Ch.9898. Between Incidents (1)

“Marianne!!”

The first person my comrades rushed to find was not me, but Marianne. I chuckled as I watched Marianne turn to look at me in confusion. Daphne Ephiphone and George Gunther practically kidnapped Marianne, grabbing her shoulders and beginning to examine whether she had any injuries.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“She looks fine on the outside… but she might have internal mana injuries. I think we need to take her to the medical staff for a thorough examination.”

Marianne was struggling to break free from the two people who were treating her like a child. I watched the scene with a pleased expression, as if it had nothing to do with me.

“P-please let me go. I’m fine.”

“You should still get examined. We don’t know what effect the fog’s mana might have had on your body.”

Daphne asserted this and released Marianne. Then, she looked at her with complicated eyes.

“…You really brought Ilroy back.”

Daphne’s words carried various emotions. Gratitude came first, and then perhaps envy? Those purple eyes shone as deep as the night sky, mixed with complex light.

“You did well, thank you Marianne.”

That expression was soon hidden behind a smile. Next to Daphne, George nodded and admonished Marianne in a somewhat angry tone.

“Do you know how chaotic it was when you disappeared? Seriously, not just one person but two people deciding to face a Calamity in secret.”

George shook his head and gave a bitter smile.

“Still, you did well. Bringing that foolish guy back.”

After making a fuss over Marianne, the two turned their heads toward me. It was the complete opposite of the warm, concerned gaze they had given Marianne. Their eyes were quite cold and full of anger.

“So, would you care to explain why you went to face the fog alone without saying anything? Leaving just this note behind.”

George waved the paper with my message written on it. I glanced at the paper and then turned my head away, pretending not to know as I muttered timidly.

“…You didn’t read all of it, did you?”

“Is that what’s important right now, you idiot? Why did you just disappear without telling us anything? Why? Did you think it would make you look more noble? Did you think we’d praise you for being cool? Did you think we’d cry in front of your grave if you didn’t come back?”

Grab.

George’s strong hand seized my collar. I became like a limp puppet, deciding to listen to all my companions’ complaints. George frowned deeply, then met my eyes, sighed with diminished anger, and hung his head low.

“…I’m sorry.”

As I blinked in confusion, George offered a sincere apology. Was there any reason for me to accept his apology?

“I guess what drove you away was your trust in your companions. You’ve always given us trust, but we’ve never given you the same in return.”

I hadn’t thought about it that shallowly… Well, I did think they couldn’t withstand the fog with me, so I guess it’s not that different.

“At this point, after defeating three Calamities already, it might be too late, but… I can’t shake the feeling that we’ve been relying on you too much. Pathetically. We’re supposed to be a hero’s party, not bystanders letting you act alone.”

George released me and stepped back.

“I’ll become stronger too, Ilroy. So you can entrust any mission to me with peace of mind.”

George then glanced at Daphne. Daphne was looking at me, seemingly contemplating what to say. I should give her a proper apology.

“…Um.”

Before I could say anything, Daphne rushed to me and embraced me. I let out a hollow laugh and stroked her hair. Whatever expression I had that looked like I was about to say something probably crumbled. Daphne just stayed like that without saying anything. Even that didn’t last long, and Daphne pulled away from me. She didn’t sob, and the fragile young magician of the past was gone. Standing before me was one of the continent’s most powerful mages who had reached the 6th Circle.

“I’m looking for clues to reach the 7th Circle.”

Daphne said with a determined voice. The 7th Circle. There were only two people on the continent who had reached it, right? And maybe twenty who had reached the 6th Circle.

“You just reached the 6th Circle not long ago.”

“It’s not enough. I couldn’t interfere with the fog’s internal mana, putting both Ilroy and Marianne in danger. Dealing with things like that is a mage’s role.”

Daphne looked at my expression and shook her head.

“Ilroy would surely tell me this: that I’m already enough. That I shouldn’t push myself too hard.”

I gave a bitter smile. Was it because I suddenly remembered what Marianne had told me inside the fog? I don’t think she’s enough. She’s a mage with the talent to reach the unprecedented 8th Circle faster than anyone else. I looked straight at Daphne and said:

“No. Become stronger than the 7th Circle.”

Daphne opened her eyes wide.

“Aim to become as strong as me, no, even stronger.”

I remembered when I first recruited her. Perhaps I had forgotten my calculating purpose back then. I reminded myself of that fact and told Daphne again. If she wanted to fight without making me worry, she should rightfully have the qualifications. Of course, Daphne had more than enough talent to achieve those qualifications and go beyond.

“Promise me you won’t be satisfied and will keep moving forward.”

Daphne will become the world’s strongest archmage. It’s the same belief I had when I first met her, but with a different heart, I spoke to Daphne.

“…I understand.”

Daphne nodded. I didn’t measure the determination in her response. I felt that now was the time for both of us to strengthen our resolve independently.

The night air was cold. In the distance, I could hear the footsteps of the Holy Knights and priests rushing over. At their forefront was the Pope, running with a panicked expression, having forgotten all about dignity. The Pope, sweating profusely, looked at us sitting on the ground.

“Is… is it over?”

The Pope’s bewildered expression was amusing to see. I nodded with a giggle, and the Pope looked at the night streets where the fog had cleared with an incredulous expression.

“…When you proposed that deal to me, I wondered how it would work out, but things really did get resolved.”

The Pope let out a sigh of relief.

“When the one-week grace period passed, I sent a request for support to the Kingdom of Kairos without a moment’s delay. Well, I’m not sure how to explain the situation now.”

The Pope smiled awkwardly. Having confirmed that the fog had disappeared, his face looked much more relieved. Then, with a somewhat twisted smile, he looked at me.

“Come to think of it, when the reinforcements arrive, they’ll escort you back. It will be a proper hero’s return.”

Suddenly, I got a headache. Looking at me holding my head and sighing, the Pope chuckled with an old man’s laugh.

==

They say the fog cleared eight days after it appeared. I wandered in the fog for a week. Marianne came in and tried to rescue me for two days. During that time, Christmas passed, and the new year dawned. The people trapped in the fog were extremely weakened, but there were no fatalities. I’m not sure if that’s still the case. Having been in a vegetative state for ten days before waking up, there must be people in critical condition.

“Many people are still asleep.”

Isis Blume, the Saint who had rushed back to the Holy Country, said. I sighed softly and looked at the village scenery. Priests were busily going from house to house, checking on patients’ conditions. Isis gazed at those priests and shook her head.

“I’m going to be busy. I’m probably the only one who can wake up those who are still asleep and help them recover. I’ve got a lot of work ahead.”

Isis made a gesture of rolling up her sleeves. I chuckled and nodded. Isis puffed her cheeks, seemingly dissatisfied with my laughter.

“Ilroy, you came here without even giving me a chance to properly heal you. Do you know how surprised I was? A person who just defeated a Calamity coming here first while still weak.”

Isis approached me with genuine concern, and I staggered back a couple of steps. Marianne, who was standing on my right, also took hesitant steps back with me.

“I just need to wait for my mana to replenish. There wasn’t anything seriously wrong with my body to begin with. Isn’t it better to use that mana on those people rather than on me?”

“…Whatever you say.”

Isis frowned and shook her head. I shrugged my shoulders. It sent chills down my spine to think that if the fog had lasted just a few more days, there might have been numerous deaths.

“How have you been doing? Have you been staying in Barktins all this time?”

“Yes. Supporting relief efforts, investigating if there were other affected areas… I’ve been doing what I could. Thanks to my increased mana, healing people has become much faster too.”

Isis turned her head toward me.

“I suppose the minimal damage here is also thanks to you.”

I shook my head and nodded slightly toward Marianne.

“No. It’s thanks to Marianne. Without her, I would have kept wandering in the fog and ended up in the same state. Without properly defeating the fog.”

Marianne’s face flushed slightly. Isis gazed at Marianne with a smile.

“Aryen…”

Isis hesitantly brought up the topic.

“I heard he’s currently tracking the tail of the apocalypse worshippers with Bishop Andre Zabine. He said he would return to the Holy Country once after hearing the news of the fog’s defeat… but he probably won’t have time to meet Ilroy. The bishop asked me to relay that he would request your help again when there’s something important enough to need you.”

I nodded. Someday, there will come a time when we need to catch the evil god worshippers spreading apocalyptic worship. To prepare for that, we should minimize potential variables as much as possible. And by variables, I mean cases where my power is insufficient.

“So are you going to face the next Calamity right away?”

“…No. The sixth Calamity is a bit tricky to explain. And there’s probably time until then. In the meantime, I’ll look for things I can do.”

Like finding ways to become stronger.

I muttered this while tapping the hilt of the Holy Sword. Since coming out of the fog, the Holy Sword had not spoken to me again.