"It can't be helped. I designed this magic for my own use; I never intended for another soul to touch it."
It made sense. But it meant I had to figure out how to weave Fire and Shadow into the technique. I didn't have Eva's talent for Ice. If I could encounter an enemy who specialized in Ice and absorb their skills, maybe... but since coming to Mahora, I hadn't faced many hostile mages besides the first encounter.
I'd heard from Eva that intruders occasionally slipped into Mahora seeking the Library Island or the World Tree, but the Magic Teachers usually intercepted them. Maybe I should ask the Headmaster to let me in on those skirmishes? I thought. But then I remembered my current body. Being a child meant I needed a child's sleep. Pulling regular all-nighters for patrols would be physically exhausting.
"I guess there are no shortcuts," I sighed.
Eva let out a mischievous smirk. "Of course not. Don't think everything in life is easy. As they say in this country: 'Hardship in youth is worth its weight in gold.'"
"'Youth,' huh?" I muttered. My mind certainly didn't feel like a child's.
"Hmph. No matter how many years you claim to have under your belt, you're nothing but a brat compared to me."
"Well, compared to a six-hundred-year-old, everyone is."
"Leaving that aside, Evangeline-san," Ayaka interrupted. "Axel-kun just finished a grueling ritual. He should rest for the day."
"Indeed," Chizuru added, a subtle, chilling pressure radiating from her smile. "We have much to talk about, after all."
Eva blinked, then shrugged. "...Fine. Chachamaru, prepare rooms for them. It'll be another ten hours before the barrier on this villa opens anyway."
"Understood, Master. Everyone, please follow me. I assume the same rooms as last time will be acceptable?"
"Yes, thank you," Chizuru replied.
We were led to our familiar quarters. But the moment the door closed, the atmosphere shifted.
"Now then, Axel-kun," Chizuru began, her voice sweet but her eyes sharp. "Let's have a little chat. Specifically, about why you felt the need to hide such a dangerous undertaking from us."
"She's right," Ayaka added. Even though she usually spoiled me, she wasn't taking my side this time. "You may be talented, but this was reckless. Chizuru-san and I were worried sick!"
"I agree with both of them," Chachamaru added, lingering by the door instead of returning to Eva.
I was cornered. I sighed and gave them the same explanation I gave Eva—the premonition of danger and the need for power. I glanced at Chachamaru. Wait, weren't you standing right there when I told Eva this?
When I finished, a heavy silence hung over the room.
"...I understand your reasoning, Axel-kun," Chizuru said softly. Her voice didn't carry the "scary" pressure I expected. Instead, she looked at me with eyes full of genuine hurt. "So, in short... you think we are that unreliable?"
"No, that's not it at all."
"But if we weren't unreliable, you wouldn't have felt the need to gamble your life on Dark Magic in secret, would you?"
"You're wrong," I argued. "Even if you and Ayaka were the strongest fighters in the world, I still would have sought this power. My Psychokinesis—my intuition—demanded it. It's not about your lack of strength."
Ayaka looked up at me. "But... if we were stronger... wouldn't you have at least talked to us first?"
I opened my mouth to reply, but the words died in my throat. Silence was my only answer.
She was right. Even if the outcome was the same, if I truly trusted their strength, I would have consulted them. My secrecy was a symptom of my lack of faith in anyone's ability to protect this peace but my own.
"I see," Ayaka said, her face falling. "It really is because we aren't strong enough."
"Axel-san..." Chachamaru said quietly. "I think you should consider their feelings more carefully."
Ayaka's heartbreak. Chizuru's grim resolve. Chachamaru's quiet reproach. Surrounded by the weight of their emotions, I found I couldn't say another word.
Character Status
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 38 | PP: 625
Melee: 262 | Ranged: 282 | Skill: 272
Defense: 272 | Evade: 302 | Hit: 322
SP: 462
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Spend SP to increase Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder / Special
Terrain Rating: Air: S | Land: S | Sea: S | Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accel (SP 4)
Effort (SP 8)
Focus (SP 16)
Direct Hit (SP 30)
Awaken (SP 32)
Love (SP 48)
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9, SP Regen, Concentration)
Psychokinesis LV.10
Attacker
Gunfight LV.9
In-fight LV.9
Morale Limit Break
Geass (Grey)
Magic (Fire)
Magic (Shadow)
Magic (Summoning)
Dark Magic
???
Total Kills: 376
-------------------------------
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