〈 Episode 260 〉 It’s not a blessing, it’s a curse (1)
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An eventful year is coming to an end.
The fallen leaves crumble, and white snow begins to fall in the sky. As winter approaches, pure white snow begins to pile up in Aplia.
It means that we are slowly approaching the end of the second semester.
The end of the semester was delayed due to the academic schedule being pushed back due to a catastrophic attack, school closure for facility repairs, etc., but as the snowfall began in earnest, major subjects began to end one by one.
A long year has come to an end, and the vacation that signals the end of the first year is approaching.
Students are busy making their own vacation plans, as if trying to make up for the past six months of running without a break. Belnoa was also one of them.
‘Chloe must have made a lot of plans again.’
Who is my childhood friend?
She is a girl who is crazy about traveling. I’m sure you’ve already thought of a lot of places to visit during your vacation.
Still, Chloe has been having a hard time following classes for the past six months. Belle Noah knew how busy she was, so she thought that her vacation this time would fit into Chloe’s plans.
Belnoir, who faced Chloe with such light thoughts, widened his eyes at the first words she spoke.
“I got to go to the front line.”
“···what?”
I went to the front line.
Feeling his heart pounding for a moment, Belnoir asked Chloe back.
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you know that Galahal is at the academy right now?”
“I know. “Because I’m also taking classes.”
“I need to learn intensively from Mr. Galahal… and see what the battlefield is like. “They say it’s something you need to do at least once before becoming an apprentice warrior.”
“that···.”
Belnoa was silent.
I sometimes forget, but my childhood friend was blessed with the stars. And, the blessing of the stars also comes with obligations.
Chloe is a candidate for hero.
A warrior must be a shield for humanity on the front lines. That is Chloe’s duty.
Belnoa knows that fact. She just tried to look away, thinking there was still time left… but when she suddenly faced her like this, she was left speechless.
“······.”
A moment of silence.
Belnoir caught his breath and opened his mouth.
“How far did you go?”
“I think it will be about a month.”
one month.
If it’s short, it’s short, and if it’s long, it’s long.
“Professor Rania, are you going too?”
“huh. “I decided to go with Professor Rania and Mr. Galahal.”
“That’s a good thing.”
If she is with the hero, and Professor Rania, whose power can overwhelm even the hero, is with her… Chloe’s safety will be guaranteed.
It’s true that it’s safe, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a cause for concern. Belnoir looked at Chloe’s face. Contrary to expectations, Chloe’s expression was calm.
“Aren’t you worried?”
“I’m worried.”
“It doesn’t really look like that.”
“Yeah, I was thinking about it.”
Chloe let out a faint laugh.
“The fact that I came out of the back alley, that the famous wizard Uncle Yetual became my guardian, and that I ended up attending this brilliant academy.”
Chloe nodded slightly.
“It wasn’t a privilege I could enjoy, but I was enjoying it. “Thanks to the blessings given by the stars.”
“That’s right… But.”
“I dreamed of becoming a warrior, and I don’t feel any resistance to where I have to go someday. So, it’s okay.”
Say it like it’s really okay.
It’s not smoke. It’s not even a lie. It’s definitely true, but Belnoir feels uncomfortable when he sees Chloe.
This is Belnoa, who has been with Chloe for a long time.
Chloe doesn’t lie, but she doesn’t reveal everything either. She could easily notice that fact. Because it looked like he was worried about something.
“It doesn’t seem like you have any concerns.”
“···Does it look like that?”
Belnoir nodded and let out a long sigh.
“You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
“I think I need to think about it a little more.”
“Then tell me later when it’s all sorted out.”
Belnoir knows that he won’t get an answer even if he pushes hard. Therefore, instead of asking questions, Belnoir said something lightly to Chloe.
“When we come back, let’s go out and have fun.”
“···What’s going on? Belnoa, you speak first.”
“I got a ticket for the place you sang about going to.”
Belnoir placed two tickets on the table.
It was a magic theme park that had recently opened under the name of the White Magic Tower, and I had asked Lark to get tickets in advance.
“They said I only have to come during vacation.”
“Wow…!”
Chloe, who returned with the same expression as always, looked at the ticket with shining eyes.
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“Where did you get this?”
“I asked Rak to give it to me.”
“I guess I’ll have to thank you later.”
Chloe smiled brightly, as if it was fun just imagining it. After chatting for a while, Chloe and Belnoir returned to their respective rooms.
Belnoa, who returned to the room, thinks.
That time is passing.
Belnoir senses that Chloe is changing and that he too cannot stand still.
It was a few days later that Belnoa increased his training time and asked someone other than Rania to teach him.
2.
A few days after Aplia went on vacation, Rania headed to the front lines. Since the distance was quite long, she took a carriage to the vicinity of the front line, and Gala Hal was riding in the carriage that arrived in front of her mansion.
“The carriage is quite nice.”
“I heard Rox prepared it. “They told me to come comfortably.”
What are you doing?
Rather than saying that, Rania kept her mouth shut. She was a good carriage, but when I thought back to the carriage she used to ride with Kyle… it wasn’t a very good carriage.
‘The ride quality was kind of crazy.’
Sara and Remia did that.
“Now you want me to ride something like this? Are you kidding me, human?”
“Are you kidding me now?”
His role was to subdue Remia, who tried to scold the coachman even if the carriage ride was slightly uncomfortable, but fortunately, he didn’t seem to need to take on that role now.
“Hello, Chloe.”
“Hello, Professor Rania!”
As I got into the carriage, I saw Chloe with her shoulders tense. Instead of the school uniform he always wore, he was dressed in clothes closer to the black magic tower’s uniform.
“Then shall we go?”
The carriage carrying Rania, Galahal, and Chloe departed. The road to the battlefield was long, and there was plenty of time to talk along the way.
“I delivered the letter.”
“To Raniel?”
“huh. “They said they received it.”
The topic is an extension of a story we shared a while ago.
As soon as she heard the name Raniel, Chloe’s shoulders shook, but she didn’t have time to pay attention to that.
“It’s been a while since I received it, but they said the letter never arrived.”
“I haven’t sent it yet.”
“Didn’t I tell you that the letter would arrive in one day and that you could write and send it right away?”
“I told you.”
“But why?”
Rania asked a question.
Galahal did not answer right away.
“I haven’t organized my thoughts yet.”
“Do I need to sort it out? They said we were close. “I’m not the kind of person who won’t help you organize your thoughts.”
“Because we are close, we are more cautious.”
Galahal laughed bitterly.
“If it is conveyed incorrectly, the meaning will change. I’m thinking about it. “I’ll send it to you when the time comes, so you don’t have to worry too much.”
“It’s not like I’m worried.”
I’m just saying that because I care.
“Given his personality, there is no way he wouldn’t be worried. I will hold on to the letter no matter how hard I see it. Yes, I guess I should write something down and send it to you.”
“···I heard there’s never been anything like that.”
“haha. You share everything, even the smallest details. “I guess you get along very well?”
Rania clicked her tongue and looked out the window. The carriage moves at high speed, and the scenery changes continuously.
Even in the changing landscape, a series of flows exist.
It was a forest full of trees, then it was an open plain, and then the number of trees gradually disappeared.
The carriage moved day and night. At some point, the coachman got off, and the carriage with the spell on it automatically started heading to its destination.
Chloe dozed off from the beginning, but then started to sleep, leaning against the window. She was not the same as Rania. The two were looking out the window with open eyes.
‘long time no see.’
It’s been a while since I returned to the battlefield.
Rania suddenly had this thought. After deciding to retire, he would never return to the battlefield.
Therefore, to her, the scenery passing by outside the window is both familiar and unfamiliar.
The trees disappear and a wilderness appears. The climate begins to mix, with sunshine and then snow and rain repeating. The messed up scenery told us that we were getting closer to our destination.
The Demon Lord (？？) is getting closer.
“Uh, uh….”
Instead of dozing off, Chloe woke up.
It wasn’t because the ride quality was crappy. The ride was good, and the car didn’t shake at all.
“Cough, um…”
Chloe pressed her thumb on my chest as if she was feeling uncomfortable. Rania, who noticed this, took out a water bottle from inside her robe and handed it to Chloe.
“ruler. drink.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Do you feel like you’re having trouble breathing?”
“Yes, a little…”
Chloe cleared her throat and nodded.
It wasn’t a major problem with breathing, but it felt like my nose was blocked and it was difficult to breathe.
“It’s because the devil is getting closer.”
“Magyeong…?”
“huh. frontmost line. “It is normal for it to be difficult to breathe because it is a place where demonic energy (？？) remains.”
“Ma, Magi?”
I’ve heard of it.
This is a story about people who do not protect themselves from demonic energy and are poisoned by demonic energy, vomiting black blood and dying. Chloe, her complexion turning pale, quickly covered her mouth.
“Well, then…!”
“Even if you die soon, you won’t get poisoned by demon energy, so don’t worry.”
“Aya!”
Rania smiled bitterly and fed chestnuts to Chloe’s forehead.
“A hero cannot be poisoned by demon energy. Because starlight itself resists demonic energy. Even more so, if mana itself is made of starlight like you… I could drink all the spring water that accumulates in my demon world and still be fine.”
“Is that so?”
“huh. “The reason I’m feeling out of breath right now is because I’m not used to the environment.”
Chloe lowered her hand covering her mouth.
My breathing was definitely getting easier little by little.
“The only thing I can tell you is how to breathe.”
Rania stretched out her finger.
The thin index finger tapped Chloe’s forehead. Blue mana seeped into Chloe’s forehead.
“Close your eyes and concentrate. “You can feel the mana circulating, that’s the flow, right?”
“Yes, yes…”
“Can you feel the lumps?”
“Oh, yes.”
The flowing mana is blocked.
The flow speed noticeably slows down.
“I think that solves that part. Move mana, or clear away fallen leaves that are blocking the waterway. “With that kind of feeling.”
“Uhm…”
The waterway is overflowing.
With only light advice, Chloe clears the blocked waterway in an instant.
“oh.”
Rania briefly expressed her admiration.
Chloe took a deep breath and smiled brightly.
“My nose isn’t stuffy anymore!”
“I didn’t have a stuffy nose to begin with.”
“is that so?”
“Ehehe,” Rania patted Chloe’s head as she laughed. Galahal, who was watching the scene in silence, narrowed his eyes.
Those eyes narrowed.
There was something about those eyes that felt familiar.
“So, Professor Rania, are you okay?”
Galahal asked a question.
Rania tilted her head.
“Is there anything that’s not okay?”
“Unless you have a special constitution like Miss Chloe, magic won’t be easy for wizards.”
“Am I a normal wizard?”
Rania shrugged her shoulders.
“It’s a way to protect yourself from demonic energy, of course you know. “How could you not know that?”
“···Is that so?”
Galahal glanced at Rania with a suspicious look, then slowly nodded.
3.
Soon the carriage arrived at its destination.
After getting off the carriage, what immediately comes into view is the Knights’ garrison, which was built by remodeling an abandoned old castle.
“Meet the warrior, Galahal!”
The knights waiting for the carriage saluted Galahal. Galahal responded to their salute with a smile and got off, followed by Rania and Chloe.
Chloe’s shoulders are full of strength.
Since entering the demonic period, the weather has suddenly become chilly. Chloe rubbed her forearm and looked up at the shout in front of him.
‘Garrison, Kateron Castle.’
Things I heard, saw, and only heard about through rumors.
We are facing these things one by one. Chloe swallowed dry saliva and caught her breath.
“oh.”
Unlike Chloe, Rania briefly expressed her admiration and lightly shook off her wrinkled robe inside the carriage.
‘long time no see.’
Although Knight Commander Heinkel did not stay at Kateron Castle often, he would gather at Kateron Castle whenever important matters occurred.
It was around this time that Rania was remembering.
“Knight Commander Heinkel is waiting. From now on, I will guide you…”
One knight takes the lead, and the remaining knights take a step back.
As the knights gathered in front of the castle opened the road with a salute, the road leading to the castle came into view.
and.
“Oh, what?”
There are also people who have not paved the way.
There is a person sitting alone on a chair at the entrance to the Kateron.
Dull gray hair, murky black eyes.
He is a man dressed in light clothing who looks more like an adventurer than a knight. He said, getting up from his seat.
“It came sooner than I thought.”
He approached the knight with light steps and waved his hand, tapping the knight’s shoulder a couple of times.
“I will guide you. “Look at your work.”
“···From Knight Commander Heinkel.”
“Do I have to say this twice?”
The knight stepped back without a word.
The man moved forward as much as the knight stepped back.
“······.”
The place where the man stopped was in front of Galahal, who was at the head of the group. After a moment of silence, the man lightly nodded his head.
“It’s been a while, Galahal.”
“Yes, it’s been a while. Destel.”
Destel of servility.
Galahal holds out his hand, but Destel does not hold his hand. He passed by Gala Hal as if he had just finished greeting him with a nod of his head.
So take another few steps.
“so.”
Destel stopped walking and slightly bent his back.
Bowing his back and tilting his head, Destel looks at the woman standing behind Galahal.
“Are you the rumored younger sister of Raniel?”
Destel extends his hand towards her.
“Nice to meet you, I…”
“I didn’t ask.”
Rania shot back.
The blue eyes facing Destel were like looking at an insect. Destel briefly admired the poisonous eyes.
“Hey.”
A smile appeared on his lips.
“Who is that bastard who said we don’t look alike at all?”
In Destel’s opinion, they were the same, let alone different.
Especially those eyes that looked as if they were going to stab him to death, those eyes that were glaring at him.
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fantasy,
