[Side Story] Chasing a Butterfly (9)
Lucy. I have something to say.
I guess I’m going to die soon.
I have struggled to somehow survive in this unreasonable world, but my journey ends here.
By the time you come to your senses, it is much more likely that I will no longer be here.
So, I think this will be my last words to you.
I understand how you feel. You may have already experienced the pain of loss, but you also know that the pain is not something you can adapt to.
So, the first thing I want to say to you right now is that I’m sorry.
However, I don’t want to fill my last words to you with meaningless apologies.
Survive. Lucy.
No matter how the world goes, hold on tight to your life.
Even though it seems like the cold winter will never end, spring will definitely come.
Even if the world seems to be sinking into darkness forever, morning will always come.
There is no such thing as an ‘ending’ in a real story.
Even if everything seems to end happily, even if it all seems to end in tragedy.
Still, reality continues. Life spreads out. That’s the answer I’ve gotten in my short life.
The countless choices I have made while running frantically to survive in this unreasonable world.
If I had made different choices in some of them, there might have been a different ending.
Somewhere in the flow of a distant world, there could be me who overcame all the trials and achieved a happy ending.
Or he could have met an even more terrible end, burning to death in agony.
Whatever it is, the attitude we must take to survive in this unreasonable world does not change. It’s about surviving.
you will be sad
Still, never give up on life.
Clench your teeth and survive. Even if it seems like there are no more answers in this hellish world, even if it seems meaningless, even if it’s just blind… . Survive.
Even now, as I face death, I believe without wavering.
If you hold on and hold on like that… The moment when you think it was a good thing to be alive will definitely come.
So, make sure you survive.
*”Help me. “I need your help.”
Lortel’s next words were direct. I was able to fully guess what Lortel would say.
“Did you see the expressions on the faces of the refugees sitting here as you came in? Lucy, when it was confirmed that you were alive… “They have new hope.”
“… .”
“It is said that you borrowed the power of the Phoenix Ring, but if you were the one who was able to pull out time even against the Holy Spear Dragon, Velbroke… “I might be able to somehow subdue and persuade senior Yenika.”
Lucy was not a being subordinate to this world to begin with. However, there is no way the survivors outside would even know that fact.
“… “I haven’t lost all of the ring’s bounce yet.”
“… ”
“It goes without saying that all of the magical power from its prime hasn’t returned, and I’m not even sure how much strength it can exert against the high-ranking elementalist who holds Velbroke’s heart in the first place.”
Lucy lowered her head and spoke the reality.
“First and foremost, my priority goal is… “We’re going back to the world we came from.”
It was a difficult story to tell. However, it is an issue that cannot be ignored.
Lortel from this world, and Lucy from that world.
The interests of the two do not coincide.
Lortel tries to overpower Yenika and leave the island, and Lucy struggles to somehow return to the original world.
There is no contact between the two.
“… ”
“… ”
There was an awkward silence.
From the beginning, Lucy and Lortel were not on good terms. There was almost no point of contact with each other.
Still, Lortel spoke quietly.
“… “You know, Lucy.”
This is what Lortel wanted to ask Lucy, who had been looking at a world of other possibilities.
She couldn’t bear to part her lips, so she just lowered her gaze and trembled her lips.
Lucy seemed to know what questions Lortel was unable to ask even if he wanted to.
Did the senior Ed you know survive happily?
The moment Lucy nodded, there was no telling what kind of expression Lortel would make.
Will you smile with happiness, or will you be frustrated with your current situation, or will you shed tears? .
Not only Lucy, but even Lortel himself had no expectations at all.
Lortel must not be weakened.
Even at this moment, there are too many people whose lives are at stake due to Lortel’s judgments and decisions.
Therefore, Lortel closed his eyes and told another story.
“How do I get back?”
It was consideration for Lucy.
Lucy couldn’t bear to say anything. Above all, he couldn’t even figure out how to return to the original world.
According to the theory of aspect magic discussed by Zelan and Ed, such an unrealistic thing should not have happened.
This is because magical interference between worlds cannot occur.
Lucy closed her eyes and fell into thought.
The reason why something that couldn’t happen actually happened… . If you think about it a little, you can quickly guess it.
Just as you can only clap if your palms meet, this interference occurred because someone in this world observed Lucy as she is now.
Putting aside who did it and for what purpose, if you want to escape from this world, you have to reach out to the other world again for help.
Perhaps, Ed Rosstaylor will once again try to observe the numerous trends in the world in order to save himself.
In the flow of such enormous numbers, it would not be easy to find the world into which one had drifted.
Therefore, a rescue signal must be sent.
I’m here.
In that way, he must raise his voice and let Ed Rosstaylor, who is wandering around looking for him, know.
Just like a person stranded on a desert island starts a fire or a person trapped in a cave screams.
I have to constantly shout out to Ed. I’m here. Save me.
however… . To do so requires a huge amount of magical power. By using the Aspect Magic, Lucy must observe Ed, who is wandering around looking for Lucy.
However, the absolute amount of magical power is sorely lacking. I know how to handle Aspect Magic Power, but there is no way to solve the lack of Aspect Magic Power itself.
It might be possible to slowly restore magical power. But it takes too long.
The observation device that Glokt left behind can only observe the flow of possibilities nearby. If we stay here for a few years to recover our magical power, the gap in the flow may widen so wide that we cannot even observe it.
Still… Where did they get such an astronomical amount of magic power right away?
It was that moment.
The moment Lucy drifted into this world… . An item thrown by Ed Rosstaylor. I couldn’t really see what it was, but it was something I was holding tightly in my arms.
The situation was so urgent that I couldn’t even think about it.
“… Lucy?”
Lortel looked at Lucy with wide eyes.
Lucy put her hand into her bosom, took out a round bead-shaped object, and checked it.
“that… .”
Lucy felt tears welling up in her eyes.
The moment Ed separated from Lucy, he gave her the most precious item he could ever own.
Lucy is a rare genius wizard. Although he had lost most of his magical power and was unable to exert his strength properly, his application skills and knowledge were at a level where it was safe to say that he was almost in the ranks of great men.
However, the fact that there is no magical power is just painful. Ed also knew that fact…
The ‘remains of Tyrkalax’ that was so cherished… I left it to Lucy.
-Wow.
The orb that emits magical energy fully contains the magical power of the highest-ranking spirit.
It’s such a huge amount that most wizards can’t handle it. But with Lucy, it’s a different story.
However, as Zelan said, if it is not properly processed and used, it is nothing more than a consumable item. But the situation is the situation.
Ed Rosstaylor decided that it would be better to lose that precious relic than to lose Lucy.
“you… that… ”
“I want to use the magic power inside this. maybe… Processing it would be difficult because it is so difficult, but… ”
Lucy spoke while holding her breath.
“If it’s simply about releasing the magic bound up inside… Because it’s possible… ”
– Squeak
“It might be possible. However, there is a small problem.”
At that moment, the door to the reception room opened and someone came in. It was Elvira, who had just been organizing the situation outside.
“The whole area will be in chaos as the unleashed magical energy spurts out. “You won’t be able to properly absorb that magic power.”
Now that I look at it, I think I’m a little taller. Elvira came in with her Clevias, patting down her own alchemy bag.
She is a girl with excellent knowledge of alchemy and magical engineering supplies. Lucy immediately realized what she had taken out of her arms and sat down on the reception sofa.
Clevius followed behind him, closed the door, and stood behind Elvira. She looked like she had something to say.
Clevius slowly opened his mouth in a dark voice. He seemed more dependable than Lucy knew.
“Lortel. The situation outside is unusual. The spirits will run rampant even more. “I think the spirits became sensitive because they were discovered while searching outside.”
“… “What about the survivors?”
“He gets angry when he sees Lucy’s face, but he seems more anxious because of the situation outside.”
It feels like I have almost abandoned my cowardly nature. Given the situation, it was probably unavoidable.
As I was watching the two of them, it seemed like I heard the entire conversation Lortel and Lucy were having from earlier. I didn’t bother to ask Lortel and Lucy anything.
However, Elvira only speaks softly.
“I think… “Lucy, I don’t think our interests are that far apart.”
Lucy kept her mouth shut and looked towards Elvira.
“I don’t know exactly what that thing you’re holding in your hand is, but you want to release the magic inside you, right?”
“… ”
“If you properly draw out the magic power inside you right away without any processing, the magic power that is scattered will be much more than the magic power you actually use.”
The way it is used is no different from that of a cheap magic stone. It appears that expensive precious metal crafts are being used as hammers.
However, the situation is the situation. There is no time to think about the difference.
“If it’s that high-end product… We need an intermediary device that will fully bring out the magic inside us. Of course, it would be impossible to create such a mediating device in this environment… ”
Elvira has excellent knowledge in the field of magic applications. Even when he was a student at Sylvania Academy, he was a student who always achieved high grades in related assignments.
Lucy could easily guess the conclusion she would draw.
“… Do you remember the freshman placement test? When senior Ed stopped the freshmen at the top of Mt.
“… ”
At that time, Lucy was also watching Ed from the top of the mountain.
The ‘Altar of Change’ at the top of Mt. Orn.
It was an altar that had the power to draw out the magic power inside magical items and transfer it to the user.
Ed, who was unable to use magical power due to the recoil caused by Glast’s Phoenix Ring, brought a lot of magic stones and used the Altar of Replacement to deal with the new students.
“… .With the power of the altar, you will be able to fully utilize the magical power inherent in the bead you are holding. If there’s a problem… ”
There is someone guarding the altar.
This is a girl shedding tears endlessly at the top of the mountain.
He wants to erase all living things on Aken Island and use it only as a tomb and sanctuary for the boy… A spiritist who was swallowed up by that madness.
For a moment, silence spread throughout the reception room.
It felt like everyone was watching Lucy. There is no guarantee that everything will go well just because Lucy joins right away, but Lucy’s military power will still be a great help to the survivors.
“… “If it’s necessary, you should do it.”
And as always, Lucy doesn’t give much thought to her decision.
*It’s not even winter, but it’s snowing.
If you look closely, the snowflakes falling from the dark night sky are actually volcanic ash.
At the top of the mountain, in front of Belbroke’s still beating heart… A girl with her head down, clutching Ed’s cane tightly. The girl’s tears had not stopped yet.
Volcanoes that erupted from the body of the highest-ranking fire spirit Theorpis. The volcanic ash flying from its body covered the entire area of Mount Orn for several years, eventually turning it into a pure white snow mountain.
Even the tall coniferous trees and laid grass are dyed pure white, making it look like a tranquil sanctuary. This island is where Ed Ross Taylor sleeps.
Under the soft moonlight, amid the volcanic ash that is calmly falling and sinking, the white-haired spirit priest raises his head with tears in his eyes. The sight of a face stained with sadness covered in volcanic ash looks like an angel covered in feathers.
However, the one sitting there in sorrow is not an angel, but a devil.
He is an undertaker steeped in madness who equally destroys all visible life and seeks to stop time on this island forever.
“… There is still life. A life that disturbs the rest of the departed.”
The eyes of the spirits that spread across the island are the eyes of a girl.
What that meant was clear.
