LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 39
Please Read Me
Chapter 39
Reverse Flow (2)
Whhaaaaaaa──.
[…….]
As the darkness blocking my view completely lifted, I quickly looked around.
It was an unfamiliar space.
Just a moment ago, the people who had been next to us were nowhere to be seen.
Did only Riley and I move to this place?
“Huh, huh….”
[Oh, you scared me.]
What’s this?
It turns out it wasn’t just Riley and me here.
Hearing the sound of sobbing, I glanced to the side and saw Olivia curled up, trembling.
But, well.
She probably wouldn’t be of any help in this situation, so let’s just ignore her for now.
“Grrr…!”
Looking to the opposite side, I saw a golden golem waking up and shuffling over next to Riley.
Well, it’s here too.
That was a relief.
Nothing could be worse than losing the golden golem we had managed to secure with such effort.
[By the way, this place is…….]
I muttered to myself as I surveyed the surroundings.
It was a location filled with colorful plants.
It reminded me of an indoor garden in the imperial palace.
[Hmm.]
I looked up.
The ceiling was made of yellowed glass.
Through the cracked old glass, an unknown light source shone, and thick dust fell down, covering the plants.
Weeds were also abundant everywhere, clearly indicating that this garden hadn’t been maintained for a long time.
[…….]
Yes.
A garden.
This was a garden.
The only difference from the gardens I knew was……
[……Why are the plants so giant?]
Every plant here was absurdly huge.
The flowers towered well above Riley’s height.
The trees were massive.
Exaggerating a little, I’d say they could rival the World Tree.
‘It’s like a indoor garden for giants.’
[Yes.]
Originally, this ruin was the background of a giant’s royal palace.
Considering the overall concept, a garden of this size wouldn’t be unreasonable.
[Hmm…….]
That raises one question.
Why.
Why on earth did the opponent teleport us here?
The magic used to move us was “Shadow Transfer.”
As it is a powerful spell that forcibly relocates the target, there are countless limitations that accompany this spell.
One of the most significant restrictions is the immense amount of magical power it consumes.
After casting this spell, the caster cannot use other magic for a while.
Yet they used such a risky spell just to separate our team?
That makes no sense.
There must be another reason.
For example, this place might hold characteristics advantageous to them.
‘Hmm.’
Hearing my thoughts, Riley cautiously voiced her doubts.
‘No matter how I think about it, this doesn’t look like a good battleground….’
She was right.
The widely spread plants were constantly obstructing our view.
Even if we could use “Magical Detection,” a place where visibility is limited isn’t a good spot for a fight.
But that was only in a conventional sense.
In a situation like this, we need to take into account special circumstances.
The opponent is a magician, just like us.
Surely they must have some unique advantage in this unfamiliar environment, which is why they brought us here.
[Let’s see.]
News on my mind, I carefully examined the interior of the garden.
Plants.
There were numerous plants.
[…….]
Choosing such a plant-filled place while sacrificing visibility…….
[……No way.]
Suddenly, a hypothesis crossed my mind.
Rustle──.
But I couldn’t help but stop my thoughts at the sound coming from behind me.
I turned around.
Through the bushes, I saw a pair of men and women walking towards us.
A gray-haired woman.
And a dark green-haired man.
They were the team members of Theobalt, whom we encountered earlier in the alley.
They were conversing with each other.
“I still don’t get it.”
The gray-haired woman grumbled in an irritated voice.
“Why did old man Theobalt miss the chance to ambush us? If he had just delivered a more refined strike, we wouldn’t need to fight like this.”
The man, who had been silently listening to her complaints, slowly spoke up.
“Ambush is an unjust act.”
“Ha! Unjust, my foot. Are we knights or something? Who’s trying to show off like that?”
“That’s….”
“Well, what? Is there a rule that magicians can’t ambush?”
The woman interrupted the man with her irritated tone.
“And if we’re fighting fairly, why did we have to throw on dragon skins?”
“…….”
“Ugh, look at this. It’s my prized robe, and it’s already starting to smell.”
With a scrunched up face, the gray-haired woman slightly lifted her robe.
The blue blood on the robe had already dried up.
“Well, speaking of that…”
The gray-haired woman, who had approached us, trailed off.
Her gaze had now settled on Riley and Olivia.
“Huh?”
Noticing Olivia trembling in a crouched position, she frowned deeply.
“Hey, look at her? She’s completely in a panic!”
She stared at Olivia with a contemptuous expression.
“What the hell does old man Theobalt want us to be cautious of against such a bunch?”
“Ms. Dorothy, we mustn’t let our guard down.”
“I know, I know…”
The woman looked quite displeased.
“No matter what, it doesn’t make sense that I have to go all out against such a little kid and a coward.”
“…….”
“Hey, kid. Don’t you think that’s a bit unreasonable?”
The gray-haired woman suddenly posed a question towards Riley.
She looked down at us with a carefree smile.
“It’s practically 2 to 1. What help could that trembling friend from Blaze Arcane Academy be?”
“…….”
“Do you seriously think you can take us on alone?”
I know.
It was a quite disadvantageous battle.
In a sorcerer’s combat, the number of hands determines everything.
If the number of opponents doubles, that makes the battle all the more difficult.
“Just surrender. After all, Rebecca is as good as dead. Old man Theobalt is truly facing her seriously.”
“…….”
“You’re practically already eliminated from this trial.”
Becky was currently fighting Garon Theobalt alone in another space.
No matter how outstanding a magician Becky is, it would be tough for her to face a high-ranking opponent on her own.
It was a sort of time attack.
It was either Riley getting through to join her before Becky dies or Becky dying and failing this trial as a result.
‘Can we do it?’
[Well.]
The chances were slim.
There was no question that the situation was unfavorable to us.
The two sorcerers blocking our path appeared to be veterans who had reached intermediate rank.
Riley’s concerns stretched on.
With no response coming back, the gray-haired woman urged us forward.
“We don’t want to fight you either. It’s a meaningless fight for both of us, isn’t it?”
“…….”
“But well, if you really want to fight…”
Crack—!
“Following old man Theobalt’s instructions, we definitely won’t go easy on you.”
The earth shook, and dust clouds rose from all around.
The ground trembled as if an earthquake struck.
I was able to immediately pinpoint the epicenter.
From deep beneath the ground, something was rising.
Bababababak──!
Flowers.
Hundreds of beautiful flowers burst through the ground.
The problem was that their sizes were all house-sized.
The flower buds bloomed wide open.
The flowers were eagerly waiting for prey as if they had mouths.
‘This is….’
Riley muttered as she looked at the flowers.
‘……The reason we were moved to the garden was because of this.’
Hundreds of colorful carnivorous plants faced us.
It was an awe-inspiring sight.
Did the dark green-haired man sense Riley’s expression? The man who had been quietly watching us calmly began to speak.
“It’s my ability.”
With the hundreds of flowers thriving behind him.
He slowly continued to speak.
“To be precise……. It’s the vision magic I inherited from the great archmage Chrome Bell Stingwood.”
“…….”
The archmage, Chrome Bell Stingwood.
And his vision magic.
That alone was overwhelming, but unfortunately, the opponent we had to face was not just him.
Sasa-sasa─!
The tall flowers began to stir beneath them.
The wriggling shadows intertwined organically, shaping a single entity beneath the ground.
Crack, crash─!
Under the command of the gray-haired woman, the shadows moved freely.
The shadows began to come alive.
“…….”
[…….]
On the surface, hundreds of colorful flowers.
And below the ground, countless dark shadows.
Opposing nature’s flowers bloomed magnificently.
[Ha.]
Seeing that scene, I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
Carnivorous plants.
And these things’ shadows.
It was truly a fantastic combo.
“Listen, kid.”
“…….”
“We don’t want to fight you either. Like I said before, it hurts my pride to fight a magician of lower rank than me.”
The gray-haired woman spoke in a gentle voice.
“So just surrender.”
“…….”
“After all, you’re just a kid. Even if it’s not this year’s selection trial, there are plenty of opportunities ahead.”
Riley remained silent.
Instead of replying to the woman, she quietly whispered to me.
‘Magician.’
[What?]
‘What are your thoughts?’
Riley added.
‘Do you think I could defeat them?’
I didn’t answer.
Instead, I examined the opponent closely.
[…….]
Over my thousands, even tens of thousands of years of life facing countless enemies, I had experienced countless defeats and victories.
And through those processes.
I gained one ability.
A battle power meter.
A sense that allowed me to gauge the opponent’s fighting ability.
[Riley.]
This battle power meter of mine was telling me one fact.
It’s possible.
There’s a fair chance of winning this fight.
[Didn’t I tell you half a year ago?]
Half a year ago.
When I had just arrived at Rich’s hideout, I told Riley.
[The selection trial is a competition. It’s essentially a fight among the participants.]
“…….”
And on my home planet, Earth, there’s a book that contains a foolproof method to win these kinds of fights, called “The Art of War.”
[Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.]
If you know the enemy and know yourself, you will not be endangered even if you fight a hundred times.
[Riley, who do you think is the most cautious opponent you should worry about here?]
Upon hearing my question, Riley immediately replied.
‘The man controlling the plants should be our top priority.’
[Why?]
‘The fact that he’s the one who’s the mastermind of this combo. If all the flowers disappear, then naturally the shadow plants controlled by the woman will vanish as well.’
[Exactly.]
All we need to do is subdue that dark green-haired man.
Then the shadows will lose their master and dissipate.
[But that man is quite a dangerous opponent. Understandably, the ability he wields is Chrome Bell Stingwood’s vision magic.]
The archmage, Chrome Bell Stingwood.
His vision magic was to summon and manipulate plants.
He could bind the opponent using thorny vines or immobilize them using poisonous mushroom spores.
Creating carnivorous plants for direct attacks against enemies is also possible.
“…….”
As it was unprecedented magic, he was a rather tricky opponent to face.
Especially in a situation where plants were spread out everywhere like now.
[But here’s a question.]
I asked Riley.
[Who raised that great Chrome Bell Stingwood?]
“…….”
Riley didn’t answer.
She simply smiled.
[You know the story. About Chrome Bell Stingwood. And the background in which his vision magic came to existence.]
Half a year ago.
Gazing at the statues of archmages erected in the plaza of the system.
I had shared their stories.
Their anecdotes.
In my nostalgia for the past, I recounted every detail of my students’ stories to Riley.
Listening to those, Riley laughed, sometimes wore a serious expression, and at times even felt sad.
Know the enemy and know yourself, and you will not be endangered even if you fight a hundred times.
– Hey, Chrome Bell.
– Yes?
– What do you like?
And I said.
– Plants.
-…….
– Glimur, I like to cultivate plants.
Now, I knew my enemies all too well.