Chapter: 441
Joy’s eyes were fixed on Lucy, who was soaring through the air.
She saw Lucy push her away and absorb the attack, floating upward as if gravity didn’t exist.
Despite the fact that her eyes should naturally be closing in terror, Joy simply stared at Lucy as she ascended.
A moment later, a thud echoed in the air.
The descent was quick—much swifter than the seemingly eternal ascent.
When Lucy fell to the ground, letting out an unconscious groan, Joy forgot where she was and just stared at her.
All because of me.
Because I couldn’t react.
Because I didn’t catch on.
The Young Lady.
Lady Alrn.
Thud!
A sound that resembled something being knocked sent Joy back to reality as she noticed the roots halted by the Sacred Barrier and stepped back a pace.
“Prince! Young Lady Kent! Please respond to the attack!”
“I’ll do my best!”
“Revenge. We must.”
“And…”
– KUAARH!
The bear’s roar swallowed the entire space in a deafening cacophony.
As the sound ripped through their ears, making everyone instinctively cover them, the bear prepared to charge.
Despite its hulking figure seeming sluggish, reality was different.
As soon as the bear crouched, it vanished.
KABOOM!
Beyond the resonating shockwave stood Frete.
Wearing leather gloves blessed by the goddess, he braced himself against the bear with both hands, his veins visibly bulging.
“I’ll handle this! You all focus on the tree!”
Frete landed a strike to push the bear back and drew his sword from his waist.
The radiant blade stood out starkly against the malevolent energy in the surroundings.
KABOOM!
Even while Frete held off the bear, the tree root continued to pound against the Sacred Barrier.
Phebe was doing her utmost to maintain that barrier, but it was obvious to anyone watching that it wouldn’t hold much longer.
“Saintess! Destroy it.”
“But I can’t yet distinguish between the true and the false.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
With Frey’s resolute tone, Phebe nodded.
“I’ll count to three.”
“Sure.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
At Phebe’s signal, the barrier vanished just as Frey’s sword sliced through the air.
Following that, they could hear something crashing to the ground.
What laid sprawled on the floor were the darkened roots.
“Don’t trust your eyes. It could be the real deal or a fake.”
“How do we differentiate?”
“You just know when you see it.”
“Damn it! That’s not very helpful!”
As Arthur and Frey blocked the incoming roots, Lucy staggered back to her feet.
With her armor dented in her abdomen, she clearly had taken a heavy hit, yet she rejected Phebe’s sacred magic and grasped her shield and mace again.
“Do you think I’d falter because I got hit by some pathetic roots? Stop screwing around and do your job, you pathetic saintess.”
Joy watched Lucy, stepping boldly forward.
She was adorned with countless small scars from previous battles, her hair dulled from always standing at the forefront, and fatigue noticeably clouding her eyes.
Though she might not show it, Lucy had to be feeling exhausted. She was likely carrying countless pains within her heart.
She probably didn’t want to stand back up. Yet, Lucy tried to press onward again.
KABOOM!
Suddenly, as Lucy swung at Joy’s side, roots that hadn’t existed a moment ago lay scattered on the ground.
Once more, Lucy had shielded Joy.
“Puhaha! Look at your face! Why do you look like the idiot who got smacked, while I’m the one here trying not to cry?”
“I’m sorry…”
“Idiot.”
Joy’s half-hearted apology was abruptly cut off by Lucy’s voice.
“Don’t mistake this. I did what I had to do.”
“…”
“So do your part. If you don’t want to be treated like an idiot.”
With a mischievous grin, Lucy turned her back to Joy.
Though small like a child, her stature seemed immense.
Joy tightened her grip on her staff, filled with determination.
Lucy was right.
At this rate, she’d forever remain in the position of being protected.
Without standing beside Lucy, she would always be behind her.
Joy didn’t want that.
She didn’t want to be a burden to Lucy.
Being a friend means supporting each other, not just relying on one another.
So what can I do right now?
Attack that tree with magic?
Would that even mean anything?
Could an impromptu attack mean anything against a being of such might?
Support my friends?
Phebe could handle that alone.
Getting in between would only hinder them.
So what should I do?
I can’t stand on the front line like Arthur.
I don’t grasp everything like Lucy.
What can I—
There’s something.
Something I can do.
Only I can do.
“Hoo.”
Taking a deep breath, she gathered her magical energy.
There’s a common saying among those who research the arcane arts.
Every phenomenon in this world can be analyzed and reproduced through magic.
Some might laugh it off as the lunatic ramblings of those who believe in magical universalism, but Joy knew it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Because she knew someone who embodied that principle.
The strongest magician in the kingdom.
Her first master.
The most brilliant mage Joy had ever known.
The ruler of Partran, Joy remembered the astonishing sights her father once showed her—sights she thought she’d never reach.
But now, she was determined to challenge that very scene.
Once she felt her magical energy circulate sufficiently, she closed her eyes and observed the natural magic flowing within her.
“Is this all you’ve got?♡ With such tiny roots, they’re weak!♡”
She did not view the world as the world.
“Prince! That’s a fake.”
“Damn it! How are you two able to distinguish this stuff!”
Not judging phenomena as mere phenomena.
“Oh, great God! Drive away evil!”
The magus’s mindset sought to analyze even miracles.
In that moment, Joy recalled the spells she had learned.
They said that the origin of magic began in an attempt to reproduce the miracles of nature.
Back then, she brushed it off as just a historical tale, but it turned out to be way more significant than she realized.
If magic originates from emulating nature, then the reverse is possible as well.
It’s possible. I can totally do this.
What I cannot confirm through speculation can be replaced with knowledge of magic.
For the parts I still found difficult, I’d substitute with multiple magic circles.
I needn’t worry about the quantity of mana.
The gift the Young Lady gave me is still clinging to my body.
With her eyes open, Joy smiled fiercely, uncharacteristically for a noble, and brandished her staff.
Her magical energy spread through the air, forming magic circles that would never be taught at the Academy.
The patterns were tangled, so chaotic they barely resembled magic.
Anyone seeing it would probably question if it would even activate.
Though the magic circles appeared flimsy, Joy had no doubt in her creation.
“Here we go.”
The moment Joy’s magic took form, the previously invisible became visible.
The visible began to blur.
It became a wondrous feat of interpreting and dispelling the emptiness present in the space.
Having poured all her magical energy into this endeavor, Joy collapsed to the ground but forced herself to look up, hearing joyous laughter.
Lucy’s eyes.
They were filled with genuine joy, a rarity in this chaotic mess.
“You could do this all along? Why have you been acting like such an airhead? Have you caught the protagonist disease? Airhead Joy?!”
After hearing Lucy call her name, Joy raised an eyebrow and and tightened her grip on her staff, grinning.
She felt like she could collapse any moment, but the battle wasn’t over yet.
In fact, it felt like it was just beginning.
She could rest comfortably only after everything was done.
“Such foolishness.”
A raspy voice floated in from afar, filling the entire chamber.
From behind bandages covering his face, glowing red eyes locked onto Joy.
“Do you think I wouldn’t be able to handle something like this?”
An overwhelming force attempted to crush Joy and dismantle her magic.
“No way!♡ You thought I’d let you?♡ You must’ve rotted your brain!♡”
What halted this was nothing more than the reliable little shoulder right next to her.
From that tiny form, a divine energy like the sun drove away the ominous aura aimed at Joy.
“Do you think I’d allow that?♡ Your brain must be mush!♡”
“Don’t think that Joy is your only opponent!”
Following closely behind, Phebe’s divine presence wrapped Joy’s magic in an additional layer.
The saintess’s holiness reinforced the miracle Joy had conjured.
“Now this is getting interesting. Let’s see what I can really do.”
Arthur finally able to discern the illusions, smiled as he readied his sword.
“I’m losing interest.”
Frey expressed his disappointment over the opponent weakening as he imbued his sword with aura.
“There are no more obstacles.”
Phebe blessed everyone surrounding her.
“Get ready to be crushed!♡ Without help, you worthless loser can’t do a thing!♡”
Lucy added her holiness to her mace.
Joy, seeing all this unfold behind her, pushed herself up with her staff and stood proudly beside them.
It was time for vengeance against the nightmare of her past.
You may also like Mesugaki Tank Enters The Academy
