Published at 17th of August 2019 7:51 am

Volume 10, Chapter 6: Choice and Result

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Part 1

Kii had been taken to an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city. Since Maya had erased the owner's memory, nobody else would approach the place for quite a while. The building was left unattended, and though it wasn't that old, it was dusty and there were cobwebs here and there.

Maya took Kii to the basement of the building. The vast space was originally a parking lot, and in it was an altar where Maya would use ritual magic.

The altar was about ten meters big, with the majority of it having been drawn using a special dye. This was what was known as a magic circle. A machine had been placed on the edge of the magic circle. This machine had a different design from the classic looking candlesticks and furnishings as it was more modern, and it stood out quite clearly. Kii had been left next to that machine inside of a cage made from metal and glass. The machine and cage were connected through many cables.

“Hmm... so this girl has quite a bit of power as well. Is her lineage still present after so many generations? I wonder... Well, with this, I should be able to get the results I want with the spiritual energy capacitor.”

Maya operated the machine and showed a satisfied smile.

The altar served to enhance Maya's magical power and allowed her to use large scale magic. Large scale magic could be used to cast a spell on an entire city or summon a powerful demon.

And Kii was going to be used as a sacrificial catalyst for the ritual. First, she was going to drain Kii's spiritual energy using the machine, and once the capacitor had drained as much as it could, it would be immediately changed into magical power using the magic circle. As a result, Kii would die from having her life force drained and Maya would be able to cast a powerful spell.

Normally, an altar only consisted of a magic circle and a cage that would contain the catalyst. But now there was a machine that had been added onto the altar. Maya had gotten a hold of this machine through a deal with the underground people, the People of the Earth. It was capable of temporarily storing spiritual energy, and with it, she could greatly reduce the requirements needed of the catalyst. Up until now, someone with massive amounts of spiritual energy, like Kanae's daughter, was required, but now even someone with just some spiritual energy would suffice. Maya was satisfied with this and cheerfully prepared for the ritual.

“...Onii-chan...”

Meanwhile, Kii was obediently sitting inside the cage. She had struggled at first, but she had no chance against Maya. And the cage was robust, so she couldn't break out. This left her with no other option than waiting for rescue.

“...I'm sure Onii-chan went to save his mom...”

However, Kii didn't expect anyone to come save her. She believed that Koutarou wouldn't come for her, but would rather save his mother. She herself also knew that it would be hard for him to save both her and his mother.

“...That's for the better, Onii-chan... It's really sad when your mom dies... You'll be all alone until you find her star...”

Kii knew what it felt like to lose one's mother. One would end up searching for their mother's warmth forever, when it's no longer anywhere to be found. And what about abandoning your own mother when you could save her? That would surely cause Koutarou such grief that his heart would break into tiny pieces. Because of that, Kii would rather that Koutarou saved his mother than have that happen. Kii loved Koutarou so much; that was her honest feelings.

“...Kii met... with mom. Even if I die... I'll become a star next to mom. But Onii-chan is different... He will always suffer until he finds her star.... so don't come save Kii, Onii-chan...”

Kii was prepared for her own death. However, she didn't fear it. Thinking that she'd just meet her mother again, her fears were alleviated. That's why all Kii did now was pray that Koutarou had managed to save his mother.

“You sure are calm... aren't you afraid of dying?”

Kii was behaving very differently from all the catalysts that Maya had used before. Interested, she began speaking to Kii.

“I am scared of dying. But I'm more scared of what would happen if I'm saved.”

“You think that man is coming? That's impossible. Nobody can approach this place.”

Maya had cast Sanctuary, a magical barrier that keeps people away around this area. It not only blocked electromagnetic waves and visible light, but it also implanted the urge of not wanting to approaching this place into those nearby. Because of that, just like the name suggested, this place had become an inviolable sanctuary.

And because of that, Maya had hurried back here. Even for a magician, it was hard to find a place that had Sanctuary cast around it right away. It might be possible to find it if they spent a lot of time, but by that time, the ritual would be over. The moment she reached this place, Maya's victory was certain.

“I see... then that's good...”

Koutarou won't come. Once Kii heard that she was relieved and smiled. He surely would have given up and was now on his way to save his mother. If it was as Maya had said, Koutarou's mother wouldn't die. That's why Kii was smiling.

“You really are a strange child... even though you're about to die...”

“Don't you have something that you'd rather die than lose?”

“...I do. Okay then. I'll make sure you suffer as little as possible.”

“...Thank you...”

Maya began respecting the young girl nodding in front of her.

If this girl had grown up and become the leader of the People of the Earth, they just might survive...

Comparing the surface to the underground, Maya was certain that even if Tayuma's group won the political strife and declared war on the surface, they would be ruined in the end.

Regardless of how advanced their technology was, they were just a mere 10,000 in the end. A war wasn't just determined by technology; it was decided by the population and the nation's financial strength. That's because regardless of how powerful their weapons were, they wouldn't function forever. A population of 10,000 would never stand a chance. At best, their war would be considered terrorism.

Tayuma and his group didn't understand that. Or they knew it, but their pride couldn't accept it. Either way, the end results would be the same. They would be stamped as terrorists by the people on the surface and they would slowly perish without ever gaining any ground on the surface.

However, Maya could sense that the girl in front of her could lead them in the future. She had a high intellect and a clear resolve. She still had room for growth because of her age, but she held the qualities of an excellent leader.

That was why Maya respected Kii. Of course, that wouldn't save Kii's life. Maya also had a clear goal and resolve. But she did feel like she shouldn't make Kii suffer needlessly. That wasn't sympathy, but rather something similar to empathy.

Maya turned her back to Kii and began adjusting the machine further as she closely examined the spell she would be using. That was in order to reduce the suffering that Kii would feel.

However, the time spent on making those adjustments greatly changed Kii's fate.

“Hm...?”

While adjusting the machine, she noticed something and looked towards the entrance behind her.

“What... Could they have found this place? And they easily broke through the barrier...”

Maya sensed the presence of an enemy that had passed through her barrier.

“Just as I was about to get started!”

Maya stopped her adjustments and grabbed the cane near her. She would have to defeat that enemy before she could start the ritual.

If Maya hadn't adjusted the machine to ease Kii's suffering, she would have started her ritual by now. However, in the end, Kii's intelligence had saved her life.

“Could it be...”

Looking at Maya, Kii realized that someone was approaching and who it was. However, she wasn't happy, because she knew what that meant.

“Why did you come!? You should have just left me!! Onii-chan!!”

Koutarou appeared in the underground parking lot where the altar had been constructed.

Part 2

Koutarou had found this place thanks to Clan's transmitter. Since it used gravitational waves, it wasn't affected by Sanctuary. Magicians might have known about electromagnetic waves and visible light, but they didn't know of gravitational waves. That's why the spell hadn't been designed to block those out.

“I'm here to save you, Kii-chan.”

Seeing Kii's face, Koutarou felt relieved. Kii on the other hand was not.

“Onii-chan!? What about your mom!?”

“I'll take you with me to save her.”

A light extended from the short metal bar Koutarou was holding. It was one of the beam swords that Flair had used in their battle against Maxfern. Out of what Clan had to offer, this was the weapon that he had chosen. The reasons for this was because Koutarou wasn't used to ranged weapons and because it was Clan's recommendation.

“Then you won't make it!! You have to hurry!!”

“Yeah. So I'll defeat her right away, and then we'll go save my mom.”

Koutarou held the beam sword with both hands like he would a knight sword. He drew a circle with the tip and then pointed it towards Maya. Since the beam sword was light, his balance was different, but Koutarou was planning on fighting using his Forthorthe style.

“Why did you come to save someone like me!? If your mom dies because of me then I... I!!”

Kii wanted Koutarou to run off and save his mother as quickly as possible. She knew that the chances of Koutarou being able to do what he said were incredibly low. At this rate, his mother would die. In fact, Koutarou himself might even die. And that was something that Kii never wanted to happen.

“It's fine. Doing this is natural. I'll save you and then we'll go save my mom together.”

“Onii-chan... b-but...”

Koutarou didn't know if this choice was correct or not either. If he reversed the order, he might have been able to save both, but he had prioritized Kii.

There hadn't been a reason for Koutarou to think that way. If he was pressed for one, he would have said it was because he remembered the reason for why is mother had died. She had died jumping out on the road to save Koutarou. Without thinking about it, she jumped out to save the young life in front of her. That's why Koutarou would do the same. But he wasn't aware of this himself. Koutarou simply couldn't leave Kii. He couldn't overlook her being unhappy.

“Aren't I being looked down on? Do I really look that weak?...Twilight Wing, Recall – Precast Category Alpha.”

A large scythe blade was created around the top of Maya's cane. And at the same time, her whole body began glowing in colorful light. The light had been released through her keywords, and it consisted of over ten reinforcement spells that she had incanted ahead of time. She had cast some reinforcement spells on her when she had fought Koutarou before, but this time was far above that.

“You won't be able to beat me that quickly, boy.”

There were no lies in her words. Seeing Koutarou hold a weapon in his hand, Maya believed she needed powerful reinforcements. She wasn't someone that he would be able to defeat right away now.

“...I bet. But I will still defeat you right away.”

She's about as fast as Flairhan. And at the same time she does as much damage as Theia. She might even be stronger than landlord-san. What a problematic opponent...

Predicting that the upcoming fight would be intense, Koutarou readjusted his grip on the beam sabers handle. She was the kind of opponent that would be lethal if he showed her a single opening.

“Well, come at me whenever you want, boy!!”

Maya swung her scythe around. It originally handled well enough, but now that her physical strength had improved she handled the scythe even better than before.

“Here I come!!”

Petty tricks wouldn't work at an opponent of this level, so Koutarou charged at her from the front.

“Tiny Memory Flash – Modifier – Touch Trigger!”

As Koutarou and Maya closed in on each other, her scythe that was emitting red light was surrounded by an indigo light as well. It was a spell that erased memories.

“That thing again.”

Koutarou didn't know what it was, but he knew that once the scythe was covered by an indigo glow, strange things happened. That's why he reached the conclusion that touching it would be bad.

I believe in you Clan!

But Koutarou swung his sword, aware of the danger. Maya moved to use her scythe to protect herself. She was going to block the sword with the scythe and activate the spell.

Just like Maya had planned, the sword had been blocked by her scythe, and her spell was supposed to activate.

“What!? Could this sword be...!?”

“Good job, Clan!!”

Koutarou wasn't affected by the memory loss. The indigo light dispersed as it contacted the sword, and it didn't reach him. While Maya was surprised by that, Koutarou launched repeated attacks. Since the top of his sword had struck the scythe on his first attack, he twisted his body to use the momentum to launch the grip at Maya's side.

“Quick Cast – Force Field!!”

However, Maya created a shield to block Koutarou's strike. Seeing that, he jumped out of Maya's range.

Maya swung her scythe towards Koutarou's back, but the first blow had knocked her off balance and her attack didn't reach him.

“Good, I can fight like this!”

After distancing himself, Koutarou readied his sword again. Maya did the same with her scythe. However, she had an amazed expression on her face.

“I am surprised. Just what is with that sword?”

Maya had at first thought that Koutarou's sword was a capable of extending and retracting like a policeman's baton since it wasn't emitting any magic power. If it had, she would have imagined that it was a blade created from magic like her own. However, since she couldn't sense any magic power from it, it was only obvious for her to assume it was a product of modern science. So she believed it was an extendable weapon, and since it was glowing, she assumed that electricity was running through it.

However, that wasn't the case. If it had been a product of modern science, her spell should still have activated. But since it hadn't, it meant that the sword didn't have a physical form. Since the grip and blade weren't connected, energy wouldn't transmit between them. But since she couldn't sense any magic power from the blade, that was impossible. Maya was well aware that the modern science on Earth couldn't create material without physical form. Despite that, an example of such was right in front of her. It was an unbelievable situation for Maya.

This result had been brought forth because of Clan's recommendation. When she had heard that strange things happened when Koutarou touched the scythe, she had recommended the beam sword to him. The beam sword behaved very similar to a beam cannon fired at point blank range. It was just high density energy given the form of a blade. That's why the blade and grip weren't strictly connected. Clan suspected that even if the blade connected with the scythe, nothing strange would happen.

“You are full of surprises... Isn't that sword just cheating?”

Not even a magician like Maya would imagine that it was a weapon created by aliens.

Maybe it's a blade created out of force fields designed so that it wouldn't leak magic power? But can magic power really be this thoroughly erased? And is there a merit for doing so? Or could it be that... the underground people gave him one of their weapons?

Maya tried to come up with a solution within her own range of common sense, which ended up taking her further away from the truth.

“You're telling me that? That scythe of yours is nothing but cheats.”

“I guess it means that we know nothing about each other then!!”

“That's right!!”

The two had only stopped for a moment. Knowing that thinking about it wouldn't get them any answers, they decided to focus on the fight at hand. Their top priority was to defeat the enemy in front of them.

Koutarou's sword and Maya's scythe clashed repeatedly. For each time their weapons formed from energy clashed, a huge flash was produced.

“It's been awhile since I've fought someone that could keep up with me in this state!”

“There are many still stronger than me!”

“Then I'll make sure I won't fight them!”

“A wise decision!!”

Since his sword could protect him from the memory loss, Koutarou was able to put up a better fight than during their first round. Maya could now move faster, while Koutarou was more skilled and better at predicting her movements. As a result, the two were fighting evenly.

Not good, at this rate mom will die!!

Koutarou was starting to panic. He was already short on time, so getting held up here would definitely lead to his mother's death. He needed to finish this up right now, but Koutarou was lacking something that would let him do such.

I am not in a good situation... If we keep fighting like this, my reinforcement magic will run out eventually... If that happens, I'm finished!

It wasn't just Koutarou; Maya was starting to panic as well. She was greatly enhancing her physique through magic, but since that consumed a lot of magic power, it would be hard to maintain it for longer periods of time. At this rate, she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer. The magic power that Maya had created from the ritual using Kanae's daughter was currently being stored in a crystal she had on her. If she used that, she would be able to keep the reinforcement magic for a little while longer, but that would be a major setback for her plan. If possible, she wanted to conclude this fight without having to go that far.

It'll be a gamble, but it's all I have!!

I can't risk a drawn out fight, I'll have to finish it here!!

Koutarou and Maya both reached their conclusion at the same time and closed in on one another.

“Let's finish this!!”

The two shouted out at the same time and their weapons clashed at close range.

Their blades sparked and locked as they pushed their weapons against one another. However, it wasn't going to end there.

“Quick and Still Cast – Multiple Thunderbolt – Modifier – Maximize!!”

Maya cast a new spell from this position. She sped up the cast time and omitted the gestures required while incanting, creating several thunderbolts to the maximum of her limit. Because she was maintaining several reinforcement spells, the magic power used wasn't all that much, but when fired from a locked stance at close quarters, even Koutarou would have a hard time dodging it.

But at the same time, it was a dangerous move for Maya to make. In order to protect herself from any swift attacks that Koutarou might make, she was defending herself with an automatic barrier. But since a person could only cast one spell at a time, Maya would be defenseless in the instant that she fired off this spell.

I've got you now, boy!!

Even then, Maya was convinced that she had won. She was holding Koutarou's sword back with her scythe. As their blades were locked, there was no fear of a kick or punch. She should be fine even if she didn't protect herself with magic. And the electricity would assault Koutarou from close range, there was no way he could dodge it.

“Nooow!!”

However, that was when Koutarou did something unexpected. He pressed a button on the grip of his beam sword and erased the blade.

“Oh n―”

Maya's eyes opened wide in surprise. At the same time, since Koutarou's sword had vanished, she ended up stepping forward. Koutarou passed under her scythe and approached her. The next moment, electricity shot through the tip of her scythe and hit nothing but empty air. Since he was between Maya and her scythe, he had avoided getting hit.

“Take thiiiiiis!!”

Koutarou let his momentum carry him forward and he crashed into Maya. Like she had expected, he didn't attack with a kick or a punch.

Instead, while Maya was stunned by surprise, Koutarou's head crashed into her. Maya who had been unable to stop her own momentum got hit in the chin by Koutarou's counter attack.

Impos...sible...

Maya realized that she had been defeated. Even then, she couldn't believe this situation. Regardless of whether she believed it however, her sight darkened and her consciousness faded. She had taken massive damage, and by the time she crashed into the floor she had already lost consciousness.

“I did it...”

Koutarou lightly dropped his shoulders and checked up on Maya. Based off of her aura, he could confirm that she had fainted. It didn't look like she would be out for long, but Koutarou didn't have any time to deal with her. He had to save Kii right away and then rush to his mother.

“Kii-chan!!”

“Onii-chan!! Hurry!! Your mom, your mom will...!!”

“I know!!”

Koutarou reactivated his beam sword and struck the lock of the cage Kii was in. The lock was easily destroyed and Kii jumped out of the cage.

“Hurry, hurry!! Your mom is going to die!!”

Kii was crying. Since she was so gentle, she worried for Koutarou's mother as much as she did for her own life. Koutarou's mother absolutely couldn't die because of her. With that powerful emotion inside of her, despite tears falling off her cheeks, she rushed ahead of Koutarou towards the parking lot's exit.

Thank you, Kii-chan...

Koutarou turned off the beam sword while staring at Kii's back. Seeing her so desperately trying to save his mother made him feel like coming to rescue her had been the right decision.

“But for now...!”

Koutarou put the beam sword between his belt and pants and chased after Kii. He didn't have the time to stop and think. He had to hurry on to his mother's side.

Maya had regained her consciousness the moment after Koutarou and Kii had started running. Thanks to the reinforcement magic she had cast on herself her regeneration had been greatly increased.

“I-I can't let her get away...”

Maya could see the two moving away. After shaking her head repeatedly to clear up her mind she picked up the cane lying next to her. She was going to use magic to finish off Kii.

For her own, and for Darkness Rainbow's goals, she still needed Tayuma's power. The knowledge and technology he held would be of great help to Maya and her allies.

“E-Energy Bolt - Target Option – Sidewinder...”

Though she had recovered a bit, she still hadn't fully shaken off the damage. She was unable to properly aim for Kii with her distorted sight. That's why Maya added the ability for the spell to automatically seek its target using heat sources. Once this spell was cast, it would most likely target Kii who had a higher body temperature as she was a child.

“Go!”

A glowing red bullet shot out from her cane and it crawled along the ground, following after Kii. It quickly closed the distance to her.

“Quick Cast – Flare.”

However, just before it was about to hit Kii, the bullet suddenly changed direction and charged towards a ball of red light that had suddenly appeared.

“Angel Halo, Recall – Precast – Silence.”

And as the bullet crashed into the ball of light, they both vanished without a sound. As a result, Kii was saved without realizing what had happened. She left the parking lot with Koutarou.

“Could it be―”

“It could, Dark Navy.”

As if replacing Koutarou and Kii, another duo appeared in the parking lot.

One was a girl around ten years old, wearing a pink outfit and holding a large cane. The other was a woman in her late twenties wearing a suit and holding a bow.

It was magical girl Nana and her partner, Kanae.

“Nana... to think you'd appear now.”

“It's an unbreakable rule to complete your duty without being noticed.”

Maya slowly raised her body as Nana calmly watched her.

I have no chance to win, huh...

Maya realized her own defeat. Though Nana looked young, she was the strongest magician in Rainbow Heart. She also had an archer cooperating with her. After having taken a lot of damage from her fight with Koutarou, and with almost no magic power left, she had almost no chance to win.

“We also had to clean up after you. It took some time before we were able to release everyone.”

“I see... So that boy got here quicker than expected because you helped him.”

As she spoke, Maya carefully checked Nana's attitude. In a fight, she wouldn't have a chance so she had to find some other means of escape from this predicament.

“Navy, just surrender. If you comply, we'll at least spare your life.”

“I'll get executed either way after the trial, right? Then I'd rather die fighting.”

The magicians of Darkness Rainbow used magic to fulfill their own wishes. Apart from a few exceptions, the majority used magic to commit crimes. Maya was the same, and she had used many people as sacrifices. On top of abusing magic, her kill streak reached over 100. Even if she surrendered she wouldn't be able to avoid the death penalty.

“Is that so? I thought you were a bit smarter than that.”

“Smarter...?”

Maya and Nana stared at each other. During that time, Maya desperately racked her brain. She could feel like Nana was implying something.

Smarter... does she mean that I could escape after being caught? Or could she mean... no, more importantly, why is Nana saying this?

Maya looked back at Nana, who was reaching her hand out towards her.

“However, regardless of what you'll do, you're going to give me the focus gem you created from the ritual.”

A focus gem was a gem that would occasionally emit light in all the colors of the rainbow. This gem served as a storage for the magic power created from the ritual and it contained vast amounts of it. Nana had her hand reached out to retrieve that gem from Maya.

“You don't mind, do you?”

The edges of Nana's lips lifted as she said that.

I see, so that's what she means... The circumstances for an ally of justice are complicated...

Smart. Focus Gem.

It was then that Maya understood what Nana was trying to tell her with those two keywords.

“Okay, I'll give you the gem.”

Having understood Nana's circumstances, the edges of her lips lifted just like Nana.

Really... not only is her magic skills to be feared, but her bargaining skills as well... Is this girl really just ten years old?

Maya was amazed on the inside, but without saying anything she joined in on Nana's plot.

“Isn't that great, Kanae-san.”

“Yes! Thank you, Nana-chan!”

Having learned that they would obtain the focus gem, it wasn't Nana who was rejoiced but Kanae. She was actually the one after it.

“Here, this is the gem! Catch!”

Maya pulled out the gem and threw it towards Kanae. The gem flew towards her in a large arc, but as it reached the top of its arc it let out a dazzling flash.

“Kya!?”

Kanae who was staring directly at it was blinded by the flash and temporarily lost her vision.

Because of that, she missed catching the gem and it rolled along the floor.

“Oh no!!”

Afraid that Maya would steal it back, she jumped onto the ground and looked for the gem. However, since she couldn't see it, wasn't quite easy for her to find it.

If I don't hurry, that girl and Soutarou-san will be in danger!!

Kanae panicked. If Maya managed to steal the gem back, she would be able to fulfill her goal. With the time limit closing in she had to obtain the gem at any cost.

“...It's okay, Kanae-san. The gem is right here.”

Kanae looked in the direction of Nana's voice, there she could vaguely see a pink colored outfit. She was gradually regaining her vision, but she still couldn't see clearly. But she was certain that she was looking at Nana.

“Where is she!? Where did that woman go!?”

Kanae blinked repeatedly and looked around the area.

“She ran off, using that flash to hide her escape.”

“Nana-chan, was it okay to let her go?”

This was a mysterious situation for Kanae. Based on Nana's attitude, she hadn't been very affected by the flash. Despite that, she hadn't chased after Maya as she fled. Considering Nana's position, that was something unbelievable.

“Yes, this is that kind of deal.”

“Deal?”

Kanae had now almost fully recovered her sight. And in the center of her view she saw a girl wearing a pink outfit. She was holding the gem that shined in all colors of the rainbow and calmly looked and smiled at Kanae.

“What do you mean?”

“In exchange for Navy not doing anything to this gem, I let her go.”

Nana answered Kanae with a smile. She then put the gem in Kanae's hands.

“If we had fought, Navy would have almost certainly used the magic power in the gem.”

“Ah...”

“But if she did something like that, your daughter wouldn't survive. That's why I let her escape in exchange for the gem. That's the kind of deal we made.”

Of course, that wasn't everything. If Nana had fallen for the flash as well, Maya might have made one last bet. However, since that hadn't happened, Maya left without doing anything. It was Nana's victory.

“Thank you Nana-chan. For my sake...”

“Don't worry about it. I didn't just let her run away.”

A spell was currently pursuing Navy. After Nana had finished her work here, she was going to chase Maya down.

“It looks like Navy has taken a lot of damage, and she has also lost her altar and gem. Not even she can pull off something major again right away. I only need to capture her before she can do anything.”

“But, won't they get angry at you, Nana-chan?”

Nana was a magician that was a part of Folsaria's regular army, Rainbow Heart. Letting an enemy escape was a major violation.

“What could I do? She managed to escape while the flash blinded me.”

Nana smiled brightly. She was going to tell the top brass that Maya had managed to escape by blinding her.

“I see... so she also did it for that...”

One could say that Maya using a method like that to escape was part of the deal. If she hadn't made it look like she was escaping, Nana would have punished her. That's because according to Nana's actual mission, she should have ignored the gem and defeated Maya. But if that happened, Kanae would be unable to fulfill her goal. That's why Nana had struck a deal with Maya. It was a last resort of sorts. Being an ally of justice put her in a difficult position.

“Now then, Kanae-san, let's go home after destroying this altar. We have to return the magic power in that gem to your daughter as quickly as possible.”

As Nana said that she raised her cane above her head. She was going to use a power attack spell to destroy the altar. And while Kanae watched on, she strongly held the gem and began feeling anxious.

“Will that girl survive...?”

“I'm sorry. To be honest, I don't know either. But she shouldn't die right away. I can at least guarantee that.”

Kanae's daughter's spiritual energy had forcibly been drained for her body, converted into magic power and stored in that gem. Maya had used a portion of that magic power, and when the magic power was converted into spiritual energy, there was no guarantee that it would properly attach to Kanae's daughter. However, if they destroyed the central piece of that ritual, the gem, after returning the magic power, Kanae's daughter should be able to escape from the effects of the ritual. With the leak of spiritual energy stopping, her life should be saved. Kanae's husband would escape from the hazardous situation as well.

“I am really sorry. This is all because you got involved in our fight...”

“It's unfortunate, but there is no need for you to feel responsible. You're still young enough to be a child...”

Kanae's daughter might not be able to live for long. However, Kanae wasn't going to blame Nana for that. Dark Navy was the one who was wrong, and no matter how strong she may be, Nana was still a child. Kanae couldn't criticize Nana who was almost as old as her own daughter.

“Thank you, Kanae-san...”

“Don't cry, Nana-chan. It's not your fault...”

Kanae gently embraced Nana.

The biggest reason for why Kanae didn't blame Nana was because of the bond they had formed during the days they had spent together. This small girl was continuing her fight all alone. Knowing that, Kanae couldn't leave Nana be. Right now, she thought of Nana like her own daughter. And as a partner, she had spent good times and bad with her.

“...I'm casting a spell, Kanae-san...”

“Right, sorry for getting in your way. I'm sorry, Nana-chan..:”

Thus the two destroyed Dark Navy's plot and successfully saved Kanae's daughter.

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