Now I got it—why we both passed out.It was her.Mary!
"Huh? Wai—!"
I grabbed Lily and cast wind magic to lighten our bodies. I wrapped her in the same mana barrier.
Huff! Huff! Huff!
I'm scared! I'm scared! I'm scared!!
That lunatic is chasing us. If it weren't for the speed boost, she would've killed us already!
"Lily! Can you run by yourself now?!"
"Ah! Um! I think so! Just a simple boost spell, right?!"
I let her go, but kept the barrier around her. That woman—Mary—was gaining on us.
*SWOOSH!*
Another knife was thrown.*CRASH!*
That's the seventh barrier she broke! How strong is she?!
I could keep the detection barrier running by supplying mana, but reinforcing it would drain me too fast. I couldn't afford to slow down!
Even without magic, she was ridiculously fast. She's going to catch up!
"Damn it! Eat this!"
I launched concentrated mana bullets, lightened by wind magic to boost their speed. If I timed it right—
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
"That should get her—"
*fwoosh!*
Mary emerged from the smoke with just a scratch. She landed right in front of us.
"How creative for someone so young~ You don't even use chants or circles. I'm starting to like you more and more!"
*Throw!*
Three knives?!
"B-BARRIER!"
*CRASH!**SWOOSH!**SPLAT!*
"ARGH!"
Three knives to distract me—then a fourth pierced my arm after the barrier shattered.
"Alric!"
"Ehe~ I finally caught you! Originally, we only needed the girl. But since you tagged along, the plan changed. Honestly, it'd be a waste to kill you..."
"Huff... huff..."
A sharp sting hit my shoulder—poison?
"I know! I'll keep you! Just agree to obey me and I'll let you live. How about it? The poison's not lethal… just slow."
Her voice faded as my head grew lighter.
I... I...!
I'm still going to see Celine!!
"Hmph! How dare you forget about me!"
Lyrielle stepped forward, eyes blazing, intercepting Mary's next knife.
*CLANG!*
"...No way..."
I was in awe. She perfectly replicated my barrier trick—and made it stronger.
"Something like this is child's play for me!" she boasted.
"How troublesome... these pathetic barriers," Mary sneered.
"Don't compare my barriers to his pathetic ones."
…Wow. That stings.
"You didn't notice? No monsters are coming because of this pathetic barrier. And that pathetic barrier will also be the reason for your pathetic death."
Her words sent a chill down my spine.
She was just like the Lily from the game.
Her mana surged outward. The air grew dense and heavy.
"That technique is really convenient. Costly, but worth it," she said, complimenting me.
Mary prepared to strike—she swung her hand and—
*CLAMP!*
A small barrier wrapped around her arm that forced her to halt.
"Don't move. My prana now surrounds everything in this space. Every action will trigger a barrier reaction. Try anything—and you'll lose an arm."
That cold expression—was she really just a child?
"Hehe~ This is getting fun!"
Lily was amazing.I was terrified thinking I might die for the second time—but she stood up. Bravely. Gracefully. Just like the genius mage Lyrielle.
But then I saw it.Her hand was trembling.
She was terrified too.
She's just like me. A kid.Yet even scared, she protected me.And I... I'd done nothing...
That was so pathetic.
I gritted my teeth and pulled the knife from my arm.Sucked the poison out. Spat it out.
Suddenly—
*CLANG!*
Lily's large barrier shattered instantly.
"Wha?!"
"My prana... my spells... they're gone?!"
"I can't believe you're having a hard time dealing with kids, Mary."
A tall, mysterious figure stepped out from the shadows, holding a hand-sized black bell.
"Hup!"
Lily hurled multiple spells—
*CLANG!**CLANG!*
All of them vanished instantly.
"No way..." Lily collapsed to her knees, her trembling body finally giving out.
Mary threw another knife at her.
"B-barrier!"
"Lily, don't—!"
*CLANG!*
As expected, the barrier was instantly dispelled.
Without thinking, I shot a lump of raw mana to intercept the knife.Somehow, I protected her.
The mysterious figure gave us a bored glance.
"Time's up. The curse I put on the tower is wearing off. Get the girl. The Tower Master will be here any second."
A curse… so that's why no one came!
"Oh, I just found out! We should report that there are not one, but two potential Tower Masters."
"...Is that so?"
The mysterious figure looked at me.
"...Get him too."
Mary grabbed Lily forcefully. Lily tried everything—but each spell she cast disappeared with each ring of that bell.
"No! Hands off me!! Let go!!" Lily shouted helplessly.
"Lily...!"
My vision blurred. My headache worsened. The pain in my arm was going numb—along with my legs.
Is the poison still in me?
The mysterious figure lift me up.
Damn it... what should I do?! At this rate...!
As my eyes dimmed, a thought struck me.
I wonder what would Celine do in this situation?
I remembered a moment from the game—a powerful boss appeared, and everyone crumbled in despair.
Everyone except Celine.
She was the only one with unwavering eyes. Even when others fell, she was the first to rise. She never gave up.
After all.. that's who she was.
Damn it... If this were an RPG, I'd have potions, MP items, OP gear...
But this isn't a game...
No...!Reality is a game—and lack of experience is the main reason people lose!!
I grabbed the poisoned knife and stabbed the man carrying me in the leg.
"ARGH!"
I tried to break free, but he held on tightly to my clothes.
"MARY! THE SCROLL!!"
"LILY!!"
"ALRIC!!"
Mary opened a scroll with a complicated magic circle. It began to glow.From a distance, I heard a voice calling out—
"ALRIC!!!"
"D-DAD!!"
The light grew brighter. The magic circle spread along the ground—it was teleportation!
In anime and games, teleportation circles usually only transfer what's inside… is it the same here?!
Without a second thought, I made up my mind.
I tore off the man's grip by pulling off my outer clothes, broke free, and ran toward Lily.
Mary got in the way.
Only seconds left—
I gambled everything. I shot a blast of mana at Lily and Mary, pushing them out of the circle.
I tried to run after them—but—
*THWACK!*
A blow struck my neck.
And I lost consciousness.