Let this grieving soul r.., p.15
Let This Grieving Soul Retire! Volume 8, page 15
Balls of flame rained down like meteors. I failed to understand why that old lady had ever decided to learn such a dangerous spell. Even from a few hundred meters away, I could feel the burning wind. Still, there was something reassuring about knowing that if the tree turned my way, I would have the world’s scariest old lady on my side.
This should be enough to turn that obnoxious tree into—
“Krai, is the tree getting bigger?”
I silently rubbed my eyes. Just like Sitri had said, cloaked in raging flames of crimson, the Black World Tree wasn’t turning to ash, but instead getting bigger. Noticing something was wrong, the Abyssal Inferno smiled grandly.
“Look at that...”
The falling flames increased in intensity, but to no effect. Though I thought I might end up a pile of ashes. I could barely believe there was something in our world that the old lady’s magic couldn’t burn to the ground.
“Uhhh, maybe, uh,” I said, “this is photosynthesis?”
“Um. Photosynthesis,” Sitri replied. “I-I see?”
To grow well, a plant requires light, water, and a warm climate. But I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that a world tree didn’t go down easily. But if the Abyssal Inferno’s flames weren’t enough, then what was? The trunk had gotten so big that I was willing to bet it was taller than any other building in the imperial capital. It was here that I remembered hearing that the real World Tree was so big it reached the heavens.
Once again, Kris was shouting slanderous remarks.
“Auuugh! Human liar! Just like with the frigid dragons, you lied to us! Sir! This thing definitely isn’t weak to fire! Sir!”
It’s photosynthesis. The tree is photosynthesizing. We just don’t have enough firepower. I’m sure of it. We can do this if we really try!
I silently cheered them on from the shadows.
“Calm down, Kris!” the Abyssal Inferno boomed. “Maybe we just don’t have enough firepower. We’ll use a ritual spell!”
After shooting flames to your heart’s content, you’re still not satisfied? Maybe fire isn’t its weakness! Listen to Kris!
The members of Hidden Curse quickly spread out. To put it simply, a ritual spell was a powerful spell cast by multiple casters working in tandem. The Abyssal Inferno could already command the might of an entire army; I struggled to imagine what would happen if she worked with a group. If they weren’t careful, they could blow the entire school away.
“The blood’s gone to her head,” Sitri remarked. “Entirely to her head. If I recall correctly, she once said she can’t bear the thought of there being something she can’t burn down.”
“I see. Now I know why she has it out for me.”
I was genuinely terrified that she might one day burn through all my Safety Rings. Weren’t you supposed to mellow out with age?!
I could hear the old lady laughing. Lucia’s spells put out any wandering flames. Lightning flashed across the dark sky. The tree grew bigger. Large cracks formed in the tower. I had no clue how that building was still upright.
The Magi of Hidden Curse stood around a large magic circle that had formed in the ground. Perhaps sensing danger, the tree’s vines all twisted and turned as they let go of the tower, then simultaneously struck at the Magi.
Just as the old lady was about to raise her staff, the tree suddenly stopped expanding. It began to shake slightly, then purple flowers bloomed from the tips of its vines. The vines directed at the magic circle remained in place, showing no signs that they might move another inch.
Huh. So the tree produces flowers. The book didn’t mention that.
“Is that it?! Is that what you’re giving me?!” Sitri gleefully caught me in a flying embrace. “I don’t know what it is, but I’m sure I can make an incredible potion with it!”
“BEGONE! INCANDESCENT PURGATION!”
“Ah.”
The Abyssal Inferno swung her stuff down without pause. Countless blades of flame flew from the magic circle and impaled the Black World Tree, setting it ablaze. The violet flames enveloped the tree. Then what had previously been unharmed by the attacking spells was nothing more than ash.
“I’m not going. I absolutely refuse!”
“Now, now, don’t say that. We need to hurry and gather what we can!”
I don’t understand what you’re saying. This has no more to do with you than it does with me, right?
With Sitri prodding my back, we headed to the school building, where the central tower was still intact. The burnt remains of the Black World Tree blanketed the campus like snow. The Magi had all collapsed from exhaustion. Perhaps because of the spell cast by the Abyssal Inferno, the air was fairly warm, enough that a little walking made me sweat.
This counts as environmental destruction, doesn’t it?
Sure, I had just been cheering at our victory, but I was really terrified to think that that old lady had burned down that tree in one blow. Not even the combined attacks of dozens of other Magi had managed that.
If not for Sitri being with me, I would’ve played dumb and returned to the clan house. Why was it that whenever the other Grievers were around, I found myself (as a direct result of them being around) acting properly?
With absolutely no motivation, I let Sitri push me along when my Sounding Stone suddenly started vibrating.
Oh, Franz, you’re so much trouble.
But at least this incident should’ve made it clear to him that the pyromaniac old lady was much more powerful and useful than I was.
“Heya, Franz. The Black World Tree has been successfully taken care of.”
“I-It has?!” he said between heavy breaths. “G-Good!”
I thought it was pretty swell news, but he was as gruff as ever.
“I don’t really get it, but I guess we’re going to the scorched tower to collect something.”
“Huh?! Collect?! What are you going to collect?!”
I didn’t know. I said “something,” didn’t I?!
I casually glanced up at the partially destroyed tower, then turned around when I heard a delayed victory cheer. The old lady was ordering her underlings of Hidden Curse to gather up the ashes.
“Don’t relax yet! The tree might have been burned down, but the mana it absorbed is still here! That thing, that was no mere monster. Now, collect the ashes!”
With the zealous glint in her eyes, she had the fearsome demeanor of a witch from days long past. Her words were oddly forceful, hard to disobey. I guess she wouldn’t have gotten to Level 8 if all she could do was set stuff on fire.
For the time being, I thought I’d report my new info to Franz.
“It appears that that was no mere monster,” I told him.
“I could tell that much! ‘Mere monsters’ don’t suddenly appear and break through multiple barriers to get to a magic academy!”
Franz sure was a tense guy. His order was the best of the best, idolized by civilians, but Franz made me think maybe they didn’t quite deserve all the reverence.
“It can’t be easy being a knight. You have to respond to stuff that isn’t your fault, you have so many people you need to protect, it’s a lot.”
“You. Rat. Bastard. Damn it. Th-The prophecy. It hasn’t gone away!”
He didn’t sound like he was doing too well. And why was that prophecy still there? Was there a time lag or something? It was hard to imagine something more major than the partial demolition of the imperial capital’s top magic academy.
My thoughts were cut off by a mountain of ash being blown away, followed by Lucia popping up. When had she gotten buried like that? Blackened with ash, she instantly turned my way, almost like magic, then angrily walked up to me.
What do you want me to say?
“Sorry, Lucia’s coming, so I gotta cut this here.”
“H-Hey! We’re not done—”
“Krai, let’s make a break for it while Killiam buys us time!”
Why?!
Hearing Sitri’s words, Killiam followed her orders and quickly put himself between us and Lucia. My sister was briefly caught off guard, but then her expression darkened considerably.
“Brother! Siddy!”
“Come now, Krai!”
Uhhh. But, uh, I want to talk to her!
Lucia called for us to stop. The Abyssal Inferno gave orders. Killiam roared. Sitri jabbed my back with unusual force as I allowed myself to be taken into the tower.
Perhaps because of the rampaging monstrosity, there was almost nobody inside the tower. They must have all gone out to help fight the thing.
“The Zebrudia Academy of Magic is a treasure trove!” Sitri gleefully told me, still pushing my back. “After all, it’s one of the oldest institutions in Zebrudia, and doubles as both a research institute and an academy! There are rumors that their vault houses a Relic that would startle even a hunter. It’s definitely worth collecting!”
“Oh, I see.”
What’s this about collecting?
We walked down a hall that was quite old, or to put it in polite terms, exuded history. Then up a spiral staircase that went to the upper portion of the tower. As all the Magi at the academy could fly, this staircase was famous for going largely unused.
It had been a while since I was last here, but I could still vividly remember how it felt to accompany Lucia to her initiation. The portraits of famous alumni on the walls and the intricate statues of dragons placed here and there were both tasteful and wonderous. The atmosphere inside the tower was noticeably different from the outside, which was apparently a result of the dense mana given off by the students and professors.
As we walked along, I reflected on old memories. Lucia was normally quite composed, but that had been one of the few occasions I saw her somewhat nervous. Still, I’ll admit I had been a hundred times more nervous than she.
Suddenly, I didn’t feel Sitri pressing against my back.
“Oh? Nobody’s here?” she said in a voice quiet but clearly excited. “Maybe we’ll take not just one Relic, but the whole vault? Is that our plan?!”
“That’s not our plan...”
What an absurd idea. Taking the whole vault would just make us robbers. Maybe this wasn’t really Sitri, but a post-haircut Liz? No, not even I could mistake the two with such good lighting. Besides, despite being a Thief, Liz wasn’t greedy.
Sitri made a very disappointed face. I was afraid she might snatch something if I took my eyes off her. Before she could think of any other devious ideas, I grabbed her hand and dragged her up the stairs with me.
“Ah.”
“C’mon, we gotta hurry up and go see Lucia’s instructor.”
Huh? By the way, why were we going up this tower? It’s not like we have business with Lucia’s instructor.
This was bad. I couldn’t stop myself from getting swept up in Sitri’s flow. I had found myself using the word “collect” without thinking anything of it. I don’t know, maybe my head wasn’t operating right.
“I see,” Sitri said. “So we’re going to go collect it directly from Lucy’s mentor!”
“In some ways, I think your good intuition works against you.”
It was so good, I couldn’t even understand what she was talking about. Or maybe my intuition was just really bad.
I want to go home.
The moment I let out a deep sigh, a glowing magic circle formed at our feet. Strange letters packed together circled us.
“What’s this?!” Sitri said as she frantically looked around.
“Oh, we’re just being called.”
There had been a similar magic circle when I first visited with Lucia. They could only be used within the academy, but these teleportation circles, as they were called, could be used to forcibly bring someone to you. I had panicked when I first saw one, but this was my second time around, so I was used to it.
I was about to explain this to Sitri when my body gave out and I fell to my knees. My limbs felt weak. Likely in the same situation, Sitri collapsed against me.
Huh? I thought this was the same one as last time?
Unable to even cry out, I felt faint. Then everything faded.
When I came to, I was sitting on a crimson carpet that looked very expensive. The first thing I felt was something tickling my cheek. I tilted my neck and looked to my side, where I saw a familiar shade of pink. It appeared Sitri was leaning against me. I then tried to move my arms and legs, making me realize they were bound with chains.
Man, what the heck happened? Whoa, it’s not often I recover before Sitri.
Everything was too sudden. I couldn’t manage more than idle thoughts.
“You’re awake at last, Lucia’s brother,” said a somewhat cold female voice. It sounded vaguely familiar.
I looked up, and my head finally began to work as it started to process the scenery before me. I recognized this room. It had a high ceiling, and sunlight came in through the otherworldly stained glass. The room was cylindrical, its walls lined with bookshelves that almost reached the ceiling. Between the shelves were windows, from which all I could see was the sky.
We were surrounded by numerous stakes driven into the ground. They were probably enchanted or something. Beyond the stakes were Magi, men and women of all ages, standing around us in a circle. Directly in front of us was Lucia’s instructor, an indecipherable smile on her face.
A foremost professor at the empire’s greatest castle of the arcane, the Zebrudia Academy of Magic, Lucia’s instructor wasn’t a pure human. She looked a few years younger than Lucia. She had long silver hair, which she kept tied back to stay out of her way, and golden eyes. She wore a bulky robe that hid her body’s outline. Even someone who knew nothing about her would still feel like something was off.
I wasn’t sure if it was true, but they said she was one of the few people to have the blood of both a human and a Noble Spirit. Her body had the distinguishing features of both races; while she was about as tall as Liz, unless I was hallucinating, the upper part of her ears were pointed. There were very few Noble Spirits in the capital, yet I never heard them talk about the person before us.
Zebrudia’s miraculous flower, a Magus said to have been handpicked by the emperor, Rodrick Atolm Zebrudia himself. She was a human, yet not a human. She was Seyge Claster, the Undying.
I guess you could say she had an overwhelming presence. She wasn’t glaring at me or anything, but I still felt intimidated. I quickly looked around before offering a greeting.
“Hey. G-Good morning?”
What in the world is happening?
Lucia’s instructor ignored my panicking and said, “Sitri, I’d suggest you quit feigning slumber. It seems Lucia’s descriptions of you were quite accurate.”
“Urmmmm,” Sitri groaned as her arms constricted around me.
I understood. I accepted. I sighed.
“I get it now...”
Though she had been talking like a Thief, this really wasn’t Liz. It was just Bad Sitri. It appeared that today’s Sitri was Bad Sitri.
Lucia! I should’ve let Lucia catch us before we got into the tower!
But it was too late for regrets. With nothing else to do, I put on a half-hearted smile.
“We will now commence the trial, Lucia’s brother,” Seyge said in a chilling voice. “You’ve been charged with nearly destroying this lauded academy. What do you have to say in your defense?”
Numerous stabbing gazes were directed at Sitri, who was still pretending to sleep, and me. I felt like our best starting point would be, as it always was, to assess the situation. But once again, I was clueless as to what was going on.
What basis did Lucia’s instructor—Seyge, that is—have for suspecting me of wrecking the academy? All that damage had been caused by that tree. I know I had terrible luck, but I didn’t appreciate the assumption that I had called that fiend over. If anything, wasn’t it much more likely that a Magus at a certain institute had conducted some strange experiment or something? From what I had heard, the academy wasn’t as bad as Sitri’s Primus Institute. But from my perspective, that of a harmless bystander, neither could be called good.
The looks I was getting were much craggier than when I had first come here with Lucia. Back then, my sister had just turned fifteen, meaning she had just become an adult, and the gazes were more curious than anything else.
Hmmm.
I stayed silent, uncertain what to do.
“According to our investigations,” Professor Seyge said, maintaining her flat tone, “the Level 8 hunter, Krai Andrey, the Thousand Tricks, sent the source of a dangerous creature, one of extraordinary mana absorption capabilities—a dire threat to a school of Magi—into our midsts. As a result, of this academy’s fabled 127 barriers, 115 were completely destroyed. A quick reading of imperial law will find that this may well constitute three crimes and one of the ten capital crimes. That would be ‘Municipal Destruction-Class Possession of a Magical Creature.’”
Oh. I see. By “Krai” maybe you don’t mean the Thousand Tricks, but instead the Thousandfold Theurgics?
Even after hearing it in such austere terms, it wasn’t ringing any bells. I decided it would be best to sit still and listen. And when was Sitri going to stop making sleepy noises and return to her usual self? Was the magic circle doing this to her?
“Of the 127 barriers,” Professor Seyge continued, “some of them have never been broken, and some of them utilized methods now lost to time. Those barriers have now been destroyed.”
“Like frail glass,” a Magus next to her added sternly.
The other Magi were all quite old, making Seyge look like she was someone’s grandchild or something. I knew Noble Spirits aged slowly, but just how old was this professor?
Seyge nodded in agreement. “Indeed, like frail glass. Some of the barriers were outdated, but they had scholarly significance. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the Abyssal Inferno and our Magi, the magical creature has been turned to ash. However, our faculty, of course, and many of our students have been forcefully drained of their mana, and some are yet to recover from the deprivation. This was a clear act of animosity. Even if perpetrated by a Level 8, we cannot overlook what happened here.”
