Bang!
He burst into the room, roughly opening the door.
I could see Eliya, flustered and on the floor.
And that man from earlier, holding her by both hands.
My heart raced like it was about to burst, and my entire body felt hot.
Reason had already melted away due to the filthy conversations coming from within.
It wasn’t a conversation at all.
One-sided coercion.
Violence using authority.
Did Eliya still not have magical powers to fight back?
There was no time to think.
I simply realized anew.
To the weak, the world is disgustingly harsh.
The two of them turned to look at me.
I overheard the man’s name.
Marchioness Sardis. I had no idea who that was.
It didn’t matter.
“Judas…?”
As Eliya spoke, I threw the lantern hanging by the door at Sardis.
“Ugh!”
Sardis instinctively raised his arm to block it.
Thanks to that, Eliya slipped from his grasp.
I didn’t stop and threw a vial from the desk ahead of me.
Liquid splashed onto Sardis.
I didn’t even know what it was.
From the looks of it, this place seemed like a special laboratory.
There were flasks, beakers, strangely-shaped herbs, small bellows, and hearths scattered around.
So, I could only hope that the liquid wasn’t ordinary water.
“What… Ugh—!”
The liquid got into Sardis’s eyes.
He screamed and staggered back.
“Ugh! What is this! What did you just throw at me—!”
It seemed the water wasn’t ordinary, just as I had hoped.
Ignoring his flailing, I moved closer to Eliya.
“Miss.”
“Judas….”
Eliya’s body trembled lightly.
Tears streamed down her face without cease.
And her eyes.
The original color with a red rim.
Within them burned a bright orange.
In the center, shining solidly like a regal sun, was a golden pupil resembling yellow.
This is a characteristic that appears when Eliya manipulates her fire.
‘Completed insane flames glow bright golden… Eliya’s awakened…’
The scattered puzzle pieces clicked back together.
Gears started to mesh and turn.
Childhood incident. Awakening. Birthday.
“You bastards! Where are you—!”
Sardis’s shout snapped me back to reality.
“First, let’s get out of here.”
I grabbed Eliya’s hand and led her away roughly.
Her small hand was cold and damp with sweat.
Just as I tried to move her towards the door, a lantern came flying at us.
I quickly wrapped my arms around Eliya and fell back.
The lantern collided with the entrance, shattering into pieces.
Kerosene spilled out.
Flames erupted unrealistically large and then exploded.
Eliya and I were unharmed, but the entrance was blocked.
“Hey, you…”
Sardis opened his eyes.
His eyes were wide and bloodshot, looking abnormal.
His vision appeared distorted; he couldn’t focus and was looking around slowly.
He resembled a snake searching for prey.
Eliya trembled even more.
“Miss.”
I suppressed my heavy breathing and called out to her.
I was the only one left.
I had to be the one to get her out of here.
I had to maintain my sanity.
I had to stay calm.
“Miss, look at me.”
I took her thin face in my hands and fixed her gaze on me.
Her round, tearful eyes filled my sight.
Looking straight into her crying eyes, I gently spoke.
“We’re going to get out of here. Do you understand?”
She merely stared at me with trembling eyes.
Her small lips quivered.
I wrapped the red blanket around her neck.
I struggled to keep my hands from shaking.
“It’s really cold today. You’ll feel better with this.”
Words spilled out as I tried to keep my composure.
I didn’t wait for a response and handed her the cat doll that was on the desk.
I made an effort to ignore Sardis’s shouting.
“Have you ever played hide and seek?”
“Yeah…”
“From now on, I’ll be looking for you. So, you have to hide well here.”
I hid her beneath a cluttered desk.
It didn’t make sense.
It’s hide and seek, and I’m the one looking for her, yet I’m hiding her myself.
Neither Eliya nor I had the mind to point that out.
“You have to stay here until I come to find you.”
Eliya didn’t respond, only nodded while trembling.
There was still a trace of awakening in her eyes.
Perhaps it would be quicker to just kill Sardis with that.
Though I’d probably be burned alongside her.
Why didn’t she just kill him?
Was it because I intervened?
Did she feel it unnecessary to get involved?
With her nature and power…
What is Eliya now?
Is this the Eliya I know?
Can I really say that I know her?
I didn’t know; I had no leeway to ponder such things right now.
“Who the hell are you!”
Sardis shouted like a madman.
Turning around, I found his bloodshot eyes staring directly at me.
I gripped the fountain pen on the desk.
The tip sharp and pointed.
He scoffed.
“Do you really think you can kill me with that lousy thing? With a body that’s trembling?”
“…”
I only lowered my gaze.
My hands trembled.
My legs quaked.
It was all too clear what I was about to do.
I would cross the line.
The thought was both unfamiliar and frightening.
But retreating was not an option.
I forced myself to breathe deeply.
I pushed back my tension and let only my anger rise.
“Too bad. You could have been one I cherished.”
My teeth clenched involuntarily.
Sigh, ha.
Breaths traveled slowly between my clenched teeth.
“…”
I decided against answering his nonsense.
Emotions surged.
I felt like my entire body would explode and rupture in all directions.
[Power Release (Lv. 3)]
The shaking ceased.
Emotions settled.
Only the necessary anger remained.
I kicked the chair beside me unexpectedly.
Something that would have been impossible under normal circumstances.
Yet, my body enhanced by magic sent the chair flying like a cannonball.
“Guh!”
Sardis rolled to dodge the chair.
Books rained down from the shelf upon him, burying him under a pile.
I leaped over the long desk separating us and charged at him, gripping the fountain pen tightly.
Sardis’s figure emerged from the pile of books.
He reached out toward me.
It looked like he was preparing to launch something.
‘No way.’
Red light gathered in his palm like a lump.
The memory of the earlier exploding lantern flashed in my mind.
It wasn’t just a fire; it was that explosion’s reason.
‘A wizard?!’
Sardis looked at me and grinned maliciously.
A smile tinged with the sensation of victory.
Flashing! A brilliant fireball appeared.
Instinctively, I raised one arm.
I knew I couldn’t block it, yet…
Shiing…
“…?”
It shouldn’t have been possible to stop it.
But the fire that had reached my arm dissipated into smoke.
“What…!”
Sardis was taken aback.
Though I was panicking too, I couldn’t afford to hesitate.
I needed to seize this opportunity while he faltered.
I dashed across the desk to leap upon him.
He fired another flame at me, yet once more, it vanished before reaching me.
I bit his flailing arm and shoved it away as I climbed atop him, scrabbling for his collar.
Reverse grip with the fountain pen.
My target was the side of his neck, between the jawline and collarbone. The carotid artery.
Before the thrust, I activated my special ability.
[Weaponization of Objects]
Sardis gasped in astonishment.
“You, of the moon…!”
Thud!
He never completed that thought.
*
“…”
Curled up beneath the desk, Eliya trembled as she quietly wept.
She squeezed her eyes shut and kept her mouth tightly closed.
Pulling the blanket up to her chin, she clutched the cat doll tighter.
The anguish she had long endured bore transparent fruit.
Years of suffering.
Fell down in tears.
The dam she had built shattered.
Outside, chaos reigned.
Judas and Sardis must have been fighting.
Every loud noise made Eliya tremble more, curling in tighter.
I wanted to check.
I was endlessly curious about what the outcome could be.
Still, I held back.
Judas said to remain still until he returned.
“Mommy…”
Unbearable emotion surged, pouring out in a single word.
The reality of my weakness invaded my thoughts.
The emotions, the memories I had tried so hard to suppress.
Things I had turned away from to keep moving.
I missed my mom.
I was sick to death of the dreadful reality making me miserable.
I wanted to give up on everything. Just everything.
It was scary and exhausting.
A memory of a day when I was left alone.
That day, Mommy had told Eliya to stay quietly at home.
Saying she had somewhere to go for a bit.
Eliya had obeyed.
After that, Mommy never came back.
They never even reunited as corpses.
What if it was the same this time?
What if Judas didn’t come back?
What if Sardis returned instead?
That all happened because I stayed still.
Maybe if I had been by my mother’s side, things would have been different.
Though it was a force difficult to control, I would’ve been able to save her if we were together. Surely.
That incident was a fire after all.
If I could handle fire, I could have helped her.
So it was my fault for not being by her side.
It was all my blame.
The sinking self-blame whispered to the fire.
Burn it all, kill it all.
You deserve it.
It was true.
What had I done that the world wouldn’t leave me be?
How could I assert that the weight of sin rested solely on my shoulders?
Weak emotions were a luxury.
There was barely time to hesitate.
I had to burn the Bevel family down.
Spread their ashes over the fields, where the crops could be used to feed livestock.
I couldn’t afford to be weak.
Those moments only came once a year.
It was enough for Mommy’s memorial day….
“Miss.”
Judas’s voice woke me from my thoughts.
The fire whispering in my heart fell silent.
A voice like a beam of light cutting through darkness.
Yet why did I tremble like I was about to crumble?
Eliya quickly tried to turn her head, but Judas stopped her.
“Don’t look.”
At that command, Eliya obediently complied.
Like someone ensnared by a curse.
“I’m a bit dirty right now, so… it wouldn’t look nice to you. And this space is quite messy, too.”
“Yeah…”
“Just hold on a moment.”
“Don’t go…!”
Eliya shouted, clutching the doll tight.
In that scream-like plea, Judas smiled weakly.
“I’m not going anywhere. I just need to clean my hands a bit.”
“Yeah…”
Judas truly didn’t go far.
I heard him cleaning his hands with a cloth nearby.
“As I mentioned, the surroundings are dirty. So I’ll guide you, just keep your eyes closed and follow me.”
“Yeah…”
Eliya closed her eyes.
Her eyelids trembled.
Something grasped her hand.
“Ha…!”
“It’s me. It’s okay.”
“Okay, okay….”
The gentle grip guided her.
She got up and slipped out from under the desk.
She couldn’t see ahead.
It was terribly dark.
She walked in that state.
Every step felt like it could plunge into the abyss.
But she kept walking.
Following the guiding hand.
Step, step.
The sound of burning.
The creaking, crumbling noise.
Someone gasping their last breath.
Their footsteps erased all that noise.
In the pitch darkness, the only thing that shone like a firefly was the hand holding her.
Following it, she felt as though it would lead her to a serene and distant paradise.
Yes, a firefly.
When she was very young.
She once went on an adventure in a forest where fireflies held a festival at night.
The sight of green light rising and dancing in the darkness was more beautiful than any artwork.
Far from her family home, living only with her mother while dodging Narcissi’s eyes.
Days flooded with color.
Whenever she had a moment, her mother took her to somewhere special.
Like that forest of fireflies.
Eliya cherished that memory, afraid it would fade away.
In a world turned to ashes, memories alone held color.
Those shared with her mother.
Now savored in solitude.
She kept her eyes tightly shut and followed Judas.
Whenever Judas stopped to clear something away, she did the same, and when he walked, she followed again.
Heat brewed inside her.
The power of fire she tried to unleash in the moment when Sardis attacked.
The power she had harmed her mother with that she couldn’t control as a child.
Out of resentment for having such an innate talent.
After her mother died, she felt disillusioned, leading to that power being sealed away, but right now, it wanted to break free.
It wanted to burn down and destroy everything around her.
Not long ago, that was her intention.
She wanted to burn down Sardis, this lab, everything.
But ever since Judas had held her hand, she had been holding back.
If it exploded, Judas might get caught in it.
It was enough for just one person to regret due to the inability to control that power.
Following Judas’s warm touch, she relied on it.
It might not have been just simple reliance.
Something flowed through her from Judas’s hand.
A pleasant chill embraced and soothed the tumultuous heat.
The lab wasn’t that big.
The path to the exit seemed as distant as a wilderness.
Then the temperature of the air changed.
A cool, refreshing breeze brushed her skin.
“Judas… is it okay now?”
“Yes. You can open your eyes. But still, please don’t look at me…”
“Miss—!”
At that urgent call, Eliya opened her eyes.
Ria was rushing toward them with a pale face.
Numerous armored soldiers came running from the mansion.
Including the butler and maids who helped with the banquet.
Noble guests who had been enjoying the feast too.
All wore surprised expressions.
And, her family.
Those who bore the name Bevel.
It was astonishing that even they could be surprised.
But they would soon regret it.
In some way, they might want her to die.
“Miss!”
Ria embraced Eliya.
“Where are you? Are you hurt? Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable…?”
“Yeah. I’m okay…”
Judas took a step back from them.
Only then did Eliya finally see Judas.
His face and body drenched in blood.
Even knowing it wasn’t his blood, Eliya felt her heart sink.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize sooner, what on earth happened… Ah, oh no, why… I’m so sorry…”
Ria mumbled, examining various parts of Eliya’s body as if out of her mind.
Her usually stiff and formal voice felt strangely different.
But Eliya didn’t have the leeway to notice that difference.
She could only stare at Judas as if she were bewitched.
Covered in blood, a horrific sight, he smiled at her.
As if to say not to worry.
A warm smile she had seen once before.
The calming smile her only ally had shown her.
A feeling that everything would be all right no matter what happened, that kind of feeling…
In that moment, a thunderous shout echoed.
“You bastard!”
A rushing knight kicked Judas.
A kick imbued with magical energy.
In her eyes, the explosive magic was clearer than ever.
Taken by surprise, Judas crumpled to the floor.
He spewed blood.
The knight raised his sword to strike down on the collapsed Judas.
Every scene unfolded in slow motion.
Eliya shoved Ria away and ran.
“Where did you come from! Dare to harm my lady…!”
The knight’s sword came crashing down.
Along with his arm.
“Don’t touch him.”
Eliya spoke softly.
She had positioned herself between Judas and the knight.
The laboratory behind her burned brightly.
Her eyes glimmered with odd colors.
Red, orange, golden yellow.
Around her, flames resembling her eyes flared like whips.
And those flames severed the knight’s arms.
“Everyone back off.”
Eliya spoke grimly.
The flickering flames soon wrapped around and shackled the knight’s body, whose arms had been severed.
“If you don’t want this to happen.”
The ominous flames flickered.
The crowd dared not approach and retreated.
Judas, lying on the ground, witnessed it.
‘Mad flames… complete awakening….’
Eliya’s power, the one he knew, was being revealed.
Once unleashed, it consumed everything in its vicinity.
The fierce flames followed their master’s emotions.
If she wanted to burn, everything around her would burn.
The fiercely burning golden flames quivered.
Growing larger and spreading threateningly.
People screamed and ran away.
Judas knew how dangerous she was in this state.
He also understood he shouldn’t get close.
Eliya’s flames formed a circle around her and Judas.
Like trying to trap them.
Judas tried to distance himself.
But due to the kick to his abdomen, he lacked the strength to rise.
He crawled back, supporting himself with his arms.
Just then, a tendril of flame darted toward him.
“Oof…!”
He reflexively raised his arms as he had when blocking Sardis’s flames.
But the fire did not die down.
It didn’t burn him.
It simply flickered around him like a protective barrier.
Judas looked at this and raised his head.
He saw Eliya’s small back standing to shield him.
Eliya had fully awakened the power of the mad flames.
Yet, it was different from the version he had known.
‘What on earth….’
As he was taken aback, the knight, subdued by Eliya, screeched.
The sun emblem of the Bevel family, drawn right in the center of his armor, turned black like burning paper.
The edges of the round area glowed orange.
Like a distorted eclipse occurring.
The soot rapidly spread over his entire body.
The knight turned to ashes and crumbled to the floor.
From far back in the crowd, someone stepped forward.
The one responsible for the knight Eliya had burned alive.
He didn’t need to die.
Eliya’s execution was meant as a warning concerning her own power.
With golden hair and red eyes, a strongly built middle-aged man.
Balak de Bevel.
The current head of the Bevel family, known as the Emperor wearing a black crown.
Duke Bevel.
Eliya’s father, reputed as the mightiest wizard on the continent.
“Eliya.”
His eyes shimmered a scarlet hue.
He resembled Eliya but still different.
There was no golden pupil glowing at its center.
Eliya looked up at him with hostility.
Once again, the fire whispered.
Burn it all, kill it all.
The serpent-tongued temptation.
However, one thing had changed.
It was Eliya’s own transformation.
The existence of Judas behind her was clear.
If he threatened her, regardless of who they were, she would regard them as enemies and burn them.
Even Balak, who pretended to be a benevolent father, would be no exception.
“Can you explain to your father what happened?”
The moment she heard that question.
Darkness flooded her mind.
Balak demanded an explanation.
How did it come to be?
What had transpired?
About what happened earlier….
As the flames stirred more intensely.
“I….”
Judas staggered and interrupted.
“I’ll explain.”
He couldn’t allow Eliya to say that thing.
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