Chapter 41: It Was a Huge Mess

It was a huge mess, treating all those that were injured. The guild staff was racing all over as the piercing scent of elixir began to fill the building.

The soldiers who had been attacking in a berserk frenzy had suddenly crumpled to the ground, groaning in pain. Naturally, the adventurers were startled, but they realized that Angeline had kept her word. Yuri immediately brought out the elixirs, instructing every available hand to help with treatment.

The sick bay was full, while the tables and chairs in the lobby were being used as emergency beds. While notice was sent to the downtown soldier station, quite a few of their men had fallen under the spell, sending the system into disarray.

Angeline walked through the rows of bedridden soldiers and sighed. If only I’d dealt with the practitioner sooner...

She entered the sick bay, where the beds were packed with soldiers as though it were a field hospital. The soldiers had no memory of what happened when they were manipulated and hadn’t the slightest clue what they did to deserve this.

Rosetta was further in the back, while Charlotte sat in a chair by her bed. Once she noticed Angeline, tears welled up in Charlotte’s eyes.

“Sis...”

“Are you okay, Char? How’s Rosetta...?”

Angeline stroked Charlotte’s hair as she gazed down at the sister on the bed. She was laid facedown to treat the wound on her back, which had been smeared with elixir. The bleeding had stopped. Her complexion wasn’t too bad, and when Angeline put a finger to her mouth, she could feel a steady breath.

“Good...” They had managed to avoid the worst.

Charlotte grabbed Angeline, sobbing into her hip.

“B-B-B-Because of me...”

“Wrong. It’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself.”

“But...”

“Urgh...” Rosetta stirred. She cracked open her eyes. “What happened? Where am...”

“Don’t push yourself, Ms. Rosetta. You’re badly injured.” Angeline rushed over and supported the woman as she tried to get up.

“Ow, ow... Oh, Ange. What happened to...” Rosetta’s eyes stopped on Charlotte, and her expression softened. “Good... You’re all right.”

Charlotte was at a loss for words. She bit her lip as tears spilled from her eyes. And then, suddenly, she flew into a rage. “Stupid! Stupid! After I said so many terrible things to you... Why?!”

“Ha ha... I guess you’re right. I’m stupid, so I don’t know why. But I’m really happy to see you’re all right...”

Her wounds still aching, Rosetta chuckled weakly as she stroked Charlotte’s head. Charlotte buried her teary face into the sister’s chest, sobbing heavily.

“I’m sorry! Thank you for saving me... Thank you...”

“Heh heh, you’re welcome.”

Angeline expelled a relieved sigh before turning to call out to one of the guild medics.

“How are Rosetta’s...that sister’s injuries?”

“Oh, her? The wound was pretty wide, and she lost a lot of blood, but it didn’t reach her bones or organs. We stopped the bleeding, so she should be fine with some rest.”

“I see...”

It seemed she would be fine for now. She took one last glance at Rosetta stroking Charlotte and talking about something before leaving the sick bay with heavy feet. Looks like I’m not needed here.

She needed to inform the orphanage about Rosetta. After some unsteady walking, she spotted Yuri mopping up blood in the lobby.

“Ms. Yuri,” she called out.

“Oh, Ange. That sure was something.”

“Yeah... Thank you. You were a real help.”

“Hee hee, it’s fine. We need to help one another.” Yuri tapped Angeline’s shoulder with a gentle smile.

Angeline returned a half-hearted smile of her own. “I’m going to cool my head. Char and Rosetta are in the sick bay. Can I leave them to you?”

“Sure... Got it. Don’t push yourself, Ange.”

“Thank you.”

Yuri seemed to sense something from Angeline’s brooding face. Without another word, she left the cleaning to the others and entered the sick bay.

Angeline, meanwhile, walked out into the open air. There was no wind that night. It felt as though the lazy summer heat was pooling over itself.

She took a deep breath and absentmindedly glanced around. There were rubberneckers about, but that was common enough. Soon, she noticed Byaku leaning against the outside wall, staring at the sky. He furrowed his brow as she approached him, a cynical smile spread across his lips.

“Serves you right. Looks like big sis can’t solve everything.”

“Sorry.”

“What’s with you? You’re being creepy.”

“I got in over my head. I never put any thought into whether I could protect you or not.”

Whenever Charlotte trusted her a little more, whenever Byaku showed some emotion, she felt like she was growing closer to Belgrieve. She felt a little proud of herself. But perhaps that was just a facade. Have I ever truly taken a good look at the pair? Was I just being conceited? Never mind whether that was true or not; for her, this mess hammered home her own incompetence.

Angeline stood beside the boy and leaned against the same wall. She stole a sidelong glance at him. He was younger, but about the same height as her.

“What do you think I should do?”

“How should I know?”

“Right...”

Seeing Angeline dejectedly hanging her head, Byaku clicked his tongue in frustration.

“You’re the same as that brat.”

“What?”

“Always going on like, ‘it’s all my fault, all my fault.’ You must have it easy, taking everything on your shoulders, then playing the tragic heroine.”

His unreserved tone got to her head. “What? That’s not what I was trying to do...”

“Hmph, from my perspective, you’re all the same. So indecisive. I liked you better when you were annoying.”

“I mean... If I get full of myself, it will happen again...”

“Silence.” Byaku held out his arm. His hair turned black, and his magic circles became visible, bathing the street in their golden glow.

Angeline felt something cold on her spine. She reflexively drew her sword. “That’s...”

There was something small in the midst of all the people who had gathered out of curiosity. It was hardly as tall as Angeline’s waist. Pitch-black, like a shadow, but vaguely maintaining human form. Its sleek, slippery skin glistened in the sand-colored light.

It was the same shadow she had fought in an abandoned dungeon near Orphen. However, it had none of the innocence she felt back then. Its entire being exuded hostility and murderous intent—so much so that it was sickening to look at.

The shadow stood stock-still, observing the situation. It reacted faintly to the clamor, eyes forming around what was presumably its face.

“Insects. Kill.”

Suddenly, its shadowy mass expanded. It grew to the size of an adult, gaining mass in its arms and legs. The crowd was astir, sensing the danger and frantically moving to distance themselves from the thing. It took in these people with malevolent eyes.

Then it jumped, with claws aimed at the nearest man. The man’s face froze in fear, but it never reached him. Angeline slid between the man and the shadow, catching those razor-sharp appendages with her blade.

The blow was terribly heavy. Her hand felt numb, and even with her legs braced for impact, she was forced back.

“Run!” Angeline barked. The crowd scattered in every direction.

Channeling her strength into her sword, Angeline forced the shadowy creature back. It spun through the air, landing without difficulty. Its eyes shifted around its face, locking onto Angeline.

“In the way.”

“Don’t look down on me!”

Two shadows intersected with a screeching of metal. When they parted once more, Angeline was scowling at the wounds on her arm, cheek, and leg. They were barely scratches, but the blood was rather unpleasant.

It’s not like the demon I fought in the dungeon, Angeline thought as she adjusted her grip on her sword. She had just fought several battles, and she felt as though her focus was shot. Moreover, cheap tricks wouldn’t work against this opponent—she would be killed if she didn’t go all out.

As Angeline readied her blade, a glistening insignia flew from behind her. It collided with the figure, leaving a dent in its skin. However, this was far from lethal. The shadow groaned, shook, and batted the symbols away.

Angeline glanced back. “You don’t have to do anything... I’ll protect you.”

“Hmph.” Byaku scoffed, clearly not buying it. He sent his circles at the beast. After flailing its arms to swat them down, the shadow kicked off and flew at Angeline.

“Come!”

She lowered her stance and intercepted it. Sparks flew as sword contended with claw; the metal quivered, and the vibrations passed through the hilt to her hand. Even so, she forced her arms to swing as if everything beyond her shoulders was as supple as a whip.

But her foe did likewise, and the fact that its body was its weapon allowed it to operate without any unnecessary motions. After dozens of exchanges, it was Angeline who was gradually pushed back.

That was when Byaku’s circles flew to take the shadow by surprise and send it reeling back.

“Oi, give it a rest already,” Byaku growled as Angeline caught her breath. “You think you can win by fighting so recklessly?”

“Shut up!” Angeline howled back. “I’m not going to fail again... I’m going to protect you!”

It was as if something had possessed her. She braced her legs and readied her sword again.

Byaku yelled, “That protection you’re talking about—you mean shouldering everything and self-destructing! How conceited can you be?!”

Angeline fell silent at that, but struck at the shadow all the same. Just as before, it matched each blow with hatred and ill intent. Her sword reached unimaginable speeds, yet the shadow took all of them, finding openings to counterattack as well. Though she had the speed, her bladework lacked its usual refinement; her agitation robbed her swings of everything but their dexterity.

“In the way,” the shadow muttered.

Suddenly, Angeline felt an immense jolt to her flank. A third arm had sprouted from the shadow’s torso to deliver a heavy blow.

She was knocked off her feet, bouncing twice, then three times, before rolling. The impact knocked the air from her lungs, and she coughed as she desperately tried to catch her breath.

“Agh...hack!”

Grimacing as her lungs wouldn’t obey her whims, Angeline lifted her gaze to see the shadow’s claws coming her way.

“Kill.”

“Enough!” Angeline roared bestially, before forcing herself to her feet with her sword.

I’m not going to lose here. She braced her aching joints with willpower, but she couldn’t move sharply. Before she could stand and ready her blade, the shadowy beast was already before her.

Before its claws could fall upon her, a large sand-colored sigil crashed into it from the side, while several smaller ones peppered it like bullets. The shadow was knocked away, large craters in its skin.

Byaku ran up to her, fuming. “Are you trying to die? What’s your problem?!”

“So what, are you saying I’m wrong?!” Angeline answered angrily. Her eyes were losing focus as she drowned in rage directed at no one but herself.

Finally at his wit’s end, Byaku grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

“How are you still so careless?! Get that naivete of yours under control! How are you like this after giving me that high-and-mighty lecture?!”

“I mean...”

Before Angeline could open her mouth, Byaku swung his arm. His circles gathered to protect him. However, they were easily blasted away by jet-black claws, sending Byaku flying with them. He was gone from Angeline’s field of view.

Her eyes shifted unsteadily. Byaku had taken quite a heavy blow. He was wounded and in tatters, but he had just managed to protect his vitals. His eyes blazed in anger as the number of circles around him multiplied. His hair became a mishmash of white and black before settling on black once more.

The arcane symbols orbiting around the boy shot at the shadow, but none were enough to deliver a fatal blow. The circles would be sent flying with a swing of the shadow’s arms, and Byaku would answer by raining down even more of them like a meteor shower. However, he was gradually running out of mana. His shots were growing visibly weaker, and blood dripped from his pale lips before dispersing in a black mist. Finally, he fell to his knees while many of his circles faded into nothingness.

Angeline wanted to scream. She wanted to spit up all her anger and sadness.

“I can’t,” she told herself. She held it in, but the swirl of emotions within her only grew more chaotic.

She was reaching her emotional peak. Just before it was about to explode, Belgrieve’s face crossed her mind.

Remember. What did dad say? “Always keep a level head no matter the situation. You mustn’t let yourself be led by momentary emotions past the point of no return. An adventurer lives and dies by split-second decisions, so you must always mind yourself before anyone else.”

It suddenly felt as if her field of vision had widened. The clouds of anger and helplessness cleared from her eyes.

“What am I even doing?”

She had gotten all worked up about protecting people and had nothing to show for it. She had grown prideful—so much so, she hadn’t been able to even look at herself objectively. How pathetic.

However, this was no time to fixate on it and wallow in self-loathing. She needed to first take care of the problem before her eyes—otherwise, Belgrieve would be ashamed of her.

Her body moved the moment this thought occurred to her. Her hand that had seemed so heavy before now moved as lithely as if she were swinging a small twig. She relinquished any needless strength, lightening her gait.

Angeline delivered a powerful kick into the shadow’s raised arm. Her surprise attack smacked it into the ground.

“Right, it’s nothing special compared to dad.”

It was fast, and each blow was heavy. But it did not predict her moves and feint accordingly; its movements were all straightforward. As long as she kept her cool, she could react to any additional limbs it decided to grow. Belgrieve’s attacks were precisely engineered to counter her—they were far more of a threat.

Putting a hand to his chest and panting, Byaku said, “Took you long enough.”

“Sorry, Bucky. Leave the rest to me.”

“Don’t call me Bucky...”

“Heh heh... Rest for a bit.”

Angeline launched off the ground with the tips of her toes. She turned the edge of her sword on the hate-filled shadow as it tried to stand.

“Come. I’ll play with you.”

“Kill.”

The demon sprung at her—it must have polished its movements as it fought with Byaku, as it was even faster than before. However, Angeline nimbly twisted her body, parrying a strike from its arm. Her otherwise numb hands were in perfect form. Turning with the shadow’s own force, she hammered at it with her blade.

“Gah?!” The shadow flew back with a pained groan. It had been struck by her blade but hadn’t been severed. It was as though she had hit it with a blunt object.

“Right... It’s not easy to cut this thing.”

She recalled the battle in the abandoned dungeon. Dortos’s spear couldn’t pierce it, and her own sword only managed to slice at the very last moment. She needed to foster the same synergy as before.

Angeline channeled her strength into her sword. Now that she had shaken off her anxiety, it was like her blood was crying out for battle. She did not hate fighting strong opponents; in fact, her heart was filled with fighting spirit as a smile dawned on her face.

Her mana circulated through her body more strongly with each beat of her heart—from her arms to her hands, down to her fingertips—and on through the sword in her grasp, as though it were a part of her. The mana that couldn’t be contained within it overflowed from the blade as a radiant light.

The shadow puppet shifted its eyes scornfully and lunged at Angeline, growing more arms along the way.

“Kill.”

Several spiderlike arms came at her from all directions, each powerful enough to land a fatal blow.

Angeline faced the onslaught with silent intensity. She stooped down into a drawing stance, coiling, building up force—and then released it.

She felt no resistance as the blade passed through. Its body split in two at the chest. After spasming, the arms coming at her fell to pieces.

“Ah...gah...”

The shadow staggered and fell with a thud. Its body released a foul-smelling smoke as it crumbled and melted until only a dark puddle remained.

Angeline sheathed her sword before catching her breath. She relaxed, but she couldn’t let herself collapse just yet. She looked around for Byaku, smiling when her gaze fell upon him.

“How about that? Big sis handled it, didn’t she?” she said—before falling backward to the ground.

Byaku sighed and shook his head.

○

The wind began to pick up.

“Interesting,” the robed man muttered from the rooftop. “It might be beneficial to let her run free for a bit.”

He placed a hand to his chin, pacing a few steps on the very edge of the building. The hem of his robe flapped precariously, as just one gust could have sent him tumbling down.

Satisfied, the man readied his teleportation magic. However, space refused to fluctuate for him. He furrowed his brow suspiciously and looked behind him.

“Well, if it isn’t...”

“Bastard... What are you doing here? Hack.” Maria watched him, her gray hair swaying in the breeze. A sphere of compressed mana glowed atop her spread palm. This was evidently preventing the man’s escape.

The man cracked his knuckles with a fearless smile. “‘What am I doing?’ Don’t ask the obvious. What about you? Are you looking for a place to die?”

“Hmph. Don’t lump us together. To begin with, you should be dead already.”

“Heh heh, that’s rich coming from the great Ashen Archmage. I didn’t think you were such a fool.”

“Who’s the real fool here, trash? Prancing right out where I can see you. Cough, hack.”

He chuckled as he saw Maria break into a coughing fit. “Looks like you aren’t doing too well. Can you really kill me like that?”

“Try me,” Maria said. Her finger twitched.

Suddenly, the space around the man pulsated like a mirage, closing in to crush him. He swiftly crossed his arms and chanted something. The wavering space was pushed back with a pale blue light; a heavy sound filled the air as the spells clashed, and at the end of it all, the man emerged with a sneer on his face.

“What’s wrong? Are the years getting to you, Maria?”

“Aren’t you getting ahead of yourself?”

Her fingers twitched again. All of a sudden, the ground beneath him softened like a quagmire, swallowing him up to the waist. Several balls of light immediately flew at his sour face—these were lumps of highly condensed mana with an output far greater than an ordinary magic bullet.

Clicking his tongue, the man thrust out his arms.

“Night is black—blood is silver—flames flicker—moon shines—dye all.”

His chant ended just as the orbs of light burst. Even Maria had to wince at the violent flash that resulted—it was visible from the streets, and already had the rumor mill going as gawkers pointed in its direction.

“He got away.” Maria sighed and lowered her hand. The man was nowhere to be seen. He had rapidly strung together and overlaid his chants, allowing his teleportation spell to slip through Maria’s interference.

“I’m growing old...cough, hack-hack.”

Frustrated, Maria stared at the people below, who were still awestruck by the flash. From her vantage, she could see the craters in the ground from Angeline’s fight with the shadow.

Her eyes stopped on the melted dark puddle.

“I can’t act oblivious if that guy’s involved... It’ll be a pain, but I should look into it.” She paused, then grasped at her chest. “Grr, hack! Cough hack!”

Another bout of coughing came and went. “Dammit... The medicine this time is too short-lived... I need to think of a new one...” she spat in a voice filled with loathing.

She slowly made her way down from the building with a glowering expression on her face.