Chapter 284 |
TL: TangSanFan
ED/PR: Tanthus
『Side Story』 Pursuing the Butterfly (11)
“You were alive.”
It was the first thing Yenika Faelover said as she rose from the altar.
Lucy Mayrill, who was believed to be dead, was alive. This was the confirmation of her survival.
Had it been the Yenika Faelover that Lucy Mayrill knew, she might have expressed surprise, asked about the situation, or at least offered words of concern.
But, it must be acknowledged.
The Yenika Faelover standing before Lucy right now was not the Yenika she once knew. The difference was immediately apparent from her outward appearance.
The cool gaze that Yenika cast down from the altar held none of the warmth reminiscent of a fairy tale she once exuded.
Soaked in the cruel realities for far too long, the erstwhile warmth had been completely lost.
Acken Island had completely fallen under her control, and she reigned as the Queen of this hellish dominion.
Beneath the whitened hair, a dark-red staff could be seen. Worn by the ravages of time, it was indeed the staff once used by Ed Rothtaylor in life.
The manner in which she clutched the staff, as if it were her most treasured possession, brought forth an eerie sense of incongruity.
“… I had thought you might be alive.”
As Yenika stood and delivered these cold words, Lucy found the statement unexpected.
Lucy Mayrill of this world was reported dead. Lortelle had certainly said so.
However, Yenika had doubted Lucy’s death.
“After resolving to turn Acken Island into a sanctuary, I scoured every corner of the island but could not find Ed’s body.”
Ed Rothtaylor had been executed by the forces of the Lindon Empire in the square of the Sylvania Academy.
Logically, Ed Rothtaylor’s body should also be somewhere within Sylvania Academy.
Yet… Yenika Faelover had not managed to find it.
“You took Ed’s body, didn’t you?”
As usual, Lucy simply gazed up at Yenika with dull eyes.
“If you are alive, it solves all the mysteries. There aren’t many who could hide from me on this island for such a long time.”
“I… don’t know anything.”
Only then did Yenika Faelover perceive the dissonance.
No trace of sorrow lingered in Lucy’s eyes. Just as always, she looked up at Yenika blankly with half-closed eyes.
“Return Ed to me. I’ll use this altar as… his resting place.”
“I told you. I don’t know anything.”
“Why would you lie about that?”
“It’s not a lie.”
Lucy calmly stated only the truth. Whether or not Yenika could accept that was another matter.
“I don’t… belong to this world. I simply drifted in.”
“…”
“I want to go back to where I originated. To do that, I need the power of this altar. Without restoring my mana, I can’t return.”
It was a statement that was difficult for Lucy to verbalize. Nevertheless, she continued to speak calmly.
“Please step aside.”
“…”
Yenika quietly regarded Lucy.
Ed Rothtaylor’s death had changed many things in the world.
Being close, Yenika knew enough. To Lucy Mayrill, Ed Rothtaylor must have been as precious and significant as the world itself.
Despite this, Lucy appeared tranquil as she spoke to Yenika.
She had not lost Ed Rothtaylor.
Realizing this intuitively, Yenika hung her head even lower.
Perhaps the words Lucy was speaking were the truth.
Otherwise, there’s no way Lucy could appear so unaffected.
“…”
Lucy lost her words as well, mirroring Yenika’s expression.
Looking lost, as if she had been robbed of meaning by the world, in the face of Lucy who had not lost Ed.
What emotions could Yenika be feeling? Was it emptiness, jealousy, or perhaps a resurgence of endless sorrow?
As Yenika lifted her head, her expression was tinged with a wistful sadness.
“…. Alright.”
That was all the response that came.
Lucy, who had braced for the worst-case scenario up to combat, shuddered as Yenika readily agreed to let her go.
This was an outcome Lucy hadn’t dared to hope for.
Yet Yenika, just from appearance, was clearly not in an ordinary state. Lucy thought it best not to let down her guard…
“Just tell me one thing.”
Yenika slowly walked down from the altar, speaking as if whispering.
Against the backdrop of the altar, where volcanic ashes danced lightly on the wind, Yenika asked with a sorrowful face.
“Was Ed happy there?”
A question so laden with emotions. Lucy could not immediately respond.
After a brief moment of contemplation, she reached a conclusion: there was no need for an elaborate answer.
Lucy simply nodded her head lightly a couple of times.
Yenika seemed content, her eyes gently closing.
It was a signal that Lucy could pass.
Lucy adjusted her hat and started walking towards the altar. Her hair fluttered in the peak’s wind, her tattered clothes whipping about.
Despite this, she continued to forge ahead with her small stature.
This was an acceptable outcome. As far as Lucy was concerned, everything had gone well.
She passed by the still-standing Yenika and would soon utilize the remains of Tyr Kalax from the altar of Galum to send out a distress signal by scrying into the outer world.
Yenika would not stop her. She had made that clear.
Walking past Yenika, Lucy glanced back for a moment.
Against the gloomy sky, several layers of magical circles created by Yenika layered upon each other.
The freed Phrydae lingered amongst the many spirits, intent on erasing all remaining life on the island.
In the profound backdrop, the silhouette of Yenika stood alone in solitude.
Lucy didn’t care. It was a story from another world.
Lucy took out the remains of Tyr Kalax from her pocket. From the small orb-shaped relic, mana began to seep out slowly.
She closed her eyes, immersing herself in the sensation of becoming one with the mana.
The amount of mana within those fragments was more than an ordinary mage could handle, but Lucy assimilated the vast power with ease.
The altar of Galum couldn’t fully process all of the mana held within Tyr Kalax’s remains, but it did allow Lucy to absorb enough mana for her purposes.
Feeling the mana flow into her abundantly, Lucy gradually…
She turned away.
Yenika, with her back still to her, remained unchanged.
“I’m envious of you.”
Was it as if she had eyes on the back of her head?
Facing the scene of Acken Island’s end, Yenika spoke to Lucy in a leaking voice.
“Even so, the Ed over there must be waiting for you.”
“…”
“That’s why it’s right for me to continue my work.”
Lucy opened her mouth to say something but stopped herself.
And she closed her eyes gently.
To bring Lucy to this altar, many had sacrificed themselves.
To these people, the resurrected Lucy was the last hope. She was the last person capable of somehow saving Yenika, who had been consumed by sorrow and madness.
So what does it matter?
This might sound cold, but ultimately, it had nothing to do with Lucy.
Leaving was the right decision.
No matter how many times she thought about it, Lucy’s reason whispered that this was the answer.
Lucy had a place to return to.
A place where someone had been her reprieve from a grueling life.
That boy had lived a life just as tumultuous as Lucy’s.
Starting as an outcast abandoned by his family, he had always maintained a steadfast expression through many trials and pains.
Lying down lazily, without any reason, he accepted Lucy for who she was.
He was not jealous of Lucy’s blessed talent, nor did he expect anything more from her than necessary because of it.
The boy had simply been there next to Lucy, with a frank and open heart.
Closing her eyes, she longed to see him; in her mind arose the image of the boy sitting next to a late-night campfire, tending to his gear for the next day.
What Lucy learned from the boy was such a yearning for life.
A determination and passion to never give up on surviving, no matter the situation.
Lucy loved his consistency and nobility.
It was the boy’s tenacity that allowed Lucy to keep living, a philosophy so opposite to Lucy’s previous escapism.
Unbeknownst to her, Lucy’s own values had been endlessly overlaid.
The loneliness and emptiness she had borne her whole life had been replaced, at some point, by an existence of far greater significance.
“I may not understand you. Just as you don’t understand me.”
Lucy’s voice gained strength.
Yenika felt a great dissonance in Lucy’s voice, a firm determination as if she had made up her mind.
The reason Yenika had given way to Lucy Mayrill was ironically because she understood Lucy’s heart better than anyone.
Lucy wanted to return to Ed.
More than anything, the most important thing for Lucy was to regain her magic and pave the way back to Ed.
There was no room for her to waste her limited magic elsewhere.
Lucy would never get in Yenika’s way. She had neither the leeway nor the reason. Yenika knew the tender feelings Lucy had for Ed better than anyone.
Yet, the first thing Lucy did upon regaining her magic was to gather the ambient magic and obliterate the nearby spirits.
– Whooooosh!
– Roaaaaar!
The supreme lightning magic, ‘Heavenly Punishment.’
The lightning, now even more potent from Lucy’s partially restored power, turned the spirits back into nothingness.
Amidst the swirling winds, gathering her magic, Lucy leapt down from the altar and stood upright before Yenika again.
She had not moved forward; she had come back. It was Lucy’s choice.
“You…”
After the storm-like wind passed, Lucy raised her head as she straightened her worn clothes.
“You can tell at a glance. Lucy. You’re in no position to be recklessly wasting your magic now. In such a state… do you think you can stop me?”
“That is for me to handle.”
“Why make such a choice?”
The face Yenika turned around was… stained with pain.
Letting Lucy go was also a heart-wrenching decision for Yenika.
Despite feeling a storm of emotions while watching Lucy, who hadn’t lost Ed, she ultimately did what she thought was right.
What is lost, is lost.
The Ed from that other world is waiting for Lucy Mayrill.
Knowing this, Yenika let Lucy go while suppressing her aching heart.
After all, she had her own duties to attend to.
However, Lucy, having regained her magic… did not use it to return.
With her newly returned power, Lucy stood in Yenika’s way.
“The magic can be restored in some way or another.”
Even if all the magic is drained here and now, it can eventually be restored.
The effects of the Phoenix Ring do not last a lifetime.
After enduring for years… she would find a way back.
Ed would not give up on Lucy over a matter of a few years. With that conviction, she was determined to carry out what she believed to be right.
Yenika could not understand Lucy’s decision.
For the current Lucy Mayrill, this world must feel like a terrible hell.
She would want nothing more than to leave it as soon as possible.
Still, battered and beaten, the reason she stands against Yenika is─
“Running away from here without a care would be an insult to the person who gave me life.”
It’s a world full of people struggling to survive.
There were plenty who risked death to send Lucy here.
They all had one goal in mind.
To survive.
In the midst of the whirling wind, Lucy, pressing her hat down, lowers her head.
Yenika’s image was different from what Lucy knew.
And now, Lucy’s image was also different from what Yenika knew.
At first glance, it is imperceptible.
However, at this moment… Yenika could clearly see the difference.
“Those who strive to survive are all worthy of respect.”
“You…”
Even amid the storm, the girl’s eyes sparkled with light.
Who had imbued that worldview in a girl who was once filled with nothing but emptiness?
Her slight figure standing staunchly amidst the storm reminds her of someone from her memories… Is it merely an illusion born from longing?
The girl has received a lot.
She received life from the boy, a reason to live, and convictions to uphold.
And to fulfill those convictions, the girl finally becomes a hero.
A vortex of magic swirled.
In its wake, the volcanic ash covering the Orun Mountains soared high into the night sky.