwards. A buzzing noise produced an unsettling sensation, and an ominous gaze was felt, creeping in.
Bennett managed to deduce one thing—it seemed like a projectile attack. An invisible force distorting space was aimed directly at him.
“Did you mean to say that they’re about to attack?!”
A problem with communication. Talking to someone who couldn’t speak left gaps in information.
A power he had never encountered before. The distance was hard to gauge as it warped the very fabric of space itself. Could it be cut? No, not unless he was absolutely sure.
As Bennett cloaked himself in mana, preparing to endure, Tara tossed the goddess’s emblem in front of him.
“Three Dogs Guarding the Goddess!”
Vwooooom—!
A large shield emerged, spilling golden light as it intercepted the invisible projectile. Among the three dog heads embossed on the shield, two shattered immediately. It seemed that Tara was exerting considerable power to produce that spell; she gritted her teeth and cried out.
“It can’t withstand another hit!”
“I’ll kill them before that happens!”
They had already engaged; the assailants did not hesitate to act first. Clearly harboring murderous intent, it was only fitting that they would return the favor. This was Bennett’s harsh way of life until now.
Bennett kicked off the ground and sprung sideways. Then, using the alley wall as leverage for another leap, he zigzagged to throw off their aim and quickly closed in.
A masterful body enhancement, harmonizing strength and speed flawlessly. And mana emanating from Bennett’s longsword. His ability to sense mana thrummed in the air.
He was one resident sorcerer who had reached the realm of three stars, a rarity even in the Academy. His gaze sparkled adeptly with danger.
Slash.
Bennett approached the Order member with a speed fast enough to blur. He swung his sword once to the left and then right. As the light flashed, two heads flew into the air, separated from their bodies. Two remained.
One of them, flinging the sack to the ground, shouted, “I-I swear, if you come any closer, I’ll kill this woman— ugh!”*
Whack!
Niolle, having approached from behind, delivered a rotating high kick to the temple. The Order member’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed.
Only one remained.
“Consume me! I offer all my flesh to you—!”
Slash.
Bennett cut the throat, preventing any further chanting of spells. However, the will to sacrifice oneself seemed to complete the spell regardless. With a loud boom, the Order member’s head shriveled instantly, like a dried apple.
The now withered and crinkled head looked as if it had aged centuries in mere moments.
An ominous light began to leak from the corpse. A color that, although certainly there, was imperceptible to any human, spread along with a wavelength so vile it defied description.
As the light consumed the Order member Niolle had knocked unconscious, he began to shrivel like a mummy.
Bennett jumped back significantly.
“This is a spell I’ve never seen before. It seems to have been cast already. Is it a summoning?”
“I hate to admit it, but the mana is unbelievably refined. It feels like it’s bestowed by a divine being. It resembles the divine power of another god…?”
As Bennett and Tara considered the magic unfolding even with the caster gone, Niolle hastily jotted down on a whiteboard.
[It’s a time bomb. It ages those caught in its color instantly.]
“Ugh, aging?!”
“Wait, Niolle, how do you know this spell?”
Niolle, indicating that explanations could wait, gestured towards the sack containing the kidnapped victim. Then, she waved her hand.
[Take the sack and step back, I’ll try to handle this.]
“What hope do you have of stopping a spell from another world?! Plus, it’s divine power! Blocking it is almost impossible…”
“…ir, …c’th, Ar’kla…”
Niolle pulled out a sinister-looking tome and began to chant a spell. The unexpected sounds, mostly hisses, engineered a metallic resonance that echoed like a bird’s cry. Though it was almost unintelligible, it undeniably composed a spell.
Above the corpse, now cracking apart, something massive loomed.
Boom!
A colossal pillar composed of thousands of mouths, all so red and bloody, slammed down upon the ground and disappeared instantaneously. The corpse, which had exploded into a shape beyond recognition, no longer emitted that ominous light.
Tara, startled, grabbed Niolle’s hand.
“What is this power? Niolle, have you been hiding your strength?! And didn’t you just—”
“Hehe.” Niolle smiled, somewhat like a playful puppy. However, her eyes were rather unfocused.
Meanwhile, Bennett’s expression hardened. If Niolle were indeed a genius wizard, it would suffice for an explanation, yet given the horrifying visual of the spell and the fact that the Order of Silver Twilight members consistently died upon casting—
Niolle’s spells might be anything but normal. Despite how she had learned them, the associated risks were alarmingly high.
“Niolle, you—”
[How was I? I managed to help! Nobody was hurt, and we saved someone!]
“…”
Bennett carefully examined Niolle. She bore no visible wounds nor appeared fatigued. It was a relief but also concerning…
[Let’s hurry and get the kidnapped person out! They must be trembling in fear.]
For the moment, he decided to let it slide.
===============================================================
As she opened the sack, a woman covered in tears and snot crawled out. She wore a camera around her neck and had a crossbody bag slung over one shoulder.
“W-What happened?”
“Ah, do not fret! We’ve dispatched all the kidnappers.”
“You killed them?!”
The woman looked around, shocked.
A corpse turned to a mummy. A beheaded corpse. A flattened corpse as if smashed by heavy machinery. As she witnessed this nightmarish scene, her eyes rolled wildly, and she grasped a nearby lamppost before UWEGHHHH….
“…”
“…I see. It appears that people from this world are not accustomed to blood.”
While watching the trio of murderers, who had effortlessly slain five victims, stand so calmly, the woman shivered. Gradually, she seemed to gather her thoughts, nervously looking upwards to ask.
“F-For now, you did save me, right? You’re not planning to swish swoosh me away, are you?”
[No, don’t worry! We acted out of goodwill!]
“Phew…”
The woman sniffled, took out a tissue from her bag to wipe her eyes, then nervously introduced herself while avoiding gazes at the corpses.
“I’m Sally, a reporter for New Life Newspaper.”
“I’m Ta—”
“There’s no need for you to know our names. How did you end up getting kidnapped?”
“…”
Reporter Sally glanced nervously at Bennett, who had abruptly cut Tara off. Fearing she might find herself as the sixth body, she folded under pressure and explained.
“It’s been a while since I produced any notable results… So, I thought I would investigate the well-known pseudoreligion, the Order of Silver Twilight, hoping to find a hot scoop. I thought I’d just receive threatening letters, but I never expected them to violently kidnap me!”
Tara floated a question mark above her head.
“…Reporter?”
“Similar to being an investigator for an information guild.”
“Well, I shall compensate you. Our office is on Carter Street, you see? If you come by later, although I can’t offer much as my salary is quite low… But I can show you some exciting items or documents that couldn’t be published because of censorship…”
“That’s fine; forget it. You should just get on with your business now.”
“Yes, sir!”
Reporter Sally saluted and hurriedly packed her things to leave. Then, stopping mid-stride, she turned back and shouted out while waving her arms.
“I’m late in saying this, but thank you for saving me!”
“…”
[How was it?]
Niolle held the whiteboard, a proud expression adorning her face. She sensed the corners of Bennett’s mouth slightly rise. Bennett scratched his lips thoughtfully before changing the subject.
“Abraham must be waiting for us. Let’s head back.”
“Yeah, if we’re late, that… that jerk Isaac might devour all our sausages!”
[You really think Isaac would do that?]
How long had it been since he had received any thanks? Bennett felt an odd sensation wash over him. The magic of the Order of Silver Twilight was bizarre, and their numbers would only increase their menace ahead. Yet, despite how the day’s events seemed like a clear loss when reflected upon objectively—
He couldn’t shake the feeling that perhaps it wasn’t such a bad outcome after all.
Right, given their actions, a confrontation was extremely likely. Thus, it’d likely be beneficial to gather prior knowledge of their attack methods. So, it really wasn’t all that much of a loss after all…
After all, a Black Wizard must react coolly to the gains and losses that come his way.
“Why do you keep smiling?”
“I wasn’t smiling.”
There were numerous discussions awaiting them upon returning home. He needed to ask Niolle when she had learned such spells, and since they had already clashed, they had to consider how the Order of Silver Twilight might act next, and strategize accordingly.
They might even need to leave Abraham’s home to avoid causing any trouble for him.
But for now, he wanted to indulge in this subtle sensation, walking with relaxed shoulders.
After all, he had plenty of time left. That was the thought that lingered in his mind.
===============================================================
“…Huh?”
His delusions shattered just as they approached the hill.
At twilight, as the sun dipped and painted the sky in blood-red hues, the mansion of Abraham rose into view—flames licking upward, devouring everything beneath the recently appearing stars.
It was a sinister, snow-white blaze, flickering as though it aimed to tear apart everything it touched.
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