Chapter 158
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Magic and I are inseparable.
Magic has taken root so deeply in the core of my being that it cannot be severed no matter what.
Ever since I gained self-awareness and received magical training at Honest, magic has always been in a corner of my mind. Even while noticing how different I am from others, I surprisingly don’t hate this magic-obsessed version of myself.
And yet, I’ve become distant from magic.
For a long time, I’ve stayed away from magic, standing like a puppet beside the Hero with a smile.
And after conquering the Blade Dungeon, following the Hero’s instructions, I only performed the pretense of magical research once a week.
When did I─── change so much?
I think it was back then───
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A massive lightning bolt strikes the Liquid Dragon.
That is one of Angelica’s trump cards─── the supreme magic 「Thunder Claw.」
It’s Angelica’s unique spell that combines four types of elementary magic: water, earth, fire, and light.
The thunderbolt crackles with a deafening sound, sending out sparks so bright they blind us, continuously raining down on the three-headed dragon.
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I saw the lightning that wouldn’t disappear until it destroyed its enemy.
That’s right───
Someone was supposed to be there, waiting for its activation, protecting me, getting hurt.
He protected me, and while covered in wounds, he brazenly claimed, 「I’m fine, you know?」
Considering his condition, I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists.
Why had I forgotten?
Why hadn’t I thought about anything until now?
When did I stop thinking?
Like a fool thirsting in clear weather waiting for rain’s blessing, I considered the Hero’s words above all else and kept waiting.
Why did I───
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We needed to stop Thunder Claw once.
I was certain we couldn’t completely wear down the Liquid Dragon at this rate. If my dream was correct, even if we defeated the three-headed dragon here, it would absorb the Fog scattered across various locations and revive.
「Angelica!! Stop Thunder Claw!!」
Because the roaring sound might drown out my voice, I tapped her shoulder to convey the message.
Further behind us, Puru was giving instructions to the personnel.
「What should I do next?」
As Thunder Claw dissipates, smoke rises from the Liquid Dragon. This was the most damage we’d dealt so far.
「Drink this and focus on recovering your mana.」
Angelica receives the bottle, studies it intently, then drinks it all at once. I brace myself thinking she might complain, but she says 「Thank you.」
「Can you use Thunder Claw one more time?」
At my request, her eyes widen.
And after a moment’s hesitation,
「Leave it to me!!」
She answers just like she did back then.
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After conquering the Light Dungeon, I abandoned thought and ceased being myself.
I don’t know why that happened.
But all my thoughts were consumed by the Hero.
Living only to think of him.
Even when he disparaged me, I rejoiced in his words as if they were sweet nectar, thanking him with a smile.
That’s not how a normal human being lives.
A person who accepts such a state is no longer human, but just a mana doll─── no, something even more horrifying than that.
When Holy Knight Yamada asked me to unleash Thunder Claw once more, something flashed through my mind. A flame lit in my chest. I didn’t even understand what was happening myself. But there was one thing I knew for certain.
The flame he lit in my chest was gentle and warm, and somehow nostalgic. I was desperately trying to hold back tears that threatened to spill.
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The Liquid Dragon lets out an ear-piercing screech.
While the personnel in the rear trembled in fear, they quickly regained their composure thanks to Puru’s shouts and rallying cries.
The warrior vanguard eliminates the surrounding Fog, the shielders protect the rearguard, the holy classes focus on healing and maintaining barriers, and the rearguard awaits Puru’s instructions.
Then, countless fist-sized Blue Flames appear from Puru’s casting. The opposing Liquid Dragon also activates earth magic, creating massive amounts of rubble.
「Pierce through!!」
At her piercing cry, the Blue Flames are released, negating the enemy’s rubble.
I look over Puru’s equipment once more.
Three Imitation Gold magic swords, Magic Sword Nidhogg, and the Yggdrasill Twig – exactly the same equipment as in my dream.
In my dream, Puru had damaged the Liquid Dragon multiple times, and even succeeded in destroying it once.
The mana explosion from within caused by the Imitation Gold, and the strike from Magic Sword Nidhogg that devours existence itself.
While the latter’s effectiveness was obvious, the internal mana explosion from the former was effective because───
Come to think of it, there was something else too.
This was also from my dream, but while the first barrage of advanced magic had barely scratched it, after Puru’s strike with Magic Sword Nidhogg, the advanced magic had some effect on the three-headed dragon.
「Puru!! Orphe!!」
Once again, I call Puru and Orphe to Angelica’s side, share my thoughts and doubts, and consult with them. As expected of Puru,
「I have an idea.」
She immediately meets my expectations.
And the remaining problem is───
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A strategy is quickly devised to defeat the massive three-headed dragon before us. If what Holy Knight Yamada says is true, there are two points to consider.
First, how to deal with the Liquid Dragon’s intense magic resistance that covers its surface.
Second, since the Liquid Dragon can infinitely recover by absorbing Fog, it would require an enormous amount of mana to completely defeat it.
Regarding the first point, Puru declares she’ll handle it somehow.
When I ask if my mana alone would be enough to address the second point about the vast mana requirement, she shakes her head.
「Why don’t you just drink mana potions during the casting?」
The speaker is Orphelia.
What a muscle-headed thought, despite her appearance.
「That won’t work. Try drinking a potion, and you’ll see your chanting and magic manifestation will stop.」
Even as I speak, I continue thinking.
These are my own thoughts─── the first since that day.
And then─── there is a way.
However, even then, it’s hard to say we’d have enough mana.
「I can connect mana circuits with others. That way I can use their mana───」
Before I can finish, Holy Knight Yamada speaks up.
「Then, if you connect mana circuits with everyone here───」
「Listen until the end. Connecting mana circuits and using another person’s mana is a delicate technique. Even for me, it’s almost an unknown technology. Therefore, I can’t connect with many people at once. I can reliably connect mana circuits with two people at most.」
Holy Knight Yamada and Puru look at each other and nod.
He turns to Orphelia and says,
「Orphe, the three of us will be defenseless from now on. So please, protect us three.」
Orphelia scratches her head at Holy Knight Yamada’s words.
「So I just need to protect you all from that monster’s attacks? That’s simple.」
She crosses her arms and snorts confidently.
The two of them─── Holy Knight Yamada and Puru reach out their hands to me.
「Angie, connect your mana circuit with me. And then───」
「Use my mana too. We’ll figure something out.」
I take their hands and simply reply, 「Understood.」
Immediately, I touch their mana and establish the mana circuits.
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