LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 43
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Episode 43
Reverse Progression (6)
When the strong light faded, I was able to look at the world again.
Softly—.
Snow.
Pure white snow was falling from the sky.
[……]
Snow falling in the ruins.
It was simply impossible. I looked again at the snowflakes.
[Ah.]
Then it dawned on me.
It wasn’t snow.
Ashen powder.
The ash was falling from the sky.
I followed a slowly descending piece of ash. The scenery created by ancient magic finally entered my view.
Flames—.
[……]
The garden was ablaze.
The splendidly blooming plants had already turned to ash, slowly drifting toward the ground.
Inside the garden, where heat swelled.
No colorful flowers existed anymore.
All I could see were the ravenous crimson flames consuming everything around.
[……]
In a scene that looked like it belonged in some hellish landscape, I could only stick out my tongue in disbelief.
[Hah…….]
It was definitely an imperfect ancient magic.
Olivia’s incantation had a minor error in the “deployment.”
Being her first real battle, small errors were bound to follow.
Because of that,
The power of the explosion must have been greatly reduced as well……
Flames, crackling──!
Yet, the ancient magic still brought about this level of impact.
[Well, that aside.]
Having confirmed that, I turned my gaze back to Riley.
[Hey.]
“………”
[Are you alive?]
Riley was sprawled out on the ground in a ‘大’ shape.
Twitch─!
Just then, I noticed Riley wiggling her pinky finger.
So she still had some consciousness.
It seemed she wasn’t fully coherent yet.
Upon closer inspection of Riley’s body, thankfully, there were no serious injuries.
The only visible marks were light burns and abrasions.
Of course, there was a possibility of internal injuries, but after the exam, if we stopped by the temple for healing, there would be no lingering effects.
“Ar-are you alright……?”
While I was checking on Riley’s condition, I suddenly heard Olivia’s voice from behind.
Olivia rushed toward us with a worried expression, panting……
Thud─!
“Ugh!”
……and tripped.
[……]
That must hurt.
She probably scraped her knees.
“Ugh, my, my leg……”
Olivia couldn’t easily get back up. She was gripping her leg, so it seemed her strength had given out.
Well, that makes sense.
She poured out that much magic all at once; her body couldn’t possibly be unscathed.
Olivia had been the type to isolate herself in a room, continually researching.
Since she rarely used her magic, the backlash was likely to be much greater.
In fact, it was a miracle that she didn’t faint.
Typically, when one expels that much magic, they tend to lose consciousness due to magical exhaustion.
Did she have an inherently strong magical circuit?
Is that why she managed to endure without fainting?
If so, it would mean she was truly a rare talent when it came to ancient magic.
[Hmm……]
Well, I thought it might not be bad to keep an eye on Olivia from now on.
Her concentration, dedication, and talents specialized in ancient magic, etc.
Given the overall potential Olivia showed today, she clearly had the capacity to grow.
Although there were still some shortcomings, she would surely be a great help to us in the future.
My instincts told me so.
“Phew……”
I was lost in those thoughts when suddenly I heard Riley, who was lying on the ground, take a deep breath.
[Have you come to your senses a bit?]
“……Yes.”
Nodding her head, Riley struggled to touch the ground.
“……Ugh.”
Of course, she too had difficulty getting up.
I could see her slender arms trembling.
As I expected, she seemed to have some internal injuries.
I peeked inside her body. The sweltering fire energy had twisted her muscles all around.
It wasn’t serious. It was an injury she would recover from quickly.
However, it looked like moving around would be painful for a while, so it would be best to take it easy for now.
[Let’s rest a bit longer, okay?]
‘No way.’
But Riley firmly rejected my suggestion.
‘I have something I need to do right away.’
[……Is that so?]
‘Yes.’
Well, if she had something she needed to do, I wasn’t going to stop her.
“Ugh……”
Struggling to rise, Riley forced her heavy steps.
She slowly moved toward the distant Garon Theobalt and his comrades.
Plod, plod─.
“……”
As she drew closer, the condition of Garon Theobalt’s group became increasingly clear.
Riley frowned as she looked at them.
‘……It’s dreadful.’
Those who had been directly hit by the explosion were all in terrible shape.
They were burned all over, and the shock from the explosion had twisted some of their bodies.
Internal injuries were severe as well.
Was it because their magic flowed backwards due to the impact of the explosion?
Dark red blood was trickling from their lips.
[To recover from that, they’ll probably need to be hospitalized in the temple for at least a few weeks…….]
That was, of course, because Garon Theobalt had deployed a high-level “defensive magic” at the last moment. If it hadn’t been for that, they surely wouldn’t have survived.
‘They are indeed a high-ranking magician. To block such a powerful explosion.’
[Yep.]
I had no choice but to agree with Riley’s words.
No matter how imperfect the spell was, to withstand the massive explosion of ancient magic at the last moment like that showed exceptional skill. I realized once again that Garon Theobalt truly deserved the title, “The Empire’s Greatest Shield.”
“……”
[……]
And to add one more astonishing fact.
‘……You noticed it too, didn’t you, Magician?’
[Yep.]
It was that Garon Theobalt’s “defensive magic” wasn’t limited to just his teammates.
When the ancient magic was unleashed.
As a massive explosion occurred and the crimson flames surged toward us at the last moment.
Whaam──!
The wall of wind that blocked its path.
‘……Why is that?’
Garon Theobalt’s defensive magic had protected Riley and Olivia.
Even though we were outside the explosion’s range, the reason we were unscathed was thanks to that.
‘There was no reason for him to protect us, after all.’
[Well…….]
I continued. It was easy to deduce why Garon Theobalt protected us.
[……He had no intention of harming us from the start.]
That’s likely why he kept urging Riley to surrender.
‘But then why did he attack me with the intent to kill?’
[You fool.]
You threw the first punch.
You first shouted, “If you don’t pass through me, Sir Theobalt will die!” What kind of development were you expecting?
‘Ah ha.’
[…….]
‘By the way, Magician.’
Turning the conversation around.
But since the poor thing had a rough day today, I decided to give her a pass this time.
[Why?]
‘What should we do about them?’
Riley asked as she looked at Garon Theobalt’s group.
I also turned my gaze toward them.
“……”
[……]
There were three mages sprawled out, unconscious.
Surely they weren’t in danger of death, but if we just left them like this without any treatment, they would undoubtedly suffer for some time due to their internal injuries.
[Hah……]
I sighed.
After all, it was undeniable that we received help from Garon Theobalt.
They say you should repay kindness with kindness, right?
I wasn’t cruel enough to abandon the benefactor who had helped me.
Riley felt the same way. Her belief was that you must return what you received.
[Well, do what you feel is right.]
Although it was a strange thing to say now, there wasn’t really a benefit to antagonizing a high-ranking magician.
Given that we had just finished such a grand ordeal, I wasn’t sure if it meant anything, but…… I had long since abandoned rational judgment. I should just follow my heart.
‘Understood.’
Hearing my words, Riley nodded, resolutely placing her hands on Garon Theobalt’s chest.
Buzz─.
Her magic flowed into Garon Theobalt’s body.
After a few minutes, his irregular breathing steadied.
‘That should do it.’
[Yep.]
Of course, he hadn’t fully recovered. It was only that his twisted magical circuit had been restored to its original state.
It was a makeshift solution, but this level of emergency treatment should suffice.
He would find his way to the temple for recovery or drink potions himself.
‘Since I healed him like this, he should somehow repay me later, right?’
[……If it hadn’t been for you, he wouldn’t have gotten so injured in the first place, though?]
You’re really demanding a lot for someone who caused the problem.
‘Hmm, then I guess I should take care of this.’
Having healed the rest of the group in turn, Riley pulled something from inside Garon Theobalt’s robe.
Swish─.
A brightly glowing sphere.
It was the core of the Golden Golem.
‘Now we’re done.’
Riley wrapped the core in dragon leather and carefully placed it inside her robe.
Now we had two cores.
“Please don’t feel hurt, Sir Theobalt. I’ve got to give back what I received, after all.”
“……”
“Since it turned out this way, let’s take the exam together in peace next year.”
Riley said with a bright smile.
Of course, the unconscious wouldn’t be able to hear those words, but that wasn’t important to her.
With a brighter expression, Riley turned her head.
“Olivia.”
“Yes, yes……?”
“Are your legs feeling a bit better now?”
“Ah, yes! I think I can walk again now!”
Olivia, who had been sitting on the ground, struggled to stand on her spot.
“Then let’s go.”
“Ah! Yes, yes……”
The garden filled with flickering flames.
Riley and Olivia made their way leisurely toward the exit, glancing back at the artwork they had created.
*
Outside the indoor garden.
The cliff located at the edge of the outdoor flower garden.
Swish─!
Riley tossed one core over the cliff.
The golden sphere shrank as it fell, eventually disappearing into the thick fog.
“……”
[……]
Silence.
Despite the passage of time, the sound of the core striking the ground didn’t come.
‘Is this cliff really that high?’
Riley mumbled as she blankly stared down the cliff.
‘With a depth like this, no one would be able to find it, right?’
[Yep.]
Absolutely impossible to find.
I could genuinely promise that.
Ignoring how faintly the core’s energy could be felt, the exam time was running short.
“Hmm……”
After hearing my response, Riley silently swallowed.
Holding the last core in her hand, she began contemplating.
Swish─.
Eventually, nodding her head, she put the last core in her inner pocket as she said.
‘I’ll just keep this.’
[Why?]
‘It was hard-earned after all. Even if I fail the exam, I want to keep it as a memento.’
It seemed she didn’t want to discard the core, given the effort taken to obtain it. Even if it had nothing to do with passing the exam.
Well.
I would have felt the same way.
[Do as you wish.]
Well, with the core situation settled.
Riley started wandering the flower garden once again with Olivia.
Plod, plod─.
“……”
“……”
The garden of the giant race was truly a beautiful place.
A blue sky.
And giant flowers and plants.
While the indoor garden we had been in earlier felt artificial, this place felt like walking through a fairy forest woven by nature.
No monsters or traps appeared, no less. It was amazing that there was such a peaceful area inside the ruins.
“……”
[……]
Time passed unreasonably.
Before we knew it, there were only about 10 minutes left until the exam concluded.
Plod, plod─.
An awkward silence.
Olivia, who had been anxious for a while, cautiously approached Riley with a soft voice.
“Um……. Riley?”
“Yes.”
“C-could it be that…….”
After hesitating for a moment, Olivia finally mustered the courage to speak.
“Do you know the last line of the ancient magic?”
“You promised not to ask that.”
Riley interrupted her with an icy tone. It was a response style that worked especially well on timid people like Olivia.
Sure enough, upon hearing that reply, Olivia shrank even further.
“Ah, ah……”
“……”
“Well, right.”
Her shoulders drooped. Once again, an awkward silence fell between them.
Plod, plod─.
How much longer did we walk?
Once again, it was Olivia who broke the silence.
“Riley.”
“Yes.”
“Becky…… she’s really dead, isn’t she?”
It was a question not so much asked from ignorance but rather a way to deny reality.
Riley didn’t answer.
Instead, she continued to leisurely walk while silently observing her surroundings.
In the lingering silence, Olivia decided not to ask any further questions.
“……”
“……”
The wind blew.
Giant pollen fluttered about.
The flower stalks swayed, and the green grass at Riley’s waist tickled her.
It was truly a beautiful sight.
Once again, I can’t stress enough how it was hard to believe this place was a ruin.
“Hah……”
Riley let out a troubled sigh and spoke to me in a low voice.
‘It’s a pity.’
[What is?]
‘Just this situation, you know.’
She continued in a subdued tone.
‘I thought I could definitely pass the exam. You mentioned so, and I believed I had the confidence to do it as well.’
[…….]
‘But now that I’ve failed the exam, it stings my pride a bit.’
Riley added softly.
‘More than anything, I’m a little sad about losing a team member I had grown fond of.’
[……]
Yeah.
It was disappointing.
I felt truly disappointed.
Having witnessed the efforts Riley put forth, this situation felt all the more regrettable.
However……
‘……But not everything was bad.’
[Yep.]
We had sufficiently gained valuable experiences.
Real battles, crises, experiences, etc. Within the various complex situations, Riley’s skills had soared dramatically.
The steep growth she showed was astonishing even to me.
Yeah.
One year.
One year was more than enough.
After training again in the hideout of that Rich punk, taking the selection exam once more, catching the attention of the “Five Great Towers,” and entering the “Irantes Magic Tower”……
Ultimately,
I’d trick the imposter who pretends to be my disciple’s disciple.
[Let’s keep pushing forward together.]
“……”
[It’s just one more year.]
I had waited 300 years for a new disciple to come off the shelf.
A year isn’t a big deal at all.
Hearing my words, Riley replied with a faint smile.
‘That sounds nice.’
[…….]
‘To leisurely spend another year in training……’
Thud─.
At that very moment.
A mysterious liquid started falling from the sky.
“……?”
Riley wiped her cheek.
‘This is……’
A blue, sticky liquid smeared on her hand.
‘……Is it the blood of the Golden Golem?’
Just as she turned her head to look where the liquid fell from.
“Hey.”
A thin voice, both ticklish and familiar, rang in her ears.
“Ah, you finally made it here.”
“……”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and untie this thing. I seriously feel like my arm is going to fall off.”
It was a voice that was far too familiar to us.
Naturally, it was because we had heard that voice incessantly over the past 24 hours.
“……”
Swish.
Riley silently turned her gaze.
There stood a massive tree.
A fruit-bearing tree. The odd pink fruits on the branches glowed gently.
And at the end of the branch laden with those tempting fruits……
“……Becky?”
“Yep. That’s me. Now hurry up and come untie this thing.”
A magician, draped in dragon leather, was hanging precariously.