Chapter 282 |
TL: TangSanFan
ED/PR: Tanthus
『Side Story』 Pursuing the Butterfly (9)
Lucy. I have something to say.
It seems I’m going to die soon.
Despite frantically struggling to survive in this irrational world, it looks like my journey ends here.
By the time you regain consciousness, the chances of me being gone from this world are much higher.
So, this might as well be my last will to you.
I understand how you might feel. You’ve experienced the pain of loss before, and I know that such pain is not something you simply adapt to.
But I don’t want to fill my last words to you with such a meaningless apology.
Survive, Lucy.
No matter how the world turns, cling onto your life and endure.
Even if it feels like this biting winter will never end, spring will certainly come.
Even if it seems like the world will just sink into perpetual darkness, morning will inevitably brighten the day.
There is no ‘end’ in the stories of reality.
Whether it seems everything has ended happily or has concluded in tragedy.
Reality goes on. Life branches out. That’s the answer I’ve come to in my short lifetime.
The numerous choices I’ve made while desperately trying to survive in this irrational world.
Perhaps if I had made a few different ones, there might have been a different ending.
Somewhere in the flux of a distant world, there might be a version of me who overcame all trials and won a happy ending.
Or, I could have faced an even more terrible fate, consumed by flames in pain.
Whatever the case may be, our attitude in enduring this irrational world does not change. It is to survive.
You will grieve.
But, never let go of life.
Grind your teeth and survive. Endure even if it seems like there are no more answers left in this hellish world, even if it seems meaningless, even blindly… survive.
Even now, when I am facing death, I believe unwaveringly.
If you keep persisting… there will absolutely come a moment when you feel grateful to be alive.
So, you must absolutely survive.
“Help me. I need your help.”
Lortelle’s following words were direct. It was easy to guess what would come next from Lortelle.
“Did you see the expressions of the refugees gathered here as you came in? Lucy, from the moment your survival is confirmed… you become a new hope for them.”
“….”
“Even if it took borrowing the power of the Phoenix Ring, if you could fend off the mighty Bellbrook… perhaps you could also subdue and persuade Senior Yenika.”
Lucy wasn’t originally bound to this world. But, the surviving outsiders weren’t aware of that fact.
“… The ring’s backlash hasn’t fully faded yet.”
“…”
“I’m not at the peak of my magical power yet, and I’m not sure how much strength I could muster against a high elemental master who holds Bellbrook’s heart.”
Lucy bowed her head, weighing the reality of her situation.
“Above all, my primary goal is… to return to my original world.”
It was a difficult subject to broach. Yet, it was an issue that couldn’t be ignored.
Lortelle from this world and Lucy from that world.
Their interests do not align.
Lortelle, who intends to subdue Yenika and leave the island, and Lucy, who strives to return to her original world.
There is no common ground between the two.
“…”
“…”
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air.
Lucy and Lortelle had never been close to begin with. They barely had any common ground.
Nevertheless, Lortelle spoke softly.
“… Look, Lucy.”
What Lortelle had wanted to finally ask Lucy – a question she wanted to ask yet couldn’t bring herself to – was there, as she avoided eye contact, her lips trembling.
It seemed Lucy already understood what Lortelle couldn’t bring herself to ask.
Did the Senior Ed you know… survive happily?
The moment Lucy nodded her head, it was impossible to know what Lortelle’s reaction would be.
Whether she would smile with relief, despair at her current situation, or break down in tears…
Both Lucy and Lortelle herself couldn’t predict at all.
Lortelle must not weaken.
Even at this moment, too many lives are at stake based on Lortelle’s decisions and judgments.
Therefore, Lortelle closed her eyes tightly and changed the subject.
“How to get back?”
It was Lortelle’s consideration for Lucy.
Lucy couldn’t quite articulate her response. Above all, she had no clue how to return to her original world.
According to the theory of Celestial Magic discussed by Zellan and Ed, such an unrealistic event shouldn’t have occurred.
There should be no interference between magic of different worlds.
Lucy closed her eyes tightly, lost in thought.
The reason such an impossible event happened is realized with a bit of reflection.
Just as clapping requires both palms to meet, the interference occurred because someone in this world observed the current Lucy.
Setting aside who would do such a thing and for what purpose, the fact remains that to escape this world, Lucy must again reach out and ask someone from the other world for help.
Most likely, Ed Rothtaylor will again attempt to observe the many streams of the world to find her.
It won’t be easy to locate the particular world where he’s lost, in the enormous number of flows.
Therefore, a distress signal must be sent.
I am here.
Thus, Lucy must clearly alert the searching Ed Rothtaylor – to cry out constantly towards Ed. I am here. Save me.
But… to do so requires a vast amount of magical power. To initiate such Celestial Magic and observe Ed who is looking for her, Lucy herself would need to act.
However, there’s a severe lack of absolute magical power. Though she knows how to handle Celestial Magic, lacking the magic itself is an unsolvable issue.
Perhaps she could do it with enough time to recover her magic. But the time it would take is too long.
Gluckt’s observation device only detects nearby potential streams. If she stays here for years to recover her magic, the gap in streams might broaden beyond observation.
But even then… where could she immediately get such an astronomical amount of magic?
It was but a moment.
The moment Lucy drifted into this world… the object Ed Rothtaylor had thrown to her. She hadn’t properly checked what it was, but she clung to it tightly in her arms.
With the situation so urgent, she hadn’t been able to recall it.
“… Lucy?”
Lortelle looked at Lucy, who was wide-eyed with bewilderment.
Lucy reached into her bosom and pulled out the spherical object she had kept there to inspect.
“That is…”
Lucy felt her eyes well up with tears.
In that moment of separation, Ed had thrown to her the most precious thing he possessed.
Lucy was a genius mage of her time. Though now she had nearly lost all her magical power and couldn’t muster much strength, her adaptability and knowledge were almost legendary.
But the absence of magic was a bitter reality. Ed had known this too…
So he had entrusted her the ‘Remains of Tyr Kalax’ that he had treasured so deeply.
-Uuung.
The orb emanated magical energy, holding within it the full force of magic from a supreme spirit.
Its vast quantity was too much for ordinary mages to handle, but for Lucy, it was different.
As Zellan had mentioned, without proper processing, it would be nothing more than a consumable item. But the circumstances were dire.
Ed Rothtaylor had decided losing that precious relic was better than losing Lucy.
“You… That is…”
“I want to use the magic contained within. It would be challenging to refine it, given its high complexity, but…”
Lucy spoke, holding her breath.
“If it’s just about unraveling the magic within… that might be doable…”
-Creek
“It’s possible, but there’s a minor problem.”
As she spoke, the audience room door opened, and someone entered. It was Elvira, who had been outside handling the situation until now.
“When the released magic bursts forth, it will create chaos. It won’t be properly absorbed either.”
Now that she had seen it, she seemed a bit taller. Elvira brushed off her alchemist’s bag and came in with Clevius.
The girl had excellent knowledge of alchemy and magic engineering supplies. Spotting the object that Lucy had pulled out, she quickly deduced its nature and sat on the meeting couch.
Clevius followed, closed the door, and stood behind Elvira. It was clear that he had something to say.
In a somber voice, Clevius began to speak, appearing more reliable than Lucy remembered.
“Lortelle, the situation outside is not looking good. The spirits are becoming increasingly restless. They seem sensitive due to any recognition of those searching outside.”
“… How are the survivors?”
“The sight of Lucy has brought some color back to their faces, but the outside situation is making them more anxious.”
They seemed almost to have shed their cowardly dispositions. Given the situation, it was inevitable.
Observing the pair, it appeared they had overheard the conversation between Lortelle and Lucy. They did not seem inclined to inquire further.
However, Elvira quietly spoke up.
“In my opinion… Lucy, I don’t think our interests are that misaligned.”
Lucy remained silent, looking towards Elvira.
“You’re holding it because you want to unleash the magic within, right?”
“…”
“If you draw out the internal magic directly without processing, the dispersed magic will be far greater than what you can actually use.”
The method of utilization would be no different from a cheap magic stone. It was like using a valuable gem as if it were a simple tool.
But the situation dictated the circumstances. There was no time to ponder the differences.
“For an artifact of this caliber… a medium to fully extract the internal magic is required. Of course, we can’t create such a medium in this environment, but…”
Elvira was known for her superior knowledge in applied magic. She had always earned top grades in related assignments during her studies at the Sylvania Academy.
Lucy could easily guess the conclusion that Elvira was leading to.
“… Remember the freshman class allocation test? When Senior Ed confronted the new students at the top of Orun.”
“…”
Lucy, too, had been at the peak of Orun, watching Ed.
At the ‘Altar of Transference’ atop Orun.
An altar with the power to extract magic from items and transfer it directly to the user.
Unable to use magic due to the backlash from the Glastris Phoenix Ring, Ed had brought an abundance of magic stones to contend against the new students using the Altar of Transference.
“… With the power of that altar, you’ll be able to fully utilize the magic within that orb you’re holding. The problem is…”
Someone was guarding the altar.
At the peak of Orun, a girl endlessly weeping.
A spirit master swallowed by madness, intent on erasing all life on this Acken Island, turning it into a sacred tomb for the boy alone.
A hushed silence spread through the audience room.
Everyone seemed to be watching Lucy, waiting for her cue. There was no guarantee that her involvement would resolve everything, but her presence was still a major boost for the survivors.
“… If it’s needed, then it must be done.”
And as usual, Lucy did not hesitate in making her decision.
* * *
Even though it wasn’t winter, it seemed to snow.
Against the dim night sky, what descended was not snowflakes but volcanic ash.
At the top of Orun, in front of the still-beating heart of Bellbrook, a girl with Ed’s staff clutched tightly to her chest bowed her head. Her tears had yet to cease.
The volcanoes that erupted from the body of the supreme fire spirit, Theorphis. The scattering ash had covered the region around Orun for years, eventually turning it into a white mountain range.
Even the evergreen trees and the grass were whitened, turning the place into a tranquil sanctuary. This island was Ed Rothtaylor’s resting place.
Bathed in the gentle moonlight, the ashes settled quietly down. In the gaps of the settling volcanic ash, a spirit master with white hair lifted her head, tears in her eyes. Her face, streaked with sorrow and covered with ash, resembled an angel draped in feathers.
But the being slumped in despair was no angel, but a vengeful spirit.
An undertaker engulfed in madness, intent on erasing all life to forever halt the island’s time.
“… There is still life here. A life disturbing the peace of the departed.”
The eyes of the spirits spread throughout the island are also the eyes of the girl.
The meaning was clear.