Episode 135 – Lion Cub (4)

Lion Cub (4)

In the desolate expanse of the desert, thankfully, Grawl was the first to regain consciousness.

─Is this enough?

Using his strength, I created a temporary cave where B04 could rest. It was a natural tent, with the floor dug deep and the interior hardened.

“Ah, it’s cool.”

Being underground, there was no risk of heatstroke.

In addition, I left food, money, a compass, a map, and medicine. With this much done, B04 should be able to manage the rest.

“Then…… oh, right.”

I was about to leave when I remembered to take the rabbit doll ‘Cookie.’

“Is this thing invincible or something?”

It was one of Elise’s belongings that I took just in case, but it was still intact except for its ears being slightly burnt after that intense battle.

“Grawl. Let’s go.”

─Yes.

Afterwards, I carried Elise and climbed onto the back of Grawl, who had transformed into a camel.

“How’s the ancient mana?”

─A more detailed analysis is needed, but it seems to have organic characteristics.

“Organic?”

─Yes.

As Grawl walked through the desert, he spoke.

─If we transplant this ancient mana into the roots of R-elix, it might breathe in mana particles and reproduce naturally.

Transplanting mana means, in essence, transplanting a magic circuit. This is because mana that has taken form contains its own ‘magic circuit’.

Therefore, mana transplantation is surprisingly common. It’s the ancient mana that’s rare; ‘mana chunks’ are often found.

Deep caves, distant underground, mana that has accumulated for a long time at the mouth of the sea forms a chunk. Humans can surgically transplant it, but most of the circuit─at least 98% is said to be lost.

“How much can be saved?”

─You’re transplanting it into R-elix, not your Magic Core. If done well, up to 90% can be saved.

“90%…… Then how much will the magic volume increase?”

─At least two adults’ worth? We’ll have to analyze what other effects this ancient magic has.

Two adults. As an Endex student, my magic volume is at the level of ten adults. If it increases by 20%, that’s quite pleasing.

“Good job.”

─Don’t forget the desktop~

Anyway.

After crossing the desert for three hours.

Ring-!

RingRingRingRing-!

Suddenly, several alarms rang on my smartphone.

Finally, the signal reached.

─Ah. I need to check my phone too.

Grawl made a dock with his gravel and placed his smartphone on it.

“……I can’t believe it.”

I also looked at the messages that had piled up in the meantime.

[Soliette : Lol]

[Soliette : What are you doing?]

[Soliette : Lol]

[Soliette : I found a fun game lol]

[121 : ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Is At Your Service closed these days?? Why aren’t you replying…… I have to do my holiday homework, At Your Service ㅠㅠ] (ㅠ is emote for crying face)

[121 : ★★★Please do it! Please do it!★★★]

[121 : ★★★Please do it! Please do it!★★★]

[121 : ★★★Please do it! Please do it!★★★]

[121 : Why aren’t you working, At Your Service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Soliette is Soliette, and 121 is Layla.

I replied to Soliette.

[Sorry. I couldn’t reply earlier due to some issues.]

Let’s do Layla later… she seems to be out of her mind.

Whing-

The pocket on the other side rang. I rummaged and pulled it out. It was C01’s wallet and phone.

[A11: C01. How did the mission go?]

A11. I don’t know who he is. Judging by the code, he seems to be related to B04 and C01, but it’s all over now, so whatever.

I was about to leave it in the desert as it was, but I hesitated.

“……”

I changed my mind.

[The mission is complete, but I was ambushed by B01. It is presumed to be B01’s unilateral action. C05 and C06 were killed by B01, and B01 was killed. B04 was healed and kept safe. The target, Elise Petra, is safe.]

[C01, I have deep wounds and will be hiding for a while.]

There might come a day when I need to use this identity again.

Of course, as time passes, my height will grow… but let’s bluff it out. What are they going to do when the face is the same?

“I can see it now.”

In the meantime, far away.

The silhouette of a towering 5-star hotel faintly appeared.

* * *

[Last week, a museum occupation incident occurred in Decapo, Arahall. Edsilla civilians were also involved, but fortunately, there were no casualties……]

Endex, old riverbank. I’m watching the news that’s trending in real time. The incident was reported two days after it happened… it’s definitely different.

“It wasn’t a kidnapping.”

There was no news related to Elise’s kidnapping, it was all lumped together as an escape. Before the regression, Elise must have been wandering the desert in pain until now.

“……Is that a relief?”

I put down my smartphone.

Break time is over.

I gripped my wooden sword again.

My body is drenched in sweat, and I took off my top a long time ago.

“Hoo.”

Taking a deep breath, I swung at the stone dummy that Grawl made.

Thwack-! Thwack-! In a clockwise circle.

It may seem like I’m just swinging wildly, but I’m not. It’s the initial training of targeting the eight sides in sequence. It’s the training of the “Eight Swords.”

“Hup!”

There’s a somewhat artistic trick to these Eight Swords.

The first sword strikes down from the top.

The second sword unfolds from the upper right.

The third sword stays on the right.

They all have different purposes and meanings.

First, the first and second swords are destructive. As they are strong strikes from above, the movements themselves are large and powerful. It’s high risk, high return.

The third sword, which takes care of the right side, has a strong defensive nature. It’s because it’s the front that collides with the enemy the most. However, the initial training includes “stabbing,” which is suitable for exploiting the enemy’s gaps.

The fourth sword from the lower right disrupts the opponent. Hence, there are many fakes. It induces the opponent’s defense and missteps by feigning to strike or swing.

For now, I’m repeatedly training from the first sword to the fourth sword…

「125 / 130」

Recent Change: -4

Capacity decreased by 4.

For three days, I had been training in Attunement for eight hours each day. At this pace, it would take at least two to three months to fully embody it.

That must mean its depth is vast.

─Master.

Suddenly, someone called me.

“Ah, you’re here?”

It was Grawl. The one who had gone exploring came down to the lawn and unpacked the bundle on his back. This time, too, there were mana stones, mana cores, and Gether.

─I’ve made up my mind.

But today, his face was unusually resolute, unusual for a cat.

“What decision?”

When I asked back, he took a deep breath with a stern look on his face.

─We need a laboratory.

“…What?”

─Please build a laboratory.

“That’s not your decision, it’s mine.”

─I helped with the mana grafting, didn’t I?

Grawl pointed at my right forearm. I unconsciously touched it. There was a fluffy sense of mana on the R-elix.

─The lab will not be for me, but will help with your survival.

Right now, some ancient magic is attached to the root of my R-elix: 「Treasure Hunter」. There’s not much change yet because it’s still in the adaptation phase.

“We don’t have money.”

─You need to invest money to make money.

“……”

He’s right. Thinking about it, we can’t stay in this Endex old building forever.

“I’ll think about it later.”

─There are 300,000 Ren in the C01 account.

“Hey, hey. You can’t touch the dead man’s money.”

─Isn’t the 100,000 Ren our reward and bonus for the work we did? That’s ours.

“Come to think of it, you’re right.”

Even if 200,000 Ren originally belonged to C01, the remaining 100,000 Ren is what I earned with blood, sweat, and tears.

-While I was thinking about this.

Whoosh─!

A brief flash of light came from the bushes by the lake. I turned to look at it.

“Huh?”

A CRT TV was flickering on the lawn, and in it was a 2D game character made of dots.

A character standing right in the middle, as if looking this way, facing forward.

“…What’s this?”

Then the character started hopping. A rectangle popped up at the bottom of the screen.

[Solize]

: Shion.

“Shion?”

That’s my name.

[Solize]

: Yes. Shion. I’m talking about you.

“What……”

I took a closer look at the dot character.

Red hair and blue eyes. A character that perfectly mimics Soliette’s features. But she doesn’t look good. She’s covered in blood.

[Solize]

: Are you coming now? I’ve been waiting.

The 2D dot character waved her hand up and down as if she was happy.

“No, I came two days ago… You’re not Soliette, are you?”

[Solize]

: Yes, that’s correct.

I blinked at her.

There were many questions, but only one word came out of my mouth.

“…How did you get in there?”

[Solize]

: Please wait a moment. I will log out soon.

Whoosh-!

The monitor glowed, and a bloodied Soliette popped out.

“Ah!”

I caught the almost flying girl in surprise.

* * *

…On a spring day at 14 years of age, Elise found her days imbued with a confidence she now found elusive.

She was petite with a small face, her hands and feet equally small, and her cheeks somewhat plump. Yet she moved through those days as if the world belonged to her.

Striding through the hospital in ill-fitting high heels that clacked against the marble floor, Elise was there for a business experience. She was getting a firsthand look at various facets of Petra University Hospital, which she would inherit in the future.

“Is it between stage 2 and 3 of Mana Syndrome… right?”

Along with the hospital’s professors and the board’s Senators, she went around the wards diagnosing patients. She wanted to show off that she could guess the disease by looking at the patient’s appearance and symptoms.

“Yes. That’s correct.”

The doctor nodded in surprise. Elise raised an eyebrow as if it was nothing.

“I think medical treatment might actually be harmful. It would interfere with the power to heal oneself.”

The treatment of a mage who has trained their Magic Body, or a superhuman, is not typical. The magic power they accumulate basically works to save themselves, but if the immune systems clash because of this, it can cause a big problem.

“My diagnosis is… Rixil. It seems better to continue administering sedatives, what do you think?”

“Your diagnosis is exactly the same as the professor’s.”

The doctors admired the young girl’s knowledge of magic medicine, and she modestly raised her nose.

Her dream at the age of 14 was to be a famous doctor, and at the same time, a high-ranking mage.

A dual master proficient in medicine and magic.

And not the kind found in a card game.

“So…?”

As she was looking for another patient, she suddenly noticed someone.

It was a guy. A bald-headed peer who was lying down and only looking out the window.

Just then, he turned his head this way. Their eyes met slightly. A small blush appeared on his face, and he quickly averted his gaze, mumbling his lips.

A quick-witted doctor handed her a chart. Elise checked it.

The diagnosis was, Magic Leukemia.

The age was, the same as hers, 14.

The name was──

‘Shion Ascal’.

…

Elise woke up from her dream. It was her familiar home in Edsilla.

“Why is my dream… like this.”

She rubbed her eyes and blankly looked up at the ceiling for a moment.

The incident in the desert was two days ago.

When she came to her senses that day, she was already in a 5-star hotel, and only Cookie was by her side.

Shion Ascal was not there.

Therefore, the Memory at the museum still feels like a vague dream.

“……”

Elise picked up Cookie at the head of the bed.

Cookie with slightly burnt ears.

A Burnt Cookie.

Even if I forget, lose, or even get involved in an incident, this guy always comes back to me.

“……You’re the evidence.”

Evidence that it wasn’t a dream.

Elise poked his chest.

“─Miss, Miss!”

Suddenly, the maids outside made a loud noise.

“What’s the matter……”

The door swung open.

“Miss! The head of the family is calling for you!”

“……My father?”

Elise’s eyes widened. She hastily rose from the bed.

It was the first time in nearly four years that her father had personally summoned her.

“Yes! The head of the family is asking for you-”

“I understand, calm down. The car?”

“The chauffeur is already outside!”

…

Ken Petra, Elise’s father, was sitting in the Senator’s office.

Elise, who had arrived five minutes ago, seemed to be of no concern to him. He was just reading through the documents, his glasses on.

“……I’m okay.”

Elise, who had been standing alone, fidgeting with her fingers, was the first to speak.

“There’s been a lot going on.”

“I know.”

Ken put down the file. He exhaled a small breath and looked into Elise’s eyes.

“You fought in the desert.”

“……”

Elise tightly closed her mouth.

Thump- Thump-.

Ken Petra tapped the table with his finger.

“Most of the scene was swept away by the sand, but three bodies were found.”

“……I know.”

Elise slightly widened her eyes. Ken continued in an emotionless tone.

“I don’t know what your condition is. You’re weak, and I’ve never been as frail as you.”

“…….”

What should she respond to his words?

She pondered fiercely, but she still didn’t know.

“But Elise. As I always tell you, humans grow from trials. If you only pick flowers in your head, your head becomes a flower garden. You become a useless person who doesn’t know reality. So you must eventually…….”

Ken tapped her temple with a thick finger.

“Fill yourself with the most rational things. Think of this incident as that experience.”

“……Yes.”

Elise responded briefly. Ken handed her a file. She held it with both hands.

“Go. You’ve worked hard.”

At the words ‘you’ve worked hard’, Elise’s eyelids trembled for a moment.

It was not warm at all, only dry, but it was received as something special to Elise at that moment.

He must have been worried in his own way.

“I’ll go.”

Holding back a smile that was about to break out, she left the office.

The corridor of the Senator’s office in Edsilla’s capital was long. They were all people who had come to get approval from Ken.

To Elise’s eyes, it was a landscape where power took shape.

She went outside and got into the car.

“……Let’s go home.”

With a faint sigh, a slightly good feeling, she slumped into the seat. She carelessly put down the file her father had given her, then picked it up again.

[Autopsy Report]

It seemed to be a file that had autopsied the person who died in the desert.

Elise turned a page.

1. Name: Rogel Putan

Was the name of that masked B01 Rogel Putan? Elise thought about just closing it, but suddenly remembered Shion’s words.

You have to remember.

You have to face the consequences of what you’ve done.

She turned a page.

───Main Autopsy Results───

(A)

1. A long horizontal cut was found on the neck.

2. A diagonal cut was confirmed on the chest.

3. Cervical vertebrae crushed by destructive force applied from all 360 degrees.

4. Evidence of magical force, presumed to be the cause of number 3, confirmed.

5. The most direct cause of death, ‘cervical vertebrae crush fracture’, is confirmed to be a result of number 3.

(B)

Although there are many wounds on the body, the number 1 cut occurred post-mortem, and the primary cause of death is confirmed to be the magical force that crushed the cervical vertebrae into powder…….

When Elise read the file, her shoulders trembled slightly.

Her eyes were blankly dyed with a dull light.

“…….”

She raised her finger and read it again.

[The primary cause of death is confirmed to be the magical force that crushed the cervical vertebrae into powder.]

Suddenly, a certain tone echoed in her head like an echo.

……no need to dirty your hands any further.

Shion, who said so, cutting B01’s neck.

“This is…….”

A lump rested on Elise’s chest as she recalled that day. Her breath was slightly blocked.

……no need to dirty your hands any further.

His voice flowing into her ears. Disturbing her fragile heart…… consideration.

Did he know at that time?

That B01 was already dead.

That ‘I’ had killed him.

No, he must have known. If he didn’t know, he wouldn’t have said such a thing.

Even so, as if he had killed him──.

Elise clenched the edge of the file. She bit her teeth hard. She bowed her head, shaking her hand. A hollow laugh mixed with moisture slipped out.

“He’s treating me like a fool…….”

In the end, Elise picked up her smartphone. She called him.

Ring- Ring-

─Hello.

As soon as she heard his voice, Elise froze. It wasn’t that she didn’t know what to do- her words were blocked- or anything like that.

“……Who is this?”

It wasn’t Shion.

It was a woman’s voice.