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Chapter 55: Ice and Thunder
“Alice, why did you come here?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Because I love you.”
“You’re not worth talking to. Mia, is this someone’s order?”
“That’s so cruel… Hah-hah.”
“Well… There was a report that Luke was being put on a carriage, and we were worried, so we got permission from Lady Julia and came to check on you with Eleanora’s magic…”
“I see, that’s understable. You on the other hand, can’t you give a more concise explanation, Alice?”
“Uh…”
“I’m sorry… I mean, if I’m looked at with those eyes, then I…”
“sigh…”
“Hahaha, you guys are amusing.”
Mia looked pleased when she was told her explanation was clear, while Alice was excited to receive the scornful gaze of Luke. Eleanora watched them with amusement and laughed.
“I have a lot of questions for both of you. Firstly, could you tell me why you’re here?”
“Uh…”
Luke turned his sharp gaze towards the two cloaked figures, Canis and Ferris.
“Ahaha… Well, we saw Zach and you guys being taken away, so we decided to follow. Turns out you didn’t need our help at all. —Really.”
“I see. That’s what happened. Thank you.”
“No problem at all…”
Canis grinned at Zach before casting a quick glance towards Luke, his eyes filled with intense fear.
(…He can use ‘skills’ after all. But I know, after thoroughly investigating it. That this kid learned how to use ‘skills’ without being taught by anyone…)
Trembling with horror, Canis held his breath quietly. Luke sensed the fear, but he didn’t know the reason behind it and wasn’t particularly interested. However, he did find it intriguing that he couldn’t sense Canis’s presence despite him being right next to him.
Just as he was about to inquire about it, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning his head, he saw the other beastman, Ferris.
“What is it?”
“…Want to talk, Tonight… if that’s okay.”
The polite language was delivered awkwardly and in a hushed tone for some reason.
Luke had numerous questions for these two, although their intentions eluded him. Nevertheless, this was precisely what he had hoped for.
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“…Thank you very much.”
(That girl… always doing things on her own…)
Canis, who had picked up the conversation with his acute hearing, felt the need to lecture her once again. However, before he could speak, Alice barged in, clearly dissatisfied with the secretive atmosphere.
“Who’s this kid?”
Her blatant annoyance was palpable.
“Whoever she is, isn’t she a little too comfortable with you?”
“…No way!”
It was Mia who raised her voice.
“Is she Luke’s new—”
“Woman…!? Don’t tell me she’s here to steal—”
“Enough already, you guys.”
“Huh? I’m included too…”
Mia had meant to say “pawn,” but Alice misunderstood and grew excited, as was her usual demeanor. Luke accurately sensed their patterns and swiftly redirected the conversation.
Letting out a sigh, Luke shifted his focus.
“Hey.”
“Guh… w-what do you want…”
He asked the writhing man, holding down his arm.
“Who’s your client?”
“I-I don’t know…”
“Ha?”
“Yeah, it’s not a lie! I’m an old friend of the chief, I was there when the deal went down! But they had a hood on, so I couldn’t even tell if it was a man or a woman! But the pay was good…”
“I see. Are you mercenaries?”
“…Yes. We’re truly sorry! We’ll pay you whatever you want! Please spare us…”
“Don’t waste your breath. Just guide us and keep quiet.”
“…”
It was meant to be a simple job.
Accept the request and get paid.
That was it.
(What the h**l did we get ourselves into…)
Regret flooded the man’s mind, but it was too late to turn back now.
After a while, a cave came into view, and two men stood guard at its entrance.
“Hey, welcome. That Noble’s child sure caused you trouble—”
“Sorry… I messed up…”
“You sure look like it…”
Cold blades were pressed against the necks of the two men who were controlling the horses.
The carriage came to a graceful halt, and Luke and his companions stepped out with a man missing an arm.
“Arvent!!”
“Gather here, everyone. All the mercenaries.”
As soon as he got off the carriage, Luke said this without changing his expression. The two men guarding the entrance looked puzzled.
“You guys can leave.”
“…”
“Is that okay?”
“Yeah, let them go.”
“Got it.”
Luke gestured for Arvent, the man missing an arm, to depart as Canis and Ferris released the two hostages.
Despite their willingness to do almost anything for money, this mercenary group had developed a strong sense of camaraderie after surviving the war together so they knew when to give up.
(What an idiot. He let the hostage go so easily…)
There was confusion but also a sense of relief. With their comrades freed, they could handle the rest now.
There were eight people in total at the scene, including the target, Luke. Three were noble girls who clearly lacked combat experience seeing their stature.
“… Hurry up. Don’t keep us waiting.”
“Ah, I’ll bring everyone right away.”
Supporting their injured comrade, the men entered the cave with a slight smirk on their faces.
After a few minutes, one of the men spoke, “Well-well, noble-sama? Our friends took care of you guys, right?”
There were nearly fifty mercenaries gathered there.
“Hmm, is everyone here now?”
“…What did you say?”
Agolte, leader of the mercenary group, furrowed his brow as he observed Luke’s calm demeanor in the face of their overwhelming numbers. It was clear to Agolte that his group lacked knowledge of magic and considered anyone with unusual abilities to be a “magician.”
Despite this, Agolte remained cautious, especially since Luke had easily disarmed the third strongest member of their group, who happened to be a close friend of his.
(Don’t think you can die so easily. I’ll show you h**l!)
Agolte couldn’t forgive Luke for treating his comrade in such a way, and he could feel a boiling anger in his gut. He wasn’t thinking of attacking Luke based on his own judgment, but rather acting on his intense emotions.
“So that’s all, huh?”
“Ha?”
Luke’s disappointment was palpable, and it was clear that his words had irritated the men standing in front of him.
“Alice.”
“Yes?”
“You do it.”
“Huh… Are you sure? I don’t want to take away your fun.”
“It doesn’t matter. Besides, I haven’t seen your magic in a long time.”
“…”
At that moment, Alice felt an unexpected surge of joy run through her body like an electric current at his words.
“What’s wrong?”
“No, if you want, I’ll show you everything I have──”
Suddenly, multiple layers of magic circles extended to the sky, and a tremendous surge of magic power, freezing and immense, blew around Alice like a storm. They could instinctively sense the danger, even without much knowledge.
“What the h**l is this!?”
“Boss!! This is bad!! I don’t know what’s going on, but this guy is insanely dangerous!! Hurry and run──”
“Don’t be stupid!! Our comrades were treated like this!! We can’t run away!! We’re gonna beat the h**l out of him, you guys!!”
The men who had resolved to attack Alice made a simultaneous run towards her, closing the distance rapidly. Their goal was to cut off her head before she could react. But then, Alice spoke a single word that froze the atmosphere:
“──World of Ice.”
In an instant, the merciless cold of her magic froze the men in their tracks. Alice’s natural talent for magic had always been strong, but after meeting Luke, her destiny had taken a different path. Watching a simulation battle between her brother Yolande and Luke had ignited a desire to become stronger within her, and she had continuously worked hard ever since. Her natural talent, combined with her unrelenting effort, had led to the development of overwhelming magic power.
“Wonderful…”
Luke couldn’t help but admire as Alice not only froze the men but also the entire area around her.
” —Fufu, thank you.”
It was unusual to see Alice like this, and it was easy to see that she was embarrassed.
“This is truly amazing. To think… to think that much. Alice, would you like to fight me seriously!?”
Eleonora exclaimed in excitement.
“W-wow… amazing…”
Zach was sweating profusely.
(For this beautiful girl to do that!? Huh!? Her magic is so scary!!)
He had already developed a certain resistance to shock from spending time with Luke and witnessing monstrous strength, but now he realized that it was all just the tip of the iceberg..
It was clear to anyone who looked at it that the frozen men would never move again. However, Mia interrupted their admiration by saying,
“L-Luke… look at mine too…”
“Hmm?… Hey.”
Luke had previously been amazed by Alice’s magic, but now he suddenly noticed the immense power brewing inside Mia that had gone unnoticed until now. Unlike Alice’s magic, Mia’s power seemed to cut through him like a sharp knife, commanding his full attention once again.
Mia’s heart was consumed by an intense and overpowering jealousy that she could hardly contain. Though she acknowledged Alice’s presence, there were also inexplicable feelings stirring within her that she couldn’t quite make sense of.
She longed for Luke’s attention to be directed towards her as well, wishing he would look at her and only her. Her desire to be seen and noticed grew more and more intense with each passing moment, until it was all she could think about. And so, when she channeled her magic, it was infused with all the murky emotions that swirled inside her.
“…”
Luke knew he should have intervened, but he found himself unable to resist the temptation to see Mia’s magic unfold before him.
(… When did they become so strong?)
Alice and Mia – initially, their combat abilities didn’t capture Luke’s attention. However, they had rapidly grown stronger beyond what was expected in the original story, and it was all thanks to Luke’s encounter with them.
“──Thundering Hammer”
Then came the “Thundering Hammer” – a display of thunder that tore through the world of ice with a massive lightning bolt that felt like divine punishment. The sight was otherworldly, almost magical.
“… Ahahaha. What a great magic.”
Unexpectedly, Luke found himself laughing at the sight, unaware of how insane his smile looked.
The lightning seemed to defy the laws of nature, instantly melting the world of ice and causing a rapid “steam explosion” from the heated water. The air swelled up at an incredible speed, as if it could barely contain the power of the magic that had just been unleashed.
Luke had recognized the immense potential of Mia’s magic and attempted to intervene, but it was too late.
“──Spatial Disruption”
Suddenly, Eleanora magic enveloped everyone in the area.
“Kuku, don’t do anything unnecessary.”
“Don’t say that. Let me do something too.”
With a deafening roar, the magic was unleashed. Everything in the area was blown away like scraps of paper, leaving behind a scorched earth landscape. The frozen flesh of the men was scattered, but Eleanora’s magic managed to block it all.
As the dust slowly settled, Mia whispered an apology, her small form seeming even more fragile than usual.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m always like this… I can’t seem to do anything well.”
Her self-loathing was intense, and tears threatened to spill from the corners of her eyes. But then, someone reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.
“You’ve trained yourself well to get this far.”
“…Th-thank you…”
“…No need to thank me.”
Those were the words that brought Mia the greatest comfort. They infused a poisonous dose into her heart, which was already consumed by sweet and deadly thoughts.
Then, Luke abruptly gazed into the void, sporting a twisted grin on his face. He performed an incomprehensible action that left everyone there baffled.
“So, how was it? Did you enjoy it? ──Dark Suction.”
Luke cast his magic towards the void. Nobody there understood what he was doing.
Black hair boy- Abel
Green hair girl- Lily
White hair girl- Alice
Yellow hair boy- Luke
Brown hair girl- Mia