[Side Story] Chasing a Butterfly (10)
To get to Mt. Orn, you have to cross the sea.
Aken Island used to be one large island, but now it has split into two large lines and several small rocky islands.
Of course, there is no way there is a proper dock left. There was no choice but to use spatial magic or flight magic to get over it, but both consumed a lot of magical energy.
Even if it can handle the consumption of magic power, the airspace around Aken Island is all the territory of spirits controlled by Yenica Palover. Flying across the ocean with no cover was like asking them to kill me.
Still, I had to do it. Lucy had a reason for that.
“Anyway, the section where you have to fly isn’t that long. In the meantime, Elvira and I will assist you. However, after moving to the northern island, you will have to act completely on your own.”
Clevius, standing in front of the exit, said this to Lucy.
“On the way to the northern coast, those who still have fighting skills among the survivors will gather together and escort you. Until then, try to save your magic power as much as possible.”
Clevius no longer stuttered or looked at his surroundings out of fear.
The sense of responsibility that has been buried on his shoulders for a long time is what made him a full-fledged warrior.
In front of the exit to the underground waterway.
Here, the combatants selected from among the survivors, as well as Clevius, Elvira, and Lortel, were present.
“I can’t keep up.”
Lortel spoke so calmly.
This is because he must remain here and command the remaining group of survivors. The Soul Library is now the last bastion of survivors on Aken Island.
If this place is discovered by the spirits, there will truly be no life left on this island.
“I’m here to say goodbye. “Whether the results are good or bad.”
“… … .”
“It was nice to meet you, Lucy.”
In the end, Lortel did not ask Lucy about Ed she knew.
As if that were true.
It was a look worthy of the reputation of an iron-blooded woman who maintained her senses in any situation, but rather, that calmness seemed to envelop Lortel’s mind like a spell.
Sometimes, you have to learn how to complain and lament in grief and despair.
When a person’s heart becomes too hardened through various trials and becomes calloused… I had even forgotten how to release the force.
“Lortel, you… .”
“I will survive.”
It didn’t matter what the reason was. Whether it’s a desire for revenge or a desire for a simple life.
“Then, you don’t know. As for Ed, before he passed away, he left a will in a letter from prison. “It’s like saying goodbye to the people around you for the last time.”
“… … .”
“There were many stories, but the conclusion was a story about surviving somehow.”
He must have left a will to Yenika as well. It’s probably a similar story.
However, according to the explanation I heard from Lortel, Lucy here died before Ed.
so… There is no way he would have left a separate will for Lucy.
“I agree with Senior Ed’s thoughts. “We must survive.”
“… … .”
“Of course, the current situation is not very good, but… Anyway, if you hold on hard, you can last at least 3 more years. “We have that much supplies.”
People’s minds are devastated, and there seems to be no sign of the situation getting better. Nevertheless, Lortel never gives up his desire for life.
“I just wanted to tell you that story. “I’m saying I’m holding up well.”
Lortel said only that and kept his mouth shut.
Lucy closed her eyes, stayed still for a moment, and then turned around.
If you leave the underground waterway, you will reach Aken Island, where spirits are running rampant.
First, cross the northern forest and go to the coast, then use flight magic to reach the right mountain.
From there, he reaches the top of the mountain, breaks through Yenika, draws out the magic power of the Aspect using the remains of Tyrkalax at the Altar of Rebirth, and reaches out to Ed, who is searching for Lucy.
Although it was a nearly impossible plan, Lucy did not hesitate.
Watching Lucy and the guards quietly go outside, the survivors remaining in the underground waterway quietly prayed.
I just hoped that this would be the beginning of an end to all these disasters.
* * *
“The northern forest is where spirits are most active. “It’s best not to go near it, but at this point, it would be more dangerous to turn around and go somewhere else.”
The northern forest is so wide that if you try to return, the route will be too long. It seemed like it would have been better to take the shortest route across.
“Be sure to conserve your magic power until you reach the northern coast.”
In addition to Elvira, none of the surviving members of the group looked to be in good condition.
I have been surviving in this extreme situation for several years, and there is no way I can demonstrate my full strength.
The opponents are spirits who receive an infinite supply of magical energy from Yenika, who holds Velbroke’s heart.
If it goes on for a long time, they will definitely be overpowered.
Everyone in the group held their breath as they escaped the waterway and ran across the northern forest.
You must avoid irritating the spirits as much as possible.
―Saaaagh.
The shortest route through the northern forest.
During her school days, Lucy used this road frequently, so she was familiar with it. However, it was subtly different from the landscape he knew of the lush vegetation. The traces of time have subtly changed the forest landscape.
Clevius runs to the front line, looking at the surroundings, followed by Lucy, Elvira, and about 15 other combatants moving through the forest.
Each and every member of the group was paying close attention and observing their surroundings. Lucy couldn’t fully understand his feelings, but he was breaking into a cold sweat as if his life was in danger.
The presence of spirits wandering around the island seemed to have already become an object of fear among the group.
And, it was quickly proven that the boundary was not just a surprise.
– Woe!
―Kaaaaaaaagh!
Dozens of spirits twisted into bizarre shapes cover the sky.
When he discovered those who dared to cross the northern forest, which was the home of the spirits, he let out a distorted scream of anger.
The spirits that were running around the forest with Yenika rushed toward the group, breathing unpleasantly and flashing ominous eyes.
“Prepare for battle!”
As Elvira commanded and shouted, the combatants all took out their equipment and their expressions wrinkled.
As the fire spirit in the form of a giant mole spews out flames, the entire area begins to burn. Spirits in the form of bluish pterodactyls landed on the ground, snatched several combatants with their large feet, and flew into the sky.
“Kaaaaaaak!”
One combatant is kidnapped into the sky, screaming in pain, but the other combatants do not even show any signs of despair.
It was the expression of someone who had already lost friends several times. Lucy quickly tried to gather magic power into her fingertips, but Elvira snatched Lucy’s wrist.
“I told you. “You have to conserve your magic power.”
“… … .”
A colleague was just captured by a pterodactyl and flew into the sky. It seems obvious that he will either be scratched by the claws and bleed to death or fall to his death.
Nevertheless, Elvira gritted her teeth and prevented Lucy from intervening.
For the current group of survivors, Lucy is the only hope that might overcome this hopeless situation. We must never forget that this group’s goal is to save Lucy’s strength as much as possible and bring her to Mount Orn.
―Kwaang!
What sounded like an explosion was heard from the front lines.
However, that is not a sound caused by an explosion. Surprisingly, it was a sound caused by a sword strike.
Clevius’ sword strike, drunk with the flow of blood, is indistinguishable from a huge cannonball. A single sword strike has enough power to leave a huge mark in the area.
“Whew, wow… .”
The sound of Clevius’ heavy breathing sank into the dirt floor of the forest. Blood flows from the body of Clevius, who stabs himself in the shoulder.
Lucy Mayril once fought head-on with Clevius, who was completely drunk on blood swordsmanship.
Of course, I couldn’t even reach Lucy’s toes… The explosive power itself had no choice but to be acknowledged.
The current Clevius is… Compared to back then, he was handling blood tests much more skillfully. He does not get drunk on blood and lay waste to the entire area, nor does he cut off all the life he encounters.
Nevertheless, overcoming the fighting spirit itself is not an easy task.
Clevius struggles to come to his senses and pulls the sword from his shoulder again. A ray of fresh blood splashes out, and as I look up at the sky, I see spirits all over the world.
Clevius, who risked his life to demonstrate his blood sword skills to the limit, has the physical ability to fight one-on-one even with high-ranking spirits.
However, in terms of pure volume, the limitations are clear. Since it uses one’s own blood as a sacrifice to demonstrate one’s abilities, the biggest drawback of the blood sword technique is that if it continues in a long-term war of attrition, it will eventually destroy itself.
And in a war of attrition based on quantity, the Yenica Palover cannot be defeated.
“Clevius, you have to hold out for as long as 5 minutes.”
Elvira understands Clevious’s power better than anyone else.
At this point, we immediately realize the significance of Clevius’s use of blood sword techniques.
“Lucy, you are not allowed to fight here. “While Clevius blocks, we have to run.”
Lucy looked at Elvira, who had a solemn expression, for a moment. I’m not the type of person to swallow dry saliva or break into a cold sweat.
Still, I clearly understand the seriousness of the situation.
―Quaaaang!
A sword strike filled with blood magic tore through the sky.
Dozens of spirits become corpses and fall from the rainforest tree, but before long, new spirits bloom and fill the sky of the northern forest.
Elvira grabbed Lucy’s wrist and ran into the northern forest.
It was not an open road, but a direction that crossed the middle of a forest full of grass. Some of the group tried to catch up but failed.
At this point, it was right for Elvira and Lucy to move separately. All the crew has to do is draw attention to Lucy so she can head to the northern island.
So Lucy ran across the forest with Elvira for a while.
The sight of the northern forest that she observed while running was very different from what Lucy knew.
The forest road on the outskirts of the northern forest was completely burned, making it a landscape that could not even be called a forest.
Merilda’s guardian tree in the central lake also has only bare branches remaining.
and… If you run further north like that… Finally, the familiar scene appears.
“… … .”
Cabin, campfire, and lumber shed.
In front of it, it stands shabby… wooden shelter.
The first woodwork made by a man who began his survival activities in this camp.
And, it was once Lucy’s favorite napping spot.
I couldn’t believe it was still preserved. With all this chaos, how can that shabby camp maintain its original form?
That was the moment when Lucy’s eyes were drawn towards the camp.
“That camp… “You can’t even go near it.”
As they looked at the still distant camp scenery together, Elvira tugged on Lucy’s hand again.
“It is a sanctuary among sanctuaries, constantly protected by the strongest spirits. “The number of survivors who lost their lives after entering there by mistake exceeds double digits.”
“… … .”
“It might be better. “If you just avoid that part and go back, the rest of the section will only have decent spirits to deal with.”
As she continued to cross the grass, Elvira spoke through gritted teeth.
“Listen carefully, Lucy. “It is a time when many people have been lost.”
What is lost is lost. These are words that Lucy has engraved in her heart and lived with, but despite this, the pain never goes away.
“The people who join the group of survivors are all precious lovers, friends, family… These are the people who lost whatever it was. In that sense, I am relatively lucky.”
“… “Lucky?”
“okay. “I didn’t lose Clevius.”
Is it because Clevius himself is not here?
Elvira shared her feelings without hesitation.
“For that alone, I should be grateful. However, Clevius actually risked his life on this matter. “He cares a lot about what other people think, so he has a strange sense of duty to save all the survivors.”
Looking up at the sky above the northern forest, you can see a sword demon swinging his sword and running among the spirits. The bleeding already seemed enormous.
“You know what that means, right?”
“… … .”
“If I lose Clevius because of this, I will be no different from Lortel. I am… “I absolutely do not want to fall into that kind of sadness and grief.”
This is something I could never say in Lortel’s presence.
However, there are no words better than this to convince Lucy of the authenticity of the situation.
Lucy… This is because she knows better than anyone else how special Elvira thinks of Clevius.
“I don’t want to lose Clevious. therefore… Please cheer up… . “For me, the only person I can rely on is you.”
“I can’t be 100% sure that everything will work out well.”
“know. But, like I said, you’re the only one I can place my hopes on.”
Instead of running through the forest, Elvira stopped and looked back at Lucy.
Lucy also stopped and stared blankly at Elvira.
Because I was exhausted from running through the forest, all I could hear was heavy breathing for a while.
“Soon we’ll be at the forest exit. When you come to a cliff area, you have to climb over to the mountain on your own. I’ll assist you while you’re flying overhead. “We will be able to prevent the spirits from approaching for a while.”
“Can you guys finish your work and go back to the Soul Library?”
“… “I have to try it.”
Elvira rolled up her sleeves and laughed awkwardly. Even though she made it up by force, she looked quite confident.
“Some spirits… I can stop it. Not yet.”
With that being said… The two ran out of the forest.
It can block quite a few spirits.
When Elvira said that, she probably wasn’t bragging. From the beginning, when she was a student at Sylvania Academy, she was quite skilled, and thanks to years of training in such extreme situations, her combat skills have also become quite outstanding.
Although it may not be as strong as Clevius, who uses blood sword techniques, Elvira’s level of power would be much more helpful than gathering dozens of idiots.
Nevertheless, the world is full of exceptions.
―Uuuuuuung.
When you first hear the sound, it is difficult to clearly determine what it is.
However, Lucy, who had heard the sound several times, could tell.
Yenica Failover is an opponent you should never turn into an enemy. An incident that made everyone at the school painfully realize that fact. Because everyone had seen the majesty of the highest-ranking spirit that covered the entire academy.
Is it because Elvira and Clevius were caught while exploring the Trix building?
Or is it because Yenica vaguely noticed Lucy’s presence?
Something I would never normally see… The appearance of that gigantic spirit… As soon as you leave the northern forest, it fills the landscape beyond the cliff area you see.
―Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut.
You might mistake it for the sound of a ship horn coming from a huge ship.
However, it is the cry of a spirit.
Devoured by madness, completely tainted by berserk magic… It is the cry of a gigantic, highest-ranking spirit.
The highest-ranking water spirit, ‘Fryde’… He is like a corps commander who appears leading thousands of spirit armies.
―Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
―Chaaaaaaaaaaaa!
As the huge body is lifted from the sea, huge waves hit the cliff area.
As expected, the shape of the huge whale was different from anything Lucy knew.
There are many strange berserk magic patterns engraved here and there, and the eyes are covered with an eerie red glow.
An ominous dark red magical energy covers the area, and thousands of flying spirits that appeared with Friede fly towards the area of Mount Orn.
Lucy quickly used her magic to block the waves that covered the area. A huge reef that swept in simultaneously attacked the defense magic circle, but was somehow able to block it.
Just appearing is a huge disaster. The highest ranking spirit was such a being.
* * *
“Lucy!”
In the shock of the waves, Elvira shouted.
“You have to pass before it fully manifests! “If that highest-ranking spirit takes control of the area, we can’t do anything!”
I don’t know why Friede appeared at this point.
Yenika, who wanted to leave Aken Island as a sanctuary, would not want the area to be damaged by such unnecessary shock.
Just summoning Theorpis in anger covered the entire Mount Orn with volcanic ash.
I thought I wouldn’t make that mistake twice… .
“Go now! “I will make it difficult for you to detect your magical power!”
Elvira cried out like that. Perhaps he was planning to use all the magical engineering supplies and reagents he had here to attract Friede’s attention.
Doesn’t that mean death?
Lucy stared at Elvira for a moment.
But Elvira clenched her teeth and cried out.
“Don’t worry, that’s what the nobleman who died like that said. “I quite agree.”
“… … .”
“I will survive.”
Many people have died in this world.
In the end, the only people who held out until the end were those filled with the will to survive.
Elvira was no different.
There isn’t much time. The highest-ranking spirit, Friede, cannot be summoned that easily, even if it is Yenika, who holds Velbroke’s heart.
You must cross the island before the process is completely completed.
Lucy gritted her teeth, nodded, and wrapped her body in flight magic.
Even if you use mid-level magic only 15 times, your magic power is insufficient. Advanced magic such as flight magic cannot be used for a long time.
Still, Lucy drew on as much magic power as she could and flew low, sticking as close to the surface of the sea as possible.
The wind blew his collar and the brim of his hat fluttered.
While I was crossing over to the northern island, wearing my hat tightly, a huge light emanated from the cliff area where Elvira was located. It was unclear what type of magic it was, but it caused all the spirits in the area to turn their attention towards it.
Several lower-level spirits quickly identified Lucy flying at low altitude, but they were able to subdue her without difficulty.
By using elemental magic and suppressing several spirits, they were eventually able to arrive at the coastal area of the island on the other side.
―Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!
Because I was flying in such a hurry, I couldn’t control my strength properly, so I rolled on the sandy beach a few times.
Lucy stood up without a change in her expression and shook off the sand.
And I look up at the mountain on the right, which is half devastated. All kinds of berserk spirits were wandering around the mountain, guarding it.
It’s a scary sight that makes your body tremble just by looking at it, but Lucy shakes off all the tension just by sighing.
Then, he drew out his magical powers in earnest, wrapped himself around his body, and began to run towards the mountain.
* * *
―Ugh.
It was a scene that could be considered the end of the century itself.
When you climb Mt. Orn, you can get a glimpse of Aken Island.
―Kwaang! Quagwang!
―Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-gak!
As you run up the mountain, subduing the spirits, you look back every once in a while, and the scenery you see in the distance is all terrible.
There are no longer any traces of the sword spirit that was rampaging at the edge of the northern forest.
In the middle of the forest, lying covered in blood… It is not difficult to imagine Clevius looking up at the endless crowd of spirits.
There is no longer any trace of the radiant magic that filled the cliff area.
It is not difficult to imagine the alchemist standing alone at the edge of a cliff, facing Friede’s ominous eyes.
Even a group of spirits… They were flocking to the edge of the entrance to the underground waterway.
The sight of Lortel leading a group of survivors deeper into the research facility left behind by Professor Glast… It was fully imagined.
It’s a terrible world.
I didn’t want to know about the existence of a world like this.
Nevertheless, it was a world that could come.
What did Ed Rothtaylor’s absence mean?
He was always by my side as if it were everyday life.
When she gets on his lap and teases him, he sighs and pats Lucy’s head like he’s pressing it… In fact, how much it meant.
Lucy realizes this without difficulty.
I miss Ed Rosstaylor. Naturally, such thoughts come to mind.
When I see him again, I don’t show any shame and just jump into his arms, wondering what kind of world I’ve seen.
How fortunate I am to have you in my life.
How much of a void your absence felt like. Even though it may be embarrassing, I just wanted to explain every detail.
Thank you for being alive.
Your life has been filled with thorns, and you have faced dozens or hundreds of trials that made you want to give up on life.
Nevertheless, you stayed alive. I gritted my teeth and survived, giving the meaning of life to an empty girl named Lucy.
For Ed himself, surviving was just something he had to do, like breathing.
However, for a girl named Lucy Mayril, what a great salvation and hope it was in itself… It’s clear that Ed himself doesn’t know.
Therefore, Lucy just wanted to say a short word. As he ran up the mountain with his scarred body, he kept thinking about that.
I decided that if I ever met Ed again, I would definitely tell this to you.
Thank you for being alive. I missed you like that.
―Kwaang! Woe!
Exhaling breathlessly, Lucy climbs and climbs towards the top of the mountain.
Just like that, Lucy reached the top of the mountain she climbed.
You can see the historic site seen during the freshmen’s placement test, and when you go deep inside… The ‘Altar of Change’ is visible along with a huge monument.
A large-sized altar of grinding.
There, there was a funeral director commemorating Ed’s death… He was praying toward the empty night sky.
