~Chapter 68~
“This brat—! Get over here—!”
As the men rushed at me, sensing danger, a magic circle full of complex formulas floated up in the air.
“Ma-ma-mage?!”
“Oh, right. That wasn’t me. It’s her.”
At my words, Asha quickly pressed her hand to the ground.
“Yes, that’s right~”
The scattered mana in the air gathered. The earth shuddered once, and in an instant, tough tree roots burst out of the ground.
“What the—?!”
“Argh! Roots! They’re growing out of nowhere—!”
“Run, run away!”
Too late.
Thud! Crash!
Bodies slammed to the ground as vines and roots coiled around them.
They were rolled up like hotdogs in sugar, spun round and round, bound tight like cocoons or mummies, and hung upside down from a tall zelkova tree.
“P-please spare—ugh.”
Their mouths were sealed shut, leaving only their noses uncovered.
“Don’t worry. I’ll leave your noses open so you can breathe.”
But the rain trickled straight into their nostrils. They flailed in misery, helpless to stop it.
Yes… I was a cruel magician.
“Consider it payback for making me suffer carriage sickness.”
I puffed my chest proudly.
Serves you right. Why poke at a sleeping lion—no, a sleeping mage?
“Wowww!”
Asha clapped, hitting the dangling men like punching bags.
“It’s amazing, as always! I can’t do magic like this!”
“Is the sky supposed to look… yellow?”
“Ah, mana shortage.”
My knees wobbled. Asha rushed to hold me steady, fanning me with her hands.
I tried to save energy, but… mana really is low here.
I kicked away the kidnappers’ weapons, sending them clattering far.
Normally I avoided wasting strength, but against armed men, this was the safest choice.
Asha wasn’t specialized in this kind of combat magic, so she couldn’t have handled them alone.
“…Khal. I want to see Khal…”
I touched my earlobe, trying again to connect.
Only static, no response.
“Shall we get out of the mountains now?”
Asha dusted off her hands and stood up.
I staggered after her, staring gloomily at the abandoned carriage.
And now the rain’s getting worse.
Heavy drops blurred my vision.
The ground was soft and muddy, the sky dark and heavy.
What should we do?
Just then, Asha froze.
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“This smell…”
She crouched down, pressing her nose close to the wet ground.
“There might be… a sealed beast nearby. It smells like one that’s been asleep for a very long time.”
My eyes widened.
A beast that had been sleeping deep in the mountains for ages—at least high-class or stronger.
That kind of threat required a whole unit to handle.
Asha was only a low-rank magician, and the others were just ordinary people.
We must not encounter it.
Wandering blindly could wake it—or worse, leave us stranded.
And after using magic just now, who knew how the energy flow had shifted?
On top of that, the sky was too clouded to navigate.
If I were alone, maybe… but with four others? Impossible.
I had no choice but to decide.
“Asha, let’s wait somewhere safe until the rain stops.”
“If we wait, will someone really come?”
“The prince and noble ladies disappeared. Of course they’ll send search parties.”
“Hmm. Convenient.”
Asha scanned the area quickly.
“Rubian, there’s a cave over there!”
We dragged the carriage closer and carried the three unconscious ones inside.
Asha released her sleep magic to save mana.
Soon, groans. They woke.
“Huh? Where… are we?”
The moment they realized their situation, Olivia and Titi’s faces turned pale with fear.
“This… this can’t be—Wait. Don’t tell me…”
Their terror was clear. I sat calmly in front of them.
“Ladies, don’t panic. We were kidnapped, but—”
“What?! Kidnapped?!”
“Yes, but it’s fine now. Though… there might be a beast nearby.”
“A-a beast?! What?!”
…What was I doing wrong?
Instead of calming them, I was pouring oil on the fire.
“Rubian, are you okay?”
Licht asked, concern filling his eyes.
“To be caught off guard by such an attack…”
The prince’s face twisted in anger. He grabbed his sword tightly.
“I’m fine. But you’re bleeding.”
“Ah.”
He looked at his arm. Blood dripped through a tear in his sleeve.
“It happened when I shielded you… I told you to call for help, but you ran in alone.”
“…I couldn’t help it. And I couldn’t just watch you rush in either.”
When the ambush struck, Licht had instinctively jumped to protect me.
I thought he was the careful type. Who knew he’d throw himself in like that…
“Waaaah!”
At last, Titi burst into tears.
Her cries filled the cave.
“D-don’t cry, Titi. Rubian said the bad men are all cocoons now. If we wait quietly, help will come…”
“But caves are scary…! It’s cold!”
“There, there, don’t cry, both of you.”
As the girls sobbed, Asha covered her ears, then lit a fire with a snap of magic. Warmth spread through the cave.
“M-magic?”
“Yep. Asha Drukan, at your service.”
“…Asha? From the eastern base?”
“You know me?”
Licht brushed back his wet blond hair.
“Name.”
“That’s right.”
“Did you defeat the kidnappers?”
I hung my wet clothes near the fire. While pretending to dry them, I signaled Asha.
She nodded calmly.
“Yes!”
“…More capable than the reports said.”
He muttered reluctantly.
I moved closer to the girls. Titi’s ankle was swollen. She must’ve hit it when she fainted.
“That must hurt. But crying will make it worse.”
“S-sorry… it’s my fault. I wanted to go out, and now everyone’s in danger…”
“Hey, what’s wrong with going out? The bad ones are out there. Don’t blame yourself.”
I gathered herbs and moss from the cave entrance.
“Asha, can you pour mana into this?”
She infused it with blue mana, soft light glowing. I applied it gently to Titi’s ankle.
“Huh?”
Her pain faded, and her tears stopped.
“When we get down the mountain, we’ll see a doctor. For now, it should be fine.”
“O-okay.”
Olivia stared in disbelief.
“How do you know this stuff? Rubian, you’re not even in the academy yet.”
“Hehe. I’m taking herbology classes lately.”
“…And just classes can do this?”
I ignored her doubt and turned to Licht.
“You too. Roll up your sleeve.”
“…”
He stared at me strangely.
“What?”
“Rubian… this feels… familiar.”
“Eh?”
“This situation.”
“Oh. I’m just really good at adapting!”
“…”
I brushed it off and treated his wound. Best not to make him more suspicious.
“Okay, done—”
Crackle!
A piercing noise suddenly shrieked in my ears.
“Ugh.”
The vibration rattled through my bones.
“Rubian?”
Licht gripped my shoulder.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
The buzzing grew louder.
Forceful opening…?
It felt like my circuits were being pried open by tremendous power.
And there was only one person who could do this.
