episode_0055

*****

My friend’s screams echo through the floor. Neither the person you tried to save nor the person you tried to trust will save your friend. Those facts were enough for Raon to realize the reality he had been looking at.

However, just because you realize reality does not mean you can deal with it. Raon’s emotions were too ordinary to remain calm and calm about the scene before his eyes.

My mind went blank and no chant came to mind. No, I didn’t even think about it in the first place. Only the impulse that it couldn’t stay like this moved Raon’s body forward.

“Get away from Mare!”

A slam that is like a struggle. The magical girl watching from the side snorted. What are you going to do with the wizard engaging in close combat? If the monster turned around and bit Ra-on like this, things would be easier.

But not everything goes as expected.

Hehe.

“Hmm… Ugh… .”

“Mer!!”

Surprisingly, the monster that had been hit on the head obediently spit Mare out to the side. Raon almost threw his body to catch the mare that bounced to the side.

It’s a friendship where you jump in with your bare body to save your friend. It was definitely a heartbreaking sight. Could it be that the monster still had some humanity left in it? Cat looked at the monster with displeasure.

Before I knew it, the monster had returned to its human form again. With its body, mouth, atmosphere, and desire, the monster was claiming this.

I don’t want to work… .

“Then that’s right. Ugh, why did the bait turn out to be defective?”

If you thought you were listening to orders until now, you were probably mistaken. Cat decided that the command to stay still coincidentally coincided with her desire and withdrew her attention from the monster.

Instead, what caught her eye was Raon, who was embracing Mare and desperately pouring out his magic power.

“Wow, you can use healing magic too? You are really talented. Can’t you use all the magic in the world?”

An expression of pure admiration. But it felt different than before. Like oil leaking from cracked ground, a soggy malice is visible beneath the mask.

Raon was glaring at it, biting his lips tightly.

It may be surprising, but a girl named Raon has no memories. All there is is knowledge. The world seen by the empty girl was like pale white drawing paper.

I know it with knowledge. There are not only such good people in the world. Raon also mentally understood that there could be a black monster underneath the smiling mask.

I also met Genesis and several villains. However, according to Raon’s knowledge, those people are ‘evil people’. No one questions whether a lion eats a human being. Raon thought it was natural for wicked people to do evil.

Therefore, only warm emotions were overflowing in the world depicted in the girl’s mind. From the precious boy I met for the first time, to the family-like people I met at the orphanage, to the friends I met at school. They were all people who made Raon feel warm.

And now, when a black line was drawn in Raon’s world.

hate. hate. When your heart understands something beyond that.

The only thought in Raon’s mind was that he wanted to rip that smiling face looking down at him…

“It hurts… .”

A small murmur interrupted Raon’s thoughts. I unconsciously turned my attention to the enemy in front of me and checked Mare’s condition.

By heaven’s luck, Mare’s wounds did not lead to death. If the monster had moved its jaw just a few more times, Raon would have been pushed into a situation where there was absolutely no answer. Thinking like that, Raon felt the color disappear from his face again.

However, the current situation was not very good. There were already several holes in my intestines. If Raon withdrew the recovery magic, there was a high chance that his life would be in danger again.

That’s why Raon’s mouth chose something else instead of chanting attack magic.

“… Why are you doing this?”

“Huh~? Is that really what you’re saying after thinking so much about it?”

There was no answer. Cat shrugged her shoulders and answered Raon’s question.

“It’s even weirder to ask why it’s the same. Earn more money. Get stronger power. As a hero, is there a clearer reason than this?”

“Money and power… . The senior is already strong enough. Money wouldn’t be lacking if you were a hero.”

Raon did not understand the answer that came back. Although the words were said to buy time to treat Mair, the words came out with sincerity without realizing it.

In reality, the hero Dumping Cat was strong. How much did Raon learn from her during this internship? She was far superior to Raon in both her attitude as a hero and her knowledge of magic.

In response to what could be seen as a compliment, Cat put her hand on her cheek and waved her hand.

“Oh my~, this guy. Well, I’m a bit strong, right? Even so, he was a person who reached the middle to upper level of A class. but… .”

The atmosphere changed in an instant. Cat’s expression was the same as before, but her eyes were shining brightly. It was also a symptom that wizards showed when their emotions were shaken.

“That is far from enough.”

Dumping Cat stretched out his hand. Raon just looked at the hand approaching him.

The hand that was quietly stretched out stopped mid-air. A transparent wall emerged between Raon and Cat, blocking them.

“In the meantime, let’s say something like this. It was made using a barrier technique for simultaneous activation. Hehehe. how is it? Does this hurt?”

“Qu… .”

Cat’s finger touched the space between the shields. A spark of magic burned Kat’s fingers, but she didn’t care. The seal carved with her own blood behind Raon crackled uneasily.

“I don’t know about you, but this level of strength isn’t even in the category of really strong. The monster of the north bursts like a soap bubble just by waving its hand? Wolf and Mouse were talented kids, but they went in vain. Well, I wonder where there were people who weren’t competent… .”

Cat mutters with a slightly faint look in her eyes. Meanwhile, the hand continued to dig into the protective shield. A scream escaped Raon’s mouth from the pain of the magical power flowing back due to the recoil.

“That’s it. How many lives have I saved so far? Wouldn’t it be okay to use a little bit for myself?”

“It can’t happen… Well, there isn’t one… .”

“Yes, that’s right. It seems like some villains really think that way. I couldn’t go that far.”

Wow. Cat’s hand grabbed Raon’s neck. Raon flinched for a moment, but did not take his hand away from Mair.

“Actually, if you were just ordinary, you might have made a different choice. Then you too can go ‘upwards’ and experience those terrible things.”

“I… , common… .”

“Don’t worry. I will assure you that that is not the case. How dare I do this out of jealousy?”

It is she who talks about magic the most with Raon. That’s why Cat used to imagine what it would be like if Raon were in the same situation she was in.

In reality, we don’t know what will happen. However, she was able to easily picture Raon overcoming a crisis and laughing with his colleagues.

In her grief, she wonders if she can turn her hand to all kinds of inhumane ways.

In the end, you will become the person you become.

Kat didn’t like it very, very much.

“Now, no matter how much you are an awakened person, isn’t it a bit difficult? If this continues, you might die.”

Wow. The hand holding Raon’s neck became stronger. Even if Raon struggled hard, it was impossible to escape unless he could use both hands.

Both Cat and Raon know. If Raon lets go right now and draws a magic circle on the floor with his blood, he can escape. Cat’s magic only has large preparatory movements or wide-area attacks. At least the immediate situation could be avoided.

Of course, once treatment is stopped, it is over. There was no way Raon had a chance to heal Mare.

Wow, Raon gritted his teeth.

Just slightly, the hand holding the mare relaxed.

“Yes, you can do that──huh?”

Hehe.

Saliva and blood spit out from Raon’s mouth with a small sound.

Cat didn’t expect Raon’s actions, but the spit didn’t even pass Cat in the first place. But the meaning of rejection contained therein was clear.

Angered, Kat tried to tighten her grip even more. But it was even faster than that when I felt magical power swelling in the corner of my vision.

“Aaaah!”

Pow!

Cat, startled by the explosion sound and light, reflexively fell away from Raon. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what happened. The spit out blood exploded.

But is it possible to assign properties to bodily fluids without using idioms or beomjin? Cat shook her head inwardly. It would have been impossible without such potential in the first place.

The question was quickly resolved. Raon spit out the blood that had built up in his mouth to the side. It was a rather large amount to consider that the inside of the mouth was torn.

“I see, a magic circle in your mouth with blood… .”

Upon understanding, two feelings came to Cat. One is a sense of superiority. The opponents are so crowded that they have no choice but to make such a miserable struggle. It was always fun to trample on someone more talented than me.

Another one was an inferiority complex. Would you have acted like that if you were in a similar situation? No, he would have let go of his fallen comrade long ago. And he probably struggled with guilt while apologizing to his dead colleague.

Like it already happened once.

“You… .”

Cat’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Raon. There was already no trace of the mask of ridicule left on his face.

It couldn’t have been like this. By now, that girl must have killed her colleague with her own hands and was struggling with guilt that wasn’t even her fault. There was such a difference between the two that it was natural for that to happen.

Then and now. What was different? The answer came quickly.

A little more overwhelming despair was needed.

“You. Do you remember this magic?”

Cat opened the distance and started chanting. Cat caught the sight of Raon, who was glaring at her, startled.

Of course you will remember it. It had only been a few minutes since Raon taught her this magic.

Originally, Dumping Cat’s potential was focused on magic related to ‘falling’. Therefore, the combat power was halved in an indoor environment where there was no height to drop it in the first place.

However, Raon solved the problem by manipulating the direction of thought space. The idea itself was great, but simplifying it and combining it with the original formula was even beautiful. Cat thought that this is what a genius really means.

And now the magic Raon had created was about to take her life and the lives of her colleagues. Of course, it would have been shocking to Raon as well.

This time, the same trick as before doesn’t work. Even if you stop using recovery magic, you won’t be able to survive. I should have done this a long time ago. Cat’s confident smile twisted.

“I’m sorry… .”

Even though Mair’s consciousness was cut off, Raon mouthed words of apology. He took his time, but it didn’t change the fact that in the end, both people died because of him. It was covered over Mare’s body to provide at least a little bit of a shield, but it probably didn’t mean much.

“There is no need to apologize in advance. There are many things like that on the way to the afterlife… huh? what? Hey, wait a minute!”

Just before being hit, let’s channel all of our magic power into Mare’s defensive magic. Raon, who had made such a promise, raised his head at the strange reaction. Kat was visibly upset.

Could it be that he is acting to force hope on himself? A budding suspicion brought that thought to mind, but no matter how long it took, the panic did not stop.

In fact, the magic circle that was shining as if it was about to be activated at any moment even disappeared.

“Ah~, damn, damn, damn, damn, that damn bastard!”

Cat stomped on the floor as if she was truly indignant. I’m not sure, but it’s an opportunity. Naturally, such a thought occurred to Raon’s mind.

But that didn’t mean Raon could do anything. You can’t deliver an effective hit with a secretly drawn magic circle. If he stopped using recovery magic, there would be a lot of water, but Raon didn’t even consider that.

Swish, Cat turned to Raon again. A mask of a smile was placed on his face again. Although it was already tattered.

“Ahaha, our junior is lucky~. Stay here and wait. Understand? I’ll be right back after I take care of the problem. Well, you can’t go anywhere like that anyway.”

Jump and jump. With only those words left, Dumping Cat quietly left. Raon was dazed for a moment at the seemingly vain exit, but soon a hearty laugh escaped him.

“Hehe, hehe. Mare, we lived. Look how well the other kids did. I’m really glad, huh… .”

Of course, there was no answer, but Raon didn’t care. This much magic power was poured into it. Even if the internal organs were a mess, it would have slowly entered a stable state.

For now, let’s move Mare to another bed… . While Raon was thinking that, his knees buckled as he stood up.

“Uh, huh. That’s strange. Sorry, Mair. It’s heavy. wait for a sec… .”

All attempts to raise Raon’s body were in vain. How many times did I struggle on top of the mare? Only then did Raon pay attention to the state of his body.

While coming here, I continued to use my magic power to dismantle the guard magic. This was my first time using it, and I also used meteor magic, which consumes a lot of magic power. Not to mention the recovery magic, he even casted a barrier spell at the same time.

This made it worth holding on until now.

Anxiety bloomed in Raon’s heart. But her mind received too much shock today. The tension that suddenly disappeared took away something that supported her.

I can’t do it. That was her last thought before she lost consciousness.

*****