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Chapter 41

Reverse Flow (4)

‘Magician, Becky…’

[Yeah. I know.]

What Riley felt, I felt too.

Although just a moment ago Becky’s energy was distinct, now it was no longer detectable.

No.

It was detectable, but that energy was very faint.

It hardly felt like the presence of a living person at all.

“……”

[……]

Yeah.

Becky is dead.

As Riley confirmed this fact again, she quietly bit her lip.

‘…Then I’ve failed.’

The rules of the second selection exam.

First, find the Golden Golem and keep its core until the exam ends.

And second.

All team members must survive and stay together until then.

Here, we failed to meet the second condition.

We lost Becky just before the exam was about to end.

“……”

Riley’s face quickly darkened.

Did Garon Theobalt pick up on her expression?

He opened his mouth.

“Understand.”

“……”

“Rebecca Duncan committed an unforgivable act. She has paid the price with her death.”

An act of wrongdoing, a debt to be paid, a grudge, and so on.

All abstract words.

Garon Theobalt did not reveal the specifics of the incident.

Instead, he merely concealed his intent behind vague words.

[……]

Why?

Why did Garon Theobalt kill Becky?

Perhaps sensing my confusion through the power of our bond, Riley asked on my behalf.

“Did you lose family because of Becky?”

“I lost something greater than that.”

Family, greater than family?

“What is that?”

“Honor.”

Garon Theobalt emphasized it again in a firm tone.

“I lost my honor.”

“……”

[……]

Honor.

Honor, huh…

Upon hearing that response, Riley’s expression twisted.

A small crack began to form on her face, which had been expressionless until now.

“Lord Theobalt is quite contradictory, isn’t he?”

A cold tone.

But somehow, Riley’s words seemed tinged with anger.

“You clearly despise those who use the selection exam for other purposes.”

“……”

“You hate those who think of the exam as a stage for murder, a place for entertainment, or merely a playground for wizards.”

I stared directly at the old man through the rising dust of the ground.

His eyes were a mixture of emotions he couldn’t hide.

“But Lord Theobalt, you’ve also turned the selection exam into a tool for revenge.”

“……”

“What’s the difference between your actions and those you despise?”

A garden where hundreds of flowers had wilted.

A dark silence settled.

Finally, Garon Theobalt sighed deeply and spoke.

“I truly regret it.”

“……”

“I have no other words to offer.”

From the old man’s mouth, only a meaningless apology flowed for actions that contradicted his beliefs.

As I quietly observed him, Riley transmitted a telepathic message to me.

‘This is futile.’

[…….]

‘I’m a little angry too.’

Riley lifted her head, facing forward.

Through her endlessly cold gaze, Garon Theobalt’s figure reflected.

Woom─.

In the very next moment, the air began to tremble. The resonance of magical power. Riley’s emotions intertwined with her magic.

“……?”

Noticing the flow, Garon Theobalt murmured in disbelief.

“Are you…”

He turned his gaze toward Riley.

“Are you seriously saying you want to fight me now?”

“Yes.”

Garon Theobalt frowned.

“Why?”

“It’s simple. Lord Theobalt killed Becky.”

“……Huh.”

The sudden declaration of war from Riley made him chuckle in disbelief.

“Why? Did you somehow develop an affection while being with that cruel murderer? Are you trying to get some pathetic revenge for her death?”

Revenge for a teammate.

Well, one could think that way.

24 hours is short. But it’s more than enough time to develop feelings for a person.

In that time, it would be reasonable for a teammate to seek revenge.

But…

“Revenge for Becky? No way.”

Riley was not angry for that reason.

“Lord Theobalt, there is only one important fact for me.”

“……”

“Becky’s death means I’m eliminated from this exam. That’s what makes me angry.”

As she had said several times, Riley’s way of thinking was unlike that of ordinary people.

“I don’t care what happened between you two. Whatever words were exchanged, whatever grudges there were, that’s none of my concern.”

“……”

“But because of your issues, a third party like me has to suffer?”

“……”

“Isn’t that just too unfair?”

An eye for an eye.

A tooth for a tooth.

Repaying one’s due in kind.

That was the belief that Riley held.

“I’ve wasted a year because of Lord Theobalt.”

A year.

Because of Garon Theobalt, we wasted a year that should have been spent passing the exam.

Our plan to enter Yahn Irantes and slowly dismantle his tower from the inside was delayed by a year.

“So Lord Theobalt must also waste a year along with me.”

“……What?”

Riley was the kind of person who would bite back even after a small joke I made.

There was no way she would let this matter slide.

“Otherwise, I’ll probably lie awake at night feeling resentful.”

“Haa…”

Garon Theobalt sighed.

“You really have a tiring personality.”

“I know.”

Riley indeed had a tiring personality.

She was well aware of this fact herself.

As I thought about it, it seemed to stem from reading overly bizarre fairy tales since childhood.

“But what can I do? That’s just my personality.”

“……”

But I liked that about Riley.

Her tenacity, her relentless spirit, and even her reckless determination.

I liked it all.

She was one of the few disciples I genuinely cherished.

“……”

Garon Theobalt gazed at Riley.

He spoke in a voice filled with steadfast belief.

“I cannot abandon this exam. There’s a reason I must enter the Five Great Towers within this year.”

“Well, then it can’t be helped.”

Woom─.

“It seems the fight is unavoidable.”

Riley’s magic began to resonate again.

Feeling the pressure she was exuding, Theobalt responded in a low voice.

“I admit it. You’re strong.”

“……”

“It’s hard to believe you’re a low-tier magician. If time allows, perhaps you could even surpass the higher-tier wall.”

Roooom──!

Before his words were even finished, the air grew heavy.

The stature of a high-tier magician.

As if to manifest that without holding back, Garon Theobalt continued with a chilling intensity.

“But because of that, I will give it my all.”

Having spent decades on the battlefield where blood boiled,

Perhaps because he was constantly at the crossroads between life and death,

He understood better than anyone the consequences of ‘letting one’s guard down.’

His intent to go all out against Riley, who held a rank much lower than his, was surely due to that reason.

“So I’ll warn you one last time. Just give up. Aim for the next exam instead. In this situation, I cannot guarantee your life either.”

Upon hearing his warning, Riley smiled and replied.

“Thank you for the genuine advice.”

“……”

“But I’ve already made up my mind.”

Garon Theobalt glared at her as if she was pitiful.

That was the same look he had when he first saw her in the carriage.

“You’re really foolish.”

At that, both Riley and I let out faint laughs.

The flow of conversation felt oddly familiar.

[What’s that old man’s deal? Why is he so nosy?]

‘Right?’

We can handle our own problems.

*

As Riley gained more practical experience, she was growing stronger.

The magic application skills that once held her back had now become one of her strengths.

However, because she had only undergone the first awakening, her chronic problem, her mana capacity, showed no signs of improvement.

Because of that, the only offensive spell Riley could manage remained simply “Magic Missile.”

Woom─!

To compensate for that shortcoming, Riley resorted to using irregular attacks with Dispel.

Based on her high mana affinity, she countered her opponent’s magic. Entering a defensive stance, she endured and held on.

Then, the moment her opponent made a mistake…

She would rush in and exploit that gap.

So far, we had defeated enemies using this method.

[……]

However, because of that, Riley could not defeat Garon Theobalt.

The match-up was just not favorable.

No matter how irregular her attacks were, at the core, they were still just “Magic Missiles.”

Fast-moving magical projectiles couldn’t penetrate Garon Theobalt’s finely woven barrier.

[In the end, the problem lies in firepower…]

Firepower.

The firepower was insufficient.

A simple mass of mana like a Magic Missile had distinct limits. It could not break through a barrier piled high with strong mana.

They needed a decisive blow.

But regrettably, Riley had no such “decisive blow.”

“Just give up even now.”

Perhaps Garon Theobalt sensed that fact too. With a relaxed demeanor, he continued speaking.

“Don’t you feel it? That with merely these Magic Missiles, you cannot penetrate my defense.”

“……”

“If this continues, the exam will end anyway. So don’t tire yourself out unnecessarily and accept the outcome.”

Hearing his suggestion of surrender, Riley clenched her lips.

Feigning contemplation, she quietly spoke to me.

‘Magician.’

[Yes.]

‘What should we do?’

After a moment of thought, I responded.

[……Let’s buy some time for now.]

‘Okay.’

Riley nodded.

She then spoke to Garon Theobalt.

“May I think about surrendering for just a moment?”

“Anytime.”

Upon hearing his answer, Riley immediately channeled her magic.

Whoosh─!

Time accelerated.

The world slowed down.

In such a situation, I quickly scanned my surroundings.

One way to turn an unfavorable battle into a victory.

That was to use the terrain and traps around suitably.

[……]

This was inside the ruins.

As a dungeon filled with traps designed to eliminate intruders, there must be such traps scattered throughout.

If I could leverage those elements well, perhaps I could overcome this current situation where one decisive blow was lacking.

[Hoo……]

With that thought in mind, I quickly surveyed my surroundings.

Soon, the scenery of the garden began to come into my view.

Withering plants.

Rising clouds of dust.

Cracked glass ceilings.

And….

[……?]

And Olivia, curled up and trembling.

[Ah.]

I felt totally deflated.

While Riley and I were struggling like this, seeing Olivia’s pitiful state made everything feel futile.

It’s maddening.

I was really frustrated.

[How could she be completely useless…?]

Right at that moment.

[……]

I couldn’t help but shut my mouth.

Swoosh─.

Was it because I was engaged in acceleration?

Or was it because I was dedicating all my nerves to detailed observation?

I don’t know the exact reason.

But somehow, I could see something I hadn’t seen before.

[That is….]

Between Olivia’s messy hair, I could catch a glimpse of her gaze.

And I could guarantee that.

Those eyes were definitely not the eyes of a panicked person.

Rather, they were the eyes that only appear when a person is exerting immense focus.

-Murmur.

[……]

She was murmuring something.

Even though time was crawling by, her lips moved so quickly that it was hard to follow with my eyes.

What on earth…

What in the world was she reciting so intensely?

In the slowed-down world, I carefully observed the words flowing from Olivia’s lips.

Suddenly, the conversation Becky and Olivia had a few hours ago overlapped and flashed through my mind.

-When you’re in a panic, you just mumble in dialect. Did you not know that?

-That, that’s…

[……Ah.]

-Murmur.

I looked at Olivia.

Right now, she was still murmuring in dialect.

No, to be precise.

She was murmuring words that ‘sounded’ like dialect.

‘Ah…’

Riley also seemed to realize something as she sighed.

‘That’s…’

It was an accent we were familiar with.

On the first day we arrived in Wilhelm, the ‘fake guide’ who tried to abduct Riley spoke with a similar tone.

-From the moment I met you, you put strange emphasis in your speech. You were pretending to use a dialect while infusing magic into certain words, right?

-…….

The tone of the guide’s speech, meant to cast a spell on Riley, bore a striking resemblance to the Southern dialect.

Just like now.

Like the words Olivia was murmuring.

[……]

Incantation.

The power that resides in words, the source of magic, the starting point of spells, the principle of casting, and so on.

The concept had numerous aliases.

But thousands of years ago.

Before the founding of the Litas Empire.

There was only one word to refer to this concept known as ‘incantation.’

“ᚢᚱᚲᚳ, ᛤᛥᛈᛉᛋ,ᛊᛦ, ᛰ᛫᛬᛭ᛮᛯ, ᚥᚦᚧᚨᚩ……”

Ancient runes.

[Ha ha….]

A meaningless laugh escaped my lips.

Yeah.

Olivia was not in a panic.

She wasn’t frightened, nor was she in a state of crisis.

She was, in fact.

Preparing the whole time.

For ancient magic.

The most powerful spell in the continent’s history, the most violent spell ever known.

The legendary system that had now become forgotten.

Swoosh-.

Was it said that the eyes are the windows to the soul?

I looked at Olivia once more.

For some reason, her voice seemed to echo in my ears.

-Hold on.

She was saying.

She would provide the ‘one shot’ we needed.

Just until then.

Just until that moment, she was asking us to hold on.

[Riley.]

“……”

[What we’ve needed all along is here.]