Episode 350.2 |
(EP-350.2) Waking Up From a Dream #3
350 – Waking Up From a Long Dream #3
“Mirna freezes up when it really matters. In that sense, her younger sister Narmi is ruthless. If anything, that girl needs to learn some restraint.”
“Lady Narmi certainly has a rather cold side to her.”
Suk.
I glanced over at Narmi, who was playing tag with the imps. Despite her sister dueling the queen, she seemed completely uninterested, too busy with running around the field.
“Aaah! Gargar’s tail got by Narmi-! Now Gargar is ‘itʼ-!”
“Garr! Garr!”
What a heartwarming sight.
Just then, Elga said.
“What surprises me more is Aira. She’s getting better with each exchange. She hasn’t held a sword in years, but it’s like she’s reawakening her instincts.”
Reawakening her instincts—yeah, it certainly felt that way. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I got the sense that Aira had requested this duel to test her own limits.
Elga continued.
“She’s also in good physical condition. At least, from what I can see. It’s like she’s shed some kind of mental burden—she’s completely unhindered.”
“… It might be exactly that.”
“That’s what I’ve been thinking lately. What if that giant spider wasn’t granting Aira power, but was actually a shackle?”
Elga’s voice held a rare note of concern. And I understood why. If everything we had done to weaken Aira had, in the end, only made her stronger….
Of course, this was all just speculation.
“No matter how hard you’ve worked, you know that if you don’t win, Theo, it’ll all be for nothing, right? I know your magic is impressive, but that was against Aira from two years ago in a dream.”
“That’s true…”
“The Aira of today is incomparable to back then. You already know that a Rank 8 mage is powerful enough to single-handedly obliterate a fortress.”
Elga then continued explaining just how dangerous Aira could be. But since that conversation could go on forever, I decided to change the subject.
“So, Elga-nim. Have you checked on the matter I requested?”
“You mean whether there’s a crack in the wall?”
At Elga’s question, I raised a finger to my lips. Shh—Her voice was too loud. If anyone overheard this conversation, it would cause a massive panic.
But Elga simply responded nonchalantly.
“There’s no issue. Those massive towers aren’t going to collapse overnight.”
“Well… that may be true, but…”
If Bael was defeated, the wall would fall.
Yet, I ignored that warning and took Bael down. So I was worried, had I really caused the collapse of the wall? But according to Elga, there were no signs of that happening.
Maybe there was a grace period.
Or perhaps, because I hadn’t killed Bael but absorbed her instead, there was some change. The surest way was to ask her directly.
Swoosh.
I closed my eyes and called out.
Bael, what do you think?
━Hiooong.
As expected, I had no idea what she was saying. Ever since she had settled inside me, Bael had been like this.
It was as if communication was impossible. Maybe it was because she lost her strength after being defeated in Aira’s heart. If I fed her well and let her recover, maybe she’d eventually be able to talk again.
━Hiooong!
Still, having her inside me was proving useful. For one, the experience I’d gained allowed me to advance my magic to the 7th Rank.
But the biggest advantage—
Clang!
A sharp noise rang out as something shot toward my face.
Mirna was the first to react.
“Ah!?”
At the same time, I felt Elga reaching out.
“That’s dangerous.”
I could clearly see it—Aira’s sword, which Mirna had deflected, was flying towards my face. Elga was probably trying to block it with her hand.
But there was no need.
Saaaaa….
The rising wind sent the sword soaring high into the sky. It spun and turned in the air before plunging into the empty ground.
Only then did Elga shout at Mirna.
“Hey, if you’re going to deflect a sword, do it properly! What if someone got caught up in it? Seriously, you’re so careless.”
If you think about it, the problem was that we were watching dangerously close to the action. But Elga didn’t seem to care about that.
Mirna, meanwhile, sheathed her sword and turned to me.
“Sir Theo, are you all right? More importantly, just now… did you use magic without chanting? I didn’t see you chant or form any seals.”
As expected, Mirna had keenly noticed.
Like Mirna said, I had just cast the Rank 3 “Lightning Gale” without chanting or forming seals.
The casting time, a mage’s biggest vulnerability, was no longer an issue for me.
And it was all thanks to the high rank incantation magic I had gained—Bael.
It felt as if when I imagined a spell, Bael coiled within my heart, then weaved the seals with her eight legs in my stead.
━Hiooong…!
The mana consumption was higher than usual, but being able to cast any spell below Rank 5 without prior preparation was a huge advantage.
Moreover, I was feeling better than ever.
Everything felt vivid, as if I had just woken from a deep sleep.
And so, the days passed.
Soon, the martial festival where everyone crowded and bustled was almost upon us.
The opening was just around the corner.
Edit by: faker