Ch.127What were you guys doing?

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Millia jumped up and approached me.

Her slightly unfocused eyes were filled with concern.

Asking if I’m hurt? Can’t you tell just by looking, Millia?

I’m covered in bandages and my armor is cracked in several places.

“Just as I thought. I told you if we waited here, he’d show up on his own, didn’t I? Nothing to worry about at all.”

Frider nodded calmly without even getting up.

His tone suggested that my return was completely expected.

“Frider senior was actually quite anxio—”

“Millia?”

“Ah, it’s nothing! Just as Frider senior said!”

Millia nodded her head vigorously.

What’s this? Millia’s attitude is much more respectful than I expected. Like a chick facing a wildcat.

Did he establish some kind of discipline while I was gone?

“Nothing to worry about? If you knew what I went through, you wouldn’t say that.”

I complained as I sat down among the group.

Only then did Frider notice my injuries and furrowed his brow.

“My goodness, look at these wounds! Even your face—here, put this on.”

Millia hurriedly pulled out bandages and something like an ointment.

“Ointment?”

“It’s medicine that folk healers use. It’s not very effective, but… recovery potions don’t work on you, Haschal. I brought it just in case.”

“Thanks. I see only Millia really cares about me.”

“What are you saying? I was worried too, you know.”

Frider grumbled while brushing back his hair.

Millia carefully removed the blood-soaked bandages and gasped when she saw the puncture wound on my shoulder.

I suppose that one does look the most serious.

“…The wounds are quite severe. What did you fight to end up like this?”

“Monsters close to Master level.”

“You got beaten up this badly by something that’s not even a Master but just close to it?”

Frider asked in disbelief.

I understand why he wouldn’t get it. He didn’t see those creatures himself.

I struggled because they were particularly bad matches for me. If they’d been creatures with just two pairs of limbs, I would have won without major injuries.

“Three creatures with eight limbs each attacked me. And their bodies were disgustingly tough.”

I even gave them a name: Locust Centaurs.

“Ah, those would be troublesome indeed.”

Frider nodded.

Troublesome doesn’t begin to describe it.

I barely survived, but if you had been there instead of me, Frider, you would have died.

“Right. While I was suffering to the point of looking like this, you were all resting comfortably here?”

As much as you trust my skills, couldn’t you have at least pretended to look for me?

That hurts my feelings.

“Rest? We had a terrible time too, you know.”

Frider snorted and proudly thrust out his chest.

He’s not asking me to admire his smaller chest… judging by his torn clothes, they must have been busy fighting something too.

“A noble like you shouldn’t say ‘terrible time.’ You should use proper and elegant language like me.”

“I never thought I’d be lectured about language by you of all people. The humiliation is unbearable.”

“That’s quite slanderous. I always speak properly. Right, Millia?”

“Huh? Oh, um… maybe…?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Millia stammered her response.

Maybe? That’s a rather harsh assessment, Millia.

I’ve always spoken properly to you.

“Millia, wrap some more bandages around Haschal’s head. It seems he suffered a serious head injury.”

“Um… well… his head seems fine…”

After stammering, Millia nevertheless took out fresh bandages and brought them toward my head.

As if following Frider’s instructions.

Millia, I never thought you would betray me like this…!

I reached out to block the bandages coming toward my head.

Seeing this, Frider giggled.

“Millia, that was just a joke. No need to take it so seriously.”

“No, it’s not because of that. Haschal, your forehead is cut here too. Hold still. I’ll bandage it now.”

Ah. Come to think of it, I did get cut by fragments when I shattered the Locust’s greatsword.

I’d forgotten about it since it wasn’t a major wound.

—-

“So, what exactly did you do that was so difficult?”

“Monster subjugation, of course. Demian had the hardest time, though.”

“Demian?”

Frider nodded.

Demian… now that I think about it, he hasn’t said anything this whole time.

I thought he would have chimed in by now.

I rolled my eyes to look at Demian without turning my head, since Millia was still wrapping bandages around it.

Demian was sitting against the wall with his head bowed and arms crossed.

I could hear soft, quiet breathing.

…He’s sleeping. No wonder he’s been so quiet.

Demian’s appearance had changed somewhat too.

His armor was scratched all over, and the clothes underneath were torn, exposing his skin.

The most noticeable difference was the greatsword beside him.

The black iron greatsword that Asha had made for him was nowhere to be seen, replaced by an old-looking steel greatsword leaning against the wall.

The handle and base looked worn out and ready to break at any moment, but the blade itself still emitted a sharp gleam.

Subtle mana circulated across the surface of the sword.

…That looks similar to the sword the Locusts were using.

“That guy, where did he put his own sword…”

“That black iron greatsword? It completely melted.”

Frider shrugged.

…Melted? A dwarf-made black iron sword?

What on earth did these guys fight?

“What exactly happened?”

“It’s a long story…”

Frider began to explain.

======[Frider]======

“Haschal-!”

A scream-like shout echoed throughout the room.

Haschal was enveloped in a burst of light.

A shocked Millia called out her name desperately and reached out, but before her fingertips could reach, Haschal vanished without a trace.

Her empty hand pathetically sliced through the air.

Frider had also tried to grab Haschal’s shoulder to pull her away from the door, but the sudden flash of light startled him, slowing his reaction.

When the light subsided, nothing remained in front of the door.

Haschal had disappeared.

Millia looked at Frider with a pale face.

She was so flustered that she seemed ready to grab Frider’s shoulders and shake him.

“Senior Frider! Haschal…!”

“Wait, wait, calm down.”

Frider extended his hand to stop Millia.

He was just as surprised as she was.

However, unlike these children, he was a senior with various experiences, and he didn’t want to show his confusion and add to their distress.

That would be shameful both as an academy senior and as a noble of Faelrun.

His mind was racing.

‘Magic. And high-level magic at that… the effect?’

Strong light, vibration, and the disappearance of a person.

‘Was it an attack spell? …No. The aftermath is too minimal for an attack. No heat, no shock. Not even a trace.’

Frider mentally rejected the possibility of it being an attack spell.

Using all his magical knowledge and experience, he couldn’t recall any attack spell that could erase a person without leaving a trace like this.

There were spells that could burn someone to ashes or melt them completely… but such spells always left some kind of trace.

Either ashes or a puddle with a terrible smell.

Moreover, an attack spell of that magnitude would have affected those nearby.

It wasn’t possible, even for a high-level mage, to concentrate flames solely on one person without spreading any heat to the surroundings.

‘Then what? Invisibility? No, if that were the case, she would have revealed that she was still here. Haschal definitely disappeared from this place.’

Her presence vanished like a lie along with the fading light.

‘Like… how monsters appear and disappear. If so…!’

Except for the fact that it was pure white light instead of black mana, it was indeed a very similar phenomenon.

Having finished his thoughts, Frider looked at Millia and Demian.

Millia was staring at him with trembling eyes, while Demian was tilting his head and tapping the door with his greatsword.

‘He really has a strange personality.’

Frider thought to himself before explaining his theory to them.

“It’s probably not an attack spell. The aftermath was too weak. From what I can tell, it seems like summoning, transference… that kind of magic.”

He had heard that transference magic had only been theorized and never actually implemented, but the same was true for the permanent magic lights that had been illuminating the ceiling.

“So she was pulled inside this door, or something like that? Maybe we should test it…”

Demian gestured slightly toward the door.

He looked ready to place his palm on it at any moment.

“De-Demian?”

“Hmm, not a bad idea, but I’m not sure if it will work. Haschal and I both touched it at the same time, but only she disappeared. Let’s check.”

Frider placed his hand on the door again.

…Nothing happened.

“As expected, it doesn’t work. I don’t know what the criteria are, but it seems Haschal is the only one who can activate the magic engraved on this door.”

‘It’s not gender… probably not religion either. Neither Haschal nor I have any connection to ancient religions. So, bloodline? Or strength?’

Frider had hit upon the correct answer.

Though he himself wouldn’t know it was correct.

What he could be certain of was that unlike Haschal, they couldn’t activate the door’s magic.

“Should we break down the door?”

Demian raised his greatsword. He looked ready to split the door in half if given permission.

“No. Let’s keep that as a last resort. There’s no guarantee there’s a passage right behind this door. If it’s summoning or transference magic, there might just be a wall behind the door, and Haschal might have been sent somewhere completely different. In that case, if we rashly destroy this door, Haschal might not be able to return at all.”

After hearing Frider’s explanation, Demian nodded.