Chapter 152 (2/2)
An old friend that I thought I had gotten rid of…is now here.
「W…why…I thought you were sold to slavers…」
「Oh…you may have done that without Keril knowing, but it seems that you did. The reason must have been that you listened to the adults’ conversations. You can’t do that, if they find out, they’ll scold you.」
She snickered, laughing, and I could feel a cold sensation of fear down my spine.
It was colder and sharper than the morning air, with a dagger almost like a fang of ice.
「W, why are you here all the sudden? Have you come to see Keril and my marriage?」
「Yes, just so. Time for my childhood friends to start a new life. Of course I’ve come to see you off.」
She smiled shamelessly yet seemed to still exude an unbridled hostility towards me.
「Yes, but too bad, it seems that I’ve injured the father and now it will have to be cancelled. That’s why this time I’ll have to kill you.
— Let a dancing tongue of fire rise and destroy. 『Lover’s Snake!』」
GWORRRRRR – A huge stone column of red-black lava sprung from the ground like a snake, with a heat that shook the air.
(With my enemy being a beast, if I want to keep her away, I’ll have to burn her with a Fire Wall.)
But she had outdone my expectations.
「I won’t kill you…yet. 『Icicle Spear!』
「Wha?!」
Minnalis’ icicle magic hit mine, and has frozen it, dead in its tracks as it hit the ground with a clunk.
「Fire and earth magic combined? Hmp, you’re pretty good.」
「B, but, for a beast to generate a spear without even chanting.」
「You mean the fact that once magic leaves the body of a beast-human, it dissipates? Don’t be stupid. If the magic’s still close to me it won’t weaken that much, right? Even among the beasts there are those that can control magic to the point of even becoming a magical swordsman. Didn’t you hear that during magic lessons?」
「Ugh, burning fire spirit, run to sacrifice her in flickering flame! 『Fire Spirit Breath!』! 」
This fire spirit’s flame that had the ability to burn all was the same quality as dragon’s breath.
The fire spun in the sky, but Minnalis was able to dodge it inside the building without any lack of composure.
「So, your first attack wasn’t even a surprise incantation, and the second one was a spirit magic attack that was only strength. Are you going to fight by just playing around? All you’re doing is just shooting things at me.」
「S…shut up!」
Minnalis snickered while dodging, and now I could feel the situation becoming much more dangerous.
No good, no good, no good.
I was to be a part of the army’s rear guard, so there was no way I could beat the natural magic of a beast.
Now that Keril wasn’t beside me, I had to kill her before she got closer, and I was already in trouble.
(I can’t choose my method, I just have to kill, kill her in the next shot!)
It doesn’t matter why Minnalis showed up here anymore.
In Keril and my world, I don’t need Minnalis, I can’t let her remain!
「Hee hee hee, this is just like when we were kids. Look, you were always the slowest at running, right? Hee hee hee, tag, you’re it! Hope you can catch up!」
「!! I didn’t want to have to use this, but with this I’m going to blow that cool-look off you and the rest of you to smithereens!!」
I took out my final attack from by bag.
It was a jewel with fire magic of crimson that was the catalyst to draw out my spirit magic power to the strongest of my ability.
It wasn’t cheap, but once I used it, the magical power in it would cease to exist, and I didn’t want to blow the roof off this church with its strength, but this is no time to hesitate.
「Explosion that mows down everything with fire that threatens me, 『Raging Anger of the Fire Spirit!』」
For a moment, all the magical force around the jewel was collected and it changed to a color of hot fire.
It drew all the fire around me into a hot, white center and then expanded, engulfing all in white fire.
The explosive, echoing sound of this ending faded into the sound of the building crumbing, surrounding me with a mountain of ceiling tiles.
「D…did I win? Heh heh, that dumb girl. This wouldn’t have had to happen if she didn’t show up.」
The feeling of calm welling up inside of me ended in a sigh.
Then, it seemed like I was in a nightmare, but this time it was no joke.
「Ah, but, the church is ruined. What will happen to today’s wedding…」
「Well, do you really need to be worried about that now?」
「Ah!」
I froze when I heard that voice again behind me.
When I was sure I heard it, I felt the pain of a sword plunging into my shoulder.
「Ah, aaaghhhh!!」
(Pain, this is bad, I have to do something.)
「Agh…healin…g spirit… 『Heal.』」
「I mean, the marriage that was already ruined by me already hurting the father is now over. If I hadn’t taken him out then this place still wouldn’t be good for a marriage. You really ruined it.」
I tried to get some distance from Minnalis, and the dulling pain was being acted on my health magic.
The warm green light was filling in the pain, but, I couldn’t get rid of the icy cold chill that I felt in my heart.
Minnalis looked down on me like some kind of bug, and I could feel the fear inside me grow.
「W, what the hell happened?」
「Look, the church is a mountain of ceiling tiles!」
「Wait, where are the children?!」
「Who the hell…wait, that’s Lucia, and Minnalis in front of her?!」
The people of the village surrounded us in the church.
Minnalis smiled at this, genuinely happy.
「Heh hah hah, I guess my stage is set. Let’s begin.」
「W…what?!」
The next instant, surrounding the village itself, was a wall of black light.
There were dark gears spinning, floating on these walls, and looking on them made one worried without abandon.
「Heh, hee hee hee, finally, finally! Okay, Lucia! Now’s the climax! Everything, everything will be broken, Broken, BROKEN, heh heh heh HAH HAH HAH HAH HAH!!」
Her echoing laugh…this was the first time I heard it.
No anger, no haste, no hostility.
Seeing Minnalis like this made me fear her from the bottom of my heart.