Chapter 278 Retreat or Advance
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Melgis-san revealed herself before us, pulling off her mask, and heaved a sigh as she looked me in the eye.
”Sigh… I asked you not to interfere, yet here you are. Why?”
”Because I couldn’t accept it. Sure, Golarf-san has his quirks, but I can’t see him as the type to consider destroying a nation.”
”I’ve said it before; even if he’s calm now, who knows when he might snap and cause havoc? No one can relax with such a person armed.”
”That’s it, then. Why do you think Golarf-san might go berserk? What could you possibly know about him? He’s a legendary figure who founded Grelego 3 centuries ago.”
Melgis-san closed her eyes for a moment before speaking slowly.
”Golarf is… my foster father.”
”So you’re one of the ‘seeds’ Golarf mentioned?”
”I see, he really did tell you a lot. It’s rare for that cautious man to be so open. Did he confide in you because of your bond with his homeland, Neil-sama? Or could it be──”
Melgis-san’s gaze shifted to Lewya standing beside me.
”You… you resemble him, down to the hair color.”
”I suppose I do. Golarf is my uncle, after all.”
”…So you just casually drop the bomb that you’re an elf, huh? I thought you’d try harder to keep it hidden. How refreshingly straightforward.”
”Why? Why would you want to kill your own foster parent?”
”Because that’s how I was raised. I won’t turn a blind eye to anyone who threatens this country, be they noble, royal, or my foster parent. You could say this is my own brand of filial piety.”
”Filial piety? A daughter aiming for her father’s life is nothing but unfilial!”
”If you’ve heard his story, then you should know what kind of person he wished me to be. I became what he desired. But what about you?”
The calm tone Melgis-san had maintained began to roughen, bit by bit.
”Oh, please. Acting like you know everything──what could an outsider like you possibly understand? He wanted me to carry on Grelego’s will. If someone here might endanger our country and I just look away… that’d be betraying everything he believed in, wouldn’t it?”
”…”
”If you really get it, then I’d appreciate if you stopped insulting him──and us──any further. Ordinarily, finding out who we are would mean I’d have to deal with you right here. But since you rushed in, risking yourself for his sake… if you let tonight slide, so will we. Consider it even.”
This is it──a line drawn clear as day by Melgis-san, and here I stand, right on top of it, thinking.
If I back down now and do what Melgis-san wants, tomorrow comes just like any other day.
But if I step forward… I’ll be picking a fight with Melgis-san and her people.
No going back.
I glance back, looking at the faces of all 3.
Lewya, Momoka, Estesia-san──they’re staring back, steady, and each of them nods.
There’s not an ounce of doubt in their eyes.
They’re telling me──”We trust you.”
”Melgis-san.”
”Yes? What is it?”
”You’re right. I’ve only talked to Golarf-san once, I barely know a thing about him. So in that sense, you understand him way, way better than I ever could. Which is exactly why──”
Saying that, I step forward, crossing Melgis-san’s line.”
”I have to meet Golarf-san face-to-face, hear what he has to say. There’s no way I’m just turning around when I don’t even know the truth.”
”…Bravery or recklessness──at this point, I’m almost impressed. Compared to those nobles who only care about lining their own pockets, you really do this country proud. Which is exactly why I never wanted to kill you over something like this.”
Melgis-san draws her sword──and at that instant, a wave of murderous intent ripples out from the forest all around us.
”Estesia-san, can you stall them? Just give me ten seconds.”
”Easy enough.”
The moment Estesia-san says it, spells come hurtling out from the shadows.
But Estesia-san’s magic swats every one of them from the air──and while all that’s happening, I raise both hands, conjuring up a spell of my own.
Not just any magic──this was Crimson magic.
I locked my focus, pouring everything into shaping it.
No rushing. Ten seconds, steady and precise, every nerve strung tight as I built the spell.
Between my hands, Crimson energy spiraled and churned──wild, a miniature typhoon about to break free.
”Ugh──oaaaagh!!”
Magic exploded all around, but I just let out a roar and hurled my spell straight into the sky.
The Crimson blast shot up, a blinding flash that tore through to the troposphere──punched right through the clouds and ripped open the sky itself.
”!?”
No mistaking it──the power was absurd.
Anyone watching knew: if that spell had been aimed at us instead of the sky, none of us would be standing right now.
That thought hit everyone at once──we just froze.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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