魅力影院

Chapter 179

Only when freedom is lost does one realize its true value. Clevius painfully came to understand this reality.

Maybe the problem was that he didn’t want to go back home, so he stayed at the school.

Throughout the vacation, Clevius had been dragged around by Elvira, attending social gatherings among students and taking courses on basic manners. In short, he had endured all sorts of hardships.

Though naturally somber, Clevius didn’t charm many people when he went outside, but Elvira insisted that accumulating these experiences was crucial and tenaciously held onto him until the end.

Despite everything, Clevius spent the whole vacation attending these events because he couldn’t resist Elvira. As the new term drew near and Elvira became busy with her own matters, she had less time to spare for Clevius.

“Is this… freedom…?”

When Elvira’s forced marches finally ended, Clevius found solace in the familiar darkness of his room at Ophelius Hall, quietly sitting alone.

Lying in bed and looking up at the ceiling, he was overwhelmed with emotion to the point of tearing up.

How long had it been since he last lay still doing nothing? Clevius felt a sense of relief in his heart as Elvira’s ever-present figure was nowhere to be seen.

…

For a while, Clevius lay on his bed.

The time was deep into the night.

Clevius was naturally nocturnal, enjoying the serene atmosphere enveloped in the familiar darkness of the night.

Silence crept in.

The always chattering Elvira was not around, and the room returned to its usual quiet state. But the absence felt not like rest, but emptiness.

“I must have finally gone mad.”

There was no need to get along with people. Engaging in extroverted activities not suited to him only resulted in hurt.

Most human relationships ended in pain for Clevius, and he thought his relationship with Elvira would end the same, that it just hadn’t reached that point yet.

Those who had interacted with Clevius rarely ended well; they either came to resent him or despise him.

Clevius was well aware that he wasn’t the kind of person to whom others would easily take a liking.

Thus, for Clevius, lying in his room and staring at the ceiling had become routine.

He doesn’t engage in the folly of expanding his circle of relations. He has his own way of life.

…

With that mindset, he sighed in a gloomy voice, hardening his shell.

The absence of Elvira alone made it so peaceful, which was quite ironic.

Now that he thought about it, why would Elvira be absent from such busyness?

Actually, it was not completely relieving.

Elvira always prattled on to Clevius—what snack she had that day, what new store opened in the dorm area. Her presence wasn’t just for a day or two.

However, his unease didn’t fade with Elvira’s sudden silence and disappearance.

What could she possibly be doing at the dorms so late at night? At this hour, all the facilities in the dorm would be closed.

Moreover, Elvira, who had packed up a bunch of alchemy potions and magical tools just before disappearing, seemed to be preparing for a battle.

“… What pointless trouble has she stirred up now?”

Muttering to himself, Clevius opened the window of his room. From the high floor of the Ophelius residence, he could catch a glimpse of the dorms in the direction of the Mekses Bridge, although only a fraction was visible.

“Whatever. What’s the use of my worrying?”

Clevius muttered, although no one was around to hear, and lay back down on his bed.

Now was the time to enjoy the long-awaited freedom he had obtained.

Turning on his side, Clevius focused his mind on the comfort soaking into his body.

Yet, the silence of the room still tickled the back of his neck.

The summer night wind entered through the open window, fluttering the curtains before gently brushing against Clevius’s head and dissipating.

Lying there, Clevius stared at the wall for a long time.

…

“Speak without reservation, Lortelle. During the management of the mercantile guild, have you done any backhanded business, or is there something that could bring you down? You have to tell me everything without holding back.”

“Honestly… there’s too much dirty business to pinpoint just one thing.”

I pressed against my temples and narrowed my eyebrows, keeping up my pace without slowing down.

Quickly climbing the staircase to the fourth floor, I saw the hole in the ceiling that Zix had made.

Was it tough or just reckless? Moonlight streamed through the gaping hole in the ceiling so boldly made.

The rope that Zix mentioned was also in sight. It was quite high, and I could climb it, but I was worried about whether Lortelle would manage.

When I gave him a stern look, without saying a word, Lortelle nodded.

“Let’s give it a try.”

“Pull yourself up with my help.”

My body wasn’t in a normal state due to the recoil of the ring.

Though I had somewhat recovered, I still had a mild fever and chronic fatigue. My physical capabilities, like strength and muscle tenacity, as well as my magical abilities, such as mana sensitivity, were greatly limited.

Still, I thought I could manage to climb the rope and quickly pressed my feet against the wall, pulling on the rope.

Lortelle tied his russet hair back, rolled up his sleeves, and gripped the rope tightly.

When I extended one arm, Lortelle hooked his right arm with mine, sharing his weight with me. This way, we could more easily scale the wall.

We struggled for some time, scaling the wall of the corridor. If we could reach the rooftop, there would be a ladder installed on the exterior wall for roofing work. We could descend to the first floor using that ladder and escape towards the camp.

“Ugh, ah!”

Was it due to his weak muscles? Lortelle’s slender wrists quivered, but I pulled him up with all my might and finally, we reached near the rooftop. Suddenly, a slender hand like Lortelle’s reached out from above the rooftop.

― Thump

A hand, just as slender as Lortelle’s, wound around my wrist and with a creaking sound, pulled me up.

Although it wasn’t a great display of strength, at least I could more easily get onto the rooftop.

Stumbling onto the rooftop, I immediately pulled my arm up to help Lortelle ascend.

“Do you have a hobby of training at night?”

“You made it.”

“I came with Zix. Not that I knew you’d cause such a ruckus…”

Lying side by side on the rooftop, we looked at each other.

Trissiana Bloomriver, the 4th-year magic department valedictorian, renowned as the model of a witch.

Her short hair that fell to her shoulders and turned inward was the same as when I last saw her.

In the moonlight, her dusky hair shimmered, subtly captivating the eyes.

“Trissiana senior?”

Lortelle would be surprised by this unexpected person.

Trissiana is a top student in the 4th year, a prodigy who can unleash all sorts of high-level magic at her young age.

Moreover, she has quite an accumulation of practical combat experience among the students and is considered somewhat of a veteran.

“Why are you here, senior?”

“It’s because I heard my junior was in danger… A contrived answer like that would be pretentious.”

She was indifferent but not mean-spirited.

Trissiana adjusted the giant wand equal to her height and started talking.

“I owe Ed Rothtaylor a debt of gratitude because of Petrin. Came to settle that.”

“… Senior Ed? You know Trissiana senior too?”

“Not long ago, we ran into each other, and there’s news about a collaboration between Rothtaylor and Bloomriver families.”

Trissiana Bloomriver is among the strongest students, having secured the top valedictorian spot in the 4th year, which maintains the highest average magic level.

She’s often troubled by her mischievous younger sibling, but her skills are undoubtedly solid.

“I’ve heard the details from Zix already.”

Fidgeting with the hairpin that was pushing her bangs upward, Trissiana indicated that further explanations were unnecessary.

“I’m going to stand by here. If Aila comes up soon, take care of her, and when Taely arrives…”

Trissiana seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing casually.

“… I’ll have to take care of it somehow.”

“I appreciate you coming out this late at night.”

“Well, anyway, Mom told me to be as cooperative as possible with the Rothtaylor family. So consider this as piling up a debt of gratitude.”

Saying that, Trissiana leaped through the hole we had climbed up from.

Landing in the 4th-floor corridor, she dusted off the hem of her robe and looked up at us.

“After seeing peers worried about graduation and the future all gloomy, it’s refreshing and nice to see you juniors. You’d better get going. There isn’t much time.”

She said that and then flung on her robe’s hood.

Bending her head down and positioning her wand diagonally, the mage’s robe was spacious, and from beneath that hat, the gentle glow in her eyes under the moonlight was memorable.

Standing amidst the moonlight pouring down from the hole, Trissiana quietly took her position.

Seeing this, I grabbed Lortelle’s hand.

For now, the key was to get Lortelle as far away as possible. Regardless of what Dunn had planned, as long as Lortelle wasn’t handed over to them, it would be fine.

Repeating this to myself, I rushed towards the emergency ladder fixed to the outer wall.

*

“Elvira, why would you…”

“There’s a reason. I can’t just let you move forward like this.”

Taely and Elvira were close friends among schoolmates.

Having been involved in various incidents with Elvira’s persistency, they had shared considerable time together, quickly becoming intimate friends.

For Elvira to suddenly appear and block Taely’s path was a shocking turn of events for Taely.

“Sorry, but I have completely sided with Ed Rothtaylor. Taely.”

“What?”

Taely’s pupils dilated in surprise.

In the mercantile guild’s courtyard, filled with collapsed workers.

Elvira, after tidying her tousled hair, swung open the mouth of her alchemy bag.

―Clang! Clang! Clang!

Turning the opening upside down, various potion bottles and magical tools cascaded out.

Elvira lost all her magical tools during the last vacation’s scuffle with Lucy.

Yet, in just one semester, she managed to make a ridiculous amount of magical tools again. Considering the piled potions as well… it truly made one realize how engrossed she was in her personal research.

Discarding the empty bag nearby, Elvira pulled out an impact reinforcement wave circulator and quickly activated it… A powerful shockwave radiated from her center.

― Whoosh!

― Clang! Clang! Clang!

The various tools scattered around Elvira were blown away by the shockwave.

Then, the courtyard in front of the mercantile guild was overtaken by the tools manufactured by Elvira.

The room was spread wide with various implements. There were all sorts of reagent bottles and demonic engineering equipment wherever one looked. From Taely’s point of view, it was full of items whose uses and effects he did not know. If he moved carelessly, breaking a reagent bottle or activating demonic engineering equipment, he couldn’t predict how it might affect the battle. Only Elvira had a complete understanding of every device and reagent. At this moment, this battlefield was totally Elvira’s domain.

“Do you know what Ed Rothtaylor is up to, and still say such things?”

“Kidnapping Aila to use her for Holy Magic research? Well, it’s somewhat rough, but what can you do? Sometimes, scholarship requires sacrifice.”

“You…

“

Taely looked at Elvira with disbelief. Elvira was an academic who kept to her moral codes. She wasn’t the kind of person to possess such an absurd way of thinking.

“I never thought you would say such a thing.”

“Let’s skip the long talk. I need to stop you here and end the situation.”

“Elvira!”

Taely gritted his teeth and glared at Elvira. Suddenly, his pupils dilated, and his gaze turned murderous. Elvira swallowed hard.

She knew better than anyone that Taely’s swordsmanship had grown unbelievably fast. She was unsure if she could honestly win in a direct confrontation against him. Though Elvira was not a fighter by nature, the alchemical branch of Sylvania did not study for the purpose of combat, but they could fight to some extent if needed.

With one leap, Taely closed the distance. Elvira felt the impending confrontation. He seemed intent on subduing her, even if it meant using rough methods, though he likely didn’t intend to kill her. However, if she let her guard down, she could get seriously hurt.

Elvira tapped her foot, activating a piece of demonic engineering equipment next to her called the ‘Typhoon Emitter.’

With a loud roar, a gust of wind kicked up dust and obscured the visibility. Taely swung his greatsword, sending a blade of wind to clear the dust, but Elvira had vanished. Some distance away, Elvira had taken out ‘Red Adhesive Reagent’ from the floor, pouring it while still in motion. After confirming the reagent had seeped into the ground, she carelessly threw the empty bottle aside.

“Surprised that I sided with Ed Rothtaylor?”

“You weren’t that kind of person, Elvira.”

“I have my reasons.”

Elvira looked at Taely with cold eyes.

“I don’t owe you an explanation.”

For Taely, this was a bitter development. There was no longer any reason to hold back.

Rushing towards Elvira with his greatsword, he tried to close the gap but found his feet stuck to the ground.

“Urgh?!”

He lost his balance due to the weight of his greatsword and staggered, giving Elvira the chance to strike with a basic elemental spell, ‘Water Sphere.’ A mass of compressed water hit Taely, forcing him to clench his teeth.

“Krgh!”

Elvira’s elemental magic wasn’t very high-level, but the shock wasn’t trivial. Taely bit down the pain and stood straight, but his legs were still stuck to the ground. The effect of Elvira’s recently spread reagent was lingering.

‘Red Adhesive Reagent’

A concoction of alchemy that gave the earth the power to pull everything that touched it. It was usually used in rat traps or other traps.

“Taely, you were born with great combat power and potential, but you overlooked one thing.”

Elvira scanned the surroundings filled with her inventions.

“You have almost no knowledge of alchemy, do you? You can’t gauge every variable that might come from any place.”

All the inventions were usable only by Elvira.

“This is already my territory.”

Taely clenched his teeth with the grip on his greatsword.

Amidst all the items, Elvira dusted off her skirt, grinding Taely’s nerves. But without care, she drew a small wand from the hem of her alchemist’s costume skirt.

This was always how Elvira fought. Taely was not unaware of this.

However, he had never contemplated the possibility of encountering her as an enemy. Naturally. He always thought Elvira would be an ally.

*

“We don’t have time to get the keys! Just break everything and go down!”

Durin led the workers down towards the basement of the commerce building. His decision-making was quick.

He ordered some of the merchant’s workers to keep blocking the entrance, while he directed the rest to search the upper floors. His decision to descend to the basement was rapid.

The most plausible solution now… was to secure Aila Triss, who was trapped in the basement, with his own hands.

Taely McLore’s goal was Aila Triss. If he had the target in his hand, the scope for negotiation would broaden considerably.

Despite all his calculations, Ed Rothtaylor’s actions were suspicious. Considering that Lortelle disappeared along with him, it’s undeniable that something was off.

Durin could not understand it.

Ed Rothtaylor as assessed by Durin, was not an emotional man who would forsake great gains led by personal feelings.

He was always rational, clearly discerning matters, precisely calculating benefits and losses.

That’s why Durin was somewhat sure. Under these conditions, Ed would side with him.

However, Ed Rothtaylor’s choice was completely different from Durin’s expectations.

‘Have I misjudged a person?’

Durin had been a merchant for more than just a few days.

Had Ed’s mind changed in that brief moment?

Did Lortelle Keheln mean more to him than just a helpful trade house owner?

Durin hadn’t thought it possible. He had met Ed repeatedly and always judiciously assessed his character and tendencies.

To him, Ed was like a vulture that eats from the carcasses on the battlefield.

A creature that will tear any corpse as long as it can fill its stomach, to survive.

One can easily understand this from his behavior and values.

Regardless, there’s no point in regretting a past misjudgment now. The only thing left is to act.

Breaking his way violently towards the basement, Durin reached the storage room.

He bellowed orders at the workers to bring ropes for tying as he dashed towards the inner room where Aila should be confined, with workers shouting behind him.

All he needed was to secure Aila Triss. If things didn’t go well, he could hand her over to Taely.

If he had the choice, Durin could gain a significant advantage in the currently tense situation.

But as Durin reached the room where Aila was expected to be confined… He couldn’t believe his eyes.

Aila, who should have been tied and restrained, was missing.

Only the guard, knocked unconscious, was sprawled on the ground.

“What…?”

Durin stammered in shock.

Aila had little to no combat ability, akin to a scholar. She could use magic, but not to an extent where she could easily overpower the guards.

Durin knew this, which is why he only placed minimal personnel for surveillance.

But the guard, neatly overpowered and knocked out, was blank-eyed.

“How is this…?”

Durin noticed a food tray rolling on the floor. They had to feed the hostage, even minimally, so they would bring her meals.

There was a note with tidy handwriting expressing gratitude for the food, seemingly written by Aila.

The politeness in her note was so excessive that it felt maddening.

Around the room lay ‘Magecraft Cutters,’ ‘Impact Enhancement Wavespheres,’ and ‘Energy Emission Devices,’ all cast aside after exhausting their use.

While Taely caused a stir, Aila had used her hidden magecraft equipment to subdue the guard and escape.

Did she have enough leisure to leave a thank-you note even among such chaos?

Or rather, this displays the composure of someone accustomed to being kidnapped, having had her fill of a hearty meal and cold water before leaving, truly the calmness of a professional.

Durin belched out of nervousness, and blushed as if embarrassed someone might have heard, imagining Aila leaving her cell contently… he grit his teeth even harder.

Aila had been restrained ever since she was captured by Ed. There was no way she could have secured such escape tools.

She must have hidden them in the linings of her clothes when she was captured.

It meant Aila Triss had been in collusion with Ed Rothtaylor from the start. The magecraft equipment she provided would naturally make sense.

She moved as if she had agreed to coordinate during this chaotic situation… It starts to make sense when viewed in that light.

“Ed… Rothtaylor…!”

Durin ground his teeth tightly, eyes narrowed in fury.

From the beginning, Ed Rothtaylor had no intention of joining Durin’s side.

All of this was his plan.

To scatter the dust in Durin’s plans, to secret away Lortelle, and to turn Elte Mercantile into a battlefield against Taely… This was the scene he had painted.

“Go up to the upper floors! Find Aila Triss! And both Ed Rothtaylor and the acting chief!”

Gritting his teeth fiercely, Durin commanded the workers again.

The situation wasn’t over yet. A royal carriage would arrive at dawn. By then, Ed Rothtaylor and Lortelle Keheln must be secured.

*

“Looks like it’s going to rain.”

Lucy sniffed the air suddenly making that remark.

“Rain? In this clear weather?”

“I can smell the rain.”

Lucy Mayrill had a ghostly sense for when rain was coming. Of course, Princess Phoenia couldn’t know of such a fact, so she would hear it as a non-sequitur.

“… Anyway, we’ll be reaching Acken soon. Where should I drop you off before heading to the royal lodge?”

“Aren’t you just going to go straight to the royal stay?”

“I’ll drop you off at your desired place first before going.”

It was only natural to follow the princess’s movements, but Phoenia generously offered to first take Lucy wherever she wished to go.

Of course, Lucy had no reason to discern the intent behind that gesture, responding nonchalantly.

Peering out the carriage window into the late dawn sky, Lucy… imagined the downpour and let out a fleeting sigh.

“Near the North Forest.”

It was a response Phoenia had somewhat expected.

“I’ll go to the camp.”

And thus, the royal carriage pressed on.

In the corner of the horizon, the Mekses Bridge leading to Acken was faintly visible.