Published at 17th of August 2019 6:59 am

Volume 8, Chapter 6: Escaping From the Dungeon

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

'Wednesday, February 3

The hypnosis Yurika had used to put Koutarou to sleep was powerful, but it wasn't powerful enough to last for two powerful attacks. Because of that, Koutarou woke up when he was hit by the avalanche.

“Dowaaaaaaa!? What is this!?”

Koutarou couldn't remember anything from the point where Yurika had cast a spell on him. Waking up in the middle of an avalanche like that would make anyone panic.

Swept away by the snow, Koutarou didn't stop sliding for at least 100 meters down the slope. Since he had defensive spells cast on him by Yurika, he hadn't suffered any damage or been buried, he had only been swept away.

“I-It's stopped!?”

Koutarou raised his body using his hand and began thinking.

Did the avalanche happen when Yurika was about to recast her spell?

Since he hadn't seen the essential part, Koutarou could only interpret the situation as such.

“That's right, where's Yurika!?”

If he had been caught in the avalanche, Yurika should have been too. Koutarou stood up and looked around the area for Yurika. When he did, he finally noticed his surroundings.

He was in the woods down the slope. Since the avalanche had crashed into the woods, it lost speed and didn't get out of control.

“There!! Yurika!!”

Between the forest and snow, Koutarou spotted two things. The first was the cane, Encyclopedia, that he had given to Yurika. The second was the head of a person who had been caught in the avalanche. Based on the situation, Koutarou assumed that it was Yurika.

“Just wait, I'll come save you right now!”

Koutarou quickly began running. He picked up the cane along the way and ran up to the head he believed was Yurika's.

“Good thing this cane was here!”

Koutarou used the cane as a shovel and began digging. Responding to Koutarou's will, the cane began functioning as a shovel. Thanks to that, he was able to dig up the buried individual before long.

“This isn't Yurika!?”

However, that individual wasn't Yurika. Instead, it was the person they had gone out to look for, Aika Maki. She had lost her consciousness, and Koutarou picked her up.

“Aika-san!? Why is Aika-san here!? No, more importantly, Aika-san! Aika-san!!”

Koutarou shook Maki's body in an attempt to wake her up.

“Guuu!!”

As he did, Maki raised a painful voice and her face warped. Seeing that, Koutarou hurriedly stopped shaking her.

“What's wrong, Aika-san― Ah...”

At that moment, Koutarou noticed that his hand was covered in blood. It wasn't his own blood, but Maki's.

“Aika-san, you're injured...”

She seemed to have hurt herself when she was swept away by the avalanche as she had a large wound in her side. Lots of blood was pouring out from there and created a red pool on the snow. It was obvious that her life was in danger if she was left like this.

“Alright, I'll contact Theia and the others and have them come help as soon as possible.”

As he spoke his thoughts out loud, Koutarou decided to use the bracelet he had gotten from Clan to contact Theia and the others.

“Goooooooaaaaaaaaa!!”

“What!?”

However, just before Koutarou's finger touched the bracelet, a beast like roar echoed throughout his surroundings. He looked up in the direction of the roar; at the top of the slope by the cave entrance, he saw a roaring white demon and Yurika, trapped in a pillar of ice.

“Kil, Vadra kil, com ot!! I now yu ar stil aliv!!”

“What is that!? And what happened to Yurika!?”

Koutarou hurriedly focused on his own eyes. As he did, he could see a white aura overlapping Yurika inside the pillar of ice. If she had been dead, there wouldn't be an aura there. Although she had been completely frozen and it looked fatal, Yurika was still alive.

“Did that monster do that to Yurika!? But, if I hurry she can still be saved!!”

In an attempt to save Yurika, Koutarou was about to take action.

“Uuuh.”

However, Maki's groan made Koutarou stop.

W-Who do I save first!?

Koutarou looked back and forth at Maki and Yurika. It was a hard choice for him to decide who to help first.

“Sorry, Yurika! I'll come save you as fast as possible! Just wait!”

Finally, Koutarou decided on starting with Maki. Her aura was growing weaker faster than Yurika's, and she was still hemorrhaging. At this rate, Maki would definitely die and Koutarou couldn't just let that happen.

The girl known as Aika Maki was born in the slums of Folsaria. However, Maki couldn't remember the name of that city. That was because she had been sold off as a slave by her own parents before she gained awareness of her surroundings.

But it might have been fortunate for everyone involved that Maki didn't remember the name of that city. If she had, the city most definitely would have been destroyed when she became a powerful magician. Maki cursed the days she was young so much and abhorred the people there.

There wasn't that big of a difference in how slaves were treated by slavers, regardless of if it was in a real country or a magical country. Everything was a whirlpool of violence and malice. If one were to believe in someone they would be betrayed, and their days would be spent being used. Maki abhorred lies and schemes because she had grown up in such horrid place.

Because of that, Maki remembered the cold she was feeling right now. Her exhausted body couldn't move, and she had no sensation left in her cold limbs. The only numbing cold she could feel was in her heart as her body couldn't feel anything anymore. After taking a severe beating, she had been thrown into the dungeon midwinter and was dying. It was the day when she had attempted an escape, only to be betrayed by her best friend. The cold feeling Maki could sense right now was very similar to what she felt back then in that dungeon.

So in the end, I'll die in this cold...

Maki smiled wryly. Of course, her face didn't move a muscle as it was only in her mind.

The reason why Maki hadn't died in the dungeon was because the previous Dark Navy had noticed Maki's magic power and bought her. Despite that, Maki was now dying, feeling the same cold as she had felt back then.

But everything makes sense like this. Because at the time, I had only wished for power to take revenge on those guys...

Thanks to the previous Dark Navy, her wish had been fulfilled. Having grown up as a magician, Maki got her revenge on the slavers and her past best friend. And now she was back to feeling the same coldness. Maki was convinced that this was her fate. She hadn't even wished to live back then. Ever since that time, Maki had been tired of this world full of cheating, betrayal and abuse.

Eh...?

However, that was when Maki felt something different from when she was dying in past. Since she had almost no sensation in her body, she wasn't sure what that was at first.

What is, this…?

But as time passed, her sensations gradually returned, and she understood that the sensation was warmth. At the same time she understood that, she noticed the presence of someone nearby.

Corpse looters? Or did a beast come to eat me...?

Maki knew that only something like that would come to her side as she was dying. So she ignored that presence and focused on the warmth. That was because when she really died, she wanted to feel warmth.

This... is the same thing...

However, that was when Maki noticed that the warmth originated from the presence. And she finally realized it wasn't corpse looters or a beast. Something warm was by Maki's side.

Are you, lonely too...? Just like, me...?

However at the center of the warm presence was a cold part. Maki knew why that was, it was because she was the same. So Maki overlapped the same part inside of her with the cold part.

I wish we could always be like this...

And by overlapping the two, those parts might warm up a little. However, Maki knew that she didn't have much time left for that. And she felt that it was regrettable.

Part 2

When Maki regained her consciousness the first thing she heard was a man's loud voice.

“Breathe, Aika-san! Don't you die on me!”

Maki tried to smile at the voice.

It's fine, I'll be fine for a little longer, so don't worry...

However, she didn't know if her face actually showed her smile or not. If she didn't breathe, she might not be able to properly smile. Worried, Maki started breathing.

“*cough* *cough*”

However, Maki's injured body couldn't properly do that. This resulted to her coughing repeatedly.

“Aika-san!! Damnit, is the magic of the cane not enough!?”

“*cough* *cough*”

For each time she coughed she could feel herself getting weaker. Knowing that would make the owner of the voice sad, she tried her best to breathe.

Somehow... it's different from before...

In the past, she desperately tried breathing because she wanted revenge. But now, Maki was breathing for a different reason.

“Hah, Hah, Hah.”

“That's right, breathe, Aika-san!!”

Something deep inside Maki's mind supported her. Something small she had only been able to remember thanks to her dying mind turning hazy.

I can't betray, deceive or lie to this memory. If I do, I and this person will be all alone...

Thanks to Maki trying to live, oxygen began spreading throughout her body. Eventually it dispelled the haziness clouding her mind and brought out her normal personality.

“W-Where am...?”

Feeling as if she had suddenly woken up from a dream, Maki was puzzled by the change in her surroundings.

Maki's last memory was of her being swept away by the avalanche. But right now, she found herself in a dim, dusty lodge. Maki was lying down on the floor and staring up at the small light bulb hanging down from the ceiling.

“Aika-san!? You woke up!?”

As she blinked repeatedly, a person's face appeared in front of her. Because the light bulb was so dazzling, she didn't have to blink as much thanks to the light being cut off.

“Satomi, Koutarou...?”

With her mind completely awake, Maki recognized the man in front of her.

“That's right, it's me! Keep it together!”

Satomi Koutarou. He was a man who could use a sword, magic and even necromancy, an opponent who had outsmarted Maki repeatedly in the past.

Maki's memories alerted her repeatedly and the spells she had cast in order to face Koutarou activated one after another. To her, Koutarou was pure and simply an enemy.

“How's your body!? Are you okay!?”

“...No. It looks bad.”

Maki smiled at Koutarou who desperately called out to her. It was not an act or being sarcastic, it was just a natural smile that appeared on her face.

Why am I smiling at this man...?

If Maki had been able to move her arms, she would probably be touching her face because she couldn't understand her own actions. Despite that, her feelings were oddly enough accepting it. The strong feelings telling her that this was fine ruled her mind.

“I can tell. With this wound, I can't be saved.”

As Maki said that she shook her head. She understood the wound she had suffered very well. Despite her young age, she was a veteran warrior who had survived a lot of battles. Her experience told her that the wound she had suffered was fatal, and that she had only regained consciousness through chance.

Ah, maybe that's why...

Maki believed the reason why she didn't feel any hostility towards Koutarou was because she would die soon.

“Aika-san, don't say things like that!”

To Maki, Koutarou appeared to be shining green.

Ah, he really is worried...

Koutarou's body was wrapped in a stable green light. It was proof that he wasn't lying.

But still... this man isn't lying at all... Is he skillfully cheating me again...?

The spell that Maki had prepared to fight Koutarou, the spell that let her see through lies, hadn't reacted even once.

Or maybe I've gotten weaker... I've probably gotten weaker. I'm dying this disgracefully after all.

Regardless of if Koutarou wasn't lying or if he had outsmarted Maki in some ways, Maki was getting herself worked up for no reason. She couldn't help but find that funny.

“Aika-san...”

Even though she knew that she was going to die, Maki smiled. Her harsh life up until now had made her give up. But Koutarou wasn't able to laugh or give up seeing that.

This cane isn't enough!

Koutarou strongly clenched his fist that was holding the magical cane. Just a little while ago, he had been trying to use that staff to heal Maki. However the results were not looking good. The cane’s magic was still healing her, but Maki's life force was fading faster. Since Koutarou could see spiritual energy, he could easily tell that much.

It'll take too long to get her onboard the Blue Knight!! How can I save Aika-san!?

On Theia's spaceship, the Blue Knight, there were far more advanced medical devices than anything found on Earth. However, it didn't have the power to revive someone fatally wounded that even magic can't heal.

“It's fine, Satomi-kun. I believe this is my fate.”

Maki accepted her own death. Looking back at her life, this wasn't a bad way to go. Just having someone worry over her was a good way to end.

My only regret is not knowing if he's really worrying over me or not...

So Maki simply smiled, accepting her fate.

“Fate!? As if I could accept this kind of fate!!”

Koutarou shouted out and denied Maki's words. Koutarou knew of a girl who had fought against such hardships. Koutarou couldn't accept Maki's death. And since he didn't want Maki to accept it either, he raised his voice even more.

“I, I won't accept this kind of fate!! I will never―”

However, in the middle of his sentence Koutarou remembered something.

“―Wait, fate!? That's right, I still have that!!”

That was the last means left to Koutarou. He still had a small chance of saving Maki's life.

“Clan! Clan!”

Koutarou hurriedly operated his bracelet and called out Clan's name.

“What is it, at such a time?”

Despite it being night, Clan's voice responded. Apparently she wasn't sleeping yet. Hearing her voice, Koutarou's expression lit up.

“It's an emergency! I need the sword!”

“Just wait a moment. In three minutes, I'll finish the first stage of my experiment. Then I'll―”

“I can't wait three minutes!! I told you it's an emergency!!”

“Wait wait, just waiiit!! Don't be so unreasonable!!”

Sensing what Koutarou was about to do from the tone of his voice, Clan began panicking. However, Koutarou ignored her objections and ordered the bracelet.

“Cradle! Give me my sword!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

“Kyaaaaaaa!! I'm telling you to waiiit!!”

Ignoring Clan's intentions, her small spaceship, the Cradle, began moving. At this time, Koutarou's sword was being experimented on in the Cradle's laboratory. But upon receiving Koutarou's order, the Cradle forcibly terminated the experiment and began to transfer the sword to him.

“Curse you, Bertorion! Don't you forget this!”

“Comeeee!! Signaltiiiin!!”

Completely ignoring Clan's objections, Koutarou thrust his right arm forward. As he did, a black hole appeared a few centimeters in front of his palm. That was a space-time hole produced by the Cradle and Koutarou's bracelet.

“Sa... Satomi-kun, what are you...?”

Maki stared on at the spectacle unfolding in front of her, completely dumbfounded.

Since Maki could use some spells that warped space, she understood that the black hole was a hole in space-time, connected to somewhere else. However, she couldn't sense any magic coming from the hole. Maki didn't think it was possible to create a space-time hole without using magic. And her surprise made her temporarily forget about her pain.

“Call sign confirmed, coordinate axis fixed. Commencing transfer of Signaltin.”

Suddenly a sword appeared from out of the hole. As the sword appeared, Koutarou felt like he had heard an explosion and a woman's scream, but Koutarou didn't hesitate to grab his sword.

“Your excellency, Blue Knight, this ship, the Cradle, will pray for your fortune and glory in place of the nation of Forthorthe.”

“...Thank you.”

When Koutarou grabbed the handle, the sword began shining bright white. At the same time, the sword began emitting an immense amount of magic power.

White magic!! Room 106's power, just like that time!? But the energy he's controlling this time is far greater!!

Despite dealing with magic on a daily basis, Maki was so surprised by the massive amount of magic power that she couldn't even let out a voice of surprise.

“Let's do this, Signaltin!”

Koutarou pulled the sword still in its sheath out of the space-time hole. He then began concentrating, holding the handle in his right hand and the sheath in his left.

Your majesty, Alaia, I'm sorry for this being such a private reason, but I will be borrowing the power of this sword...

Having finished concentrating, Koutarou opened his eyes and began moving his hands apart.

Accompanied with a ringing noise, the glowing white blade slowly appeared from behind the sheath. Correspondingly, the white magic power filling the room grew stronger and stronger. And once Koutarou had pulled the sword out of the sheath he slowly shouted.

“Signaltin, if you really have the power to shape the future, then please cut open this girl's future!!”

The next moment, the sword began glowing at an almost explosive force. A flash of light lit up the small lodge that Koutarou and Maki were in. The glow began to overflow from the sword and began pouring into Maki.

A portion of the magic power being emitted from Signaltin was converted into light and filled the lodge Koutarou and Maki were in. The light was so strong, they could see only white and nothing else. However, the light didn't harm them; instead, it gently wrapped them in a warmth, similar to that of a person.

What...?

In that white world, Koutarou found something. Since his entire surroundings had been filled with a strong white light, he might not have actually seen it with his eyes. However, it did exist within the white light, and it had a clear appearance in Koutarou's mind.

A small, girl?

It was a young girl covered in wounds. That girl had been thrown into a dungeon after being beaten up and left to die.

Just what, am I seeing...?

At the same time, Maki could see something in the light as well. It was a young boy holding a half-knitted sweater, crying.

Koutarou had seen that girl before, and Maki had seen that boy before. The two of them thought at the same time.

“Just wait, I'll save you right now!”

“It's okay, I'll always be with you...”

Since the two of them were different, the words they had used were different, but their feelings were the same.

Part 3

When Koutarou returned to himself, the light had died down. The only thing lighting up the dusty lodge was a lone, unshaded light bulb. The sword had a dim glow, but it wasn't enough to light up the room.

How is Aika-san!?

Koutarou immediately recalled that and looked at Maki. All that could be seen through the tear in her clothes was her white skin. Just a moment ago, she had a large wound in her side and was bleeding profusely. However, that wound was now gone, and the spilled blood had vanished. All Koutarou could see was her white skin.

“It worked... t-thank god...”

Koutarou let out a large sigh of relief and held up Signaltin's sheath. Koutarou hadn't been certain that he would be able to save Maki using this sword. So he was really, really relieved.

At the same time, Maki was gradually regaining consciousness. However, Maki was still not fully aware and was blankly staring up at the roof of the lodge.

I feel like something very important just...?

Maki could feel like something important had just happened. However, that was just a sensation without memory, and after a few seconds it disappeared just like a dream.

Maki returned to her senses after hearing the sound of Koutarou returning his sword to its sheath.

“Ah... I...?”

In that moment, Maki remembered everything that had happened. Her encounter with the demon that ended in a serious injury, and Koutarou desperately trying to treat her. Those memories let her understand why she was now lying down in this lodge. The first thing she did after returning to her senses was to check on her own wounds.

“The wound is gone!?”

Maki was overwhelmed with surprise when she touched her side. The wound that was supposed to be there was completely gone. Even the blood that had flowed out from it had vanished. Since her wound had disappeared, so did the pain. She no longer felt the cold that had numbed her entire body either. It was almost like her having been wounded in the first place was a dream. The only thing that claimed that it wasn't a dream was her torn clothing.

“I'm, alive...?”

Maki raised her body and peeked at her exposed side. There she could see her own white skin, her wound really had disappeared.

“Looks like it.”

“S-Satomi-kun...?”

As she was surprised, a ski jacket was put over Maki's shoulders. Worrying about Maki being cold in her magical girl outfit, Koutarou had taken off his jacket and put it on Maki. It wasn't until then that Maki remembered Koutarou's existence. She had been so surprised and had temporarily forgotten.

“Anyways, I'm glad you're okay.”

“...You saved me, right, Satomi-kun?”

Maki looked at what was lying next to Koutarou.

It was Yurika's new cane, Encyclopedia, and Koutarou's sword, Saguratin. Those two new magic tools had saved Maki's life. And it was almost definitely those that were behind the increase in room 106's magic power.

However, there were still a lot of questions. How did Koutarou save Maki using those? And how did he obtain those tools? As the magical girl Dark Navy of Darkness Rainbow, the tools were packed with information she wanted to know.

“I guess that would be the case.”

“Satomi-kun, are you a magician...?”

However, Maki questions to Koutarou were unrelated to that. The girl Aika Maki wanted to know more about the man Satomi Koutarou.

“No.”

Koutarou clearly denied it.

There was no change in the spell Maki was using to detect lies. Even now Koutarou wasn't lying. So as Dark Navy, she should change her question; as there was a more calm and logical method of questioning.

“That can't be true! No matter how you look at it, what you did wasn't normal!”

However, Maki didn't give in. She herself wanted to understand what kind of existence Koutarou was. It was a very emotional questioning without any of Dark Navy's normal calmness or rationality.

“I'm really not. The tools are what's not normal. I'm just a normal high school student.”

Koutarou was planning on being honest. He knew that after showing Maki that, there was no way he could cover it up. He had resolved himself for that when he decided to save Maki.

“What do you mean?”

“A while ago, something major happened. You know, when we were doing the play.”

On the day of the play, Clan had appeared, targeting Theia and Koutarou. That had been the start of it all.

So it really was during the play...

Koutarou's story matched with what Maki had conjectured.

“There were some people helping me during that event, and among them were a few people that could use magic. I got this sword and cane from those people.”

As he said that, Koutarou presented the cane to Maki. Koutarou smiled wryly as she received the cane.

“So while I think it's magic, I don't really understand the details. I was told how to use it, but I don't know how it works.”

“I see...”

Maki nodded and examined the cane in her hands.

As I thought, the magic type is considerably old... it seems to be using ancient language of magic, and the same as what controls the magic in room 106. However, it was made quite recently... which means, it must have been made by magicians with no direct relation to Folsaria...

The current practice in Folsaria uses reorganized, modern language. However, the magic in the cane used a much older form than that. Which meant that it must have been made by magicians who split up with Folsaria quite a long time ago.

This cane executes magic almost entirely on its own, just like he said. Because of that mechanism and the vast amount of spells it contains, it's wasting the artifact-rank magic power it has. So on its own it's not a big threat... but when used the way Yurika did, it's quite troublesome...

That was what Maki concluded upon examining the cane. Thanks to that, Maki was able to see the total picture behind Yurika's power up. The power of her magic hadn't increased, but she had evolved in a direction that had made it very hard to fight her.

And the sword is the same as this cane. It does a lot on its own... So while the sword is powerful, Koutarou is just a normal human. Which means that what happened last time must have been a similar situation.

Maki's image of Koutarou began being greatly corrected. Because of that, Maki was able to realize her own misunderstanding.

In the past, Maki had assumed Koutarou was a powerful magician, based on the fact that he had gotten through her barrier, brought Sanae with him and used a powerful magic sword. She thought he had the power of reinforcement or degeneration and necromancy.

However, with her new reasoning, a completely different development could have occurred. First off, since he had a powerful magic sword that interfered with the opponent's magic, he had been able to slip through the barrier. And the ghost had followed him of its own will. Maki had hid the truth herself by disregarding the most unlikely event.

And I feared lies and schemes that didn't even exist. I never even saw the man in front of me...

Right now, Maki no longer feared Koutarou. It was a strange feeling; despite having an overly powerful sword in front of her and knowing that she had no chance to win, Maki had no fear of Koutarou. At worst, she felt like it would probably hurt when she lost.

What is this feeling I wonder... Why am I so relieved? Even though it's an opponent I have no chance of beating in my current state...

Maki was confused, however that was only on the surface. Deep inside her heart, she was calm, satisfied with this situation.

“Achoo.”

At that moment, Koutarou sneezed. Since it had been somewhat of a surprise attack as she was deep in thought, Maki's eyes opened wide. However, the next moment, after seeing Koutarou's silly face, Maki raised her voice and began laughing.

“Fufufufu, Ahahaha.”

“Don't laugh. I'm in the middle of an important story.”

Koutarou dropped his shoulders as he saw Maki laugh. His cheeks turned slightly red out of embarrassment.

“I-I'm sorry. It's cold isn't it? Do you want this jacket back?”

Maki apologized, but she was still happily laughing. She then covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to suppress her laughter and touched the jacket on her shoulders. Koutarou had sneezed because he had lent Maki his jacket.

“I don't need it. I'm not that cold.”

“Ah...”

In that moment, Maki could see the green light enveloping Koutarou shaking. The spell Maki was using to see through lies had seen through Koutarou.

Satomi-kun lied to me...

Maki had been more surprised by that than the sneeze. Maki hated lies and deceit more than anything, she abhorred betrayal and schemes. Because of that, the moment Maki heard Koutarou lie, her heart leapt.

He really does lie... That's right, there's no human who doesn't lie...

Maki's heart began intensely throbbing and she felt as if something was burning in her heart. This was the first time she had felt something like that.

“Satomi-kun, you're not a good liar.”

“It's not a lie. A man wouldn't lose to the cold.”

“Didn't you sneeze because you lost though?”

Maki smiled, but this time it was a much, much brighter smile than before.

“Ugh.”

“Actually, Satomi-kun, I hate people who lie.”

“I see. Then we'll make good friends.”

“That's true. Fufufufu.”

Maki slightly tilted her head and showed a bit of mischief in her smile. It was a smile that she had never shown anyone.

“Fufufu, I think people who trick others with lies are the worst!”

Maki was happy that Koutarou had lied to her.

This was the first time that she had ever been happy that someone lied to her.

This person's lies aren't scary at all!!

Not even Maki knew why she felt that way. She didn't know, but she still felt like this was okay.

“Definitely.”

“Fufufufu, ahahaha!”

And so, Maki terminated the spells she had activated.

“...Satomi-kun you liar! I hate you!”

“Hoh?”

Maki no longer had a need to confirm if Koutarou was speaking the truth.

Part 4

Koutarou looked at Maki laughing for a while before eventually nodding.

“Alright, you look like you're okay.”

He had finished explaining the situation to her and she seemed to have recovered. Koutarou decided to move on to the next matter.

“Aika-san, the cane please.”

Koutarou reached his hand out towards Maki.

“Satomi-kun?”

When Maki raised her eyes, Koutarou was already standing. His expression was serious and she sensed a strong will in his eyes.

“Please give me back the cane. I have to go save Yurika.”

“Save Yurika-san... O-Oh right, that white demon!”

After hearing Koutarou say that he was going to go save Yurika, Maki finally remembered the situation. That she had climbed the mountain to obtain a familiar, been met with resistance and that Yurika had been frozen and captured.

Maki was still in the midst of fighting.

“So you saw it too, Aika-san. In that case this'll be easy to explain. I have to beat that and save Yurika.”

As Koutarou said that he looked out through the window of the lodge. A blizzard was blowing outside and he couldn't see a thing. However, in the direction he was looking at, Yurika was frozen and waiting to be saved.

To think monsters like that existed on Earth too...

Koutarou strongly grasped Signaltin's sheath. This wasn't the first time Koutarou had encountered abnormal monsters. And based on his experience, Signaltin should be able to deal with it.

“So please, give me back the cane. I will probably need that too.

Koutarou's Signaltin was very powerful , however since he had used it to heal the fatally wounded Maki, it's power had temporarily grown weaker. In order to compensate for that, Encyclopedia was the perfect tool. Koutarou was planning on fighting using both sword and magic.

Return the cane...?

Maki was a magical girl of Darkness Rainbow. So putting some sort of curse on the cane before returning it to Koutarou would be best. She would be able to use the cane as a trap against Yurika.

However―

“Satomi-kun.”

However, Maki couldn't give him the cane back.

“Since I've gotten better, should I help too?”

So Maki smiled at Koutarou, holding the cane in both of her hands.

Maki's suggestion was simple.

Koutarou was an amateur when it comes to magic. So it would be better to have one person focus on the sword, and another on magic.

It was a perfectly logical reasoning.

“―is what I think, how about it?”

“How about it, huh...”

From Koutarou's standpoint, he wanted to say no. He was reluctant to drag a normal girl like Maki into a fight, but he understood what she was saying. He didn't think that he'd be able to pull off something as dexterous as using a sword and a cane at the same time. It was true that he wanted an expert to use magic while he focused on his sword.

“I have a piece of good news and advice for you since you're struggling to make up your mind, Satomi-kun.”

“What?”

“I got an A in PE. By the way, Yurika got an E[1].”

Koutarou made up his mind as he saw Maki boasting.

“Alright, I'll leave the cane to you, Aika-san.”

“Really!?”

Maki's expression lit up.

In reality, Aika-san looks like she would be stronger with the cane than Yurika...

Maki obviously had a better trained body than Yurika. And based just on her physical strength, Koutarou felt that Maki was more suited to be a magical girl than Yurika.

“In exchange, you have to run away if things get really dangerous. If you do, I can run away without worrying as well.”

The only thing Koutarou was worried about was that she would try harder than he expects her to. Since he had managed to save Maki from the brink of death, he wanted her to at least get to safety if things got too bad.

“...Liar.”

“Eh?”

However, Maki didn't nod her head. Instead, she stared at Koutarou with a glance full of doubt.

“Satomi-kun, you won't run away even if things turn dangerous, will you?”

“That's not true. I'd quickly run away.”

Koutarou panickingly shook his head.

“That's a lie. There's no way you would run away without having saved Yurika-san.”

Maki was no longer using her spell to discern lies. However, she still knew that Koutarou would never leave Yurika behind to save himself.

“Aika-san...”

Koutarou had nothing he could say. His real intentions were just as Maki had said.

“In that case, we'll share the same fate.”

Holding the cane in both hands, Maki looked at Koutarou with a serious look on her face.

“Please steel yourself, Satomi-kun. I definitely won't leave you on your own. In exchange―”

“Fine, I understand. I'll protect you.”

In the end, Koutarou was the one who gave in. The best chance Koutarou had of saving Yurika was if he and Maki truly worked together. That's what he himself believed.

“...It's almost like you're proposing. Fufufu.”

Maki smiled, she seemed awfully happy. Koutarou didn't know the meaning behind it, but Maki's smile seemed to overlap with Yurika's, so Koutarou attitude instinctively changed.

“You idiot, be more serious.”

“Okay, Captain!”

Maki smiled at Koutarou and jokingly saluted.

And just like that, the strange team that consisted of Koutarou and Maki was formed.

Part 5

The lodge Koutarou had escaped to with Maki wasn't that far away from the cave. It had been used when the power line was being constructed, so it was left vacant.

As Koutarou and Maki headed for the cave, they didn't come across anyone else. The two of them advanced as the snow and wind intensely raged on.

“By the way, why were you in the mountain, Aika-san? Yurika was really worried about you.”

“Ah, that's because of that white demon?”

However, neither of them seemed to be very bothered by that. This was thanks to the spell that Maki had cast. The two of them casually walked forward, ignoring the harsh winds, the steep slope, the darkness and the ever dropping temperature.

“Did it catch you?”

“Aah, uhm, well, something like that.”

“I see. That was too bad.”

“...Though to be more precise, I came to capture it.”

“What was that?”

“I said I would have been in danger if Satomi-kun and Yurika-san hadn't come. It seems like that demon is very violent and attacks people on sight.”

“I see. Then let's be careful to reduce the danger.”

“Let's do that.”

The two carefully climbed the slope while keeping an eye on the peak. Since they didn't have to fight the harshness of the mountain thanks to magic, they had a little bit more room to concentrate on the demon and Yurika.

“Satomi-kun!”

“Wah.”

After climbing up for a while, Maki suddenly grabbed a hold of Koutarou and knocked him down onto the snow.

“W-What!?”

“Shh!!...Don't you see it!? Over there!!”

Maki blocked Koutarou's mouth with her left hand and pointed with her right, while whispering to Koutarou.

“Mhh~”

The white demon in question was up the slope where Maki was pointing. Next to it was Yurika, still frozen. Maki had noticed that before him and stopped Koutarou from moving to keep the white demon from noticing.

“I'll let go now.”

“Hm.”

Maki waited for Koutarou to notice the demon before removing her hand.

“Hah, thank you, Aika-san.”

“You're welcome.”

“Yurika is...”

Having crawled out from under Maki, the first thing Koutarou did was check up on Yurika. Fortunately, Yurika's spiritual energy wasn't so weak that she was in any danger of dying right away. Koutarou relaxed his shoulders when he realized that.

“Phew, she seems to be okay...”

Koutarou had been worried that she might die while he was treating Maki or that the demon would destroy her along with the pillar of ice, but after finding out that Yurika was safe, Koutarou let out a huge sigh of relief. His fighting spirit was lit anew when he learned that he still had a chance to save her.

“So what do we do, Satomi-kun?”

“Hm? What?”

“Don't you think it'd be dangerous if we just charged straight in?”

As Maki said that she pointed to her surroundings. That was where they had been swept up by the avalanche. Up until now there had been a lot of trees covering their approach, but from now on the woods stopped and if they continued forward they would be in the wide open.

“...It'll definitely try to do something.”

“I think it will start another avalanche.”

“I'd rather not go through that again...”

It was possible that the white demon might cause another avalanche if it spotted Koutarou and Maki climbing up. That had been part of the reason for why Maki had stopped Koutarou.

“Should we go around and climb up?”

“Hmmmm...”

Having heard Maki's proposal, Koutarou looked to his left and right. From what he could see there were a lot more trees to the side. If they went around, they would be able to hide more easily from the white demon as they climbed up.

“Let's not.”

However, in the end, Koutarou gave up on circling around. If they did, the risk of being found would be lower, but after climbing for a while, the trees would stop, and they would be in the same situation again.

“So what do we do? If we just roll our thumbs here, Yurika-san will be in danger.”

“That's true, but can't we lure that thing towards us somehow?”

“Lure it?”

Maki's eyes opened wide in surprise after hearing an intellectual idea from the normally simple Koutarou.

Normally simple Satomi-kun?

Maki gave up on her own idea and began laughing on the inside. She had only been able to resolve her own misunderstanding and come in touch with the real Koutarou just a few moments ago. Despite that, she already pretended like she knew everything, and felt like an intellectual idea didn’t fit coming from Koutarou. Maki found the speed she had changed funny.

“Yeah. I feel like that would be better.”

When Koutarou was in Forthorthe, he had taken part in several large-scale battles. In those battles, the strategy of luring an enemy out had proved to be effective. Those experiences clearly remained in Koutarou's memories.

Right. If we lure it here, we can ambush and separate it from Nijino Yurika. You put some thought into this, Satomi-kun.

Sensing where Koutarou was coming from, she added her own opinion into it after thinking for a moment.

“So we're luring that demon out so we can save Yurika-san first, right?”

“Eh?”

This time, Koutarou was surprised. What Maki had said was just what he was about to consult with her.

“We're not?”

“A-Ah, no... That's what I want to do, but I wanted to check with you if that would be okay.”

When Koutarou explained that to Maki, she clapped her hands together as if she noticed something.

“I see. Since you don't know how much time you can buy, you don't know if you can save Yurika-san before the demon returns, right?”

“Y-Yeah.”

What Maki said was exactly what Koutarou was about to say.

This again... Aika-san, can you read my mind?

With the timing of Maki's remarks, Koutarou began to wonder about such a foolish thing.

And while Koutarou was surprised, Maki began thinking hard.

What happens if we can't save her?

Maki quickly put her thoughts and was about to tell Koutarou. But...

“If we don't manage to save her, that demon will know that we're trying to save Yurika and might target her instead.”

Oh?

This time Koutarou said what Maki was about to say. Since Koutarou had said word for word what Maki was about to say, her eyes opened wide in surprise.

Can Satomi-kun read my mind perhaps?

Maki was also puzzled over her and Koutarou's seemingly overlapping minds.

“In that case, luring it over and beating it would be better.”

“That's right. What do you think?”

“Fufufu, what do I think? I just said beating it would be better.”

“Oh right, sorry.”

Koutarou and Maki agreed on luring the demon out and ambushing it.

Even if they lured it out and managed to save Yurika, there was a high chance that the three of them would be forced to fight against the demon. In that case, luring it out and ambushing it would be more certain. That was how Koutarou and Maki felt.

“...I feel like this method of attack is more fitting of a villain, I don't really like it.”

“Me neither.”

“Right. Rather than using petty tricks, you'd rather go face to face, right?”

“But, if it stays in front of Yurika-san like that, there's nothing we can do.”

“I guess we have to...”

“We're just civilians after all.”

“That's true... let's not be overly ambitious.”

The two of them were both reluctant to resort to ambushing, however, in the end they had to prioritize Yurika's safety first, so they steeled their resolve.

Part 6

Maki's specialty, mind manipulation magic, was quite similar to magic that created illusions. It goes to reason that she was relatively good at the latter as well.

So instead of using Encyclopedia's magic power, she used her own. That way, the spell would be more accurate and powerful.

“You can do it!”

Maki had created an illusion of Koutarou. It was really well made and Koutarou instinctively cheered for the illusion that was walking as he looked at it from behind. Reacting to Koutarou's voice, the illusion turned around and waved its hand.

“Uwah!? It answered!? Creepy!!”

The illusion Maki had created had a little consciousness. It was like an autonomous robot that could move on its own. The illusion walked away on its own; it would be acting as a decoy.

“Creepy... you're always like that, Satomi-kun.”

“I'm way manlier and I'm not that weak looking.”

“That's not true. You're just like that.”

The illusion had been created based on Maki's recognition of Koutarou. Because of that, small portions of it were slightly different from the real one. In Maki's mind, Koutarou was slightly slimmer and more handsome. So it strayed a little from Koutarou's ideal view of a man.

“Is that really so...”

“More importantly, let's get ready. There are a lot of preparations that have to be made before Satomi-kun No.2 lures the demon here.”

Maki didn't want Koutarou to poke around too much at her creation, so she quickly tried to change the subject. If thoroughly investigated, Koutarou might realize that the illusion was based off of Maki's ideal Koutarou.

“Sorry. So, where should I hide?”

“Since No.2 should be running past here, behind that tree should be fine.”

“Got it.”

Koutarou pulled his sword from its sheath and approached the tree by the mountain path. Since the illusion would be running down the path, he would attack the demon that should be right behind it.

“I'll cast some spells on you.”

“Please do. I'm not wearing my armor today.”

“Fufuf, then leave it to this magical girl, Maki.”

Maki laughed full of confidence and pointed her cane at Koutarou.

“Magic Armor. Shield. Elemental Protection...”

Maki let loose spell after spell. She used the power of Encyclopedia whenever it would be more powerful than her own magic. By doing that, she was also able to conserve her own magic power.

This cane might be far more convenient than I thought...

Since Maki often fought on her own, she couldn't really understand the true value of the cane until she had used it for herself. If one was to fight alongside their allies, there wasn't a cane more useful than this. Before long, Koutarou had been strengthened with several different spells.

“I’ll cast the next spells based on the situation.”

“Got it. Aika-san, you should go hide too.”

“Okay.”

Having finished casting her spells, Maki headed towards a bush a little away from Koutarou. She would be supporting Koutarou from there.

“Ah!? Satomi-san, it seems like No.2 was found by the demon. He's heading this way while being under attack.”

Maki warned Koutarou and jumped into the bush.

“...So we really do need to fight it...”

Koutarou had only seen the demon roar when it was standing next to a frozen Yurika. Based on that circumstantial evidence and Maki's testimony, Koutarou believed the demon was violent and he was going to have to fight it. But even then, now that he actually had to fight, Koutarou couldn’t help but feel depressed.

“Alright...”

But no matter how depressed he got, he couldn't leave Yurika behind. Having resolved himself, Koutarou peeked out from behind the tree and looked at the path the illusion would be running down. There, he saw the illusion of himself, and behind him was the white demon. Seeing that, Koutarou's expression changed.

“Aika-san, this is bad! It's chasing after No.2 in the air!”

The white demon was floating behind Koutarou No.2 while repeatedly firing shards of ice at him. The illusion was dodging those attacks while running down the pre-designated route, but there was one problem. The demon was flying far too high, Koutarou wouldn't be able to reach it with his sword.

“Hopping Carrot!”

Maki's response was a new spell. Yellow light enveloped Koutarou's legs. It was a spell that increased his jumping power.

“You should reach it with that!”

“I'll give it a shot!”

Koutarou and Maki's conversation was short. Since the demon was already approaching, they didn't have the luxury for a leisurely chat. There was no point in their ambush if they were found.

A little while after that, No.2 approached the two. While replicating the sound of running on snow, No.2 ran past the mountain path near where Koutarou and Maki were hiding.

“Gaaaaaaa, Gruuuuuaaaaaa!!”

The white demon was right behind him. It had been completely fooled by the splendid illusion and was frantically trying to kill it.

“Die, Diee, Vadra, Dieee!!”

While shouting something, the demon shot shards of ice from the palm of its hand. Some of the ice shards penetrated through the illusion.

“It dos no wok! Magi is no wokin! Vadra rely is a monser!”

If the demon had been level-headed it might have been able to see through the trick. However, it was so frantic that it had lost all calm.

“Now!!”

And that was the perfect opening for Koutarou. As the demon flew right past him, Koutarou kicked the ground with all his might and came swinging at the demon in the sky.

“Gaaaaaaaa!?”

Koutarou's swing hit right at where he aimed, at the wings on the back of the white demon. The blow caused the demon to lose its balance and it fell towards the ground.

“It was too shallow!?”

However, at the same time Koutarou clicked his tongue, the demon flapped its large wings and made a soft landing. Koutarou's sword had only damaged its wings, but they were not completely unusable.

The plan had been perfect as the demon showed its defenseless back to Koutarou, however a jumping attack had been problematic. Since he had been strengthened by a magic he wasn't used too, he slightly messed up the force used to jump.

“Can I do it again!?”

Koutarou readied his sword once more. His first attack had been too shallow, however the demon was landing with its back turned towards Koutarou. If Koutarou moved well enough after landing, he would be in a position where he could make a second attack.

I'm not sure about the timing, but I can do it!!

However, the demon didn't just remain like that. It had already recovered from the shock of the ambush and had already begun defending and dodging to avoid any further attacks. It was questionable of whether or not a second attack would succeed.

“Force Field!”

Two spells came flying towards Koutarou. One was a defensive spell that would block attacks. The other was a spell that let Koutarou freely control his falling speed. Oddly enough, the defensive spell didn't directly protect him; rather, it deployed a surface like a wall next to him.

“Satomi-kun, use that―”

“This'll help!”

Koutarou kicked the magic wall and slightly altered the direction he was falling in.

“―as footing!!”

Koutarou had acted before Maki could even finish her sentence. She then accelerated Koutarou after he adjusted his direction. That was the second spell she had cast using the cane, a spell to freely control the falling speed.

“Haaaaaaaaaaa!!”

The white demon was in the direction Koutarou had jumped to. He then swung his sword with all of his might.

In response to Koutarou's will, the sword was enveloped by a shockwave. It was weaker than the barrier created by Theia's armor, but it served to improve the range and power of the sword.

Koutarou's sword crashed into the white demon. At the same time, the shock wave enveloping the sword was unleashed and assaulted the demon.

“Guuuuuuu, so tha is wher you ar, Vadra!”

However, the white demon wouldn't just let that happen. The thick slab of ice created in front of the demon served as a shield and caught Koutarou's attack. His sword broke it into pieces, but it wasn't able to reach the demon on the other side.

Signaltin's power really has weakened!! It didn't do as much damage as I thought it would!!

If Signaltin had been in its normal state, by the time the sword hit, it would reject the magic inside of the demon and cause major damage. That had been the case when fighting with demons in Forthorthe. However, that didn't happen now. Despite having attacked twice, the demon hadn't taken any damage.

“I kan tel!! Vadra, Signaltin is getin weaker is it no!?”

The white demon's mouth warped and it attacked Koutarou with its thick arms.

“Kil! It is my chans to kil!!”

The demon's claws came flying towards Koutarou.

“Satomi-kun, keep going like that!!”

Despite the attack having finished, Koutarou's body accelerated even further. It was like a powerful force trying to slam him into the ground.

“I got it!!”

Koutarou threw his body forward as if he was trying to roll. Thanks to Maki accelerating Koutarou even further, the demon's claw hit nothing but air.

After rolling, Koutarou kicked the snow and stood up. By that time, Maki had already cast a new spell on Koutarou.

“Flame Weapon!”

Maki had used her own magic power to cover Koutarou's sword in fire, increasing its attack power. She simultaneously used the cane to cast a spell that let Koutarou see heat with his eyes.

Koutarou's sword suddenly burst into flames. At the same time, everything past a certain temperature began glowing red to Koutarou. Of course, the thing glowing the most was Koutarou's sword.

Which means, the next one coming is...

Koutarou knew what was going to happen next, so Koutarou shouted out what he needed before it happened.

“Aika-san, make good use of the fire at the end!!”

“Quick Cast – Darkness!!”

At the same time, Maki's spell wrapped the region around Koutarou, herself and the demon in darkness. Having suddenly lost its vision, the demon stood still. However, the darkness didn't matter as Koutarou could find the demon's body temperature and attack with his burning sword. He could clearly see his sword and the enemy's position, and thanks to the reflecting heat he could see the ground as well. There were no problems.

Koutarou's sword crashed into the white demon, but he felt a hard response. Once the demon could no longer see anything, it focused on protecting itself and had covered its entire body with a wall of ice.

So it did this after all!

Koutarou's sword crushed the wall of ice, but his blade failed to reach the demon. The only damage to the demon was that some of its fur got burnt by the flames on the sword.

“Guoooooooo.”

If it stayed in the darkness it would keep getting attacked. Disliking that predicament, the demon flapped its damaged wings and flew up into the air.

“Satomi-kun, was using the fire like that good enough?”

“Like that? Like what?”

“I mean that. I tried copying Yurika.”

Maki indicated the area where the demon had flown.

“What's that?”

“It's a cloud. However―”

Maki had created a large cloud out of magic. Since it was floating right above the darkness, the demon had jumped into the cloud before realizing it was there.

“―it's a special cloud made out of highly volatile oil.”

The next moment, the burning fur of the demon lit the cloud and caused a large explosion.

While looking up at the large explosion, Koutarou felt surprised.

Can Aika-san really read my mind...?

What had surprised him wasn't the explosion, but all of Maki's actions during the fight.

Maki had predicted what Koutarou wanted to do and created a road of magic to allow that to happen. When he wanted to pursue, she had created foothold for him. When he wanted to dodge the enemy's claws, she had accelerated his body. When he was grieving that his sword lacked the power it needed, she had enchanted it with fire. And lastly, the large explosion that occurred above them.

This was at a completely different level from just being good at using magic. It was almost as if Maki knew what Koutarou was going to do and gave him just what he needed. Thanks to her, Koutarou hadn't taken a single hit of the demon's attacks until the explosion occurred.

On the other hand, Maki felt the same surprise Koutarou did.

Can Satomi-kun really read my mind...?

Maki was surprised by the same things Koutarou was. He had done everything she had wanted to do before her.

By the time Maki noticed that it was possible to pursue the demon that had landed, Koutarou had already readied his sword. By the time she thought that she could use the spell that controlled falling speed to avoid the demon's claws, Koutarou had already thrown his body forward before she could explain. And lastly, Koutarou had told Maki to make good use of the fire at the end. As a result she had created an oil cloud. Because it disliked taking on attacks while defenseless, the demon had jumped into it of its own will.

Before the demon could even put up a fight, it was already in the middle of a large explosion. Maki looked up at the sky, but she didn't feel anything for the demon or explosion. Instead, what she felt was a strong sense of freedom. She probably wouldn't feel this free even if she could freely fly through the skies. The feeling of being able to do everything she wanted liberated her mind. She always wanted to stay like this.

“Hey, Aika-san, are you―”

“Satomi-kun, are you―”

Koutarou and Maki were about to say the same thing, but the two of them stopped at the same time.

Something dreamlike like that is impossible.

And the two of them thought that at the same time.

Part 7

After the explosion had died down and the remaining traces of it had been blown away, the white demon still remained. However, it had been scorched all over and its entire body had turned black. The demon flapped its injured wings and landed. It was covered in wounds, but its movements still looked very powerful.

“Kil, getin weaker but kil Vadra! Do no kil, I be kiled! I be ruined!”

“...Satomi-kun, looks like it still wants to fight.”

Seeing that, Maki grabbed the cane with both hands.

Vadra again... just what is that demon so scared of...?

That word bothered Maki, but the demon probably wouldn't answer her if she asked. So she drove her question out of her head and prepared to fight.

“It would be easier if it just ran away...”

The demon's will to fight reached Koutarou as well. He would have preferred if the demon had fled, but it seemed to be dead set on killing Koutarou and Maki. Koutarou reluctantly readied Signaltin.

“Flame Weapon, Flame Protection, Elemental Shield.”

“Aika-san, you're thinking of doing something cruel again, aren't you?”

“Fufu, but I love the Satomi-kun who still does it anyway.”

“Then I'll try to live up to your expectations.”

Koutarou's sword was covered in flames once more and two yellow lights protected him. Seeing that, the demon bared its fangs and threatened Koutarou.

“Goooaaaaaaaaa!”

“Here I go, Aika-san!”

“Quick Cast – Acceleration.”

Koutarou began moving just as Maki started her incantation. The demon began moving at the same time. Seeing Koutarou's burning sword, the demon decided to fight up close. If it tried to fly away, things might go like last time. The demon had painfully learned that.

“Here it comes.”

As Koutarou said that, a new spell enveloped his body, and his running speed dramatically increased. Maki had cast a spell that increased his physical strength.

“Dieeeee!!”

The demon wasn't just running up either. It created shards of ice and repeatedly fired them at Koutarou like a machine gun. And from behind the barrage, it aimed at Koutarou with its claws.

“Hah!”

Koutarou slid under the shards of ice. As he did, the demon came attacking with the claws on both of its hands.

“Satomi-kun, jump!”

Koutarou poured power into his legs, and at the same time, the snow beneath his feet was sent flying upwards. Normally it was a spell used to disrupt the target's balance, but Maki used it as a catapult to send Koutarou flying. Koutarou went from a sliding posture to being above the demon in an instant. Thanks to that, the demon's claws missed him.

“Gugugu, yu fel fo it!”

However, the demon had already predicted that Koutarou would dodge. It ignored Koutarou and continued towards Maki. It intended to kill Maki who was providing support from the rear.

“Yu wil die firs!!”

At that moment, Koutarou and Maki's thoughts, words and the attacking demon's roar all mixed with each other.

“Aika-san,―”

“Quick Cast – Force Field!”

“―some footing! And―”

A defensive spell appeared in front of Koutarou. He kicked at it and changed his direction in the air.

“It's okay! I―”

“Dieeeeeeee!!”

However, the demon was already right next to Maki, and Koutarou would never be able to make it in time from his position. The demon smiled as it was about to enjoy the coming slaughter and slashed it claws towards Maki.

“―use that!”

“―already am!”

Koutarou appeared between Maki and the demon.

“Vadraa!?”

The demon quickly changed its target and slashed its claws towards Koutarou. The blow from those powerful arms roared as they came flying towards Koutarou.

“What!?”

However, as the claws slashed at Koutarou, they passed right through him. It was almost as if he was a mirage.

“Well done, No.2!”

Maki used the opportunity to distance herself from the demon. At the same time, the Koutarou who was in front of the demon vanished. It was the slightly slimmer, handsome Koutarou illusion that Maki had created. If this hadn't been in the middle of a battle, the demon might have seen through it. However, at the timing it had appeared, that was a very difficult thing to do. The demon had been fooled and Maki took some distance away from it.

“Damit!”

Not giving up, the demon crushed the snow below its feet and chased after Maki. However, Maki chanted a new spell to keep it from doing so.

“Quick Cast – Fire Wall!”

“Yu fol!”

A wall of flame appeared in front of the demon and blocked it from continuing forward. But the demon covered its body in a thick layer of ice and charged through. The flames that Maki had created didn't have the power to burn the demon through the ice. As a result, the ice alone melted and the demon made it through the wall of flame almost unharmed.

“Guhahaha! Tis tim yu wil die!!”

The demon was convinced that Maki was going to die. There was no way that her small body would be able to withstand a powerful blow from the demon, and Koutarou was on the other side of the wall of flame. As a result, Maki had ended up blocking off her backup. With the illusion gone, there was nothing to stand in the demon's way. Maki's death was now unavoidable.

“Guaaa!?”

However-

“...Even though the temperature was low, and you've cast defensive spells, would you normally make your ally cross through fire? And what's more you even used yourself as bait...”

“Fufufu, like I told you. I love the Satomi-kun who still does it anyway.”

Before the demon's claws could reach Maki, Koutarou's sword pierced the demon's back.

Everything had been part of Maki and Koutarou's trap.

She had reduced the temperature of her wall of flame and let the demon pass through. The demon would then think that Maki had cut off her backup, forget about Koutarou and focus just on her.

However, the wall of flame's temperature was low and Koutarou was being protected by Flame Protection and Elemental Shield. He easily broke through the wall and scored a direct hit on the demon's wide open back.

If the demon had jumped over the wall of flames and attacked from above, Maki would have been in danger. The reason Koutarou's sword had been covered in flames was to keep the demon cautious of traps from above.

Without using a single advanced spell. Koutarou and Maki's perfect teamwork had created an inescapable trap.

“I-Imposible, ho ar yu aliv!? I kiled you! I shold hav kiled yu!!”

Having had Signaltin thrust into its body, the demon's magic was rejected and its body turned into dust.

“Curse yu Vadra! Vadraaa! Vadraaaaaaaa!!”

Even though the sword had gotten weaker, the demon couldn't endure having the sword thrust into the center of its body, and in just a few seconds, the demon's body turned to dust. Like the demon, the dust was pure white. The strong mountain wind swiftly scattered the dust.

Translator's Notes and References

1. ↑ A grade marking barely passing in Japan, though not commonly used.

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