Chapter 48: Obstacle (1)

R‍ｅаd​ on& ;KàtR̀e‌adin‌g&C;​aｆ&e;

By the time they escaped the altar, the sun had already begun to set, and now the sky was almost completely dark, shrouded in shadows.

The darkness made the strange, shimmering barrier in the sky even more visible.

The two children paced in front of the barrier.

When they brought a tree branch close to it, it sparked and crackled, but they couldn’t pass through to the other side.

“We really can’t get out… Should I try a dispel spell?”

Since Sugar had dispelled Louveci’s illusion so quickly, she thought it might work. But as soon as she raised her wand, Riley stopped her.

“No. Don’t.”

“Why? We have to try something. Who knows if someone’s chasing us…”

“I was thinking about what happened earlier. The reason you dispelled her magic so quickly is probably because of your unique magical energy. But this isn’t a spell cast by just one person.”

A choral spell. A solid barrier created by the combined incantations of Claude’s subordinates.

“What does that mean?”

“Earlier, how did it feel when you were analyzing it?”

“It was just… following the flow of magical energy, and then I just… naturally understood it.”

“Then what if dozens of those flows connect to you? Can you follow all of them? Can you process all that information without losing yourself?”

“Ah…”

He meant that the sheer volume of information would overwhelm her brain. She understood.

“Then what do we do… Do you know any spells that can break this?”

Riley flipped through his grimoire. But soon, he reached blank pages. Although some pages had been deciphered today, the book was still less than a quarter filled. Besides spells, it contained theories and knowledge about magic, so the number of usable spells was even smaller.

This guy really lived a simple life. It felt strange to realize that now.

In the original story, Riley had been killing people indiscriminately since childhood. If suspicions arose, he’d move to another city and repeat the same actions. By this point, he probably would’ve filled at least half the book.

“…”

Pat pat.

“There are a few candidates… but I’m not sure.”

Pat pat.

“I don’t know if they have enough destructive power… and I don’t have enough magical energy left to try anything.”

Pat pat.

“But if I try to draw on your energy—Ow! Stop that!”

Even as Riley jumped, Sugar didn’t stop patting his head.

It felt rough. When she rubbed her fingers against it, dust-like particles came off. Sugar silently wiped her hand on her clothes and then reached out to Riley again.

“We still have to try. I have plenty of magical energy left. It’s fine.”

She had more magical energy than most. Her unique nature meant she consumed a lot when casting spells, but her natural recovery rate was also high.

During today’s escape, Riley had been the one primarily using magic, so Sugar wasn’t exhausted in terms of magical energy.

“…”

Still, Riley looked at her suspiciously. Was she lying? Was she pretending to be strong even though she was also running low on energy?

“I said I’m fine!”

Sugar, sensing his thoughts, grabbed Riley’s hand.

Or rather, she tried to.

In an instant, a magical projectile flew toward them, forcing them to jump apart.

Turning toward the direction it came from, they saw a demonic figure standing there.

[I’d prefer if you stayed still.]

“No thanks.”

As Sugar defiantly adjusted her grip on her wand, Riley responded with a magical projectile of his own.

Claude, unfazed, slowly approached. The atmosphere was eerie. The singing of the cultists had stopped earlier, leaving only the cold winter wind whistling through the mountains.

[If you stay quiet, I have no intention of harming you. Please come with me.]

“You shouldn’t lie like that. Doesn’t your conscience bother you?”

[Not killing you is the truth. So, no, it doesn’t.]

He probably thinks that as long as he doesn’t kill them, he’s not harming them.

Typical Claude. Completely different from Louveci. There’s no point expecting any kindness from him.

Sugar and Riley grimaced and prepared their stances.

[If you think the two of you can take me on, it’s a bit disappointing.]

“You never know. We might just turn you into a mess.”

[…You really are the kind of personality she’d like.]

Before he finished speaking, Claude swung his hand.

A simple, almost casual motion, as if tossing something to a friend.

Yet, something sliced through the air grazing Sugar’s neck.

Startled, she looked back to see a surgical scalpel embedded in a tree. If her reaction had been even slightly slower, it would’ve pierced her throat.

“Sugar!”

“I’m fine! …So, you’re not going to kill us, Claude?”

[As long as you’re half-dead, I can keep you alive. So it’s practically the same as not killing you.]

He immediately pulled the scalpel from the ground and lunged.

Sugar expected him to charge at her, but surprisingly, he went for Riley instead.

Of course, Riley was holding the grimoire so it made sense from Claude’s perspective. His quick decision to start chanting a spell made him a potential threat.

[And you’re not staying still, are you?]

The scalpel, infused with magical energy, vibrated. Even a slight touch could split matter at the molecular level. Claude aimed it at Riley.

Riley quickly changed his incantation and deployed a defensive barrier, but Claude sliced through it like clay, closing the distance in an instant.

Just before the scalpel reached him, Sugar teleported in front of Claude and headbutted him.

“Aim for the crow!”

As Claude staggered, Riley chanted an ignition spell, targeting the crow on Claude’s shoulder. It burst into flames instantly.

At the same time, Sugar kicked Claude’s hand with a sharp motion. The scalpel flew in an arc, and she pressed her wand against his neck. She didn’t have any powerful spells ready, but the intimidation factor was important.

“How’s that? Oh, without the crow, can’t you talk?”

Claude let out a snort.

Before she could ask what was so funny, the answer became clear. A flock of crows had gathered on the trees, staring down at the two children. Their black eyes and bodies were unnerving as they watched intently.

[It was a good attempt to block the incantation.]

One of the crows opened its mouth to speak.

Riley quickly chanted an explosion spell, but the crows scattered in an instant, and almost all of them survived. They perched on different trees.

These crows were both spare bodies and vocal cords. There was no way Claude wouldn’t have prepared such tools. He was thorough, meticulous, and always cautious.

Although he had expended a lot of energy summoning the evil god’s power yesterday, this was more than enough to deal with the children. More than enough—it was excessive.

As he focused, the crows began to open their mouths in unison. Even with Sugar pressing her wand against his neck, Claude didn’t seem fazed. The cacophony of their cawing, almost like a song, was deeply unsettling.

“I don’t know what you’re doing, but stop it! I’ll shoot!”

[I’ve already assessed your abilities. You don’t have many spells you can use properly.]

As the newly perched crow on his shoulder finished speaking, Sugar, as if she had been waiting, pulled out a scalpel from her pocket. She had taken the one embedded in the tree earlier.

“I said I’d shoot.”

She threw it into the air and aimed it at Claude.

Without hesitation, she infused it with magical energy and shot it toward his head.

–Clang!

In that moment, Claude tilted his head, and the beak of his mask deflected the scalpel perfectly.

Unbelievable!

Sugar stared in disbelief, and in response Claude struck her wrist.

Her wand went flying.

Riley hurriedly caught it, but before he could feel relieved, the crows’ song intensified.

Each crow sang in its own pitch, high and low notes harmonizing in a grand chorus. The metallic undertones mixed with the cawing created an overwhelming, majestic atmosphere.

Feeling uneasy, Sugar quickly moved to Riley’s side putting distance between them and Claude.

The man with the beak mask didn’t try to stop her, simply observing as if nothing she did mattered.

“What are you trying to do?”

[You’ll know when the time comes.]

With that, he swiftly pulled out five scalpels from his coat and scattered them in the air.

“Protection.”

Sugar, who had just taken back her wand, immediately chanted the spell, and Riley followed suit.

“Reflection.”

Two different incantations from two different people.

The overlapping barriers they created effortlessly deflected Claude’s attack.

Oh. Claude jumped back to avoid the returning scalpels, letting out a sound of admiration. Or rather, it was the crow that spoke.

[Did you train for this? It couldn’t have been easy.]

They had just tried it on a whim, thinking it might work but the two of them kept quiet.

“If you’re so curious, why don’t you tell us what spell those crows are chanting?”

[You’ll find out soon enough. Why the rush?]

Instead of answering, Claude pulled out his wand and began a slightly longer incantation.

In response, Riley also started chanting.

Not wanting to get in the way, Sugar hid behind Riley. She took the opportunity to replenish his energy, gently placing her hand on his back.

“…”

Her magical energy seeped into every corner of his parched body. It was only a temporary solution, but it was far better than nothing.

As Riley felt his body filling up, his heart swelled with emotion. Even though the spell he was about to cast was written in an evil grimoire, it was for Sugar’s sake.

Repeating this to himself, he felt as if he had found a purpose.

A dream worth pursuing.

With an inexplicable excitement making his heart race, he uttered the incantation.

“……Frozen breath of the tundra—”

[Flame Eruption.]

Two opposing elemental spells collided.

A freezing storm, fierce enough to swallow everything in its path.

A raging inferno, spitting fire like a beast.

The two forces clashed, creating a thick mist of steam.

Sugar frowned, not stopping the flow of her magical energy as she watched the battle.

At first, it seemed like Riley was winning, but Claude soon began to push back. No matter how powerful the grimoire was, the gap in experience and skill couldn’t be bridged.

However this child wasn’t alone.

Sugar raised her wand with her other hand. Her plan was to seize both her friend’s and her own freedom with her own hands.

But in that moment, her mind grew hazy.

The clash of magical energies between Riley and Claude, the trembling of the atmospheric magic—it all felt strange, as if her own body was floating.

It was a sensation she had felt before at the altar.

A feeling that she could do anything, that her imagination could become reality. The flow of all the surrounding magical energy seemed within her grasp, overwhelming her with the sheer volume of information.

The massive collision of magical energies right before her eyes.

The crows’ incantation.

The enormous barrier enveloping the sky.

It felt like she could reach out and touch it all. Following that sensation, the scenery around her faded, and a vision appeared before her eyes.

A white wall in the middle of a forest. A stone wall covered in moss.

‘-It feels like I went right when I should’ve gone left? And then I hit a wall. But now I’ve found the right way.’

A metaphor from long ago vaguely surfaced in her mind.

As she fumbled against the wall she could feel the energy on the other side, and when she listened closely she could hear a sound.

Chirping, chattering, cawing…

“…”

A sound that tickled her ears.

It was in this dazed state that Sugar stood.

The battle between the two had reached its conclusion.

“Ugh…!”

Unfortunately, Riley was pushed back. He managed to deploy a barrier just before being hit, but the impact was unavoidable. His entire body felt scorched.

“Hey, are you okay… Sugar?”

Worried about the girl behind him, he quickly turned around to see Sugar standing in the mist, staring into the void as if entranced.

She was looking ahead, but her gaze seemed fixed on something far beyond.

Her condition was clearly abnormal.